April 3, 2014 Edition of the Bay Area Reporter

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Vol. 44 • No. 14 • April 3-9, 2014

Besties The LGBT Best of the Bay

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Mozilla CEO under fire

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Gay man sues America’s Cup

by Seth Hemmelgarn

A

gay former America’s Cup employee is suing operators of the yacht race, claiming he was wrongfully terminated after top officials mocked his sexuality.

In his civil comCourtesy Larry Jacobson’s plaint filed March Facebook page 13 in San Francisco Superior Court, Larry Jacobson Larry Jacobson, who worked as a VIP spectator boat captain during the races last summer, says one man made a limp wrist gesture at him, while another called him a “poof,” a derogatory term for homosexual.

However, a former supervisor told the Bay Area Reporter that Jacobson had “pushed his sexuality very hard” and had been “inappropriate.”

Jacobson is claiming sexual orientation discrimination, failure to pay overtime, and failure to pay wages upon discharge, among other complaints. He’s seeking unlimited damages exceeding $25,000.

The complaint names ACRM Operations US, LLC; America’s Cup Race Management; and America’s Cup Event Authority, LLC specifically as defendants. America’s Cup officials hadn’t responded in court as of Tuesday morning and either couldn’t be reached by the B.A.R. for comment or didn’t respond.

In his complaint, Jacobson says he was hired in June 2013 as a spectator boat captain for the races, which ran from July through September and drew competitors including billionaire Oracle CEO Larry Ellison and thousands of viewers to San Francisco’s waterfront. Oracle Team USA prevailed in one of the greatest comebacks in sports, defeating Emirates Team New Zealand in the race series by 9-8, and the team had to win the last eight races in the come-from-behind victory.

After Jacobson was hired, co-workers and superiors knew he was openly gay, his complaint says. He also gave copies of his book The Boy Behind the Gate to Andy Hindley, chief operating officer for America’s Cup Race Management; the wife of Harold Bennett, who was then America’s Cup director of on-water operations; and David Powys, Jacobson’s direct supervisor, according to the filing. The book covers Jacobson’s experience sailing around the world with his same-sex partner. (His sailing exploits and his hiring for the America’s Cup was covered in the B.A.R.’s sports column last year and in 2007.)

“Although initially friendly to Mr. Jacobson, Mr. Hindley and Mr. Bennett became cold and unfriendly toward him,” the complaint says.

Jacobson claims that in August, he approached Hindley to request that he be considered for doing break down work once the regatta was over.

See page 11 >>

Vol. 44 • No. 14 • April 3-9, 2014

Trauma of AIDS epidemic impacts aging survivors

by Matthew S. Bajko

that I was with him when he died.

It got me over my fear of death; I he nightmares terrorized San wasn’t afraid of dying anymore, I Francisco resident Tez Anwas afraid of living.” derson for years. He would Within five years Anderson said dream he was buried deep underhe had taken “a wrecking ball” to ground and wake in the middle of his life. He ended friendships, bethe night feeling panicked. came agoraphobic, and “hibernat“It felt like I was in a lot of danger. ed” inside his apartment.

It was not so much about death, it “It was like trying to catch a wawas more that I was in peril,” recalled terfall in my hands,” he said. “I was Anderson, who turns 55 this month. drowning.”

Three decades ago Anderson The advent of online hookup and learned he was HIV-positive and, like chat sites for gay men led him to many other gay men of his generameet his now husband, Mark Ruiz, tion, witnessed what felt like a holoseven years ago. The two “became a caust as he watched countless friends, unit,” said Anderson, and Ruiz “was lovers, and associates be felled by Rick Gerharter part of my healing process.”

AIDS. Anderson survived to see the Author, AIDS activist, and entrepreneur Sean Strub, left, Over time he started to slowly introduction of antiretroviral therapy talked with Let’s Kick ASS (AIDS Survivor Syndrome) coventure back out into public, spendin the 1990s, turning what had been a founder Tez Anderson when he was in San Francisco earlier ing time at Cafe Flore bonding with death sentence for so many into a now this year to discuss his memoir, Body Counts. other men he met at the Castro manageable chronic disease. district coffeehouse who were also Yet the traumas he witnessed exactlong-term survivors of the AIDS eped a psychological toll as he aged. It beidemic. Those conversations showed how much I love you?’ He then closed his gan with the 2000 death of a lover, Gary Lebow.

Anderson he was not alone in feeling adrift. eyes and I said to him, ‘It’s okay to go. Your “He was in and out of a coma. One day he mom will be okay; I’ll be okay,’” recalled See page 28 >> opened his eyes to me and said, ‘You know Anderson. “It was a very powerful gift to me

T

Mock brings ‘Realness’ to LGBT center

by Elliot Owen

F

or the second time in as many weeks, a high-profile transgender woman of color brought visibility and empowerment to Bay Area trans people while supporters urged allies to continue working to bring such voices to the community.

Fresh off an inspiring program by trans actress Laverne Cox, best-selling trans author Janet Mock found a packed audience eager to hear from her at the San Francisco LGBT Community Center last week.

Mock, founder of the #GirlsLikeUs project, kicked-off this year’s inaugural Bay Area Transgender Visibility Week by participating in a March 28 salon-style panel.

Over 300 people attended the event, which featured Mock reading a selection from her recently-released memoir, Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love & So Much More; performances by transgender opera singer Breanna Elyce Sinclaire; and a book signing.

To applause and a standing ovation, Mock was welcomed on-stage by local transgender activist Cecilia Chung who, on behalf of Mayor Ed Lee’s office and the city, surprised Mock with a proclamation declaring March 28 “Janet Mock Day” in San Francisco.

“I was not expecting this,” Mock said accepting the honor. “Wow, thank you San Francisco.

I am deeply humbled and honored and kind of speechless. Usually I’m very good with words

Rick Gerharter

Author, AIDS activist, and entrepreneur Sean Strub, left talked with Let’s Kick ASS (AIDS Survivor Syndrome) co-founder Tez Anderson when he was in San Francisco earlier this year to discuss his memoir, Body Counts.

but I’m kind of thrown by this big surprise.”

Chung, a senior adviser for the Transgender Law Center, and a health commissioner at the San Francisco Department of Public Health, said the recognition was well deserved.

“Janet is accessing many different types of media through television, her memoir, and participating in events,” Chung told the Bay Area Reporter. “It helps the trans community realize we don’t have to look very far for a positive role model. We will continue to remember the names of those lost, but now our narrative is chang-

ing to also become about naming the names of people who are celebrating successes.”

Chung was referring to the purpose of Transgender Visibility Week, which was created in 2009 to recognize and celebrate transgender lives.

Ironically, Janet Mock Day coincided with the final episode of CNN’s three-year-old talk show Piers Morgan Live. The program’s ratings dropped in February from already dismal numbers when Morgan, the show’s host, invited Mock on twice and proceeded to, according to Mock, “sensationalize” her story, creating a loud backlash from the LGBT community and allies.

“We’re a community that wants to be heard,” Mock said at the event. “When someone approaches us with a [project], oftentimes it’s going to be a mess but we think we can make it better. Oftentimes, we can’t due to the power dynamic that you’re walking into.

“For me, that contributed to the Piers Morgan moment. I was naive enough to think that my accomplishments and the structures around me would protect me and that we were on equal footing. In actuality, we were not. So, it’s about controlling your own narrative. You have to be very intentional about the act that is a performance, a transaction. ... They’re there to sensationalize and entice. The more cognizant you are of that exchange, that relationship, the better the outcome will be in terms of a media portrait,” Mock added.

See page 8 >>

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<< Community News

4 • BAY AREA REPORTER • April 3-9, 2014

Salinas women charged with starving kids

t

by Seth Hemmelgarn

A

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female Salinas couple is facing charges that they starved and neglected their three children, including allegedly chaining one to a wall.

Eraca Dawn Craig, 31, and Christian Jessica Deanda, 44, are each in Monterey County jail on $500,000 bail.

Monterey County Sheriff ’s deputies responded to the couple’s home in the first block of Russell Road March 14 for a welfare check after the children – an 8-year-old girl, and two boys, ages 5 and 3 – didn’t arrive at an appointment, according to information provided by Sergeant Keith Wingo.

“There was very little food in the house, and the house was cluttered and dirty,” a news release from the sheriff’s office said. The children were “malnourished,” and showed “signs of physical and emotional abuse.” The release also said their injuries included “bruises and miscellaneous marks.”

“The children were starved and one of them had been chained to the floor to keep her from obtaining food,” the sheriff ’s office reported.

Wingo said he’d received information that indicated the oldest child had been “especially” malnourished.

According to details attached to a search warrant and posted on KSBW Channel 8’s website, the girl, whose name hasn’t been disclosed, said she’d been “chained to a wall with a collar around her neck.” She weighed 40 pounds, her hair had been “shaved off ” and she hadn’t been allowed to eat except for oatmeal, the records say.

“Jane Doe stated that she was hit with a black belt and was forced to be chained up all day, every day,” according to the documents. The girl “admitted she had bit herself because she was so hungry she thought it might make her feel better ... . [She] stated that she was forced to lay on the floor while her brothers urinated on her because she had an accident.”

One child was hospitalized and the state Child Protective Services department took the other two into protective custody. They’re now in foster care, according to an attorney in the case.

The Monterey County district attorney has charged Craig and Deanda with felony child abuse and false imprisonment by violence against the girl, according to the amended criminal complaint. The women also face a misdemeanor count for

Courtesy Monterey County Sheriff’s office

Courtesy Monterey County Sheriff’s office

Eraca Dawn Craig

Christian Jessica Deanda

each boy of cruelty to a child by inflicting injury.

Salinas is about two hours south of San Francisco.

biological son, said Chapman. The couple had legal guardianship of the other two, she said. Those children came from a young, unmarried woman who the couple had befriended. They got those children “when the mother had some difficulties,” said Chapman. She wasn’t sure what the mother’s problems had been.

She said Craig doesn’t have a criminal history.

It’s “possible” the case will be resolved before it reaches the preliminary hearing, when a judge would determine whether there’s enough evidence to proceed to trial, but it “may take more time” to obtain all the documentation involved and determine “who or if anyone is at fault, or just exactly what’s going on, and how it happened,” said Chapman.

“There’s always more to the story than the initial report,” she said, adding, “I ask everyone to wait to pass judgment until all the facts are brought forth.”

Wingo, of the sheriff ’s office, said “to my knowledge,” his agency hadn’t previously known of trouble involving the family.

Deputy Public Defender Jeremy Dzubay, who’s representing Deanda, didn’t respond to interview requests.

The next court date is April 23.

Deputy District Attorney Sarah Ma has been assigned as the prosecutor.

Anyone with information in the case may contact the sheriff ’s office at (831) 755-3700. The sheriff ’s case number is 14-01662.t

‘A very nice, quiet young lady’

Attorney Susan Chapman, who’s representing Craig, said in an interview last week that her client is “a very nice, quiet young lady who is distraught and concerned for the welfare of the children.”

Craig is “grateful” the children are getting “medical and psychological treatment for any problems they have,” said Chapman.

She said that her client is “not self-absorbed.”

Chapman, who had just been appointed to the case, indicated much of what she knows comes from media reports, and said, “I have very little information in regards to the facts,” and she had “no way of knowing if one person” was “more responsible than the other” for the alleged crimes.

However, she said, “We are standing by” Craig’s not guilty pleas. Deanda has also pleaded not guilty.

“She’s not guilty of all charges, and we’re going to look at all the facts of the case and determine what, if any responsibility, she may have had,” said Chapman of her client. Chapman did say, though, “Clearly,” the daughter “is very thin, and that is very concerning.”

Craig and Deanda have been in a relationship for more than 10 years, but Chapman said she doesn’t believe they’re married.

One of the children is Craig’s

Site reveals Milk stamp design compiled by Cynthia Laird

A

news site that covers the postal service revealed this week the design for the long anticipated Harvey Milk stamp.

According to Linn’s Stamp News, it features a black and white photo of Milk, the first LGBT person to be elected to public office in San Francisco when he won a seat on the Board of Supervisors in 1977, surrounded by a black background with his name spelled out overhead in white type. In the upper left-hand corner is a vertical band of rainbow colors representing the LGBT community’s pride flag.

The image appears to be taken from a photo by Dan Nicoletta, a photographer who was a friend of Milk’s. In the original photo Milk’s hair is slightly tousled by the wind, whereas his hair appears combed in the stamp image.

Asked to confirm if the image was correct, postal service spokesman Mark Saunders told the Bay Area

Reporter Tuesday that the agency has “nothing to announce at this time.”

Stuart Milk, the gay nephew of Harvey’s who co-founded the Harvey Milk Foundation, did not respond to the B.A.R.’s request for comment by press time.

The Milk stamp release is expected to be May 22, Milk’s birthday and an unofficial state holiday in California. The 49-cent forever stamp will be the nation’s first to honor an American for their role in the fight for LGBT rights.

Milk was a community activist, business owner in the gay Castro district, and a political columnist for the B.A.R. during the 1970s. His life and that of then-Mayor George Moscone came to a tragic end on the morning of November 27, 1978 when disgruntled former supervisor Dan White killed the progressive politicians in City Hall.

The idea of a Milk stamp first arose in the late 1980s, when San Francisco artist Jim Leff, a gay man

Courtesy Linn’s Stamp News

A rendering of the Harvey Milk postage stamp.

who knew Milk, painted a mock-up of what such a stamp could look like.

In 2005 San Francisco’s 11-member Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a resolution calling on the U.S. postmaster general to issue one for the gay rights leader.

See page 30 >>

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<< Community News

t AIDS doctor doubts there will be a complete cure 6 • BAY AREA REPORTER • April 3-9, 2014

by Brian Bromberger

O

ne of the most prominent HIV researchers and clinicians in the country told the Bay Area Reporter that while functional cure has been identified in a few AIDS patients, he doesn’t see a complete cure occurring anytime soon.

Dr. Michael Saag, a physician and HIV researcher at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, made the comments in a recent interview with the B.A.R. at the Omni Hotel while in San Francisco promoting his new book, Positive, a memoir of his life as an HIV clinician and researcher from the beginning of the AIDS epidemic.

Functional cure refers to the ability to maintain undetectable viral load without disease progression when not on antiretroviral treatment. So far there are only a handful of people who have achieved this, the most well-known person being Timothy Brown, also known as the Berlin patient. A sterilizing cure is complete eradication of the virus.

Saag is not optimistic that there will be a sterilizing cure.

“It’s possible but not likely,” he said of a complete and provable eradication of all traces of the virus.

Due to the tremendous replicating ability of HIV, which Saag was the first to describe, HIV remains dormant in reservoirs within the body, even if a person registers an undetectable viral load. Getting rid of every infected cell in the body would be a herculean task.

“The retroviral drugs protect uninfected cells from becoming infected but do not alter or eliminate already infected cells,” he said.

Saag, 59, is also the founder of the 1917 Clinic at UAB, a comprehensive HIV patient care and research center modeled after Ward 86, the 2-sheet: 46” h 46” x 60” 2-sheet: hw xat 60” w AIDS outpatient clinic San Francisco General Hospital.

Liz Highleyman

Dr. Michael Saag talked about his new book during a recent appearance in San Francisco.

He directed the first in-patient studies of the original seven of the 25 antiretroviral drugs currently on the market and he was the principal researcher to describe use of the essential viral load in clinical practice.

The long-term effects of these powerful drugs, essentially a form of chemotherapy, are not known on the body. But Saag and other doctors have seen potential problems.

“Already, doctors are noticing that the relative rate of heart attacks, strokes, liver disease, certain cancers, and neurologic dysfunction are happening in HIV-positive patients 10 to 15 years earlier than in otherwise healthy patients,” Saag said.

“This phenomenon may be due either to the drug, damage committed by the virus prior to the start of the drug regimen, or more likely that even when the virus is suppressed, there is still low roar inflammation occurring in the body, (due to these latent reservoirs) that could have similar damaging effects like hepatitis C, rheumatoid arthritis, or in-

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flammatory bowel syndrome.”

Thus, Saag is ambivalent of the test and treat and pre-exposure prophylaxis methods, both of which involve taking medications. Test and treat refers to people testing positive for the virus being put on antiretroviral therapy immediately, regardless of CD4 level. Pre-exposure prophylaxis, better known as PrEP, refers to use of antiretroviral drugs prior to HIV exposure to prevent the virus from taking hold in the body.

“One might have to remain on these drugs for one’s whole life, as long as one is at risk, and the toxicity of these drugs on non-infected patients over a long period is unknown and probably chancy,” Saag said.

Saag is also critical of young men who deliberately contract HIV and

fied, and already had a voice developed from years of protests. HIV is now a disease of poverty, so the current community is silent.”

He blames the criminalization of drugs, which disproportionately affects minorities, who get infected in jail.

Saag talked about AIDS activism in the late 1980s and early 1990s and said he admired the people “whose organization, passion, and energy came out of a gay community outraged that nothing was being done on a governmental and institutional health level.”

Their impact on speedier access and approval of new drugs to treat HIV was critical, even if at times Saag and his clinic were unfairly targeted for criticism by activists because they represented the medical establishment.

“The retroviral drugs protect uninfected cells from becoming infected but do not alter or eliminate already infected cells.”

–Dr. Michael Saag

believe taking the new medications is no more dangerous than swallowing an aspirin, not realizing the multiple unpleasant side effects of the drugs, which can be debilitating.

“Having not lived through the terminal phase years of the epidemic, they don’t realize how perilous HIV can be,” he said.

Saag also noted the shift in HIV care where in the early epidemic years, “mostly white middle class gay men were affected, producing a community which was active, uni-

Saag, who is straight, has always been supportive of the LGBT community. He mentioned that his favorite high school teacher was gay.

He said that until the AIDS epidemic, “I was unaware of the depth of intolerance experienced by LGBT people, especially in the rural South.”

Saag said that he developed incredibly rich relationships with many of his gay patients. But he noted that the stigma against HIV is still strong and epitomized by two

types, “one external, such as church signs saying AIDS is a curse from God for being homosexual, which has decreased over time, and the other internal, with many patients still experiencing a sense of shame, isolation, and persecution within themselves that can be harmful.”

This persistent stigma explains why even though mandatory testing would markedly curtail the epidemic in this country, it has not been made policy, “even though doctors can offer most patients a normal life span,” he said. The notion of blame for a disease is abhorrent to Saag, “with no positive gain for blame.”

“As a society, seeking wellness, we should reward good behavior such as exercise, nonsmoking, and safer sex, [it’s] a more positive message than condemning unhealthy actions.”

Saag considers the proudest achievement of his career as “working alongside unsung heroes such as nurses and social workers, who hung in amidst terrible adversity and horrible death, providing an oasis of hope for those suffering from the disease.”

Some of his sharpest criticism was for the U.S. health care system, even as the Affordable Care Act is starting for many Americans.

“People with HIV are lucky in that the Ryan White Act enables them to obtain their drugs for free and everyone is treated on an equal basis,” he said, referring to the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act. Saag worries that with the new insurance exchanges mandated by the ACA, also known as Obamacare, “some patients might have to pay a 20 percent copay for their drugs, money they may not have available to them.” t For a review of Dr. Michael Saag’s book, Positive, see the arts section.

Community News>>

t New Mozilla CEO in hot water over Prop 8 donation

April 3-9, 2014 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 7

by Khaled Sayed

we wish them nothing but to-day around the world, failure.”

HR policies, the product he newly appointed CEO of One of the people roadmap, their commuMozilla, Brendan Eich, is gainwho was first to respond nication; basically everying a lot of attention in the blogoto the Mozilla decision thing,” Catlin said. sphere and on Twitter, and not about its new CEO was Eich’s new role puts him because he is the creator of the JaHampton Lintorn Catlin, in charge of Mozilla CorvaScript language. What everyone is a well known programporation, which is the fortalking about is that the new leader mer and creator of the profit arm for the Mozilla of the company behind Firefox, the Sass language, another project. About two years most popular open source browser, very popular front-end ago, when Eich was named donated $1,000 in 2008 to support web technology. Catlin is Chief Technology Officer Proposition 8 when it was on the the CEO and co-founder of the company, people ballot in California. of Rarebit, which he runs discovered that Eich had Proposition 8 was the initiative to with his husband, Midonated to Prop 8, and ban same-sex marriage in the Goldchael. When they learned there was a public appeal en State, which won a majority of the of Eich’s appointment, against him. But Mozilla Khaled Sayed vote six years ago before being overthe company decided weathered the storm. Catturned on a technicality by the U.S. to withdraw its Mozilla Rarebit’s Michael Lintorn Catlin, left, and his husband, lin conjectured that the Supreme Court last year. The secremobile platform apps Rarebit CEO and co-founder Hampton Lintorn Catlin, response was sufficient tary of state’s list of donors to both and stop development were dismayed to learn that the new Mozilla CEO at that time, “because sides of the campaign is public and it on products that support donated to the Proposition 8 campaign against sameEich was just a CTO, and sex marriage. shows Eich donating $1,000 in supthe Mozilla ecosystem. people assumed after the port of the same-sex marriage ban.

“When we heard the scandal that he would be to launch in three or four months.

The fallout has been swift and news, it was very personless involved in the day-toThe Catlins rushed the launch in widespread. Just this week, OkCual, because Brendan Eich donated to day operations.” order to explain to their followers pid, a dating site for straights and the thing that had prevented us from Catlin and his husband believe that why they had decided to withdraw gays, started interrupting its Firefox working together as closely as we this is a fundamental civil rights issue. their support for Mozilla’s mobile users and asking them to use a difwanted,” Catlin said. “The very for“We can disagree on trickle down platform. ferent browser to access the site. mation of our company happened economics, or be in a different po“For us, it was a business decision Firefox visitors to OkCupid see a because Proposition 8 was struck litical party, but to me saying to about what we want to support with somebody, ‘I don’t believe that you the money and time we are investshould have legal protection under ing in our company,” Catlin said. the law’ is much more serious than “We realized that we were investing a small disagreement,” Catlin said. our whole business into this plat“Giving a donation is an action, and form where the appointed leader is a it has consequences. His donation person who worked actively against helped fund the passing of a law that the creation of our company and took away our rights.” our partnership. That is something One of the moments Catlin and we couldn’t stomach.” his husband will never forget was –Hampton Lintorn Catlin He added, “We couldn’t imagine buying their first home in San Fransupporting an organization that was cisco’s Dogpatch neighborhood. headed by somebody who thought For young couples that is a big deal. that our relationship shouldn’t exmessage that says in part, “Mozilla’s down. When the Supreme Court However, they weren’t allowed to ist.” new CEO, Brendan Eich, is an oppochanged the ruling, we were able to be married at the time because of The news of Eich becoming CEO nent of equal rights for gay couples. get married, and we were able to get Prop 8. Therefore they had to list was also disturbing to Catlin beWe would therefore prefer that our Michael a green card which allowed their marital status as “single bachcause that meant that Eich would be users not use Mozilla software to acus to start this business.” elors,” although they were buying the leader for many LGBTQ people cess OkCupid ... OkCupid is for creatRarebit had invested several the house together. who work for Mozilla. ing love. Those who seek to deny love months of development into apps “On the title paperwork it said, “Eich’s new position will allow and instead enforce misery, shame, specifically targeted at the Mozilla ‘Hampton Catlin a single male,’ him to manage contracts from dayand frustration are our enemies, and mobile platform, and was supposed and ‘Michael Catlin a single male,’”

T

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Caitlin, 30, said. “It was written that way because that was what you had to say. It was so odd. At a time that should have been joyful, it was a painful reminder of our status as second-class citizens.”

A number of Mozilla employees have taken to Twitter to ask that Eich step down. Those included Mozilla festival curator Chloe Vareldi, who tweeted, “I have waited too long to say this. I’m an employee of @mozilla and I’m asking @brendaneich to step down as CEO.” Partnerships lead John Bevan also tweeted a similar message for Mozilla, and engagement team member Sydney Moyer tweeted, “I’m an employee of @mozilla and cannot reconcile having @BrendanEich as CEO with our org’s culture & mission. Brendan, please step down.”

So far, however, it looks like Eich remains in his position.

The Bay Area Reporter reached out to Mozilla and to Eich directly for comment, but received no reply.

In response to the controversy, Eich has issued a statement on Mozilla’s blog saying, “I know there are concerns about my commitment to fostering equality and welcome for LGBT individuals at Mozilla. I hope to lay those concerns to rest. I can only ask for your support to have the time to ‘show, not tell’; and in the meantime express my sorrow at having caused pain.”

Mozilla has affirmed its commitment to the rights of its LGBTQ employees. The company has supported same-sex partner benefits and progressive community participation guidelines for years.t

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<< Commentary

8 • BAY AREA REPORTER • April 3-9, 2014

Female or ’phobe

by Gwendolyn Ann Smith

O

n the recent seventh season opener of RuPaul’s Drag Race, the popular reality TV program on Logo, contestants were posed with a challenge: shown close-up photos of parts of the bodies of several pop culture celebrities and determine if they belonged to, to quote show host RuPaul Charles, “a biological woman or a psychological woman.”

Of course, with photos of people such as Patricia “tan mom” Krentcil and former pro wrestler Chyna tossed in the mix to try and confuse the contestants, the game is all played for laughs. We get to all gape and joke about women who do not seem to measure up to the contestants’ standards of femininity, and marvel about those who fooled the players.

Oh, and this challenge was called “Female or Shemale.”

Needless to say, transgender activists are up in arms. Terms such as “shemale” are often used to objectify and misgender transfolks. It’s a popular word in trans-themed pornography, and has been viewed as a

slur in a lot of trans culture since at least the 1990s. Even beyond the use of shemale, the notion of making a somewhat mean-spirited game out of determining if someone is “woman enough” to be viewed as female is also harmful to transgender people.

Dealing with this sort of controversy is nothing new for RuPaul, as Charles is known. In the past RuPaul has defended the use of the term “tranny,” not only by him and the show, but other celebrities. “I love the word ‘tranny,’” said RuPaul when interviewed by Michelangelo Signorile about former ‘N Sync member Lance Bass’s unfortunate use of the term. “I hate the fact that he’s apologized.

I wish he would have said, ‘F you, you tranny jerk!’”

The term “tranny,” which does have its roots as a catty term in drag circles, is often viewed as an insult in trans circles.

I should note that RuPaul’s Drag Race has also had transgender-identified contestants, which is a step in the right direction. I find myself unsure, though, how much outreach their presence can truly have. It may be hard to clearly define yourself

on a show whose host once stated that the only difference between a trans woman and a drag queen was “$25,000 and a good surgeon.”

The issue has raised ire on both sides, reinforcing another stereotype of transgender activists as oversensitive, humorless, and dragphobic. It has also further reinforced the belief that the gay community – particularly among those who practice drag – are transphobic.

I need to give a history lesson of sorts. In the earliest days of the modern LGBT movement, the divisions were different. For many, the term “drag” was used as we might use “trans” today: an umbrella term consisting of a great many diverse gender identities and expressions, including both those who we would call drag queens and others we may call transgender today.

Many in the trans community have come out of the drag community, being a part of it as a step out of their own closet. Some have continued to keep a foot in both camps. Many transgender people have had their own “drag moms.” There is a lot of crossover between the world of drag and the transgender community.

Nevertheless, there is a lot of misunderstanding, confusion, and hurt between drag and trans identities –

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Christine Smith

and while I personally prefer to cast the biggest tent over our communities, even I am not sure that we can work through all of our issues and end up unified. It’s not even close to easy.

Things like “Female or Shemale” don’t help.

I don’t think that all of drag is transphobic any more than I think that the trans community is dragphobic – but I do feel that RuPaul’s Drag Race may be harming transwomen. I also feel that the show and its producers are tone deaf to their critics.

I worry that the view that transgender activists are hostile and oversensitive – whether true or not – causes people not to listen. I also think that ability to “turn off ” the

rising voices of transgender people is itself a transphobic reaction. It’s easy to ignore those who you view as unworthy of being listened to, those whose opinions you consider worthless in the first place. Of course, the more one ignores, the louder people get, which perpetuates these views of transgender activists.

I worry, too, that the actions of RuPaul – who I think we can indeed argue is transphobic, and insensitive – not only harm transgender people directly, but also continue to drive a wedge through our community. I simply cannot assume that the whole of the drag community is nearly as toxic as RuPaul is turning out to be.

The executive producers of RuPaul’s Drag Race released a statement in response to the controversy around “Female or Shemale.”

“We delight in celebrating every color in the LGBT rainbow,” read the statement attributed to RuPaul Charles, Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato, Tom Campbell, Steven Corfe and Mandy Salangsang. “When it comes to the movement of our trans sisters and trans brothers, we are newly sensitized and more committed than ever to help spread love, acceptance and understanding.”

You’ll note that there was no apology for “Female or Shemale” in the above statement. Not even a “we’re sorry if you were offended” non-apology apology. I’m sure they want this to all go away, to be positive, and to rise above.

Yet without directly addressing the issue, without at least an attempt to understand what was done wrong, no one can move forward. Rather than serving as a cure, this is only papering over the cracks. They need to do better – for us and for them.t Gwen Smith is kind of a drag.

You can find her at www.gwensmith.com.

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Mock

From page 3

For the panel and question and answer segments, Mock was joined

by Chung; queer activist and Transgender Law Center board member Shawn Demmons, MPH, who also works for the UCSF Department of Psychiatry; Christina Quinonez of the Transitions Project; and Lexi Adsit, program intern at the Youth Leadership Institute in San Rafael, columnist for the Rainbow Hub, and organizing member of the International Trans Women of Color Network Gathering.

Facilitated by musician StormMiguel Florez, the discussion covered intersectional identity, particularly as it relates to trans women of color, transgender media visibility, the diversification of transgender narratives, LGBT economic empowerment, art as activism, resource accessibility, and allyship.

“It was hugely appropriate for Janet to kick-off Transgender Visibility Week,” Adsit, 23, a self-identified fierce fat femme trans Latina, said.

“She talks a lot about honoring the dead and fighting like hell for the living. It’s been really great not just to have Janet this week but Laverne See page 11 >>

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Travel>>

April 3-9, 2014 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 9

Circuit parties and more await in Palm Springs

by Ed Walsh

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he world’s largest lesbian and gay circuit parties are getting under way in Palm Springs this month.

The Club Skirts Dinah Shore party is this weekend followed by the men’s White Party at the end of April.

The Dinah and the White Party are adding another boost to Palm Springs’ economic resurgence. The city’s renewed popularity is reflected in hard numbers. The city reports that hotel stays in January 2014 were 23 percent higher than the previous year.

Gay Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet boasted that business has bounced back since the recession in 2008.

“The city of Palm Springs is experiencing a historic renaissance as the hippest, most happening resort destination in southern California and beyond and the fact that (transient hotel occupancy tax) is up 60 percent since the beginning of the Great Recession is simply amazing,” Pougnet stated in a press release last month.

The White Party is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Organizers expect 30,000 people from all over the world to attend. To mark the anniversary, White Party founder Jeffrey Sanker was honored last month with a star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars. The star was unveiled in a sidewalk ceremony with Sanker, Palm Springs politicians, luminaries, and, for star power, singer Carmen Electra.

The Dinah and White Party have helped solidify Palm Springs as a wildly popular gay destination. Beyond the parties, the desert city’s attractions and the variety and quality of more than two-dozen gay resorts have kept LGBT travelers returning year after year. The resorts are a

great way to meet fellow LGBT travelers and people often make friends in the resorts with whom they keep in touch throughout the year.

Sights

A number of organized tours through the gay-friendly Desert Adventures provide a good introduction to the abundance of things to do and see in the greater Palm Springs area.

The newly created Gay Icons Tour is a must for any visitor to Palm Springs. Transplanted San Franciscan Bob Gross started it last fall. Gross is a tour guide with Desert Adventures and came up with the idea to conduct a specialized tour directed toward gay visitors. Gross does a great job covering the city’s history from early 20th century lesbian pioneers to the evolution of the Castro Street of Palm Springs, Arenas Road, which surprisingly didn’t get established until the early 1990s. The tour stops by Liberace’s homes, Elizabeth Taylor’s estate, and the former home of the openly closeted Barry Manilow. It also goes by lots of attractions you would see on a mainstream tour, including Elvis Presley’s iconic honeymoon home.

Desert Adventures also offers mainstream tours to the Joshua Tree National Monument or you can drive there on your own. The park is about an hour outside of Palm Springs. Some of the twisted trees there date back centuries. The park also offers hiking through surreal rock formations.

The Living Desert is both a zoo and a garden showcasing the animals and plants that very much make it a living desert. The Living Desert is in Palm Desert, about a

25-minute drive out of the The show is in the landmark city. The Living Desert’s Plaza Theater in downtown administration building is Palm Springs. named for a gay man, Stephen With all the great food in Chase, who died in 1994 and Palm Springs, there is a good left a large portion of his esoption to ensure you don’t go tate to the zoo. home heavier than when you For the more urban orientarrived. The WorkOut gym ed, downtown Palm Springs on the north end of town is undergoing a transformaunabashedly promotes itself tion. as a gay gym and is open for The old shopping center on daily and weekly passes. The Palm Canyon Drive is being gym offers free coffee and demolished to make way for a snacks, encouraging socializpark, shops, restaurants and a ing among members. Worknew Kimpton Hotel.

Out Gym also offers free exSadly, after a nearly two-year ercise classes and on occasion Ed Walsh stay, the Marilyn Monroe statprivate “nearly naked” yoga ue is moving this week to her White Party founder Jeffrey Sanker, right, speaks and workout sessions. It alduring a ceremony last month to honor him with new home in New Jersey. lows users to work out all the Palm Springs is very much a star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars. time without a shirt as long a year-round destination. A as a towel is used to cover the few years ago, gay businesses equipment. You can work out banded together to start the there for free if you are staythe drive stay open late.

Summer Splash program ofing at the Bearfoot Inn, SkyBe sure to stop in the Palm fering summer discounts throughlark, Radom Haus, Vista Grande, or Springs Art Museum before headout the city.

InnDulge. The gym is also a good ing to the street fair. The museum is And don’t be afraid of the sumway to escape the daytime heat if free on Thursdays from 4 to 8 p.m. mer heat. The resorts all have misyou get sick of the pool.

The museum is just a block west of ters, making it comfortable to sunPalm Springs offers plenty to see Palm Canyon Drive near Tahquitz bathe. The summer nights are warm and do year round. The Palm Springs Canyon Way. By the way, you will and dry, perfect for a midnight Aerial Tramway whisks visitors to the soon be able to see the museum swim. The sun sets a little earlier top of Mount San Jacinto in 10 minfrom Palm Canyon Drive. A new in Palm Springs. That’s because the utes. The temperature on the summit construction project is replacing the city sits in the shadow of a mounis a lot cooler. In the winter, it could building that blocked the view with tain range to the west. Once the sun be 80 degrees on the desert floor and a plaza. The museum is also exgoes below the mountain, the city below freezing with snow at the top panding to the nearby former bank is bathed in a cooling shade, but it of the mountain. In the summer, no building at 300 S. Palm Canyon doesn’t get dark until about an hour matter how hot it gets, it is usually Drive. When completed, the 13,000 or so later when the sun sets over the comfortable hiking at the top. square foot space will be home to horizon. the museum’s Architecture and DeNightlife Thursday evenings are a good sign center.

As the Gay Icons tour points out, night to explore downtown Palm If you have been meaning to see gay nightlife used to be in neighborSprings on the cheap. The city’s Vilthe Fabulous Palm Springs Follies ing Cathedral City, where the speaklageFest street fair takes over Palm show, you don’t have much time left. easy bars sprung up in the ProhibiCanyon Drive between Baristo and After 23 years, the show will close tion era, but it has since shifted to Amado. More than 200 booths offer for good on May 18. All the perPalm Springs. There are still three art, unique food, and handicrafts. formers in this good old-fashioned gay bars left in Cathedral City: Digs, The fair runs 6 to 10 p.m. through variety show are required to be at Studio One 11, and the Barracks.

May and 7 to 10 p.m. June-Septemleast 55. The oldest performer is 84. ber. Many of the businesses along See page 24 >>

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10 • BAY AREA REPORTER • April 3-9, 2014

Volume 44, Number 14 April 3-9, 2014 www.ebar.com PUBLISHER Michael M. Yamashita Thomas E. Horn, Publisher Emeritus (2013) Publisher (2003 – 2013) Bob Ross, Founder (1971 – 2003) NEWS EDITOR Cynthia Laird ARTS EDITOR Roberto Friedman ASSISTANT EDITORS Matthew S. Bajko Seth Hemmelgarn Jim Provenzano CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Dan Aiello • Tavo Amador Erin Blackwell • Roger Brigham Victoria A. Brownworth • Philip Campbell Heather Cassell • Chuck Colbert Richard Dodds • David Guarino Peter Hernandez • Liz Highleyman Brandon Judell • John F. Karr • Lisa Keen Matthew Kennedy • David Lamble Michael McAllister • Michael McDonagh David-Elijah Nahmod • Elliot Owen Paul Parish • Lois Pearlman • Tim Pfaff Jim Piechota • Bob Roehr Philip Ruth • Donna Sachet • Adam Sandel Jason Serinus • Gregg Shapiro Gwendolyn Smith • Jim Stewart Ed Walsh • Sura Wood ART DIRECTION Jay Cribas PRODUCTION/DESIGN Max Leger PHOTOGRAPHERS Jane Philomen Cleland Rick Gerharter • Lydia Gonzales Rudy K. Lawidjaja • Steven Underhill Bill Wilson ILLUSTRATORS & CARTOONISTS Paul Berge Christine Smith ADVERTISING/ADMINISTRATION Colleen Small VICE PRESIDENT OF ADVERTISING Scott Wazlowski – 415.359.2612 NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE Rivendell Media – 212.242.6863

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BAY AREA REPORTER 225 Bush Street, Suite 1700 San Francisco, CA 94104 415.861.5019 www.ebar.com A division of BAR Media, Inc. © 2014 President: Michael M. Yamashita Chairman: Thomas E. Horn VP and CFO: Patrick G. Brown Secretary: Todd A. Vogt

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LGBT and aging in SF

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he recent report issued by the San Francisco LGBT Aging Policy Task Force provides a framework for city leaders to ensure that the city’s roughly 20,000 LGBT seniors live as independently as possible. Members of the Board of Supervisors and the mayor must follow through on key recommendations so our community’s elders are less isolated and able to advocate for their well being.

This week, the Bay Area Reporter launches a monthlong series that will look at some of the key issues affecting LGBT seniors contained in the task force’s 120-page report. Some of the report’s 40 recommendations are easier to achieve with some clearly more difficult. We’d like to focus on one of the recommendations and an issue we’ve observed during our coverage of the task force over the last 18 months.

Housing

San Francisco is one of the most expensive cities in the country in which to live, and with the tech bubble bringing more jobs here, we don’t see that changing anytime soon.

Even during the worst years of the recession in 2008-2009, housing prices in San Francisco remained relatively stable, especially compared with other parts of the Bay Area. San Francisco didn’t have the blocks of foreclosed homes, for example, that were seen elsewhere.

For a time, it was a renter’s market, with landlords offering perks just to fill the units. Those days, of course, are long gone and the rental market has reverted back to being in landlords’ favor.

The task force has concluded that LGBT seniors “are especially vulnerable to eviction” and is calling on the city to increase eviction protections for them. We concur.

And in order to keep LGBT seniors in their homes, it is crucial that San Francisco leaders do everything possible to keep them in their rent-controlled units. The most serious threat to an LGBT senior in the city is the loss of their rent-controlled housing. When that happens, they often have nowhere to go. Many of their generation don’t have families who can help

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them because they were kicked out when they identified as gay and/ or did not have children of their own. (That latter point will probably be a game-changer in a decade or so, when the increasing number of grown children of LGBT parents can help care for them, much like children of straight parents.)

This means city leaders will have to make some difficult choices to prioritize resources for LGBT seniors like pushing at the limits of rent conRick Gerharter trol to further protect seniors from A rainbow painted fence encloses a temporary parkevictions and establishing ongoing ing lot at the site of the senior housing component of funding for emergency rent support the 55 Laguna housing project. (much like AIDS Emergency Fund provides grants to eligible cliJewish Home for the Aged or an Aging Services ents to pay for expenses like Division of Catholic Charities for the LGBT rent), and defending against unlawful community. The LGBT Community Center detainer lawsuits. Therefore, the city is focused on economic initiatives and queer must prioritize the preservation of youth, although it does partner with Openrent-controlled units over opportunihouse for senior activities. Who will take care ties for first-time homebuyers or condo of us? And what will we actually do to take care converters and do everything possible of ourselves? Those are questions that younger to keep LGBT seniors in those units. members of the LGBT community need to start That will work against the interests of thinking about. We have a generation that needs young, upwardly mobile people who help now – LGBTs in their 70s and 80s. People in want a piece of the American Dream their 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s should care about this through homeownership – a tough issue, but by and large they don’t. It is time for inchoice – but the focus right now needs to be on dividuals and organizations to come together to vulnerable LGBT seniors. begin formulating a system that will be there for The fact is not enough housing is being us when we need it. The community has a sucbuilt in San Francisco now. The 110 units of cessful track record, one only has to look at the LGBT-friendly affordable housing that Opennonprofits that were created in the 1980s when house is constructing at the 55 Laguna Street the AIDS epidemic began ravaging the gay comsite is a mere drop in the bucket. When it’s munity, and community leaders and others need time to sign-up for the units, you can bet the to explore beefing up agencies like Openhouse so waiting list will reach into the hundreds, perthat people are aware of them, or creating new haps thousands. And there’s no guarantee that ones that address unmet needs. all the units will go to LGBT seniors – OpenOne of the reasons we’re doing this series is house can’t discriminate, hence the “LGBTthat we’re all getting older. The LGBT commuwelcoming” tagline for the project. nity has a well-known reputation for ageism Community among our own. We must temper our obsesThe purpose of Openhouse was always to help sion with youth culture with an appreciation LGBT seniors, and it does a good job with its limof the contributions of our seniors. If younger ited resources. But our community is way behind LGBTs who are fortunate enough to call San in terms of organizing and sticking together. The Francisco home want to stay here they need Asian community has On Lok, which provides to plan for their golden years now so that they senior services in San Francisco. But there is no can continue to live independently.t

Ensuring a seat at the table for LGBTs

by Tom Temprano

position that would make him California’s first out LGBT person ever early 40 years ago, the Harvey elected to statewide office.

Milk LGBT Democratic Club Unfortunately, not everyone in was founded after a split from the our community believes that LGBT Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic representation is as important toClub. Early leaders Harvey Milk, day as it was when Milk was elected.

