April 2, 2020 Edition of the Bay Area Reporter by Bay Area Reporter

Galas rescheduled

AIDS 2020 goes virtual

STD update

Besties 2020

The

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

Vol. 50 • No. 14 • April 2-8, 2020

Rick Gerharter

San Francisco Mayor London Breed, shown at the city’s emergency operations center last month, announced March 31 that the shelter-in-place order would be extended through May 3

Courtesy Grindr

Hookup apps like Grindr are urging people not to meet in person during the coronavirus outbreak.

Besties 2020: Readers can’t wait for their favorites to return

LGBT leaders urge no hook-ups amid virus outbreak by John Ferrannini

GBT community leaders call upon people to change their sexual habits amid a deadly viral pandemic. A recalcitrant few refuse, while many more are wracked with fear. Government orders shutter queer spaces. A news flash from the 1980s? No. This is queer life in the time of the novel coronavirus. The analogy isn’t perfect, but if history isn’t repeating itself in 2020 San Francisco, it is certainly rhyming. See page 16 >>

KaiKai Bee Michaels performed at QBar before the venue’s fire and the recent closure of all Castro bars. Gooch

n this time of staying at home and practicing physical distancing, it’s catastrophic that the majority of this year’s Besties winners are not open right now. But we pledged to publish this April 2 issue months ago, and we’re fortunate and grateful to have a few advertisers who are committed to supporting us while they are closed. A review of this year’s victors of the Bay Area Reporter’s 10th annual readers’ poll begins on page 19. It is our hope that when the coronavirus pandemic eases and businesses begin to reopen, readers will patronize them

– both as a show of support and because of their service, selection, or otherwise unique feature. The same is true across all categories of the poll, from arts and cultural organizations to nightlife and travel destinations. Information included in these brief reviews is mostly intended for the future, although we do not know at this writing whether all of the featured people, places, and things will return as we remember them. This challenging time will bring significant changes to the scene; we’ll have to wait and see what’s next. – The Editors

Shelter-in-place extended through May 3

by John Ferrannini

he shelter-in-place orders active in at least seven Bay Area jurisdictions to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus will remain in force through May 3, according to a news release from San Francisco Mayor London Breed and the other counties March 31. Breed announced the extension in remarks at the city’s emergency operations center at Moscone Center around noon Monday and officials formalized the date Tuesday. As the Bay Area Reporter previously reported, the orders had first been declared two weeks ago, effective at midnight March 16, and were set to See page 16 >>

SF leather plaza inches along in SOMA by Matthew S. Bajko Barak Shrama

Audiences will have to wait until the fall for this year’s Frameline LGBTQ film festival.

Frameline postpones June LGBTQ film festival by Cynthia Laird

rameline, the San Francisco LGBTQ film festival usually held in June, has been postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak, Executive Director James Woolley announced Tuesday. The film festival is now slated for the fall, though no dates were announced. It had been scheduled for June 18-28. The longest running and most widely recognized queer film festival in the world, Frameline will also be expanding its film offerings throughout the year and is working on innovative ways See page 6 >>

he first half of San Francisco’s underconstruction plaza dedicated to leather culture is now accessible to passersby on foot or bicycle. The remaining section isn’t expected to be complete until late April or early May. But due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, and the imposition of a shelter-inplace order for city residents through at least May 3, it is unclear when a dedication ceremony can be held for what is the world’s first public parklet honoring the leather and kink communities. “We are planning to push our celebration back from April to mid-May (this is a placeholder and will need to be confirmed),” Mark Bonsignore, a parks and place project manager with the San Francisco Parks Alliance, told the Bay Area Reporter this week. “The Friends of Eagle Plaza (FoEP) have been finalizing the group’s bylaws and fiscal sponsorship and should have more information on grand opening in the coming weeks.” The $1.85 million project, which is turning a portion of 12th Street in the city’s South of Market neighborhood into a community gathering space, has run into numerous delays since it was first proposed by the owners of the Eagle gay bar after which the plaza is named.

Rick Gerharter

Eagle Plaza, which includes an oversize leather flag, is nearing completion.

The new public open space sits in front of the business, now shuttered due to the health pandemic, on 12th Street between Harrison and Bernice streets. Place Lab, started by Build Inc. and now part of the nonprofit parks alliance, oversaw the design of, and permits for, Eagle Plaza. The local development firm is constructing the approximately 12,500 square foot

plaza as part of a $1.5 million in-kind agreement with the city for approval of its mixeduse development across the street from the Eagle bar on what was a surface parking lot. The 136-unit housing development at 1532 Harrison Street cannot open to residents until Eagle Plaza is built.

{ FIRST OF THREE SECTIONS }

Help preserve as an historic and important community institution for the future.

https://igg.me/at/save-the-BAR

See page 17 >>

We’ve got more bikes in stock & ready to ride than any shop in SF! MANY ON SALE!

2 • Bay Area Reporter • April 2-8, 2020

Road Electric We’ve got more bikes in stock & ready to ride than any shop in SF! MANY ON SALE!

Fitness/Commuter Kid’s STAY SAFE We’ve got more bikes in stock & ready to We’ve got more bikes in stock ready to EVERYBODY! ride than any shop in SF! MANY&ON SALE! ride than any shop in SF! MANY ON SALE! Fitness/Commuter

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<< Community News

t Pet owners asked to prepare a plan should they become ill compiled by Matthew S. Bajko

ublic animal shelters in Alameda and Contra Costa counties are asking pet owners to prepare a plan for how their companion animals will be cared for should they become ill with the novel coronavirus and need to be hospitalized so that the government-run facilities are not overrun. The shelters in the two East Bay counties issued an advisory March 27 for how pet owners can devise a plan should their dogs, cats, or other animals need to be cared for while they are unable to do so. People should start with creating an emergency plan for each of their pets. The document should include the person’s name and contact information, including cellphone number, their pet’s feeding schedule, any medical conditions and treatment instructions. Also note if your pet is up-todate on vaccinations, and list the contact information for your veterinarian as well as three family members or friends who can check on your medical status and give the provider updates. Another key suggestion is for pet owners to compile a bag of animal supplies with food, two 11-5 weeks worth of medications, and any additional needed supplies, including a travel kennel, for their animals. Lastly, pet owners should find a temporary caregiver for their pets while they are hospitalized. Ask a neighbor, family member, friends, or pet-sitters if they can pitch in, or contact a boarding facility to make arrangements in the case of an emergency. Another possibility for finding someone in your area willing to help is via the website https:// californiavolunteers.ca.gov/getinvolved/covid-19/. It is part of the Neighbor-to-Neighbor campaign Governor Gavin Newsom announced to marshal volunteers to assist older adults and others in their community. It is being overseen by California Volunteers, the state office tasked with engaging Californians in service, volunteering, and civic action. The animal shelters stressed “the most ideal situation” for people’s pets is for them not to be placed in a public shelter. “Though public shelters can help in emergencies, the system isn’t designed to provide longterm care,” noted the advisory. “In addition, available space is limited, and shelters may not have the capacity to help all animals in need.”

Rental help for people living with HIV

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People living with disabling HIV or AIDS who have been San Francisco County residents for at least a year and do not live in subsidized housing can seek a partial rent subsidy from Catholic Charities Assisted Housing and Health program. Single adults can receive a monthly subsidy of $250, while families can receive $325 monthly. A proof of HIV diagnosis is required, as is residency and a state of California photo identification like a driver’s license. Documentation is also necessary to show the applicant’s gross monthly income within the last three years was less than $1,350

Cynthia Laird

Public animal shelters in Alameda and Contra Costa counties urge people to create an emergency care plan for their pets, like Espresso the cat.

and/or monthly income of $1,375 to $1,500 with at least 50% going to pay rent. Those eligible are urged to schedule an appointment by calling (415) 972-1335. The agency is holding drop-in hours from 2 to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday at 990 Eddy Street. But the agency advises people will have to undergo a verbal health screening before being allowed to meet with someone in person.

SF nonprofit organizes volunteers

The San Francisco-based Shanti Project has teamed with city officials to coordinate volunteers who can assist older and vulnerable adults during the coronavirus outbreak. It is seeking people who can pitch in with such duties as grocery shopping, picking up mail, taking out the garbage, delivering medications, or dog walking. It has been dubbed the COVID-19 Emergency Response Volunteer program. The city’s Department of Disability and Aging Services is handling the screening, training, and management of the volunteers. Those who sign up must be healthy, under the age of 60, and pass a background check. Those interested in helping out should email helpnow@shanti.org or call (415) 674-4701 and a staff person should respond within 24 hours. For more information, visit http://www.shanti.org/cerv.

Online programs launch for LGBT parents

The LGBT-focused nonprofit Our Family Coalition has launched new online resources for parents who are sheltering at home with their children during the coronavirus outbreak. It is using approved platforms to bring people together virtually to offer assistance and a way to connect with other moms and dads until it can resume its normal operations. This week it started a weekly check-ins for parents of schoolaged kids, those in elementary school on up, on Wednesdays from 7:30 to 9 p.m. And starting Monday, April 6, it will host weekly check-ins for parents whose children are 4 years of age or younger from 11:30 a.m. 1 p.m. On alternate Tuesdays from 8 to 9:30 p.m. is a check-in for LGBTQ parents and caregivers of teens and tweens. It launched this week so will next meet April 14. And on alternating Wednesdays, starting April 8, it will host a special meetup for queer and transgender

parents of color. Those sessions will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. “Please attend any and all virtual events you’d like. We’ve sorted the groups to enable family members with like concerns to find one another, but we’re open to anyone attending who just needs the safe space and a friendly face,” noted Cheryl Lala, the agency’s family programs director, in an email announcing the new services. The nonprofit also started a private Facebook group where LGBTQ families can swap lesson plans, resources, and tips for keeping children busy and engaged during the current shutdown, which for many extends through at least early May when Bay Area school districts now plan to reopen. In order to be added to the group, parents will need to answer a few questions first, meant to protect the safety of those in it. To do so, visit the agency’s main Facebook page at https://www. facebook.com/ourfamilycoalition or email Lala directly at cheryl@ ourfamily.org. For information on all of the programs and services Our Family Coalition offers, visits its website at www.ourfamily.org.

Local history found online

Another resource for parents with kids stuck at home or anyone looking for a way to spend their time while sheltering at home is a new online resource created by the San Francisco Historical Society. In light of the coronavirus epidemic the archival group has launched a new Digital History Resources section on its website. The society closed its museum at 608 Commercial Street March 16 and doesn’t plan to open it again until at least April 21. It also temporarily suspended all of its public programs, lectures, and walks. Thus, it is launching its “Don’t Stay Home Without Them” campaign to encourage people to take virtual historical walks around the city, discover how San Franciscans overcame previous challenges, or attend online presentations about San Francisco history. The first online presentation in the series is “A Romp Into Gold Rush History,” a virtual tour through Yerba Buena during the days of the Gold Rush. The society plans to post a new digital resource every week. Included will be online presentations, videos, history articles, and mobile history apps all free for city residents to utilize. To check out the online resources, visit https://sfhistory. org/publications/digital-historyresources/. t

<< Open Forum

4 • Bay Area Reporter • April 2-8, 2020

Volume 50, Number 13 April 2-8, 2020 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 CULTURE EDITOR Jim Provenzano ASSISTANT EDITORS Matthew S. Bajko • John Ferrannini CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Ray Aguilera • Tavo Amador • Race Bannon Roger Brigham • Brian Bromberger Victoria A. Brownworth • Philip Campbell Heather Cassell • Dan Renzi Michael Flanagan • Jim Gladstone David Guarino • Liz Highleyman Brandon Judell • John F. Karr • Lisa Keen Matthew Kennedy • Joshua Klipp David Lamble • Max Leger David-Elijah Nahmod • Paul Parish Tim Pfaff • Jim Piechota Gregg Shapiro • Gwendolyn Smith Sari Staver • Charlie Wagner Ed Walsh • Cornelius Washington • Sura Wood

ART DIRECTION Max Leger PRODUCTION/DESIGN Ernesto Sopprani PHOTOGRAPHERS Jane Philomen Cleland • FBFE Rick Gerharter • Gareth Gooch Jose Guzman-Colon • Rudy K. Lawidjaja Georg Lester • Dan Lloyd Rich Stadtmiller • Fred Rowe Steven Underhill • Bill Wilson ILLUSTRATORS & CARTOONISTS Paul Berge • Christine Smith

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Another big blow

he announcement was not surprising, but the decision to move AIDS 2020 to a virtual online conference is an economic and cultural disappointment for the Bay Area. The conference would have been held in San Francisco and Oakland for the first time, bridging two cities at the forefront of the AIDS epidemic. Not only an economic loss for local businesses, the cancellation of an in-person conference also limits the ability to broadcast its message through related public protests and events like an exhibition of the AIDS quilt. Sponsored by the International AIDS Society, AIDS 2020 was expected to draw upward of 20,000 participants from more than 170 countries. Although the organizers concluded that it would not be safe for people to travel and gather in large numbers in the Bay Area, they say the virtual conference “will continue to shine a spotlight on our host cities, San Francisco and Oakland, exploring the tale of these two cities through science, innovation, and activism.” The conference’s switch to an online format is another effect of the novel coronavirus’ alteration of life as we knew it. Even when shelter-in-place directives are lifted – San Francisco and most of the Bay Area this week extended the order until May 3 – life will not suddenly resume as it was. There likely will be a gradual decrease of physical distancing as everyone regains confidence to gather and work in a transformed world. AIDS 2020 officials said that while the conference would be changing, it would still offer important presentations. “AIDS 2020: Virtual will still be a fantastic meeting and will include sessions on COVID-19 and the attempts to define the relationship between HIV and COVID-19,” San Francisco local conference co-chair Dr. Monica Gandhi of UCSF and Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital wrote in an email to the Bay Area Reporter. “While we are disappointed not

Liz Highleyman

Dr. Monica Gandhi, left, and Cynthia Carey-Grant, the AIDS 2020 co-chairs, talked with Congresswoman Barbara Lee at a conference kickoff event last October in San Francisco.

to welcome our HIV community in person to the Bay Area, AIDS 2020: Virtual will equalize access, create new pathways for collaboration, and maintain international impact.” As we reported, the organizers acknowledge that much remains to be learned about how COVID-19 affects people living with HIV. Most experts think those who are on effective antiretroviral treatment with an undetectable viral load and a high CD4 count are not at increased risk of infection. But a substantial proportion of HIV-positive people have not achieved viral suppression, and many are older and have underlying health conditions that could make them more likely to develop serious illness. That was the primary reason for the change: the safety of those thousands of attendees, including those living with HIV/AIDS.

Economic fallout

The AIDS conference was, of course, a particular event that would have contributed slightly to the local economy. That so many people were suddenly unemployed will have deeper and longer-lasting consequences, even

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when businesses reopen. Thankfully, San Francisco has already provided some help to those affected economically by the coronavirus. Mayor London Breed established a fund for smaller arts organizations and artists; small businesses can also apply for low-interest loans or are allowed to postpone payment of fees and some taxes. But the economy won’t suddenly return to where it was just a month ago – at least, not for a while. The situation in Oakland, which has fewer financial resources, is dire. Just before the AIDS 2020 decision, Kaiser Permanente announced that it was scrapping plans for a $900 million headquarters project in Oakland. The 1.6 million square foot office tower would have been the city’s biggest commercial project, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, which broke the story. Kaiser said it would instead focus on rehabbing its current office space in Oakland, but the loss of jobs from the tower project is a reminder that the East Bay city was struggling even before the pandemic. It could also be a glimpse of what’s to come: a possibly weakened commercial real estate market, which could also affect San Francisco. Developers may have a harder time financing such projects, especially in these uncertain times. Breed said Tuesday that San Francisco’s budget deficit for the next two fiscal years is projected to be between $1.1 billion and $1.7 billion. For reference, in December she said the deficit would be $427 million. “The coronavirus pandemic is an immediate threat to our public health and we’re doing everything we can to slow its spread and save lives, but we know that it is also having a major impact on our economy and our city’s revenue,” Breed stated. “The economic impact that is already hurting our residents and businesses is also going to require difficult decisions by the city moving forward.” The future of San Francisco will depend on the ability of large and small businesses to successfully adapt to a new reality when it’s time to open up and return to work. t

Why the words social distancing are wrong by Jesus Guillen

NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE Rivendell Media – 212.242.6863

rom the first time I heard the words social distancing I felt a headache. I knew something was not right. But the words kept flowing down the river, and people kept accepting those 16 letters as the bible of reality. Social distancing has become like a monster that keeps eating the spirit of the community, making it doubtful, afraid, and scared. Yes, there is the reality of not knowing much yet about COVID-19 (the illness caused by the novel coronavirus). There is a constant picture of death on television and a hammer of information about this pandemic every five minutes. It is so much so that it has been recommended to check the news only once or twice a day. The words, instead of social distancing, should be physical distancing. We have to rethink the concept and be socially closer than ever – from a distance. We have to allow the rain of hope to go deep into our consciousness and subconscious mind. Once upon a time, being social meant being together physically with someone or in groups, but that seems like it was a long time ago. Our existence kept walking through history, and man created many ways to communicate; from smoke signals to the telegraph to the telephone, and then, social media came to be a reality thanks to the internet. Ah, and not too long ago, cellphones became almost an extension of our hands. It seems the epidemiologists and public health officials, along with many others in government, agencies, and organizations, are ignorant that revolutions have been created through social media. We can start or kill careers in music and art, and the birth of reality stars is an everyday thing. It is not just a “fake” thing to have 5,000 friends on a Facebook page. It is true that there are lonely people who don’t go out to the streets but have many followers on Instagram or Twitter but for many of us, besides having a healthy personal social life we also have a very active social media life. Many of us had been helping people through the internet in various ways, especially approaching those who are very isolated and lonely; 70% of new relationships, for many years, have started online. We fall in love, by

Courtesy Jesus Guillen

Jesus Guillen

pictures and words, we stay in touch, we talk to people we might never meet in person, or perhaps we met a good while ago, and reencounter friends even from kindergarten. We maintain these relationships with likes, hearts, emoji, video chatting, and much more. So, yes, we are social, even if we are very far away. Let’s talk about what society means: the aggregate of people living together in a more or less ordered community. Social media has created communities of all types. Where, in the past you felt that you were alone in what makes you unique in the perception of the world, now you can see that your likes, turn-ons, or turn-offs are a lot more common than you think. You can feel supported. We can express ourselves with pictures, art, selfies (the old self-portraits); we have webinars – seminars that can be free to learn about lots of subjects, or you can pay for online universities. When public health officials wrote these words – social distancing – they didn’t think about the power of them and how much these words can have a negative impact in our community. Once again, the correct words should be physical distancing. In this time of crisis we need to be socially closer than ever, if only virtually for now. We need to find more alternative ways to

communicate and be in touch (forgive the pun, not touching right now, I know), and to socialize. By now, some of us have many concerns about the words social distancing because they do not emphasize the power of community and we need this power more than ever. Even though the government and public health departments are the source of the term in its new incarnation, it does not mean the words are right. In this case, they are very wrong. “I would argue that what we are doing right now is physical distancing, not social distancing,” said Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (D-Massachusetts), during a recent COVID-19 tele-town hall with Boston University School of Public Health professor and epidemiologist Dr. Sandro Galea, “We are creating physical distance between us to limit the spread of the virus. But we should be doing that in the same breath as we are maintaining our social connections and sense of community and common sense of purpose.” The World Health Organization is officially advocating against the phrase “social distancing” and is now recommending the phrase “physical distancing,” according to media reports in the Washington Post and other outlets. In the last webinar from the CA LGBTQ Health and Human Services Network, Dr. Philip Peters from the Center of Infectious Diseases kept using the words physical distancing, and he emphasized the fact of staying socially close to each other. All that I can ask is for all of us to please rethink the concept, be kind, find ways to keep supporting each other, and don’t allow your fear to make you act hostile. As one of the HIV long-term survivors, we are encountering another pandemic on top of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. We are all in this together. We need each other, without a doubt. #rethinktheconcept #physicaldistancing #sociallycloserthanever. t Jesus Guillen is chair of the San Francisco HIV and Aging workgroup.

