December 15, 2016 Edition of the Bay Area Reporter by Bay Area Reporter

Park Service opens LGBTQ exhibit

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Trial begins in woman’s suit against SF police

Vol. 46 • No. 50 • December 15-21, 2016

SF parks dog plan sparks howls

by Seth Hemmelgarn

trial involving a queer ArabAmerican woman who claims San Francisco police severely injured her during a 2013 traffic stop got under way this week in Oakland. Courtesy Facebook In her lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Nyla Moujaes Court for Northern California, Nyla Moujaes, an attorney who advocates for homeless people in Berkeley, claims that police Officer David B. Wasserman and Sergeant Gary Buckner were already pointing their guns at her when they approached her “allegedly” for making an illegal left turn at Mission and 16th streets July 14, 2013. Moujaes says she complied with their request to show her hands. When she asked why she’d been stopped, Wasserman “pulled her and threw her to the ground,” dislocating her shoulder. Other officers who arrived at the scene “failed to mediate the brutal assault,” and after police handcuffed her, they delayed in getting her medical help, Moujaes, who also goes by the name “Tru Bloo” and often works as a hip-hop fusion emcee, claims. “Ms. Moujaes did not resist arrest,” her complaint says. “She was not combative. She did not know why she was stopped; and at no time did officers tell her why she was arrested.” Police took Moujaes into custody and charged her with resisting arrest, but officers had “gathered incomplete and inaccurate statements and made false reports,” she says in her lawsuit. A news release indicates Moujaes wasn’t formally prosecuted in the case. Along with Wasserman and Buckner, the San Francisco Police Department and the city are also named as defendants, along with Sergeant Flint T. Paul, Officer Brent Dittmer and another officer whose name is listed as “Barry.” In their motion for summary judgment, defendants say that when Wasserman and Buckner first tried to stop Moujaes for the illegal turn, she “pulled her car over for a minute, pulled back into traffic, then started driving again. After a multiple-block slow-speed chase” with their lights flashing, the police got out of their car and went up to Moujaes when she finally stopped at a red light. She “remained uncooperative” when they told her to turn off the car and get out, and when she “turned her body and reached toward the center console of her car instead of complying” with Wasserman’s commands, he See page 11 >>

The dog park in McLaren Park includes stunning views across the bay to Mount Diablo. Rick Gerharter

by Matthew S. Bajko

plan to be voted on Thursday that would regulate dog access in natural areas in San Francisco’s city parks is

sparking howls from dog owners. Known as the Recreation and Park Department’s Natural Resources Management Plan, it covers everything from the forests of Mt. Davidson to the grasslands of Bernal Hill to

the coastal scrub of Twin Peaks to the creek in Glen Canyon. It also covers the wetlands of India Basin and Lake Merced, and portions See page 7 >>

POH looks to expand food services by Seth Hemmelgarn

who are monolingual and “not fully connected” with the community and roject Open Hand, the San what services are available. Francisco-based nonprofit in the She estimated that 70 to 80 percent Tenderloin that provides meals of the clients are gay, and that half of to thousands of people living with them are at least 45 years or older. AIDS and other diseases, is working to Many of the clients also live in singleexpand services to neighborhoods inroom occupancy hotels without cookcluding the Mission and Bayview. ing facilities or places to store food. “We’re going to start going to where “A lot of these meals are very essenthe clients are, not asking them to come tial for them,” Martinez said of the asto us,” Mark Ryle, POH’s CEO, said. sistance POH offers. He hopes to have vans equipped with Another potential site for a van is freezers and ovens delivered by ChristSoutheast Health Center, at 2401 Keith mas and launch the program January 1. Street in the Bayview. A staff person The days and times the vans will be availwasn’t available Tuesday to talk about able for clients haven’t been determined. the project. “We’ll be able to sign them up right Courtesy Project Open Hand Ryle said his nonprofit has a budget on site,” Ryle said, and “they’ll be able Kia Walls stands next to an existing Project Open Hand van. of $11.2 million. It also offers some to take food with them.” services in Oakland. Clients will just need to share wheth“This was our highest-revenue year “I would love to do that,” Martinez said of the er they’re HIV-positive, which can be in our history of operating,” he said. “... van, but “we haven’t sorted out the details.” confirmed on site, and that they’re a San FranWe raised more money last year than we ever “I think it will be great,” she said. “A lot of cisco resident. did before.” “The city has identified a few hotspots for our clients are in this side of town. ... Often we What made the difference is “I think we’re mortality and infection rates around HIV,” and lose people in the referral process because they telling our story better,” including by sharing don’t make it” to POH’s headquarters at 730 research that shows a 63 percent reduction in “where the infection rates are still high,” Ryle Polk Street because it’s “an extra step they have said. hospitalizations, Ryle said. to do.” One of the agencies POH is in discussions “If you’re eating well, you’re less likely to get “Having it on site would be fantastic,” she with is Mission Neighborhood Health Center, sick,” he said. said. which is at 240 Shotwell Street. The cost of buying, stocking, and staffing the Martinez said that about 80 percent of clients Shaddai Martinez, the center’s HIV clinic direcvans will be at least $150,000 “to get everything who get HIV services through the center are tor, said plans aren’t definite yet, but her agency set up,” Ryle said. The money’s coming from Latino. Many of them are recent immigrants will meet with POH this week to discuss logistics. private funds, as well as government sources.t