Harry Britt, and others laid out a With the gains the LGBT movement simple manifesto: is making nationally, it’s easy to feel No decisions which affect our like we’ve already won and that an Courtesy Campos for Assembly campaign lives should be made without the ally at the table will be adequate in gay voice being heard. We want our David Campos representing our interests. fair share of city services. We want Pardon me if I disagree, but our openly gay people appointed and movement has only just begun. elected to city offices – people who More than marriage or “Don’t Ask, reflect the diversity of our commuDon’t Tell,” it’s about standing up nity. We want the schools of San for the most disadvantaged memFrancisco to provide full exposure bers of our community and fightto and positive appreciation of gay ing the discrimination LGBT folks lifestyles. We are asking no more without economic privilege than we deserve. We will not settle face every day. This is the for less. real fight and we must Rick Gerharter From that moment forward, the elect progressive leadMilk club has worked diligently to John A. Perez ers from our own comelect members of the LGBT community to represent us munity – from Milk to Britt, from at all levels of governCarole Migden to Tom Ammiano – to reprement, not just our allies. sent our voice in city and state government.

Fortunately, we already have Milk knew that to make sure our voice was leaders with a demonstrated heard, we needed our own seat at the table. commitment for fighting for The Milk club continues to honor its our community ready to take that founding manifesto today. Getting progressive seat at the table.

LGBT candidates elected is what the Milk club Campos has been a champion for all memhas done since its inception and what we will bers of our community during his five years on continue to do this year. the Board of Supervisors and in his previous In June we have a historic opportunity to role as general counsel for the San Francisco further the legacy of LGBT representation Unified School District. As supervisor he has that began with Milk. The Milk club is proud tackled the troubling statistic that nearly 30 perto have endorsed the two queer Latino candicent of our city’s homeless population identidates trying to make history in their primary fies as LGBT by working diligently to open an races. If elected, David Campos will be the first LGBT shelter in the Mission district. He has Latino to represent San Francisco in the state led the fight to preserve critical health services Legislature and will maintain LGBT represenfor people living with HIV and AIDS, restortation in a seat that has been held by a meming millions of dollars to keep clinics open and ber of our community since 1996. Assembly literally keep San Franciscans alive. As SFUSD’s Speaker John A Perez, the first gay speaker of general counsel, he instituted policies to protect the Assembly, is running for state controller, a transgender student safety in our public schools

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and worked to prohibit the bullying of LGBT students – policies that we are now fighting to preserve on a statewide level.

Perez has used his historic position as the first openly LGBT leader of the California State Assembly to advocate on behalf of our community’s most vulnerable members. He expanded access to domestic violence program funding so that LGBT organizations could offer LGBT-specific domestic violence assistance. Acknowledging the disparities in health access that LGBT Californians face, Perez helped integrate LGBT health issues into the mission of the California Department of Public Health’s Office of Health and Equity.

These out candidates – whose personal experiences as members of the LGBT community have fueled their undeniable record of leadership on our issues – are the people we want at the table – not people who simply promise to be a good vote on our issues. As good as an ally may be, they are no replacement for real LGBT leadership.

Currently, only 6 percent of our state Legislature is comprised of members of the LGBT caucus.

An Equality California study tracked the Legislature over the last 10 years and found that 55 percent of the 114 bills addressing issues critical to the LGBT community were authored and sponsored by members of the LGBT caucus – a revealing statistic that confirms the continued need for LGBT representation.

What Milk advocated for then we must remember now: electing LGBT representatives launches our movement forward; relying on allies to do our work for us does not. This year, join the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club in strengthening our movement and building a better future for all members of the LGBT community. Vote David Campos for Assembly and John Perez for controller.t Tom Temprano is the co-president of the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club.

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Letters >>

April 3-9, 2014 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 11

Milk endorsement flap in 2010

Denise D’Anne’s letter [Mailstrom, March 27] about the structural problems of the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club prompts me to write about my own frustrating experience with the club during the endorsements process in the last mayoral race.

While supporting most of the Milk club’s endorsements for candidates, referendums, and policy issues for decades, working on the campaigns of a number of their endorsed candidates, I had not joined the club until May 2010, in order to participate in the endorsements for the upcoming mayor’s race.

For months I attended all of the political action committee meetings in order to obtain voting rights and to advocate for a single endorsement of San Francisco Supervisor John Avalos for mayor. The Milk PAC eventually voted to do exactly that.

I then went to the general membership meeting where I and most of the PAC expected the membership to ratify the PAC’s decision.

Instead of the meeting being packed with advocates of other candidates, as D’Anne’s letter reiterates, Rafael Mandelman, then the president of the Milk club, made a motion on the floor to endorse as a second choice, a dual endorsement of state Senator Leland Yee and another candidate.

To my disgust the general membership voted to do this, thereby taking a proverbial dump on the PAC and six months of work they spent interviewing candidates over a range of issues and deciding to endorse Avalos as our single endorsement.

This predictably split the members of the club into three factions working to elect three candidates for mayor instead of uniting behind Avalos who had the best chance of defeating Ed Lee, who lied to everyone, promising to be only an interim mayor.

I quit the club after my short stint as a member over these mayoral endorsements.

A similar Milk Club endorsement fiasco occurred again in the 2012 District 5 supervisors election. Christina Olague, clearly the only candidate who could defeat London Breed, and a candidate who supported the Milk club’s position on defending Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi from a political lynching by Lee, was passed over in favor of a slew of tiny candidates who had no chance of beating Breed.

As I discuss these destructive endorsements by the Milk club, which contributed to the elections of Lee and Breed, I must also remark on the disaster in the Board of Supervisors when it voted 10-1 with the exception of Chris Daly, to inflict on us Lee, a dishonest, corporate shill.

Progressives shooting themselves in the foot, over and over, why does this have to be the case?

Jerry Berbiar a.k.a. Jerry the Faerie San Francisco

Hula app name culturally insensitive

While it’s laudable to create new technologies to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted infections and diseases, it’s truly unfortunate that one entrepreneur has chosen to brand and market his product at the expense of sacred cultural traditions belonging to an indigenous culture. Three Native Hawaiian students have created a

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Mock

From page 8

[Cox] here last week, too – trans women of color showing off their work and building community with leaders and trans women in the area.

It’s inspiring to see how powerful those relationships can be.”

Adsit knows the power of connecting over shared identities well. She met Mock last April at Stanford University where Mock delivered the keynote speech opening the school’s Transgen-

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petition to ask Hula CEO Ramin Bastani to change the name of his STD alert app from “Hula” to something else – perhaps his previous product name, Qpid.me. As of this moment, the petition has collected 1,230 names accompanied by hundreds of impassioned pleas from Hula teachers, performers, students, and allies, including a smattering of sexologists and sexual health educators.

Mister, the gay chat app, is partnering with Hula, probably not realizing the offensive nature of the product’s name.

Please boycott Hula until it changes its name. So far Bastani has apologized for being offensive (he removed his “because it gets you lei’d” slogan), but continues to keep the name. Please contact Mister.com and ask them to reconsider their association with a brand that is offensive in the extreme, until the name is changed back to Qpid.me – or whatever. Those who work professionally in public health issues should endeavor to attain multicultural competency recommended by such organizations as the American Counseling Association.

Offensively branded products do nothing whatsoever to advance these professional standards.

Amy Marsh Albany, California

Don’t remove Castro trees

For almost 10 years, I have lived above the Sausage Factory at the corner of 18th and Castro. I know this neighborhood intimately, in all its seasons and moods. While I support the Castro Streetscaping Project’s goal of widening the sidewalks, I oppose the removal of the trees on Castro Street, between 18th and 19th streets. A few of the trees – on the east side in front of 525 and 575 Castro, and on the west side in front of 536, 540 and 544 Castro – are thriving and should be saved.

In an era of rapid climate change, in the midst of one of the worst droughts on record in California, there is no guarantee that the proposed 68 new trees will prosper.

Decisions to remove trees should therefore be made with consideration of the total contribution of the tree, to human and nonhuman species alike. All provide critical shade cover and a resting place for a wide range of migratory birds. One tree in particular is home to a very large flock of small birds who are very talkative at dawn. How can the city expect these birds to show up at a committee meeting? We should visit and consult them before we decide to destroy their home in order to plant a sapling that may not meet their needs for decades to come, if ever. We should hear the voices of these birds.

There are also strong social values to be demonstrated by incorporating these trees into the street renovation plan rather than destroying them. The Castro is an international symbol for the LGBT community, marvelous for its diversity. How can a monoculture, a single ornamental species, properly reflect that diversity? A neighborhood that boasts such marvelous variety of otters, bears, and many-striped genderqueers should celebrate and nurture especially those trees that are thriving, which contribute a great deal to many interspecies communities. We should not cut them down just to move them by two feet.

Jesse Oliver Sanford San Francisco

der Awareness Week. Mock instantly recognized Adsit and her friend, Lovemme Corazón, as transgender activists whose work she had seen on Tumblr. In October, Adsit visited New York and enjoyed a breakfast and shopping excursion with Mock where they bonded over similar experiences.

“It’s been one of the most inspiring validations to watch her be so successful,” Adsit said. “During our conversations, we’ve shared experiences of being tokenized and I think her realness is really refreshing.”

Between Cox’s March 19 event and Mock’s appearance, the importance of trans women and trans women of color telling their own stories cannot be understated. Allies, Chung emphasized, have a role to play in this movement, too.

“We’re seeing more allies from the greater queer community coming forward,” Chung told the B.A.R. “We’d really like them to help us create space so we can fill it with trans women of color, so we can really be the voice for our own community.”t

gize for his colleagues’ conduct.”

But in an email exchange with the B.A.R., Powys said, “Mr. Jacobson pushed his sexuality very hard and was inappropriate and embarrassed many people on many occasions which people let go, so he is far from innocent in this matter.”

Asked about examples of such behavior and witnesses, and whether he had written documentation to support his statement, Powys said, “No I do not.”

In an email on which Jacobson was copied, Powys, who is not a defendant in the lawsuit, also said, “Please do not quote me or use my name in any articles you may be writing. I was not present and know very little of how and why Mr. Jacobson’s contract was terminated.

“Should you use my name in court, any article or press release you will have your own lawsuit

from me, I trust you understand,” he added.

Citing advice from his attorney, Zachary Shepard, Jacobson declined to be interviewed for this story.

“The lawsuit speaks for itself,” Shepard said. “I wish I could talk about it more, but I think I should probably not talk about a pending matter.”

Bennett didn’t respond to a Facebook message. Hindley and other America’s Cup officials couldn’t be reached.

Neither Bennett nor Hindley are listed as defendants in the complaint.

Jacobson, who claims in his lawsuit that he suffers “humiliation, emotional distress, and physical and mental pain and anguish,” works as a motivational speaker, according to his website, http://www. larryjacobson.com.t

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From page 3

Hindley “made a ‘limp wrist’ gesture” and said, “People like you, don’t want work like that,” Jacobson claims, and he didn’t get the job.

Then, at a party in September, Bennett told friends, “That’s our poof,” referring to Jacobson, according to the complaint. Bennett lives primarily in New Zealand, where “poof ” is a derogatory term for gay men.

On September 12, the filing says, “without warning, and in blatant breach of his contract,” Jacobson “was summarily terminated without legal cause or justification.” Bennett and Hindley made the termination decision, Jacobson claims.

He says in his complaint that Powys didn’t approve of that decision and “later reached out to [him] to apolo-

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<< Politics

12 • BAY AREA REPORTER • April 3-9, 2014

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SF court seeks LGBTs for grand jury

by Matthew S. Bajko

O

nce again San Francisco court officials are trying to recruit LGBT residents to serve on the city’s civil grand jury. The body investigates the workings of city government and chooses on its own what topics to pursue.

Over the last four years judges on the San Francisco Superior Court, which oversees the civil grand jury, and a gay former member of the grand jury, Ken Maley, have sought to encourage LGBT people to apply.

“For me, I always think we can do better when it comes to outreach for diversity. One of our priorities for the judges committee is to actively recruit gay, lesbian, transgender and ethnic minorities to the grand jury,” said out lesbian Judge Angela Bradstreet, who is one of 11 judges serving on the court’s civil grand jury committee.

“The last couple of years I have served on the committee, diversity has been a priority. This year it is a top priority.”

In 2012 the court added a question about sexual orientation to the application in order to better track its LGBT recruitment efforts. It was the first time a superior court in California had asked such a question of grand jury applicants.

“First of all, for San Francisco it is very important for the grand jury to reflect our community, and our community here, I am proud to say, is very diverse and has a large gay and lesbian population,” said Bradstreet. “I think it is very important they are represented on the committee.”

Court officials said they are unaware of any other superior courts in the state that have followed suit.

Checks of the applications posted online by courts in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Santa Clara counties found none that asked applicants if they identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.

A spokesman for the Alameda County Superior Court told the Bay Area Reporter that applicants for its grand jury are not questioned about sexual orientation.

The San Mateo County Superior Court’s application for its civil grand jury does ask for the name and occupation of an applicant’s spouse or domestic partner, but it does not ask the person to specify if they are LGBT. According to demographic data for the San Francisco 2013-2014 grand jury applicant pool, which the superior court shared with the B.A.R., seven LGBT people applied to serve. They accounted for close to 10 percent of the total 72 people who applied.

“We are going in the right direction,” said Bradstreet in regard to the number of LGBT applicants.

Asked how many LGBT people she would like to see apply this year, Bradstreet said, “I would like to see a healthy increase but I don’t have a particular number in mind.”

Of the 44 people who were interviewed to serve on the 2013-2014 grand jury, three were LGBT. And all three were among the 30 people recommended for selection as grand jury members.

Out of those 30 applicants, 19 are picked at random to serve on the grand jury. The court does not publicly disclose if any of the three LGBT people made it onto the grand jury as the demographic information is compiled anonymously.

“The judges are the only ones who see the specifics on the applications,” explained Megan Filly, the court’s deputy press secretary.

Courtesy SF Superior Court

San Francisco Superior Court Judge Angela Bradstreet

But the B.A.R. was able to learn that three gay men were selected to serve: City Hall watchdog Larry Bush, attorney Daniel Chesir, and the late Stu Smith, who served on a number of LGBT boards before he died in February.

Serving offers the public a way to have more impact on city departments and agencies than one can achieve by speaking during public comment at meetings, said Bush.

“It is the one place in city government where you can ask the questions ordinary citizens have and where they are required to give you answers, including documents,” said Bush. “So you have an opportunity that doesn’t exist elsewhere to delve into questions.”

Maley, who served on the 20072008 grand jury and is now on the board of the local civil grand jury association, told the B.A.R. that he is “hopeful one reason there are so many LGBT applicants is that our efforts to recruit LGBT members has been on target.”

He noted that based on the feedback he receives about the yearly applicant pool, a high proportion of the more qualified people who applied did so after seeing stories about the grand jury in the gay press.

“I think that is really impressive and I am very prideful, in a modest way, by broadening the diversity of the outreach brought recognizable qualified candidates,” said Maley.

“Really, that is something the jury has long needed.”

LGBT-specific issues, however, have not been among the grand jury’s pursuits in recent years. That is true again for the current grand jury, whose reports will be published in June, although Bush said the panel has spoken with a number of LGBT people for its research.

During the previous term the grand jury’s reports covered such things as an audit of the city auditor, the number of homeless people in Golden Gate Park, and a look at city-funded nonprofits.

“The grand jury gets to set its own projects,” said Bradstreet. “It is really a chance if you are civicminded to really make a difference and really is something to give back to our community.”

Grand jury members serve a oneyear term, from July through June 30 the following year, for a minimum of approximately 500 hours or roughly 20 hours a week. State law requires applicants to be United States citizens, at least 18, English speakers, and “of ordinary intelligence and good character,” according to the local grand jury’s website.

There is a per diem of $15 for each meeting attended plus mileage and parking.

“You don’t do it for the finances, that is for sure,” joked Bradstreet.

The deadline to apply for the 2014-2015 civil grand jury in San See page 26 >>

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<< Besties 2014

14 • BAY AREA REPORTER • April 3-9, 2014

The Besties are in!

compiled by Cynthia Laird

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t

arts and culture, and BARtab, our nightlife section.

We’d also like to acknowledge our appreciation for this year’s survey sponsors Maui Sunseeker, the San Francisco Ballet, and Swirl Radio for providing our readers a chance to win some fabulous prizes.

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Best LGBT Event, Best Community Fundraiser

San Francisco Pride For the second consecutive year, the San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration Committee has won readers’ hearts for the best LGBT event. This year’s parade and festival, scheduled for June 28-29, promises to be better than ever, thanks to a new governing board and a new executive director, George Ridgely, who was hired in January.

The Pride parade itself is one of the largest in the world, drawing about 200 contingents.

Thanks to gate donations, Pride is also able to return tens of thousands of dollars to local nonprofits through its community partner program.

“People recognize the unique role SF Pride plays locally and on the world stage,” Pride board President Gary Virginia said in an email. “The event showcases our diverse community with 22 community stages and venues, while advancing LGBT causes here and abroad.”

This year’s theme is “Color Our World with Pride.” Whether you’re marching in a contingent or viewing the parade from the sidelines, the last Sunday in June is not to be missed.

“We know how to throw a party,” Virginia said, “but never lose sight of our mission.”

San Francisco Pride, www. sfpride.org.

Runners-up Folsom Street Fair (event, fundraiser) Castro Street Fair (event) AIDS/LifeCycle (fundraiser)

Best Fair or Festival (SF)

Folsom Street Fair

The Folsom Street Fair has been rocking San Francisco’s South of Market district for 30 years. It’s a leather community mainstay that has also attracted fetish enthusiasts of all types.

Demetri Moshoyannis, executive director of Folsom Street Events, which produces the fair, said in an email that he was thrilled with the honor.

Rick Gerharter

Hot guys were the order of the day on San Francisco Supervisor London Breed’s float in last year’s LGBT Pride parade.

“Folsom Street Fair is exciting, entertaining, energizing, educational, and extremely expressive, and, most of all, sexy,” Moshoyannis said. “It embodies the best traits of San Francisco itself. On top of that, the fair is inextricably tied to the city’s values of philanthropy and social justice. We welcome the world over with arms – and legs – wide open.”

This street fair attracts people from around the world; gate donations return hundreds of thousands of dollars annually to nonprofit organizations.

Usually held at the end of September, this year’s Folsom Street Fair will take place a week early, September 21. The smaller Up Your Alley Fair, which is a warm-up to the main event, will be held July 27.

Folsom Street Fair, www.folsomstreetfair.org.

Runner-up Castro Street Fair

Best Fair or Festival (East Bay)

Oakland Pride

Oakland Pride organizers are preparing for the fifth annual street festival this Labor Day weekend.

The Pride festival was rebranded five years ago and now takes place in Oakland’s Uptown neighborhood.

Crowds have generally increased as more people learn about the event, which is more family-oriented and kid-friendly than the huge San Francisco Pride party. But don’t worry, there’s plenty of eye-candy in the East Bay, too.

Oakland Pride, www. oaklandpride.org.

Best LGBT Blog/Website

ebar.com

The Bay Area Reporter’s website, ebar.com, may not be as flashy as other news sites, but its easy-tonavigate format has won praise

from readers. Blogs are a little hard to find, but a revamp of the site is expected soon. The paper maintains an active Facebook page that shares our award-winning original content and is part of our multi-platform for readers. People can also sign up for the free weekly email newsletter.

America’s oldest, best-read LGBT newspaper offers the latest news and information, arts and culture, and nightlife free, every week.

Bay Area Reporter, 225 Bush Street, Suite 1700, San Francisco (415) 861-5019, www.ebar.com.

Runners-up Accidental Bear Castro Biscuit

Best LGBT Sports League

Fog Rugby

The San Francisco Fog Rugby Football Club is committed to an ethic of inclusion. The vision of the club is to be the preeminent rugby club in the world that actively pursues the participation of people of color, gay men, women, and other groups traditionally under-represented in rugby.

The Fog has a strong coaching philosophy. We believe in developing each player to his or her potential as a rugby player.

Locally, the Fog is perhaps best known for a player who died trying to help others on 9/11. Mark Bingham was one of the passengers aboard United Flight 93 that crashed into a Pennsylvania field.

He was 31 years old.

Over 100 members strong, Fog Rugby always welcomes new players.

San Francisco Fog Rugby, http://www.sffog.org.

Runners-up Gay Softball League SF Tsunami Swim Club

LGBT center seen as connecting point

by Cynthia Laird

T Pat Patricelli | 415-516-0875

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he San Francisco LGBT Community Center has been one of the go-to meeting spaces since it opened its doors 12 years ago.

A prolonged process to establish a community center began in the mid-1990s, following the closure of other San Francisco gay centers over the years. Bay Area Reporter readers have a soft spot for the center, located at 1800 Market Street, as they deemed it the best LGBT commu-

nity nonprofit in this year’s readers’ poll.

Rebecca Rolfe, the center’s executive director, thinks she knows why the center has become a familiar part of the LGBT community since it opened its doors.

“The center is and always will be the connecting point, the heart and life-blood for the San Francisco LGBT community,” Rolfe said in an email. “We are a welcoming, inclusive, and embracing place. A home where all members and al-

lies of the LGBT community gather to celebrate milestones and victories; mourn and seek comfort in our losses; and engage and activate around issues of importance that affect us all.”

These days, the center focuses on economic empowerment issues and programs aimed at LGBTQ youth.

Partnering with Openhouse, it also serves as a hub for LGBT seniors (see the People category.)

See page 22 >>

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<< Besties 2014

16 • BAY AREA REPORTER • April 3-9, 2014

People/ City Living Best LGBT Activist, Best Politician

Tom Ammiano

State Assemblyman Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco) is nearing the end of his legislative career – at least for now. Ammiano, 72, is termed out of the Assembly and will leave office in December.

Over an impressive tenure in Sacramento, Ammiano has seen groundbreaking bills become law, most recently Assembly Bill 1266.

Called the School mento politics, should make Success and Opporfor a great read. tunity Act, AB 1266, asmdc.org/members/a17/. which went into effect January 1, ensures Runners-up (activist) that California public Gary Virginia schools are commitCleve Jones ted to the success of Runners-up (politician) Jane Philomen Cleland all students, includSupervisor Scott Wiener ing those transgen- Assemblyman State Senator Mark Leno der-identified. Under Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco) the law, transgender Best Politician (East Bay) students have the right to participate in all school activities, like sports Jean Quan teams, and use school facilities like Oakland’s mayor has long been bathrooms based on their gender a supporter of the LGBT commuidentity. An effort by anti-gay opponity and is regularly in attendance nents to qualify a referendum to reat Pride and other events. Quan is peal the bill failed to obtain enough facing a tough re-election fight this valid signatures and the new law refall, as the city wrestles with crime mains in effect. and other problems. Lower housing Ammiano told the Bay Area Recosts has meant that many people porter last year that he plans to write who can’t afford to live in San Frana memoir after leaving office. We cisco are giving Oakland a look. The can’t wait. Stories about his previcity’s vibrant restaurant scene is a ous careers as a teacher and standhit with residents and visitors alike. up comedian, combined with Sacrahttp://www2.oaklandnet.com/ Government/o/Mayor/.

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Runner-up Representative Barbara Lee (DOakland)

can apply that new activist drive.”

Following last year’s summit, Galisatus stepped down from BAYS to help ensure a smooth leadership transition.

In a recent email, Galisatus said that he is in his third year at Stanford and looking forward to completing his degree in political science. Since stepping down from BAYS, he has traveled around the country speaking on LGBT issues.

“I am also working on forming an LGBT commission in San Mateo County to give policy advice to the Board of Supervisors on how to make the Peninsula a more welcoming place for LGBT individuals.”

Up next for the young man is an internship in Washington, D.C. in the press office for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco).

“I would like to thank the readers of the B.A.R. for this incredible honor as well as my fellow outstanding LGBT youth activists who fight every day for the right simply to go to school without fear,” Galisatus said.

Best Resource for Seniors

LGBT Community Center

The San Francisco LGBT Community Center remains a hub for Best LGBT Youth Activist seniors in the community. Readers Jason Galisatus may not be aware that it partners with Openhouse, the Jason Galisatus, 21, is LGBT senior agency, and best known for co-foundprovides a venue for reging Bay Area Youth Sumular events such as Health mit, a biennial leadership and Wellness Fourth Fritraining conference for days, drop-in groups, and LGBT and allied youth to the popular Game Day learn about anti-bullying every Saturday. For more tactics to exercise in their information, see http:// school environments.

Elliot Owen: openhouse-sf.org/event/ Empowerment, Galisa- Youth activist lgbt-community-center/. tus told the B.A.R. in an Jason Galisatus San Francisco LGBT interview last year, is the Community Center, core purpose of the conference, 1800 Market Street, San Franciswhich is a combination of workco, (415) 865-5555. www.sfcenter. shops and speakers. org.

“The speakers inspire, motivate, and provide that pathos that drives people to get involved,” he said. “The workshops teach how and when one

Runner-up Openhouse

t

Best Politician You Love to Hate

Scott Wiener

San Francisco Supervisor Scott Wiener is once again the winner in this category. His supporters point to his work on issues like HIV/AIDS funding and working to increase affordable housing options. Most recently, he is proposing legislation that would amend the planning code to allow for construction of an additional dwelling (in-law) unit within the existing envelope of a residential building or auxiliary structure on the same lot on any parcel in the Castro Street Neighborhood Commercial District (with a few exceptions).

His detractors believe he is too beholden to lobbyists and “downtown” business.

Wiener, who is up for re-election this year, has no major opponents so far, although that could change as the filing deadline is still several months away.

In an email to the B.A.R., Wiener said he didn’t mind winning the category.

“I’m flattered, since if no one is mad at you, you’re probably not getting much done,” he said. “Since taking office, I’ve proposed fresh approaches to our housing crisis, worked to protect funding for HIV and LGBT youth services, demanded that we invest in our public transit systems, and focused on improving our parks and public spaces.

“I’ve also worked with the community to deliver for our neighborhoods, including advancing the Castro Street sidewalk widening project, saving the Noe Valley farmers market by purchasing the site for a future park, and moving forward renovations of Dolores Park, Glen Canyon, and other parks,” he added.

“I’ll continue to do this work, even if not everyone loves me all the time.”

Runners-up SF Mayor Ed Lee Representative Nancy Pelosi (DSan Francisco) See page 18 >>

Thankfully, there’s Healdsburg.

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THIS ONE IS GOING TO BE HUGE The world is coming together for a Pride to remember: provocative art, celebrated film and fierce divas, DJs and rockers spanning over 25 city blocks. An entire city embracing who you are.

Join us for a global celebration of LGBTQ culture. Streets will turn into parades, parks into parties and strangers into friends.

YOUR PRIDE WILL KNOW NO BOUNDS

<< Besties 2014

18 • BAY AREA REPORTER • April 3-9, 2014

t

Every dog has its (spa) day

by Cynthia Laird

D

og guardians know the drill. Every six weeks or so it’s time to take your pooch in for a wash. The pets usually love it, and their human companions enjoy the smell and appearance of a clean, groomed doggie.

In the Castro, Mudpuppy’s Tub and Scrub has been a favorite of Bay Area Reporter readers all four years of our readers’ poll for best place to pamper your pets.

Now with two San Francisco locations, as well as the flagship shop at Point Isabel Dog Park in Richmond, services range from a basic wash to wash and nail trim to flea dip to full service grooming (not available at Point Isabel).

Co-owners Todd Ahlberg, Daniel Bergerac, and Eddie Lundeen opened the Castro location several years ago. Bergerac told the B.A.R. in an email that the team is honored to be recognized by the paper’s readers.

“What makes Mudpuppy’s stores so popular is, hands down, the crews at each of our locations,” Bergerac said. “We hire and train the brightest and most experienced animal lovers to be Mudpuppy’s associates, and we require that our groomers hold formal certificates.”

He added that team members take continuing education courses to

<<

People

From page 16

Best Personal Trainer

Matt Moore/ Fitness SF

ebar.com

Courtesy Mudpuppy’s Tub and Scrub

Mudpuppy’s management team includes, from top, left, Chris Grant, Castro manager; Blake Hernandez, director, grooming services; Alex Gonzales, Chestnut manager; from bottom, left, Claudio Eleccion, Point Isabel manager; and Joshua Peterson, director of food services at Sit and Stay Cafe, Point Isabel.

keep up to date on the latest developments in the pet grooming industry.

“Our customers trust us to leave their best friends in our care, and know that their pup will be squeaky clean and happy when they come for pick-up,” Bergerac said. “It’s always heartwarming to hear our customers tell us that their dog pulls them into our stores, as opposed to the other way around. That tells us

we’re doing something right.”

Mudpuppy’s Tub and Scrub, 536 Castro Street, San Francisco, (415) 431-8899; 2414 Chestnut Street, San Francisco, (415) 567-8002; 1 Isabel Street, Richmond, (510) 559-8899. www.mudpuppys.com.

is our goal to offer you the most accurate diagnosis possible and to make sure your treatment is as comfortable as possible.

Balathazar Guzman, DDS, 2001 Union Street, Suite 664, San Francisco, (415) 5674600. www.guzmandental.com.

Block. With the April 15 tax deadline looming, expect their numerous Bay Area offices to be busy.

H&R Block, 2370 Market Street, San Francisco, (415) 2410318. www.hrblock.com.

According to his webpage on the Fitness SF site, personal trainer Matt Moore specializes in building core strength, Runners-up muscular development, Blair Keck Courtesy Matt Moore weight loss, and food Paul Ryan Lake and nutrition counseling. Personal trainer He is a certified personal Matt Moore Best Healthcare trainer, corrective exerProvider cise specialist, and a food nutrition UCSF Medical Center specialist. He is an evolution 2 level There was a close race in this categotrainer, and is one of several at the ry, but UCSF was the favorite of B.A.R. popular Castro gym. B.A.R. readers readers by a whisker. UCSF Medical obviously like his technique.

Center consistently ranks as one of the Fitness SF, 2301 Market Street, top 10 hospitals in the United States.

San Francisco, (415) 348-6377.

Recognized for innovative treatments, www.castro.fitnesssf.com. advanced technology, collaboration among health care professionals and Runners-up scientists, and a highly compassionChristopher Watros ate patient care team, UCSF Medical Dalton Huckaby Center serves as the academic medical center of UCSF. The medical center’s Best Photographer nationally preeminent programs inJoe Mazza clude children’s health, the brain and Local photographer Joe Mazza nervous system, organ transplantais a repeat winner in this category. tion, women’s health, and cancer. It Originally from Los Angeles, Mazza operates as a self-supporting entermoved to San Francisco more than prise within UCSF and generates its 16 years ago and is a freelance phoown revenues to cover the operating tographer and acting coach. On his costs of providing patient care. website, Mazza notes that it’s his UCSF, www.ucsf.edu. goal to “recognize the vision you have for your project and to transRunner-up late that vision into beautifully capKaiser Permanente tured images. I am most interested in getting a sense of what’s unique Best Attorney about you, and which sides of yourThomas R. Burns self you would like to capture.” CliAttorney Thomas R. Burns won ents have included Yorkies underthis category for the second conwear and the American Idol website. secutive year. He specializes in Joe Mazza Photography, (415) bankruptcy, with offices located in 552-6844. http://www.joemazzaSan Francisco and Walnut Creek. photography.com.

According to his website, Burns and his team have provided help and reRunner-up lief to clients when they experience Steven Underhill unmanageable financial situations.

Bankruptcy Law Center of Best Dentist Thomas R. Burns, 703 Market Balathazar Guzman Street, San Francisco, (415) 543Dr. Balathazar Guzman, DDS, is a 9900. www.tburnslaw.com.

Bay Area native who grew up in the North Bay. He offers a full range of Best Tax Preparer dental services. “In our practice, we H&R Block will do everything within our power When people think of tax preto give you the most individual care parers they usually think of H&R possible,” he says on his website. “It

Runners-up Bernal Beast Little Ark

Runner-up Olsen and Partners, CPA Turbo Tax

Best Day Spa

360 Skin

A repeat winner in this category, 360 Skin was founded by Brandon Doyle. The medical esthetics practice is fully licensed, and offers a wide variety of treatments for skincare issues. Facials, waxing, chemical peels, and more are available.

360 Skin, 21 Columbus Avenue, Suite 227, San Francisco, (415) 501-0360. www.360skin.com.

Runners-up Kabuki Springs and Spa Castro Day Spa, M Spa (tie)

Best Place to Get Your Hair Done

Glama-Rama

Glama-Rama is a new winner this year. The salon offers a full range of services with everything from haircuts and colors to dreadlocks and chemical straightening. The company also just opened a new store in Oakland.

Glama-Rama, 304 Valencia Street, San Francisco, (415) 8614526; 6399 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland, (510) 655-4526. www. glamarama.com.

Runners-up Fellow Barber (formerly FSC) Joe’s Barbershop

Best Nail Salon

Queen Bee Nail and Spa A repeat winner in this category, Queen Bee does more than nails.

The salon also offers facials and waxing. For more information, visit the Facebook page.

Queen Bee Nail and Spa, 2380 Market Street, San Francisco, (415) 252-8092.

Runners-up Hand Job Castro Nail

13ALA0965_9.75x16_EMSL_LGBT_Newspaper_BAR_CTO.indd 1

6/24/13 1:17 PM

<< Besties 2014

20 • BAY AREA REPORTER • April 3-9, 2014

Best Place to Buy Eyewear

Site for Sore Eyes

Shopping Best Place to Buy Wedding Attire, Best Jewelry, Best Clothing Store Men and Women

Macy's

With stores around the Bay Area, Site for Sore Eyes offers eye exams and a full selection of designer frames and contact lenses.

Courtesy Valencia Cyclery Site for Sore Eyes, w w w. s i te for s ore - A technician works on a bike at Valencia Cyclery eyes.com.

Runners-up Veo Optics For Eyes, Eye Gotcha (tie)

One of San Francisco’s anchor department stores continues to be Best Bookstore a favorite among Bay Area Reporter Books Inc. readers. Macy’s has won multiple Books Inc. is a favorite of B.A.R. categories in the readers’ poll since readers.

It is the west’s oldest inits inception and new this year is the dependent bookseller and has wedding attire category, given the embraced the LGBT community resumption of sameby hosting numersex marriage in Calious readings and other fornia. special events throughWhile there are out the year, mostly at several Macy’s stores is Castro location. In around the Bay Area, this day of iPads and the San Francisco flagKindles, there’s nothship offers the biggest ing quite like spendselection. A separate ing some quality time men’s store across the street from Macy’s Macy’s flagship store perusing a bookstore to find that next novel Union Square has a in San Francisco’s you’ve been wanting to great selection of casual Union Square read or to check out the and dress items. The selatest bestsellers. There lection for women can’t are several stores throughout the be beat, and there is an extensive Bay Area. Look for special events on jewelry department as well. WedMay 3 at the celebration for Califording attire can be found and couples nia Book Store Day. can also set up a gift registry.

Books Inc., 2275 Market Street, The Macy’s Flower Show is now San Francisco, (415) 864-6777. under way at the Union Square store www.booksinc.net. and ends April 6. Complimentary tours are available.

Macy’s Union Square, 170 O’Farrell Street, San Francisco, (415) 397-3333. www.macys.com.

Runners-up Nordstrom Barneys

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Best Bank

Wells Fargo Wells Fargo Bank is not only one of the oldest financial institutions around, it also contributes regularly to LGBT community events and organizations. Last year marked the 11th consecutive year the company scored a perfect 100 percent on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index for 2014 and was named a “Best Place to Work for LGBT Equality.” Wells Fargo was also recognized by Diversity Inc magazine as No. 1 on its Top 10 Companies for LGBT employees list as part of the magazine’s annual survey of Top 50 Companies for Diversity.

“Our company’s support for the LGBT community is part of our broader commitment to diversity – to serve diverse customers, to hire, develop and retain diverse team members and to encourage team members to value and respect each other for their differences,” Jimmie Paschall, Wells Fargo executive vice president, diversity and inclusion, said in a statement.

With numerous locations in the Bay Area, you’re never far from an ATM. Wells Fargo Bank, www.wellsfargo.com.

Runners-up San Francisco Federal Credit Union Bank of America

Best Bicycle Shop

Valencia Cyclery

mike’s bikes

Complete the survey at:

Runners-up Green Apple Aardvark

Or Scan this QR Code:

The family bike shop in the Mission was once again a favorite of readers. Opened in 1985, it offers a wide selection of hybrid/city bikes, kids bikes, road bikes, and mountain bikes. Tune-up services are also available. The store is a “Safe Bikes” partner to help combat bicycle thefts and encourages owners to register their bike’s serial number in SF SAFE’s secure database that is connected to the San Francisco Po-

t

lice Department.

Valencia Cyclery, 1065 and 1077 Valencia Street, San Francisco, (415) 550-6600. www.valenciacyclery.com.

Runners-up Mike’s Bikes Mission Bicycle Company

Best Vintage Clothing Store

Sui Generis This Market Street gem continues to impress readers with its selection of all things vintage. The store has done well since opening six years ago and expanded into a larger storefront to highlight its men’s collection. There’s a smaller dedicated space for women’s clothing. Sui Generis carries labels such as Marc Jacobs, Prada, and Jimmy Choo.

The name Sui Generis refers to a Latin expression that means “one of a kind,” and shoppers will find plenty of unique items at the Castro stores.

Sui Generis, 2231 Market Street, (415) 437-2231 (men’s); 2265 Market Street, (415) 437-2265 (women’s). www.suigenerisconsignment.com.

Runners-up Wasteland Worn Out West

Best Shoe Store

Barneys New York You don’t have to go across the country for that hip pair of shoes, Barneys New York has a store in San Francisco and this year, B.A.R. readers judged it the best shoe store in town. Located in the old FAO Schwartz store, Barneys has the latest in footwear for every occasion.

Barneys New York, 77 O’Farrell Street, San Francisco, (415) 2683500. www.barneys.com.

Runners-up Macy’s Nordstrom

Best Place to Get Fit

Fitness SF

Fitness SF, which parted ways with Gold’s Gym a couple years ago over that company founder’s donations to anti-gay groups, continues

Courtesy Fitness SF

People working out at Fitness SF’s Castro gym.

to be popular with B.A.R. readers.

The company operates gyms in San Francisco, Oakland, and Marin.

Readers were particularly impressed with the Castro location, which has two stories and more than 16,000 square feet of workout space.

Fitness SF Castro location, 2301 Market Street, San Francisco, (415) 348-6377. www.fitnesssf.com.

Runners-up 24 Hour Fitness Alex Fitness

Best Place to Buy a Car

Colma

Apparently readers went for geographic locales in this category, rather than a specific auto store. Not to worry. With its close proximity to San Francisco and lots of dealerships, the town of Colma took first place this year. Whether you’re lookSee page 22 >>

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22 • BAY AREA REPORTER • April 3-9, 2014

Weddings under the dome

by Cynthia Laird

M

aybe it’s because San Francisco’s fight for marriage equality got started here 10 years ago when thenMayor Gavin Newsom ordered city officials to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, or maybe it’s a classic building, but the beautiful Beaux Arts City Hall tops our readers’ list as the best wedding venue. On any given day, you’re bound to see couples – gay and straight alike – tie the knot under the dome of the rotunda or perhaps up the grand staircase near the bust of Harvey Milk.

Weddings have also taken place upstairs on the mayor’s balcony and in the Board of Supervisors chambers. No matter where you are in the building, its historic magnificence is sure to add something unforgettable to your special day. And, thanks to last year’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down Proposition 8 on a technicality, same-sex marriage is here to stay in California, meaning that City Hall will continue to be a go-to destination for gay and lesbian nuptials.

Couples come from all over to be married at City Hall and spots fill up fast, so reservations are a must. According to the county clerk’s website, civil wedding ceremonies are

<<

LGBT Center

From page 14

“The center’s programs speak to the unique needs of the LGBT community and will continue to evolve to address emerging issues,” Rolfe explained. “As the LGBT community continues our march to gain full civil rights and equality, the center’s safety net and economic programs ensure that we leave no member of our community behind and those

Rick Gerharter

San Francisco City Hall was a busy place on June 29, 2013, the first full day after the reinstatement of marriage equality in California, as same-sex couples lined up to get marriage licenses.

available Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. every half hour. There are three reservation slots available during each time period and a deputized marriage commissioner will perform the ceremony.

Reservations require a payment of $77 at the time of booking and appointments can be made online or in person.

There is a separate fee of $101 for a marriage license.

The clerk’s office accepts cash,

Shopping

From page 20

ing for a hybrid, luxury model, or something in between, Colma’s got you covered.

Runners-up East Bay San Francisco Honda

Best Auto Mechanic

Luscious Garage, San Francisco Honda (tie)

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money order, and debit cards.

If you want someone specific to perform your marriage, a friend or family member can become a deputized marriage commissioner for a day. Full details are available online.

San Francisco City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, San Francisco, 94102. www.sfgov2.org/ index.aspx?page=13.

Runners-up Golden Gate Park Ocean Beach, Stern Grove (tie)

most impacted by discrimination p.m. at the Cafe, 2369 Market Street. and bias have the resources they The public is invited to the party, need to be strong and full particiwhich will feature Besties winners. pants in the community.”

Proceeds from an optional $10 bevAs with any nonprofit, commuerage benefit go to the center. nity support is a must and for the San Francisco LGBT Commucenter, that means its annual Soiree nity Center, 1800 Market Street, anniversary benefit. This year the San Francisco, (415) 865-5555. party takes place Saturday, April 5 www.sfcenter.org. from 6:30 p.m. to midnight at City View at the Metreon, 135 4th Street.

Runners-up Look for live performances as the San Francisco AIDS Foundation center celebrates a jazz tribute to San Francisco Pride the San Francisco Beat Generation.

Tickets are $95. More information is at www.sfcenter.org.

The community center operates on a $2 million budget, board member Angel VanStark recently said. This weekend’s Soiree is expected to bring in $150,000 for the center’s programs.

It will also be the Rick Gerharter beneficiary of the B.A.R.’s Besties cel- The San Francisco LGBT Community Center ebration Friday, April has been open for 12 years.

4 from 5:30 to 8:30

<<

Share-worthy Views o f t h e C i t y a n d B ay

t

There are two new winners this year. Luscious Garage, located South of Market, specializes in hybrid auto repairs. Its beautiful facility is woman-owned and -operated and environmentally responsible.

San Francisco Honda, which bills itself as “the City’s Honda dealer,” also offers full service and parts for Honda vehicles.

Luscious Garage, 475 9th Street, San Francisco, (415) 8759030. www.lusciousgarage.com.

San Francisco Honda, 10 South Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, (415) 913-5185. www.sfhonda.com.

Best Medical Marijuana Dispensary

The Apothecarium

Medical marijuana dispensaries continue to serve an important purpose in the Bay Area, even as support grows for legalized recreational marijuana use and two states – Colorado and Washington – have passed laws allowing it. Full legalization in California looks to be a few years away, judging by recent polling and the decision by one backer not to proceed with a ballot measure until 2016.