Politics >>

April 2-8, 2020 • Bay Area Reporter • 5

Fall calendar fills with postponed LGBT events

by Matthew S. Bajko

he fall calendar this year is shaping up to be an especially busy time for LGBT donors and nonprofits. Multiple events have been rescheduled from the spring in light of the novel coronavirus outbreak leading to shelter-in-place orders in the Bay Area through Sunday, May 3. It remains to be seen how successful the fundraising shindigs will be as they are purposefully held earlier in the year so to avoid the already hectic fall schedule packed with other nonprofits’ yearly galas, street fairs, and other outdoor events followed by the holiday season that kicks off with Halloween. “People try to be respectful with the timing of one another’s events. Competition doesn’t help any of us, and people really want to be supportive, knowing everybody has to do their event,” said Roger Doughty, president of Horizons Foundation, which promotes philanthropy in the LGBT community throughout the Bay Area. “So to the extent people are canceling or postponing spring events, yes, it is conceivable there will be more events in the fall.” Horizons pushed back its annual Give OUT Day online fundraiser for LGBTQ nonprofits from April 23 to June 30, with the “early giving” period beginning June 1. It is still planning to celebrate its 40th anniversary on September 12 at Pier 27 in San Francisco. But Doughty told the Bay Area Reporter this week there is some uncertainty surrounding whether his agency’s event and those of others will be able to be held even in the fall due to the pandemic. “The big question is how many people are going to be allowed to gather in one place up through, say, the end of the year,” said Doughty. “If you have a 500 or 1,000 person gala will that many people in one place be allowed? Nobody knows; it is a valid question.” Some financial relief for impacted nonprofits is coming now via $200,000 in immediate emergency grants Horizons is awarding to Bay Area LGBTQ organizations, which in light of having to cancel their fundraisers and having limited financial reserves may have to resort to laying off staff and cutting back on programing in order to survive. Horizons is seeking donations toward an LGBTQ COVID-19 Response Emergency Fund it established, which the foundation noted is the only one of its kind in the Bay Area in an emailed fundraising pitch last month. As of Tuesday it had raised $100,000 from donors in addition to the $200,000 the foundation seeded the fund with from its own budget. Fundraising for the fund will be ongoing for the foreseeable future. Horizons staff will begin reviewing grant applications this Friday, April 3, with checks of up to $20,000 per nonprofit being sent out soon thereafter. “This is going to hit lots of organizations and already is,” said Doughty. “Now is the time if people in our community are in a position to be generous then this is the time to be generous. We have shown again and again we as a community step up and we respond when our community needs us when we are in crisis, and this is a crisis.” As the B.A.R. covered all through March in a special online story as local officials began banning large gatherings in an effort to curtail the spread of the virus, numerous local LGBT

Rick Gerharter

Rita Moreno spoke at Equality California’s 20th anniversary gala May 11, 2019. She was the recipient of the organization’s Ally Leadership Award.

nonprofits and national groups hosting gala dinners in San Francisco announced date changes for their major fundraising events. Most were moved to later in the year, while a few were canceled outright like the annual AIDS/Lifecycle bike ride that was set to kick off in late May and funds both the Los Angeles LGBT Center and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. And SFAF’s annual Dining Out F o r Life event, where participating restaurants where to donate a portion of their proceeds on Tuesday, April 21, has been retooled this year as Dining OUTIN For Life. In light of current circumstances, the nonprofit is asking diners to order takeout or delivery from restaurants that day and to also donate directly to SFAF. Restaurateurs are not being asked to give any money this year since they have been hit hard by the orders for people to remain home. They can still sign up and promote their menus for people to see what they can order at the event’s website https://www. doflsf.org/. In releasing the nonprofit health care provider’s 2019 annual report Monday, CEO Joe Hollendoner noted that the agency was still providing onsite services such as treatment for sexually-transmitted infections and emergency HIV-related prescriptions and virtual access to its other programs. He asked that people make a $25 donation to keep its emergency services ongoing, as it was expecting to raise $9 million or one-fifth of its budget from the bicycle ride. “As we come together as a community to confront new challenges related to COVID-19, we are committed to providing essential health services because we know that people living with HIV and other vulnerable communities need us now more than ever,” wrote Hollendoner, referring to the respiratory illness caused by the virus. Openhouse, the LGBT senior services provider based in San Francisco, canceled its annual Spring Fling brunch fundraiser and tea dance that was to take place this Sunday, April 5. Instead, it is hosting a virtual Openhouse Spring Into Action event that day at noon that will be livestreamed on its Facebook page at https://www. facebook.com/openhouseSF. People can also join in via Zoom by sending an email to mmctire@openhousesf.org for an invite. Attendees will hear about the agency’s work over the last year; the event will also kick off a special fundraising campaign for the agency. Maitri Compassionate Care, the hospice for people with HIV/AIDS

Barry Schneider Attorney at Law

family law specialist*

in San Francisco’s Duboce Triangle neighborhood, pushed back its annual Bliss Gala from May 3 until Sunday, September 20. “Maitri will continue our work of providing compassionate respite and hospice care for people living with HIV/AIDS and ensuring that no one has to suffer, transition, or die alone. But, we need your support now more than ever,” noted Executive Director the Reverend Rusty Smith in an announcement about the date change posted to the hospice’s website. More fundraisers normally held in May or June could also be postponed depending on how well the public adheres to the emergency health orders to remain at home as much as possible other than going out for essential needs like food, medicine or to see a doctor. Already, many June Pride Month celebrations around the state and across the country have been canceled or pushed back. Here are some other events that had been given new dates as of March 31. It is not meant to be exhaustive, and anyone wishing to publicize a date change for an LGBT nonprofit’s fundraiser should email the B.A.R. at news@ebar.com. The San Francisco LGBT Community Center moved its Soiree annual benefit to Saturday, October 10. The event was set to take place last Saturday, March 28, and is the center’s main fundraiser for the year. As the B.A.R. reported last week, the center’s building at 1800 Market Street is currently closed and will remain so until the city allows non-essential businesses and other entities to reopen their doors. Yet its staff continues to provide services remotely, like employment help for those who have been laid off or unable to work their regular job due to the coronavirus outbreak. It is emailing supporters asking them to donate online toward the center. “While much of San Francisco is shut down, our community’s financial needs grow more and more urgent by the day – so we continue to innovate and create new paths to services and safety nets,” noted Matthew Rizzie, the center’s director of financial services, in one fundraising pitch sent out over the weekend. Equality California, the statewide LGBT advocacy organization, plans to now hold its 2020 San Francisco Equality Awards Friday, September 11, at the Fairmont San Francisco. One of several such awards galas EQCA hosts around the state, it was supposed to be held at the hotel atop Nob Hill Saturday, May 9. The National Center for Lesbian Rights, as of now, plans to go ahead with its 43rd Anniversary Celebration with its new executive director Imani Rupert-Gordon set for Saturday, May 30. The dinner portion of the fundraiser will take place at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis that evening, with a dance party for people 21 and older happening afterward at the nearby Metreon City View. NCLR spokesman Christopher R. Vasquez told the B.A.R. this week that the only event the agency has postponed to date was its Palm Springs Garden Party scheduled for this weekend and now plans to host in the fall. “Like every other organization, we are monitoring the situation day-byday and making decisions that are best for the health, safety, and well-being of NCLR staff and everyone involved,” replied Vasquez in response to a question about its gala event. “However, during all of the closures and cancellations, NCLR continues to stay open, including our Legal Help Line, and we continue to work every day on behalf of our clients and the entire LGBTQ community.” t

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<< Community News

6 • Bay Area Reporter • April 2-8, 2020

US, Mexico AIDS confabs to go virtual by Liz Highleyman

rganizers of the 2020 International AIDS Conference announced March 27 that the inperson meeting, scheduled for July 7-10 in San Francisco and Oakland, will be replaced with a virtual conference in the wake of the ongoing coronavirus crisis. Planners of HIV2020, a parallel community-based conference slated for Mexico City at the same time, reached a similar decision. “AIDS 2020: Virtual will still be a fantastic meeting and will include sessions on COVID-19 and the attempts to define the relationship between HIV and COVID-19,” San Francisco local conference co-chair Dr. Monica Gandhi of UCSF and Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital wrote in an email to the Bay Area Reporter. “While we are disappointed not to welcome our HIV community in person to the Bay Area, AIDS 2020: Virtual will equalize access, create new pathways for collaboration, and maintain international impact.” AIDS 2020 and HIV2020 are just two of many conferences to be canceled, postponed, or shifted to a virtual format in recent weeks. Last month, the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, the largest annual U.S. HIV scientific meeting, was among the first to go virtual, with presentations given via webcast. When contacted three weeks ago, Gandhi, who serves as medical director of the HIV Clinic at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, told the Bay Area Reporter, “we are too far

Liz Highleyman

Cynthia Carey-Grant, left, gestures to her fellow AIDS 2020 co-chair Dr. Monica Gandhi at a conference kickoff event last fall in San Francisco.

away from AIDS 2020 to have a definitive decision yet on whether it will be held in person or virtually, until we can observe the course of containment over the next month or so.” But the pandemic has moved with remarkable speed. Last week, the United States overtook China as the country with the most cumulative cases of COVID-19, as the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus is called. Sponsored by the International AIDS Society, AIDS 2020 was expected to draw upward of 20,000 participants from more than 170 countries. Although the organizers concluded that it would not be safe for people to travel and gather in large numbers in the Bay Area, they say the virtual conference “will continue to shine a

spotlight on our host cities, San Francisco and Oakland, exploring the tale of these two cities through science, innovation, and activism.” The organizers acknowledge that much remains to be learned about how COVID-19 affects people living with HIV. Most experts think those who are on effective antiretroviral treatment with an undetectable viral load and a high CD4 count are not at increased risk of infection. But a substantial proportion of HIV-positive people have not achieved viral suppression, and many are older and have underlying health conditions that could make them more likely to develop serious illness. “[W]e are acutely aware that there is not yet sufficient data on whether people living with HIV are more sus-

ceptible to COVID-19 or more likely to develop severe disease,” according to a statement from Gandhi and cochairs Dr. Anton Pozniak and Cynthia Carey-Grant. “Therefore, we have a special obligation to reduce any potential risk to the HIV community.” Furthermore, the statement continues, “many of those who were planning to attend are now working on the front lines in the response to COVID-19 around the world. We have a responsibility to not put any of these individuals – or their home communities – at risk, nor redirect their efforts at a critical time in the response to the pandemic.” Organizers said that the virtual conference will still feature a full program of events. “AIDS 2020: Virtual will enable delegates to access and engage with the latest HIV science, advocacy, and knowledge traditionally presented at the conference,” according to the co-chairs’ statement. “It will be a compelling combination of virtual sessions and community networking including exhibitions, workshops, the Global Village, satellites, and preconferences that will reach audiences around the world.”

Mexico City meeting canceled

Ever since it was announced that San Francisco and Oakland would be the host cities for AIDS 2020, some local and international advocates have opposed holding the meeting in the United States, citing a political climate they see as increasingly hostile to immigrants, people of color,

LGBT people, and other groups heavily impacted by HIV. In late 2018, a coalition of advocates, community organizations, and people living with HIV announced that they would host a concurrent event in Mexico City. These organizers, too, rethought their plans in the face of the new pandemic, and a decision was cemented when the Mexican government suspended large events and gatherings at least through August. “The organizers of HIV2020 prioritize above all else the health and safety of our communities,” reads an updated statement on the conference website. “We cannot overstate the seriousness of the COVID-19 pandemic.” HIV2020 organizers are still exploring alternatives to a face-to-face meeting. “This may include virtual sessions (i.e., prerecorded keynote addresses from leaders in the field, livestreamed panel presentations led by community advocates and community-led service providers, and virtual discussion rooms) aligned with the HIV020 themes of affinity, intersectional, and solidarity,” the statement continued. “Alternatives to a face-to-face meeting will most certainly shine a spotlight on the critical role communities have and must continue to play in the global HIV response.” Registered delegates will be contacted with further information on a reduced pricing structure, and details about the virtual program will be available at http://www.aids2020. org. t

SF moves to oppose blood ban; Wiener plans drive by John Ferrannini

early days of the AIDS epidemic. The ban also extends to blood plasma. As the B.A.R. previously reported, Wiener sent a letter to FDA chief Dr. Stephen Hahn March 24 calling for the ban to be lifted. Two days later, 17 U.S. senators signed a letter to Hahn calling for the same. Signatories included Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin), the only openly lesbian member of the chamber; Kamala Harris (D-California); and Democratic presidential contender Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont).

(Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Arizona, is openly bisexual and was not a signer. Baldwin and Sinema are the only out LGBTs ever elected to the Senate.) Mandelman said he had the idea of introducing a resolution after Wiener’s letter, which was accompanied by a petition and the senators’ letter. “When I saw Senator Wiener’s letter and then saw that the U.S. senators called on the FDA to change the policy, it seemed like the San Francisco Board of Supervisors should weigh in,” Mandelman said in a phone interview with the B.A.R. March 31. “I talked with my team and it made sense.” Mandelman said he’d been in touch with Wiener on the issue. Wiener said the FDA ban is irrational and discriminatory. “The ban must end, particularly given the severe blood shortage we’re experiencing,” Wiener said. “It’s disappointing that the agency continues to ignore the science about how we test for HIV. It makes no sense to require gay and bi men to be celibate for a year, while allowing straight people with multiple sex partners to donate immediately.” Mandelman said lifting the ban makes sense. “In a lot of ways, it’s a no-brainer.

It’s embarrassing that the United States hasn’t changed this policy. It’s harmful in a public health crisis and it’s demeaning to gay and bi men,” Mandelman said. Health officials have been warning that the blood supply will deplete as blood drives have been forced to cancel or reschedule, and people have been staying home to slow the spread of COVID-19 (the disease caused by the novel coronavirus). Blood banks are considered essential and are open in San Francisco in spite of the stay-at-home orders in effect in California, the Bay Area, and other municipalities. “We’ve had so many community blood drives canceled,” Kevin Adler of Vitalant told the B.A.R. March 23. “With all that’s going on, people aren’t going to be able to volunteer.” When the FDA first prohibited gay men from giving blood in 1983, HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, had not yet been identified and so there was no way to screen for it in blood donations – which put people in need of blood transfusions at risk. But after the HIV antibody test was widely proliferated, the lifetime ban did not change in a meaningful way

until 2015, during the Obama administration. The FDA’s new rules prohibit men who have had sex with men in the past year from donating blood, as well as any of their female partners. For years many LGBT organizations and gay advocates have been calling for the ban to be removed in light of the changes that have occurred since the early 1980s. Mandelman said he expects his resolution to pass at the board meeting April 7, when it will be voted upon. “I would be shocked and deeply offended if it does not pass unanimously,” Mandelman said. When asked to comment for this story March 31, the FDA emailed the following statement to the B.A.R., which has been quoted in other publications in the preceding weeks: “FDA is aware there has been a dramatic reduction in blood and plasma donations around the country. The agency is working with the blood banking and source plasma industries to increase supply. At this time, the FDA’s recommendations regarding blood donor deferral for men who have sex with men have not changed, but we are actively considering the situation as the outbreak progresses.” t

er or not to proceed with planned events,” Breed said in a March 31 news release from Frameline. “While it isn’t an easy decision to postpone, I’m glad that Frameline is committed to finding ways to continue supporting filmmakers and artists who offer points of view and share their stories of overcoming obstacles.” The news comes two weeks after the Queer Cultural Center announced it was postponing its annual National Queer Arts Festival that is also held during Pride Month. It too is looking at holding some of programming in the fall. “We want to center public health and community safety. Some shows may be produced in the fall, and we will share when those come to frui-

tion,” Mia Nakano, the center’s communications director, wrote in a March 18 email announcing the postponement of the festival. Woolley stated that since its inception in 1977, Frameline has welcomed audiences “to celebrate the power of queer cinema alongside Pride celebrations in the month of June.” “While Pride Month remains the spiritual home of the festival, we look forward to bringing the community together at a later date, to connect with the most vibrant and diverse LGBTQ+ storytellers in film,” Woolley stated. “The safety of our beloved audience, staff, filmmakers, and community partners must come first.” The organization has launched the Frameline2020 Fund, with a goal of

raising $250,000. Due to the unprecedented emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic (the illness caused by the novel coronavirus), Woolley noted that Frameline is faced with a rapid reduction in cash flow. From the beginning of March, usually one of the highest earning months of the year, income has been interrupted and delayed, the release noted. Now that the film festival has been moved to the fall, Frameline will not likely see a return of stable income for months, the release stated. Considerable measures to cut expenses have been taken, but individual donor support is needed in order for Frameline to provide valuable programs and services as well as continue paying staff. With announcements from the

LGBT film and arts festivals, eyes now turn to the San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration Committee as to whether this year’s 50th annual Pride parade and celebration will also be postponed. As the Bay Area Reporter has previously reported, for now the June 27-28 parade is on, and SF Pride officials were looking to make a decision my mid-April. That timeline may accelerate, however, as the scope of the outbreak becomes clearer. On Monday, SF Pride officials told the B.A.R. there was nothing new to report. For more information, visit www. frameline.org. t

ay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman introduced a resolution to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors March 31 calling upon the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to lift its ban on men who have had sex with men in the past year from giving blood amid a projected blood supply shortage due to the novel coronavirus outbreak. Meanwhile, gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) announced that he will hold a blood drive next week urging people to donate on behalf of gay and bi men. Dubbed #giveforagay, the drive will take place Tuesday, April 7, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Zellerbach Rehearsal Hall, 300 Franklin Street in San Francisco. Mayor London Breed has agreed to donate blood on behalf of gay men, Wiener’s office told the Bay Area Reporter. Mandelman introduced the resolution amid mounting calls for the FDA to change its policies. The first FDA prohibition on gay and bisexual men giving blood was a lifetime ban on men who have had sex with men donating blood instituted during the

Frameline

From page 1

to celebrate Pride Month in June, according to a news release. San Francisco Mayor London Breed acknowledged the difficult decision organizers had to make. On Monday, Breed announced that the city’s shelter-in-place order would be extended to May 1. While it is not yet known how physical distancing will be eased once the order is lifted, local officials have said it’s unlikely that all shuttered businesses would reopen at once. A more gradual restart is likely, including larger events like the film festival. “During this challenging and uncertain time, organizations have to make tough decisions about wheth-

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<< Community News

8 • Bay Area Reporter • April 2-8, 2020

Syphilis rates up in 2019, but public health shifts to virus by John Ferrannini

he public health infrastructure traditionally dedicated to fighting sexually transmitted diseases has shifted its focus to fighting the novel coronavirus as a recent report showed an increase in syphilis cases in San Francisco. “This is the big story that’s just starting to be told – the remarkable way that STD programs are being affected by the redeployment of workers,” Dr. Christopher Hall, the chair of the clinical advisory committee of the National Coalition of STD Directors, told the Bay Area Reporter in a March 26 phone call. “In some cases there’s an absence of a functioning STD clinic. In others, such as in San Francisco, they’re able to prevent it from getting gutted, but everywhere clients access services are being affected.” Hall was a medical director of the Magnet men’s health clinic in the Castro from 2004 until 2020. He also served as the vice president of medical affairs at the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, which now operates Magnet at its Strut men’s health center in the Castro. At Magnet, sexual health services have been limited to essentials, according to a receptionist interviewed inperson March 20. Those essentials include sexually transmitted infection testing if acute symptoms are present, testing of people who have had sexual contact with those who have tested positive for syphilis, people who are worried about HIV exposure, and those who need to access antiretrovirals or their PrEP medications. Hall said that disruptions in STD services happening nationwide include people not being able to get injected antibiotic treatments, clinics being less able to test for STDs using oral swabs because of fears of coronavirus transmission in close proximity, adapting to drive-through testing similar to the drive-through COVID-19 (the disease

Courtesy Nurx

Dr. Christopher Hall of the National Coalition of STD Directors

caused by the novel coronavirus) test sites, and not wanting to let people who are symptomatic of COVID-19 inside. “It’s intense,” Hall said. “It’s intense for folks who work in STD care and now have to do the next best thing (to treat STDs).” San Francisco Department of Public Health officials, and other medical professionals contacted by the B.A.R. for this story, said that they could not comment on the year-end STD report for the city in 2019 (released in early March) because they are devoting their resources to fighting the coronavirus. When asked about the intersection of COVID-19 and STDs, DPH said that having an STD does not necessarily increase one’s risk. “SFDPH does not have any evidence that STDs have any impact on a person’s risk of acquiring any respiratory virus, including the coronavirus (COVID-19),” Jenna Lane of DPH wrote in an email to the B.A.R. March 11. Meanwhile, as the B.A.R. previously reported, the coronavirus outbreak has caused a hearing on allowing gay bathhouses in San Francisco to be delayed. Restrictions on bathhouses in the city were first enacted in 1984 as a response to the AIDS epidemic.

That hearing was pushed back to July. Gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman announced in early February that he’s preparing an ordinance aimed at updating the city’s policies regarding private rooms in adult sex venues. It was to be taken up by the supervisors’ public safety and neighborhood services committee, which he chairs. The two gay bathhouses in the Bay Area – Steamworks in Berkeley and The Watergarden in San Jose – shuttered after government orders limiting nonessential businesses’ ability to operate as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. The pandemic is hampering public health officials’ ability to fight STDs, according to the National Coalition of STD Directors. “More than half of the nation’s public health outbreak response workforce, STD disease investigation specialists, have been redeployed for COVID-19, and up to half of the nation’s STD clinics are closed or repurposed for the virus,” the group announced in a March 20 news release. “This is across the board,” Matthew Prior, the director of communications for the coalition, said in a phone interview with the B.A.R. March 20. “STD prevention in the United States has slowed to a halt with up to half of staff being relocated for coronavirus response.” Prior said that what STD first responders – “the people that go into communities, find disease and arrest the spread of infection” – need the most, is more of them. “We have needed more first responders for a long time,” Prior said. “There’s not enough people to go around to respond to coronavirus and maintain effective STD services.” Prior said that coronavirus is limiting even STD clinics that remain open, with rules about what those clinics can provide and how many people are allowed in at one time.

Syphilis cases rise in the city as other STDs stay flat

The year-end STD statistics released by the San Francisco Department of Public Health March 4 show total chlamydia and gonorrhea cases down in 2019 from 2018 – but also feature an alarming rise in syphilis cases, particularly among women. Hall said that the reason more syphilis cases are being found among women is because more tests are being given to pregnant women so that their babies won’t be born with syphilis. “There has been increased casefinding of congenital syphilis,” Hall said. “If you don’t treat women appropriately during pregnancy, that’s when the newborn becomes infected.” There were 1,665 cases of syphilis in San Francisco in 2018 and 1,860 in 2019, according to DPH statistics. Of these, 114 of the 2018 cases were among women, compared with 159 of the 2019 cases – a rise of 29%. There was one case of congenital syphilis in San Francisco in 2019, according to DPH statistics, compared with zero cases the year before. Dr. Jeffrey Klausner, who was director of STD prevention and control services at the San Francisco Department of Public Health from 1998 to 2010, said the rising syphilis rates are the result of budget cuts. “We’ve been seeing rates go up for the past 10 years now,” Klausner, who is now an adjunct professor of medicine at UCLA, said in a phone interview with the Bay Area Reporter March 6. “They leveled off in the mid-2000s in San Francisco, partly because of our Healthy Penis campaign, but when that was defunded the rates went upward again.” The popular campaign featured a Healthy Penis and Phil, the syphilis sore, urging men who have sex with men to regularly get tested for STDs.

Syphilis cases were at a near alltime low nationally at the turn of the millennium, and have spiked since then. According to Klausner, intravenous drug use is a major cause for the increase in cases among women (cases of the bacterial infection are still predominantly spread between men who have sex with men). “A cause is the relationship to the opiate epidemic and the exchange of needles, drugs for sex, and the intersection of that with poverty,” Klausner said. “With proper resources, syphilis can be brought under control. “The spillover of the male population to female is concerning because syphilis in that population can become congenital syphilis,” he added. Gonorrhea rates were down from 5,915 in 2018 to 5,565 in 2019. Male rectal gonorrhea cases were down from 1,629 in 2018 to 1,561 in 2019. Chlamydia, too, was down, from 9,465 in 2018 to 9,438 in 2019. Male rectal chlamydia cases declined from 2,446 in 2018 to 2,427 cases in 2019. Hall said that there had been concern that increased PrEP use as a prophylaxis for HIV infection had made some people think numbers of bacterial STDs would explode. But Hall said that hasn’t happened because a PrEP prescription is often accompanied by increased testing for those infections. “The offsetting phenomenon is that people on PrEP are getting screened every three months or so with regular screening so you are catching STIs earlier,” Hall said. “On average, sexually active gay men were getting screened every nine12 months but in the era of PrEP what is happening is we are catching STIs earlier and the forward transmission is blunted or decreased. The increased screening is keeping the numbers of STDs relatively in check.” t

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t Idaho set to be added to CA, SF banned travel list 10 • Bay Area Reporter • April 2-8, 2020

by Matthew S. Bajko

Courtesy AP

Idaho Governor Brad Little

in athletics based on their gender assigned at birth, and Idaho House Bill 509, which bars updates to birth certificates issued to transgender people. Little’s signing the two bills into law amid the global novel coronavirus outbreak was swiftly condemned by LGBT rights groups, which for weeks had mobilized their supporters to contact Little and urge him not to sign the pair of discriminatory bills. Transgender advocacy organiza-

WALLBEDS

AND

ith Idaho’s adoption of two anti-transgender bills last month, the state can now be expected to see it be added to the banned travel lists kept by California and San Francisco. For five years now both the state and city have restricted taxpayerfunded travel to states that discriminate against LGBT people except for emergency purposes. The Golden State’s “no-fly” list covers government workers, academics, and college sports teams at public universities. San Francisco not only bans nonessential travel to the states on the list but also restricts city agencies and departments from signing contracts with businesses based there. At the moment there are 11 states on the two lists, which mirror one another, and in February Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued California in federal court over its list. The Gem State is now assured of becoming the 12th state on both lists now that Governor Brad Little has signed into law two bills that restrict the rights of transgender Idaho citizens. Monday, March 30, he signed Idaho House Bill 500, which requires transgender students to participate

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tions had been leading the campaign against the bills and similar legislation introduced this year in more than a dozen statehouses. “Passing laws that single out and attacks trans people, and especially trans youth, at time when our world is grappling with an unprecedented global health crisis is irresponsible and wrong,” stated Kris Hayashi, executive director of the Transgender Law Center. “Our local and federal government policies and actions must be focused entirely on keeping people safe and healthy, not advancing discrimination and deliberately causing harm.” Juniperangelica Cordova, the senior organizer for TRUTH (TRans yoUTH), a youth media and organizing program of Genders & Sexualities Alliance, noted that Idaho’s HB 500 denies trans youth the experiences all students in school deserve and singles out trans young people like herself “for isolation, bullying, and violence.” Cordova, who has backing a California bill aimed at ensuring the state’s public colleges don’t deadname trans graduates on their diplomas like UC Berkeley did to her last year, criticized Idaho lawmakers for supporting the two transphobic laws. “It is incomprehensible that Governor Little and lawmakers in Idaho would turn a moment of national crisis into an opportunity to attack vulnerable young people,” she stated. “Showing up for trans youth is more important now than ever.”

The Human Rights Campaign, the national LGBT rights group, warned that HB 500 not only forbids transgender girls from being able to play on sports teams with other girls but also will subject all girls to the risk of invasive, expensive, and inappropriate testing. It noted that Idaho’s current attorney general and five previous attorneys general of Idaho all urged the Legislature and governor to prevent the bill from becoming law because it is unconstitutional. “We are living in an unprecedented global health crisis, with confirmed cases of COVID-19 increasing on a daily basis in Idaho, across the United States and around the world, but Governor Brad Little and the Idaho legislature have decided to prioritize the demonization of transgender people,” stated HRC President Alphonso David. “This is unacceptable, and a gross misuse of taxpayer funds and trust. Idaho is leading the way in antitransgender discrimination, and at a time when life is hard enough for everyone, Idaho’s elected leaders will be remembered for working to make their transgender residents’ lives even harder. Shame on Governor Little and the legislators who championed these heinous pieces of legislation.” The Idaho chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union condemned Little’s signing of the “discriminatory, unconstitutional, and deeply hurtful anti-transgender bills into law. Leaders from the business, faith, medical, education and athletics communities

will not forget this decision or what it says about the governor’s priorities during a global pandemic.” The ACLU pledged to sue Little in court. It also encouraged people to email the governor at governor@gov. idaho.gov and call him at (208) 3342100 and tweet him @GovernorLittle to express their disappointment. “We encourage all Idahoans to email, call, and tweet Gov. Little to express outrage and disappointment at wasting precious taxpayer resources on blatantly anti-transgender bills at a time when we should be coming together for the health and wellbeing of our people,” it stated. Spokespeople for California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and City Administrator Naomi Kelly, who oversee which states are added to the state and city travel bans, respectively, did not immediate respond to the Bay Area Reporter’s request for comment late Monday about when Idaho would be added to the lists. They both last added Iowa to the lists in September after Hawkeye State lawmakers adopted House File Bill No. 766 (HF 766) on May 3 last year. The bill repealed existing protections under the Iowa Civil Rights Act that previously ensured Medicaid coverage for gender-affirming care. Also on the lists are South Carolina, Oklahoma, Texas, Alabama, Kentucky, South Dakota, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Kansas. t

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(Professional Party Person) status I claim today. obb “Lord” Martine, And so, with each stroke a writer who was I open the voyeuristic once called “the king of glory hole that allows you San Francisco nightlife,” to peer into an after-dark died Friday, March 20. He abyss where you can find was 50. little Lord Martine living A cause of death was out his childhood fantanot released. sies ... still playing, just Courtesy Twitter “Lord Martine always the way Mama taught.” Robb “Lord” brought glamour and Martine Martine subsequently his flare for the dramatic wrote the nightlife colto everything he was inumn, Tearing up the volved in,” Sister Roma, a Town, in the San Francislongtime friend and member of the co Chronicle and served as editordrag nuns charitable group the Sisin-chief of Gloss magazine before ters of Perpetual Indulgence, wrote Cecil Russell. He was simultanein a March 25 email to the Bay Area ously a special events producer for Reporter. Flavors You Crave. Mr. Martine, a gay man, was born When contacted by the B.A.R. August 29, 1969 in Aurora, ColoraMarch 25, Russell said he had do. He went to Aurora Central High known Martine for over 25 years. School, from which he graduated in “He was always smiling, friendly, 1987, and subsequently earned a deand genuine – never saw him in a gree in fashion design. bad mood,” Russell said. “He loved In the early 1990s, he moved to to smile and laugh. He loved to enSan Francisco and became a fixture tertain people.” in the city’s LGBT underground The Edge story stated that Marclubs. He said in a 2010 interview tine was an instrumental figure in with Edge Media Network that he Jock Sundays at Lookout, the Gloss made his start as an “androgynous magazine Holiday Soiree, and Radar club kid.” at Club Trigger (a nightclub that was “By day I worked at the original in the space that Beaux occupies toHearst-owned Examiner in the speday). cial events department,” Martine Chris Hastings, the owner of said in the interview. “By night I was Lookout, said Martine’s influence skipping from club to club in Lord made an indelible mark on Castro Martine couture and gold Chanel revelry. medallions.” “As a producer he was instrumenMartine wrote in a 1998 Examtal in launching some of the earliest iner column that he “was forthwith parties at Lookout and played a sigdubbed ‘Lord’ Martine by the reignnificant role in shaping the culture ing club kings and queens of the day and building the community that (or night as it were).” lives on there today,” Hastings wrote “Driven by the desire to see and to the B.A.R. March 25. “His superbe seen, for years I submerged hero-themed party Activate was an nightly into my illusionary land of evolution of Castro nightlife, and music, theater, fashion, dance, art, he played a key role in starting Jock gossip and scandal,” Martine wrote. Sundays, which is still going strong “On this course, I acquired nightlife 12 years after its inception. While knowledge with each after-dark adit has been years since he worked venture, carrying me to the P-cubed in nightlife, the stamp he placed on

queer nightlife in San Francisco is indelible.” Hastings wrote about what Martine was like personally, as well. “Lord Martine was passionate, charismatic, and kind,” Hastings wrote. “He had a flair for the dramatic and an energy that was contagious. He was a creative force of nature with an incredible ability to not only have a grand vision but to make it become a reality.” Sister Roma recalled an especially fond memory. “I’ll never forget the year he was assistant to our mutual friend Larry Hashbarger, the director of the iconic Macy’s Passport fashion show. Martine invited Madeline (an SF drag legend) and me as VIP guests. “As people were taking their seats, he pulled us aside and told us to wait,” Roma added. “Then minutes before the show started Martine had a giant spotlight shine on us as Madeline and I took out seats. It created quite a sensation! He was a genius.” Hashbarger did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. Drag artist Heklina, a co-owner of Oasis, said she has known Martine for about 20 years. “Lord Martine was an incredibly talented event planner, seamstress, florist ... really, anything he set his mind to,” Heklina wrote to the B.A.R. “I lost touch with him over the past few years, and am saddened to know I will never get to see his face again. Rest in peace, Martine.” At the time of his death, Martine still lived in San Francisco and was working on a variety of projects, including floral design. He had launched the Lord Martine Global organization. Friends of Martine can leave messages at the website of the Sullivan’s and Duggan’s Serra Funeral Services (https://www.sullivansfuneralandcremation.com/obituaries/RobbMartine?obId=12500294). t

An Open Letter To the Community We want you to know that, during these challenging times, we are here for you.

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Jonathan Oliver President & CEO * The continuance of late fee reversals will be evaluated each month ** APR = Annual Percentage Rate. Rates, terms and conditions may vary based on qualifications. All loans are subject to approval. Membership required; membership is open to anyone who lives, works, worships or attends school in San Francisco or San Mateo Counties. Federally insured by NCUA.

<< Community News

12 • Bay Area Reporter • April 2-8, 2020

Before staying at home, LGBTs recalled Castro businesses by David-Elijah Nahmod [Editor’s note: This article is about an event that took place before widespread physical distancing orders were implemented and non-essential businesses had to close.]

few weeks before public health officials ordered all non-essential businesses to close due to the coronavirus outbreak, there was a march in the Castro to remember shops that were shuttered before the pandemic reached San Francsco. In fact, a large crowd was on hand in late February as Juanita MORE! organized A March to Remember and Reignite Hope – before physical distancing became the norm. Its focus was on businesses that had closed due to rising rents but it also celebrated those that have survived. Now, with the Castro a ghost town (along with other neighborhoods in San Francisco, the Bay Area, and state), it’s uncertain whether some of the once-open shops will return after physical distancing is eased, and what form those companies will take. Participants at the February 29 march were intent on keeping the Castro vibrant, however, and are likely to work toward that aim in the future. MORE! had organized a similar march in 2018 in the city’s Polk Gulch neighborhood. Gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, who represents the Castro, participated in the march, as did longtime activist Ken Jones and drag artist Joshua Grannell, also known as Peaches Christ. “As you can see and hear there’s not a lot of life here anymore,” Jones told the Bay Area Reporter as the marchers were gathering. “So we wanted to create an event that causes us to think not only about yesterday’s Castro but about tomorrow’s Castro.”

Rick Gerharter

Tina Valentin Aguirre, third from right, speaks about the importance of the Edge bar during Juanita MORE!’s Castro March to Remember and Reignite Hope February 29, before physical distancing was instituted in San Francisco.

“I organized this event because I celebrate both old and closed and new businesses,” added MORE! “I want to keep the legacy alive in the Castro.” The march went up Castro Street from Market to 19th streets, and then came back down Castro on the other side of the street. Marchers then turned onto Market Street and continued on to the recently shuttered Flore cafe, which at the time was serving as the San Francisco headquarters for Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign. (She dropped out of the race March 5.) Black wreaths were laid at the doorsteps of businesses that have been lost, while rainbow wreaths were placed in front of those that were open. “I’m here because it’s important to support our communities and the LGBT-owned businesses that are their backbone,” said Brenden Chadwick, a 29-year-old queer man. MORE! and Mandelman addressed the crowd before the march began.

“Today, we’re going to celebrate old businesses in the Castro, which really laid the legacy for what is called the Castro,” said MORE! “Some of those spaces do have new businesses now and I want to celebrate those, and I want to mourn the ones that have closed. The rent hikes have made it really hard in this community to stay here.” MORE! also promoted San Francisco Proposition D, which voters approved March 3. Prop D is meant to address the city’s retail vacancy crisis – particularly pronounced in neighborhoods such as the Castro and North Beach – by taxing owners or renters who keep ground floor retail and commercial spaces vacant at rates as low as $250 and as high as $1,000 per street-facing foot. “A lot of us feel mixed feelings about the Castro,” Mandelman told the crowd. “We love it, there is so much that is vibrant and exciting about the Castro, but we also know that this is a neighborhood that in a

lot of ways is really struggling. We see it in the vacant storefronts, we see it on our streets and sidewalks when we see unhoused folks who are not getting the care that they need, and we see it in the closure of longtime businesses that create those vacancies.” The first stop was Orphan Andy’s, the gay-owned diner at 3991 17th Street that’s been open for decades, and its neighbor, Twin Peaks Tavern, the first gay bar in the U.S. to have fulllength open plate glass windows. Stephen Torres placed rainbow wreaths in front of both establishments. A rainbow wreath was also placed in front of the Castro Theatre, at 429 Castro Street, at which Peaches addressed the crowd. “The Castro Theatre is well known to all of us,” Peaches said. “When I first moved to San Francisco in 1996 I came immediately to the Frameline Film Festival and volunteered, which is where I found my initial community. Movie theaters for our community can be regarded sometimes as churches because it’s where we come to celebrate what we love. Many of us love movies, movies have changed our lives, they tell our stories. This theater is a cultural pinpoint for the entire city.” A black wreath and a rainbow wreath were placed at Dog Eared Books, at 489 Castro Street. Alvin Orloff placed the wreaths, a rainbow one for Dog Eared, and a black one for the former LGBT bookstore A Different Light, which once occupied the same site. Terry Beswick, executive director of the GLBT Historical Society, placed a rainbow wreath at Castro Country Club, at 4058 18th Street, a sober space where he once served as executive director. Beswick then placed a black wreath at the site of the former Jaguar Books next door. A rainbow wreath was placed by

Grace Torres at Moby Dick, a gay bar at 4049 18th Street. A black wreath was placed at the recently closed Eureka Restaurant, 4063 18th Street, while recent Emperor Terrill Grimes placed a rainbow wreath at the Midnight Sun, 4067 18th Street. Kevin Bard placed a rainbow wreath for Hamburger Mary’s, at 531 Castro Street, and a black wreath for the shuttered Patio Cafe, which had operated at the same location. Photographer Gooch placed a black wreath at the former site of Castro Camera, the business run by the late Harvey Milk located at 575 Castro Street, and where Milk ran his campaign for San Francisco supervisor. (Today the site houses the Human Rights Campaign Action Center and Store.) “This store was so integral to Harvey’s campaign,” Gooch said of Castro Camera. “This is where he had his campaign meetings. This is kind of ground zero for the LGBT civil rights movement.” Brenden Darby placed a rainbow wreath at Anchor Oyster Bar, 579 Castro Street, while Honey Mahogany recalled a queer-owned real estate firm that operated at 578-580 Castro Street as far back as 1964. Mahogany also placed black and rainbow wreaths at 500 Castro Street, a rainbow wreath for current business, Harvey’s, and a black wreath for the former Elephant Walk, which once occupied the same site. Tina Valentin Aguirre honored the Edge, a bar at 4149 18th Street. Aguirre recalled that the same site once housed Francine’s, a lesbian bar. Jones addressed the crowd in front of Toad Hall, at 4146 18th Street, which was formerly the Pendulum. “The Pendulum was primarily for African American men and women, See page 13 >>

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Cannabis News>>

April 2-8, 2020 • Bay Area Reporter • 13

San Francisco cannabis dispensaries adapt by Sari Staver

it is operating “under reduced capacity” and will only be able to respond to inquiries with a status report. Some office staff are working remotely while others have been summoned as emergency service workers.

usiness is getting back to usual at Bay Area cannabis stores. After initially declaring dispensaries were non-essential when the San Francisco shelter-in-place order went into effect March 17, city health officials and political leaders quickly reversed themselves and determined cannabis is an essential medicine during the coronavirus outbreak, paving the way for shops to reopen. As the Bay Area Reporter noted, many did just that, although some have reduced hours so it’s best to check their website or, even better, call before you leave the house. At the Castro Apothecarium, 2029 Market Street, changes make shopping safer for customers and staff, said store manager Cali Manzello. In a telephone interview with the B.A.R., Manzello said the company has taken precautions to be sure there is minimal contact between customers and staff, including a six foot distance from the counter where customers can use an iPad to scroll the menu, replacing the paper product. The tablet is wiped down between uses, she said. The Apothecarium is operating with a smaller staff and shorter

Castro businesses

From page 12

and the people who loved them,” Jones said. “We’re also in the history books, because of the Pendulum Pirates. Back in the 1980s the San Francisco softball league raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to fight AIDS. Pendulum Pirates was led by a guy by the name of Glenn Burke, an African American

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hours since the stay-at-home order went into effect, although there were no layoffs, officials said. The store is planning to resume delivery service soon but until then it is doing instore consultations. It recommends people order online for pick up if possible. The LGBT-owned SPARC has seen a dip in business since the stayat-home order went into effect. Of its five Bay Area stores, only one, Love Shack, located at 502 14th Street in the Mission, is temporarily closed.