Meanwhile, those suffering from various illnesses and chronic pain, among other conditions, can still get an ID card and legally obtain marijuana. Among several dispensaries, the Apothecarium is a favorite among B.A.R. readers. It is a licensed, full-service medical cannabis dispensary located in the Castro.

The Apothecarium, 2095 Market Street, San Francisco, (415) 500-2620. www.apothecariumsf.com.

Runner-up Sparc

<< Obituaries

24 • BAY AREA REPORTER • April 3-9, 2014

t

Obituaries >> Richard Caldwell Brewer July 31, 1923 – March 4, 2014 Venerable artist Richard Caldwell Brewer passed away March 4, 2014 in Tiburon, California, at the age of 90. He had fallen at his home and never fully recovered.

Brewer was born in Washington, D.C on July 31, 1923. He spent many years in New York City, part of an artistic circle that included Robert De Niro Sr., Nell Blaine, and Leland Bell, a friend since high school.

During sojourns in San Francisco in the 1950s, Brewer sketched bar patrons, sometimes with painter Richard LaVigne. After he relocated to the Bay Area in the early 1970s, he continued to paint the male nude from life, with his distinctive expressive style. He showed a large body of figurative work at the legendary, trail-blazing Top Floor Gallery at 330 Grove in 1979, with accompanying essay by De Niro. The show was favorably reviewed by Thomas Albright, art critic for the San Francisco Chronicle. Other shows included “Some Portraits” at the Pro Arts Gallery in Oakland in 1987, and “3 Generations,” along with fellow gay artists Sean Sprague and Robert Brokl, at SOMA’s Space 743, in 1999. Brewer is survived by his longtime housemate and model, Steven Krstich, cousins, and artists and collectors such as Reid Condit who celebrate his talent, and bravery for tackling difficult subject matter in less accepting eras.

Sid Cohen 1929 – 2014

ebar.com

San Francisco lost one of its most unique and most wonderful people when Sid Cohen passed away on March 21, 2014. He was 84.

Sid was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1929, and moved to California at a young age. When he was 18 he joined the navy where he met many lifelong friends. He worked for a while on cruise ships, sailing all over the world, then settled in San Francisco where he spent the last 60 years of his life.

Sid worked as a barber and taxi driver before buying a small business. He owned and operated “Sid’s Pipe Dreams” on Castro Street for 22 years, from 1975 to 1997.

The store was located in the arcade that led to the former Patio Cafe. No bigger than a closet, it was known to many as the smallest store in the world.

Sid was a very positive and upbeat person. He was known for his perfectly

timed one-liners and his witty, wry sense of humor. He was handsome, pleasant and easy to be with. His eclectic interests ranged from the opera and symphony to the Grateful Dead. An avid skier, Sid only stopped skiing when he was 70. He was thrilled when he was old enough to get senior discounts at the resorts around Lake Tahoe. He had a great memory and loved to tell stories. He could remember details from adventures he had in Bombay, Shanghai, Australia, Japan, or Guam. He was an inspiration because of the way he didn’t worry about things and always enjoyed life.

He will be dearly missed. Donations in Sid’s name can be sent to Project Open Hand, 730 Polk Street, San Francisco, CA 94109.

Robert C. Esmonde November 10, 1956 – March 15, 2014 Rob Esmonde passed away at his home in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on March 15, 2014. The coroner’s report ruled his death the result of natural causes, specifically, internal bleeding from an aneurism.

Before moving back to Toronto, his hometown, he lived in San Francisco for some 25 years, working mainly in the telecommunications and IT fields.

While in San Francisco, Rob was a member of both the Imperial and Ducal royal court systems. In 1993 he was titled “Prince Imperial IX” with a self-designation of “Black Leather Panther.” In 2006, as Grand Duke XXXII Robert Charles Romanoff, he and Grand Duchess Collette LeGrande-Ashton reigned together for the 33rd Reign of the SF Ducal Council. Rob served as president of the Ducal board of directors in 2009 and 2010.

Rob was also an active member of San Francisco’s leather family. He was a Mister Daddy’s Leather (now the 440 Bar on Castro Street) for a year. He was also a contestant in the Mr. San Francisco Leather contest, and competed at International Mr. Leather in Chicago. He volunteered his talents and skills for many years helping to produce the annual LeatherWalk fundraiser. Rob was also an unwavering supporter of women’s causes and was often the only male leatherman in attendance at various leather lesbian events.

Rob donated countless hours of time and energy for many charitable causes.

His kindhearted nature was evident in the vast scope of the beneficiaries for whom he produced, attended, participated, and/or donated his energies and resources.

Rob is predeceased by both parents. He is survived by his family in Canada and many friends in North America. A funeral service was held in Toronto March 24 and he will be interred near his father, who instilled in Rob many of the wonderful life-affirming qualities that made us love him and will keep his memory close to our hearts in death.

David Brian O’Connor October 20, 1959 – February 22, 2014 David Brian O’Connor passed from this life on February 22, 2014 in Oakland, California. He leaves sister Aimee Connor Ahart (of

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The Cathedral City bars tend to draw more locals than do the bars in Palm Springs. Digs is a friendly neighborhood watering hole known for karaoke, pool, country-western dancing and Sunday barbecues.

Studio One 11 is a piano lounge bar and Barracks is a popular leather/bear bar. Barracks is a little difficult to find even with GPS. It is set off East Palm Canyon Drive behind the Arco gas station and is owned by former San Francisco resident Kevin Winter.

Arenas Road between Indian Canyon Drive and Calle Encilia is

Ashburn, Virginia), brothers John (York, Pennsylvania), and Stephen (Crownsville, Maryland). He also leaves niece Kelsey, nephews John Andrew O’Connor IV, Riley, Casey, and Connor, as well as devoted friends.

David was born in Baltimore on October 20, 1959, the third child of John Andres O’Connor Jr. and Joyce Hyde Fallon O’Connor. After obtaining his B.A. in urban planning from Towson College, David’s life journey took him to UC Berkeley where he traded in an M.A. program in city planning for a bachelor’s degree in drama – never informing his parents. Graduating with a degree in dramatic arts, he devoted the next two years toward his Master of Fine Arts in acting at UC Irvine and Cal Arts. He returned to Berkeley in 1985.

His journey took a left turn when he was diagnosed with HIV in 1985. He decided to leave theater and acting. He left Berkeley for the University of Illinois in 1989, and completed a Master of Library Science degree. He returned west, taking up residence in Oakland, and working as a librarian at Deloitte and Touche in San Francisco, and at Golden Gate University’s law library.

Through the 29 years David lived with HIV and AIDS, he traveled regularly – often to the remotest corners of the globe.

Even when he battled sciatica and chronic fatigue, and trucked a suitcase of pills with him, he spent a summer in Venice, traveled to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, and visited Egypt, Cuba, South America, and Eastern Europe.

David’s wit and imagination were unstoppable. He was in close touch with his “inner diva,” and helped friends to let their own inner divas emerge. David’s friends learned life’s joys with him – why it was important to dance, sing, eat, travel, read, garden, laugh and cry, and be with friends.

He was like no one else.

Two memorials will be held for David, in Baltimore and Oakland. David’s ashes will be shared among Baltimore, Big Sur, and Venice. Prayers and Catholic Masses offered in David’s name are most welcome. The family requests that bequests in David’s name be made to the AIDS Emergency Fund and/or Project Open Hand.

We have been privileged to know you, “La Davida Suprema.” You’ll never be gone from our hearts, minds, and imaginations.

Garrett Ross March 19, 2014 Garrett Ross passed away on his 56th birthday, March 19, 2014. Also known to many friends as Greg Rosscup, he grew up in Mississippi and California, settling in San Francisco in 1985. He is survived by two brothers and his dad. Garrett had an adventurous spirit and determination, which helped him overcome the many setbacks he had with health and his sight.

Motorcycles and fashion were his interests, and Halloween always meant hours of preparation to create a signature look. His zest for life will be remembered by many.

Garrett asked to have his ashes scattered at sea near Mississippi to join the ashes of his sister.

where most of the city’s gay bars are located. The gay evolution of Arenas Road began in 1992. The first bar was the Street Bar Named Desire, now known simply as the Street bar.

The bar packs ‘em in every day of the week. It is known for karaoke and its people-watching patio. Hunters is the largest bar on the block with a main bar and dance room that is open on weekends and during busy times. Hunters no longer has a lesbian night but it is still very womanfriendly. Score is open for early risers starting at 6 a.m. Sidetracks is a popular video bar. Arenas Road also has a large gay clothing store, GayMart, as well as Bear Wear.

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<< LGBT Aging

t LGBT Latinos face housing, isolation worries in SF 26 • BAY AREA REPORTER • April 3-9, 2014

by Matthew S. Bajko

That was one of the findings included in “Addressing the Needs of LGBT Older Adults in San Francisco: Recommendations for the Future,” a report based on a survey conducted in 2013 for the city’s LGBT Aging Policy Task Force, which finished its work last week.

Of the 616 LGBT city residents aged 60 to 92 years old who took part in the survey, 7 percent were Latino or Hispanic. Released last summer, the survey results found that a majority, 59 percent, of all respondents either lives in rental housing, nursing homes, or for free with family or friends. The remaining 41 percent lived in homes

they owned outright or were continuing to pay off their mortgages.

It did not break out the homeownership statistics by race. But the report did note that the 45 Hispanic or Latino/a respondents to the survey were “the most likely to cite rising crime rates as the reason they might have to move out of their current housing situation.”

The report, overseen by lesbian lead researcher Karen I. Fredriksen-Goldsen, Ph.D., a professor at the University of Washington and director of the Institute for Multigenerational Health, also concluded that the survey’s LGBT Hispanic participants were the “least likely to turn to a partner or spouse for social support” when confronted with elder abuse or discrimination.

LGBT Hispanics, along with African American seniors, are also less likely to be out of the closet than non-Hispanic white older adults, according to the survey results.

Another finding from the survey was that the LGBT Hispanic respondents had the highest rate of living with HIV or AIDS. They were also more likely to utilize community health centers than non-Hispanic whites.

For Rodriguez, who is credited with overseeing the aging policy task force’s successful outreach efforts to recruit LGBT Latinos to take the survey, the main lesson he derives from the findings is that housing is the number one concern facing LGBT Latino older adults in San Francisco.

“I would say, and this will cover any aging group no matter gay or straight, it has to do with housing. Housing to me is the main subject here,” said Rodriguez, who served on the task force’s housing subcommittee.

Housing and social isolation is a nationwide concern when it comes to the country’s older LGBT Latino population. So found a report released in December, called “In Their Own Words: A Needs Assessment of Hispanic LGBT Older Adults,” by Services and Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Elders, or SAGE for short, the National Hispanic Council on Aging, and the Diverse Elders Coalition.

“The fact that many LGBT Hispanic older adults report both that they suffer from multiple layers of discrimination and that they cannot count on their communities and those who should be closest to them for support

is particularly troubling and worthy of substantial attention,” wrote SAGE Executive Director Michael Adams in the foreword to the report.

One of the main findings in the assessment was that due to a “dearth of research about Hispanic LGBT older adults,” policymakers across the country do not adequately understand the needs of this population.

It is unclear exactly how many LGBT Latino seniors there are.

Demographers estimate that the national LGBT senior population overall will number 3 million by 2050. In San Francisco, it is believed that upwards of 20,000 LGBT seniors are currently living in the city.

Were it not for his living in an affordable housing unit in a Duboce Triangle development, Rodriquez doubts he would still be a San Francisco resident.

“I lived in Noe Valley and in Oakland prior to here. Without this program I could not afford to live in San Francisco as a senior,” he said. “We need more housing like this one.”t

ple. The measure drew nationwide scorn, and outgoing GOP Governor Jan Brewer vetoed it.

Wanting to assist efforts to elect Democrats in the Grand Canyon State, two former Arizona officials are helping with a joint fundraiser next week in San Francisco for gubernatorial candidate Fred Duval and attorney general candidate Felecia Rotellini. San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón, the former police chief of Mesa, Arizona, and San Francisco AIDS Foundation CEO Neil Giuliano, the gay

former mayor of Tempe, Arizona, are among the co-hosts.

“I hope you will join me in helping return sound and competent leadership to Arizona,” Giuliano, who had been a Republican but is now a Democrat, wrote in an emailed invite to the event. “Arizona is a national treasure and the Grand Canyon State. It needs to stop being the base for launching right-wingfringe legislation that has made Arizona a late-night TV joke and does not focus on ensuring a bright and prosperous future for residents and

millions of annual visitors.”

The event takes place from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 8 at law firm Coblentz Patch Duffy and Bass LLP, One Ferry Building, Suite 200, in downtown San Francisco.

Tickets start at $250 a person. To RSVP email cate@catewunder.com or call (602) 769-7707.

out Board of Supervisors members to five. An out lesbian, Rushing was first elected in 2006 and is up for reelection to her seat this fall.

The online version of the article has been updated.t

F

acing pronounced housing issues and isolation in San Francisco, the city’s population of LGBT Latino seniors are in particular need of housing assistance and day programs, say aging policy experts.

“Many people come here and become more isolated because they are living on their own,” said Jorge Rodriguez, 69, a gay man who served on the city’s LGBT Aging Policy Task Force. “When you live on your own, especially if you come from another country, I think it is much harder.”

Rodriguez retired last year from the Mission Neighborhood Health Center, where he worked as a case manager for its HIV/AIDS Clinica Esperanza. He now spends his time volunteering at the AIDS Legal Referral Panel assisting immigrants seeking political asylum in the U.S. “I am a lucky guy. I have my family and friends,” said Rodriguez, who is single. “I am retired and lucky to be living here at a time when everything is expensive.”

While homeownership is lacking in general among San Francisco’s LGBT seniors, Hispanic older LGBT adults are even less likely to own their own home in the city than their counterparts.

<<

Political Notebook

From page 12

Francisco is April 30. Applications can be downloaded at http://civilgrandjury.sfgov.org/join.html.

Fundraiser for Arizona candidates

Local Democrats are assisting two candidates for statewide office in Arizona, whose Statehouse has been run by right-wing Republicans who recently tried to legalize faith-based discrimination against LGBT peo-

Rick Gerharter

Jorge Rodriguez served on the LGBT Aging Policy Task Force.

Postscript: Last week’s column item about LGBT county supervisors in California omitted Lake County Supervisor Denise Rushing, who brings the total of known

Matthew S. Bajko wrote this article through the MetLife Foundation Journalists in Aging Fellowships, a program of New America Media and the Gerontological Society of America.

Web Extra: For more queer political news, be sure to check http:// www.ebar.com Monday mornings at noon for Political Notes, the notebook’s online companion.

This week’s column reported on the city’s two LGBT Dem Clubs’ June proposition endorsements.

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<< LGBT Aging

28 • BAY AREA REPORTER • April 3-9, 2014

<<

Aging survivors

From page 3

“When the AIDS tsunami receded, the people left behind were left wondering what just happened,” said Anderson.

In November 2012 Anderson and Ruiz decided to form a new group they called Let’s Kick ASS, which stands for AIDS Survivor Syndrome, for long-term survivors looking to reconnect with others. A secondary goal was to advocate for services and programs tailored to meet the needs of people living with

HIV or AIDS as they age.

“We have needs and situations that are different,” said Anderson.

For one, a whole generation of gay men grew up not knowing if they would see their 40th birthdays, let alone age into their 50s, 60s, and older. That began to change within the last decade, as life longevity became a new reality for people living with HIV or AIDS. “I am not looking at an epidemic and desperately trying not to die myself,” said longtime AIDS activist Sean Strub, 55, who this year released his memoir Body Counts:

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A Memoir of Politics, Sex, AIDS and Survival (Scribner, January 2014). “I may die of something else. My priorities are different.”

The number of older people living with HIV and AIDS is growing, not only in the Bay Area but also nationally and across the globe.

As the Bay Area Reporter first reported in 2011, people 50 years of age or older now account for the majority of people living with an AIDS diagnosis in San Francisco. In 2012, the number of people in the city 50 years of age or older living with HIV reached 51 percent.

Nationally, it is expected that by 2015, 50 percent of those living with HIV will be 50 or older, with the number rising to 70 percent by 2020, as highlighted during a workshop on LGBT aging issues presented at an American Society on Aging conference in San Diego last month. Adults 50 and older already account for roughly 11 percent of all new HIV infections, noted the presenters.

Globally, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/ AIDS estimates there are 3.6 million people aged 50 years and older living with HIV. Research is showing that older people with HIV are dealing with elevated levels of depression, loneliness, and suicidal tendencies in addition to various co-morbidities or non-AIDS-defining illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, and kidney and liver failure.

A 2013 study of 160 people living with HIV or AIDS over the age of 50 in the Bay Area found that 43 percent suffered from depression and 48 percent reported having anxiety. (A Chicago-based survey of 210 older LGBT people conducted in 2010 found 46 percent reported being depressed.)

“That very much catches people’s attention, as well as the level of comorbidities or this burden of disease people are dealing with,” said Mark Brennan-Ing, Ph.D., the director of research and evaluation at New Yorkbased ACRIA who co-presented the LGBT aging workshop in San Diego.

“People are just shocked to find out people in their 50s and 60s are dealing with levels of morbidity in people we see in their 70s and 80s.”

Brennan-Ing, who is also an adjunct professor at the New York University College of Nursing, believes their disbelief is partly due to ageism.

“When we hear of old people being sick and having a lot of illnesses, people say, ‘Oh they are old.’ But we are talking about a group whose average age is 50, and for most folks, that is what age they are. It hits home a lot more for them,” said Brennan-Ing.

Loneliness, stigma

Looking at the research, BrennanIng said the length of time since a person’s HIV diagnosis does not appear to factor into the high rates of depression. What is driving it is loneliness and stigma.

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Palm Springs

From page 24

Toucans is north of downtown and is becoming more heterosexual mixed and is popular with straight and gay women.

Warm Sands’ only gay bar is the Tool Shed on Sunny Dunes Road.

As you might have guessed, it caters to the bear and leather crowd.

The gay bookstore and gift shop, Q Trading, and Gear Leather and Fetish, are next door.

t

“Feeling lonely is exacerbated especially among gay and bi men who are long-term survivors by the loss of lots of friends and lovers,” he said.

The term AIDS survivor syndrome is not one commonly used within clinical and academic circles, said Dr. Malcolm John, director of 360: The Positive Care Center at UCSF who is overseeing the university’s Silver Project research study of HIV-positive men aged 50 and older.

“I do think he is on to something there,” John said of Anderson’s use of the term.

One of the findings so far of the Silver Project has been a need for health professionals who treat people living with HIV and AIDS to focus on their patients’ mental health issues.

The study is confirming what others have noticed, that a lack of social support systems for older individuals with HIV can lead to depression, isolation, and loneliness. And those

knowledge of HIV. Really it is a question of building bridges between these two service systems.”

In the mid 2000s, said Strub, attention did turn to the phenomenon of what some suggested was a manifestation of post-traumatic stress disorder in older HIV-positive men as well as older HIV-negative men who also lived through the horrors of AIDS. “Definitely, there is residual damage many of us are living with,” he said. “We just see so many people dealing with addiction issues, mental health issues – suicide rates are just astonishing – so there is definitely something there. There are efforts in many cities to create a greater sense of community around long-term survivors and mutual support for those who need it.”

Since Delilah’s in Cathedral City closed several years ago, there are no full-time lesbian bars in the Palm Springs area but check out the web site http://www.lspotpalmsprings. com for information on special events geared toward the desert’s lesbian community.

a wine cellar social space, and often hosts special events.

The newest gay resort in Palm Springs is Random Haus. The upscale property is the only gay hotel that is gay and lesbian mixed as well as being family friendly.

The other gay resorts are for men.

With the exception of All Worlds, the resorts offer free continental breakfast and some include an early evening social hour with snacks

Support groups needed

San Francisco’s LGBT Aging Policy Task Force, in its report finalized last week called “LGBT Aging at the Golden Gate: San Francisco Policy Issues and Recommendations,” noted that older people living with HIV/ AIDS “commonly experience increased prevalence of substance abuse and the need for mental health services.”

The policy body cited social services, housing and homelessness resources as needed for this segment of the city’s LGBT senior adult population, along with “socialization and support group Courtesy SAGE and ACRIA opportunities.” The report also reiterated calls for “stronger HIV/AIDS can all negatively affect not only a cultural competency among mainpatient’s health and wellness but also stream senior service providers.” their ability to utilize services.

The irony of being able to live “It became clear we needed to with HIV and live longer, pointed look at these things,” said John, as out Strub, is that it allows people they can impact the “functional statime to grieve and recall those they tus of our patients.” have lost. For some the adjustment Of 135 patients enrolled in the from fighting not to die to figuring Silver Project study, 34 percent said out how to live can be too much of a they had experienced depression psychosocial jolt. within the last year. Twenty-two “Something I have heard a lot percent reported mild loneliness, of people say in terms of my menwith 13 percent having severe lonetal health is I had the most serious liness. problem after I was getting better. It “Almost half our patients are wasn’t when I was so sick,” recalled lonely, basically 57 percent ... that Strub. “Yes, I was sad, but my life is a significant finding to say the was so focused and I had so much to least,” said John. “We are seeing a do every day. It was when my health lot of patients who aren’t clinically came back that I didn’t have that depressed need to start medications. clarity of purpose. I started to have It is due to the burden of being an more time to grieve people who had AIDS survivor, the burden of livdied. People were dying so fast your ing with chronic disease and comind shuts it off.” morbidities. All those things start to As he recounts in his book, Strub weigh on people.” sought out solace in isolation and While AIDS in America has been moved to a house in the woods of graying for years, service organizathe Northeast in order to regroup. tions have largely been blind to the “Those were rough years for me issue, said Brennan-Ing, so programs after my health came back, rougher have been lacking for older people than when I was really sick. Most living with HIV and AIDS. Federal people find it bizarre, but I hear it offunding exacerbates the problem, he ten from others,” he said. “In coming noted, as it is largely targeted at youth. close to death your life changes. Your “When we are talking about perspective changes; you cannot go AIDS, the service organizations back to living the same life.”t really are geared up for serving a younger clientele,” he said. “They are very focused on HIV prevention Matthew S. Bajko wrote this and treatment issues, so they don’t article through the MetLife Foundation Journalists in Aging know so much about aging issues.”

Fellowships, a program of New The reverse is also true of aging America Media and the Gerontoservice providers, added Brennanlogical Society of America.

Ing, who “have extremely limited

Resorts

Palm Springs has a couple of lesbian resorts, Casitas Laquita and Queen of Hearts. Both are first rate.

Casitas is the larger of the two, has

See page 30 >>

SPECIAL EVENT ROAD CLOSURE NOTICE

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Road closures along the 13.1 mile routes may affect you. Most road closures and detours will be in effect between the hours of 5:30 am and 11:30 am, opening on a rolling basis, as runners pass.

Road Closures - Saturday, April 5, thru Sunday, April 6, 2014

Street Closed

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RnR Half Marathon

5:00 PM Sun 5:00 PM Sun 5:00 PM Sun

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Time Closed

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Whole Road Lincoln Way Balboa St Whole Road Polk St Larkin St Whole Road Great Highway 34th Ave Whole Road Balboa St Clement St Whole Road Balboa St Clement St Whole Road 35th Ave 32nd Ave Whole Road Clement St El Camino Del Mar Whole Road 32nd Ave Lincoln Blvd Whole Road GG Bridge Parking Lot El Camino Del Mar Two NB right lanes Vista Point Lincoln Blvd Whole Road GG Bridge Parking Lot Chrissy Field Ave Whole Road Mason St Lincoln Blvd Whole Road Chrissy Field Ave Marina Blvd Westbound Mason St Laguna St *Eastbound vehicle access lane from Baker St to Buchanon St Whole Road Marina Blvd Bay St Westbound Laguna St Polk St **Eastbound vehicle access lane from Laguna St to Van Ness Ave Northbound Bay St Ellis St *Northbound vehicle access lane from Francisco St to Ellis St McAllister St Whole Road California St Whole Road Polk St Larkin St Whole Road Vallejo St Broadway St Whole Road Polk St Larkin St Whole Road Polk St Larkin St Whole Road Larkin St Hyde St Southbound Broadway St Pacific St ***Cable Cars Active/ Northbound vehicle access Whole Road Hyde St Polk St Whole Road

Larkin St

Time Open

12 Noon Sat 12 Noon Sat 12 Noon Sat

Road Closures - Sunday, April 6, 2014 Closed From

Time Closed

Grove St Larkin St Grove St

Polk St

2:00am 3:30 AM 5:30 AM 5:30 AM 5:30 AM 5:30 AM 5:30 AM 5:30 AM 5:30 AM 5:30 AM 5:30 AM 5:30 AM 5:30 AM 5:30 AM

FOR MORE INFORMATION, ACCESS ROUTES, COURSE MAP AND ROAD CLOSURE TIMES, VISIT OUR WEBSITE:

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Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

30 • BAY AREA REPORTER • April 3-9, 2014

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New Briefs

From page 4

But it wasn’t until 2009, when the B.A.R. began reporting about a Facebook campaign calling for the creation of a Milk stamp, that the idea began to gain momentum.

The coverage spawned a nationwide campaign urging the postal service to issue the stamp.

Four years ago the B.A.R. broke the news that the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee had contacted Milk’s family about a potential stamp. And last May the paper disclosed that leaked documents obtained by Linn’s showed the advisory committee had voted to release the Milk stamp in 2014.

Benefit set for Trans March

Organizers of the 11th annual Trans March will hold a fundraiser Sunday, April 6 beginning at 4 p.m. at Aunt Charlie’s Lounge, 133 Turk Street in San Francisco.

A drag show is scheduled to start at 5 and performers are welcome.

There will also be food, and a raffle with prizes, including a $100 gift card, tickets to Beach Blanket Babylon, and more. There will be an auction of a Carmen Miranda dress straight from Palm Springs.

The Trans March gives visibility to the transgender community and its allies, and this year takes place June 27, the Friday of Pride weekend.

Sacred cocktails set to return to SF

Imagine a place where you can relax with friends over your favorite drink and listen to fascinating and uplifting stories in a lively discussion or just sit back and become inspired by what others have to say.

The place, beginning Monday, April 7, will be the Lookout bar, 3600 16th Street at Market in San Francisco’s Castro neighborhood. The event is Sacred Cocktails, which returns after a one-year break and features the Reverend Tommy Dillon, rector at Saint Aidan’s Church, and deacon Diana Wheeler of San Francisco Night Ministry/Sacred Space San Francisco.

People can gather at the bar for drinks at 6:30 p.m. and get caught up. Then, from 7 to 8, the group heads to a quieter area of the bar for the monthly program, where guest speakers will share their faith journey, followed up by a group discussion.

Dillon said that whether one drinks alcohol or not, folks are welcome to join the sessions, which will be held the first Monday of the month.

Sacred Cocktails allows participants to voice not only their stories of faith, but their questions as well.

The program strives to provide all a

<<

Palm Springs

From page 28

and drinks. All the men’s resorts are clothing optional with the exception of the upscale East Canyon Hotel and Spa. Some resorts are very sexually charged while others cater more to couples. You can get a pretty good idea of the sexual temperature of a resort by checking out the property’s website.

The Cathedral City Boys Club is the Palm Springs area’s largest gay resort, taking over 3.5 acres. It is the only gay resort in Cathedral City. CCBC is open 24 hours a day for day and night use and special events. When comparing room rates, keep in mind that the CCBC charges a daily $15 resort fee.

The biggest concentration of gay resorts is in the Warm Sands neighborhood, about a mile southeast of downtown. Most of the gay resorts are constantly upgrading and updating themselves.

The Vista Grande is a great example of a resort that has remade itself better than ever. The property has it all: two pools, two hot tubs, a steam room, and dry sauna. It re-

space where all are welcome, where the discussion of God’s love in the world doesn’t fit into a one-size-fitsall model but revels in the sometimes irreverent, oftentimes highly moving search for meaning in a hectic and impersonal world.

There is no cost to attend. Food and drinks are available for purchase.

For more information, contact Dillon at tommy@saintaidan.org or (415) 285-9540.

Plant sale to benefit Delancey foundation

Macy’s Union Square has announced a special plant sale following this year’s “The Secret Garden” flower show Monday, April 7 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Pier 30-32 in San Francisco. Profits from the sale will benefit the Delancey Street Foundation, a leading residential self-help organization for former substance abusers, ex-convicts, homeless, and those in need of help.

The plant sale will include potted plants, flowers, and small trees that were featured inside the Macy’s store during the flower show. Prices range from $5 or less for the smaller plants to around $35 for larger shrubs and small trees.

For more information, visit www. macys.com/flowershow.

Open Hand to launch pilot study

Project Open Hand is teaming with researchers at the UCSF School of Medicine to launch its Food=Medicine pilot study and a meeting will be held Thursday, April 10 so that people can meet the research team and learn about the study. The meeting will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Open Hand’s offices, 730 Polk Street in San Francisco.

The goal of the study is to demonstrate that providing medically tailored nutrition to people living with critical illnesses has a positive impact on their health and well being, which in turn, can reduce medical costs.

The study will help position the agency, which provides meals and groceries to people living with HIV/ AIDS and other illnesses, at the forefront of research demonstrating health care benefits of food and nutrition services. That will enable Open Hand to better serve existing clients and expand to serve others, which in turn, attracts new partners and funding opportunities, said Executive Director Kevin Winge.

Study participants will receive three meals a day for four to six months from Open Hand. The meals will be tailored to meet 100 percent of participants’ nutritional needs and integrated into their cently transformed one of its rooms into a hospitality suite with a lounge and wide screen TV. The resort also offers a social hour with snacks. The Mirage section of the resort offers a special entrance and breakfast delivered to your room.

InnDulge is another great Warm Sands property that is comfortable for couples and singles alike. Owners Jon Jackson and Sandy Miller are hands-on managers and maintain a family atmosphere that earns it a loyal repeat business. InnDulge also has a free social hour with soft drinks, snacks and guests can BYOB, which they often leave for other guests.

The Hacienda in Warm Sands is first-rate all the way and is particularly popular as a romantic getaway for couples. In addition to a breakfast, the resort serves a complimentary lunch as part of its service.

El Mirasol Villas was the first gay resort in Palm Springs. Howard Hughes originally built the resort as a getaway for him and his Hollywood pals. It is another Warm Sands treasure popular with couples as it is less cruisy than some of the other gay resorts.

Another cluster of gay resorts is

overall health care. The study will include up to 60 participants, clients who are mildly and severely symptomatic with HIV/AIDS, clients with diabetes, and clients with a dual diagnosis of HIV and diabetes.

Scheduled panelists at next week’s meeting include Dr. Frederick Hecht, professor at UCSF School of Medicine; Kartika Palar, Ph.D., of the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health; Mark Ryle, LCSW, director of client experience at Open Hand; and Dr. Sheri Weiser, MPH, from UCSF School of Medicine.

Attendance is free but space is limited. RSVP to hlevinson@openhand.org.

Atmosqueer networking event

A networking event called Atmosqueer will be held Saturday, April 12 from 1 to 5 p.m. at the San Francisco LGBT Community Center, 1800 Market Street.

The event is not a street fair, said organizer Emily Mariko-Sanders, but more of an opportunity to get people connected with others and organizations. People might find volunteer opportunities, companionship through participation or service, or simply be made aware of work that local organizations do in the community.

Community groups, a live DJ, food trucks, and drinks will add a festive atmosphere to Atmosqueer’s Spring Fling. There is no cost to attend.

The event is sponsored by Bridgemen, the LGBT center, and the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.

World Pride coming up

This year’s World Pride event is quickly approaching and will take place in Toronto June 20-29.

Organized by InterPride, World Pride is held every few years in different cities, the last one was in London in 2012.

Headliners include lesbian country singer Chely Wright. Other performers include Melissa Etheridge, Mark Jacob, Steve Grand, and many more. Musical genres from rock, pop, dance, hip-hop, R&B, country, and more will be live on 10 free-toattend stages throughout the festival’s footprint.

This year’s World Pride is being presented by Pride Toronto and is shaping up to be one of the biggest international events and will be the first held in North America. There will be 10 days of queer celebration, parades, and parties.

For more information, visit www. worldpridetoronto.com.t

Matthew S. Bajko contributed to this report.

along San Lorenzo Road, about a mile from Warm Sands. That is where you will find the Triangle Inn, Escape, Tortuga del Sol, Random Haus and Santiago. All are well-managed and beautifully maintained resorts. The beautifully landscaped Santiago resort includes a free deli lunch.

On the north side of town, you will find another great collection of resorts including the Canyon Club, Helios, Bearfoot Inn, Chaps Inn, and East Canyon Hotel and Spa. The newest mainstream hotel in Palm Springs is the Hard Rock Hotel. The property used to be the Hotel Zoso and is conveniently located a block over from the Arenas Road gayborhood. The Hard Rock had a grand opening last month after a multimillion-dollar transformation.

The hotel lobby showcases music memorabilia including outfits worn by the gay icons Cher, Lady Gaga, and Madonna. The Hard Rock is a full service hotel with a wonderful Sessions Restaurant and a wellequipped gym.t For more information, check out the city’s official visitors site, www.visitpalmsprings.com.

t

Legal Notices>> ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-14-550171

In the matter of the application of: JOHN LANCE WHITEFORD, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner JOHN LANCE WHITEFORD, is requesting that the name JOHN LANCE WHITEFORD, be changed to JACK SORIANO WHITEFORD. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514, Rm. 514 on the 13th of May 2014 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

MAR 13, 20, 27, APR 03, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035688800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FISHERMAN’S WHARF APPRENTICE, PIER 28, THE EMBARCADERO, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105.

This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JOHN H. MELLOR. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/18/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/28/14.

MAR 13, 20, 27, APR 03, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035700300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LUCKY HER, 601 CALIFORNIA ST #1600, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MARIA-LALAINE B. LEGASPI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/06/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/06/14.

MAR 13, 20, 27, APR 03, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035681000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ALADDIN BAIL BONDS, 835 BRYANT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed TWO JINN INC, (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/01/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/25/14.

MAR 13, 20, 27, APR 03, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035706000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: COLD STONE CREAMERY, 119 ELLIS ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by a married couple, and is signed CRISELDA DIAZ & EDWIN DIAZ. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/05/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/10/14.

MAR 13, 20, 27, APR 03, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035666200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SMOKE & MIRRORS; SMOKE&MIRRORS; SMOKE&MIRRORS HAIR; SMOKE&MIRRORS HAIR AND FASHION PLAYGROUND, 256 SUTTER ST, 2ND FL, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed SMOKE AND MIRRORS LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/19/14.

MAR 13, 20, 27, APR 03, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035697700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NIMBLY, 25 TAYLOR ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by a limited liability company and is signed NIMBLY LLC (CA).

The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/20/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/05/14.

MAR 13, 20, 27, APR 03, 2014 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-14-550181 In the matter of the application of: NATESH DANIEL, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner NATESH DANIEL, is requesting that the name NATESH DANIEL, be changed to NATHAN DIESEL. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514, Rm. 514 on the 13th of May 2014 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

MAR 20, 27, APR 03, 10, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035691100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NOELANI, 1700 A UNION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DELIGHT LOW. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/05/85. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/03/14.

MAR 20, 27, APR 03, 10, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035700000

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035678000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LOU IT NOW, 3015 MARKET ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LOUISE WO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/18/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/24/14.

MAR 20, 27, APR 03, 10, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035714700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HENRY’S HUNAN RESTAURANT, 674 SACRAMENTO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111.

This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed MATMAR CO. INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/01/13. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/13/14.

MAR 20, 27, APR 03, 10, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035711600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HOT POT ISLAND, 5512 GEARY BLVD, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed HAN HU. 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 03/12/14.

MAR 20, 27, APR 03, 10, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035715500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FYRN, 2901 MARIPOSA ST #10, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed BROUGHTON WOODWORKING, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/13/14.

MAR 20, 27, APR 03, 10, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035717400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SHANKEL STUDIOS, 3376 23RD ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a married couple, and is signed JASON PAUL SHANKEL & MARIA ISAACS SHANKEL. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/14/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/14/14.

MAR 20, 27, APR 03, 10, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035701300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HILLS PLAZA MARKET, 345 SPEAR ST #115, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105. This business is conducted by a limited liability corporation, and is signed HILLS PLAZA MARKET LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/06/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/06/14.

MAR 20, 27, APR 03, 10, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035710400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BANDIDOS, 2200 A MARKET ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a limited liability corporation, and is signed SNAKEBITE, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/11/14.

MAR 20, 27, APR 03, 10, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035706600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FASHION SPOT, 824 STOCKTON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 9410. This business is conducted by a limited liability corporation, and is signed W & W INTERNATIONAL TRADING LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/10/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/10/14.

MAR 20, 27, APR 03, 10, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035719100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: AE ACADEMY LLC, 415 STOCKTON ST, 4TH FLR, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by a limited liability corporation, and is signed AE ACADEMY, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/17/14.

MAR 20, 27, APR 03, 10, 2014 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-029240600

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: COLD STONE CREAMERY, 119 ELLIS ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business was conducted by a limited liability company and signed by ICE CREAM ENTERTAINMENT LLC (CA).

The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/03/06.

MAR 20, 27, APR 03, 10, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035737700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SF WEB SOLUTION, 3532 21ST ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JOERG KLEINEBRAHM. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/06/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/06/14.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: DEJURE DESIGN, 129 27TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DANIEL MCLAUGHLIN. 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 03/24/14.

MAR 20, 27, APR 03, 10, 2014

MAR 27, APR 03, 10, 17, 2014

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Read more online at www.ebar.com

Legal Notices>> FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035727600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: RECRUITING LIKE A BOSS; RECRUIT L.A.B.; RLAB; 350 TOWNSEND ST #717, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed UKACHI N. OKORONKWO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/19/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/19/14.

MAR 27, APR 03, 10, 17, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035731400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: OPTUM CREATIVE, 268 BUSH ST #4315, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94104. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed WALTER E. PEARCE JR. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/20/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/20/14.

MAR 27, APR 03, 10, 17, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035702300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NENAH’S DOLCI, 1390 MISSION ST #701, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MARITZAYANA ORTIZ PEREZ. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/06/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/06/14.

MAR 27, APR 03, 10, 17, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035728600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: KOTAS CONSTRUCTION, 130 MONTEREY BLVD, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94131. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JASON KOTAS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/10/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/20/14.

MAR 27, APR 03, 10, 17, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035697500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: STEFFAN SPA, A MASTER HEALING ARTS STUDIO, 3150 18TH ST #244, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110.

This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MICHAEL T. STEFFAN. 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 03/05/14.

MAR 27, APR 03, 10, 17, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035725700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PROGRESSIVE GROUNDS, 400 CORTLAND AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed AZIZ A. BENARAFA & KHAMMAR MARCO BOUJEBHA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/01/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/19/14.

MAR 27, APR 03, 10, 17, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035727800

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035727400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NO DEPRESSION, 460 BUSH ST, 2ND FL, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed FRESHGRASS, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/01/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/19/14.

MAR 27, APR 03, 10, 17, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035723400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HOME CARE AND CLEANING, 440 9TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MARK MANGAMPAT. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/15/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/18/14.

APR 03, 10, 17, 24, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035721100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ALMA HOLISTIC, 2040 UNION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ALMA E. ARCINIEGAS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/17/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/17/14.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CITIPETS, 183 WEST PORTAL AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94127. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed ALLISON WERGER & BARBARA JEAN WERGER. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/01/00. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/18/14.

APR 03, 10, 17, 24, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035751100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CLEAN N SAVE DRY CLEANERS, 647 BOSWORTH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94131. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed FUTIAN HUO & HUI YING ZHU. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/31/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/31/14.

APR 03, 10, 17, 24, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035738100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: APP ACADEMY, 1061 MARKET ST, 4TH FLOOR, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed HASH MAP LABS, INC (DE). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/11/12.

The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/27/14.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE UPS STORE 6520, 4104 24TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed JING STORE INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/06/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/06/14.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LEATHER ALLEY; MR SAN FRANCISCO LEATHER; MR SF LEATHER; 584 CASTRO ST #660, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA LEATHER ALLIANCE INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names 03/10/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/10/14.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SABRA GRILL RESTAURANT, 419 GRANT AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed SABABA INC (CA).

The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/29/96. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/19/14.

MAR 27, APR 03, 10, 17, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035733900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: KING’S MARKET, 2398 BRYANT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed SILVERMAN, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/21/14.

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APR 03, 10, 17, 24, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035723600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: JIM YAGER MEDIA, 160 FILLMORE ST #C, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed BUTTERFLY SUNRISE CORPORATION (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/24/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/24/14.

MAR 27, APR 03, 10, 17, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035727000

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The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BETTER WIRED ELECTRIC, 258 EUREKA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed JOSHUA FROST & JAMES FROST. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/01/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/01/14.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CHEZ JULIEN, 100 BUSH ST #110, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94104. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed VISIONARY PARTNERS GROUP INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/19/14.

MAR 27, APR 03, 10, 17, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035701600

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APR 03, 10, 17, 24, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035754100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: EARLYWOOD CARPENTRY, 1009 CABRILLO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed KELLY ROGALA & MICHAEL ROGALA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/24/14.

MAR 27, APR 03, 10, 17, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035736500

April 3-9, 2014 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 31

APR 03, 10, 17, 24, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035745700

APR 03, 10, 17, 24, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035707900

APR 03, 10, 17, 24, 2014 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-14-550160 In the matter of the application of: NASER ABBAS SALMAN, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner NASER ABBAS SALMAN, is requesting that the name NASER ABBAS SALMAN, be changed to SALMA SALMAN. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514 on the 6th of May 2014 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

MAR 13, 20, 27, APR 03, 2014

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Artful habits

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O&A

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42

The

Vol. 44 • No. 14 • April 3-9, 2014

www.ebar.com/arts

Essays in beauty

by Sura Wood

W

ith dedicated galleries devoted to Edouard Vuillard, Pierre Bonnard and Pierre-Auguste Renoir among its many pleasures, Intimate Impressionism from the National Gallery of Art, a new show of 68 paintings now at the Legion of Honor, is about as close to heaven as one can get this season. An ode to spring in spirit if not necessarily in content, and an essay in beauty, the exhibition consists of works

by Sisley, Pissarro, Gauguin, Monet, Cezanne, Degas and the other usual suspects, all of which are on loan from the National Gallery in Washington, D.C., while, you guessed it, the collection’s home is undergoing renovation.

Also featured are Eugene Boudin, who persuaded Monet to paint outdoors and was known as the “King of Skies” for his vivid, translucent studies of mercurial marine conditions; Antoine Vollon’s picture of a mile-high “Mound of Butter” (1875/85)

“Self-Portrait Dedicated to Carrière” (1888 or 1889), oil on canvas by Paul Gauguin (French, 1848-1903).

that lets you know that you’ve truly landed in France; George Seurat’s nearly miniature “Seascape (Gravelines)” (1890), in which the famed pointillist creates an illusion of a mosaic made of colored specks of sand; and Odilon Redon, the French Symbolist who’s represented here by “Village by the Sea in Brittany” (ca. 1880), a jewel-like seascape with oceanic blues so exquisite it almost hurts to look at them.