In an email to the B.A.R., SPARC CEO Erich Pearson wrote, “We were lucky to have launched our new delivery and in-store pickup platform online a few months ago. So, we are very busy delivering and doing curbside pickup. Sales are down quite a bit. However, we have managed to not lay off any employees.” In the meantime, during the shelter-in-place order, the San Francisco Office of Cannabis will continue to process permits and respond to permitting inquiries. According to the office’s newsletter,

In late March, entrepreneurs in Southern California launched a new cannabis wellness company, after successfully raising $1.5 million from a dozen angel investors. Based in San Juan Capistrano, the new company, Out & About, was founded by two men with strong ties to the LGBT community: a gay man, Wayne Carkeek, and Ralph Fascitelli, a member of PFLAG. According to the company’s promotional material, Carkeek grew up in a small town in Montana and came out shortly after a four-year stint in the U.S. Marine Corps. The company plans to give a minimum of 5% of all proceeds back to the LGBT community. Products from Out & About are THC-free and contain CBD, a nonhallucinogenic chemical compound that is made from marijuana. Products, available on the website include

brother, first major league baseball player to come out of the closet.” Burke, who played for the Oakland A’s, died of AIDS-related complications in 1995. Jones also noted that women and people of color once found it difficult to get into Castro gay bars, and that once getting into the bars there was no guarantee that you would be served. “For several years we were on these

streets as young African American gay and bisexual men saying that this is very f-ed up, we have a right to be in here,” said Jones. “And so we spent a whole summer trying to convince everyone that this street, this bar, this movement, is for all of us, and there’s room for all of us, and let’s continue to make room for all of us.” Les Natali owns Toad Hall. In 2004, Natali was the subject of anti-discrimi-

nation complaints at Badlands, another bar he owns in the Castro, which saw weekly protests that summer. A 2004 report by the San Francisco Human Rights Commission found that the bar was discriminating against African-Americans, but the findings were never official because the HRC executive director at the time did not sign off on the staff report. Natali and the complainants eventually reached a

Courtesy the Apothecarium

The Apothecarium in San Francisco’s Castro neighborhood is open, but with reduced hours.

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confidential settlement. Baruch Porras-Hernandez celebrated Strut, the men’s health clinic operated by the San Francisco AIDS Foundation at 470 Castro Street. Porras-Hernandez also recalled Star Pharmacy, which is now occupied by Walgreens at 18th and Castro streets. Star Pharmacy was where the late AIDS activist Bobbi Campbell put up a sign See page 17 >>

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<< From the Cover

16 • Bay Area Reporter • April 2-8, 2020

Shelter-in-place

From page 1

sunset April 7. However city and county officials throughout the Bay Area had always indicated that the April 7 date was provisional and the orders would be extended or shortened depending on the progress of the fight against the spread of COVID-19 (the disease caused by the novel coronavirus). The seven Bay Area jurisdictions in question are the six counties subject to the March 16 order – San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Marin – as well as the city of Berkeley (which is nonetheless situated entirely in Alameda County). The entire state of California has been under a stay-at-home order made by Governor Gavin Newsom March 19. That order has no sunset date and is likely to be extended. Newsom already announced public schools in the state will remain closed until May 1. Both the Bay Area and Californiawide orders demand people stay at home except for essential grocery shopping or business. Walks in public spaces are permitted, as long as people stay at least six feet apart.

Hookups

From page 1

Public health guidelines

The physical distancing guidelines now accepted in the Bay Area and much of the country are clear, as public officials have ordered people to stay home as much as possible and, when going in public for outings such as walks, essential business or necessary errands, to stay at least six feet away from other people. A man who asked to be identified as Frank said he is using Grindr for sexting. “I lived through the AIDS epidemic and saw the impact of not listening to health advice,” Frank wrote. “There were many in our culture who continue to have unsafe sex and were exposed to HIV and subsequently exposed others because they wanted to get off. Some even justified it by saying that it wasn’t their obligation to tell other people they were HIV-positive or if someone didn’t want to use a condom it was up to them and only them to ask for one.” The public health department in New York City – which has more cases of, and deaths attributable to, COVID-19 (the disease caused by the novel coronavirus) than any other city – issued a two-page document of sexual health guidelines last week. The document states that the virus has been found in saliva, mucus, and feces, but has not yet been found in seminal or vaginal fluids. People are advised, in no uncertain terms, to “avoid close contact – including sex – with anyone outside your household.” “If you usually meet your sex part-

While the first weekend after the shelter-in-place order had seen some crowded beaches and public spaces, much to the consternation of city officials, closed parking lots at beaches and an announcement of some enforcement of the order’s misdemeanor provisions preceded what Breed said was a more compliant weekend March 28-29.

Mandelman holds virtual town hall

Gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, who represents the Castro district on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, held a virtual town hall meeting on the Castro Merchants’ Facebook page the morning of March 30, just before Breed’s office confirmed the continuance of the shelter-in-place order. As the B.A.R. previously reported, gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) held a similar event one week earlier. On it Wiener had warned local merchants to prepare for having to remain closed longer than April 7 if they were a non-essential business. Monday’s virtual town hall had about 601 total views. Mandelman said that the next one to two weeks will tell the tale of whether San Franners online or make a living by having sex, consider taking a break from inperson dates. Video dates, sexting, or chat rooms may be options for you,” the document states. The document states that abstaining from sex is the best practice, but that only having sex with people in your household is the next best option, assuming they are not symptomatic or in a particular risk group for death due to a coronavirus infection. “You are your safest sex partner. Masturbation will not spread COVID-19, especially if you wash your hands (and any sex toys) with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before and after sex,” the guidelines state. “The next safest partner is someone you live with. Having close contact – including sex – with only a small circle of people helps prevent spreading COVID-19.” When reached by email March 31, the San Francisco Department of Public Health referred the Bay Area Reporter to its previously published guidelines, which do not explicitly address sexual health. But in both the City That Never Sleeps and in the Bay Area, the physical distancing imposed to halt the spread of the virus has already closed many spaces where LGBT people specifically meet potential sexual partners. California bars have been shuttered since March 15 just before several Bay Area counties issued shelter-in-place orders that went into effect March 17. California Governor Gavin Newsom followed up with his own statewide directive a few days later. Bathhouses and sex clubs, such as Steamworks in Berkeley, the Watergarden in San Jose, and Eros in San Francisco closed around that time or days earlier as non-

ROBERT SCOT WEBSTER 11/23/36 - 3/13/20

Scot was born in Taunton, Massachusetts; one of nine children born to John and Mary Ulak Webster. He graduated from Monsignor James Coyle High School and served four years in active duty with the U.S. Coast Guard. He was an instructor to Coast Guard cadets on summer training cruises to Europe and the Caribbean on the sailing ship “Eagle”. Scot was a member of the American Theatre Wing in New York City and studied at the Rudolph Schaeffer School of Design in San Francisco. He had a successful career as a painting contractor and worked on many of San Francisco’s finest houses and Wine Country estates. Scot was proud of his volunteer work for St. Anthony, Martin de Porres and Coming Home Hospice. He was also a grateful member of Alcoholics Anonymous with 40 years of continuous sobriety. He took great joy in his many Grand Nieces and Nephews who affectionately called him “Uncle Bob”. A funeral Mass will be held at Mission Dolores in San Francisco at a later date. Memorial donations are suggested to Coming Home Hospice 115 Diamond St., SF, CA 94114. Please contact Jim Nixon at NixonSF@aol.com for questions regarding the date of the memorial service.

cisco’s shelter-in-place order will help it avoid the magnitude of the scale that the COVID-19 outbreak has taken in other major municipalities such as New York City. (For reference, as of the afternoon of April, there were 434 reported cases in San Francisco and seven deaths. At the same time there were 41,771 cases in New York City with 1,096 deaths.) “It’s probably too early to tell if it’s been working, but it seems as though it is,” Mandelman said. “We are experiencing some kind of surge in the next couple weeks, but that it’ll be a gentler surge is our hope.” Mandelman said he went to the city’s emergency operations center March 27 to see what preparations were underway for the expected surge. “It makes me proud of our city because we are trying to respond efficiently and effectively,” Mandelman said. Mandelman had been doing some work at City Hall until it was discovered last week a worker there had tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Mandelman said (before Breed announced that the order would be extended in the coming days) that he expected the order to remain in force through the end of April and then of-

ficials would “gradually see what can be loosened.” A University of Washington study released over the weekend predicted that the COVID-19 outbreak would peak in the United States on April 14, with over 2,000 deaths on that day alone. The California peak is predicted to be a few weeks later on April 24. Mandelman expects a gradual loosening of present restrictions, which would not come as swiftly as the restrictions occurred. “I would not imagine everything will be lifted all at once,” Mandelman said. “I would imagine as we come out of this, it will be (like the restrictions on ever-smaller crowd sizes in March) but in reverse and we’ll see what that does to infection rates. “We’re not going to return to ‘normal’ at least until there are treatments, and that’s many, many months away, or until we’ve established herd immunity,” he added. When asked what the city was doing to help in the creation of antibody tests so that those who have already been infected with the novel coronavirus and have recovered can safely return to work, Mandelman said that the city itself couldn’t do much but that biotechnology companies and

UCSF were working on this. City government is going to have hard budget choices to make to pay for the current efforts underway to help individuals and small businesses devastated by the measures being taken to fight the coronavirus, Mandelman said, but he hopes that this will move the ball to reform regulations and red tape in city government on behalf of businesses trying to recover. “When this is over, keep in mind that the city is going to be poor,” Mandelman said. “We’ll be looking at regulations, taxes and fees and figuring out how to streamline approval processes and reduce fees (for small businesses).” Mandelman informed the attendees of the town hall about the limits on evictions and efforts to help local businesses stay afloat. The city has offered to pay five days of sick leave for employees if they have already used all of theirs and the employer agrees to it. When it comes to evictions, which have been severely restricted, Mandelman offered personal help. Many business owners were worried about the looming prospect of paying thousands in back-rent post-outbreak. “I can call a landlord if you feel that’d be helpful,” he said. t

essential gatherings were restricted in each municipality. (All bathhouses in San Francisco were permanently closed in 1984 during the AIDS epidemic, though sex clubs are allowed to operate within city limits.) Phone apps such as Grindr and Scruff, which grew in ubiquity in the 2010s, are still up and running.

“A group of us wrote an editorial for the B.A.R. urging people to change their behavior, and we said ‘we’re single men, we’re part of this culture,’ and I was walking down the street and an acquaintance of mine spit on me and said I was a Nazi for encouraging my brothers to protect themselves,” Jones said. “Just a few days ago, I saw a friend of mine say he wanted to have a sex party at his apartment. ... I’m afraid this shit is even worse. With HIV/AIDS, it’s possible to have a very fulfilling sex life without endangering anyone. We did a good job of making that happen – but even that wasn’t enough to stop the spread, so let’s not fool ourselves by saying we stopped AIDS by changing our behavior. It was the medications that did that.” Stephen Guy-Bray, a professor at the University of British Columbia, said he lived through the AIDS crisis and brought up some of the parallels and differences in a Twitter thread. “It’s in many ways a bad comparison. COVID-19 is much easier to catch, but the fatality rate is low. In the 1980s the fatality rate for AIDS was 100%. We had no reason to think it would change so we thought we were all going to die. That’s different,” he wrote. “But I do have experience of living through something like this. I think a lot of people will die from COVID-19. Many of you are saying that ‘only’ old people will die. In the AIDS crisis there were also many people saying that ‘only’ people who didn’t matter would die. It was ugly then and it’s ugly now. Don’t be like this.”

those they already live with. “Staying safe at home can still be sexy,” the notification states. “You are your own best sex partner, so take some time to practice self-care. “‘Right Now’ can wait – make plans to meet up in the future instead.” Of 10 people who responded to a B.A.R. request for comment through the Grindr app, seven indicated that they were not hooking up with people because of the COVID-19 epidemic. Two stated they were continuing to hook-up, and one stated he would have sex, but has not found anyone sufficiently attractive. “I actually hooked up with a friend the night before the mandate took effect and then called it quits,” a man who asked to be identified as Daniel wrote. “I’m mostly on to continue talking with people I already was talking with, some friends, and some potential hookups down the road, but not planning anything since the future is so uncertain right now.” Daniel wrote that roughly the same number of people are hitting him up as before. “I’ve found some people more willing to chat than previously,” Daniel wrote. “Some guys who I had tried to talk to over the years a few times are finally responding.” A man who identified himself as Jacob wrote that he thinks people on Grindr are more open to discussing things other than sex. “It’s interesting just talking to people on here without the intent of meeting up right away,” Jacob wrote. “I like the change. People seem more willing to talk and open up about their lives instead of just sending dick pics. I guess the LGBT community is trying to keep some semblance of normalcy by using Grindr. ... I hope people aren’t getting toooo carried away.” A man who identified himself as Danni, who said he is making future arrangements, said he is helping inform people about COVID-19. “Some people are trying to hook up,” Danni wrote. “I am telling them no! Lol. And to stay home and send them a bunch of facts.” But not everyone is planning to shelter in place. A man who asked to be identified as Adam stated he is continuing to have sex but won’t if their sex partner appears symptomatic. “I am looking to hook up for quickies. I’m a sex addict,” he wrote. “I think lust can be an overwhelming influence.” Another, who asked to be identified only as T, asked “what’s the point?” of only chatting “Chatting won’t get me off so there’s that,” T wrote.t

A pause on promiscuity

Christopher Vasquez, a gay man who is communications director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights, posted on Facebook March 25 that he was communicating on the social media platform with people excusing “prioritizing their own sexual exploits over the public health of the entire community, and arguing that we shouldn’t shame them for their actions.” “I’m going to say this flatly: if you are more worried about getting laid than the MANY more people who could die from COVID-19 because of your actions, shame on you,” Vasquez wrote. “Should you die from COVID-19? No, but nor should the exponentially compounding number of people who could because of your selfish actions. This isn’t sexual business as usual.” In a follow up email interview with the B.A.R., Vasquez wrote that most LGBT people are taking the physical distancing guidelines seriously but he was frustrated by the few who are not. “It seems like many of the queer people that I know are taking the health orders seriously and have disengaged from risky sexual practices – like hooking up with individuals that they don’t know. However, I know that a small number of my friends and acquaintances are continuing to have at least limited forms for sexual interactions during the shelter-in-place orders,” Vasquez wrote in an email to the B.A.R. March 27. “It seems like with all the information we have gotten from both state and local public health professionals, having contact with people you aren’t living with is not safe at the moment, even if both individuals aren’t showing symptoms of the coronavirus.” Cleve Jones, a gay man who was one of the founders of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, also co-founded the San Francisco AIDS Foundation in 1982. He too took to Facebook to urge people to use restraint. “Please refrain from ‘hooking up,’” Jones wrote on Facebook March 23. “Chatting on social media dating and hookup sites won’t endanger anyone. Continuing to meet up for sex will only put everyone at risk. PrEP won’t protect you from COVID-19. Please consider that.” In a March 31 phone call with the B.A.R., Jones recalled his similar message during the early days of AIDS.

Hookup apps

In an email to the B.A.R. March 31, an unnamed representative from the hook-up app Grindr wrote that inapp notifications are urging people to “refrain from in-person meetings right now” – though the app has increased the amount of profiles available for users to view for free. “The Grindr app remains active and available to all of our community members,” the representative stated. “Grindr provides users with the ability to connect with others in the LGBTQ community – even if it’s only online as we see many people doing through our chat or video functionality. This life-affirming connection is especially important during this time of physical and social isolation. “In addition, Grindr for Equality is working to match our users all over the world with the most relevant local information about the virus as well as LGBTQ health in this situation,” the representative added. Browsing the Grindr app in the Bay Area within the past week brought up a notification from Grindr urging people to stay at home or have sex with

International News>>

April 2-8, 2020 • Bay Area Reporter • 17

Singapore high court upholds colonial-era anti-gay law by Heather Cassell

ingapore’s high court upheld the country’s colonial-era anti-sodomy law March 30. The petitions challenging the constitutionality of the law were gay activists’ latest effort against Singapore’s rarely enforced Penal Code Section 377A, a law that criminalizes acts of “gross indecency” between men. Justice See Kee Oon upheld the Court of Appeal’s 2014 decision in a similar case brought by Lim Meng Suang and Kenneth Chee, stating it remained binding, reported the Straits Times. “I am unable to agree that there are cogent reasons for a Singapore court to be able to depart from binding decisions of the highest court in the land,” he wrote in the 105-page judgment released to the media Monday. The law also criminalizes any actions “abetting, procuring, and attempting to procure sexual relations between two men,” reported the Human Dignity Trust. Gay and bisexual men face up to two years in prison if convicted and sentenced under the law. The law doesn’t only affect gay and bisexual men, it also casts a “shadow of oppression over the whole lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans community,” the trust noted in Monday’s statement. Bryan Choong Chee Hoong, 42, the former executive director of Singapore’s LGBT rights organization Oogachaga and one of the three gay plaintiffs, told the New York Times that he was disappointed by the ruling. “But my eyes are firmly on the road ahead,” he said. Hoong was joined by two other gay activists – Johnson Ong Ming, 43, a disc jockey and producer, and Roy Tan Seng Kee, 61, a retired medical doctor – who

Castro businesses

From page 13

that warned people of the then emerging “gay cancer,” later known as AIDS. Cip Cipriano, owner of the burned out Q Bar at 456 Castro Street, promised that it would reopen. Cipriano

Courtesy Ching S. Sia, Roy Tan/Facebook

Bryan Choong Chee Hong, left, Johnson Ong Ming and Dr. Roy Tan Seng Kee filed three separate legal challenges against Singapore’s Section 377A of the Penal Code.

filed their own petitions with the court. “This decision will be extremely disappointing for the plaintiffs and the wider LGBT community in Singapore, who had great hopes that new evidence presented to the court would make it clear that these draconian laws cannot withstand proper constitutional scrutiny,” stated the trust’s director, Téa Braun. “The ruling will also echo harmfully around Asia, where millions of people are criminalized simply because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.” Phil Robertson, deputy director at Human Rights Watch in the region, called Singapore’s move “a black mark” for the country, reported the Financial Times. Singapore has also banned foreign entities from supporting the Pink Dot, Hong Kong’s annual LGBT celebration. Last year, Brunei felt the economic sting when the country attempted to criminalize homosexuality with the death penalty. Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah backed off of passing Sharia Law, a strict Islamic law that upholds stoning to death for people convicted of gay sex and adultery, following a swift global backlash and boycotts of noted that Q Bar had been a gay bar since 1971, once known as Twilight, later called Dirty Dick’s, then Castro Station. (A fire last November temporarily closed Q Bar.) The former home of the Names Project, now Catch Restaurant, at 2362 Market Street, was remembered by Beswick.

Leather plaza

From page 1

Lots of red tape

As the B.A.R. has chronicled, bureaucratic disputes over the design of the plaza dragged out the permit approval process for years. Last February, Mayor London Breed stepped in to push the project forward. Construction on the plaza finally broke ground in June, and one of its signature features, a flagpole bearing an oversized leather flag situated along its Harrison Street entrance, was dedicated in late September. Approaching the area from South Van Ness Avenue along 12th Street, it is quite a sight to see the gigantic symbol flapping in the wind. It had been initially hoped the

Matthew S. Bajko

One of the heart plaques embedded in the sidewalk of Eagle Plaza recognizes the friends group that is helping with the project.

plaza would be complete by the end of 2019. But a series of rain showers threw that timeline into disarray. Thus, Build revised its schedule with the intent of opening the plaza

the sultan’s luxury hotels and businesses around the world, including the U.S.

Battle for decriminalization

Homosexuality is illegal in 70 countries around the world. Commonwealth countries, many of which are former British colonies, make up many of the nations where homosexuality remains illegal. A large number of those countries are in Africa. In 2019, Kenya upheld its antisodomy law and Gabon criminalized homosexuality with penalties of up to six months in prison and fines up to $8,500 (5 million CFA francs). LGBT advocates are challenging Kenya’s ruling, reported the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Late last year, Ugandan lawmakers threatened to bring back the so-called Kill the Gays bill but backed down following global outcry. Countering Asia’s recent progress, Singapore’s Muslim-majority neighbors Indonesia and Malaysia have displayed growing intolerance toward its LGBT communities from censorship to corporal punishment.

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South Bay travelers home, in self-isolation

turned home March 19 on Iberia, Spain’s airline. Despite the self-isolation, they consider themselves lucky. “I’m even more grateful to be back home because, you know, it looks like there are still thousands of people stuck overseas and the U.S. government doesn’t appear to be doing much in the way of helping,” said Bulbuk, who is back working from home as a legislative aide for Assemblyman Marc Berman (D-Palo Alto). Rickard and her wife are also grateful to be home. Bogliolo and Rickard were aboard Holland America Line Amsterdam’s 128-day Grand World Voyage that departed Fort Lauderdale, Florida January 4. They disembarked, along with 1,300 passengers, including about 10 other LGBT-identified people, in Fremantle/Perth, March 23. “Even though we were feeling very upset, I realize now that we were really lucky to get off when we did rather than have the Holland America Amsterdam be denied a port at Fremantle,” Rickard said. “It’s really bad for some people,” she continued. “Even though they weren’t on their ships as long as we were.” They are now in self-isolation and recovering from jet lag in their apartment in a San Jose retirement community, Rickard said. Despite their ordeal, Bogliolo and Rickard already took up Holland America’s offer of 50% off a future cruise, in place of a refund of the same percentage that was offered. They booked a similar around the world trip for 2022 hoping the cruise line will retain a similar itinerary to their disrupted vacation, she said. Friends of the women are helping them by dropping off food and other supplies during their selfquarantine, the couples said. t

However, LGBT activists have seen hope since India’s Supreme Court struck down the country’s colonial-era anti-sodomy law Section 377 in 2018.

Two South Bay lesbian couples once stuck abroad made it home safe and now are in self-isolation. Leslie Bulbuk, 57, and her wife Marta Donayre, 50, and Karin Bogliolo, 79, and her wife Judy Rickard, 72, returned home last month. The couples are currently in a 14-day self-quarantine following their long journeys home. “[We are] hoping that all of the Americans that are trapped everywhere right now can get home,” said Bulbuk, who was stuck in a Barcelona Airbnb following Spain’s mandatory lockdown issued March 15. The couple endured canceled flights and other issues trying to get home from their vacation that started February 24. Bulbuk said she and Donayre were two of about 65 passengers who re-

Tom Temprano, a gay man who’s a trustee on the board of City College of San Francisco and an aide to Mandelman, honored Sui Generis, a consignment shop at 2231 Market Street, and Hi Tops, a sports bar at 2247 Market Street. Temprano also pointed to Detour, a queer-owned bar at 2200 Market Street.

And finally, gay historian Gerard Koskovich remembered Alfie’s, a gay disco that operated from 1977-1983 at 2140 Market Street, now home to the dive bar Lucky 13. Alfie’s is where Milk held his victory party in 1977 when he was elected to the Board of Supervisors. Shaun Haines, a 41-year-old queer

man, felt that the march was an important event. “I am here as a representative of our cultural district and I’m here to honor the legacy of our past but also to protect our future,” Haines told the B.A.R. t

in stages throughout the first quarter of 2020. The first section to be completed was the southern sidewalk adjacent to the Eagle bar and reshaping the roadway. Rather than completely shut down that block of 12th Street to traffic, it will remain open to vehicles in both directions via a curving, 28 foot wide two-lane roadway through the plaza. While it will allow for adequate access for fire trucks and other safety vehicles, it resulted in a scaled down proposal for the plaza. Bollards, most of which are now in place at the site, will be used to close off the street at both ends for special events. By early April, 18 of 40 planned heart plaque commemoration pieces will be installed within the

southern sidewalk of Eagle Plaza, said Bonsignore. A number are already embedded into the sidewalk, though only one for the friends group has been engraved. That side of the plaza also now sports two planted areas, with the one nearest the entrance to the Eagle sculpted into a slight hillock. The street is still closed to vehicle traffic while work on the northern side of the plaza is underway. In addition to the flagpole, the sidewalks at both entrances into the plaza will sport the colors of the leather flag, which features a red heart and blue, black, and white stripes. There are also plans to install various historic markers and an entry sign at the plaza honoring the neighborhood’s importance to the

leather and LGBTQ communities. Eagle Plaza is situated within the boundaries of the LGBTQ Leather Cultural District that city officials created in western SOMA. The parklet will serve as a focal point and main gathering spot for the cultural district. The Friends of Eagle Plaza group is aiming to raise $150,000 to pay for furniture and other decorative elements of the parklet. Its website still states it needs roughly $30,000 to meet its goal, and there are about 22 heart plaques people can still sponsor at between $2,500 and $4,999 and have their name featured on them. For more information, and to donate, visit http://www.eagleplaza. org/. t

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The law was used to harass, blackmail, and criminalize consensual gay sex. A year later, high courts in Angola and Botswana also struck down their respective anti-sodomy laws. Recent progress in Asia inspired the three gay activists to re-challenge Singapore’s law. In 2014, the Singapore Court of Appeal declined to remove the country’s anti-gay law from the books. The court also held that LGBT people would have to wait for reform of Section 377A to come through Parliament, reported the trust. Adding to the Singaporean LGBT activists’ sense of hope in Asia is Taiwan’s legalization of same-sex marriage in 2019, along with recent court rulings in Hong Kong and pending same-sex marriage legislation in Thailand. “[Taiwan] has really reinvigorated the gay rights movement in southeast Asia,” said Robertson. “Once Thailand passes that [law] we believe there could be very significant progress on LGBT rights in countries like Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar,” added Robertson.

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<< Legals

18 • Bay Area Reporter • April 2-8, 2020

Legal Notices>> FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039021300

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039005500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: COURIER SPECIALTIES, 679 46TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ERNEST LEE CROSSON. 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 03/06/20.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BUILDING SPECIALIST LLC, 1075 OAKDALE AVE #G, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94129. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed BUILDING SPECIALIST LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/27/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/27/20.

MARCH 12, 19, 26, APRIL 02, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039016400

MAR 12, 19, 26, APRIL 02, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039028500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GRANT AVE GARAGE, 501 FILBERT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ZHENHONG HUANG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/02/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/05/20.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BUSINESS LOGIC SOLUTIONS, 1140 HOLLOWAY AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94132. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed PATRICK O’BRIEN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/26/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/12/20.

MARCH 12, 19, 26, APRIL 02, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039015900

MAR 19, 26, APRIL 02, 09, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039002200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: UNENCUMBERED, 1870 FULTON ST #1, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed CAROLYN HONIG. 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 03/04/20.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GENERATIONAL HEROES, 698 PERALTA AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed KEANA L. ELZIE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/25/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/25/20.

MARCH 12, 19, 26, APRIL 02, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039021600

MAR 19, 26, APRIL 02, 09, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039026500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MGM TRUCKING, 68 SANTA FE AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed OCTAVIO GALVAN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/06/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/06/20.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: AVITAL WOLF THERAPY, 459 FULTON ST #105, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed AVITAL WOLF-PRUSAN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/11/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/11/20.

MARCH 12, 19, 26, APRIL 02, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039004400

MAR 19, 26, APRIL 02, 09, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039030100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: JA JANITORIAL SERVICES, 775 GEARY ST #205, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JOSEPH AHMED ALHAYAWA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/26/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/26/20.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FERDEL STRUCTURAL STEEL, 1163 HOLLISTER AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed FERDEL BUILDER CONSTRUCTION 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 03/13/20.

MARCH 12, 19, 26, APRIL 02, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039015000

MAR 19, 26, APRIL 02, 09, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039027400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MOTHER EARTH’S CLEANING, 950 GILMAN AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DANA HUNTER. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/04/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/04/20.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: AMERICAN INDIAN CUISINE, 138 CYRIL MAGNIN ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed AMERICAN INDIAN CUISINE INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/11/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/11/20.

MARCH 12, 19, 26 APRIL 02, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039013800

MAR 19, 26, APRIL 02, 09, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039026300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HUANCAINA PERUVIAN FOOD, 2301 MISSION ST, UNIT B, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JULIO MANUEL VIDAL SEDANO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/03/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/03/20.

MARCH 12, 19, 26, APRIL 02, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039009200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MI MISSION PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEO, 528 SHOTWELL ST #5, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110.This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ANTONIO PERETE VILLANUEVA.The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/28/20.The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/28/20.

MARCH 12, 19, 26, APRIL 02, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039010400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SUNSET HEALING ARTS, 1395 31ST AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed NATALIE TROUSDALE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/01/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/02/20.

MARCH 12, 19, 26, APRIL 02, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039016700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: J SQUARED REALTY, 34 NIANTIC AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94132. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed JOEL GOMEZ & JAIRO PADILLA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/31/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/05/20.

MARCH 12, 19, 26, APRIL 02, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039008900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ROMA’S, 489 3RD ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed SEAHORSE ENTERPRISES (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 02/28/20.

MARCH 12, 19, 26, APRIL 02, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039007700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PRIMP, 391 SUTTER ST #307, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed CJH SALONS INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/29/05. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/28/20.

MARCH 12, 19, 26, APRIL 02, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038995400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NEWNESS, 334 KEARNY ST #300, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed QP VENTURES, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/19/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/19/20.

MARCH 12, 19, 26, APRIL 02, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038986000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SF THE DOG SPA LLC, 169 WEST PORTAL AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94127. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed SF THE DOG SPA LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/01/07. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/12/20.

MARCH 12, 19, 26, APRIL 02, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039014000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: RUBY & ROSE, 99 CARMELITA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed RUBY & ROSE LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/16/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/04/20.

MAR 12, 19, 26, APRIL 02, 2020

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MARHABA INDIAN PAKISTANI HALAL CUISINE, 1109 FILLMORE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed MARHABA INDIAN PAKISTANI HALAL CUISINE (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/11/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/11/20.

MAR 19, 26, APRIL 02, 09, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039013200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ODSY WORKSHOP, 2039 IRVING ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by a married couple, and is signed YINA KIM & SOO JIN CHAE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/03/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/03/20.

MAR 19, 26, APRIL 02, 09, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039025400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NOVELA CAKES, 58 HANOVER ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by a married couple, and is signed MARVIN SIGUA & ELOISA SIGUA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/10/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/10/20.

MAR 19, 26, APRIL 02, 09, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039016900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: 1 HEART CAREGIVER SERVICES SAN FRANCISCO, 981 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103.This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed A.R.E. CARE SERVICES LLC (CA).The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/01/20.The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/05/20.

MAR 19, 26, APRIL 02, 09, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038998500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BLEW SKY DELIVERIES, 354 THORNTON AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed SPHERES ENTERPRISE LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/20/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/20/20.

MAR 19, 26, APRIL 02, 09, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039014700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: JJ JANITORIAL SERVICES, 676 SILVER AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed JJ JANITORIAL SERVICES 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 03/04/20.

MAR 19, 26, APRIL 02, 09, 2020 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-038048400

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: GRANT AVE GARAGE, 501 FILBERT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business was conducted by an individual and signed by FONG CHOK CHEONG. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/19/18.

MAR 19, 26, APRIL 02, 09, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039022600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ADVANCED DENTAL LABORATORY, 756 LA PLAYA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LEV SHAPIRO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/01/05. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/09/20.

MAR 26, APR 2, 9, 16, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039030600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CAFÉ 550, 550 15TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ESAID ZAWAIDEH. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/16/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/16/20.

APR 2, 9, 16, 23, 2020

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF MIKE ANGEL LEON IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO: FILE PES-20-303566

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039029000

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of MIKE ANGEL LEON. A Petition for Probate has been filed by EVELIA ROJAS LEON in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco. The Petition for Probate requests that EVELIA ROJAS LEON be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. The petition requests the decedent’s will and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The will and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court. The petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority. A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: APRIL 15, 2020, 9:00 am, Dept 204, Rm 204, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. If you object to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney. If you are a creditor or contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the latter of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined by section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law. You may examine the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk. Attorney for petitioner: Nicole C. Kelly, (SBN#320379), The Kelly Law Firm, 345 Franklin St, San Francisco, CA 94102; Ph. (415) 552-0059.

MAR 26, APR 2, 9, 16, 2020

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: D.A.C.LANDSCAPE: SF, 167 CAINE AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by a married couple, and is signed DAVID ADAM CASELLA & AIMEE BETH GOLANT CASELLA.The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/06/20.The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/12/20.

MAR 26, APR 2, 9, 16, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039022300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ARKATOPIA, 3279-B 21ST ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ROBERT LAWRENCE WILSON III. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/14/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/09/20.

MAR 26, APR 2, 9, 16, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039016000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GEM JOY, 2200 SACRAMENTO ST #1603, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed MAGINOT TECHNOLOGIES LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/04/20.

MAR 26, APR 2, 9, 16, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039012600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ROW HOUSE MISSION BAY, 1375 4TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94158. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed MT. EVEREST VENTURE LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/10/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/03/20.

MAR 26, APR 2, 9, 16, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039012800

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039030700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PRACTICALLY EVERYTHING, 210 POST ST #1121, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed PRACTICALLY EVERYTHING. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/16/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/16/20.

MAR 26, APR 2, 9, 16, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039028800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CHENERY STREET ASSOCIATES, 654A CHENERY ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94131. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed VICENTE VIRAY. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/10/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/12/20.

APR 2, 9, 16, 23, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039029200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE CANLAS BROTHERS OF STELNICK, 188 KING ST PH7, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed JSL REALTY INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/01/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/13/20.

APR 2, 9, 16, 23, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039021800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ALEENK TECHNOLOGIES, 2 BEACH ST SPACE I-01, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed NV BAY GROUP LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/28/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/09/20.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: X2 GREEN CARPETS, 101 CALIFORNIA ST #2710, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed WYSE DELIVERY LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/03/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/03/20.

APR 2, 9, 16, 23, 2020

ebar.com

MAR 26, APR 2, 9, 16, 2020

NOTICE TO PROPOSERS – GENERAL INFORMATION PROGRESSIVE DESIGN-BUILD OF BART HEADQUARTERS RFP NO. 6M4706 Notice is hereby given that the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (“District” or “BART”) has determined that all Prospective Progressive Design-Build Entities (“PPBDE”) for BART’s Contract No. 6M4706P, Design-Build of BART Headquarters (“Contract”) must be prequalified pursuant to California Public Contract Code Section 22164 et seq. for Transit Design-Build Contracts. It is mandatory that all Prequalified PPDBEs who intend to submit a Proposal, comply with all of the requirements in this Request for Proposal Statement (“RFP”) including submission of a complete Proposal Statement, as well as all materials requested herein, and be approved by the District in order to be on the approved Prequalified PPDBEs list. No Proposal will be accepted from a Prospective PDBE in response to the District’s RFP that is not on the approved Prequalified PPDBEs list. Prequalified teams may not substitute members of their teams in response to the RFP. All general questions regarding this RFP should be directed to Erica Elkington at eelking@bart.gov. PROPOSAL DUE DATE AND SUBMITTAL REQUIREMENTS