The Legion’s show, which covers the 1860s through the early 20th century with a few later pieces thrown in towards the end, is comprised mostly of small-scale paintings that were intended to hang inside homes rather than in grand spaces, and are meant to be viewed at close range. The opening gallery, which includes Corot and Manet, who were linked to the Impressionists but not of them, focuses on the 1860s, an electric, tumultuous period for French painting that followed the death of two stalwarts of French art, Ingres and Delacroix, and saw critics panicked over the future of the medium.

See page 50 >>

National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon

Cock, Busch, R&J, Q & more

by Richard Dodds

N

ew Conservatory Theatre Center will open its 201415 season with a play that dared newspapers to speak its name. Despite a rave review in The New York Times, its critic had to go with a widely employed default title even if it contained the original offending word. They say tomato, we say to-mah-to; they say The Cockfight Play; we say Cock.

See page 51 >>

Cory Michael Smith, right, was torn between two lovers (Jason Butler Harner and Amanda Quaid) in the New York production of Cock, the controversial play opening New Conservatory Theatre Center’s 2014-15 season.

{ SECOND OF TWO SECTIONS }

Joan Marcus

The sun is down, the stars are out, and the lights are up this summer at Davies Symphony Hall.

PINK MARTINI WITH THE SFS JULY 2–3 7:30PM

ARRIVAL: THE MUSIC OF ABBA† JULY 22 7:30PM

Joined by lovely lead chanteuse Storm Large, this cosmopolitan, multi-lingual concert showcases Pink Martini’s intoxicatingly international mix of cabaret, samba, and jazz.

ARRIVAL, the world’s greatest ABBA show band, takes center stage to perform hits like “Dancing Queen,” “Waterloo,” and many more of the pop hits that shot the original group to international super stardom.

THE JA ZZ ORCHESTR A: BERNSTEIN & GERSHWIN JULY 5 7:30PM

CHEYENNE JACKSON GOES TO THE MOVIES ** JULY 24–25 7:30PM

The SFS is joined by jazz pianist Makoto Ozone for Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, Ravel’s Bolero, and Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story, in a fusion of jazz and the symphony orchestra.

Cheyenne Jackson returns to lead the audience on a walk down cinematic memory lane as he sings famous tunes from memorable moments in American film.

PIX AR IN CONCERT JULY 17–19 7:30PM JULY 20 2PM The SFS presents Pixar in Concert, with visually stunning clips and memorable scores from each of Pixar’s movies, including their latest release, Monsters University, performed live by the Orchestra.

GREASE JULY 20 7:30PM

SING-ALONG! †

Grab your Pink Ladies and your T-Birds to watch a movie musical you can’t help but hand jive to. Sing along as you watch, with props, dancing, costumes, and more!

MELISSA ETHERIDGE WITH THE SFS JULY 30–31 7:30PM Iconic rock singer-songwriter and guitarist Melissa Etheridge joins the SFS to perform classic hits like “Come to My Window” and “I’m the Only One” alongside material from her latest studio album.

THE BEETHOVEN REVOLUTION AUG 1 7:30PM Edwin Outwater and the SFS reveal the revolutionary secrets of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 in a visually enhanced performance.

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April 3-9, 2014 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 35

Besties announced in Arts & Culture

by Roberto Friedman

B

efore we get back to our regular programming, Out There is proud to present the deserving winners from five Arts & Entertainment entries of the Bay Area Reporter’s 2014 Besties, the LGBT Best of the Bay awards.

Best Live Music Venue Tie: The Fillmore, The Warfield

The Fillmore, at the corner of Fillmore St. and Geary Blvd., began life as a dance hall in 1912, and operated as one under many names (The Get Acquainted Society was one, which has a nice ring to it) through the 1930s, and as a roller rink in the 1940s. In the 1950s, it served as the venue for West Coast tours of the biggest names in black music, including James Brown and Ike & Tina Turner. The Fillmore’s immortal place in music history dates from the tenure of legendary promoter Bill Graham, who launched the careers of the Grateful Dead, the Jefferson Airplane, Santana and others there. Its stage has been graced by Jimi Hendrix, Otis Redding, The Who and other icons.

The 1970s-early 80s found punk luminaries like Black Flag and The Dead Kennedys thrashing on stage.

Recent years have brought Prince, Sonic Youth, Radiohead, The Cure and others. Upcoming shows include Gary Numan (April 6-8) and Boy George (April 28).

The Warfield, which also won the Bestie in this category last year, opened in 1922. A list of the acts that have been presented there is a veritable Who’s Who of great entertainment, from Al Jolson, Louis Armstrong and Charlie Chaplin in its early days to Bob Dylan, The Clash, U2 and David Bowie. Scenes from the 1991 film The Doors were filmed at the theater. Upcoming shows include Emmylou Harris (April 5) and Lauryn Hill (May 12).

(Runner-up in this category: Yoshi’s SF.)

Francisco, (415) 749-2228. www. act-sf.org.

Best Movie Theater Castro Theatre

No surprise here, as the Castro District’s very own Art Deco movie palace wins this category for the fourth consecutive year. Architect Timothy Pflueger’s masterpiece was built in 1922, and has hosted classic repertoire, film festivals, concerts and more ever since. Coming up on April 11-12, the Castro Theatre will present a tribute to the late comedy writer-director Harold Ramis: a double feature of Groundhog Day and Caddyshack (4/11); and a triple feature of National Lampoon’s Vacation, Stripes and National Lampoon’s Animal House (4/12). Also this month, the Castro Theatre brings back the sing-along screenings of Disney’s Oscar-winning Frozen for three weekends of matinee shows and one evening show on Easter (April 12, 19-20, 26-27 at 1

Arts & Culture

p.m., April 20 at 5 p.m.). Frozen fans are invited to don their best Anna, Snow Queen Elsa, Kristoff, and reindeer-inspired costumes, and sing out with the show. And let’s not forget the Castro’s Mighty Wurlitzer Organ, played by stalwart Castro organist David Hegarty before the evening shows. It’s a true San Francisco tradition.

(Runner-up in this category: Sundance Kabuki.)

Castro Theatre, 429 Castro Street, San Francisco, (415) 621-6129. www.castrotheatre.com.

Best Museum SFMOMA

At first glance, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art seems an odd choice for the 2014 winner in this category, since its main attraction is currently closed through early 2016 while the flagship SoMa building undergoes extensive expansion and renovation. But in the meantime, SFMOMA is offering a robust roster of off-site programming, exhibitions jointly organized with other Bay Area arts institutions. These include Public Intimacy: Art and Social Life in South Africa (through June 2014) on view See page 47 >>

Asian Art Museum, San Francisco

“A mandala of the Buddhist deity Shamvara” (1800-1900); China; Thangka, colors on cotton; part of the upcoming collaborative SFMOMA/Asian Art Museum show Gorgeous.

707.546.3600 wellsfargocenterarts.org Conveniently located off Hwy 101 in Santa Rosa

The Fillmore, 1805 Geary Blvd., San Francisco. www.thefillmore.com.

The Warfield, 982 Market Street, San Francisco. www.thewarfieldtheatre.com.

Best Theater Group ACT

San Francisco’s premiere nonprofit theater company has enjoyed a national and international reputation beginning with its first season on the Geary (now ACT) Theatre stage in 1967. Longtime artistic director Carey Perloff and company present a mix of contemporary stagework, classic repertoire and global fare. Playwright David Ives’ Venus in Fur is currently onstage (through April 13: see review in this issue), and still to come this season are master director Peter Brook’s The Suit (April 23-May 18) and James Fenton’s The Orphan of Zhao, featuring BD Wong (June 4-29). Alumni of the ACT MFA Program include Denzel Washington, Annette Bening, and Benjamin Bratt. Out with ACT, celebrating its 10th year this season, was the first dedicated LGBT night at a Bay Area arts organization, and proved a great success.

(Runner-up in this category: New Conservatory Theatre Center.)

American Conservatory Theater, Box Office: 405 Geary Street, San

This performance made possible in part thanks to the generous support of Daniel Steele III.

<< Theatre

36 • BAY AREA REPORTER • April 3-9, 2014

Gay marriage: let us count the ways

by Richard Dodds

I

n the newspaper on the morning that Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays opened at New Conservatory Theatre Center, there was a wire story about the first couple to be married under Britain’s new law permitting same-sex marriage. It was all balloons and confetti until the rainy final paragraph: “In Britain, some argue that true equality won’t be reached until a gay couple can be married by a priest in Westminster Abbey, as Prince William and Kate Middleton were in 2011.” Let’s catch our breath first.

The train that left the station turned out not to be a local but an express. If you had started planning to present an evening of short plays written three years ago about same-sex marriage, the stops you may have wanted to visit may be just blurs in the window. Fortunately for Standing on Ceremony, the eight contributing playwrights were more interested in how same-sex couples in this country adapt to the opportunities for legally recognized marriage rather than in holding up placards demanding a right that had not yet begun to bloom.

The production opens and closes with playlets about vows, and how the couples look for new ways to

express their commitment in words other than those attached to traditional marriage for as long as any of us can remember. In Jordan Harrison’s light-hearted The Revision, partners Nate (Patrick Barresi) and Wallace (Scott Cox) are mockingly rewriting the words for their civil union in a state not yet aboard the marriage train. “For richer or for poorer,” for example, becomes “through the rise and fall of our individualized trust portfolios.” The title of the final playlet, Jose Rivera’s tender but upbeat Pablo & Andrew at the Alter of Words, plays off the word “altar” as the marrying couple (movingly played by Sal Mattos and Cox) surprise each other with the depths of their words of commitment.

The contributing playwrights all have national reputations of varying degrees, and are often writing to the expectations of their reputations.

Paul Rudnick (The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told) often skews to the outlandish, and My Husband and The Gay Agenda don’t defy expectations. In the former, a quintessential Jewish mother (Heidi Wolff) is trying to get her gay son (Cox) hitched by impersonating him on gay dating sites. In the latter, Mary Abigail (a hi-

t

Lois Tema

Scott Cox and Sal Mattos play a couple exchanging very personal vows in one of the short plays about same-sex marriage that make up Standing on Ceremony at NCTC.

See page 37 >>

When Wystan met Benjamin

by Richard Dodds

A

lan Bennett’s plays, of which there are many, are often embraced in London and just as often ignored by Broadway. This is not an attack on any cultural shortcomings on this side of the Atlantic, for Bennett’s plays are often so UK-centric that even the playwright was pleasantly surprised when a play such as The History Boys found popularity Stateside. But his follow-up play, The Habit of Art, embraced by London critics and audiences, moved no New York theaters to take it on.

Happily, Theatre Rhinoceros is providing local audiences the opportunity to see this challenging, insightful, and entertaining play in one of Rhino’s classiest productions.

The 2009 play indeed contains references that U.S. audiences can’t be expected to understand, but you

can consider them filigree on the overarching story that has no geographic boundaries. Actually, make that overarching stories, for there are two plays happening simultaneously, a situation that adds both complexity and clarity. At its very core, the play is about an imagined reunion of two aging titans of 20th-century culture: poet W.H. Auden and composer Benjamin Britten. Out of their clashing temperaments come insights into the often-gapping divide between art and artist, as well as the coping mechanisms needed when the creative well begins to go dry.

But there is much more than these themes circling around the core. Director John Fisher has expertly staged this play of interwoven scenarios and complex staging on Glenn Johnson’s set that represents Auden’s retirement apartment at Oxford as rudimentarily rendered in a rehearsal studio

where the actors, playwright, and stage managers struggle to pull off a run-through of the Auden-Britten play. These characters also have their own issues that parallel, explain, and augment the play within the play, and with egos clashing and insecurities erupting, layers of humor and drama are continuously being added.

But back to Auden and Britten, whose extended scene together is at the heart of the play. Britten has surprised Auden by requesting a meeting, these former artistic collaborators now long estranged.

Britten comes looking for advice, while Auden briefly allows himself to believe Britten is asking him to be the librettist of a new opera Britten is basing on Death in Venice. Since the Thomas Mann novel centers on a famous author who fixates on an underage boy while on vacation, Britten is worried that the story may

Kent Taylor

Confusion reigns at a rehearsal in a scene from Theatre Rhino’s The Habit of Art, with, from left, Donald Currie, Tamar Cohn, Michael DeMartini, Justin Lucas, and John Fisher getting into the fray.

be too revealing of his own interest, usually chaste, he assures Auden, in lads whose voices haven’t yet changed. For Auden, this discretion is a non-issue, a point emphasized by a rent boy hired by Auden who periodically arrives at not quite the right times.

The framing device allows for considerable latitude in numerous aspects. The fictional director has stated that he was not looking for actors who necessarily resembled Auden and Britten, which allows the actual director (Fisher) the same freedom. For starters, Fisher, a veteran playwright and director who still exudes youthful vigor, has cast himself as Britten, who admits to Auden he is dying. Donald Currie’s age seems more congruent with Auden’s, though hardly a match for the wrinkled, shambling mess that was Auden in his later years.

But these disparities, already forgiven within the context of the play, can be forgotten as Currie and Fisher parry and thrust, at times with warm concern, at other times with venom, as their reunion stumbles about in nostalgia of changing tones. Currie is amiable as the actor playing Auden, frequently stopping the play for a cue or a complaint about the playwright’s more pretentious passages, and then turning into a hardened curmudgeon when his character hits his stride as Auden. Fisher, as the actor playing

Britten, is fine if a little chipper in the less showy role, and as directoractor, fails to underline a revealing passage that the actor offers during a rehearsal break, one of the few missed beats in this otherwise confidently navigated excursion.

Justin Lucas makes the most of a comic showcase as the rent boy and as the actor playing him, and adeptly shifts into a historical provocateur in the final scenes. Craig Souza plays Humphrey Carpenter, who would eventually write definitive biographies of both Auden and Britten, and his split between dithering actor and booming narrator is fun to watch. Tamar Cohn creates a warmly patient stage manager dealing with crises large and small, Kathryn Wood only has a few chances to establish herself as the assistant stage manager, but Michael DeMartini can push his playwright character to the verges of over-the-top eye rolls and sputtering complaints.

The Habit of Art is a mighty work of playwriting that our larger theaters for some reason have bypassed. Theatre Rhino scores an “A” with this production, both for giving local audiences the opportunity to experience it, and by delivering it with such style.t The Habit of Art will run through April 13 at Z Below Theatre. Tickets are $15-$35. Call (866) 811-4111 or go to www.therhino.org.

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Music>>

April 3-9, 2014 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 37

Liza with a Z is adored at Davies Hall

by David-Elijah Nahmod

L

iza Minnelli brought her new show Simply Liza to Davies Symphony Hall on Friday, March 28. As the title suggests, it was a simple evening with Liza, center stage, singing and bantering for a 90-minute set. Backed by a relatively small jazz band, Simply Liza offered an intimate encounter with a legend.

Liza is now older and has made no secret of her health issues. This wasn’t the accomplished singer/ dancer who dazzled the world with her award-winning turns in Cabaret and Liza with a Z (both 1972). This was a more sedate Liza, giving the type of show she might perform in a smaller club. It was still magic.

She appeared at times to be having trouble walking – she’s endured

numerous surgeries due to dancerelated injuries. Her voice is deeper than it had been during her heyday.

Yet there remains in that voice an enormous emotional depth that had the sold-out crowd repeatedly jumping to its feet and cheering.

At one point, longtime musical director Billy Stritch, who performed at a huge grand piano, had to help Liza into her tall director’s chair. “I’m going to stay in this chair because it’s comfortable,” Liza said. The audience applauded, letting Liza know that it was OK. She was loved.

Sitting in that chair, she sang the iconic title tunes to Cabaret and Liza with a Z, occasionally kicking her right leg forward as though she were dancing. She hit every emotional note beautifully.

The longtime gay icon spoke of her

love for the great French singer/songwriter Charles Aznavour. Her heartfelt rendition of Aznavour’s “What Makes a Man,” a ballad about a drag queen who questions society’s gender norms, was a standout that saw several audience members running to the stage with flowers in hand.

A personal friend of Liza’s sat in the audience that night. She acknowledged him from the stage, then performed a plaintive “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love, Baby,” one of the songs immortalized by her mom, Judy Garland. She also sang a lovely “Our Love Is Here to Stay,” which Mom’s friend Gene Kelly first sang in the 1951 film An American in Paris.

It was a quiet and simple show, but it had a lot of heart, and the audience loved it.t

Rick Day

Liza Minnelli brought her act to Davies Symphony Hall.

Mighty Aphrodite? Ambiguously so

by Richard Dodds

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t’s hard to imagine that playwright David Ives’ first draft of Venus in Fur was a straightforward adaption of Leopold von Sacher-Masoch’s 1870 novella of almost the same name. (Sacher-Masoch had his Venus in “furs.”) What gives Ives’ recent Broadway play its impact, relevance, and a good deal of humor is the framing device that interprets the original material in the context of an audition for a fictional play that sounds a lot like what Ives originally set out to write. Perhaps Ives’ adaption would have been considerably different, but what we hear of the make-believe adaptation sounds like a stately bore that nevertheless works in its adopted context. Venus in Fur, now at ACT, is anything but a bore.

Sacher-Masoch’s name lives on most profoundly in the term “masochism,” which was introduced by psychiatrist Richard Freiherr von Krafft-Ebing while Sacher-Masoch was still alive. But fictional playwright-director Thomas Novachek insists he has no intimate interest in the subject, that he just thinks Sacher-Masoch wrote a compelling story worthy of a stage adaptation. It doesn’t take a dramaturgical sleuth to presume that these protestations will ring hollow before too long.

Alone onstage when the play begins in an empty audition studio, chatting amiably with his fiancée on the phone, Thomas certainly seems

<<

Standing/Ceremony

From page 36

lariously high-strung Colleen Egan) is her town’s preeminent proponent of traditional marriage, but begins to hear voices in her head attacking all aspects of her heterosexual life. When her new gay neighbors (Cox and Mattos) visit her house, all she hears are decorating insults and suggestions that her husband wants to be anally penetrated. She even worries if the lumberjack on the Brawny Towels wrapper is gay.

On the other side of the rainbow spectrum is Moises Kaufman (The Laramie Project), who creates the most poignantly intense piece in the production. In London Mosquitoes, a curious title whose meaning eventually becomes clear, an older man (beautifully played by Barresi) is delivering the eulogy for his recently deceased partner of 46 years.

The monologue weaves together details of a complex partnership, one that they decided not to commemorate with a legal marriage when that became possible near the end. Better to celebrate 46 years together than a one-year wedding anniversary.

coated in vanilla. The auditions are done for the day, a central role is still uncast, and he is wearily preparing to leave when two bursts of lightning throw him off stride. The first is of the thunderstorm variety, briefly flickering the lights, and the second arrives bursting through the door burdened with tote bags, a crippled umbrella, and a manic manner that taxes the playwright’s default state of civility.

It’s an actress woefully late for the auditions, her name somehow even missing from the appointment schedule, and whom you recognize as a passive-aggressive loser whose life will always be a shambles. “I’m usually demure and shit,” says Vanda Jordan, who apparently knows little about the play and less about the theatre (her resume includes Hedda Gobbler). But she wheedles Thomas into letting her read, she for the part of Wanda von Dunayev and he taking on the role of Severin von Kushemski – characters that mirrored Sacher-Masoch’s own efforts at convincing a woman to force him to be her slave.

Brenda Meaney is quite wonderful as Vanda, convincingly playing a woman whose quirks are funny onstage but, in life, would drive most of us to drink, if not to the nearest exit. But then Meaney’s Vanda astonishingly transforms herself into the regal character of the play, and Thomas, who has been woodenly delivering Severin’s lines, begins to Several of the pieces are pleasant, lightweight affairs. In Mo Gaffney’s A Traditional Wedding, a lesbian couple (Egan and Katharine Chin) discuss the pros and cons of a hetero-style wedding ceremony.

“Wanting a flower girl does not make me straight,” insists the more traditional of the two. Cold feet are afflicting one of the two Portland women (Wolff and Chin) as they are about to board a flight to Iowa, where sex-same marriage got an early foothold, in Wendy MacLeod’s genial This Flight Tonight.

Playwright Neil LaBute, an expert at creating cynical, misogynistic characters, surprisingly shows up with the most manipulatively sentimental of all the pieces, Strange Fruit, although it’s well played by Barresi and Mattos.

Sara Staley has efficiently and sensitively staged the multi-part production on Christian Majia’s attractive, chapel-like unit set. After its SF run, the production will travel into the hinterlands as part of NCTC’s Pride on Tour program.t Standing on Ceremony will run at NCTC through April 27. Tickets are $25-$45. Call 861-8972 or go to www.nctcsf.org.

invest himself emotionally to a point of no return. As Thomas, Henry Clarke is starchily convivial at the start before the veneer is peeled to reveal a frightened, excited, and increasingly helpless interior.

Working on John Lee Beatty’s original Broadway set, director Casey Stangl brings the play and its characters confidently to life. The word “ambiguity” is used a lot in the 95-minute play, and boundaries between reality and the magical increasingly blur. The mythological hocus-pocus that ends the play feels false, but it is easy enough to subjugate yourself to the rest of Venus in Fur.t Venus in Fur will run at ACT through April 13. Tickets are $20$120. Call 749-2228 or go to www.act-sf.org.

Kevin Berne

A seemingly somewhat-crazed actress (Brenda Meaney) convinces a reluctant playwright-director (Henry Clarke) to let her audition in a scene from Venus in Fur at ACT.

WELL STRUNG

JOAN COLLINS

SIERRA BOGGESS

PETER CINCOTTI

April 3 - 6

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April 10 - 11

April 24 - 25

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<< Books

38 • BAY AREA REPORTER • April 3-9, 2014

Where did it all go wrong?

by John F. Karr

I

like to call them The Hit Parade of Flops. They’re the roadshow musical movies of the late 1960s.

The term “roadshow” describes the screenings with higher-priced tickets, reserved seats, overtures and intermissions, and self-important, protracted length. And the musicals are the ones that followed and tried to imitate the success of The Sound of Music. You remember the agony of them. They’re the ones that killed the movie musical: Doctor Dolittle; Star!; Half a Sixpence; Camelot; Paint Your Wagon; Goodbye, Mr. Chips; Darling Lili; Man of La Mancha.

There are at least half-a-dozen others. And now, in a book titled simply – but with the expected Hollywood extravagance of an exclamation point – Roadshow!, B.A.R. contributor Matthew Kennedy has laid out the story of how the roadshow format, along with the depressingly low quality of the product, combined to become the genre’s death knell.

“I love writing about musicals!”

Kennedy enthused when we chatted recently by phone, “and these movies had been knocking around in my head since I was a kid.” He knew he

Courtesy the author

Roadshow! author Matthew Kennedy.

wanted to write about them. “But I didn’t know what shape a book about them would take.” Finally, he said, “It was the idea of the roadshow that gave the book its backbone.”

After receiving a BA in theatre arts from UCLA in 1979, Kennedy moved to San Francisco and performed as a modern dancer with Margaret Jenkins’ company. When a friend hooked him on the field of cultural anthropology, he pur-

Do the hustle

by Jim Piechota

Money’s on the Dresser by Christopher Daniels; Ingram Press, $14.95 paperback/Kindle here’s a lot more to the hustling trade than one would imagine, and Las Vegas author Christopher Daniels is happy to tell all the juicy details in his provocative, revealing new memoir Money’s on the Dresser.

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It’s an honest, well-written portrait of the lifestyle, largely fortified with anecdotes (some shockingly risqué, some funny) from his work both in the bedroom and on camera. Very little is left to the imagination here, which makes this book ideal for inquisitive minds eager for a more salacious reading experience.

Daniels opens with a brief glimpse at some of the pitfalls of the escort

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sued his Masters degree in the subject from UC Davis, and in 1992 joined the anthropology faculty of City College, where he continues to teach. For the last 10 years, he’s also taught film history at the Conservatory of Music.

“It was kind of frightening,” Kennedy told me, when about 15 years ago, “I wondered, do I have a book in me?” Of course he did, and his biography of Marie Dressler was published in 1999. “I found the exploration, the process of writing a book, to be a real joy.

“Since I teach full-time, it takes about five years to finish a book.”

So 2004 saw the publication of Kennedy’s biography of Edmund Goulding, which you might pick up as much for Goulding’s notoriety for orgies, bisexuality, drinking and drug addictions as for his fame as the director of such movies as Grand Hotel and Dark Victory. And then, in 2007, with the encouragement of Joan Blondell’s son, his biography of the star was published.

And now there’s Roadshow! (Oxford University Press, clothbound, $35). It’s compulsively readable candy for movie buffs, and most especially, fans of movie musicals, who might have been wondering, Where did it all go wrong?

For starters, Hollywood’s pseudo-hipster moguls were so out of touch. Kennedy reports how Paramount responded to the hip London scene that produced movies like Blowup and Georgie Girl with their terminally un-hip Half a Sixpence. And what about the casting ideas for a proposed musical version of Rebel Without a Cause, envisioning in the lead role either of those peas-in-a-pod, Bob Dylan and Troy Donahue?

Perhaps most important, though, was Hollywood’s constant confusion about size equaling quality. As Kennedy writes, “No musical could be too expensive or too long.” He concludes, “The problem wasn’t audience indifference to musicals; the moguls tell us the musical is dead.

But it’s not. The problem is that the moguls have only delivered corpses.”

It is with considerable relish, flashes of a dry wit, dead-on personal opinion, well-placed ironic asides, and impressively extensive research that Kennedy details the presumed aesthetic qualities and

the production histories of all of these movies.

As to his treatment not being movie-by-movie chronological, but a nearly overwhelming swirl, Kennedy reported, “That was tricky and nerve-wracking. I chose to do it that way to make the book feel like a tapestry; I was writing about the whole industry more than the individual movies.”

Oxford has not helped in eliminating the spacers Kennedy had inserted in his text; abrupt transitions can be momentarily confusing. But the book’s success – it is heading toward a fourth edition – may allow a handful of typos and factual gaffes to be corrected. These include the standard problems of computerized typesetting and spell-check substitutions. Strange to have a favorite among mistakes, but I find quite endearing the song-describing phrase, “the plaintiff strains of ‘Where is Love.’”

Actually, the idea of taking legal action against these movies is entirely satisfying. Meanwhile, the satisfaction is in Kennedy’s fascinating account of their ostensible life, and too-predictable death.t

business: the crazies, specifically a father who wanted to pay Daniels to take his 12-year-old son’s virginity while all in the same room together. There’s much more of that type of wackiness, but first, the author delves into his ultra-religious Canadian childhood; acting, dancing, and spending hours singing along to Broadway musicals. His chosen profession, he points out, wasn’t the

result of “a broken home, I wasn’t sexually abused, and I didn’t lose my virginity until I was 19.” But his youth was marred by schoolyard taunting and rampant homophobia, even after switching classes. His internal hatred morphed into a hormone-fueled fixation with sex, with months spent acting in summer theater, and an inaugural viewing of gay porn via VHS tape. From there, a strong desire to abandon his life in Regina, Saskatchewan for the anonymous, unbridled freedom of American city life took over. Part of his 20s were spent performing ballet in Oklahoma while attending ex-gay ministry meetings, dancing on cruise ships, and finally arriving at a life-altering epiphany to accept himself as “a total slut and a natural-born cocksucker, and I loved it.”

The result of this revelation permeates much of his memoir as Daniels trolls the bookstores and adult arcades near his new home in Las Vegas, ever eager to satiate his high sexual appetite, much to the detriment of any romantic relationship he’d been cultivating.

He began hustling full-time in 2009, but not after fully researching the history and the present state of the male escorting business. The lucrative cash paydays involved were such an enticement, he couldn’t resist going forward, yet throughout it all, Daniels remained a smart individual, acknowledging that “if you let all the compliments, attention, cash, and recognition go to your head, get ready for a downward spiral that will not end well.”

But readers will certainly garner a new appreciation for the sex-forhire business once Daniels begins recounting his “escort realness, Vegas-style” hustling chronicles (many quite harrowing) ranging from having sex with customers without noses (“the area was covered by a patch of what looked like snakeskin”), those with scaly cases of psoriasis, men deemed immobile by multiple sclerosis, bloody cumshots, numbing gel, trying to clean up a fuck buddy’s mortifying accidental “chocolate mess from my waist to my knees”, and the various demented X-rated fantasies that run the gamut from illegal to the

downright depraved (“I got used to going from being a small boy being molested to the child molester himself ”). And that’s all before his messy, whirlwind, sex-drenched week in Manhattan, all narrated in Technicolor detail. Porn shoots, webcam shows, and performances at the Nob Hill Theatre follow suit.

All of these colorful, no-shame experiences and facets of Daniels’ personality make for some riveting reading; however, a few embittered words in the concluding pages directed toward an accusatory customer review really dampen the mood. Even with his years of experience, the author continues to learn his lessons. While a cheap shot to the ego, bad reviews are a part of performing any type of public service, especially for the “brand” and the “businessman” Daniels insists he be considered.

Still, Daniels is tough, sexy, and able to command attention wherever he happens to be stripping or making house calls. His memoir doesn’t glamorize the industry; instead, it opens a door toward a better understanding of what it takes to be a successful, well-adjusted sex worker. “I have come to learn,” he writes, “that not all escorts and porn stars are meth-head, drug-abusing sex addicts who will give a 10-dollar blowjob to buy their next hit.”

For readers thirsty for an even more sexually explicit reading experience, check out bisexual porn star Asa Akira’s upcoming graphic memoir Insatiable, a jaw-dropping tour de force and the perfect complement to Daniels’ introspective memoir.t

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Books>>

April 3-9, 2014 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 39

Non-sentimental journey

by Brian Bromberger

Positive: One Doctor’s Personal Encounter with Death, Life, and the US Healthcare System by Michael Saag; Greenleaf Book Group Press t appears for the last two years we have been experiencing a springtime of remembrance. Beginning with the poignant and harrowing documentary We Were Here, and continuing with the forthcoming May HBO TV version of Larry Kramer’s seminal play The Normal Heart, apparently enough time has elapsed so we can begin recollecting the painful HIV epidemic years which killed thousands of Americans from the early 1980s to 1996, the miracle year of the retroviral cocktail that commuted the death sentence of AIDS into a chronic disease. As part of this retrospective journey, one of the principal researcher/clinicians in the fight against HIV, Dr. Michael Saag, has written an elegiac memoir, spanning the earliest years of the “plague” to its contemporary incarnation.

Serendipitously, Saag’s residency in infectious disease with a specialty in molecular virology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) coincided with the onset of AIDS. His critical research contributions are too numerous to list, but he describes many of his discoveries in lay not-too-technical jargon.

His key legacy was the concept of the 1917 Clinic at UAB, a comprehensive HIV outpatient center in which patient care was provided in conjunction with clinical outcomes research, so a “dynamic interface” was created among the medical investigators, caregivers, and patients, with the latter receiving the latest innovative treatments. Prior to its start in 1988, Saag visited San Francisco General Hospital for a day and its celebrated Ward 86. He not only observed staff and patients, but also asked everyone the same question, “If you were starting over from scratch, how would you design an AIDS clinic?” and took reams of notes. Thus he founded the 1917 Clinic as a new, improved version of Ward 86.

From this clinic, the haunting, inspiring stories of patients become the core component of Saag’s book.

We realize what an extraordinary doctor Saag is, in that he was able to engender hope and confidence during a time of intense suffering, institutional malfeasance, and certain death. Particularly heartbreaking were those who tested positive for HIV, and in helping their partners and friends already stricken with the disease saw their grim future, but “most of them loved well enough to continue providing care despite their own illness or illnessto-come.” The straight Saag was exposed to the stigma of being gay and remarked astutely that “after coming out, patients became dead to their families, but with HIV were dying again.” It is astounding how Saag’s compassionate portrayals of his patients resurrect them from the dead, with their struggles and triumphs seeming as relevant today as they did 30 years ago.

One case in particular brought me to tears. Michael, a dancer with the Joffrey Ballet and National Ballet Company, was given a diagnosis of pneumocystis pneumonia in 1987 and had to be put on a ventilator for six weeks to be kept alive. For most of that time, he was totally paralyzed by a drug to keep his muscle contractions from interfering with the ventilation. How did he persevere through this normally intolerable process where one day can seem like a week, with a tube down his throat and the perpetual sensation of

I

breathlessness? He insisted his treatment begin each day at 5:30 a.m., when he would imagine himself performing his previous moving exercises, from stretches to rehearsing every step of every dance routine he had ever performed. “As the ventilator pumped out 20 breaths per minute, Michael used its cadence as his metronome.” All Saag’s case studies are exhilarating, gut-wrenching, and triumphs of the human spirit amidst travail, including his stillliving cousin and AIDS advocate, Mary Fisher, who contracted the illness from her husband. She gave the historic star-making AIDS talk at the 1992 Republican Convention, challenging the party to “set aside prejudice and politics to make room for compassion and sound policy.”

Aside from the AIDS memoir, half the book is a manifesto attacking our broken healthcare system and offering a vision of a more comprehensive, accessible system focused more on patients and less shaped by politicians, insurers, and lobbyists. Saag details throughout his book why the US healthcare system even with Obamacare lags in all categories behind Canada and Europe except cost, where many procedures and drugs are among the most expensive in the world. Saag’s remedies (i.e., eliminat-

ing fee-for-service and establish use on an as-needed basis; patient first in all decision-making, including endof-life decisions; creating metrics for clinical outcomes, rewarding hospitals and providers that meet the standards and paying less to those that don’t; mandating that all electronic medical records systems speak the same language; allowing the government to bid competitively for drug prices) are all reasonable with wellarticulated and intelligible (if sometimes policy-wonkish) justifications that will appeal to left-leaning SF Bay Area residents.

Saag has, in effect, written two books that have been crammed into one, alternating chapter by chapter, diluting the emotional power of both, especially the memoir. Two separate books would have been more compelling, which could then have provided space for longer and additional stories from the AIDS years that are far more captivating than dreary healthcare statistics, even though Saag effectively uses examples from his HIV practice to bolster his reform arguments.

Even with this critique, Saag’s memoir is crucial reading, for it records for posterity the historic scientific and sociological fight against HIV in which we are still actively

engaged. Quoting her speech to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the 1917 Clinic, Mary Fisher said, “I’ve returned today as evidence that death did not have the last word on AIDS.” We are blessed with committed doctors like Michael Saag who

fought ostracism, the status quo, government bureaucracy, hospital institutionalism, pharmaceutical back-pedaling, and a cunning virus, to make Mary’s statement a reality today for thousands of thriving HIV+ patients.t

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<< Film

40 • BAY AREA REPORTER • April 3-9, 2014

Aging beauty queen learns life’s lessons

by David Lamble

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oday, a lesson on why French films still matter to us, at least when they star Catherine Deneuve as the archetypal woman scorned, who flees her past in a small car with a most unlikely male companion riding shotgun, in On My Way. When last we saw her in Potiche, a delicious little tart of a farce from queer-boy auteur Francois Ozon, Deneuve was the neglected trophy wife of a clueless factory owner, a lady who may have had a bastard kid with the town’s long-serving fat mayor. As Ozon explained in press chats, potiche is French for an object of little intrinsic importance, something that can kickstart a candy-colored confection of a film you’ll not remember two hours after seeing it.

The new Deneuve film – an incident-filled road comedy complete with tacky pit-stops where a lady of a certain age can make a blissful fool of herself, then escape with no permanent damage – springs from the febrile imagination of writer/director Emmanuelle Bercot, who jazzes up the proceedings by bestowing the queen with a car full of trouble: a bratty, nettlesome, 11-year-old grandson, a long-legged, puddingmop-haired creature brought to life by the director’s own kid, the wisecracking Nemo Schiffman.

As Act I opens, Bettie is barely

surfing a tidal wave of debt – even the guy who supplies her restaurant’s lobsters is threatening to cut her off.

Then the really bad news rolls in.

Bettie’s mom, a part-time cashier and permanent busybody, informs her that the man at the center of her rather eccentric personal universe is decamping for a younger filly.

“Bettie, I have something to tell you, and you won’t like it. Etienne has left his wife. He met someone else – some 26-year-old slut beautician. And to top it off, she got knocked up behind his back. Now you know.”

“I saw him today. He said nothing.”

“That man was born without balls. Maryse spilled the beans. She kicked him out. At least she gets the house and the car.”

“You think it’s funny. I’m not a little girl who’s broke her Barbie doll.

I’m a woman in love who’s been betrayed. I’ve lost the only person I love who made me feel alive.”

Aside from its sprightly tour of a rural France fast giving way to American freeway culture, On My Way will appeal to Americans who can’t figure out how hetero France juggles its (by our standards) unorthodox domestic arrangements.

Recall the recent White House visit of a French president who had just abandoned his first lady for an affair with a young actress.

Courtesy of Cohen Media Group

Catherine Deneuve and Nemo Schiffman in writer/director Emmanuelle Bercot’s On My Way.

In Act I, we learn how Bettie has endured the last several decades as the mistress of a doctor who attended to her late husband as he succumbed after swallowing a chicken bone. This Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman-worthy back-story is supplemented by shots of a gor-

Deadlier than the male

by Tavo Amador

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illy Wilder (1906-2002) directed two Best Picture Oscar winners, The Apartment (1960) and The Lost Weekend (1945), and earned another writing award for Sunset Boulevard (1950). One of his great-

est films, arguably the finest film noir ever made, Double Indemnity (1944), was nominated in five categories: Film, Director, Actress, Cinematography, and Sound, but failed to win any Academy Awards. Yet, as the soon-to-be-released (April 15) 70th anniversary Blu-Ray/DVD

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shows, it’s among his best dramas, perhaps surpassed only by Boulevard. His comic masterpiece, Some Like It Hot (1958), is in another category altogether.

Based on James M. Cain’s 1943 novel, with a screenplay by Wilder and Raymond Chandler, it’s a daz-

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geous 18-year-old Bettie when, as the freshly crowned Miss Brittany, she impulsively spurned a bid to be 1969’s Miss France.

On My Way floats on a series of shopworn gags that Deneuve keeps fresh with her imperial nonchalance. First, Bettie is a heavy smoker

who’s forever bumming her smokes during chance encounters with dodgy, strange men. One nicotine fit finds Bettie in bed in a brothelworthy motel next to a handsome barfly lout half her age. The beard-

zling depiction of an easily corrupted insurance salesman, Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray), who meets an amoral femme fatale, Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck), and is sucked into murder in return for money and her love. He senses all along that it’s a bad bargain, but cannot control himself. Walter’s professional mentor, claims adjuster Barton Keyes (Edward G. Robinson), slowly, reluctantly, realizes what happened. He gets a humiliating reminder that his vaunted instinct about people isn’t infallible.

The story is told in a gripping flashback, narrated by the dying Walter. His troubles began when he made a cold call at the Los Angeles home of the Dietrichsons and found the chatelaine in residence, glistening from a sunbath, yet coolly assessing him. She changes into a more appropriate outfit, and as she descends the stairs to the living room, he notices her sensational legs and the glittering gold ankle bracelet she wears.

Phyllis is the second Mrs. Dietrichson. She nursed her ailing predecessor and may have hastened her demise. This marriage, representing middle-class respectability, is a step up, even if her spouse is much older and came with a grown daughter who doesn’t like or trust her.

She persuades her husband (Tom Powers) to meet Walter to discuss insurance needs. Reluctantly, he buys a large (by the standards of the day) policy that pays double in the event of an accidental death.

His signature on the contract seals his fate, only he doesn’t know it.

The murder is cleverly planned and superbly executed. Phyllis’ pleasure as she hears Tom desperately, vainly struggle to save his life is almost sexual – she has a hot light in her hard eyes. Everything seems to fall into place: the ruse by which Dietrichson’s body will be found, his apparent death from a train accident, and most critically, Walter’s ability to encour-

age Barton to approve Phyllis’ claim quickly, a decision aided by her grief-stricken visit to his office.

But something bothers Barton.

His stomach doesn’t feel right about the case. The more he thinks about it, the more his suspicions grow.

Walter and Phyllis respond by becoming more reckless in their determination to get the money. Will they succeed?

The suspense mounts and the viewer is hooked, watching three perfectly cast actors giving the performances of their distinguished careers, assisted by superb dialogue.

Stanwyck, initially hesitant to play such an unsympathetic part, is extraordinary. Her coldness is chilling, yet she projects more than enough heat to convince Walter that she will make him happy – once he knocks off her husband and she collects the money. She even seems to believe it herself. Her interpretation was much praised and remains a milestone, but she lost the Best Actress prize to Ingrid Bergman in Gaslight. The influence of her performance is apparent in Kathleen Turner’s memorable work in Body Heat (1981). Turner’s Matty Walker could have been Phyllis’ daughter.

MacMurray, top-billed, had been in movies for nearly a decade and was best-known as a light comedian, although he also made adventure films and dramas. Wilder saw See page 45 >>

See page 51 >>

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Film>>

April 3-9, 2014 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 41

Return to the scene of the crime

by David Lamble

W

hunky and visibly nervous Al Pacino as the cop, have cited its vivid record of gay nightlife in the decade before AIDS. In 2012, Franco and Travis Mathews corralled a gaggle of actors of various persuasions to recreate sex scenes believed cut from Cruising. Following a graphic four minutes of this new footage, Franco raps with Val Larsen, the young, straight actor he’s picked to be his Pacino.

“What about leaving something to the imagination?”

“It’s not porn for titillation. We’re telling a story.”

“What story are we telling?”

“About a guy who’s uncomfortable and goes undercover. In the original movie, by giving it the backdrop of murder, Friedkin was going to a dark, evil place.”

Since Interior. Leather Bar. runs only an hour, the Roxie Theater will program some thematically related shorts to fill out the program. (Fri., April 11-Thurs., April 17) The Missing Picture Rarely has an especially painful chapter of recent history been rendered in an aesthetically more imaginative fashion than Cambodian-born director Rithy Panh’s poignant recollection of a time in the mid-1970s when 1.7 million of his country’s citizens were starved, tortured and executed

ith his academic degrees, short-story collection, artful self-promotion and current Broadway run, Palo Alto-born actor James Franco has made himself a moving target. A lot of people would secretly love to see him stumble, either out of pure envy or incredulity at the scope of his ambitions. I confess I was a little pleased when his Oz movie was not so terribly terrific.

Like many gay men, I was initially both curious and suspicious when Franco took on the challenge of deconstructing one of the most controversial melodramas ever mounted on a queer topic, 1980’s infamous Cruising. On a second viewing, I’d say that while the intimate slice of nonfiction Interior. Leather Bar. is certainly not the last word in framing the “queer gaze,” it’s not a bad Strand Releasing start for an artist who has so many Val Larsen and Christian Patrick in directors James Franco and Travis Mathews’ Interior. Leather Bar., works-in-progress. coming April 11-17 to the Roxie Theater.

In 1979, director William Friedkin sought an exotic backdrop for his original script about a serial by a Communist guerrilla army led with Khmer Rouge-generated prostuds put Joe through her paces. The killer stalking gay men in New York. by a weirdly charismatic thug, Pol paganda films, Panh provides a viewgenerally underappreciated Jewish Tapping his mob contacts, Friedkin Pot. For those who feel they learned ing experience best seen in a largeAmerican bad boy Shia LaBeouf is got permission to scout Gotham’s all they need to know about Camscreen format. (Opens Friday.) finally allowed to show that he can legendary Mineshaft leather bar acbodia’s diabolically unique autoNymphomaniac: Volume 2 hold his own with an art-house companied by a retired NYC police genocide from Roland Joffe’s rivetWhen last we saw Lars von Trier’s crowd, and a very grown-up Jamie detective. “Wally escorted us to an ing 1984 drama The Killing Fields or adventuress Joe (Charlotte GainsBell (yes, Billy Elliot) is delicious area where indeed we Spalding Gray’s quirky bourg in the present-tense scenes, wielding the whip as Joe’s boyhad to strip down to monologue Swimming Stacy Martin in the flashbacks), she ish S/M master. That Bell’s scenes our jockstraps, shoes to Cambodia, Panh, 13 was explaining to her celibate “coninclude the saga’s few touches of and socks. Uncle Mort when the Khmer Rouge fessor” (Stellan Skarsgard) why she intentional humor is a sign of the had a .38 strapped to struck, uses expressively felt not a trace of guilt in her lifelong 28-year-old actor’s growth as an his right ankle. Everydetailed clay figurines pursuit of the male organ (Vol. I). adult film star. one was in a jockstrap, to depict the horrors “I wanted to be picked up and Without additional spoilers, I’d some with leather boots inflicted when millions treated like a thing. It was rebellious.” love to see the programmers at the and vests, executioner were driven to till the “What were you rebelling Castro Theatre book the saga for masks or leather jackland by a peasant army against?” the full four-hour Monty – with the ets. Men of all races, following a Rousseau“Love.” obligatory intermission, of course. colors, and social status influenced back-toThe highest praise I can offer Finally, I think aspiring LGBT filmmingled as equals.” nature ideology. JuxVol. II of this modern hetero pormakers can learn a lot from von Even the severest taposing intricately nographic extravaganza is that it Trier about how to bring our own critics of Friedkin’s Scene from director Rithy Panh’s The Missing Picture. composed tableaus of is in no way a cheat. I for one was erotic interests to a larger screen auCruising, featuring a his human figurines happy to see two very capable young dience. (Opens Friday.)t

<< Out&About

42 • BAY AREA REPORTER • April 3-9, 2014

Out &About

O&A

Thu 3 Lyrika Holmes at Cultural Odyssey

Margaret Jenkins Dance Company @ YBCA

Classical Concerts @ Old First Church

Work MORE! #6 @ SOMArts Gallery

40th anniversary season of the celebrated post-modern dance company includes the West Coast premiere of Times Bones (a dual-space work that is also performed in the Forum, and continues in the Lam Research Theatre) and The Gate of Winds (developed with the Jerusalem-based Kolben Dance Company); live music by the Paul Drescher Ensemble. Free/$35. ThuSat 7:30pm. Sun 3pm. Thru April 6. 700 Howard St. 978-2787. www.ybca.org

April 4, 8pm: Clarinet Thing, the instrumental quartet. $14-$17 each. 1751 Sacramento St. 474-1608. www.oldfirstconcerts.org

Mica Sigourney’s collaborative drag art performance and installation includes 22 avante and traditional drag performers, their visual art, performance and panel April 16, 6pm. Closing reception April 24, 6pm. Tue-Fri 12pm-7pm. Sat 12pm-5pm.

934 Brannan St. www.work-more.org www.somarts.org

Painting the Clouds With Sunshine @ Eureka Theatre 42nd Street Moon, the company known for reviving lost musicals, presents the world premiere of Greg MacKellan and Mark D. Kaufmann’s new musical that features old songs from 1930s musicals; a jaded newspaperman and a struggling waitress find romance in Tinseltown. $25-$75. Wed & Thu 7pm. Fri 8pm. Sat 6pm Sun 3pm.

Thru April 20. 215 Jackson St. 255-8207. www.42ndStMoon.org

Oddly Enough

by Jim Provenzano

C

onsistency is a hobgoblin of… oh, who cares. This week of our Besties issue, we celebrate the best in all things Bay Area. And since some of the best dance, theatre and visual art openings all seem to be happening this weekend, the best of the best are listed here, with many more on our Bestie-awarded website, www.ebar.com It’s great being the best!

Human Rights Film Festival @ USF Presentation Theater

Thu 3 Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre @ Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley The celebrated dance company performs new works LIFT (Aszure Barton), Four Corners (Ronald K. Brown), plus D-Man in the Waters (Bill T. Jones), and Ailey works Night Creature, Pas de Duke and Revelations in three programs. $30-$92.

Tue-Sat 8pm. Also Sat 2pm, Sun 3pm.

Thru April 6. Bancroft Way at Dana St., UC Berkeley campus. www.calperformances.org

Bread and Circuses @ La Val’s Subterranean, Berkeley

Annual screening of worldwide human rights-themed shorts and features, including The New Black, about the religious African American’s community’s struggle with LGBT rights. Free. Thru April 5. 2350 Turk Blvd. at Masonic. www.usfca.edu/artsci/hrff

Judith Newton, Rebecca Coffey @ Books Inc. Castro The two authors of philosophical food books Tasting Home: Coming of Age in the Kitchen and Neitzsche’s Angel Food Cake, and Other Recipes for the Intellectually Famished discuss their books. 7:30pm.

2275 Market St. 864-6777. www.booksinc.net

Lottie’s Ghosts @ Brava Theatre Center

Impact Theatre’s spicy mix of new and action-packed (i.e. violent) short plays

by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Prince Gomolvilas, Declan Greene, Lauren Gunderson, Dave Holstein, J.C. Lee, Ross Maxwell, Lauren Yee, and Steve Yockey. $10-$25. Thu-Sat 8pm. Sun 7pm. Thru April 6. 1834 Euclid Ave., Berkeley. www.impacttheatre.com

Shakiri’s autobiographical storytelling show about her ancestors and radical 1960s Oakland gets a West Coast premiere; directed by Edris CooperAnifowoshe. $20. Thu-Sat 8pm. Sun 3pm.

Thru April 6. 2781 24th St. at York. 6417657. www.brava.org

Macy’s Flower Show @ Macy’s Union Square

Charles F. Adams @ Books Inc. Opera Plaza The local author of 1939: The Making of Six Great Films from Hollywood’s Greatest Year discusses the heyday of Tinseltown.

7pm. 601 Van Ness Ave. 776-1111. www.booksinc.net

Cultural Odyssey @ Buriel Clay Theater Rhodessa Jones and Idris Ackamoor’s 35th anniversary celebration concert of music, theatre and film, includign harpist Lyrika Holmes, The Medea Project, the Pyramids and other talents. $10-$30. Thu-Sat 6pm11pm. Gala party April 5. African American Art & Culture Complex, 762 Fulton St. www.culturalodyssey.org

The annual festive series of floral events takes over the popular department store, with displays, parties, special events, and floral display demonstrations by Billy Cook, Emily Dreblow and others. Special plant sale April 7, 10am-3pm; proceeds benefit Delancy Street Foundation. Tours Wed-Fri 2pm, Sat & Sun 12pm & 2pm. Thru April 6.

170 O’Farrell St. 397-3333. www.macys.com/events

Pearls Over Shanghai @ The Hypnodrome

The Importance of Being Earnest @ Russian River Hall, Monte Rio Curtain Call Theatre company’s production of the Oscar Wilde pun-filled comedy. $15-$20. Fri & Sat 8pm. Sun 3pm. 20347 Highway 116, Monte Rio. (707) 524-8739. www.russianriverhall.com

Jesse Sugarmann @ Southern Exposure We Build Excitement, the Central Valleybased artist’s multimedia installation, explores the life and death of the auto industry, with video documentation of his unsanctioned Pontiac car dealerships, interviews with crash victims and more.

Special Fremont event May 5. Local exhibit thru May 3. Tue-Sat 12pm-6pm. 3030 20th St. www.soex.org

Sean Hayes, Conspiracy of Beards @ The Chapel

Sing-Along Beauty and the Beast @ Castro Theatre

Fri 4

Mario Frangolis

The Scion @ The Marsh Solo performer Brian Copeland’s new show focuses on privilege, murder and sausage in his retelling of the triple murder crime at the Santos Linguisa Factory. $15-$60. Thu & Fri 8pm. Sat 5pm. Extended thru April 18. 1062 Valencia St. 282-3055. www.themarsh.org

Well Strung @ Feinsteins at the Nikko The talented string quartet performs - and sings - classical and pop favorites with a new flair. $35-$50. $20 food/drink minimum. Thu-Sat 8pm. Sun 7pm. Thru April 6. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. 394-1111. www.hotelnikkosf.com/feinsteins.aspx

Fri 4 Annabella Lwin @ Brick and Mortar The former lead singer for the 80s pop group Bow Wow Wow makes a fabulous comeback. The Hail Marys and Castles in Spain open. $17-$20. 9pm. 1710 Mission St. www.brickandmortarmusic.com

Beach Blanket Babylon @ Club Fugazi The musical comedy revue celebrates its 40th year with an ever-changing lineup of political and pop culture icons, all in gigantic wigs. $25-$160. Beer/wine served; cash only; 21+, except where noted. 678 Beach Blanket Babylon Blvd (Green St.). 421-4222. www.beachblanketbabylon.com

Thu 10

The Besties @ The Café The Bay Area Reporter and BARtab’s third annual Best of LGBT and community winners, nominees and friends will enjoy a festive celebration, and hosted spirits and beer, plus light refreshment, as we toast the year’s Besties. $10 donation goes to the SF LGBT Center. 5:30pm-8:30pm. 2369 Market St. at Castro. www.ebar.com www.cafesf.com

World premiere of Scottish playwright Linda McLean’s drama about a family dinner gone strange when a returning son slips into an unimaginable dreamscape. $20-$60. Wed-Sat 8pm. Tue 7pm. Sun 2:30 & 7pm.

Thru April 20. Fort Mason Center, 2 Marina Blvd., Bldg D, 3rd floor.

441-8822. www.magictheatre.org

Brentano String Quartet @ McKenna Theater The acclaimed instrumental group performs Mozart’s iconic String Quintet in G minor, K. 516 (1787), as well as in the World Premiere of Felipe Lara’s Viola Quintet (2013), Shostakovich’s String Quartet #11 in F minor, Op. 122 (1966) and two movements from Haydn’s “The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross” (1785-87). Free/RSVP required. Pre-concert lecture 7pm.

Concert 8pm. San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Ave. 338-2467. www.morrison.sfsfu.edu

The Habit of Art @ Z Below Theatre

Queer Ancestors Project Joan Chen

25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee @ Julia Morgan Theatre, Berkeley Berkeley Playhouse performs the Tony Award-winning musical comedy about word-obsessed kids and their families. $17-$60. Thu-Sun various tiems. Thru May 4. 2650 College Ave., Berkeley. (510) 8458542. www.berkeleyplayhouse.org

Accidental Death of an Anarchist @ Berkeley Repertory

Arthur Szyk and the Art of the Haggadah @ Contemporary Jewish Museum

The blues guitarist and the men’s 30-member choir share a concert. $25. 9pm.

777 Valencia St. www.thechapelsf.com

Screenings preceded by 30-minute organ concert of Disney songs, performed on the Mighty Wurlizer by David Hegarty. $10-$16. 7pm nightly thru April 6. Also 2:30 March 30 & April 6. 429 Castro St. 621-6120. www.castrotheatre.com

Sat 5

Comic actor Steven Epp stars in Dario Fo’s political farce about bureaucratic duplicity and political corruption. $29-$57. Tue-Sat 8pm. Sun 2pm & 7pm. Thru April 20. Roda Stage, 2015 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org

Thrillpeddlers’ hilarious Cockettes revival returns, with many of the original cast members. $30-$35. Thu-Sat 8pm. Thru May 31. 575 10th St. (800) 838-3006. www.thrillpeddlers.com

Every Five Minutes @ Magic Theatre

Alan Bennet’s “very British comedy” about gay artists Benjamin Britten and W.H Auden’s imagined meeting, takes on the nature and purpose of theatre, poetry and music. $15-$35. Wed-Sat 8pm. Sun 3pm.

Thru April 13. www.TheRhino.org

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Kindred The Family Soul @ Yoshi’s The R&B neo-soul duo performs their fab music. $22-$68 (with dinner). 8pm & 10pm. Also April 5. 1330 Fillmore St. 6555600. www.yoshis.com

Latin Moonlight @ Piedmont Piano Company The Marta Liedo Quarter performs a concert of Argentinian tango, Mexican boleros, Latin jazz and classical pop. $20.

8pm. 1728 San Pablo Ave., Oakland. (5100 547-8188. www.piedmontpiano.com

Mario Frangoulis @ Nourse Auditorium The powerhouse tenor performs a onenight concert of classical and pop songs, sung in five languages. $35-$150. 8pm.

275 Hayes St. 392-4400. www.cityboxoffice.com

Public Intimacy @ YBCA SF MOMA on the Go exhibit Public Intimacy: Art and Other Ordinary Acts in South Africa, a collection of photography, with artists Kemang Wa Lehulere, AthiPatra Ruga, Sello Pesa, and Vaughn Sadie, among others. Thru June 29. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission St. 3211307. www.sfmoma.org www.ybca.org

SF Ballet @ War Memorial Opera House The acclaimed local ballet company performs Program 6: Helgi Tomasson’s Caprice, Mark Morris’s Maelstron, and Yuri Possokhov’s The Rite of Spring. $22-$182.

8pm. Also April 6/2pm, 9/7:30pm, 10, 12, 15/8pm and 12/2pm. April 4 LGBT Nite Out post-concert reception in the mezzanine.

301 Van Ness Ave. www.sfballet.org

Shit & Champagne @ Rebel D’Arcy Drollinger’s “whitesploitation” drag satire musical play kicks up the laughs; also starring Matthew Martin. $20-$25. Fri & Sat, 8pm. Extended thru April 26. 1772 Market St. at Octavia. www.shitandchampagne.eventbrite.com

Stanley Clarke @ Yoshi’s Oakland The jazz legend and four-time Grammy winner performs with his band. $25-$60.

8pm. Also April 5, 7:30 and 9:30pm. April 6, 6pm & 8pm. 510 Embarcadero West, Jack London Square. (510) 238-9200. www.yoshis.com

Venus in Fur @ Geary Theatre American Conservatory Theatre presents a new production of the Broadway hit

by David Ives, about straight sexual domination. $20-$72. Tue-Sat 8pm. Sat & Sun 2pm. Also Sun 7pm. Thru April 13. 405 Geary St. 749-2228. www.act-sf.org

New exhibit of 48 fascinating and richly detailed illustrations of Hebrew stories by the early 20th-century artist (thru June 29). Also, To Build & Be Built: Kibbutz History (thru July 1). 2pm-5pm. Free (members)-$12. Thu-Tue 11am-5pm (Thu 1pm-8pm) 736 Mission St. 655-7800. www.thecjm.org

Dan Croll @ Great American Music Hall The talented Liverpool-based electro-folk musician performs music from his new CD, Sweet Disarray. Panama Wedding opens. $16-$49 (with dinner). 9pm. 859 O’Farrell St. 885-0750. www.dancroll.com www.slimspresents.com

David Sokosh: American Tintypes @ Robert Tat Gallery The fine art photography gallery presents an exhibit of Sokosh’s contemporary faux-vintage imagery, created with a 19th-century Wet-Plate Collodion process. (artist talk April 5). Tue-Sat 11am-5:30pm.

Thru May 31. 49 Geary St., #410. 781-1122. www.roberttat.com

Donde Esta Mi Gente? @ Books Inc, Castro The Queer Latino Poetry and Spoken Word Festival is curated and hosted by Baruch Porras-Hernandez, with a special reading by San Francisco’s Poet Laureate Alejandro Murguia. 7:30pm. 2275 Market St. 864-6777. www.booksinc.net

Emmylou Harris @ The Warfield The pop-country singer performs favorite hits and songs from her new CD Wrecking Ball, with Daniel Lanois. $42.50-$69.50. 8pm. 982 Market St. www.thewarfieldtheatre.com

Feisty Old Jew @ The Marsh Charlie Veron’s new solo show about a fictional elder man who hitches a ride with surfer-hipsters, and rants about what he hates about the 21st century. $25-$100.

Sat 8pm, Sun 7pm. Thru May 4. 1062 Valencia St. 282-3055. www.themarsh.org

Georgia O’Keeffe @ de Young Museum Modern Nature: Georgia O’Keeffe and Lake George, a new exhibit of paintings focusing on the artist’s New York landscapes. $25. Thru May 11. Tue-Sun 9:30am-5:15pm. Golden Gate Park, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive. www.deyoungmuseum.org

Marga Gomez @ The Marsh Lovebirds, the lesbian comic’s new solo show, portrays an array of wacky characters, from different eras, each searching for love. $15-$50. Thu & Fri 8pm.

Sat. 8:30pm. Extended thru April 12. 1062 Valencia St. 282-3055. www.themarsh.org

Dance Jam @ ODC Dance Commons Student performances of works by Bay Area choreographers including Robert Dekkers, Sandrine Cassini, Katie Faulkner, Dexandro Montalvo, Kimi Okada, KT Nelson, Kylie Woodward-Sollesnes and Mia J Chong. $10-$15. 8pm. Also April 6, 4pm & 7pm. 351 Shotwell St. 863-9834. www.odctheater.org

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Out&About>>

April 3-9, 2014 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 43

Soiree 2014 @ City View/Metreon The LGBT Center’s annual fundraiser gala, with Miss Rahni, Fauxnique, Monisat, Trixxie Carr, DJs Robot Hustle, Rapid Fire and Pink Lightning, and others. Those attending the VIP reception will also enjoy special performances from Veronica Klaus and Joshua Klipp & the Klipptones; silent auction includes a Maui 7-day vacation package, Alaska Airlines tickets, and a custom suit from Artful Gentleman. $95$150. 6:30pm-12am. 135 4th St. 865-5555. www.sfcenter.org

Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays @ New Conservatory Theatre Center Collection of short plays with several unique takes on the moments before, during and after “I Do” by Mo Gaffney, Jordan Harrison, Moisés Kaufman, Neil LaBute, Wendy MacLeod, Jose Rivera, Paul Rudnick, and Doug Wright, conceived by Brian Shnipper. $25-$45. Wed-Sat 8pm.

Sun 2pm. Thru April 27. 25 Van Ness Ave, lower level. www.nctcsf.org

Tipped & Tipsy @ The Marsh A “Best of Fringe” show, Jill Vice’s solo work portrays an array of characters from the bartending world. $15-$50. Sat 5pm, Sun 7pm. Thru April 6. 1062 Valencia St. 282-3055. www.themarsh.org

We Players Gala @ St. John the Evangelist The innovative site-specific theatre company (whose energetic production of Macbeth at Fort Point returns this summer) hold its annual dinner theatre fundraiser party, at the Episcopal Church dining hall.

Meet artists, collaborators and supporters at a cocktail reception and dinner; silent auction, five-course meal, jazz band Gurkestra plays. $100 and up. 6pm-10pm.

1661 15th St. www.weplayers.org

Fri 4

Mon 7 Johnny Winter @ Yoshi’s Oakland The blues-rock legend performs with his band. $45. 8pm. 510 Embarcadero West, Jack London Square. (510) 238-9200. www.yoshis.com

Our Vast Queer Past @ GLBT History Museum See the exhibit The San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus: Celebrating 35 Years of Activism Through Song, includes archival materials from the historic chorus, leadcurated by Tom Burtch, with a touchscreen display by multimedia producer John Raines. And, Premarital Bonds: Creating Family Before Marriage Equality.

Other permanent exhibits as well. Reg. hours Mon-Sat 11am-7pm (closed Tue.) Sun 12pm-5pm. 4127 18th St. 621-1107. www.glbthistory.org

Pavlo @ Yoshi’s Oakland The Greek acoustic quartet performs traditional and modern music. $23. 8pm.

510 Embarcadero West, Jack London Square. (510) 238-9200. www.yoshis.com

Sonny Holland @ Level III The acclaimed jazz vocalist performs with guitarist Jerry Holland. Weekly 5pm-8pm.

Also Thursdays & Fridays. JW Marriott, 515 Mason St. at Post. www.sonyholland.com

Yoga: The Art of Transformation @ Asian Art Museum New exhibit of visual art representing the 2,500-year-old health practice.

Other ongoing exhibits as well. Free (members)-$12. Tue-Sun 10am-5pm. 200 Larkin St. 581-3500. www.asianart.org

Sat 5

Still Life, Floral & Trompe L’Oeil @ John Pence Gallery

$10 unlimited Happy Hour *while supplies last

Benefitting the San Francisco LGBT Center

Friday April 4, 2014 5:30-8:30 pm

The Cafe - 2369 M arket Street

Join us for our BESTIES CELEBRATION! Join us on Friday April 4, 2014 from 5:30-8:30 pm as we celebrate your BESTIES, the winners of the Bay Area Reporter’s 4th Annual Readers’ Choice Awards. We’ll take over the Café (2369 Market Street near 17th and Castro) for a special evening celebrating the LGBT Best of the Bay as voted by you, our loyal readers. Enjoy hosted spirits and beer as well as light refreshments as we toast this year’s BESTIES winners. Best of all, you’ll be doing good while celebrating the best as our $10 optional cover charge will benefit the San Francisco LGBT Center.

Exhibit of fascinating paintings by various artists. Thru April 26. Mon-Fri 10am-6pm Sat 10am-5pm. 750 Post St. 441-1138. www.johnpence.com

Sun 6 Cabaret Showcase Showdown @ Martuni’s Joe Wicht and Katya Smirnoff-Skyy cohost the kickoff party of Season 5’s singing competitions. 7pm. 4 Valencia St.

Dave Mason @ Yoshi’s The co-founder of the fusion band Traffic performs with his band. $49-$54. 7pm ($125 meet and greet).1330 Fillmore St. 655-5600. www.yoshis.com

Gary Numan @ The Fillmore The New Wave pop icon (“Cars”) performs; Big Black Delta and Roman Remains open. $29.50. 8pm.

1805 Geary St. at Fillmore. 346-6000. www.thefillmore.com

Tue 8 Assad Family @ Yoshi’s Family quintet performs Brazilian folk and pop music. $30-$68 (with dinner). 8pm.

1330 Fillmore St. 655-5600. www.yoshis.com

Chicks with Shticks @ SF Public Library The Kinsey Sicks and 20 Years of Dragapella Activism, a new exhibit about the musical ensemble Thru July 10. Also, Pretty in Ink: North American Women Cartoonists 1896-2013, 4th floor. Thru June 5. Also, You Don’t Say! Wordless Cartoons from the Schmulowitz Collection of Wit & Humor, an exhibit of witty visual comics like Little Lulu, from the 19th to 21st century. Thru May 31.

Also, The Black Woman is God, Karen Seneferu’s exhibit focusing on the art of Tarika Lewis, Karen Seneferu, Malik Seneferu, Sydney “Sage” Cain and Ajuan Mance, whose work explores the divinity of Blackness. Thru May 15.

African American Center. 100 Larkin St. www.sfpl.org

Meditation Group @ LGBT Center

Sat 5

Jesse Sugermann’s We Build Excitement!

David Sokosh’s photo exhibit

Morgan James @ The Venetian Room The rising cabaret star performs her act of music classics at the elegant hotel’s ballroom. $48. 7:30pm. Fairmont Hotel, 950 Mason St. 392-4400. www.BayAreaCabaret.org

San Francisco Lesbian Gay Freedom Band @ Herchurch Lutheran California Dreamin,’ a three-concert series, includes music about the Golden State, with works by George Gershwin, John Williams, Ferde Grofé, Mark Camphouse, Ennio Morricone, Miklos Rozsa, and Danny Elfman. Free. 4pm. 678 Portola Drive. Also April 12, 11am at the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts, at UC Davis; and April 12, 4pm at the Yolo County Building atrium, 225 court St., Woodland. 2551355. www.sflgfb.org

New weekly non-sectarian meditation group; part of the Let’s Kick ASS AIDS Survivor Syndrome support group.

Tuesdays, 5pm, 1800 Market St. www.LetsKickASS.org www.sfcenter.org

Positive Pride Toastmaster @ SF AIDS Foundation

Public speaking, communication and leadership skills are shared at this weekly meeting for people with HIV. Free. 6pm7pm. 1035 Market St., 4th floor. www.positivetoastmasters.com

Wed 9 Lynda Carter @ Yoshi’s The multi-talented actress-singer performs with her all-star band, featuring Paul Leim and Blue Lou Marini. $25-$55. 8pm. Also April 10, 8pm. 1330 Fillmore St. 655-5600. www.yoshis.com

New and Classic Films @ Castro Theatre April 9, Blue Jasmine (7pm) and A Woman Under the Influence (8:55). April 10, dance films The Red Shoes (7pm) and Pina, in 3D (9:25). $11. 429 Castro St. 621-6120. www.castrotheatre.com

SF Poet Laureate Alejandro Murguia at Donde Esta Mi Gente?

ebar.com

Thu 10 Emma Donoghue @ Alexander Book Co. Author of the book Frog Music, set in 1870s San Francisco, reads from and discusses her book about the murder of a frog-hunting cross-dressing woman Jenny Bonnet; with live celtic harp and banjo music performed by Patrice Haan and Tony Marcus. 50 2nd St. 495-2992.

Geoff Hoyle @ The Marsh, Berkeley The veteran comic actor returns with his solo show, Geezer, a nostalgic meditation on his lengthy career and life. $25-$50.

Thu 8pm. Sat. 5pm. Extended thru April 26. 2120 Allston Way, Berkeley. 282-3055. www.themarsh.org

REAL STEAKS. REAL MARTINIS. REAL SAN FRANCISCO.

Hope Mohr Dance @ ODC Theater The local choreographer premieres three of her works, including Notes Toward a Supreme Fiction, set to live jazz music. $20-$40. Thu-Sat 8pm. Sun 2pm. Thru April 13. 3153 17th St. 863-9834. www.hopemohr.org www.ODCdance.org

Joan Collins @ Feinstein’s at the Nikko The iconic fabulous actress performs a unique autobiographical cabaret show. $60-$75. 8pm. Also April 11, 8pm. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. 394-1111. www.hotelnikkosf.com/feinsteins.aspx

Queer Ancestors Project @ LGBT Center An exhibition of prints by queer artists age 18 to 26, with Corey Brown, Joan Chen, Jared Clifton, Amman Desai, Paula Graciela Kahn, Amirah Mizrahi, Courtney Stock & Terry Xiao, and artistic director Katie Gilmartin. Panel discussion, 6pm, artist reception and print sale 7pm-9pm. Exhibit thru May 16. 1800 Market St. www.sfcenter.org

To submit event listings, email jim@ebar.com. Deadline is each Thursday, a week before publication. For bar and nightlife events, go to www.bartabsf.com, and our new merged section, www.ebar.com/bartab

DINNER

TUESDAY-SATURDAY FROM 5:30PM COCKTAILS FROM 5:00PM

FOUR PRIVATE ROOMS

FOR GROUPS OF 8-80

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LUNCH EVERY THURSDAY 11:30AM-2PM

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44 • BAY AREA REPORTER • April 3-9, 2014

KINGDOM OF DUMPLING Gayer than ever

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AUTHENTIC CHINESE • DIM SUM

Hand Made and Fresh Dumplings Won Ton Over 30 Kinds of Dim Sum Pot Stickers Pancakes

TAKE OUT: 2048 Taraval St. 415.665.6617 DINE IN: 1713 Taraval St. 415.566.6143 FALL IN LOVE, HAPPENS, GROWS AND STAYS www.kingofchinesedumpling.com

KING OF NOODLES Hand-Pulled Everyday 1639 Irving St., 415.566.8318

The Goodbye Yellow Brick Road 40th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition is a rainbow of materials.

BBB_BAR_041014.pdf

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4:19 PM

by Gregg Shapiro

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ir Elton John wasn’t officially out (neither was he Sir yet) when he released his two-LP milestone recording Goodbye Yellow Brick Road in 1973. GYBR (Mercury/ UMe/Rocket), newly reissued in an expanded 40th anniversary deluxe edition, was the most glam album of his career to that point, a style he would continue to explore. Glam doesn’t necessarily mean gay, but Goodbye Yellow Brick Road was also his gayest album until then. The title’s reference aside, EJ heaped on the hints in songs such as the Marilyn Monroe memorial “Candle in the Wind,” “All the Young Girls Love Alice,” and the sexual ambiguity of “Bennie and the Jets.” A source for several hit singles, GYBR kicked off Elton’s musical reign, which would last throughout the 1970s and 80s.

The deluxe edition includes a remastered disc with all 17 songs from the original release. The second disc features highlights from the December 1973 Hammersmith Odeon concert and nine songs that fall under the GYBR Revisited heading. An odd assortment of artists including Fall Out Boy, Emeli Sande, Miguel and The Band Perry try their hands at interpreting Sir Elton. Thankfully, someone thought to include John Grant, an openly gay artist, among the performers. His rendition of “Sweet Painted Lady” is the best of the cover versions.

In 1973, while Elton John was still technically in the closet, Patrick Haggerty of Lavender Country was kicking down the door in glittering cowboy boots. Long before the existence of the queer music scene led by the riot grrrls in the 90s, the Pacific Northwest-based Haggerty’s band independently released its self-titled album. The second CD reissue of this landmark recording, Lavender Country (Paradise of Bachelors) commemorates the 40th anniversary release in a deluxe edition that includes a booklet containing an oral history, along with previously unpublished photos (the vinyl version includes a download code). Song titles “Come Out Singing,” “Back in the Closet Again,” “Cryin’ These Cocksucking Tears” and “Lavender Country” paint a picture of what you can expect. But what is probably most amazing is the combination of queer themes with authentically crafted country music of the time (which sounds vastly different from 21st-century

country). With attitudes changing at varying paces, and queer artists such as Brandy Clark coming out of the country closet, Lavender Country’s time may have finally come, 40 years later.

What do you do after founding and playing in one of the most influential (and loudest) bands in the history of college-alternative-modern rock? If you’re Bob Mould, formerly of Husker Du, you release a solo album, Workbook, which ranks with the best work you did with your former bandmates. The expanded, double-disc reissue Workbook 25 (Omnivore) – yes, it’s really been 25 years – features the remastered original album plus the bonus track “All Those People Know” on the first disc, which shows that Mould can unplug with the best of them. Songs “See a Little Light,” “Poison Years” and “Whichever Way the Wind Blows” were instant classics. The second disc, recorded live at Chicago’s Cabaret Metro in 1989, includes songs from Workbook as well as a cover of Richard Thompson’s “Shoot Out the Lights” and Husker Du tunes “Hardly Getting Over It,” “Celebrated Summer” and “Makes No Sense At All.” George Michael waited a few years before putting out his second solo album. That’s probably because Faith, his multi-platinum first solo disc, was such a great source for hit single after hit single. By the time Listen Without Prejudice hit shelves in the summer of 1990, Michael was beginning to withdraw from the limelight. Back then, speculation about his sexuality was still a subject for debate (although his LGBT fans had a pretty good idea on whose team he played). He finally did come out, in a rather ungraceful manner following a public-sex bust, and since then has been a visible presence in the community. Michael’s new live album Symphonica (Island), recorded with a symphony orchestra, draws on his personal songbook, including “Praying for Time,” “A Different Corner,” “One More Try” and “Cowboys and Angels.” There are also inspired covers of songs by Terence Trent D’Arby (“Let Her Down Easy”), Ewan MacColl (“The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”), Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse (“Feeling Good”) and Elton John (“Idol”). All in all, it’s good to hear Michael’s voice again.

Would there be a Rufus Wainwright without Elton John or

George Michael? He certainly would be making music – his family tree, including his late mother Kate McGarrigle and his father Loudon Wainwright III, as well as aunts Anna McGarrigle and Sloan Wainwright, would be a good indication of that. But Rufus, who has long been one of the most open and out artists, surely benefited from the groundwork laid by his queer forebears. The double-disc deluxe edition of Vibrate: The Best of Rufus Wainwright (Interscope/Geffen/ Decca/UMe) consists of 34 tracks selected by Wainwright himself, covering the period beginning with his 1998 eponymous debut through 2012’s Out of the Game, although it excludes 2010’s All Days Are Nights: Songs for Lulu. There are also two new songs, including the marvelous “Me and Liza,” as well as a healthy portion of live recordings. Of course, Wainwright’s legendary recording of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” is present, but “Gay Messiah” is absent. If you can’t get enough of Rufus in a live setting, the Live from the Artists Den (UMe/Artists Den) album and separate DVD will satisfy that craving.

The trans community got a boost when the former Tom Gabel of respected Florida punk band Against Me! not only transitioned genders to become Laura Jane Grace, but also released Transgender Dysphoria Blues (Total Treble), the most powerful album on the issue since Namoli Brennet’s Boy in a Dress or the cast recording of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. The album-opening title cut and “True Trans Soul Rebel” both have the making of anthems. In fact, when Grace stays on topic on brilliant numbers such as “Unconditional Love,” “Drinking with the Jocks,” “Fuck My Life 666,” “Dead Friend,” and the breathtaking acoustic track “Two Coffins,” Transgender Dysphoria Blues is a masterpiece, an essential life lesson for all members of society.

In 2013, 100 years after the premiere of Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, an orchestral work for the Sergei Diaghilev ballet, increased speculation arose about the composer’s sexuality and the nature of his relationship with the choreographer. Modern jazz trio The Bad Plus (Reid Anderson, Ethan Iverson and Dave King), who have been performing The Rite of Spring live in a series of concerts, have committed the project to disc on the recording The Rite of Spring (Masterworks).t

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DVD>>

April 3-9, 2014 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 45

Ends vs. means

by Tavo Amador

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rson Welles (1915-85) intuitively understood that movies were the perfect medium for his innately flamboyant storytelling style.

Citizen Kane (1941), his first feature, demonstrated a dazzling grasp of the endless possibilities afforded by film. But his brilliance, both in front of and behind the camera, conflicted with the expectations of the classic Hollywood studio system, which included completing a picture on schedule and within budget. Hence, RKO badly cut his second movie, The Magnificent Ambersons (1942). After his sensational but expensive The Lady from Shanghai (1947), starring his thenwife Rita Hayworth, failed to make a profit and threatened her continued stardom, Tinseltown only wanted Welles as an actor, not a director.

Thus he grabbed the chance to helm Touch of Evil (1958), being released in Blu-ray and DVD this April 15. Welles had been signed to play Police Captain Hank Quinlan in this film noir set in a town on the American side of the Mexican border. The movie’s star, Charlton Heston, insisted that Universal Studios let Welles direct and write the script – one of the best uses of power in the history of film.

From the famous three-minute, 20-second tracking shot that opens the picture, showing dynamite being placed in the trunk of a car belonging to an American businessman and his mistress, to the scene of Marlene Dietrich walking into the night near the end, the viewer is mesmerized by the plot, the cinematography (credited to Russell Metty), and a cast giving the performances of their careers.

Mike Vargas (Heston) is a Mexican narcotics investigator, just married to Susan, an American (Janet Leigh). They’re walking through the town when the car loaded with dynamite explodes. Who did it? And why?

Quinlan, whose ability to catch criminals is legendary, begins his investigation, aided by his loyal colleague, Sgt. Pete Menzies (Joseph Calleia). Mike is sickened after learning that Quinlan has planted

unspoken but obvious homoerotic attachment is haunting – he kills him. Standing on a bridge, Tana sees Quinlan’s body in the river.

She asks if the authorities will fish him out.

“You really loved him,” says the investigator.

“He loved him, the one who killed him.”

Then she adds, “He was some kind of a man.”

The investigator says that Quinlan was right – young Sanchez confessed to the bombing.

That’s what people will say. Tana, weary, replies, “What does it matter what you say about people?” She walks away, turning once, offering an exhausted “Adios.”

Welles dominates, but allows his actors to thrive. Heston gives an unusually energetic performance – for once, his nobility isn’t sanctimonious. He effectively conveys the pain caused by the subtle and blatant racism Mike endures. Leigh, hitherto usually an ingenue or costume-epic fair lady, is superb. Her terror when threatened by the gang,

her love for Mike, her sexual attraction to him, are beautifully expressed. Calleia, a veteran character actor, got the part of his career, and made the most of it.

With “guest appearances” by Akim Tamiroff as a narcotics gang leader who meets a grisly end, a voluptuous Zsa Zsa Gabor in a bit as the owner of a strip club, Dennis Weaver as a creepy motel manager – Norman Bates had nothing on

him – and Welles veterans Joseph Cotton (unbilled) and Ray Collins. McCambridge is formidable – her lust for Susan is palpable.

Dietrich is riveting. She felt prouder of her last scene than anything else she did on screen in her long, remarkable career.

Henry Mancini composed the music. Welles adapted Whit Masterson’s novel Badge of Evil. As he did in Kane, he padded himself to look heavier, more grotesque than he actually was. It was another foretelling of what was to come. His use of a cane seems to harken back to his star-making movie.

Typically, once he finished shooting, he left the editing to the studio, which cut it badly.

Fortunately, in 1988, Walter Murch restored it, and it’s that version on the new DVD. Anyone interested in what Pauline Kael called “the grammar of film” will find this and the other movies Welles directed compelling and fascinating. His work continues to surprise, and set standards few have equaled.t

Double Indemnity

From page 40

something beneath his bourgeois exterior and fleshed it out. Nothing MacMurray had done prepared audiences and critics for his hard, cynical, rueful characterization. He knows Phyllis will destroy him, yet cannot control his attraction for her or prevent her using him. He should have won the Best Actor Oscar, but it went to Bing Crosby’s amiable priest in Going My Way, which was also honored as the Best Picture, not one of the Academy’s finest decisions. MacMurray would be almost as good again for Wilder in The Apartment.

Robinson, one of the screen’s greatest, most versatile stars, makes Barton’s moral dilemma painfully clear. The audience sympathizes with him, both because he’s investigating a friend, and because his confidence in himself has been irreparably harmed. How could he have been fooled by Walter?

John F. Seitz’s black-and-white cinematography perfectly captures the shadowy world Cain understood well and that Wilder and Chandler translated so effectively to the screen. Edith Head designed the costumes. Stanwyck’s clothes illuminate Phyllis’ character in an uncanny way. An uncredited Hollis Barnes created Stanywck’s blonde wig, state of the art in its day. The terrific score is by Miklos Rosza.t

The art of transformation ASIAN ART MUSEUM THROUGH MAY 25 www.asianart.org/yoga #ArtofYoga Yoga: The Art of Transformation is the world’s first major art exhibition about yoga. It explores yoga’s fascinating history and its transformation into a global phenomenon. Highlights include masterpieces of Indian sculpture and painting; pages from the first illustrated book of yoga postures; and a Thomas Edison film, Hindoo Fakir (1902), the first American movie ever produced about India.

See it for $10 on Thursday nights from 5–9 PM. Or see it for just $5 on Target First Free Sundays (Apr 6 and May 4).

ASIAN ART MUSEUM Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art & Culture 200 Larkin Street San Francisco, CA 94102 415.581.3500 www.asianart.org

Yoga: The Art of Transformation was organized by the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution with support from the Friends of the Freer and Sackler Galleries, the Art Mentor Foundation Lucerne and the Ebrahimi Family Foundation. Presentation at the Asian Art Museum is made possible with the generous support of Helen and Rajnikant Desai, The Bernard Osher Foundation, E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation, Kumar and Vijaya Malavalli, Society for Asian Art, and Walter & Elise Haas Fund. Image: Three aspects of the Absolute (detail), page 1 from a manuscript of the Nath Charit, 1823, by Bulaki (Indian, active early 1800s). India; Rajasthan state, former kingdom of Marwar, Jodhpur. Opaque watercolor, gold, and tin alloy on paper. Courtesy of the Mehrangarh Museum Trust, RJS 2399.

Media sponsors:

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evidence that would convict Manelo Sanchez (Victor Millan) of the double murder. Sanchez is secretly married to the dead man’s daughter.

Even though he has no authority in the American town, Mike challenges Quinlan and his methods.

The sale of illicit narcotics is just part of the corruption that he wants to expose. He makes many enemies, including a gang of juvenile smugglers, headed by a butch, leatherclad Mercedes McCambridge (unbilled), who threaten to rape Susan in their motel room.

The lurid plot includes Quinlan visiting a Mexican bordello run

by Tana (Dietrich), who initially doesn’t recognize her now grossly obese former lover, who walks with a cane. “Lay off them candy bars,” she advises, adding, “You’re a mess.”

Later, Quinlan, desperately trying to cope with Mike’s challenges to his vaunted reputation, seeks reassurance from her. He asks Tana to read his future in the Tarot cards she so expertly deals. She doesn’t want to, but he insists. With great restraint and sadness, she says, “You haven’t got any.” He replies, “What do you mean?” Grimly, she explains, “Your future’s all used up.”

When Pete learns the truth about Quinlan, whom he worshiped – his

<< Books

46 • BAY AREA REPORTER • April 3-9, 2014

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Lambda Literary Awards finalists announced N

ow in their 26th year, the Lambda Literary Awards celebrate achievement in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender writing for books published in 2013. Winners will be announced during a ceremony on June 2 in New York City. A full list of finalists follows.