The District will accept submission of Proposals from Prequalified PPDBEs until no later than the hour of 2:00 PM, on April 28, 2020. Time for receipt of Proposals may be extended by the District’s General Manager or authorized representative from the above stated submittal date. Notice of such extension will be published at least once in a newspaper of general circulation in the District, which publication will be at least ten (10) calendar days before Proposals are formally received and opened. The Technical Proposal, which includes the Technical Proposal and the Executive Summary shall be clearly marked as “Technical Proposal,”. (See ITP Appendix A.) The Price Proposal shall be in a separate file, containing all required forms, and clearly marked as “Price Proposal.” (See ITP Appendix B.) The Proposal, consisting of the Technical Proposal and Price Proposal shall be uploaded to the restricted access OneDrive folder. Each Prequalified PPDBE will be sent an invitation link to a firm-specific folder for submitting Proposal files. The Public Records copy of the Proposal shall be a complete copy of the Proposal with any proprietary, confidential, and pricing information removed. This copy should be a separate filed clearly marked as “Public Records Copy”. This copy of the Proposal will be made available to any member of the public who asks to review it only after Contract Award, in accordance with the California Public Records Act, Government Code Sections 6250 et seq. (See ITP Section 2.14). Prequalified PPDBEs are responsible to ensure that their Proposals are received on time and at the location specified. Late submittals of RFP Responses will not be accepted. PPBDEs must make their own arrangements for submitting the Proposal. Only PPDBEs on the approved Prequalified PPDBEs list are allowed to submit Proposals on the Contract. SCOPE OF SERVICES Contract No. 6M4706, Design-Build of BART Headquarters (“HQ”) is a Progressive Design-Build Contract for BART Headquarters Offices located at 2150 Webster Street, Oakland, CA 94612. Since October 2004, the District’s corporate offices have been located at 300 Lakeside Drive, Oakland, CA 94612 (300 Lakeside) in Uptown Oakland. The District currently occupies approximately 360,000 sf on fourteen (14) floors at this location. On December 10, 2019, the District purchased 2150 Webster St, Oakland, CA 94612 (“Property”) for the purposes of relocating its new corporate headquarters and transform its office environment into a modern, workplace of the future which would include efficient space plans with contemporary design features while staying true to its mission to use taxpayer and other funds with prudence. The Property is a 244,287-sf facility which has been recently fitted with new elevators, mechanical systems, generator, and roof systems but is currently in only Dried-In, Core and Shell condition. The District wishes to achieve an efficient use of space within the Property such that the Property can accommodate: +/-1,300 employees, effectively and efficiently, to include; 12-15% closed office environment and 85-88% open workspace and should promote communication and collaboration among teams while providing an open, transparent, and flexible workspace. The space will reflect the values and brand of BART with opportunities to tell the BART story. Support space such as a community break room, conference spaces, semi-private collaboration space, plot/copy rooms, mail room, building maintenance rooms, and storage will be included in the space. Board Room, with a 9-member dais and supporting staff areas, on the south side of the 1st level, kitchenette, with its own public restroom facilities and its lobby access point separate and succinct from the employee entry point; another room for closed sessions items will also be required to accommodate approximately 25 persons Modest roof-top amenity for the District’s workforce; Materials and furnishings for all offices, cubicles, conference rooms and lobby; and, A street activating suite, for a coffee shop or café, to be leased out and fit-out to a 3rd party tenant on the northwest corner of the Property. The space will be tenant-design ready with plumbing (inclusive of suite supporting restrooms), HVAC, and fire sprinklers stubbed to suite, to avoid penetrations, concrete saw cuts, and trenching into improved areas, at a later date. R EGISTRATION ON THE BART PROCUREMENT PORTAL Prospective Bidders or Interested Parties (including prospective Subcontractors of any tier) who are not currently registered on the BART Procurement Portal to do business with BART are required to register on the BART Procurement Portal on line at https://suppliers.bart.gov in order to download the Contract Documents (including Contract Drawings and Contract Specifications), updates, and any Addenda issued on line and be added to the On-Line Planholders List for this solicitation. If a Prospective Bidder is a joint venture or a partnership, such entity must register on the BART Procurement Portal with the entity’s Tax Identification Number (“TIN”) and download the Contract Documents so as to be listed as an On-Line Planholder under the entity’s name prior to submitting its Bid, in order for the entity to be eligible for award of this Contract. Prospective Bidders or Interested Parties may also purchase printed copies of the Contract Documents from the District Secretary’s Office by downloading the Contract Documents’ Order Form from the BART Procurement Portal website and submitting the completed Contract Documents’ Order Form to the District Secretary’s Office. Prospective Bidders or Interested Parties must be registered on the BART Procurement Portal to do business with BART in order to be able to download the Contract Documents’ Order Form. Downloading the Contract Documents’ Order Form will automatically make a Prospective Bidder or Interested Party an On-Line Planholder. In order to be an On-Line Planholder and be eligible for award of this Contract, a Prospective Bidder must either: i) download the Contract Documents for this solicitation from the BART Procurement Portal or ii) download the Contract Documents’ Order Form with which to purchase the Contract Documents directly from the District Secretary’s Office. BIDDERS WHO HAVE NOT REGISTERED ON THE BART PROCUREMENT PORTAL PRIOR TO SUBMITTING A BID AND DID NOT OBTAIN THE CONTRACT DOCUMENTS FOR THIS SOLICITATION EITHER ON LINE OR DIRECTLY THROUGH THE DISTRICT SECRETARY’S OFFICE IN ORDER TO BE LISTED AS AN ON-LINE PLANHOLDER FOR THIS SOLICITATION, WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE FOR AWARD OF THIS CONTRACT. BIDDERS MAY OBTAIN INFORMATION ON THE STATUS OF THE AWARD OF THIS CONTRACT BY CHECKING THE BART WEBSITE AT http://www.bart.gov/about/bod/meetings.aspx FOR CONTRACTS SCHEDULED TO BE PRESENTED BY STAFF TO THE BART BOARD FOR AWARD CONSIDERATION. PRE-PROPOSAL CONFERENCE, NETWORKING SESSION AND SITE-WALK A Pre-submittal Conference will be held on Tuesday, March 31, 2020. The Pre-Submittal Conference will convene at 10:00 a.m. via WebEx Presentation. Prequalified PPDBEs and all other interested parties must RSVP via email to eelking@bart.gov by 5:00pm on Monday, March 30, 2020. Instructions on attending the WebEx Presentation will be emailed upon receipt of RSVP. At the Pre-Submittal Conference the District’s Non-Discrimination Program for Subcontracting and Small Business (SB) Program will be explained. Prequalified PPDBEs are requested to make every effort to attend this only scheduled Pre-Submittal Conference. Networking Session: On Friday, April 3rd, the District’s Office of Civil Rights will be facilitating a teleconference Networking Session for Subcontractors and Subconsultants to meet with the Prequalified PPDBEs for SB participation opportunities. The Networking Session will last for 8 hours and interested firms will be given 5-minute time slots to introduce themselves to the participating PPDBEs. Interested firms are requested to RSVP directly with the participating PPDBEs. Additionally, each participating PPDBE will present its networking session RSVP schedule to the District for confirmation prior to the networking session. The contact information for each of the PPDBEs are as follow: BCCI Construction: RSVP at www.signupgenius.com/go/9040845A4A823A6FD0-bcci Dome Construction: RSVP at BARTSubs@ domebuilds.com Turner Construction: RSVP with Purva Nimbalkar, pnimbalkar@tcco.com, (510) 910-8666 Site-Walk: Assuming the Coronavirus related Order of the Health Officer of the County of Alameda (“Shelter-In-Place Order”) is lifted as scheduled on April 7, 2020, Site-Walks will be held on Wednesday, April 8, 2020, with the Prequalified PPDBEs, at 2150 Webster St, Oakland, CA 94612. For Complete information regarding the Pre-Proposal Meeting, Networking Session and/or Site Walk, please download the complete RFP at https://suppliers.bart.gov/. Dated at Oakland, California, this 26th day of March 2020. \s\ Patricia K. Williams Patricia K. Williams, District Secretary San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District 4/2/20

CNS-3357244# BAY AREA REPORTER

Gooch

Closed for business but open in our hearts

BESTIES BARS The Hole in the Wall

by Michael Flanagan

ith the closure of bars due to Covid-19, reading about which bars are best in the Bay Area according to our readers may be a bit like looking through the window of a candy shop when it’s closed. However, we all know that this won’t last forever. With that in mind, here are the selections of the readers of the Bay Area Reporter for best bars. Where available I have included websites with updated status of your favorite bar, and if there is a fundraiser for staff.

The White Horse

Best Castro Bar:

QBar Runners up: 440 Castro, The Edge Last year’s winner for Best Bar to Meet Women is this year’s winner for Best Castro Bar, and there’s a message there. The welcome that QBar has shown to all of its patrons has made it very popular and ultra-successful as a go-to destination. Currently operating as “QBar in exile” due to a fire, the QBar crew has recently hosted parties at the DNA Lounge, The Café and Underground SF. It is a tribute to the bar’s diverse reach, which includes businessmen to club kids, that Qbar has won the Best Castro Bar category while waiting for its Castro street location to reopen. With its Wednesday night Booty Call

and Throwback Thursdays, the bar has a truly loyal following who are clamoring for the spot to come back soon. www.facebook.com/QbarSf/ www.gofundme.com/f/qbar-fire-relief

Best SoMa Bar:

Hole in the Wall Runners up: SF Eagle, The Stud Hole in the Wall celebrated its 25th anniversary last April, and like any bar that’s celebrated a quarter century in existence (as well as a move from a previous location), it has earned bragging rights and a loyal following. This bar has been a personal favorite to many (including your humble author) for many years because of its quirky kick-ass ways. The bar bills itself as “a nice little queer bar for filthy bikers & loudmouth punks” and it never disappoints. Music? “An astounding variety of kick-ass rock, blues, jazz, soul, folk, and world music” and “friendly, freaky, down to earth people,” they state. The bar began its life on 289 8th Street in 1994 as a rowdy and resolutely odd spot, where you were as likely as not to run into someone nude in the middle of the afternoon. They moved to their current spot (1369 Folsom St) and very, very wisely bought the building they now occupy. Unlike many bars in town, the music is not dance oriented, but geared toward good old rock and roll. In an interview with the B.A.R. for the 25th anniversary party DJ Don Baird said, “I think this has a great deal to do with the bar’s popularity, I think it’s mainly the music.” Congratulations to a time honored fun bar.

Contests and Bearracuda New Years Eve, the Folsom Foundry has established its reputation as the premier dance spot for our readers. DJs like Matt Consola, Paul Goodyear and Nick Bertossi kept the dance floor packed at the club at Bearracuda, it was the site of the official after-party for this year’s Dyke March, and the Womxn’s party for the Folsom Street Fair. Clearly the club has apFolsom Street Foundry peal to a wide variety of San Francisco’s dancing party people, and those people Recently it was named one of the top five have not forgotten the Foundry at Bestie time. dive bars in the country by cheapism.com – www.folsomstreetfoundry.com which comes as something of a shock, as I’ve

Best East Bay Bar:

The White Horse Runners up: Port Bar, Club 1220 The past year has not been kind to East Bay queer bars with Club 21 and Club BNB both closing in January. It’s at times like these that you particularly appreciate bars that are institutions, bars that have a history. With a history that goes back to the 1930s, The White Horse has done a magnificent job of both being a rock steady institution and keeping up with the times. With fun events like Karaoke nights and RuPaul’s Drag Race viewing parties, the White Horse is like the homey place you never knew you missed (until you visit the first time).

Best Dance Club:

Folsom Foundry Runners up: Oasis, Beaux With events like the Imperial Beaux-Arts Winter Ball, Dirty Dore — Underwear Night, the Mr. SF Leather and SF Bootblack

The Port Bar staff

never seen a dive bar with a fireplace. They recently hosted an evening for the Imperial Star Empire, part of the Imperial Court System, which shows both their commitment to community and (given the work of the Court System) charity. With both drag parties and dance nights they keep the East Bay both grounded and fun. Keep up on the status of the bar with regard to closure due to Covid-19. www.facebook.com/whitehorsebar

Best Cocktails:

Port Bar Runners up: Martuni’s, Blackbird The Port Bar is the new kid on the block in the East Bay, and by winning this year’s Bestie for Best Cocktails it establishes itself among the ranks of bars like Martuni’s and Blackbird, which have both won this award in the past. With drinks like the Sassy Sailor (a mojito which has Bacardi Dragonberry Rum and St. Germaine Elderflower in it), the timely ImpeachMint (with Stoli peach, fresh lemon juice, fresh grapefruit juice, bayou spiced rum, Peychaud’s bitters and fresh mint) and Passivo Caliente (with habanero-infused herradura silver tequila, cointreau, illegal mezcal, fresh lime juice, and the ever popular spicy See page 20 >>

<<Besties2020

20 • Bay Area Reporter • April 2-8, 2020

Bestie events Days and nights of future, past

Gooch

Cubcake at The Lone Star serves up fun.

BESTIES EVENTS by Michael Flanagan

hey say absence makes the heart grow fonder, and while we shelter in place we remember the events of the last year that were the pinnacle of our reader’s experiences. And so, though we cannot

partake of them now, we can happily remember them with joy and look forward to the fun we will have when they next happen. Celebrating the past year and with an eye toward the future, let’s bring on the event winners.

Best Nightlife Event

Cubcake at Lone Star Runners up: Mango at El Rio, Disco Daddy at Eagle Cubcake is a perennial fun furry favorite of Bay Area Reporter readers, having won the Best Bar Theme Night just last year. But this year the

cubs, otters and baby bears (and their fans) have earned the top prize in this year’s events – and there’s no need to wonder why. With its home at The Lone Star, renowned as the birthplace of bear culture, Cubcake draws attention from around the world, even getting mentions in European newspapers. With events like the Bay Area Cub Contest (with appearances by the Boys of Bearlesque) and DJs like Joe Prince Wolfe, Bryan Hughes, Paul Goodyear and E.Feld, Cubcake gets more and more popular every year. Is it the gummy bears, the Jello shots or the cubs? Maybe it’s all three. Cubcake remains the beary favorite with our readers by keeping it fresh. Their virtual Cubcake and fundraiser takes place April 10. www.lonestarsf.com www.gofundme.com/f/ help-lone-star-saloon

Last December’s show featured Meatflap, Jota Mercury, 9 Inch Males and more (with music from Kitten on the Keys). For the article on last year’s contest, Frottage told the B.A.R., “Kings like to poke fun at toxic masculinity, so our shows are different from drag queen shows.” It could be that sense of parody or just the wild frenetic fun, but whatever it is, Dandy has truly struck a chord with our readers. Note that Dandy’s next event, “Dandy: Boys in the Band” (A Drag King Boy-Band Spectacular), which was scheduled for April 25 at Oasis, is currently on hold due to the Covid-19 shelter in place. Check back at Dandy’s Face-

The Pilsner Inn has long been a favorite spot for readers of the B.A.R., having won the Bestie for Best Beer Selection for several years now. With

Miss Kitty’s Trivia Night at Wild Side West Runners up: Gaymer night at the SF Eagle, Gaymer night at the Midnight Sun For the second year in a row, Miss Kitty wrests the award from the Gaymers, and who could be surSee page 22 >>

Runner’s up: Mother at Oasis, Monster Show at the Edge Surprise! Drag Kings rule – at least as far as the Besties voters are concerned. San Francisco’s premiere Drag King revue, hosted by Leigh Crow and Ruby Vixen, has snatched the crown from last year’s winner Mother (and you know that’s not easy to do!). Last year Dandy’s annual contest was hosted by Fudgie Frottage and Sister Roma and included judges Leigh Crow, 2017 contest winner El Sevan, Arty Fishal and New Yorker Wang Newton (of WangTV fame).

Amber Gregory

Dandy cohosts Leigh Crow and Ruby Vixen at Oasis.

Best Wine Bar:

Pause Runners up: Blush, Fig & Thistle Market

rim), it’s no wonder that they have been repeatedly featured in Oakland Magazine. It’s likewise not surprise that our readers chose them for this award. Keep up to date on the status of the bar with regard to the Covid-19 and whether it’s open. www.portbaroakland.com www.gofundme.com/f/hha7pxsupport-the-portstaff-relief-fund

Runners up: SF Eagle, 440 Castro

Best Game Night

Dandy at Oasis

Bestie Bars

Pilsner Inn

book page (www.facebook.com/ DandyKingsSf/) to see when the event is rescheduled.

Best Drag Show

From page 19

Best Beer Selection:

Georg Lester

Left: Pilsner Inn wins for beer. Right: Pause Wine Bar

30 beers on tap, this comes as a surprise to no one. If you love IPAs, or if Stouts or Porters are your favorite, this is the place for you. On a stretch of Church Street which has seen better days (with many businesses

closing in the last year), the Pilsner serves as something of a Zen spot, with its koi pond and landscaping in the back patio area. The bar also serves a Coconut Hiwa Porter from Maui, which sounds delicious

and will be at the top of my list to try when they reopen. The Pilsner is one of the oldest gay bars in the Castro, and it’s easy to understand why they have lasted this long. www.pilsnerinn.com

Bubbles, you say – or perhaps white, or rosé? At Pause you’ve found your Dionysian heaven. With Sauvignon-Blanc from Semillon (Bordeaux), Malbec ‘Writer’s Block’ (Lake County, California), Rosé of Pinot Noir/Syrah (Spain) and Gamay Noir (Beaujolais, France) you have pretty much all of your bases covered. Pause also features a menu of appetizers like chèvre-stuffed dates entrées of grilled flatbread pizzas, spinach & avocado salad and other items to complement their wines. During the Covid-19 closure, Pause has introduced their Quarantine Club, with full and half cases of wine. www.yieldandpause.comt

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<<Besties2020

22 • Bay Area Reporter • April 2-8, 2020

We miss the nightlife Bestie talented people Best Comic

Jesus U Betta Work

BESTIES people by Jim Gladstone

hat would queer San Francisco be without our nocturnal animals—the revelers and entertainers and service stars? No post-dusk predation. No moonlit romance. No sweat-soaked dancefloors. No piano bar crooning or dragalicious dress-up. Alas, we’re living that nightlife nightmare scenario right now. So let’s raise a glass (make it a double), to this year’s Nightlife People Bestie winners and all of their colleagues who, in usual times, are there to light up our lives after dark. We asked some of this year’s winners to reflect on their awards and this strange moment we’re living through.

Gooch

Glamamore

Runners up: Lisa Geduldig, Natasha Muse Our readers’ top choice for the second time in three years, Jesus U. Betta Work, says his performance style was largely inspired by female comics, especially Phyllis Diller. While the flamboyant jokester continues to host his monthly Comedy Fiesta at the San Mateo County Pride Center, he’s lately been making his way up and down the coast, from L.A. to Portland. When asked if his material has expanded beyond gay topics, he replied, “Well, gay bottom-ics, too!” Rim shot. Pun intended. We could all use some more laughs right now.

Best DJ

Bus Station John Runners up: Sergio Fedasz, Lady Ryan Whether it’s intimate nights at Aunt Charlie’s, monthly T-dances at The SF Eagle, or guest gigs at other events, DJ Bus Station John turns nostalgia into ‘70s and ‘80s R&B and disco grooves that take us back earlier than our quarantine, but before the previous plague, when souls and bodies were close, sweaty and free. Asked why his mixes bring such joy, he said,”The old-school dance music I shine a light on at The Tubesteak Connection and Disco Daddy was crafted by talented, imaginative humans who could actually sing, play instruments, and write hooks that stand the test of time 40 years later. These tracks have soul, even when created with synthesizers, and soul is what genuinely transports a dance floor.” Asked about our current situation, John said, By not being able

Best Drag Performer

Glamamore Runners up: Peaches Christ, Nikki Jizz Mix a little bit of Brecht with high camp and you might approximate the astounding mini-dramas that David Glamamore brings to his drag lipsynch performances. Also known as a prominent couture designer, particularly for soulmate Juanita MORE!, Glamamore’s massive 2016 fashion show at the de Young Museum is now the stuff of legend. Before our shutdown, and hopefully after, one could enjoy Glamamore’s Pillows, a weekly hosted drag and crafts night at The Powerhouse.

Bestie Events

From page 20

prised with the succinct command “Win Booze and Bragging Rights!” Add one part comedy stand-up show, one part fierce team competition and lots of wacky irreverent fun and you’ve got a recipe for success as Kit Tapata has proved for more than five years at her wildly popular Wednesday night event. With the bar closed for now, consider donating to their staff fund at www.gofundme. com/f/kxxky6-tip-your-bartender

Best Leather Event

International Ms. Leather and International

Gooch

Fudgie Frottage

to do what I love, I’m gaining a renewed appreciation for it. Sharing the music I have a passion for with groups of kindred spirits, large or small, truly is a gift. I also have time to tackle the huge task of reorganizing my record collection, and I’m finding lots of gems I’d forgotten about or haven’t played in years. I’m excited about breaking them out for future dance floors.” While we wait, enjoy his SoundCloud mix from a recent night at The Stud with Go Bang. www.mixcloud.com/gobangsf/ bus-station-john-at-go-bang/

Best New Drag Performer

Black Betty Towers

Best Live Band

Middle-Aged Queers Runners up: Lolly Gaggers, Homobiles

Gooch

Black Betty Towers

Best Nightlife Photographer:

Marques Daniels

Runners up: Rosie Petals, Jubilee

Runners up: Gooch, Steven Underhill

“I’m feeling restless,” says Betty of the current homebound Corona lifestyle. “I think that we, as the nightlife creatures are here to help people maintain good energy and faith in weirdness.” But Betty, who gleefully swings from shaved-head-and-hairy-chest looks to “total glam mode with a huge bouffant weave and a moustache,” also notes that “I’m trying to remember that I’ve been gifted this time to nurture my creativity” and is working on sewing and leatherwork projects. “It’s also a trip to be able to sit down and not stress about everyday baloney.” Still, Betty’s keeping an eye on the horizon, anticipating a return to the stage at Oasis’ Butchqueen cabaret during pride month. Fingers, and dress, crossed!