Transgender Fiction: Nevada, a novel, Imogen Binnie, Topside Press; Tiresias, Devon Llywelyn Jones, self-published; Wanting in Arabic, Trish Salah, TSAR Publications Bisexual Fiction: Corona, Bushra Rehman, Sibling Rivalry Press; Hild: A Novel, Nicola Griffith, Farrar, Straus and Giroux; In His Secret Life, Mel Bossa, Bold Strokes Books; My Education, Susan Choi, Penguin Group/Viking; The Two Hotel Francforts: A Novel, David Leavitt, Bloomsbury Gay General Fiction: A Visit to Priapus and Other Stories, Glenway Wescott, ed. Jerry Rosco, University of Wisconsin Press; An Honest Ghost, Rick Whitaker, Jaded Ibis Press; The City of Devi, Manil Suri, W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.; Damn Love, Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, Ig Publishing; The Desperates, Greg Kearney, Cormorant Books; Fire Year, Jason K. Friedman, Sarabande Books; Local Souls, Allan Gurganus, W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.; Mundo Cruel: Stories, Luis Negron, translated by Suzanne Jill Levine, Seven Stories Press; Necessary Errors, Caleb Crain, Penguin Books; The Red Shoes, John Stewart Wynne, Riverdale Ave Books/Magnus Lesbian General Fiction: The Albino Album, Chavisa Woods,

Seven Stories Press; Bodies of Water, T. Greenwood, Kensington; Cha-Ching!, Ali Liebegott, City Lights; Cream, Christiana Harrell, Createspace; The Daylight Gate, Jeanette Winterson, Grove/ Atlantic Inc./Grove Press; Fat Angie, E.E. Charlton-Trujillo, Candlewick Press; Happiness, Like Water, Chinelo Okparanta, Mariner Books/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; She Rises: A Novel, Kate Worsley, Bloomsbury; Survival Skills, Jean Ryan, Ashland Creek Press; We Are Water, Wally Lamb, HarperCollins/ Harper LGBT Debut Fiction: The Affairs of Others: A Novel, Amy Grace Loyd, Picador; Descendants of Hagar, Nik Nicholson, AuthorHouse; Golden Boy, Abigail Tarttelin, Simon & Schuster/Atria Books; How to Shake the Other Man, Derek Palacio, Nouvella; In

THE RICHMOND/ERMET AIDS FOUNDATION PRESENTS

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Countess Katya Smirnoff-Skyy Ali Mafi Kitty Tipata Leanne Borghesi Cassandra Cass B.O.O.B.S! biggaycomedyshow.eventbrite.com or 415.273.1620

Between, Jane Hoppen, Bold Strokes Books; Inside, Charles L. Ross, Ink; Jane and the Whales, Andrea Routley, Caitlin Press; My Brother’s Name: Novel Laura Krughoff, ScarA Novel, letta Press; Prick Queasy, Ronald Palmer, Publication Studio; The Rest of Us: Stories, Guy Mark Foster, Tincture/Lethe Press Transgender Nonfiction: Blood, Marriage, Wine & Glitter, S. Bear Bergman, Arsenal Pulp Press; The End of San Francisco, Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore, City Lights; Testo Junkie, Beatriz Preciado, Feminist Press Bisexual Nonfiction: The B Word: Bisexuality in Contemporary Film and Television, Maria San Filippo, Indiana Univ. Press; Bi: Notes for a Bisexual Revolution, Shiri Eisner, Seal Press; The Soundtrack of My Life, Clive Davis, Simon & Schuster LGBT Nonfiction: Among the Bloodpeople, Thomas Glave, Akashic Books; Does Jesus Really Love Me?, Jeff Chu, Harper Collins; The End of the Homosexual?, Dennis Altman, Univ. of Queensland Press; Living Out Islam: Voices of Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender Muslims, Scott Siraj al-Haqq Kugle, NYU Press; Meet Grindr: How One App Changed The Way We Connect, Jamie Woo, self-published; Plane Queer: Labor, Sexuality, and AIDS in the History of Male Flight Attendants, Phil Tiemeyer, Univ. of CA Press; The Queer Limit of Black Memory: Black Lesbian Literature and Irresolution, Matt Richardson, Ohio State Univ. Press; Radical Relations: Lesbian Mothers, Gay Fathers, and Their Children in the United States since World War II, Daniel Winunwe Rivers, Univ. of North Carolina Press; Tom Bianchi: Fire Island Pines. Polaroids 1975-1983, Ben Smales, Tom Bianchi, Edmund White, Damiani; White Girls, Hilton Als, McSweeney’s; You Can Tell Just by Looking: and 20 Other Myths about LGBT Life and People, Michael Bronski, Ann Pellegrini and Michael Amico, Beacon Press Gay Poetry: Alternative Medicine, Rafael Campo, Duke Univ.

Press; The Apartment of Tragic Appliances, Michael D. Snediker, Peanut Books/Punctum Books; Clay, David Groff, Trio House Press; Companion Grasses, Brian Teare, Omnidawn; Metaphysical Dog, Frank Bidart, Farrar, Straus and Giroux; Obscenely Yours, Angelo Nikolopoulos, Alice James Books; Silverchest, Carl Phillips, Farrar, Straus and Giroux; Straight Razor, Randall Mann, Persea Books; The Talking Day, Michael Klein, Sibling Rivalry Press; Unpeopled Eden, Rigoberto Gonzalez, Four Way Books Lesbian Poetry: A Wild Surmise: New & Selected Poems & Recordings, Eloise Klein Healy, Red Hen Press; Chopper! Chopper! Poetry from Bordered Lives, Veronica Reyes, Red Hen Press/Arktoi Books; Chord Box, Elizabeth Lindsey Rogers, Univ. of Arkansas Press; The Collected Poems of Ai, Ai, W.W. Norton & Co.; The Exchange, Sophie Cabot Black, Graywolf Press; Proxy, R. Erica Doyle, Belladonna Collaborative; Rise in the Fall, Ana Bozicevic, Birds; She Has a Name, Kamilah Aisha Moon, Four Way Books; Viral, Suzanne Parker, Alice James Books; We Come Elemental, Tamiko Beyer, Alice James Books Gay Mystery: Baton Rouge Bingo, Greg Herren, Bold Strokes Books; Boystown 5: Murder Book, Marshall Thornton, MLR Press; Fierce, David Lennon, Blue

Spike; Foxed, Garry Ryan, NeWest Press; The General and the Elephant Clock of Al-Jazari, Sarah Black, Dreamspinner Press; How to Greet Strangers: A Mystery, Joyce Thompson, Lethe Press; In Real Life, The 3rd Gemini & Flowers Mystery, Jonathan Gregory, Amazon Digital Services; Pawn of Satan, Mark Zubro, MLR Press; Pretty Boy Dead, Jon Michaelsen, Wilde City Press; The Prisoner of the Riviera: A Francis Bacon Mystery, Janice Law, MysteriousPress. com/Open Road Media Lesbian Mystery: Cross and Burn, Val McDermid, Grove/Atlantic/Atlantic Monthly Press; Death of the Demon, Anne Holt, Scribner; High Desert, Katherine V. Forrest, Spinsters Ink; The Killer Wore Leather: A Mystery, Laura Antoniou, Cleis Press; Point of Betrayal, Ann Roberts, Bella Books; The Rainey Season, R.E. Bradshaw, self-published; She Overheard Murder, Jean Sheldon, Wellworth Publishing/Bast Press; Taken by the Wind, Ellen Hart, St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books; Turning on the Tide, Jenna Rae, Bella Books; Web of Obsessions, Diane Wood, Bella Books; The Wild Beasts of Wuhan: An Ava Lee Novel, Ian Hamilton, Picador

Gay Memoir/Biography: A Heaven of Words: Last Journals by Glenway Wescott, ed. Jerry Rosco, Univ. of Wisconsin Press; The AIDS Generation: Stories of Survival and Resilience, Perry N. Halkitis, Oxford Univ.

Press; American Hipster: A Life of Herbert Huncke, The Times Square Hustler Who Inspired the Beat Movement, Hilary Holladay, Riverdale Ave Books/Magnus; Darling: A Spiritual Autobiography, Richard Rodriguez, Penguin Group/Viking; Dreadful: The Short Life and Gay Times of John Horne Burns, David Margolick, Other Press; Fairyland: A Memoir of My Father, Alysia Abbott, W.W. Norton & Co.; Farther and Wilder: The Lost Weekends and Literary Dreams of Charles Jackson, Blake Bailey, Alfred A. Knopf; Henry Darger, Throwaway Boy: The Tragic Life of an Outsider Artist, Jim Elledge, Overlook Duckworth; In Bed with Gore Vidal, Tim Teeman, Riverdale Ave Books/Magnus; Returning to Reims, Didier Eribon, Semiotext(e) Lesbian Memoir/Biography: Body Geographic, Barrie Jean Borich, Univ. of Nebraska Press; Growing Up Golem, Donna Minkowitz, Riverdale Ave Books/Magnus; How Poetry Saved My Life, Amber Dawn, Arsenal Pulp Press; L Is for Lion: An Italian Bronx Butch Freedom Memoir, Annie Rachel Lanzillotto, SUNY Press, Excelsior Editions;

Lost Cat: A True Story of Love, Desperation, and GPS Technology, Caroline Paul and Wendy MacNaughton, Bloomsbury Gay Romance: Covet Thy Neighbor, L.A. Witt, Riptide; Glitterland, Alexis Hall, Riptide; Into This River I Drown, TJ Klune, Dreamspinner Press; King Mai, Edmond Manning, Pickwick Ink; My Dear Watson, L.A. Fields, Lethe Press; Pickup Men, L.C. Chase, Riptide; Play Me, I’m Yours, Madison Parker, Harmony Ink Press; Rocky’s Road, Lynley Wayne, MLR Press; Unbroken, Larry Benjamin, Beaten Track; Where You Are, J.H. Trumble, Kensington Lesbian Romance: All That Lies Within, Lynn Ames, Phoenix Rising Press; At Seventeen, Gerri Hill, Bella Books; Broken Trails, D. Jordan Redhawk, Bella Books; Clean Slate, Andrea Bramhall, Bold Strokes Books; Date with Destiny, Mason Dixon, Bold Strokes Books; Hold Me Forever, D. Jackson Leigh, Bold Strokes Books; Hoosier Daddy, Ann McMan, Salem West, Bedazzled Ink /Nuance; Last Salute, Tracey Richardson, Bella Books; Love by the Numbers, Karin Kallmaker, Bella Books; The Princess Affair, Nell Stark, Bold Strokes Books Gay Erotica: Capture & Surrender render, Aleksandr Voinov & L.A. Witt, Riptide; The Padisah’s Son and the Fox: an erotic novella, Alex Jeffers, Lethe Press; Sensual Travels: Gay Erotic Stories, Michael Luongo (ed.), Bruno Gmuender; Show-Offs: Gay Erotic Stories, Richard Labonte (ed.), Cleis Press; Team Players: Gay Erotic Stories, Winston Gieseke (ed.), Bruno Gmuender Lesbian Erotica: At Her Feet, Rebekah Weatherspoon, Bold Strokes Books; Best Lesbian Erotica 2014, Kathleen Warnock (ed.), Cleis Press; Wild Girls Wild Nights: True Lesbian Sex Stories, Sacchi Green (ed.), Cleis Press LGBT Anthology: An Archive of Hope: Harvey Milk’s Speeches and Writings, Harvey Milk, Jason Edward Black, Charles E. Morris, Univ. of CA Press; The Feminist Porn Book, Tristan Taormino, Constance Penley, Celine Parrenas Shimizu & Mireille Miller-Young, Feminist Press; Flicker and Spark: A Contemporary Queer Anthology of Spoken Word and Poetry, Brittany Fonte and Regie Cabico, (eds.), Lowbrow Press; Ghosts in Gaslight.

Monsters in Steam. Gay City: Vol. 5, Evan J Peterson & Vincent Kovar, Gay City Anthologies; Queer Africa: New and Collected Fiction, Karen Martin and Makhosazana Xaba, MaThoko’s Books; Queer in Aztlan: Chicano Male Recollentions of Consciousness and Coming Out, Adelaida R. Del Castillo and Gibran Guido (eds.), Cognella Academic; This Assignment Is So Gay: LGSee page 51 >>

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Fine Art>>

April 3-9, 2014 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 47

History of the Sicks

by Murray Paskin

he Kinsey Sicks, a gay performance group known for their outrageousness and variety of material – songs, performance pieces, musical arrangements – is the subject of Chicks with Shticks, an exhibition currently being shown on the third floor of the main branch of the San Francisco Public Library.

In 12 displays, which include full cases as well as wall presentations, the 20-year history of the group is chronicled in great detail and with much humor. Along the way, due to their versatility and longevity, they have developed a reputation as the Royal Shakespeare Company of

drag performance.

Though they’ve by now become high-profile, having performed original material in a variety of venues that have included the Youth Hostel at Fort Mason Center, the late, lamented Josie’s Cabaret and Juice Joynt, and the New Conservatory Theater Center, their beginning was modest.

At a 1993 Bette Midler concert, four men costumed as the Andrews Sisters were performing songs that one of them had written. Impressed by their performances, a promoter approached them, asking them to sing at an event he was preparing.

Thus was born the Kinsey Sicks: at that time, Ben Schatz, Jerry Fried-

man, Maurice Kelly, and Irwin Keller.

Their first show took place in July 1994 on the steps leading down to the Muni station of Harvey Milk Plaza in the Castro. They had been rehearsing it for six months, and had developed social and political material for their repertoire. But their goal to hit it big in New York was still motivating the group. The year 2000 was very eventful for the Kinseys. Ups and downs in performances were constant. Finally their Dragapella act opened in New York in October 2001. They got great reviews from the major New York newspapers. The Kinsey Sicks had triumphed.t

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ODC, 3153 17th Street, San Francisco, (415) 863-6606. www.odctheater.org.

the arts. But we know from experience that certain arts institutions and venues are destined to get more press than others. For example, the San Francisco Opera, the San Francisco Ballet and the San Francisco Symphony belong in the big leagues of their respective arts disciplines. Just ask anyone who aspires to belong to their companies. We could no sooner run an arts section without coverage of the SFO, the SFB and the SFS than a sports editor could run a sports section without

T

Out There

From page 35

Mo’ better news

Congratulations to all Besties winners and runners-up. Of course, as the editor of the B.A.R.’s arts section, Out There does not play favorites with theater companies, movie theaters, or any arts groups. In fact, we love them all for their incredible fortitude in the face of a society that by and large doesn’t support

Through July 10.

Courtesy SFPL

The current incarnation of the Kinsey Sicks can be seen at the San Francisco Public Library’s main branch.

covering the San Francisco Giants and the San Francisco 49ers. Nor would our readers want us to.

This weekend’s SF Symphony’s concerts, for example, featuring SFS Conductor Laureate Herbert Blomstedt and SFS Principal Clarinet Carey Bell, promise to be enticing (April 3-6). Bell will be performing great Danish composer Carl Nielsen’s jazz-inspired Clarinet Concerto with the orchestra, and it’s always a special treat when one of the symphony’s own musi-

cians gets to take center stage in a concerto. Blomstedt will be leading Schubert’s Symphony in C Major, The Great. “This ninth and final Symphony,” SFS materials remind us, “was ignored for more than a decade after the composer’s passing, but once heard, was immediately hailed for its majesty and nobility.”

Maestro Blomstedt is having a celebratory spring. In conjunction with the SFS concerts (his two-week

Jeanette Yu

San Francisco Symphony Principal Clarinet Carey Bell.

at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts; Matisse from SFMOMA (through September 7, 2014) on view at the Legion of Honor, of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco; and Mark di Suvero at Crissy Field (through May 26, 2014), a sitespecific installation of large-scale steel sculptures that “rhyme” with the nearby Golden Gate Bridge.

Coming up this summer will be the much-anticipated collaborative show Gorgeous (June 20-September 14, 2014) on view at the Asian Art Museum.

(Runners-up in this category: the de Young Museum of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, and the GLBT Museum.)

SFMOMA, 151 3rd Street, San Francisco (closed for expansion), (415) 357-4000.

Best Dance Company ODC

ODC/Dance, formerly Oberlin Dance Collective, founded in 1971

by Artistic Director Brenda Way, relocated to San Francisco in 1976, and is now a Bay Area arts institution with three resident choreographers (Way, Co-Artistic Director KT Nelson and Kimi Okada). Its sparkling new ODC Theater is one of the major centers for new and emerging performance in the Bay Area. ODC Theater presents over 120 events a year, including commissions. In its current season are two upcoming festivals: the return of the Walking Distance Dance Festival-SF in May; and, spanning four weeks from July into August, the first Music Moves Festival, a celebration of music and dance. Curated by Theater Director Christy Bolingbroke, highlights of Music Moves will include performances by ODC/ Dance, Joe Goode Performance Group, the West Coast debut of Dance Heginbotham, Kate Weare Company, Paufve Dance, Holcombe Waller, Zoe Keating, Pearl Marill, Keith Terry & Friends and San Jose Taiko with DJ Bangerz.

(Runners-up in this category: San Francisco Ballet and Smuin Ballet.)

Explore the exuberant charm of Mary Blair, one of Walt Disney’s most inventive and influential designers and art directors. Blair’s joyful creativity, her appealing designs, and her energetic color palette endure in numerous media, including the classic Disney animated films Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, and Peter Pan, and also in the theme park attraction it’s a small world.

WALTDISNEY.ORG 104 Montgomery Street San Francisco, CA 94129 Mary Blair, concept artwork for Peter Pan (1953); collection Walt Disney Family Foundation, gift of Ron and Diane Disney Miller; © Disney | MAGIC, COLOR, FLAIR: the world of Mary Blair is organized by The Walt Disney Family Museum | © The Walt Disney Family Museum® Disney Enterprises, Inc. | © 2014 The Walt Disney Family Museum, LLC | The Walt Disney Family Museum is not affiliated with Disney Enterprises, Inc.

See page 50 >>

<< Music

48 • BAY AREA REPORTER • April 3-9, 2014

Miller’s crossing

by Tim Pfaff

A

t this stage in the long life of Schubert’s Die schoene Muellerin, it would be enough for a singer to put his own stamp (I don’t know of the song cycle’s ever being sung by a woman) on it. The Austrian baritone Florian Boesch, who is increasingly taking the world of the song recital by storm, has not only done that but also come up with a credible and, better, compelling new view of the music.

For at least as long as I’ve know it, this lightest of the almost certainly gay Schubert’s three named song cycles has represented the central Romantic idea, “unrequited love yields watery suicide.” That’s only become more sensationalized recently, when selling tickets and making reputations have led to wringing more out of everything, in this case out of Schubert’s miller – an innocent if ever there was one – the charting of the disintegration of his soul on the path from the bubbling stream in the first song to the one in which he drowns in the last.

In an interview included in the notes for his new Onyx recording of Die schoene Muellerin, Boesch dismisses the time-honored scenario as “all too Biedermeier” – and maintains that the cycle instead has a happy ending, or at least a psychologically positive one. The kicker is, in Boesch’s singing the path to that ending is one of the most harrow-

ing on disc – also the most alert and beautiful – and the matter of how “happy” the ending is is really left to the mind of the listener as much as to the interpreter’s. Transcendent Boesch’s ending is; jolly it is not.

Briefly (it’s clearly spelled out in the notes), Boesch discerns in Wilhelm Mueller’s poems, and Schubert’s scrupulous setting of them, an idea central in Romantic psychology: that the breakdown of innocence by the grinding realities of small-r romantic love is a threshold state to transcendence and transformation that makes possible the transition of new and improved – more experienced, anyway – love.

Before you dismiss Boesch’s reading as either fanciful or overly brainy on the other, consider the flesh rent and ligaments torn in the process.

There’s no slighting the young miller’s going to pieces, and Boesch can pronounce forlorn better than any other singer working today. In song after song, the lad, attempting to prevail over his feelings with either false hope or blind rage (his venom toward the hunter in “Der Jaeger” takes you aback, as Boesch nearly takes leave of the notes), repeatedly lapses back into defeat, usually of course on a modulation into the minor.

The singing is so secure you regularly forget Boesch is singing at all; it’s all words floating on their ideally calibrated colors. The freshness of conception and keenness of

articulation are such that you aren’t given a moment to slip back into other notions of how these songs go. Boesch and his accompanist, Malcolm Martineau at his most breathtakingly forward and imaginative – the piano doesn’t evoke the sound of the posthorn in “Die boese Farbe”; it sounds like a horn – reawaken the richness of Mueller’s verse and its intricate cross-references, easily lost in prettier renditions.

So to that ending. The passing strangeness of the cycle’s all-important brook, or stream, is that, in the penultimate song, the poet gives it a speaking voice (and a visionary one at that), interacting with the miller. Boesch and Martineau leave no doubt that there is nothing ordinary going on here. Then the final song, a lullaby, is the stream’s, first welcoming the miller into the depths he seems so intent to reach, but then, in what could be the softest modulation to the major in all of Schubert, it asks him to look up at “the sky up above, how far and wide it is.” The musicians make their point with the softest and subtlest of arguments, the beauty of which is so haunting that anyone clinging to the

for-them-passé if not outright mistaken idea, that the miller has gone to his watery grave, could. But their reading, given no more than a close listening, is revelatory.

The singing is nowhere as extreme as in Boesch’s equally unforgettable Winterreise with Martineau a year ago, but that’s in keeping with the differences between the two scores. It’s more refined yet in The Wanderer, his new CD of lesserknown Schubert songs with Roger Vignoles at the piano (Hyperion).

Even his fan press has greeted it as the wrist-slasher disc of the year, but that rush to judgment looks past the fact that diehard Schubertians are as attracted to grief and death as the composer was, and that all manner of sorrow is mother’s milk to them.

The smallest appetite for subtlety – and supreme music-making by musicians in spiritual lockstep –

t

unveils an endless variety in these songs, though none sparkle. Many of them are to poems by Schubert’s friends and associates, and the composer treats them accordingly. The two settings of Goethe’s “Wanderers Nacthlied” (different poems!) are floating monuments to stillness, and “Abschied” (“Farewell”) hovers at the limits of the bearable. This is straight-into-the-vein Schubert, so you know if it’s for you.

Out of this maelstrom of “new” Schubert – Ian Bostridge’s and Matthias Goerne’s ever-edgier recitals; Jonas Kaufmann’s arresting new Winterreise – Gerald Finley’s new Winterreise (Hyperion), with Julius Drake, arrives like a cool, wet skipping-stone. Finley upholds his own highest standards, and the cycle is true and beautiful throughout. It rides the slow train called Tradition, honestly but leaving little trace.t

Courting coverage

by Gregg Shapiro

E

asily one of the most unexpected albums of 2014, The Charlie Daniels Band’s Off the Grid – Doin’ It Dylan (Blue Hat) features the legendary Southern rockers tipping their 10-gallon hat to the folk-rock protest singer. The times they are a-changin’ indeed! Not surprisingly, Daniels and company do a rendition of “Gotta Serve Somebody” from Dylan’s short-lived Christian phase, as well as the folkgospel of “I Shall Be Released” and “Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall.” But the real treats are what CDB does with “Quinn the Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn),” “Tangled Up in Blue” and “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight.” What’s next? Ted Nugent singing the Rufus Wainwright songbook?

Dylan is also the co-focus of British cabaret vocalist Barb Jungr’s new disc Hard Rain: The Songs of Bob Dylan & Leonard Cohen (Kristalyn). This is not Jungr’s first time at the Dylan rodeo, having previously devoted entire albums to his compositions. Here she has something in common with Daniels, performing the title tune as well as “Gotta Serve Somebody,” in addition to an epic take on “Chimes of Freedom.”

Cohen covers include a jazzy reading of “First We Take Manhattan” and a sultry version of “1,000 Kisses Deep.”

Country crooner Ronnie Milsap satisfies his longing for a simpler time with Summer Number Seventeen (Legacy). How much simpler?

Album closer “Lost in the Fifties Tonight” should give you an idea. So should selections such as “It’s All in the Game,” “Personality,” “Tears on My Pillow,” “Georgia on My Mind” and “Mack the Knife.” Milsap makes a brief stop in the 1970s on “You Make Me Feel Brand New,” a duet with Mandy Barnett, but for the most part, these are songs of long ago.

Some artists have chosen to cover themselves. You read that right.

Over the years, performers such as Joni Mitchell and Cyndi Lauper have revisited their own work in different settings (symphonic or

acoustic). If Mary Chapin Carpenter’s orchestral album Songs from the Movie (Zoe) has a familiar ring reminding you of Joni Mitchell’s Both Sides Now disc, that’s arranger Vince Mendoza’s doing. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, because Mendoza brings the same stunning atmospherics to Carpenter’s work that he did to Mitchell’s, allowing Carpenter to travel along the same silken road of reinvention. The 10 songs on the disc focus on the period beginning with tunes from Carpenter’s breakthrough fourth album Come On Come On, including the title cut, “I Am a Town” and “Only a Dream,” all of which make the transition seamlessly. Also of note are later numbers such as “Ideas Are Like Stars” (augmented by a choir), “Between Here and Gone,” “Where Time Stands Still” and “Goodnight America.”

One of the best parts about going to a concert is hearing the risks your favorite artists take when interpreting their own songs live. Singer/ songwriter Greg Laswell is renowned for the variations in the live versions of his songs. On I Was Going To Be an Astronaut (Vanguard), Laswell revisits 10 of the songs that originally appeared on his four full-lengths and an EP, as well as his cover of the Sparklehorse/Mark Linkous tune “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

Laswell was born to sing and write sad songs, and he does so with quiet abandon here on “What a Day,” “I Don’t Believe It’s Through” (aka “New Year’s Eves” from Landline), “Comes and Goes in Waves,” “How the Day Sounds,” “December” and others.

There are songs of not too long

ago on Grammy-nominated Israeli mandolin player Avi Avital’s new album Between Worlds (Deutsche Grammophon). Mainly focused on the compositions of 20th-century composers such as Villa-Lobos, Piazzola, Bartók and others, Avital makes his instrument sing with a variety of accents, including Bulgarian, Welsh and Klezmer. Music-lovers would be wise to accept Avital’s invitation to this Worlds tour.

He may have a Tony Award (from Baz Luhrmann’s La Boheme), but Brit singer Alfie Boe isn’t as popular as he is in his homeland. All eyes are on the domestic expanded reissue of his Trust (Strange Cargo/Manhattan) album, which includes the bonus track version of “Danny Boy” that Boe performed on the highly regarded PBS series Mr. Selfridge.

Boe joins the Dylan club with his rendition of “Forever Young,” and displays more daring musical taste on covers of Warren Zevon’s “Keep Me in Your Heart” and his pleasant if sluggish performance of Richard Thompson’s “Dimming of the Day,” a duet with the always amazing Shawn Colvin.

Richard & Adam Johnson, the brothers who came in third on the UK TV talent show Britain’s Got Talent (says who?), join the long line of classical crossover artists craving American currency. Their fittingly titled disc The Impossible Dream (Sony Music) may indicate that they know that they have their work cut out for them. Just ask Il Divo or countless others. The brothers have powerful voices (and apparently talent), but the disc feels safe and predictable. Would it have killed them to throw in a Frank Ocean cover?t

<< Fine Art

50 • BAY AREA REPORTER • April 3-9, 2014

<<

Impressionism

From page 33

Landscape was taking over, and a musical aesthetic that emphasized color, harmony and counterpoint supplanted the more traditional literary narratives. It was also an incipient era for the Impressionists, who were gathering strength and revving their engines. Their take-off started in 1874, when they began a series of eight sequential exhibitions outside the confines of the Paris Salon, which rejected them as uncouth and wasn’t exactly open to the shock of the new, their revolutionary approach to nature, their unusual palette, or their overturning of convention.

The subject matter here is most often the artists’ favorite places and their friends and families, like Renoir’s 1872 portrait of his compatriot Monet, or Berthe Morisot’s “The Artist’s Sister at a Window” (1869). A serene painting expressing warm sisterly affection, Morisot’s portrait of domestic bliss depicts her newly married and pregnant older sister sitting contemplatively in a chair in a voluminous white dress, demurely holding a fan, regarding the garden view and perhaps pondering the altered landscape of her

National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of the W. Averell Harriman Foundation in memory of Marie N. Harriman

“The Battle of Love” (c. 1880), oil on canvas by Paul Cézanne (French, 1839-1906).

life. Morisot, whose work is a welcome but all-too-infrequent sight, was a student of Corot and the sister-in-law of Manet, who intro-

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duced her to many of the Impressionists; she would become one of the first women to join their circle.

Sensual pleasures

Renoir, who adored painting idyllic, sensual pleasures, luscious, beautiful women and lovely young girls, caresses the bare ivory shoulders and sweet face of his model in warm, luxuriant light that contrasts with an exotic lapis background in “Young Woman Braiding Her Hair” (1876). In “Madame Monet and Her Son” (1874), a carefree young boy in a blue sailor suit leans against his mother’s white skirted lap as both recline on a green hillside; a rooster with a red comb keeps watch nearby, adding a touch of crimson to the afternoon outing. Manet and Renoir were said to have painted this same scene alongside each other. Later, a perturbed Manet complained to Monet that Renoir was not a very good painter and should keep his day job, advice that fortunately went unheeded.

The curators have assembled an intriguing rogue’s gallery of selfportraits that appear throughout the exhibition. There’s a dashing Vuillard at age 21; Henri Fantin-Latour, the very image of the intense artist as terrorist; a 23-year-old, openfaced Degas, looking like a gentle romantic; and of course, Gauguin, a bohemian agitator, a ruffian with a pointy satyr’s ear, refining and rein-

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venting his persona.

The final two sections of the exhibition highlight fellow Nabis, Bonnard and Vuillard. The latter enters

t

private domains and reveals personal candid moments with alacrity. He invites our gaze inside his modestlyscaled, intricately detailed ochre, brown and beige interiors in works such as “Two Women Drinking Coffee” (ca. 1893) and “Woman in Black” (ca. 1891). In “ Child Wearing a Red Scarf” (ca. 1891), a sea of muddy browns interrupted by the bright blare of color, a little girl is seen from behind, a tiny figure holding hands with her brawny father. It seems fitting that the show concludes with Bonnard, a giant of modernism and the unparalleled master of patterning and lush color compositions. Those innovations, which only intensified and became more sophisticated over time, are in full view in “Table Set in a Garden” (1908), a quiet scene that beckons unseen guests and awaits revelry, while the gorgeous “Stairs in the Artist’s Garden” (1942/44) ends the exhibition with a near-hallucinatory orchestration of feral color and verdant landscape kissed by the golden light of Southern France, promising a refuge from the onslaught of war, or any cares that might plague humanity.t Through August 3 at the Legion of Honor, in Lincoln Park at 100 34th Ave., SF. Info: (415) 750-3600.

National Gallery of Art, Washington, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection

“Yacht Basin at Trouville-Deauville” (probably 1895/1896), oil on wood by Eugène Boudin (French, 1824-1898).

<<

Out There

From page 47

stay continues through April 11), Decca has just released a 15-CD set entitled Herbert Blomstedt: The San Francisco Years on March 31, featuring a selection of the conductor’s greatest SFS recordings, some of which have not been available for some time. Schubert’s Great Symphony and the Bruckner Symphony #4, Romantic, which Blomstedt will be conducting during concerts on April 9 & 11, is part of that set.

It’s a nice opportunity to recognize the contributions Blomstedt made while he was Music Director in San Francisco, both in concert and through recordings.

Frog catching

Finally, here’s advance word of an event that Alexander Book Co., 50 Second St. in SF, is having on Thursday, April 10, from Noon to 1 p.m., for author Emma Donoghue and her new book set in San Francisco in 1876, Frog Music. The event will feature live music from the era.

Patrice Haan, on Celtic harp, and Tony Marcus, on banjo and guitar, will play a lullaby that the character Blanche sings to the world’s most pathetic, ugly baby; a love song

Frog Music author Emma Donoghue.

(both in French); and popular tunes like “Frog Went a-Courtin’” and “Young Man on the Flying Trapeze.”

Donoghue’s novel is based on a true story, the murder of a crossdressing woman, Jenny Bonnet, who caught frogs for local restaurants.

She and Blanche Buenon, a burlesque singer-dancer and whore in a bordello on Sacramento St., become friends after Jenny knocks Blanche down with her big-wheel bicycle.

Sounds like just another day in traffic on the streets of San Francisco!t

t <<

Theatre>>

NCTC 2014-15

From page 33

It will be followed by seven more productions whose stories range from 17th-century London to the latest complications of gay life. Subscription tickets to the season recently announced by Artistic Director Ed Decker are now on sale, with the eight shows profiled below.

Cock (Sept. 5-Oct. 12) debuted in 2009 in London, where Michael Bartlett was already well established as a playwright. No doubt the coyly treated title upped its publicity value when it came to New York in 2012, but the story of a love triangle between two men and a woman, presented with an aura of a gladiator ring, won the same lauding reviews as it did in England.

Die! Mommie! Die! (Oct. 3-Nov. 2) was first a 2003 movie before it became a 2007 play, both written by and starring Charles Busch (Psycho Beach Party, The Divine Sister) as an amalgam of screen divas who turned to shocksploitation movies as their careers waned. In the case of Angela Arden, living comfortably enough in 1967 Beverly Hills with her gnarly husband and bratty daughter, she thinks widowhood may a key to rejuvenation, especially with her “tennis instructor” waiting courtside.

Shakespeare’s R&J (Nov. 7-Dec.

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Lambda Lit nominees

From page 46

BTIQ Poets on the Art of Teaching, Megan Volpert, Sibling Rivalry Press; Troubling the Line: Trans and Genderqueer Poetry and Poetics, T.C. Tolbert and Tim Trace Peterson, Nightboat Books; What I LOVE about being QUEER, Vivek Shraya, George Brown College; Who’s Yer Daddy?: Gay Writers Celebrate Their Mentors and Forerunners, Jim Elledge and David Groff (eds.), Univ. of Wisconsin Press LGBT Children’s/Young Adult: Better Nate Than Ever, Tim Federle, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers; Boy in Box, Christopher R. Michael, Hubbub; Girls I’ve Run Away With, Rhiannon Argo, Moonshine Press; If You Could Be Mine, Sara Farizan, Algonquin Books; Openly Straight, Bill Konigsberg, Arthur A. Levine Books; Rapture Practice, Aaron Hartzler, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; Secret City, Julia Watts, Bella Books; The Secret Ingredient, Stewart Lewis, author; Rebecca Short, ed., Delacorte Press/ Penguin/Random House; The Summer Prince, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Arthur A. Levine Books; Two Boys Kissing, David Levithan, Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers;

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On My Way

From page 40

ed stud doubles down on the faux compliments that sting. “You must have been quite a beauty once.” And: “You sure blab a lot.”

As the stud disappears in her rear-view mirror, Bettie gets a frantic call from her feckless daughter, who needs to dump her son, on the edge of puberty, with Grandma, to pursue a secretarial job in Belgium, no less. The kid, Charly (Schiffman), is a juvenile anti-charm offensive – shouting out the English lyrics to his favorite rock band one moment, and begging Grandma to buy him stuff the next. Bettie’s credit card is refused, and Charly has to resort to shoplifting his prized new sunglasses.

At its best, On My Way is a shrewd mix of sharp observational humor about a national way of life sinking under a global economy’s one-size-

April 3-9, 2014 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 51

14) marks a return to Joe Calarco’s play for NCTC, which first presented this modern spin on Romeo and Juliet in 2002. Reflecting how times have changed since then, the setting has been moved from a strict parochial school in the U.S. to one in a developing country where four schoolboys decide on playing out the principal roles in the world’s most famous romantic tragedy – a lark that becomes increasingly intense.

Avenue Q (Dec. 5-Jan. 18) marks a much Charles Busch wrote and starred on quicker revival of a show pre- stage and screen in Die! Mommie! Die!, viously seen at NCTC. It was part of NCTC’s upcoming season. just a few months ago that the Tony Award-winning musical ent familial contentment upended by that takes a Sesame Street-type the arrival of an errant relative. Writstroll through adulthood (and pupten by Jon Robin Baitz (The Paris Letpethood) turned out to be a recordter), the setting is the Palm Springs breaking hit for the theater. home of a Reagan-esque couple with Harbor (Jan. 23-March 1) watcha dark stain on the family’s name that es as a couple living the contempothe wife’s wayward sister plans to rerary dream gay life – newly married, veal in her memoirs. The time of year tastefully housed, socially embraced is, what else? – Christmas.

– find their lives upended, both From White Plains (March comically and unnervingly, with 20-April 26) looks at teenage bulthe arrival of a vagabond sister and lying, but years after the abuse and her teenage daughter, who provoke with a twist. When the victim of unwanted truths all around. Playhigh school abuse wins an Oscar, wright Chad Beguelin is best known he uses his acceptance speech to out as a lyricist-librettist, most recently his main tormentor, and the roles for Disney’s Aladdin. of bully and bullied are gradually Other Desert Cities (March 6-April reversed as the quest for vengeance 5), like Harbor, is also a look at apparWhat Makes a Baby, Cory Silverberg, illustrated by Fiona Smyth, Seven Stories Press/Triangle Square LGBT Drama: Las Hociconas: Three Locas with Big Mouths and Even Bigger Brains, Adelina Anthony, Korima Press; sash & trim and other plays, Djola Branner, RedBone Press; Tom at the Farm, Michel Marc Bouchard, Talonbooks LGBT Graphic Novel: Artifice, Alex Woolfson, author; Winona Nelson, illustrator, AMW Comics; Calling Dr. Laura: A Graphic Memoir, Nicole J. Georges, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; Duck! Second Chances, Tana Ford, Bang a Left; The Fifth Beatle: The Brian Epstein Story, Vivek J. Tiwary, Andrew C. Robinson, Kyle Baker, Steve Dutro, M Press LGBT SF/F/Horror: Collaborators, Deborah Wheeler, Dragon Moon Press; Death by Silver, Melissa Scott & Amy Griswold, Lethe Press; Deprivation; or, Benedetto furioso: an oneiromancy, Alex Jeffers, Lethe Press; Dragon Slayer, Isabella Carter, Less Than Three Press; Dust Devil on a Quiet Street, Richard Bowes, Lethe Press; Hell’s Belle, Marie Castle, Bella Books; Invisible Soft Return, Roberta Degnore, Digital Fabulists; Light, Nathan Burgoine, Bold Strokes Books; Like Light for Flies, Lee Thomas, Lethe Press; The fits-all rules of the road and a mostly comic war of nerves between two misfits. It’s the kind of comedy that’s designed to fit the film’s marketing slogan: that’s it’s never too late for a gracefully aging diva to rediscover her true calling in life.

The first step is a Little Miss Sunshine-style sequence of comic pratfalls as Bettie reluctantly accepts an invitation to pose for an erotic calendar reunion with her 1969 beautycontest competitors. Director Bercot uses the occasion to showcase a dozen or so 60-something actresses demonstrating how to cope gracefully with life’s downward slide.

Although its third-act romance between Bettie and Charly’s grumpy caretaker granddad may come off as a tad formulaic, On My Way demonstrates just why we still revere the élan, grace and impeccable career judgments of her country’s last real screen queen. (Opens Friday.)t

Stars Change, Mary Anne Mohanraj, Circlet Press LGBT Studies: Butch Queens Up in Pumps: Gender, Performance and Ballroom Culture in Detroit, Marlon M. Bailey, Univ. of Michigan Press; Feeling Women’s Liberation, Victoria Hesford, Duke Univ. Press; Just Queer Folks: Gender and Sexuality in Rural America, Colin R. Johnson, Tem-

Lois Tema

Teresa Attridge and Stephanie Temple were members of NCTC’s winter production of Avenue Q, returning to NCTC in December.

snowballs. Playwright Michael Perlman wrote From White Plains, first seen in New York in 2012, in collaboration with the original four cast members.

Compleat Female Stage Beauty (May 15-June 14) found wide audiences when Jeffrey Hatcher adapted his play for the movie Stage Beauty.

It’s a fictionalized look at the life and career of Edward Kynaston, whose stardom playing female roles in 17th-century London came to a staggering end when a woman snuck into a production attended

by King Charles II, who promptly revoked the law forbidding women to appear on stage.t

ple Univ. Press; Love and Money: Queers, Class, and Cultural Production, Lisa Henderson, NYU Press; Oye Loca: From the Mariel Boatlift to Gay Cuban Miami, Susana Pena, Univ. of Minnesota Press; Professing Selves: Transsexuality and Same-Sex Desire in Contemporary Iran, Afsaneh Najmabadi, Duke Univ. Press; Safe Space: Gay Neighborhood History

and the Politics of Violence, Christina B. Hanhardt, Duke Univ. Press; Shanghai Lalas, Lucetta Yip Lo Kam, Hong Kong Univ. Press; Tomorrow’s Parties: Sex and the Untimely, Peter M. Coviello, NYU Press; Transforming Citizenships: Transgender Articulations of the Law, Isaac West, NYU Presst More info: lambdaliterary.org

“fresh, imaginative and engrossing...”— San Francisco Examiner

the rite of spring part of program 6 triple bill

APR 4-15

Experience Yuri Possokhov’s thrilling staging of The Rite of Spring, set to Stravinsky’s groundbreaking masterwork. Plus, the world premiere of Helgi Tomasson’s Caprice, and the 20th anniversary presentation of Mark Morris’ Maelstrom.

SAN FRANCISCO BALLET IN POSSOKHOV’S THE RITE OF SPRING (© ERIK TOMASSON)

nite out:

SF Ballet’s exclusive cultural event for the LGBT community

Come and see what all the buzz is about! After a thrilling performance, join Nite Out hosts Principal Dancer Damian Smith and Corps de Ballet Dancer Shannon Marie Rugani and other SF Ballet dancers for a post-show party. Get to know our dancers, enjoy complimentary cocktails, light bites, and a live DJ.

TICKETS: sfballet.org/NiteOut

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FRI, APR 4

04

08

Best Bartenders

Best Eats

NIGHTLIFE FOOD

SPIRITS

SEX

Best Sex

SOCIETY

ROMANCE

Besties

LEATHER

PERSONALS Vol. 44 • No. 14 • April 3-9, 2014

www.ebar.com ✶ www.bartabsf.com

r e i a M n a i DJ Br

14

:

Sounds of love from the popular mix master

by Jim Provenzano

O

: s e i t s

Be Bars

Nightlife’s preferred forms of fun

by Michael Flanagan

T

here is nothing quite as much fun as exploring other people’s favorite bars.

So I jumped at the chance to test out the Besties, the annual reader’s poll of the Bay Area Reporter for best bars (formerly the Best of the Gays), I was all in. Here’s a roundup of your best picks.

See page 2 >>

A recent Trannyshack Bjork-themed show at DNA Lounge.

Jim Provenzano

Brian Maier offers a Besties toast at 440.

Georg Lester

ur Bestie DJ, and cover guy, if you hadn’t noticed, is the adorable Brian Maier, who chatted after his photo shoot at the 440. His boyfriend Kyle Krebs hung out nearby, friends greeted him, and despite the fact that he doesn’t drink beer, he affably posed with a glassful.

See page 5 >>

Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

2 • BAY AREA REPORTER • April 3-9, 2014

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Besties: Bars

From page 2

Best Gay/Gay Friendly Bar – Blackbird

Blackbird is a beautiful, lively bar with a very mixed clientele: gay, lesbian, straight, and undetermined for both couples and groups. I stopped by on a weeknight in the early evening to find it busy but I found a seat at the bar right away. I tried an Early Bird cocktail (vodka, elderflower, lemon, soda), which was light and refreshing, the perfect drink to start off a night.