Highlights of Daniels’ past year have included working with several Drag Race contestants at appearances in Sacramento and San Jose, and a regular gig with Ky Martinez’ circuit party events—“They lean toward the shirtless, almost naked side, which is always fun!” jokes Daniels. After being a runner up several years, Daniels finally wins the Bestie only to see nightlife grind to a temporary halt. “I’m so fortunate to have a full time job,” says Daniels, who works in IT at a local university. “But I’m worried about so many of my friends who are drag queens and bartenders and performers, because that’s their main source of income. My favorite bar is The Lookout and they’re selling gift cards with half the money going to the staff, I’m supporting things like that, and I hope everyone else who loves nightlife does too.”

Best Drag King

Fudgie Frottage Runners up: Alex U. Inn, Madd Dogg 20/20 Not only the producer of the long-running annual Drag King Contest, Fudgie has changed the landscape of drag and nightlife performance by upending gender roles and providing a showcase for women and trans performers to poke fun at masculinity in a variety of ways. Said Frottage, “Thank you for the Love! I’m so honored to receive this Bestie on the 25th anniversary year of the SF Drag King Contest.” Frottage also had a message of hope. “Stay strong, friends. Our community has been through worse. Nightlife waned from AIDS deaths in the early ’80s, but it snapped back because of dedicated artists. Ironically nitelife was already waning from chosen social distancing. Hopefully this tough love quarantine will lift soon and make people really appreciate the beauty of live performance and human contact.”

Best Live Nightlife/Cabaret Performer

Russell Deason Runners up: Katya Smirnoff-Skyy, Suzanne “Kitten on the Keys” Ramsey Best recognized for tickling the ivories at Martuni’s Monday night sing-along happy hours, pianist/producer Deason found the silver lining in a layoff from the corporate world and decided to focus on music fulltime. He’s put together a number of cabaret acts and variety shows, accompanied Katya Smirnoff-Skyy and Donna Sachet, and put together a stirring one-man show, Tough As Nails, which focused on his over three decades living with AIDS. A week into the Covid shutdown, Deason said “I’ve been recording backing tracks for a lot of other singers who have been streaming their acts online. And I’ll probably do something on Facebook Live, too. This is all starting to feel stifling.”

“Given our name, I’m super young,” confesses vocalist Shaun Osburn, 40, of the queer core foursome whose two eldest members are in their fifties. The band, which includes former members of punk legends Flipper and Fang, played their first gig just over a year ago and have been embraced in the queer community and beyond. “After we opened a punk show at Slim’s, I’ve had straight couples come up to me when we’ve played specifically gay venues and say, ‘Hey, we saw you at Slim’s.’ When I realized we got straight people to show up at a leather bar, I was like, hmm… we may be onto something here.” middleagedqueers.bandcamp.com

Shot in the City

Miguel Chavez

Best Bartender

Miguel Chavez (Hole in the Wall)

Runners up: David Delgado (The Cinch), Mica Sigourney (The Stud) For the second year in a row, there’s been a complete turnover in mixology honorees. Chavez surely speaks for all of them when he says, “Its awesome I won, but this is completely overshadowed now by the Covid-19 shut-down. The bar is going to celebrate its 26th Anniversary on April 15, but I don’t think we’re going to be open. I’ll have been here for ten years in July and I’ve loved every minute of it. I live down the street from work, so when I’m not on, I’m often there anyway. It’s a big part of my life that I’m really missing right now.”

Best Gogo Dancer

Eric Osborn Runners up: Emerson Silva, Dirt Wolf Acknowledging the bitter moment we’re in even more than his sweet victory, gregarious rump-shaker Osborn texted in a somber assessment of his feelings: “I just have to say that this crisis has put a damper on my ego, let alone my livelihood. But a sense of humility is key with every passing day.”t

Ms. Bootblack Runners up: Folsom Street Fair, Up Your Alley Street Fair International Ms. Leather and International Ms. Bootblack make a long-term impression on its attendees, as is witnessed by the fact that the event usually happens in April and yet is still in the minds of Bestie voters the following March. Last year’s event included a Seduction Thursday night as well as Shilo McCabe Miss Shugana contests on Friday and Saturday nights. The B.A.R.’s leather-kink Left: Miss Kitty’s Trivia Night at Wild Side West columnist Race Bannon calls this Right: International Ms. Bootblack 2019 (left), Gretchen, and International Ms. Leather 2019 (right), Haley. weekend “one of the key national events for leather and kink women test date is currently in flux due noteworthy that the winner of our Bannon also notes that the and their friends” and notes that it to Covid-19, so to see what has Best Leather Event is an event that event is inclusive for everyone is “one of the better run conferencemade this event special you takes place in San Jose, as opposed along the gender and orientation style events” and clearly our readers should keep an eye on their webto the runner-ups in San Franspectrum, and this is clearly wel(and Bestie voters) agree. site (https://imslbb.org).t cisco. Note that this year’s concome for the events fans. It is also

Besties2020 >>

April 2-8, 2020 • Bay Area Reporter • 23

choices for theatre, Bestie Arts Readers music and museums

Best Classical Music Venue

performed around the world, and hundreds of times in San Francisco. The chorus has provided a forum for San Francisco’s gay and lesbian music lovers to develop their talents, find good friends, and share their gifts with San Francisco’s diverse communities.”-from the Chorus’ website. www.lgcsf.org

Grace Cathedral Runner-up: Davies Symphony Hall

Alexander Reneff-Olson

Post:Ballet

Best Nature Science Museum

San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers

BESTIES arts by David-Elijah Nahmod

he people have spoken. The Bay Area Reporter is pleased to announce the 2020 winners in the Besties’ Arts and Culture Categories. These are the places that bring (in your opinion) the finest highbrow entertainment the Bay Area has to offer. While venues are closed for now (with one permanent closure), we offer congratulations to all the winners, in absentia and in memoriam.

Best Art Museum

Contemporary Jewish Museum

Runner-up: California Academy of Sciences “The Conservatory of Flowers is literally filled to the brim with flowers, foliage and plants from around the world, with a concentration on tropical plants. Come visit the Conservatory today and immerse yourself in our five distinct galleries, each focusing on highlighting a different ecosystem, ranging from a tropical rainforest, to the cloud forests perched on top of mountains. Once inside the Conservatory you will engage all senses, see an awesome array of colors and textures, feel the warm moist air, smell intoxicating fragrances, taste the mist on your tongue, hear the trickle of falling water, a clap of thunder in our rainforest, or crickets as the sun starts to set.”- from the Conservatory website. www.conservatoryofflowers.org

Runner-up: SF MOMA

Stephen Texeira

Little Seismic Dance Company

Best Live Music Venue:

Slim’s Grace Cathedral

Best Theater Company

Broadway SF

Best Ballet Company

Runner-up: American Conservatory Theater

Post:Ballet

“Broadway SF owns and operates the Golden Gate and Orpheum Theaters and is the pre-eminent theatrical entertainment company in San Francisco. BroadwaySF consistently delivers the ultimate theatrical experience to San Francisco, presenting new works, preBroadway productions, open-ended engagements, and hits fresh from Broadway stages.”-SFtravel.com https://www.broadwaysf.com/ Online/default.asp

Runner-up: San Francisco Ballet “Every dance company should be lucky enough to have a Robert Dekkers at the helm. In a mere five years he has brought his Post:Ballet to the attention of audiences looking for substantial summertime dance fare and held their interest. In a penny-pinching profession, Post:Ballet doesn’t seem to know the meaning of poverty.”-Allan Ulrich, “Dekkers Making Waves With Post:Ballet,” SF Gate, Friday, August 15, 2014. www.postballet.org

Best Modern Dance Company

Little Seismic Dance Company Runner-up: ODC Dance “The energy and creative urges that had been thwarted for ten years seemed released here. First, Katie Faulkner roots herself in place, keeps her head turned to avoid the audience’s gaze, extends limbs robotically, swivels aimlessly and wriggles her shoulders so doggedly she seems ready to shed her skin. As the piece progresses, you can almost feel her opening up to the world. She slips into a plie, rolls on the floor, plays hopscotch and finally lets her limbs float. Finally, Faulkner can face the audience and her own demons.”-Allan Ulrich, “Little Seismic Dance’s anniversary gift to audience,” SF Gate, Friday, May 2017, 2016. www.littleseismicdance.org

Runner-up: Fox Theater, Oakland “For an entire generation, the 600-person-capacity Slim’s played a crucial role in San Francisco nightlife. It was the home base for many Bay Area bands and the first stop in town for touring acts on their way up. Among the acts that made their debut at the club are superstars Sheryl Crow, Beck, Melissa Etheridge, Bruno Mars and No Doubt. Slim’s has also hosted big name acts including Pearl Jam, Snoop Dog, David Bowie and the Foo Fighters playing for intimate audiences.”-Joel Selvin, “Slim’s closed for good after more than three decades at heart of SF’s music scene,” Joel Selvin, Datebook, March 20, 2020 Note, Slim’s has permanently closed. www.slimspresents.com

Best Choral Group

Lesbian/Gay Chorus of San Francisco Runner-up: San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus “The nation’s oldest self-identified LGBT mixed chorus, the Lesbian/Gay Chorus of San Francisco is dedicated to building and enriching the LGBT community through song and a love of music. The chorus has

The New Parish

Best Intimate Live Music Venue

The New Parish Runner-up: Martuni’s

Slim’s

“This is my new fave venue for music. Why you may ask? 1. Up close and personal with music artist. 2. Able to charge my phone secretly from the stage. 3. Bathrooms were clean and easily accessible. 4. Reserve seating for handicap. 5. Great crowd. Bay area really shows up and out.”-Lauren S. Yelp review, November 9, 2019. www.thenewparish.comt

Gooch

“Some people talk about diversity. Some people implement it. To my knowledge, San Francisco’s Contemporary Jewish Museum (CJM) has yet to issue press releases about celebrating diversity or being inclusive. Instead, quietly and without fanfare, the museum’s small but stately building on Mission between 3rd and 4th Streets in downtown San Francisco has established itself as a place that’s open and welcoming to all.”--B.A.R. “The gay inclusive spirit of the Contemporary Jewish Museum,” May 17, 2010. www.thecjm.org

“Magical. Transcendent. Stunning. Overwhelming. It made me cry. These are some of the words critics and out audiences use to describe what it’s like to experience concerts and other performances in Grace Cathedral.” -Cathedral website “The chance to hear musicgospel, classical, jazz or any other genre, in gorgeous Grace Cathedral should not be missed.”-Jim Harrington, Bay Area music critic. www.gracecathedral.org

Best Historial-Hysterical Event

50th anniversary of the cockettes We honor a unique show with a special Best Historial-Hysterical Event, because we can. The 50th anniversary of The Cockettes, celebrated at the Victoria Theatre on January 4, 2020, featured hours of numbers from original Cockettes musicals and other songs. Produced by Dan Karkoska, the sold-out crowd including John Waters, who offered a salutory speech. Surviving Cockettes members, including composer Scrumbly Koldewyn, were honored by Sen. Scott Weiner, Supe. Rafael Mandelman and sainted by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. Unlike some of The Cockettes early, more chaotic shows, the anniversary events combined queer history, musical theatre and vibrant fabulous performers and costumes, with aplomb. Kudos, Cockettes!t

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<<Besties2020

24 • Bay Area Reporter • April 2-8, 2020

Services and Shopping A new winner dethrones longtime favorite as doctors, nurses, and other medical personnel are fighting on the front lines to treat patients and stem the pandemic. CPMC/Sutter Health Davies campus, Castro and Duboce streets, San Francisco, (415) 600-6000. www.sutterhealth.org

Best Gym:

Fitness SF Runner-up: 24-Hour Fitness

Courtesy Freewheel Bike Shop

Freewheel Bike Shop is an upset winner in the best bike shop category.

BESTIES shopping

CapitalOne cafes offer a new twist on staid banks, with creative spaces for customers to hang out and amenities like free Wi-Fi. Right now they are closed, but check one out once physical distancing eases. Its San Francisco location is in Union Square. www.capitalone.com

Best Barber Shop/ Salon

by Cynthia Laird

Joe’s Barbershop

Best Bike Shop

Runner-up: Daddy’s Barbershop

Freewheel Bike Shop Runner-up: Valencia Cyclery There is a new winner in the best bicycle shop category. Freewheel Bike Shop was the surprise top votegetter, beating out perennial favorite, Valencia Cyclery. According to its website, Freewheel has been in business since 1978 and serves the Bay Area with expert repairs, custom wheel building, fitting, and professional road and mountain bike sales. “We pride ourselves in being able to serve any and every riding style (roadie, fixie, mountain, triathlon, commuter, hybrid, touring bikes, cyclo-cross and more),” the site stated. Freewheel Bike Shop, 1920 Hayes, Street, San Francisco, (415) 7529195. www.thefreewheel.com

A runner-up last year, Joe’s Barbershop is the 2020 winner. This popular establishment has been serving the Castro since 2004, when Joe Gallagher decided to open up shop. “And 16 years later, after a relocation, a fire, and the addition of 15 barbers, Joe’s Barbershop has become the go-to destination for the best flat tops, mohawks, buzzes, beards and fades,” Gallagher writes on his website. “I am very proud of the business I have built and take much pride in it, but none of it would be possible without the dedication and loyalty of our customers who truly make Joe’s Barbershop what it is today.” Check it out when social distancing eases. Joe’s Barbershop, 2150 Market Street, San Francisco, (415) 2559096. www.joesbarbershop.com

Best Auto Dealer

Carlsen Subaru

Best Grocery (Chain or Independent):

Trader Joe’s Runner-up: Rainbow Grocery Grocery stores are the place to be these days (while practicing social distancing, of course) and Trader Joe’s is a longtime reader favorite. Its selection of wines, cheeses, and other unique items can’t be beat, but right now, customers are stocking up on staples during this uncertain time. Trader Joe’s, 555 Ninth Street, San Francisco, (415) 863-1292. Also various Bay Area locations. www.traderjoes.com

This Castro pharmacy specializes in medications for complex and chronic conditions. Our readers voted it their favorite this year. It is open weekdays. CVS Specialty Pharmacy, 445 Castro Street, San Francisco, (415) 864-7030. https://www.cvsspecialty. com/wps/portal/specialty Rick Gerharter

Dog Eared Books owner Kate Rosenberger

Best Bookstore

Dog Eared Books Runner-up: Green Apple Books

Joe’s Barbershop is a reader favorite.

A new winner this year, gay business partners Terje Arnesen and Christopher Sharpe showcase contemporary designers who have put their own twist on classic styles from their native Nordic region. All of the furniture, lighting, and home accessories they carry come from companies based in Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland. Many of the items aren’t sold anywhere else in the Bay Area, as the Bay Area Reporter noted in a 2017 profile. Norden Living, 3618 17th Street, San Francisco, (415) 757-0805. www.nordenliving.com

Runner-up: Walgreens

This financial services company offers more than just credit cards. Its

Courtesy Joe’s Barbershop

Runner-up: Room & Board

CVS Specialty Pharmacy

The salesroom is closed now because of the coronavirus pandemic, but this Redwood City auto dealer is our readers’ favorite. It offers new and used vehicles and has been in business for 45 years. Carlsen Subaru, 480 Veterans Boulevard, Redwood City, (888) 520-5916. www.carlsensubaru.com

Runner-up: SF Federal Credit Union

Norden Living

Best Pharmacy

Runner-up: SF Toyota

Best Bank or Credit Union: CapitalOne

Best Place to Buy Furniture:

Dog Eared Books returns to the winner’s circle for 2020. The store, which has locations in the Castro and Mission, looks to restart hosting events soon. It has a great selection of new and used books. The store also buys books. Dog Eared Books, 489 Castro Street, San Francisco. (415) 2821901. www.dogearedbooks.com

Fitness-SF in the Castro again won this category. The over 16,000 square foot facility offers two floors of tools and equipment to keep a person’s workout fresh and challenging, according to its website. From free weights to cardio, the gym has it all. The gym also offers nationally certified personal trainers. All gyms are closed right now, but look to get working out again at the gym when the stay-at-home orders are lifted. Fitness-SF Castro, 2301 Market Street, San Francisco, (415) 3486377. https://fitnesssf.com/location/castro/

Berner’s on Haight, 1685 Haight Street, San Francisco, (415) 3187278. www.bernersonhaight.com

Best Thrift Store:

Community Thrift Store Runner-up: Out of the Closet (AIDS Healthcare Foundation) Another new winner, Community Thrift Store has been around for decades. It started in 1982 and is a nonprofit organization that works with over 200 Bay Area charities. It accepts donations on behalf of its charity partners, sells the items in its store, and then disburses the proceeds. Community Thrift is an independent and non-discriminatory establishment and when you donate you can pick your favorite charity to support, according to its website. It is closed right now but looks to reopen soon. Community Thrift Store, 623 Valencia Street, San Francisco, (415) 861-4910. communitythriftsf.org

Best Variety Shop

Cliff’s Variety Runner-up: Just for Fun & Scribbledoodles

Cynthia Laird

Fitness SF remains popular with readers.

Best Cannabis Dispensary:

Berner’s on Haight Runner-up: The Apothecarium Berner’s on Haight is a new dispensary and a new winner. Berner’s is a collaboration between two San Francisco natives, Shawn Richard and Gilbert Milam, known in the industry for developing Cookies, a family of trademarked cannabis strains and related merchandise. As the B.A.R. previously reported, the brand also owns a non-cannabis retail store that opened at 1429 Haight Street five years ago, selling apparel and accessories. The others involved with the project are Conor Johnston, a gay man who was chief of staff to London Breed when she was District 5 supervisor, and John Delaplane. It was one of the first dispensaries to open under the city’s new equity program. It is open now, as are most San Francisco dispensaries, as the city reversed itself last month and deemed them essential businesses.

This Castro institution has been around for 80 years and it’s open now. It has various household supplies and repair parts, as well as unique gifts. Cliff ’s co-owner Martha Asten recently told the B.A.R. that her employees are following best practices in the age of coronavirus – social distancing and “wiping things down as much as possible. The first two days, sales dropped – not significantly, but they dropped,” Asten said, referring to the start of San Francisco’s shelter-in-place order March 17. “But they’ve come back up and we’ve been fine. It’s been about the same as other days this time of year. It’s weird. It’s probably because other people are not open.” Cliff ’s Variety, 479 Castro Street, San Francisco, (415) 212-8400. https://cliffsvariety.com/

Best Vintage Clothing/ Consignment Shop

Sui Generis Runner-up: Buffalo Exchange A new winner, Sui Generis’ men’s store in the Castro carries a wide selection of designer ready-to-wear and formal clothing, shoes, and accessories. Consignment is by appointment. It has a women’s store in the Union Square/Cow Hollow neighborhood and people can also shop online. Sui Generis, 2231 Market Street, San Francisco, (415) 437-2231. www.suigenerisconsignment.comt

Best Health Care Provider:

CPMC/Sutter Health Runner-up: Kaiser Permanente This is a new winner for 2020. It operates several hospitals in San Francisco, including Davies Medical Center in the Castro. The Davies campus provides an expanded 24hour emergency room, advanced surgery, and robotic-assisted surgery for orthopedic problems and joint replacements. Several key centers for neurological care, memory care and rehabilitation are also located here, according to its website. Of course, hospitals are overwhelmed right now with COVID-19

Rick Gerharter

Cliff’s Variety remains open and practices social distancing, as this recent photo shows.