My bartender, Victoria, told me that the most popular drinks are the Last Word, Black Lodge, Orchard cocktail and the Poached pear. The paper drink menu changes on a seasonal basis (they’re about to introduce the spring menu) and there is a wooden menu at the end of the bar (which doesn’t change) that lists mixed drinks, wine and beer. The bartenders are as mixed as the bar.

Besides Victoria, there were two male bartenders, one with tattoos and a beard, and the other cleanshaven. All were friendly and clearly enjoyed what they were doing.

The bar itself is enticing, with rich tufted leather benches, a pool table in the rear, and filament lights

hanging from the bar. There was an exhibition of Julie Bullock’s photographic portraits which lined the wall (exhibitions change about every three months) and in the back of the bar is a pool table (which seemed busy) separated from the main section by a screen.

The crowd was about equal parts people settled in for a

440 Castro St., San Francisco.

621-8732. www.the440.com

Best Bar to Meet Women – Lexington Club

I knew I was going to love this place from the moment I sat down and my bartender Kat served

make your own soundtrack with the bar’s jukebox. My fellow exMichigander Kat played Motown while I was there.

You can tell a lot about a place from the attitude of the people who work there. Kat, who makes her own candles, showed me one with a picture of Dolly Parton on it and told me, “Dolly Parton is my spirit animal.”

I have good news for you all – the energy and D.I.Y. spirit of the women’s community that was once on Valencia Street is alive and well at Lexington and 19th. Go visit and marvel in it!

Lexington Club, 3464 19th St. 863-2052. www.lexingtonclub.com

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can play pool and smoke, a rarity in California bars. That area also has an amazing mural dedicated to the White Horse done by art student and White Horse barback Kyle McCracken. Another feature of the bar is a fireplace, which must be very cozy on foggy nights.

With festive weekly events like Thursday night’s Thump (with dance music and $3 Long Island Ice Teas) and the Rebel Kings drag king show every first and third Wednesday, the White Horse is not just a bar with a past, but with a guaranteed future. Check their website for weekly events.

The White Horse, 6551 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland, (510) 652-3820. www.whitehorsebar.com

Bars

Best East Bay Bar – The White Horse Steven Underhill

cktails without

Enjoy stylish co

kbird. a hassle at Blac

Having written about the history of the White Horse for BARtab before, I wanted to get a feel for the bar as

Best Sports Bar – Hi Tops

Do you yearn for someone to bark out calisthenics instructions?

Do you think of gym socks and jock straps as the perfume of love? Then this is your

few drinks and those in for a quick drink before starting the night. It’s a great place to people-watch and will be high on my list of places to return to. My own category for this bar would be Best Place to Pretend You’re in a Noir Thriller. Happy hour is 5-8pm weekdays.

Blackbird, 2124 Market St. 503-0630. www.blackbirdbar.com

Best Bar to Meet Men – 440 Castro EDITOR Jim Provenzano DESIGNERS Jay Cribas, Max Leger ADVERTISING SALES Scott Wazlowski 415-359-2612 CONTRIBUTORS Ray Aguilera, Race Bannon, Matt Baume, Heather Cassell, Coy Ellison, Michael Flanagan, Dr. Jack Fritscher, Peter Hernandez, John F. Karr, T. Scott King, Sal Meza, David Elijah-Nahmod, Adam Sandel, Donna Sachet, Jim Stewart, Ronn Vigh

It’s a week-in week-out event to see men waiting to get into 440 and hanging out on the sidewalk outside, with many smiles and no attitude, save friendly among the attractive hairy lot of them. To get a better feel for the bar (and not be distracted by wall-to-wall men), I went on a Sunday afternoon. Bartender Tony responded to hearing that his bar had been chosen as the best place to meet men by saying, “What’s a ball

Stylish gals at The Le xin

gton.

courtesy The Lexington

PHOTOGRAPHY Biron, Wayne Bund, Marques Daniels, Don Eckert, Lydia Gonzales, Rick Gerharter, Jose Guzman-Colon, Georg Lester, Dan Lloyd, Jim Provenzano, Rich Stadtmiller, Monty Suwannukul, Steven Underhill BARtab is published by BAR Media, Inc. PUBLISHER/PRESIDENT Michael M. Yamashita CHAIRMAN Thomas E. Horn VP AND CFO Patrick G. Brown SECRETARY Todd A. Vogt BAR Media, Inc. 225 Bush Street, Suite 1700 San Francisco, CA 94104 (415) 861-5019 www.BARtabSF.com NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE Rivendell Media 212.242.6863 LEGAL COUNSEL Paul H. Melbostad Member National Gay Newspaper Guild Copyright © 2014, Bay Area Reporter, a division of BAR Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

The White Horse’s amusing mural.

gag between friends?”

The bar itself goes for something of a construction/industrial atmosphere with chrome and back being the major colors and red industrial lights giving accents. The weekend daytime crowd gives it the feel of a friendly neighborhood bar. The women seated next to me gave thumbs up to the Bloody Marys, which include pickled asparagus spears as a garnish.

But really, it’s all about the nighttime here, and with theme nights like Underwear Night on Monday and the Outlaw night with gogo boys, it’s no surprise. Like the sign behind the bar says, “Area Closed: Bear Danger.”

Think of this as the Best Place to Channel Your Inner Were-Bear.

Michael Flanagan

me my favorite, Racer 5 IPA. Lexington Club bills itself as “Your Friendly Neighborhood Dyke Bar,” and they deliver!

They celebrated their Edge of Seventeen anniversary party on March 29, and there are always things happening there.

Check upcoming events on the website.

There is something about this space that makes it feel as if it is a holdover from the days of San Francisco’s Barbary Coast. The red walls and art nouveau grills on the outside of the windows remind me of no other building in San Francisco more than the Great American Music Hall, which was once a brothel. And it offers you the opportunity to

it is now. I stopped by on a Sunday afternoon, and it’s a busy and fun neighborhood bar during the day, right on the border of Oakland and Berkeley, just north of the thriving Temescal neighborhood. There is a friendly attitude there on Sundays, and my bearded, flannel-shirted bartender Brandon was carrying on a lively conversation with a patron who was going to Coachella (and trying to convince Brandon to ditch his planned ski vacation with his boyfriend).

The bar reminded me immediately of the ingenuity of the LGBT community, as there is a glassed-off area with a pool table area that opens onto the street so that people

place. Since the bar opened in December 2012, it has had a buzz about it, from its appearing in Sports Illustrated to being on Chelsea Lately.

Obviously the owners know what they’re doing, because it started out wildly popular and the enthusiasm shows no sign of dimming.

From the waiters in jerseys to the lockers against the wall, this place certainly has the right atmosphere.

On the night I visited, 15 of the TVs were tuned to NCAA basketball and one to the Golf Channel. Events here include 25 cent chicken wings and a shuffleboard tournament on Monday, Bottoms Up Bingo on Wednesday and gym class – free whiskey shots from hunks in jock See page 3 >>

Steven Underhill

Hi Tops packs in the

sports fans.

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Read more online at www.ebar.com

Besties: Bars

From page 2

straps – on Thursday nights.

The one perplexing thing for me is the menu, which has pulled pork sandwiches, bacon-beef burgers and “killer nachos” on it. While it all looks delicious, you might need to go for a run afterward. So this might be the ‘Best bar to make you restart your cardio routine’ (unless you wear your meal off with someone you meet in the bar).

Hi Tops, 2247 Market St. 551-2500. www.hitopssf.com

Elegantly dressed women on their way to The Café.

Best Bar to Meet Transgender People – The Café

This category is a bit perplexing, as many transgender people pass, and 440 Castro, Lexington Club or any of the rest might be an equally

April 3-9, 2014 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 3

good place to meet transgender people, as you wouldn’t know who they were unless they told you.

Definitional problems aside, The Café is a wonderful place to see a show. I went on a Monday Night for a RuPaul’s Drag Race viewing with Mahlae Balenciaga and special guest Phi Phi O’Hara from Season 4 of the show. It was a lot of fun and the audience had a great time.

The open design of The Café and the central performance area on the main floor lends itself very well to shows, and the lines out front are evidence their events are wildly popular. There are great drink specials (Monday was twofor-one drink night) and something is always going on there from the show on Monday through Boybar on Friday.

Unlike the runnerup Divas, there was no one behind the bar or working at the bar in drag.

Best Party/Theme Night at a Bar – Trannyshack

Trannyshack has had an amazing lifespan, from its roots at The Stud through its move out of the club to multiple venues. It’s inspired not only a host of other clubs, but has accentuated a whole style of performance on the West Coast which compliments the New York style of events such as Wigstock. So it’s only appropriate that the wild mad fun that they continue to share with the community should be honored as the best party and theme night.

Truly, nothing even comes close in terms Relaxing on The Pilsner’s patio. of its impact.

Steven Underhill

Steven Underhill

fé. hunky gogos at The Ca Don’t forget to tip the

Still, because of the confusion among our voters between drag and transgender, this might be the Best “that word doesn’t mean what you think it means” Bar. The Café, 2369 Market St. 834-5840. www.cafesf.com

psychotic performance rampage at a variety of venues throughout town in the near future, including Trannyshack Reno on April 19 and 20, Daytime

Among my favorite Trannyshack memories are Vinsantos performance of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” at the Folsom Street Fair. Their events are mind bending and epic.

Heklina and crew continue their

Steven Underhill

Realness at El Rio on April 20 (Easter Sunday), and their everspectacular Madonna tribute at the DNA Lounge on Sunday May 25.

If you haven’t seen a Trannyshack performance, you need to have your nurse wheel you into the next one (because if you aren’t in extended care, I can’t imagine you haven’t been yet). And if you have been, then you know that you owe it to yourself to catch the next wave of fun with this crazy crew.

Trannyshack (mostly at) DNA Lounge, 375 11th St. www.trannyshack.com

Best Bang for your Buck, Best Bar with a Patio, Best Neighborhood Bar, Best Bar with a Pool Table – Pilsner Inn The

Pilsner

quadruple duty with people voting in our poll, and it’s no wonder. With the recent remodel, the bar offers a wide variety of bears…er beers on tap, and there are nightly specials (I

obviously

does

had a Moose Drool, which was on special the night I visited), so it’s easy to understand its winning the Bang for Your Buck category.

The lush patio is always lively, and with a special section for nonsmokers, it shows ingenuity in its design. The bar is busy throughout the day, so it’s also clear why the bar won the best neighborhood bar category. The pool table is always busy, so again, it’s a natural winner.

Think of the Pilsner as the Best and the Rest are ‘Here on Gilligan’s Isle’ bar.

Pilsner Inn, 225 Church St. 621-7058. www.pilsnerinn.com Now get out there and visit the winners (and/or see if you have your own favorites for next year’s poll).

Congratulations to a truly marvelous set of bars.t

Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

4 • BAY AREA REPORTER • April 3-9, 2014

Besties: Bartenders Trio of Tavern Talent

by Jim Provenzano

B

eing a popular bartender takes a combination of skills; efficiency, a friendly attitude and a lot of hard work. Fortunately, readers voted in a rare three-way tie in our Besties this year. This trio of affable bartenders shared a little about their lives behind the bar, and away from it.

Castro Classic

Many bartenders do more than pour drinks, and 440’s Nick Mills is no exception.

With two degrees in graphic design and animation, he still does freelance work for many local nonprofits in the Bay Area.

But although he started bartending to pay for school, he now makes more by working in the popular Castro bar.

Along with owner David Barker, Mills co-manages the 440 with Randy Axon. “The three of us see to the day-to-day operations,” he said in our interview at the bar’s office.

Fourteen years is a good run for any career, but Mills said it’s more than that at 400.

“We have the friendliest staff,”

that the gay scene was part of his decision.

“I could be gay, and work in a gay bar, and put myself through school, and not have to worry about being part of the corporate world, or wearing khakis and a polo shirt to work every day,” said Mills. “Now I can wear what I want, say what I want, and talk about what I want.

It’s very freeing, to be able to work in a gay bar in a gay neighborhood.”

But Mills noted how the neighborhood is changing. “With all the construction, the tech industry bringing in people and bombarding the city with new and different people,” he said. “I think a lot of the guys who live here are worried how they’re going to make a living and pay their rent.

Maybe people are clinging to the idea that the Castro is the last gay spot in San Francisco. But it’s not as desperate as the news might make it seem. We’re lucky, and we want to keep going, and make 440 the place people want to come to.”

Asked to name his favorite other bar in the world, Mills mentioned

Bartenders

Nick Mills with Besties-awarded DJ Brian Maier at the 440

said Mills. “We really engage our customers and make them feel welcome. I think that translates to the patrons feeling comfortable enough to engage with each other.”

An admitted mixed bar where older and younger men and women are welcome, Mills cites the “no attitude” atmosphere.

Gracious in his co-win for Best Bartender (and a runner-up last year), Mills credits his many local friends and patrons, but owned up to his swift bartending skills after fourteen years in the business.

“I think I’m kind of a fixture at this point,” Mills said. “I can pump out drinks like nobody’s business.

The customer service part comes from my work in the corporate world,” he added, of his prior job in phone store management. “Making people happy came from that.”

Mills’ prior bar experience at several San Diego bars over four years, and a few years in Los Angeles, led to his broad experience before moving west from Logan, West Virginia.

“I was born a poor coal miner’s daughter,” he joked, with a hint of an accent. “But I moved west as soon as possible.”

The Academy of Art was more of a draw for Mills’ move to San Francisco, although he admitted

Looking Out

Born in Oklahoma and raised in Southern California, Lookout bartender Michael Breshears has lived in San Francisco since 1995.

His first local job serving drinks was at Moby Dick on 18th Street. He’s been working at The Lookout since 2008.

“My degree in International Relations from San Francisco State has been very helpful in my line of work,” said Breshears, who’s met customers from around the world.

Other reasons why he likes the bar include the view.

“It’s obviously well-known for having the balcony overlooking the streets below,” he said. “It’s also a pretty flexible space, so it can

particular bar or setting.”

Asked which day is his most fun shift to work, Breshears said Jock Sundays are his favorite weekly party. Local sports teams fill the bar

Georg Lester

and raise funds for their games and tournament trips.

But Breshears added, “Probably my favorite event in the last few years has been the Santa Skivvies Run.” The annual SF AIDS Foundation event, a variation on east coast Speedo Run fundraisers, draws hundreds of participants, with The Lookout as the home base.

“It’s gotten exponentially bigger in the last few years, and the last one was definitely crazy,” said Breshears.

“Something about red Speedos, Santa hats, and booze brings the boys to the yard.”

And although such events like the Skivvies Run draw a diverse crowd, for Breshears, working in a gay bar is different than other places.

“Maybe it’s cliché,” he said, “but the sense of working in a community is probably the biggest difference.”

And Breshears assured us that “Flirting’s always a compliment. No problem there. I’m single.”

BARtab

Michael Breshears shakes up a cocktail at The Lookout.

the Bear’s Den in Paris. “It’s a tiny little hole in the wall, until you find a staircase, which leads down and opens up into a giant cavern of bears and bodies and dancing and music and booze, and it’s great.”

Until he gets back to Paris, you can find Nick at the 440, serving your drink almost as fast as you order it.

Athlone.

But a county pub and a Castro gay bar are worlds apart.

“It’s very different,” said Thompson, who is straight. “To be

Gavin Thompson with gogo hunk Paul William at The Edge.

accommodate all kinds of parties,” including its pizza and other menu items. “Different events are always happening there, and it brings in different parts of the community. Everyone’s coming through; all kinds of DJs, different fundraisers, drag shows, pop-up kitchens, even the occasional porn party.

I like the variety.”

He added, “I also love day parties, especially when it’s really warm out.

Everyone’s out, a little looser, maybe wearing a little less clothing.”

Asked which drink is his favorite to make, Breshears joked, “My first thought was ‘a beer and a shot.’

But I’m just happy making a good drink. A lot of people really like my margaritas, so I make a lot of those.”

His own preferences vary. “I switch my drinks around a lot,” he said. “I’m going through a big rum and cachaca phase right now, but will get a drink for whatever fits a

Irish Ayes

With his enchanting Irish brogue and brassy-red hair, it’s no secret that bartender Gavin Thompson hails from Ireland. But although he’s only been in the U.S. less than four years, he’s no stranger to tavern life.

“My mom owns a bar back in Ireland, and I pretty much grew up in it,” said Thompson, who hails from the small Midlands town of

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Steven Underhill

honest, at the start, I didn’t know how to act in a gay bar. I didn’t know that you could just be yourself. But eventually I realized it’s just the same, in a way. People are people, and they like to be treated well and get a good drink.”

Defining ‘good’ is debatable in some cases, and Thompson attests that a comparison with some heartier Irish brews leaves U.S. beers “a bit watery.”

Being a cute straight guy working in a gay bar, Thompson enjoys some attention from flirtatious patrons.

“I flirt back, definitely,” he said.

“If anybody ever asks, I’ll tell them I’m not gay. But if you don’t ask, I’m just doing my job.”

Perhaps it’s his fresh perspective that won him so many fans.

“I had no experience like this before,” said Thompson, who regularly pours drinks, often with nearly naked gogo guys standing above him, and drag queens belting out or lip-synching show tunes. “I only knew, like, two gay people before moving to San Francisco. I’m glad I work here, because it’s really opened up my eyes.”

Thompson even checks out other gay bars locally and abroad, and counted Chicago’s Boys’ Town as a good scene.

“I live in the Castro as well,” he said. “I like The Mix and 440.

They’ve got the same kind of clientele and zero drama. It’s not like your’re getting 21-year-olds who are drunk after one cocktail.”

Currently pursuing a Business degree at City College, Thompson said he’ll be off to travel and return to Ireland in November. He’ll certainly be missed by his customers.

“There’s a real sense of loyalty at the bar,” said Thompson. “After the remodel, we got most of the regulars back.” He mentioned some patrons who have on occasion brought him dinner and show tickets.

“The Edge is definitey like a home away from home,” he said. “It’s really like a family, and they really look after you.”t 440 Castro, 440 Castro St. 621-8732. www.the440.com The Lookout, 3600 16th St. at Market. 431-0306. www.lookoutsf.com The Edge, 4149 18th St. 863-4027. www.qbarsf.com/EDGE

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Read more online at www.ebar.com

DJ Brian Maier

From page 1

Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Maier moved to San Francisco almost nine years ago. “I DJed at some of the underground clubs, but at that point I was still underage, so it was kind of tough to find the connections to do that sort of thing. But house parties, raves; I would find myself DJing at those until the wee hours of the morning.”

The first local gig for the 28-yearold was with Brian Hughes at The Stud.

“We had a really good turnout, and it encouraged me to see more nightlife opportunities here,” Maier said. “I was still coming into my own as a DJ. I knew there were a lot of directions to take my sound.”

Technologies have changed, and Maier has adapted to them.

“When I started, it was still all vinyl, back when DJs had to adjust sliders on Technics turntables, just so they could find the right hitch, so that when they did the mix, it wasn’t all jostled. Now, it’s so different. I recently taught someone DJ basics in a night. Because it’s all digital and you can use a controller, you can auto-synch everyhitng, which takes some of the skill out of it.”

Maier mentioned the Honey Soundsystem crew and DJ Bus Station among those who are either “vinyl purists” or those who mix technologies.

“Part of the fun and craft of DJing is storytelling, and you really can’t teach someone how to do that,” said Maier. “It’s something you have to inherently know. I’ve felt fortunate that the mixes that I make take people on journeys.”

Recently part of the four-man Rocket Collective (with Mat dos Santos, David Sternesky and Trevor Sigler), Maier and his colleagues have, since last year, each gone on to new gigs and sounds stemming from their nights playing at Burning Man, and many local and regional events.

“Because there were four of us, we would rotate through each night,” said Maier. “One month I would open or close. We knew when peak hour was, but we would strategically pattern our sets to take people on journeys. You know that right around eleven o’clock, at least here in San Francisco, that’s when people will ‘peak’ and want to pick up the tempo.”

Maier mentioned their different connections within the community and how they’ve branched out.

Maier’s recent gigs include parties in Vancouver’s Ruff, and in Seattle with Dickslap.

“In Portland, I DJed at Bridge Club, and SuperFun, which was great,” he said. “It was a daytime outdoor event, so people were more open and positive.”

As we discussed variations in gay dance events –bear events, circuit events and even circuit bears– Maier had to laugh and stop for a moment. He then decided to clarify his thoughts on what is known as ‘circuit music.’

“I grew up with DJs Sasha, John Digweed, Sander Klienenberg, which not a lot of people know, but they are DJs who don’t have to throw everything but the kitchen sink at the audience,” he said. “With some progressive house artists, it’s like there are sirens going off. I just need a good groove, some catchy lyrics and some good community. I really enjoy the circuit scene. But I find that the music I choose is not circuit music.”

Tech House, Deep House, Techno and Indie Dance are his own descriptive phrases on his website.

But perhaps such terms limit the fun, bouncy warm feeling of Maier’s mixes.

“I try to find tracks that people are familiar with, but I don’t try to make it so pop-centric that people

feel like they just turned on the radio,” he said. “If I throw on a Kylie Minogue track, it would have to be some odd dub track that takes the song a little further. So when people on the dance floor recognize it, you can see the dance floor light up. And that is part of the storytelling that’s fun.”

Mascularity

With the online magazine Mascular (the project of the UKbased Vincent Keith), Maier has created sound mixes that correspond with each issue’s themes.

He explained, “Vincent needed a platform to bring his art into the world, but also realized that there are many other artists and photographers who wanted the same thing, and this collaboration would be a greater way to share their work. He contacted me, saying that he loved my work for a long time, and that he wanted sound to be a part of it.

“Typically what happens after one of the quarterly issues is published, he tells me what the next quarter’s theme is…Liquid, or Fetish. A few weeks before it’s published, I work

April 3-9, 2014 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 5

wrong reasons, if your passions are not there, you probably won’t last,” Maier said. “My best friend in Atlanta taught me how to DJ, so for me, it’s always about bonding with my friends.”

When he’s not working with computers or music, Maier has become a part-time model as well.

Peter Pappas of the Blade & Blue clothing line included Maier and Krebs in a fashion shoot at The Harvey Milk School, along with Mike Enders of the fun sexy website Accidental Bear, and other pals.

“We shot photos at the school, and decided that it would be great to give money back to them. It’s part of our heritage, so why not?” A portion of the clothing sales’s profits are donated to the school.

The snappy colorful clothes have suited Maier’s own style, which he said is evolving.

Yet some may know of his photos with less clothing, or none at all.

Maier has posed nude, but in some cases, not originally for the public eye.

“I don’t personally identify as a nudist,” he explained. “But, some

of my nude photos have made their way online, and that’s actually an interesting story about Skruff and what happens when you trust somebody with your pictures,” he said wryly. “It’s funny when people say, ‘Oh, you’re a DJ, too?’ I’m like, ‘Well, I wasn’t selling the other thing, but it’s nice that you found that first.’”

Along with a few shirtless selfie tweets and Instagram posts, Maier shares his extensive workout tips, and is aware of his status as a local sex symbol as well as a DJ. “I’m not ashamed of my body, he said. “I don’t try to hide away from the photos. It’s already happened.

So at this point, why not embrace it?

I don’t have anything to hide.”

But before you swoop in, notice

the ring. Maier is engaged to his equally adorable partner Kyle Krebs.

Their lives are pretty much inseparable these days.

“Now,” said Maier, “part of my lifestyle is waking up at five in the morning to go to the gym with my husband.”

With no wedding date yet, another question might be, who will be the wedding party DJ?t Brian Maier’s upcoming gigs include DJing along with Billy Lace at I Just Wanna Fuckin’ Dance at Beatbox on April 19; in San Diego with The Instigators, and he’ll be in Vancouver for their Pride dance events. www.djbrianmaier.com

The

White Horse Georg Lester

Brian Maier and his partner Kyle Krebs at 440.

away at home and try to assemble a mix that represents that theme.

It’s not as simple as throwing songs together,” Maier added of his short essays in each issue that compliment the sounds. “It’s a way for me to write freeform about some of the passion that I have.”

Maier’s mixes blend new and vintage sounds with a dexterity that he said make some fans ask how old he really is.

“I have been following dance music for a really long time,” Maier explained. “DJs get stereotyped.

‘You need to look this way, perform this way, play this kind of music.’

But the DJs who stand out are those who identify with the music and the community; that’s the driving force behind their success.”

Work Ethic

Not only is Maier a DJ, but his prior work for Apple, Intuit, and currently LinkedIn, make him one of those nice techies. Yes, there are such people.

Having spun for more than a dozen years, Maier is also aware of the financialy reality of the profession.

“Because I work, I’ve actually turned down gigs that didn’t seem exciting, fun or innovative, or with any community I’m affiliated with.

Some potential hosts will say, ‘We want to fly you here, and we want you to DJ, but we’re only gonna pay you X amount.’ Well, that would require me to take days off of work, which costs more, so it doesn’t happen. My time with Kyle is precious, so I’m selective.”

And he offered a bit of financial advice for aspiring spin doctors.

“My day job definitely funds my DJing. If you’re getting into DJing for the money, you’re doing it for the wrong reasons. It’s not lucrative. If you get into DJing for the

WEEKEND DRINK SPECIALS Cocktails and Dancing with Live DJs Check us out online at www.whitehorsebar.com

6551 Telegraph Ave • 510-652-3820

Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

6 • BAY AREA REPORTER • April 3-9, 2014

Lynda Carter, Center Stage Wonder Woman Returns

by Joshua Klipp

W

hen my editor asked if I’d like to interview Lynda Carter for her upcoming show at Yoshi’s, I hesitated for a minute and thought, ‘Wait; Wonder Woman sings?’

The answer: yes, she does. As a matter of historical fact, Lynda Carter’s broadcast debut had nothing to do with small screened DC Comics or fictional Amazonian mythology; she was five years old and sang her heart out on local public television’s Lew King’s Talent

Show in Phoenix, Arizona. In high school she joined a musical group called Just Us – a band made up of a marimba, conga drum, acoustic guitar and upright bass – which performed at a local pizzeria four nights a week. At seventeen, she and two of her cousins joined forces to form The Relatives, which opened at the Sahara Hotel and Casino Lounge in Las Vegas.

This was only the beginning. The former Miss World USA has gone on to play Jazz at Lincoln Center (“Next time will by my 6th time!”

Carter exclaimed) and Washington’s Kennedy Center. She’s headlined the London Palladium, Ceasar’s Palace, Harrah’s Casino and the Sporting Club in Monte Carlo. She has performed with Leo Sayer, Kenny Rogers, Ray Charles, Eddie Rabbit, and George Benson. She put out her own album, Portrait in 1978 (and performed two songs from the album on the Wonder Woman series). In 2005 she starred as Mama Morton in the West End London production of Chicago.

Music was always her first love.

“My mother taught dance at one of those Arthur Murray-type dance studios,” Carter said in our phone interview. “She loved the old juke joint ‘you-done-me-wrong’ torch singers. So I grew up listening to those bluesy 78s…and country… and pop music…so when you add these influences to my band’s incredible musicianship, it is outstanding. People literally dance in the aisles at our shows.”

It wasn’t always this way. Carter laughs when reminiscing on her first gig in San Francisco.

“It was at the top of this Holiday Inn right by Chinatown, in a little lounge up there. You had Haight Ashbury going on, Janis Joplin was down the street, and Herbie Hancock was around the corner, and there I was, in the middle of a Holiday Inn!” We riffed on this for a few minutes, and I asked her about the strangest gig she’s ever played.

“Probably Imelda Marcos’ party,” Carter replied. “Our band was in the Philippines and she invited us to come over. About halfway through the party, she said she’d love us to sing something, which we were informed was not a request.”

Speaking of the political, Carter makes no secret that she lands firmly to the left. A staunch advocate for LGBT rights, she has been outspoken on the community’s behalf long

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before such speeches were given on red carpets to TMZ reporters.

“I am so proud of the strides [in LGBT rights] that have been made,” Carter says. A former Grand Marshall for the Phoenix, New York, and Washington D.C. Pride Parades, Carter draws a parallel between the fictional heroine she once portrayed, and the real life heroes of the LGBT civil rights movement. “It’s not about super heroes and super powers, it’s about people’s goodness, and doing good in the world.”

She speaks as though bound by a lasso of truth.

Her upcoming shows at Yoshi’s promise some of Nashville’s finest musicians, and genres spanning blues to jazz and perhaps a smattering of country. No matter the genre though, she promised to give you the show of her life. She also promised to tell a few behind-the-scenes stories about Wonder Woman.

This alone is worth the price of admission.t Lynda Carter and her All-Star Band at Yoshi’s featuring Paul Liem & Blue Lou Marini; Wed-Thu, Apr 9-10. Wed 8pm $26. Thu 8pm $30. 1330 Fillmore St. 655-5600. www.yoshis.com Joshua Klipp is a writer and singer with his band, The Klipptones. www.joshuaklipp.com

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Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

8 • BAY AREA REPORTER • April 3-9, 2014

Eat the Best

t

Steven Underhill

Café Flore and its airy patio.

by Sean Timberlake

I

t’s that time again: We asked, you told, and the results are in. Here are your favorite foodie spots (plus a few that maybe didn’t make your radar.)

Best Brunch

San Francisco has always been the brunchiest of cities, with lengthy queues in front of dozens of joints every Sunday. (Anyone else remember the champagne-drenched brunches at Ryan’s? Sigh.) You picked the venerable Café Flore (2298 Market Street), celebrating 40 years in the heart of the ‘hood.

No doubt their bacon bloody Mary and mimosas with fresh-squeezed orange juice factored into your vote.

Best Lunch

Same sandwich, different day.

Café Flore serves up their brunch menu seven days a week, so you keep coming back for more. Truly, more than one person in my circle swears it’s the best burger in town. The mac and cheese is a big draw, too.

Torbak Hopper

A friendly server at Frances.

Best Dinner

He’re we grow again!

Multimedia Sales Associate The Bay Area Reporter, America’s oldest continuously-published and highest circulation LGBT newspaper, is looking for a Multimedia Sales Executive.

Why of course it’s Caf… just kidding. Even La Flore couldn’t hold a candle next to Michelin-starred Frances (3870 17th Street) brought home the gold with their marketdriven menu. The bacon beignets are a must-have, but there’s nary a miss to be had. It can be tricky to get into, though (pro tip: Go early as a walk-in), so if you’re seeking an alternative, Catch (2362 Market Street) and Nopa (560 Divisadero Street) tied for second place.

Best Dessert

Bakery (2239 Market Street). It may have had something to do with their famously generous portions.

(Heck, skip dinner and go straight to dessert!) We’re also pleased to see them expand their gluten-free offerings.

Best Bar Food

Not just any pub grub for you, nosirree.

You give high marks to HiTops (2247 Market Street) for their stepped-up chow to accompany the drinks.

Fries, corn dogs, buffalo wings and soft pretzels form the backbone of the menu, but items like the Yucatecan pork chop on a stick step outside the comfort zone.

Food

You were sweet on the case full of tarts, cakes and cookies at community mainstay Sweet Inspiration

If you are looking for a fast-paced environment with a growing company, that opportunity is here. Your focus will be managing existing and establishing new partnerships with local retailers, clubs, restaurants, national brands and ad agencies to create sales strategies and find new business opportunities in print, digital and mobile advertising and marketing initiatives.

13

57

www.ebar.com

Serving the gay, lesbian,

Considering Balenciaga

Traditionally, IOM committees are asked to identify research gaps and priorities within a field. “But that paradigm does not fit for this area,” chair Dr. Robert Graham said at the March 31 news conference releasing the report.

See page 24 >>

Our new look

The Bay Area Reporter decided to update its look now that we’re 40.

So we’ve made some slight design changes in both sections of the paper, with new fonts, and in the case of the

communities since 1971

Vol. 41 • No. 14 • April 7-13,

Torbak Hopper

The 2011

by Seth Hemmelgarn

Community looks back at 40 years of the B.A.R.

A

report released last week detailed the need for more federal research and data collection on the health of LGBT people.

“Lesbian, Bob Roehr gay, bisexual, Dr. Robert Graham and transgender individuals experience unique health disparities.

Although the acronym LGBT is used as an umbrella term, and the health needs of this community are often grouped together, each of these letters represents a distinct population with its own health concerns,” stated the summary of the report, written by the prestigious Institute of Medicine.

“Furthermore, among lesbians, gay men, bisexual men and women, and transgender people, there are subpopulations on race, ethnicity, socioeconomic based status, geographic location, age, and other factors,” the report continued.

While that summary statement is not news to anyone familiar with the LGBT community, the fact that it was made in the IOM report, which was commissioned by the National Institutes of Health, adds new meaning and credibility to shaping health policy, which that heretofore had been lacking.

bisexual, and transgender

F

by Bob Roehr

Founding publisher Bob Ross

or 40 years now, the Bay Area Reporter has informed, entertained, and frequently miffed people in San Francisco and beyond.

The paper started when Bob Ross – chef, Tavern Guild president, and bar culture insider – launched it with business partner Paul Bentley. The first issue was dated April 1, 1971 but hit the streets on April 2, Ross’s 37th birthday. Ross pasted up all the pages by hand, copied them, and delivered them to local bars.

In the beginning, nobody took the paper too seriously.

Cleve Jones, who said he had an “up and down” relationship with Ross and who was a close friend of slain gay icon Harvey Milk, started reading the paper after his arrival to San Francisco in 1972.

“To be honest, it was sort of a silly publication,” said Jones, who now works with the Courage Campaign. “Most of the other young people didn’t really have much it. It was basically just announcementsuse for about whatever specials were going on at whatever bar.”

The front covers of many early 1970s issues were dedicated to the Imperial Court’s

Despite setbacks, LGBT scene in San Jose is ‘vibrant ’

by Seth Hemmelgarn

T

he past year has seen several setbacks in San Jose’s LGBT community, even as data from the 2010 census recently revealed that the South Bay berg is now the 10th largest city in the country.

Recent events, however, have made it seem that for a city with almost 1 million people, there’s not much strength in the gay community there.

Last month, the Billy DeFrank LGBT Community Center canceled its 30th anniversary party, which had been planned for March 26. Only about 40 tickets had been sold.

Last November, the Silicon Valley AIDS Leadership Center, which had organized the annual Walk for AIDS, announced its closure.

And about three months before that, in August, the Gay Pride Celebration Committee of San Jose Inc. opted not to hold a parade.

Of course, problems at LGBT organizations aren’t unique to San Jose. Several San Francisco agencies have been struggling financially. And people with Pride and the DeFrank

The Pro-Latino contingent marched in the 2008 San Jose Pride Parade; officials are not yet sure if there will be a Pride Parade this year, although the festival is scheduled for August.

www.ebar.com

Serving the gay, lesbian,

bisexual, and transgender

City to embrace Pride

communities since 1971

Vol. 43 • No. 26 • June 27-July

3, 2013

by Seth Hemmelgarn

I

The

’s 2nd Annual Reader’s Choice Awards

See page 23 >>

Rick Gerharter Members of the Kaiser Permanente contingent enjoyed the sun and music as they headed down Market Street at last year’s Pride parade.

t’s been a rough year for organizers of the 43rd annual San Francisco LGBT Pride parade and celebration, but Pride chief Earl Plante still sounds enthusiastic about this year’s theme, “Embrace, Encourage, Empower.”

Plante, CEO of the San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration Committee, said that to him, the theme means, “embracing all aspects of our community” and “diversity at all levels.” It also invokes “empowering the broader global LGBT movement.”

“San Francisco Pride is a thought leader ... it has been since its inception,” Plante said.

This year’s Pride festivities begin Saturday with the festival in Civic Center, from noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, the celebration in Civic Center runs from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. The parade kicks off at 10:30 a.m. at Market and Beale streets and ends at Market and Eighth streets. The Pride festival is free, but a donation of $5 is suggested.

There will be jubilation in the streets as well, following Wednesday’s historic victories at the U.S. Supreme Court.

See page 22 >>

Phyllis Lyon is escorted down the Rotunda stairs in San Francisco City Hall by Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom, left, and Mayor Ed Lee.

Court victories!

Rick Gerharter

by Matthew S. Bajko and Lisa

I

Keen

n a stunning double victory, the U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday issued decisions that strike down both a key provision of the Defense of Marriage Act and Proposition 8, California’s same-sex marriage ban.

The DOMA decision, a 5-4 split, was written by Justice Anthony Kennedy and joined by

the four liberal justices of the court. It strikes DOMA as unconstitutional because it the guarantees of equal protection violates and due process.

The DOMA dissent, based largely on matters of standing, was led by Chief Justice John Roberts and joined by the court’s three other conservatives.

Activists to honor Mannin g at SF

by Cynthia Laird

G

ay Army private Bradley Manning was stripped of his grand marshal status and is 3,000 miles away in Maryland at his court-martial but supporters will honor him in Sunday’s San Francisco LGBT Pride parade anyway.

The Bradley Manning Support Network contingent, which has marched in San Francisco Pride parades for the last two years, is expected to be teeming with activists, probably a couple politicians, and supporters of the WikiLeaks whistle-blower.

In a statement released this week, Manning’s local supporters said in essence that they didn’t care that the San Francisco Pride board refused to honor him – Manning will be their grand marshal.

Manning, 25, is accused of leaking some 700,000 classified government documents to WikiLe

See page 22 >>

parade

Best Restaurant with a Patio

This one’s sort of a gimme. After all, where other than Café Flore even has a true patio, much less one as expansive and well-manicured?

Best Place for a First Date

The

REPORT CITES HEALTH GAPS

When the sidewalks roll up and you’re looking for a little absorption food, the options are limited.

You picked Orphan Andy’s (3991 17th Street) for their hearty selection of straight-up diner chow that fills the void, and is conveniently located stumbling distance from all the Castro bars. Nopa got a nod in second place, but they’re only open ‘til 1 am, whereas the Orphan is up all night long.

It’s probably not for the unparalleled perspective on the newconstruction condos cater-corner, so we’re guessing you picked Café Flore for the view of the other patrons, though the tables that flank Market Street are a lovely place to watch the parade of humanity strolling through the neighborhood.

second section

40th anniv., readers' poll

Best Late Night

Best with a View

The earning potential for the right candidate is unlimited, with a competitive base salary and lucrative incentive plan. BAR Media, Inc. offers a comprehensive benefit package that includes Medical, Dental and matching 401(k).

Please e-mail us your resume and cover letter at advertising@ebar. com, telling us why you would be great on the Bay Area Reporter’s team. Only qualified candidates will be contacted.

Boston, P-town travel

Sandwiches and burgers up the ante on portion size if you’re laying foundation for a solid evening of swilling.

HiTops’ tempting fried food.

Oh, my hands are shaking as I open the envelope. Ohmigod!

Ohmigod! You picked Café Flore yet again! You like it! You really like it! Okay, to be fair, on a warm See page 9 >>

t

Read more online at www.ebar.com

April 3-9, 2014 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 9

BARtab

Enjoy Orphan Andy’s, day or night.

evening when the patio is lit up, the place is quite romantic.

Best Place for a Last Date

Why it’s Café Flore yet again; perhaps because it’s the most likely place where you can commence the rebound before even closing out the check. Hopefully this wasn’t also the first date.

Best East Bay Restaurant

The world owes a lot to Chez Panisse (1517 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley). In 1971, Chef Alice Waters started with the novel idea that food should be fresh, simple and local – a major departure from the leaden, sauce-covered continental cuisine that had dominated restaurants previously. Without her, we wouldn’t have our farmers markets with kaleidoscopic arrays of heirloom vegetables, nor locally made artisanal foods like Laura Chenel’s goat cheese (the first made in the U.S.), Acme Bread, Cowgirl Creamery and many others. Countless alumni (a.k.a. Chez mafia) have gone on to open esteemed eateries of their own.

Today, 43 years in, Chez Panisse continues to deliver a world-class dining experience that remains rustically homey and never stuffy.

Small wonder, then, that you chose it. There really was no competition.

And now, here are my picks for a few possibly overlooked categories.

Best Retro ‘90s Food

Elements of the menu at Firefly (4288 24th Street) have not changed in nigh 20 years, and that’s just the way I like it. Every time I have the shrimp and scallop pot stickers and the “fried chicken of your dreams with a damn fine buttermilk biscuit” (aptly named, indeed), I am transported back to the (first so far) Clinton administration.

Best Old-School Italian

Original Joe’s (601 Union Street) isn’t in its original location anymore, having upgraded from their burnedout Tenderloin digs into the former Fior d’Italia space in North Beach a couple years back. Everything about the restaurant smacks of a place you might have gone with your grandparents back in the day, from the

Mack Male

Chez Panisse.

plush red banquettes and lustrous wood paneling to the glacially chilled martinis to the bespoke oval plates topped with red sauce Eye-talian dishes. And that’s just perfect.

certified by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana) and arguably the best meatballs in town. All it takes is a little pointing, shrugging and smiling, and everything goes smoothly.t

Most Unfairly Reviled Food Product

Read more of Sean Timberlake’s food reviews at punkdomestics.com

Everybody is prattling on about how the $4 toast at The Mill (736 Divisadero Street) is the harbinger of the end days for San Francisco, a symbol of the excesses of the new tech culture that has squeezed out all that is good and real in our city of misfits. First of all, this isn’t a slice of Wonder Bread. It’s an inch-thick slab of freshly baked rustic bread, perhaps the best you’ve ever had, delectably topped. Second, it’s actually only $3.50 or $3.75, depending on your choice, so it’s already up to 12% cheaper than you thought.

Finally, how much did you spend on that crappy scone or muffin at Starbucks that was made who knows where, made with who knows what, and has been sitting in the case for who knows how long? So, yeah.

San Francisco’s 18+ Sex Club!

Least Problematic Language Barrier

The husband-wife team who own Mozzeria (3228 16th Street), and nearly the entire staff, are deaf. That turns out to be no obstacle to creating a comforting dining experience nor turning out top-notch woodfired Neapolitan-style pizzas (they’re

Anne Wu

Sweet Inspiration’s beautiful and delicious pies and cakes.

Open daily at 12pm

2051 Market St. at Church St. Info: 415-864-EROS (3767)

<< On the Tab

10 • BAY AREA REPORTER • April 3-9, 2014

Go-Beaux @ Beaux

eON THE TAB f

Gogo-tastic weekly night at the new Castro club. Bring your dollahs, 'cause they'll make you holla. 9pm-2am. 2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

April 3-10

Happy Friday @ Midnight Sun

★

The popular video bar ends each week with gogo guys (starting at 9pm) and drink specials. Check out the new expanded front lounge, with a window view. 4067 18th St. 861-4186. www.midnightsunsf.com

Hard @ Qbar DJ Haute Toddy spins electro beats; cute gogo guys shake it. $3. 9pm-2am. 456 Castro St. www.QbarSF.com

House Party @ Powerhouse DJ Guy Ruben plays grooves at the house music night, which includes strip beer pong. Donations benefit Folsom Street Events. 10pm-2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhouse-sf.com

Kindred The Family Soul @ Yoshi's

Fri 4

Annabella Lwin of Bow Wow Wow

Dan Photography

W

e celebrate the best of the Bay Area this week, and each week, yours truly selects the best of possible outings, events, and whatever washes up between my oceans of spam email. You’ll notice some music concerts that have a “retro” quality (see our features on Gary Numan and Lynda Carter), but if it makes us old to know that Bow Wow Wow is not a rapper, so be it. We know that playing the first opening riffs of “I Want Candy” is all it takes to start a party.

Thu 3 The Crib @ 715 Dance night for the younger guys and gals. 9:30pm-2am. 715 Harrison St. www.thecribsf.com

La Femme @ Beaux New ladies' happy hour at the new Castro nightclub, with drink specials, no cover, and women gogos. 4pm-9pm. 2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

Fuego @ The Watergarden, San Jose Weekly event, with Latin music, half-off locker fees and Latin men, at the South Bay private men's bath house. $8-$39. Reg hours 24/7. 18+. 1010 The Alameda. (408) 275-1215. www.thewatergarden.com

Gym Class @ Hi Tops Enjoy cheap/free whiskey shots from jockstrapped hotties and sexy sports videos at the popular new sports bar. 10pm-2am.

2247 Market St. 551-2500. www.HiTopsSF.com

Jewish Music Festival @ Various Venues This diverse array of concerts includes soloists, bands, singers, instrumentalists, traditional and modern Afro-Semetic jazz.

Various venues (Yoshi's, Freight & Slavage, JCC East Bay) and admission ($22-$30).

Thru April 1. www.jewishmusicfestival.org

Jukebox @ Beatbox Veteran DJ Page Hodel (The Box, Q and many other events) presents a new weekly dance event, with soul, funk, hip-hop and house mixes. $10. 21+. 9pm-2am. 314 11th St. at Folsom. www.BeatboxSF.com

The Monster Show @ The Edge Cookie Dough's weekly drag show with gogo guys and hilarious fun. $5. 9pm-2am.

4149 18th St. at Collingwood. www.edgesf.com

Nap's Karaoke @ Virgil's Sea Room Sing out loud at the weekly least judgmental karaoke in town, hosted by the former owner of the bar. No cover.

9pm. 3152 Mission St. 829-2233. www.virgilssf.com

Nightlife @ California Academy of Sciences Themed event nights at the fascinating nature museum, with DJed dancing, cocktails, fish, frogs, food and fun. April 3, Reel to Real with screened movie clips, chats with animators and special effects wizards, projections and a paparazzi-style photo booth. $10-$12. 6pm-10pm, 55 Music Concourse Drive, Golden Gate Park.

379-8000. www.calacademy.org

Pearls Over Shanghai @ The Hypnodrome Thrillpeddlers' hilarious Cockettes revival returns, with many of the ebullient cast members. $30-$35. Thu-Sat 8pm. Thru May 31. 575 10th St. (800) 838-3006. www.thrillpeddlers.com

La Bota Loca @ Club 21, Oakland DJed tunes, gogo hotties, drag shows, drink specials, all at Oakland's premiere Latin nightclub and weekly cowboy night. $10$15. Dancing 9pm-4am. 2111 Franklin St. (510) 268-9425. www.club21oakland.com

Chaos @ Beatbox DJs Tristan Jaxx and Big Kid spin tunes at the dance night. $10. 10pm-3am. 314 11th St. www.beatboxsf.com

Dan Croll @ Great American Music Hall The talented Liverpool-based electro-folk musician performs music from his new CD, Sweet Disarray. Panama Wedding opens. $16-$49 (with dinner). 9pm. 859 O'Farrell St. 885-0750. www.dancroll.com www.slimspresents.com

Dickslap @ SF Eagle DJs Guy Ruben, Chipmint, hosts Grace Towers, Jem Jehova, Nark Magazine, and others prepare wild antics at the spacious leather bar. 9pm-2am. 398 12th St. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com

Thursday Night Live @ SF Eagle

The R&B neo-soul duo performs their fab music. $22-$68 (with dinner). 8pm & 10pm. Also April 5. 1330 Fillmore St. 6555600. www.yoshis.com

Latin Explosion @ Club 21, Oakland Enjoy eight bars, more dance floors, and a smoking lounge at the largest gay Latin dance night in the Bay Area. March 21, Valentino's birthday bash. Happy hour 4pm-8:30pm. Dancing 9pm-4am. 2111 Franklin St. (510) 268-9425. www.club21oakland.com

Shit & Champagne @ Rebel D'Arcy Drollinger's "whitesploitation" drag satire musical play kicks up the laughs; also starring Matthew Martin. $20-$25. Fri & Sat, 8pm. Extended thru April 26! 1772 Market St. at Octavia. www.shitandchampagne.eventbrite.com

The weekly live rock shows have returned. 9pm-ish. 398 12th St. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com

Tubesteak Connection @ Aunt Charlie's Lounge Retro disco tunes and a fun diverse crowd, each Thursday. $4. 10pm-2am. 133 Turk St. at Taylor. www.auntcharlieslounge.com

Underwear Party @ Powerhouse Strip down to your skivvies at the weekly cruisy SoMa bar night. 10pm-2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhouse-sf.com

VIP @ Club 21, Oakland Hip Hop, Top 40, and sexy Latin music; gogo dancers, appetizers, and special guest DJs. No cover before 11pm and just $5 after all night. Dancing 9pm-3am.

Happy hour 4pm-8:30pm 2111 Franklin St. (510) 268-9425. www.club21oakland.com

Well Strung @ Feinsteins at the Nikko The talented string quartet performs – and sings- classical and pop favorites with a new flair. $35-$50. $20 food/drink minimum.

Thu-Sat 8pm. Sun 7pm. Thru April 6. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. 394-1111. www.hotelnikkosf.com/feinsteins.aspx

Some Thing Mica Sigourney and pals' weekly offbeat drag performance night. 10pm-2am. 399 9th St. www.studsf.com

Stanley Clarke @ Yoshi's Oakland The jazz legend and four-time Grammy winner performs with his band. $25-$60.

8pm. Also April 5, 7:30 and 9:30pm. April 6, 6pm & 8pm. 510 Embarcadero West, Jack London Square. (510) 238-9200. www.yoshis.com

Themed Nights @ The Brig If you're looking for a new sexual adventure, check out this new space.

Weekend events take place Fridays through Mondays, and the intimate venue with a jail theme offers slings, tables and various spaces for erotic play. Sat-Mon, above PopSex960 at 962 Folsom St. at 6th St. www.BrigSF.com

Sat 5

edgeonth

Bleaux @ Beaux Haute Toddy and Linsay Slowhands' twerky poppy fun night at the stylish Castro bar-nightclub. 9pm-2am. 2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

Fri 4 Annabella Lwin @ Brick and Mortar

Bootie SF @ DNA Lounge

The former lead singer for the 80s pop group Bow Wow Wow makes a fabulous comeback. The Hail Marys and Castles in Spain open. $17-$20. 9pm. 1710 Mission St. www.brickandmortarmusic.com

The Besties @ The Café The Bay Area Reporter and BARtab's third annual Best of LGBT and community winners, nominees and friends will enjoy a festive celebration, and hosted spirits and beer, plus light refreshment, as we toast the year's Besties. $10 donation goes to the SF LGBT Center.

5:30pm-8:30pm. 2369 Market St. at Castro. www.ebar.com www.cafesf.com

Dan Croll

The powerhouse tenor performs a onenight concert of classical and pop songs, sung in five languages. $35-$150. 8pm.

275 Hayes St. 392-4400. www.cityboxoffice.com

The blues guitarist and the men's 30-member choir share a concert. $25.

9pm. 777 Valencia St. www.thechapelsf.com

Every Friday night, bad girls can get $1 dollar margaritas between 9pm and 10pm. 3464 19th St. between Mission and Valencia. 863-2052. www.lexingtonclub.com

Sat 5

Mario Frangoulis @ Nourse Auditorium

Sean Hayes, Conspiracy of Beards @ The Chapel

Bad Girl Cocktail Hour @ The Lexington Club

t

The weekly mash-up dance night, with resident DJs Adrian & Mysterious D. No matter the theme, a mixed fun good time's assured. $8-$15. 9pm-3am. 21+. 375 11th St. at Harrison. www.BootieSF.com www.DNAlounge.com

Sat 5 Choas @ Beatbox

Emmylou Harris @ The Warfield The pop-country singer performs favorite hits and songs from her new CD Wrecking Ball, with Daniel Lanois. $42.50$69.50. 8pm. 982 Market St. www. thewarfieldtheatre.com

Go Bang! @ The Stud Philadelphia DJ Apt One plus Emily Coalson spin groovy tunes, along with resident-hosts Steve Fabus and Sergio Fedasz at the monthly dance party. $7. 399 9th St. www.gobangsf.com

Hard French @ El Rio Honey Soundsystem shares showers of soul grooves with DJs Carnita and Brown Amy at the fun outdoor dance party in the Mission. $8. BBQ until it's all eaten.

2pm-8pm. 3158 Mission St. www.elriosf.com

Sex & Drags & Rock n Roll @ Midnight Sun Mutha Chucka's rockin' drag night, with Honey Mahogany. 9pm-2am. 4067 18th St. www.midnightsunsf.com

ShangriLa @ EndUp The bimonthly gaysian dance night features Kylie Minono, more drag talents, and a Shakira CD giveaway. $10-$20.

10pm-4am. 401 6th St. www.shangrilasf.eventbrite.com

Soiree 2014 @ City View/Metreon The LGBT Center's annual fundraiser gala takes on a Beat Generation theme, with Miss Rahni, Fauxnique, Monisat, Trixxie Carr, DJs Robot Hustle, Rapid Fire and Pink Lightning, and others. Those attending the VIP reception will also enjoy special performances from Veronica Klaus and Joshua Klipp & the Klipptones; silent auction includes a Maui 7-day vacation package, Alaska Airlines tickets, and a custom suit from Artful Gentleman. $95$150. 6:30pm-12am. 135 4th St. 865-5555. www.sfcenter.org

t

On the Tab>>

April 3-9, 2014 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 11

We Players Gala @ St. John the Evangelist

Gary Numan @ The Fillmore

The innovative site-specific theatre company (whose energetic production of Macbeth at Fort Point returns this summer) hold its annual dinner theatre fundraiser party, at the Episcopal Church dining hall.

Meet artists, collaborators and supporters at a cocktail reception and dinner; silent auction, five-course meal, jazz band Gurkestra plays. $100 and up. 6pm-10pm.

1661 15th St. www.weplayers.org

The New Wave pop icon ("Cars,") performs; Big Black Delta and Roman Remains open. $29.50. 8pm. 1805 Geary St. at Fillmore. 346-6000. www.thefillmore.com

DJs Phil B and Bugie spin grooves at the tea dance events, with bottomless mimosas, visuals by William Brown. Brunch 12pm-3pm downstairs at Bergerc. Dancing 3pm-close. $20. 316 11th St. www.audiosf.com

GlamaZone @ The Cafe

Sundance Saloon @ Space 550

Sun 6 Beer Bust @ SF Eagle The classic leather bar's most popular Sunday daytime event in town draws the menfolk. 3pm-6pm, with an '80s-themed dance party 7pm-1am. $5. Also now open daily 11am-2am. 398 12th St. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com

Pollo del Mar's weekly drag shows takes on different themes with a comic edge.

8:30-11:30pm. 2369 Market St. www.cafesf.com

Jock @ The Lookout The weekly jock-ular fun continues, with special sports team fundraisers. This week, SF Fog Rugby Club! 3pm-7pm. 3600 16th St. www.lookoutsf.com

Liquid Brunch @ Beaux No cover, no food, just drinks (Mimosas, Bloody Marys, etc.) and music. 2pm9pm. 2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

Sundae @ Audio Discotech

The popular country western LGBT dance night; enjoy fun foot-stomping twostepping and line-dancing. $5. 5pm10:30pm with lessons from 5:30-7:15 pm.

Also Thursdays. 550 Barneveld Ave., and Tuesdays at Beatbox, $6. 6:30-11pm.

314 11th St. www. sundancesaloon.org

Weekly dance lessons and live music at the pub-restaurant, hosted by John Slaymaker. $5. 7pm. 3101 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. www.thestarryplough.com

Johnny Winter @ Yoshi's Oakland The blues-rock legend performs with his band. $45. 8pm. 510 Embarcadero West, Jack London Square. (510) 238-9200. www.yoshis.com

Mahogany Mondays @ Midnight Sun

henet.com Brunch @ Hi Tops Enjoy crunchy sandwiches and mimosas, among other menu items, at the popular sports bar. 2247 Market St. 551-2500. www.HiTopsSF.com

Cabaret Showcase Showdown @ Martuni's

Play board games and win offbeat prizes at the popular new sports bar. 9pm. 2247 Market St. 551-2500. www.HiTopsSF.com

Honey Mahogany's weekly drag and musical talent show starts around 10pm, with a RuPaul's Drag Race viewing as well.

4067 18th St. 861-4186. www.midnightsunsf.com

Monday Musicals @ The Edge The casts of local and visiting musicals often pop in to perform at the popular Castro bar's musical theatre night. 7pm2am. 2 for 1 cocktail, 5pm-closing. 18th St. at Collingwood. www.edgesf.com

Piano Bar 101 @ Martuni's Sing-along night with talented locals, and charming accompanist Joe Wicht (aka Trauma Flintstone). 9pm. 4 Valencia St. at Market. www.dragatmartunis.com

So You Think You Can Gogo? @ Toad Hall The weekly dancing competition for gogo wannabes. 9pm. cash prizes, $2 well drinks (2 for 1 happy hour til 9pm). Show at 9pm.

4146 18th St. www.toadhallbar.com

Sony Holland @ Level III

The acclaimed jazz vocalist performs with guitarist Jerry Holland.

Weekly 5pm-8pm. Also Thursdays & Fridays.

JW Marriott, 515 Mason St. at Post.

We Players Gala www.sonyholland.com

Sat 5

Trivia Night @ Harvey's BeBe Sweetbriar hosts a weekly night of trivia quizzes and fun and prizes; no cover. 8pm1pm. 500 Castro St. 431-4278. www.harveyssf.com

Way Back @ Midnight Sun Broadway Bingo @ Feinstein's at the Nikko Joe Wicht and Katya Smirnoff-Skyy cohost the weekly fun musical theatre trivia singalong night. Pull up a comfy chair or sofa, enjoy a cocktail or three, and test your Broadway knowledge. Kanpai Lounge, Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. No cover.

7pm-10pm. 394-1111. www.hotelnikkosf.com/feinsteins.aspx

Dream Queens Revue @ Aunt Charlie's Lounge The fabulicious drag show features Collette LeGrande, Ruby Slippers, Sophilya Leggz, Bobby Ashton, Sheena Rose, Kipper, and Joie de Vivre. 9:30-11:30pm. 133 Turk St. 441-2922. www.dreamqueensrevue.com

Lynda Carter @ Yoshi's The multi-talented actress-singer performs with her all-star band, featuring Paul Leim and Blue Lou Marini. $25-$55. 8pm. Also April 10, 8pm. 1330 Fillmore St. 655-5600. www.yoshis.com

MAD MANhattan @ Starlight Room The new weekly event includes classic cocktails created by David Cruz, and inspired by the the show Mad Men, plus retro food classics like prawn cocktails and Oysters Rockefeller, all with a fantastic city view.

6pm-10pm. 21st, Sir Francis Drake Hotel.

450 Powell St. www.starlightroomsf.com

Weekly screenings of vintage music videos and retro drink prices. Check out the new expanded front window lounge. 9pm-2am.

4067 18th St. 861-4186. www.midnightsunsf.com

Thu 10 Gym Class @ Hi Tops Enjoy cheap/free whiskey shots from jockstrapped hotties and sexy sports videos at the popular new sports bar. 10pm-2am.

2247 Market St. 551-2500. www.HiTopsSF.com

Joan Collins @ Feinstein's at the Nikko The iconic fabulous actress performs a unique autobiographical cabaret show. $60-$75. 8pm. Also April 11, 8pm. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. 394-1111. www.hotelnikkosf.com/feinsteins.aspx

Nightlife @ California Academy of Sciences Themed event nights at the fascinating nature museum, with DJed dancing, cocktails, fish, frogs, food and fun. April 10, Cosmic Nightlife honors space-age wonders like first astronaut Yuri Gagarin, plus Star Trek fans, and lunar exhibits and events. $10-$12. 6pm-10pm, 55 Music Concourse Drive, Golden Gate Park. 3798000. www.calacademy.org

Fri 4

Shanté, You Stay @ Toad Hall BeBe Sweetbriar hosts a weekly viewing party of RuPaul's Drag Race Season 6, with a live drag show challenge. 8:30-11:30pm.

4146 18th st. at Castro. www.toadhallbar.com

Kindred, The Family Soul

Tue 8 Family quintet performs Brazilian folk and pop music. $30-$68 (with dinner0. 8pm.

1330 Fillmore St. 655-5600. www.yoshis.com

Block Party @ Midnight Sun Morgan James @ The Venetian Room The rising cabaret star performs her act of music classics at the elegant hotel's ballroom. $48. 7:30pm. Fairmont Hotel, 950 Mason st. 392-4400. www.BayAreaCabaret.org

Weekly screenings of music videos, concert footage, interviews and more, of popular pop stars. 9pm-2am. 4067 18th St. 8614186. www.midnightsunsf.com

Bombshell Betty & Her Burlesqueteers @ Elbo Room The weekly burlesque show of women dancers shaking their bonbons includes live music. $10. 9pm. 647 Valencia St. 5527788. www.elbo.com

Funny Tuesdays @ Harvey's

Cocktailgate @ Truck Suppositori Spelling's wild weekly drag show night. $3. 10pm-2am. 1900 Folsom St. www.trucksf.com

Ronn Vigh hosts the weekly LGBT and gay-friendly comedy night. One-drink or menu item minimum. 9pm. 500 Castro St. at 18th. 431-HARV. www.harveyssf.com

Dave Mason @ Yoshi's

Ink & Metal @ Powerhouse

The co-founder of the fusion band Traffic performs with his band. $49-$54. 7pm ($125 meet and greet).1330 Fillmore St. 655-5600. www.yoshis.com Weekly night with hostess Grace Towers, different local and visiting DJs, and pop-up drag performances. No cover. 9pm-2am.

2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

Bottoms Up Bingo @ Hi Tops

Women's burlesque show performs each Wed & Fri. Karaoke follows. $5-$10. 7pm.

3158 Mission St. 282-3325. www.elriosf.com

Assad Family @ Yoshi's

Joe Wicht and Katya Smirnoff-Skyy cohost the kickoff party of Season 5's singing competitions. 7pm. 4 Valencia St.

Full of Grace @ Beaux

Wed 9

Donna Sachet hosts the weekly fabulous brunch and drag show. $45. 11am, show at noon; 1:30pm, show at 2:30pm. 450 Powell St. in Union Square.

395-8595. www. starlightroomsf.com

Irish Dance Night @ Starry Plough, Berkeley

EDGE brings you the latest and greatest in LGBT news and entertainment 365 days a year!

Red Hots Burlesque @ El Rio

Weekly game night for board and electronic gamers at the warehouse multipurpose nightclub. 21+. 6pm-12am. 1425 Folsom St. www.showdownesports.com

Sunday's a Drag @ Starlight Room

Mon 7

Showers Bring...

Showdown @ Folsom Foundry

Show off your tattoos and piercings at the weekly cruisy SoMa bar night. 10pm-2am.

1347 Folsom St. www.powerhouse-sf.com

Sun 6 Morgan James

Naked Night @ Nob Hill Theatre Strip down at the strip joint. $20 includes refreshments. 8pm.

729 Bush St. at Powell. 397-6758. www.thenobhilltheatre.com

Miss Kitty's Trivia Night @ Wild Side West The weekly fun night at the Bernal Heights bar includes prizes, hosted by Kitty Tapata.

No cover. 7pm-10pm. 424 Cortland St. 6473099. www.wildsidewest.com

Pavlo @ Yoshi's Oakland The Greek acoustic quartet performs traditional and modern music. $23. 8pm.

510 Embarcadero West, Jack London Square. (510) 238-9200. www.yoshis.com

Pan Dulce @ The Cafe Enjoy amazingly hot Papi gogo guys, cheap drinks and fun DJed dance music. Free before 10pm. $5 til 2am. 2369 Market St. www.clubpapi.com www.cafesf.com

Want your nightlife event listed?

Email events@ebar.com, at least two weeks before your event.

Event photos welcome.

Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

12 • BAY AREA REPORTER • April 3-9, 2014

Gary Numan: Electric Pop

t

The New Wave icon’s back in town

By Michael Flanagan

from religious types regarding your music, and has this been more apparent in the U.S.?

Nothing major so far. I don’t write any of that stuff to offend people, that’s not my intention, but it does seem that some people are very easily offended. The album that looked mainly at my nonreligious points of view was called Exile and that came out several years ago now. That picked up a certain degree of animosity from some quarters and it was, primarily, from religious groups in the US. I do not believe, in fact I find the very idea of a God utterly ridiculous, but I have always felt that if it brings people happiness and comfort, why do anything to spoil that. On the other hand, it seems to cause such widespread hatred and cruelty. I tend to think the world would be a far happier place without it.

G

ary Numan is a visionary musician who has done something few have managed to do: to move from one style to another in his career while growing his fan base. Known most prominently for his iconic electronic 1979 song, “Cars,” the musician, (real name Gary Anthony James Webb), has been evolving as an artist since his father gave him a Gibson electric guitar at age 15.

Now 56, with a wife and three kids, Numan has retained little of the outsider ‘queer’ edge from his early days of alienated android stage costumes. In fact, he seems to enjoy performing.

His latest work Splinter: Songs from a Broken Mind is evocative of dark landscapes with a gritty compelling industrial sound (it’s no wonder he counts Trent Reznor among his fans). He brings his very successful tour to The Fillmore on April 6 before leaving North America for Australia, New Zealand and a return to Europe. Do yourself a favor and come see this iconic musician perform (and listen to his astounding new release). We discussed his most recent work last week in anticipation of his coming concert: Michael Flanagan: Would you speak a bit about the sound which you’ve developed over the last decade - the darker, industrial sound you now have - what was the motivation and inspiration for the changes in your sound?

Gary Numan: It started in 1994 with an album called Sacrifice, although in many ways it was simply going back to making music the way I had done when I first started.

After I had some success in the late 1970s and early ‘80s, I began a series of albums where, with each one, I would evolve the sound, or try new textures, and I moved away from the heavy electronic style I started out with.

Although it was a worthwhile ambition to not be tied to one style of music, it didn’t entirely work out

Gary Numan on stage.

for me. The career began to falter somewhat and I started to write songs not from the heart, as I had done before, but strategically, to try to please the radio pluggers or the record label A&R people, to try to salvage my career. That all ended in tears by 1992. I thought my career was over, so I simply went back to making music as a hobby, for the love of it, and I almost abandoned all hope of keeping my career alive.

That return to writing from the heart saw an immediate change back to the dark, heavier sound, although this time round much darker and heavier than anything I’d done before. I rediscovered my love for making music, and I found that I was back to the place I was most at home; musically speaking, heavy electronic.

But, as before, added to a guitar, bass, drums foundation. It’s a very powerful combination when you get it right.

You have been working with Ade Fenton since Jagged. How did you two meet and what is it that you

Gary Numan performing with Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor in 2009.

Ed Fielding

Gary Numan

In 2009, you performed some of your classic songs to popular find most fruitful in your musical dealing with what I’ve chosen to acclaim with Nine Inch Nails. work together? do for a living. Everything about How did you come to meet Trent We’ve actually been friends for my core personality is not suited Reznor? Do you have any work many years, long before Ade started to being a performer, and I’ve had planned together? to produce music. Many years ago to develop a wide range of mechaWe first met in Baton Rouge he brought some things he was nisms to allow me to do this. I’ve many years ago when Trent came working on to the house and I was been doing it so long now it all feels to see me play. He was working on very impressed with the quality of very natural but, underneath it all, The Fragile then and had recorded what he was doing. I kept my eye it really isn’t natural for me at all. a cover version of my song “Metal,” on that for a while and then, when In “I Am Dust” in Splinter, you which he gave me a copy of I noticed how quickly he was learnsing, “The machines screamed that night. We saw each other off ing and how impressive and on over the next the results, I asked him few years, usually to work on one of my when Nine Inch Nails songs. That came out played in London. really well so, still being I was then asked to cautious, I asked him guest at their big show to work on one more. in London in 2009 and That also came out then for the farewell really well and so I then shows in Los Angeles asked him to work on a few months later. I the entire Jagged album. got to know Trent a He’s very clever, very little better during that creative. We have similar time. tastes so, although we do Now that I live in argue about things at Los Angeles, we live times, as they progress, reasonably close to we usually see eye to each other. In fact, eye and the end result Trent wrote the first of is always impressive. my testimonial letters Ade’s contribution to for my immigration the new Splinter album process, which was a is enormous. I honestly great help. I played believe that he is one some shows with NIN of the best producers last year, which was around now and, if he A rare single cover for Gary Numan’s iconic song “Cars” great, and we have chose to, could take that talked about doing side of his career as far something in the as he wanted to. from moon to sun.” References studio at some point. I’m not the to technology abound in your most confident person so I’m very work all the way back to Tubeway passive about such things, which In recent interviews you’ve Army.

Do you feel that your work probably isn’t the best attitude to spoken about depression and was predictive in seeing the rise of have with Trent. We’ll see. your music, and the subtitle technology in everyday life and do of Splinter is ‘songs from a you reflect on this when you look broken mind.’ Do you find that As you are now living in Los out at your audiences and see them producing music and touring Angeles, is it likely that we will be using personal electronic devices? help alleviate depression and how seeing more of you in Northern I don’t think I saw anything do you feel that depression has California? that most other people didn’t see affected your work?

It’s already happening, I’m coming, to be honest. In a way, I’ve only been diagnosed with pleased to say. We did a small West much of what I talked about in depression once, in 2008. Splinter is Coast tour last August, which came those early albums was a very mostly about what that was like and to Northern California, and we’re extreme view of what might have the various thoughts that spin off now playing a much larger US tour been possible in a nightmare from it. Apart from that, although which will also take in Northern future scenario, so I’m very happy it’s true I’m a bit on the moody California. My ability to concentrate that the bulk of it didn’t happen. side, depression hasn’t really been on the US in general is so much Who would want machines proa feature of my music or my life. I stronger now that I live in LA. It’s grammed to rape and murder have always tended to write about going to make a big difference to people out after curfew to be real? darker things, but that’s simply my career opportunities here. This I am fascinated by technology, and because those are the things I find has always been my favorite place by what the future may hold for interesting to write about. When I to work. It rewards effort and lacks mankind, but it’s certainly not what was younger I had that alienated, much of the cynicism that bleeds I’m thinking about when I look out ‘no one understands me’ vibe going from some other parts of the world. at an audience. I’m usually just on for a while. But, to be fair to I’m very happy to be here.t trying to desperately remember the me, that was also the time when it next line to sing. was first suggested by doctors that I had Asperger’s Syndrome, so I think I probably was alienated and misunderstood. I think the Asperger’s part of me, the shyness and lack of confidence that has plagued me always, has had a difficult time

In at least two songs from Splinter there are songs which evoke a nonreligious viewpoint, the title song and “We’re The Unforgiven.” Have you experienced any push back

Gary Numan performs at The Fillmore April 6. Big Black Delta and Roman Remains open. $29.50.

8pm. 1805 Geary St. at Fillmore.

346-6000. www.thefillmore.com www.numan.co.uk

Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

14 • BAY AREA REPORTER • April 3-9, 2014

Besties: Sexies

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Erotic shops and sex clubs for lusty libidos

by BARtab staff

W

here you want to get off, and how, with whom (or what), should be your decision. In the Bay Area, you’ve got plenty of options, with a mind-boggling array of shopping options for toys to lick, poke and play with, as your votes have shown.

Best Street Fair or Festival – Folsom Street Fair

Folsom Street Fair was a runner-up in both Community Event and Community Fundraiser categories, but it won the Bestie for Best Street Fair or Festival. That figures, since it’s the largest leather event in the world. It’s massive. It’s huge. Not that we’re size queens.

But think about it. Where else can you see thousands of men, women and trans folk nearly naked or gussied up in buttless chaps, leather corsets, couture horse-head fetish gear, all while sipping a draft beer sold by hunky gay wrestlers?

Where else can you enjoy outdoor rock concerts, wild drag shows and dozens of exhibtion booths, all while freeballing in your Utilikilt? Where else can you witness live sex with your favorite porn stars, then come down to reality, or a strange kinky ‘Diane Arbus in leather’ reality, after witnessing an obese unicorn flogging a dwarf? Hey, this ain’t Game of Thrones. We saw it.

With its related dance-circuit orgy-parties having expanded beyond the mostly male horny ranks, the fair’s events just keep getting bigger, better, and thicker.

And your gate donations continue to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for local LGBT and AIDS/HIV nonprofits. In fact, the fair has raised more than $5 million in its three-decade-plus history. Join hundreds of thousands of locals and visitors from around the world, (usually, but not this year) the last Sunday of September.

Sex

Folsom Street Fair. Sunday, September 21, 2014. Folsom Street

courtesy Steamworks

The popular Berkeley Steamworks.

between 11th and 8th streets. www.folsomstreetevents.org

Best Place to Buy Sex Toys – Good Vibrations

To be honest, some of the innovative sex toys sold at Good Vibrations’ many shops resemble alien genitalia, and the color choices veer towards

the Eastery (“But really, Debbie; pastels?”).

Yes, the stores have a decidedly feminist approach to sexuality, but that doesn’t mean men can’t enjoy their offerings (pegging, anyone?).

As satisfied customers can attest, you’ve never truly experienced multiple orgasms until you tried Stronic

Zwie Pulsator. Nope, you can’t also play Wi tennis with it, but you can try. You can also choose from their whimsical selection of party gifts, board games, and romantic novelty items.

And you can definitely lose any inhibitions when inquiring about anal pleasure with the friendly informed staff. How about a nontoxic real-sized erection to play with?

Some lingerie? A gift box for your next bachelor/ette party? Good Vibes has it, in abundance, and they’ve been serving the sex-curious community since 1977.

Along with sex-positive workshops, books, and plenty of brands of condoms and lubricants for any taste, you can be sure that after a shopping trip at one of their San Francisco or East Bay stores, your sex life will surely improve, even if it’s just with yourself.

Good Vibrations. San Francisco: 603 Valencia St., 1620 Polk St., 899 Mission St., 189 Kearny St. Berkeley: 2504 San Pablo Ave. Oakland: 3219 Lakeshore. Palo Alto: 534 Ramona St. Brookline, MA: 308A Harvard St. (800) BUYVIBE. www.goodvibes.com See page 17 >>

BARtab

Chains of love at the Folsom Street Fair.

Good Vibrations’ Mystic-G Vibrator Kit

Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

16 • BAY AREA REPORTER • April 3-9, 2014

Woof! Arf! Bark!

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Wolf Freed and Brue Pierce riding in gear in the Homoto Motorcycle Club Contingent of the 2013 San Francisco Gay Pride Parade.

by Race Bannon

T

ebar.com Nob Hill Theatre hans berlin

Nick prescott

hans berlin

april 11th & SHOWTIMES @ 8PM12th & 10PM

N ic k p r e s c o t t JO n Men redit: Tita Photo C

INS hans FOR ALL 10PM SEX SHOWS!

Photo Credit: Titan Men

april 11th & 12th

he world of pup play is a growing segment of the leather and kink sexual subculture. Pup (or puppy) play is a predominantly gay male phenomenon, but in recent years a small number of people with other genders and orientations have begun to join the ranks.

In addition to the joy people derive from such play, some also view it as a “gateway kink” that can gently introduce people to other forms of kinky erotic expression in a playful and nonthreatening manner. Of course, many enjoy pup play as their sole or primary erotic outlet.

Brue Pierce, an avid pup enthusiast, describes it this way. “Puppy play encompasses a variety of activities, but at its very basic level puppy play is when one person takes on the persona of a pup or dog and another takes that of the Handler. The pup acts like their canine counterpart and the Handler, for the most part, handles the pup like he would a real dog. It’s not necessarily sexual play, though it can be.

“For some, it is a way to de-stress from the real world and center themselves psychologically. For others, it’s merely a new sensation or scene to experience, to be part of the ‘it’ crowd they perceive to be happening. Once experienced, they move on to the next ‘up and coming’ scene.

“For others, it’s a way to try to get psychological needs met (to feel safe, loved, accepted, and so on). Some view it as another way to experience Dom/sub dynamics.

Others may experience a spiritual awakening, enlightenment or discover an animal spirit guide or totem when they go into pup mode.

But for many, being a pup or dog is who they are. It is their core being or soul. There is no right or wrong way to do puppy play.”

I asked Pug, a leatherwoman who identifies as a pup, how she saw pup play fitting into the overall leather and kink scene.

“The leather and kink realms allow and encourage the mind and heart to open up and ‘play’; to imagine and explore various fantasies and scenarios,” she said. “As adults, we tend to forget play and imagination. Kink often becomes a means of enabling us, as adults, to be open to exploring the creativity and imagination of the human mind, spirit and body. So, for those

people exploring the various realms within kink, they may find an open and encouraging situation that enables them to tap into that inner pup that they would not have otherwise discovered or dared to explore.”

While the term pup is used to encompass a variety of human canine enthusiast pursuits, I asked Wolf Freed, who is wolf identified, what some of the other terms used are and how they all differ?

“The commonly used term of ‘pup’ or ‘puppy’ is a general, all encompassing term,” he explained. “There are two common conceptual modifications: prepending it, or defining it more specifically. Prepending usually adds a descriptive adjective such as rubber pup, leather pup, bondage pup, boot

pup, slave pup, and so on to further clarify the canine’s specific interest or kink. The other is a clarification of canine identity: pup vs. dog vs. wolf are three common ones. Pups in their headspace tend to have a more carefree, innocent and playful approach. Dogs are more mature and dog-like and often may be service dogs or playful dogs, but with less of the impishness that is associated with pups. Wolves often have an aggressive and wild streak in their canine personality, but they can also be fiercely loyal with a strong sense of pack hierarchy.”

Counterparts to pups are Handlers. Handlers watch over and train pups during their playtime. Being a Handler has its own erotically fulfilling rewards, and Handlers also promote safe play environments and make sure pups get the attention they deserve or See page 17 >>

FireHawk Photo, Inc.

Brue Pierce and Wolf Freed at Woof Camp, International Mr. Leather 2011.

t <<

Read more online at www.ebar.com

Besties: Sexies

From page 14

Best Adult Store – Mr. S Leather

You never forget your first cock ring. Or maybe you did forget it, on the nightstand of your last trick.

Either way, you can get more in all sizes, shapes and colors, from rubber to leather to a metal codpiece, at Mr. S Leather. The kink clothing and accessories mega-store can help you get trussed and gussied up in

April 3-9, 2014 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 17

full-body leather, neoprine singlets and pants, or just a comfortable sleeveless leather vest. From jock straps and other straps, to dildos for tight or extremely ample orifices, the friendly staff will help you shop for items from your wildest kink dreams, all without batting an eye.

Build your own sling with their full-out kits, learn rope tricks at one of their many workshops, or even participate in their sex events in their play space, which include fisting, bondage, or non-sexual

submission wrestling.

Don’t dream it, be it.

Mr. S Leather, 385 8th St. at Harrison. 863-7764. www.mr-s-leather.com

Best Cruising Spot – Golden Gate Park

We don’t get it. Acres and acres of beautiful and symbolically sexual trees to satisfy the most hardcore dendrophile, a fantastic ocean view at one end and exquisite gardens throughout, and for some reason, like a tribal hunting ground, despite the stripping of shrubs and the sports field fencing nearby, some guys still cruise the notorious path behind the windmills on the far west end of Golden Gate Park.

While we certainly don’t advocate risky nighttime cruising anywhere, we do long for the pre-Grindr days when horny men found each other by scent versus app.

Either way, you voted, so enjoy the scenery. Just don’t frighten the horses or the soccer moms. www.golden-gate-park.com

Mr. S Leather

A busy shopping day at Mr. S Leather.

<<

Leather

From page 16

seek. So Handlers play an important role in the pup network and they get their own special energy from the role they play.

Richard Sprott, a well-known Handler, offers this. “When I’m in Handler space, my dominant side comes out differently than when I’m with a boy, slave or sub. It is similar to being a daddy. There is certainly a lot more time and attention paid to the pup since you are in charge of making sure they are safe and that they are not getting into mischief. I often have to do the same with boys, but not as intently or with the same focus.”

If a Bay Area person is interested in perhaps exploring puppy play, the San Francisco K9 Unit (www. sfk9unit.org) is a local pup group that hosts social events and activities where those interested in this form of play can meet others and explore.

I know many folks within the pup community and have always found them to be incredibly welcoming and friendly to everyone.

Pug, a leatherwoman who identifies as a pup.

Also, a big pup event called Woof Camp Weekend is coming soon to the Bay Area, April 18-20, 2014.

The event is designed for anyone on the pup experience spectrum, from curious newcomer to longtime player, to meet and share time getting in to pup headspace and

Best Sex Club – Steamworks Berkeley and Blow Buddies

With a two-city tie, perhaps our randy readers are bi-lateral in their

being able to be on all fours in a non-threatening, non-judgmental, non-sexual environment. There will also be several social meal functions planned where the group can break bread, make new friends, share histories and network within the pup community. Through this event the SF K9 Unit wants to foster camaraderie on a local, regional, national and international level. For more information and a full schedule of events, visit www.SFK9Unit.org/ events/wcw.

To close out this issue’s column, I would like to congratulate the leather and erotic businesses that won Besties this year: Folsom Street Fair for best fair; Mr. S Leather for best adult store; Good Vibrations for best place to buy sex toys, and Steamworks for best reason to cross the Bay Bridge. We’re lucky to have these businesses in our area, and they contribute to fostering a fun and robust local sexual culture. Let me offer my resounding woof, arf and bark of congratulations.t Race Bannon is a local author, blogger and activist. bannon.com

Leather Events, Apr. 4 – April 19, 2014 >>

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here’s always a lot going on in the San Francisco Bay Area for leather and other kinksters.

Fri 4

Thu 10 Interior. Leather Bar. @ Rialto Cinemas Showing of movie to benefit Face to Face Sonoma County AIDS Network. Rialto Cinemas, Sebastopol, 7:15pm.

Sober Kink Together @ Castro Country Club

Fri 11

Officially a CMA meeting, but open to all Anonymous 12-step Fellowship members, 4058 18th St., 9:30pm.

Sober Kink Together @ Castro Country Club

Sat 5 Fist City @ Mr. S Leather Men’s fisting party. 385A 8th St., $20, 8pm. www.mr-s-leather.com/studio

Sun 6 Meet-n-Greet Beer Bust @ SF Eagle Meet the 21 men competing for a spot on the 2015 Bare Chest Calendar. 398 12th St., 3pm. www.barechest.org

Wed 9

Officially a CMA meeting, but open to all Anonymous 12-step Fellowship members, 4058 18th St., 9:30pm.

Sun 13 Satyrs M/C @ SF Eagle The Satyrs M/C are riding to San Francisco for their annual beer bust at the SF Eagle.

398 12th St., 3pm. www.satyrsmc.org

Wed 16 Red Hanky Nite @ Powerhouse Bar night for men into fisting. 1347 Folsom St., 9:30pm. http://hellholesf.com/

Golden Shower Buddies @ Blow Buddies

Fri 18

A men’s water sports night, Golden Shower Buddies, $15 with membership, 933 Harrison St., 8pm. www.blowbuddies.com

Sober Kink Together @ Castro Country Club Officially a CMA meeting, but open to all Anonymous 12-step Fellowship members, 4058 18th St., 9:30pm.

Fri 18 – Sun 20 Woof Camp Weekend Event for pups and Handlers, $29-$49.

Advance registration required. www.SFK9Unit.org/events/wcw

Sat 19 Kink 101: An Interactive Workshop @ The Armory-Kink.com Kink education class. 1800 Mission St., Noon, $20. www.armorystudios.com/workshops

Golden Dildeaux Awards @ SF Eagle Humorous awards intended to poke fun at various sexual activities while at the same time provide a unique charity fundraising opportunity. 398 12th St., 7pm. www.ggguards.org

GearUp Men’s Play Party @ Mr. S Dungeon Friendly erotic space where kinky men can socialize with, learn from and play with other men. 385A 8th St., $20, 9pm. www. gearupweekend.com/play-parties

BLUF Invasion @ SF Eagle Bar night for all gear men. 398 12th St., 9pm. www.bluf.com

Mr. S Leather

Tattooed porn stud Logan McCree models a red ball gag, sold at Mr. S Leather.

choices. Either way, in San Francisco, you can enjoy a dark and sultry mood with booths, glory holes and an outdoor sex and smoking area at Blow Buddies.

The ongoing theme nights range from leather to pee play, underwear to bondage. Check as much of your clothes as you like (but keep your shoes on), put on whatever kink wear you prefer, but the common garb is basically “jeans, no shirt and zipper down.” The creative cubicles, chairs and benches accomodate multiple gymnastic positions for your naughty desires.

Known to attract every type of man from frisky college freshmen to decadent daddies, the towel-clad patrons of the sylish bath house

Berkeley’s Steamworks often enjoy DJed celebratory nights of erotic fun, and more relaxed quiet cruising on other days and nights. Rent a locker or a room, meat the man of your wet dreams, then hose yourself down in the showers for yet another round.

Steamworks also won Best Reason to Cross the Bay Bridge to East Bay, and what with it being a brief road trip or BART trek away, your sexual adventure awaits, 24 hours a day, every day of the year.

Blow Buddies, 933 Harrison St. 777-4323. www.blowbuddies.com Steamworks Berkeley, 2107 4th St. (510) 845-8992. www. steamworksbaths.com/berkeleyt

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April 3-9, 2014 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 19

Shooting Stars photos by Steven Underhill O

ur showcase of Besties winners starts off with the popular bar Blackbird, which won for both Best Gay/Gay-Friendly Bar and Best Place for Mixed Drinks. A hit since it opened, the tasty cocktails, beers and wines attract a nice mix of gay, straight and “Who cares?” clientele. Located near the busy intersection of Church and Market streets, Blackbird is a perfect destination for early evening drinks during their 5pm to 8pm Happy Hour and for meet-ups before heading out to a show or dinner.

Read about more Besties-winning bars in our cover feature. 2124 Market St. www.blackbirdbar.com

See more event photo albums on BARtab’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/lgbtsf.nightlife and on www.StevenUnderhill.com See this and other issues in full page-view format at www.issuu.com/bayareareporter

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For headshots, portraits or to arrange your wedding photos

call (415) 370-7152 or visit www.StevenUnderhill.com or email stevenunderhillphotos@gmail.com