Besties2020>>

April 2-8, 2020 • Bay Area Reporter • 25

Bestie Eats tions were initially closed, but the restaurant’s 306 Broderick Street location will open for limited takeout and delivery hours on Thursdays through Sundays beginning today (April 2), www.nopalitosf. com. Padrecito is at 901 Cole St. www.padrecitosf.com

Kantine’s tempting array of dishes

Tartine’s soup and toast Salt & Straw ice cream

Best Brunch:

Kantine Runners up: Hamburger Mary’s, Wooden Spoon

BESTIES eats by Jim Gladstone

“P

antry Raid!” In brief, that describes what we’ve been eating of late, as most of our restaurant meals have been Covid 86’d. But when the lockdown finally ends and we’re able to get out and about to socialize over our vittles once again, this year’s Restaurant Besties will be here to help. That doesn’t just mean helping you break free of cabin fever with great suggestions, it means helping the waitstaff and kitchen workers of our city get a much needed infusion of income. Plan on ordering dessert, an extra cocktail, another app to share with the table. And for the good of your soul and others’ livelihood, tip generously. Some of this year’s winners are open for take-out or delivery during the current quarantine, and they’re as hungry for support as you are for something that’s not from a can or your freezer. You can also pledge support –and help provide a light at the end of the tunnel– by using OpenTable, Resy, Yahoo and other online reservation services to book spots, and commit to keeping those reservations for late April and beyond.

The success of two-year old daytime-only Kantine is a testament to B.A.R. readers’ willingness to welcome new cuisine to the Castro, even while falafel, burgers and pizza continue to dominate. Copenhagen-trained chef Nichole Accettola cooks up clean and vibrant Scandinavian baked goods and brunch delights, including breads, pastries and open-face Smørrebrød sandwiches like house-smoked trout with dill and pickled onions or curried herring with apples. For adventurous eaters, her savory porridges are a must. Order in some hygge this weekend. Open for takeout and delivery, 8am-2pm T-F, 9am -2pm Sa.-Sun. 1906 Market St. www.kantinesf.com

Best Asian Restaurant

Best Coffee Shop

Mister Jiu’s

Runners up: Philz, Wicked Grounds

Mister Jiu’s, the elevated Chinatown delight is well worth a visit when it reopens. Brandon Jew’s crown jewel could just as easily have won our Best Upscale Restaurant award. Meanwhile, his more moderate priced take on take-out staples Mamahuhu at 517 Clement St., is open for pick-up and delivery, Tues.-Sat, 5pm-9pm. www. eatmamahuhu.com. Mister Jiu’s: 28 Waverly Place, www.misterjius.com (Mama Ji’s is open for delivery and take-out; Izakaya Roku is temporarily closed).

Sextant SoMa’s Sextant is a lure not just for java, but for its gently humming environs, well-suited for productive remote work. The latter is out for the time being, but Ethiopian beans, both brewed and bagged, are ready to pick you up from the doldrums. Open for takeout. 1415 Folsom St. https://sextantcoffee.com/ (Wicked Grounds and Philz’ SF locations are closed for the moment.)t

a Mano Runners up: Poesia, La Ciccia

Lers Ros Thai’s krapraw

Runners up: Orphan Andy’s, Grubstake

Blind Butcher

current monthly specials, which included Bone Marrow & Smoked Cherries (Ice cream flavor or naughtly burlesque act?). Multiple locations. www.saltandstraw.com

Best Italian Restaurant

Lers Ros

Best Castro Restaurant

Silken tofu, morels, green almonds at Mister Jiu’s

Runners up: Mama Ji’s, Izakaya Roku

Seafood pasta at A Mano

Best Late Night Restaurant:

Ribeye with cream mushroom at Blind Butcher

fering semi-prepared finish-athome dishes at lower price points than their usual menu entrees, including sous vide short ribs ready for searing and pre-brined whole chickens. Pick-up orders can be placed several days in advance online. Open for takeout and delivery, 9am-5pm. 595 Alabama St. www.tartinemanufactory.com

With three Lers Ros kitchens –in the Mission, Tenderloin and Hayes Valley– all continuing to cook up a long menu of authentic Thai dishes through the shut-down, orders won’t have to travel cross town to get to your door. When dine-in hours re-start, the Larkin Street location will once again be open to midnight, and the others until 11 pm. Stalwart diners Orphan Andy’s and Grubstake are both closed for the time being. Here’s hoping our hangouts can hang in there. Lers Ros, Mission, Open for takeout and delivery; last order 10:15-10:30 pm. 3189 16th St. www.lersros.com

Patrons of Hayes Valley’s a Mano seem to be fond of dining at the restaurant’s always packed sidewalk tables. For now they’ll have to take things a little further al fresco, but popular pastas including rigatoni and pork sugo and pesto fusilli were always pretty homey anyhow. The Castro’s upscale Poesia is also open for delivery and take-out. Noe Valley’s Sardinian delight, La Ciccia, has put its kitchen on hold for the moment. Open for takeout and delivery, Noon-8pm. 450 Hayes St. www.amanosf.com

Sextant Coffee

Cocktails and the brunch menu at Jolene’s

Best Bar Menu

Jolene’s

Since 1977

Runners up: Hi-Tops, Lookout Just because you’ve got a bar menu doesn’t mean you’re not a bar. But while we’re all barred from bars, Jolene’s regulars can still dream about the fried chicken sliders, tomato soup with grilled cheese and banana poppers for dessert, as well as the recent addition of drag performers to entertain you. 2700 16th St. www.jolenessf.com Padrecito

Runners up: Catch, Lark

Best Upscale Restaurant

Castro restaurants are highly dependent on traffic at nearby bars and clubs for their clientele. All three of our winners are currently closed, with no to-go or delivery options. Blind Butcher was a welcome newcomer to the neighborhood this past year, bringing steakhouse fare to an unexpected location. 4058 18th St. www.blindbutchersf.com

Tartine Manufactory

Best Mexican Restaurant

Runners up: Flour & Water, Frances

Padrecito

While our runners up are closed for the moment, the Mission flagship of the Tartine empire is still baking up a storm of breads and pastries as well as of-

Our winner and first runner-up are in a Mexican stand-off with the coronavirus. Nopalito’s two loca-

Runners up: Puerto Alegre, Nopalito

Best Desserts

Salt & Straw Runners up: Bob’s Donuts, Mitchell’s Ice Cream Hey, sweet teeth, if nothing else, this is a great time to go on a diet! All your favorite sugaries are shut down. That said, fans of Salt & Straw’s creative ice cream recipes who didn’t make it in between March 1 and 13 missed out on their

Serving Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner all day Open 24/7 3991-A 17thSt Market & Castro, San Francisco

415-864-9795

<<Besties2020

26 • Bay Area Reporter • April 2-8, 2020

Community: LGBTs support local groups BESTIES

community by Cynthia Laird

nce the coronavirus outbreak has eased and public health restrictions are lifted, expect lots of LGBT nonprofit organizations to actively seek funds and other resources. Galas that were scheduled for spring have been pushed back to fall. (See related story.) In what is already a challenging environment due to federal rollbacks of our rights, services provided by these groups are more critical than ever. In the meantime, here are a few of Bay Area Reporter readers’ favorites in this category.

Best LGBTQ Fundraiser

Light in the Grove Runner-up: Soireé, SF LGBT Community Center This annual gala benefits the Na-

Steven Underhill

The crowd was festive at last year’s Light in the Grove fundraiser at the National AIDS Memorial Grove.

tional AIDS Memorial Grove and is held in the grove at Golden Gate Park. The grove is the only national AIDS memorial in the country. The 10-acre living memorial honors all who have confronted this pandemic; those who have died, and those who have shared their struggle, kept the vigils, and supported each other during the final hours, the grove’s website states. Late last year, the grove and the National AIDS Memorial Quilt announced that the grove would become stewards of the quilt, which it completed in February when the thousands of quilt blocks arrived in the Bay Area. Plans for local displays

NCLR, as it’s known, has been at the forefront of advancing equality for LGBTQs through its public interest legal work. After a lengthy search, the agency recently hired Imani Rupert-Gordon as its new executive director. In an email to supporters, she wrote that she spent her first day on the job last month working from home due to the city’s shelter-in-place order. “As I step into this moment, I’m humbled by the greatness of what I’m joining,” she wrote. “I’m excited to be part of NCLR’s legacy of courage and fearlessness, and to stand on the shoulders of giants. I am honored to lead NCLR as we carve

Best LGBT Nonprofit

Runner-up: Project Open Hand

a path to LGBTQ+ equality.” Rupert-Gordon, a queer woman, previously served as executive director for Affinity Community Services, a Chicago-based social justice nonprofit. NCLR continues to file lawsuits on behalf of its clients, and often works with other LGBT and allied public interest law groups to fight discrimination in states around the country and at the federal level. National Center for Lesbian Rights, http://www.nclrights.org

Best LGBT Sports League

SF Gay Softball League Runner-up: SF Fog Rugby Club

of the quilt panels have been put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic, though readers look forward to them at a later date. Light in the Grove is typically held just before World AIDS Day, which is December 1. The 2020 date has not yet been announced. National AIDS Memorial Grove www.aidsmemorial.org

National Center for Lesbian Rights

Courtesy NCLR

Imani Rupert-Gordon is the new executive director of NCLR.

SFGSL is a gay and lesbian softball league committed to providing an organization for LGBT participants to compete in an environment conducive to the community, according to its website. The spring season generally runs from March until July, although this year’s start had been pushed back to early April due to stay-at-home orders, and is likely to be postponed until early May. The fall season runs from September to November. Games are on Saturdays. SF Gay Softball League, sfgsl.orgt

Weddings & Destinations Hawaii looks to day tourists can return BESTIES

weddings & destinations by Cynthia Laird

Best Place to Be if You Can’t be in SF

Hawaii Runner-up: Palm Springs Enjoying a relaxing vacation in Hawaii is on hold for now, but travel

officials on the islands look forward to tourists returning after the coronavirus pandemic eases. The Hawaiian Islands have long been a favorite of Bay Area Reporter readers, but officials there on March 26 issued an advisory urging people not to visit. “Hawaii has a long tradition of welcoming visitors from around the world,” the statement reads. “The hookipa (hospitality) and Aloha Spirit that people feel as they explore our islands has become stuff of legends. At this time however, like many of you, we are focusing on the health and safety of our community, visitor industry employees, health care professionals, and our health care system” The statement goes on to ask that people postpone their trips. If they come to Hawaii now, they will be quarantined at home or in their visitor accommodation for 14 days or the duration of their stay, whichever

a unique piece of jewelry or a custom-designed set of wedding rings, check it out when shelter in place orders are lifted or visit online. Gallery of Jewels, 4089 24th Street, San Francisco, (415) 2850626. https://galleryofjewels.com/

Best Wedding Reception Venue:

City Club of San Francisco Runner-up: Russian River

is shorter. The mandate is in effect until further notice. Many of the hotels, bars, and restaurants are currently closed, according to the website. Until the situation changes, readers can enjoy memories of past trips or plan for a future one. https://www.gohawaii.com/

Best Place to Buy Rings

Gallery of Jewels Runner-up: D&H Sustainable Jewelers This is a new winner. According to its website, Gallery of Jewels was conceived as a place to showcase Ornaments by Dona, the fledgling fashion jewelry company founded by owners Bill Hoover and Dona Taylor, and the jewelry of five of Taylor’s designer friends. What began as a small operation in 1990 has since expanded into two unique galleries showcasing the work of over 100 talented artists. “Though the scale of the concept, along with the number of staff, has grown, the Gallery of Jewels mission has remained the same since its inception: build a strong artistic community, support those artists to the fullest, and bring quality jewelry to our clientele,” the website notes.

It has galleries in Noe Valley and Pacific Heights; both locations are currently closed due to the public health orders shuttering non-essential businesses. But if you’re seeking

You’ve planned your wedding ceremony and are now hunting for a reception venue. The City Club of San Francisco may be the spot for you and your spouse. “From the elegant Art Deco details and the stunning city views to the delectable food and the impeccable service, you can look forward to a breathtaking and unforgettable day,” the club’s website states. The club offers a full line of wedding professionals to make certain the event goes off without a hitch. Right now, the club is closed, but look for its services when businesses reopen or find out about available services online. City Club of San Francisco, 155 Sansome Street, 10th Floor, San Francisco, (415) 362-2480. www.cityclubsf.comt

Courtesy womangettingmarried.com

Above: Hawaii is a popular destination but is currently asking visitors to stay away because of the coronavirus outbreak. Middle: Gallery of Jewels owners Dona Taylor and Bill Hoover Top: The City Club of San Francisco offers wedding reception packages.

Besties2020>>

April 2-8, 2020 • Bay Area Reporter • 27

Bestie sexies Hope For Future Fun erotic wear and pup gear. It’s truly for people who live the BDSM lifestyle and/or have the hot, rocking body and attitude, but newbies are always welcome. Mr. S. promises to be gentle...the first time. www.mr-s-leather.com

Best Sex Venue

Steamworks Baths Berkeley

courtesy Steamworks

Steamworks Berkeley, past and future fun.

BESTIES sexies

by Cornelius Washington

Alto and Santa Cruz, California and Brookline and Cambridge, Massachusetts, and an online presence. Their product range is extremely modern, well-designed, hypoallergenic, very user-friendly, passionately researched and tested to work above and beyond the call of duty. Fear, shame, inhibition and self-imposed stigma do not exist within the walls of this gleaming, well-appointed emporium. Tell a friend, aorder your stay-at-home erotic products online. www.goodvibes.com

Runner-Up: Mr. S. Leather The luxury brand for fun sex toys not only extends and explores your limits and boundaries, but, also to explodes them in various pleasure centers. Get lost in the aura of true sexuality, and take advantage of Mr. S’ online selections. Their homepage alone will put you in the mood to order from one of the world’s largest selections of “toys”: bondage, leather, latex, tit wear, dildos, extenders, plugs and the latest in

ven though we, as a nation, are going through some very trying times, the winners in these categories, voted for by Bay Area Reporter readers, should inspire you to get your freak on once social distancing becomes a thing of the past. Here are the events and places to get upclose and very personal with plenty of people, or someone special, at some point in our future.

Runner-Up: Underwear Night at 440 Castro This uber-modern bar rewards you with the event that enhances you casting down the carbs and magnifies your laser-like focus in your workouts. Do you want to show off your vintage UnderGear catalog black see-through polyester briefs? Do you want to serve rugby star realness in Armani Exchange boxer briefs, or are you willing to go beyond good taste, in a Nasty Pig branded jock strap? Socialize, show your style and shopping skills, dance, drink and be unconcerned about sexual conventions or having to iron an outfit. Save your fave skivvies for this popular night’s return. www.the440.comt

Runner-Up: Catalyst This community-run educational and social space is located in the South of Market neighborhood, and operated by the San Francisco Bay Area Leather Alliance, in coordination with other kink and sexuality groups. Featuring more than 3,000 square feet of space for groups and individuals to play and socialize, this venue is well-stocked with all types of furnishings for your particular kink needs. Locker and shower rooms are also available. www.sfcatalyst.org

Cruisiest Nightlife Event

Best Place To Buy Sex Toys

Junk at The Powerhouse

Good Vibrations It’s no surprise that Good Vibrations has numerous locations in San Francisco, Berkeley, Oakland, Palo

Some of the most memorable experiences to ever be had in a building geared to gay male sexuality is the venue voted number one by B.A.R. readers. There’s just about everything that you can do there; work out in their beautiful gym, swim in their pool area, relax in their sauna, manipulate your body’s temperature in their steam room, listen to some great music, executed by some of the Bay Area’s best DJs and have amazing sex with beautiful men from all over the Bay Area and planet Earth. Reality is truly suspended, with their special events and reasonable prices for memberships, lockers and spacious rooms. Although now closed, we look forward to exploring what may be the new version of safe sex. www.steamworksbaths.com/ berkeley

what SoMa does best. With the music, the heat and camaraderie, Junk breaks down the meaning, “It’s what up front that counts.” Host Dulce de Leche and mrPam bring out the exhibitionist in patrons who compete in the wet underwear contest, with cash prizes. We eagerly anticipate this event’s return. www.powerhousebar.com

courtesy GoodVibes

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Steven Underhill

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Explore 35 years of history Join our online anniversary party by visiting glbthistory.org/35-years Collage features two photos from the collection of the GLBT Historical Society. Left: black-and-white glamour shot of Gilbert Baker (1985); photo by Robert Pruzan. Right: Drag queens and their escort out for a night on the town in San Francisco (circa 1965); photo by Henri Leleu.

AN OPEN LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER Dear Readers & Advertisers, I hope you and your loved ones are safe and healthy during this period. We have faced challenges before and we can only get through this ordeal together, not alone. On behalf of myself, the editorial staff, and the more than 50 contributors who bring the Bay Area Reporter to you in print and online every day, every week for nearly 50 years, THANK YOU for your support. That support is important as we contend with an unprecedented medical epidemic and an uncertain future. From my first days as an assistant editor at the BAR in 1989, I witnessed past crises like the AIDS epidemic, the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, the September 11, 2001 attacks, the 2008 financial crash, and the contraction of the newspaper industry, and yet, through hard work and dedication, the BAR managed to survive and has never missed publishing an issue -- and I donâ€™t intend to stop now if I can help it. To this end, I have had to make difficult, heart-breaking decisions to lay off staff and decrease costs in response to a sudden drop in advertising and a rapidly changing situation. Distribution has been redirected to concentrate in neighborhoods. eBAR.com will publish more articles online. By keeping our operation leaner, we will attempt to weather this situation into the summer when hopefully there will be some clarity about the future. Unfortunately, we are in the same boat as the majority of small businesses and hoping to make it through to better days. We are grateful for the support of those advertisers who have committed to continue their advertising during this period. Community newspapers depend on advertising to provide free distribution of print and online publications. Advertisers in the BAR are interested in reaching and supporting LGBTQ community, and readers are interested in advertisers who value them. These advertisers support our community institutions and charities. Now I am appealing to you directly for your help to bridge the gap. As a community media outlet, we take our mission to serve our community seriously, asking difficult questions of our politicians, our nonprofits, and our own leaders and institutions. We may not get an answer, but we are compelled by our professionalism to pose the questions in an attempt at transparency and disseminating information. But holding the powerful to account is not the only function we serve. Over the decades, the BAR has been an advocate for our community, from the birth of the gay rights movement all the way to marriage equality and advocating for transgender rights. Our political coverage started when Harvey Milk was our first political columnist, before he was elected supervisor and replaced by longtime political watcher the late Wayne Friday. The BAR was the first LGBT community publication to unapologetically feature the leather community with a regular column by the legendary Marcus Hernandez (Mr. Marcus), and the first to publish obituaries with photos during the AIDS crisis. Throughout the years, the BAR focused on stories that mainstream media did not consider important: like anti-gay discrimination in employment and housing; bias and fear of people with HIV/AIDS; victims of abuse and anti-gay violence; the plight of at-risk youth; and the unmet needs of LGBT elders. Our articles have given voice to the vulnerable and are a record of our history. But only with your help, can the BAR continue to play this unique role. San Francisco will overcome this crisis. But what about our beloved Castro and LGBT community? What will it be like after this epidemic passes? We made it through the AIDS crisis by pulling together and that community spirit is necessary now. With the rise of the anti-gay right activist and authoritarian leaders, the need for a free LGBT press has never been greater, and with your help, the BAR is committed to serving our community and doing everything in our power to survive. That is why I am asking you to read the BAR regularly, visit eBAR.com, download our app, patronize our advertisers, but also make any contribution you can to help defray operating costs for the immediate future by visiting our Indiegogo fundraising campaign at

https://igg.me/at/save-the-BAR

San Francisco is one of 11 US cities that is fortunate to have a legacy LGBT publication by us, for us, and about us. Help preserve the BAR as an historic and important community institution for the future. Thank you,

Michael Yamashita Publisher