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<< Community News

2 • BAY AREA REPORTER • December 15-21, 2016

Pulse survivors at tree lighting

Gareth Gooch

he Rainbow World Fund’s annual Tree of Hope lighting in San Francisco City Hall December 7 honored survivors and family members of victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida six months ago. On hand for the ceremony were, from left, Mayra Alvear, the mother of victim Amanda Alvear; Angel Colon, who survived five bullets; Ilka Reyes, who survived nine bullets; Yolie Cintron, an activist and supporter for many of the victims’ families, many of which are monolingual; and Bay Area Reporter society columnist Donna Sachet, who emceed the event. For more, see Sachet’s column in BARtab.

Suicide suspected in Castro stabbing death by Seth Hemmelgarn

an Francisco police say a man who was found dead with a stab wound in the Castro likely killed himself. The 63-year-old man, whose name wasn’t immediately released, was lying on the Diamond Street side of the U.S. Post Office at 4304 18th Street Monday, December 12, according to Captain Daniel Perea, who oversees the Mission district police station. Perea said that a note at the scene and other evidence “indicates that it was a suicide.” The medical examiner’s office is investigating the incident, which happened at about 2:30 p.m., as a “suspicious death,” he said. The medical examiner’s office hadn’t provided information on the case as of Tuesday afternoon, December 13. “We did talk to some witnesses,” Perea said. “There were no reports of a fight. There were no reports of someone screaming or yelling for help” or other indications that the man had been attacked. A small shoulder bag with the note,

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the man’s passport, and other items was also at the scene, so it didn’t appear he’d been robbed, police said. Perea said he didn’t see any other injuries or anything to indicate the man had been using drugs. It may be several months before the medical examiner’s office releases the toxicology report. “It’s a sad incident, but it was one individual who was despondent acting on his own,” Perea said. “We’re not looking for any suspect, and there is no threat to the neighborhood.” Perea didn’t recall the note “being addressed to anyone in particular,” but it was double-sided and included “information about why he chose” to kill himself, names of next of kin, and the date it was written. He said officials believe the man lived in San Francisco. He didn’t know whether he’d been homeless. Perea said he’s in the Castro “frequently,” and the man was “no one I’ve ever seen.” “He wasn’t somebody that I’ve come into contact with for breaking

the law” or for other reasons, he said. He didn’t know why the man would choose the post office for his death, but he said he wasn’t an employee. Andrea Aiello, executive director of the Castro/Upper Market Community Benefit District, said that Perea told her that the man had “stabbed himself and pressed his body into the building” so that the knife would go in “deep.” Perea declined to confirm whether the man had pushed himself into the knife. He couldn’t comment on whether the knife had been protruding from the man’s chest, as some media reports have said. Kevin Chen, who owns Hansen’s Laundry and Dry Cleaning, which is across Diamond Street from the post office, said that he didn’t realize anything had happened Monday until several police cars arrived at the scene. Chen said he was only able to see the man’s legs as police surrounded the body. No one at the post office answered the phone Tuesday.t

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<< Open Forum

4 • BAY AREA REPORTER • December 15-21, 2016

Volume 46, Number 50 December 15-21, 2016 www.ebar.com PUBLISHER Michael M. Yamashita Thomas E. Horn, Publisher Emeritus (2013) Publisher (2003 – 2013) Bob Ross, Founder (1971 – 2003) NEWS EDITOR Cynthia Laird ARTS EDITOR Roberto Friedman BARTAB EDITOR & EVENTS LISTINGS EDITOR Jim Provenzano ASSISTANT EDITORS Matthew S. Bajko • Seth Hemmelgarn CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Ray Aguilera • Tavo Amador • Race Bannon Erin Blackwell • Roger Brigham Brian Bromberger • Victoria A. Brownworth Brent Calderwood • Philip Campbell Heather Cassell • Belo Cipriani Richard Dodds • Michael Flanagan Jim Gladstone • David Guarino Liz Highleyman • Brandon Judell • John F. Karr Lisa Keen • Matthew Kennedy • Joshua Klipp David Lamble • Max Leger Michael McDonagh • David-Elijah Nahmod Paul Parish • Sean Piverger • Lois Pearlman Tim Pfaff • Jim Piechota • Bob Roehr Donna Sachet • Adam Sandel • Khaled Sayed Jason Serinus • Gregg Shapiro Gwendolyn Smith • Sari Staver • Jim Stewart Sean Timberlake • Andre Torrez • Ronn Vigh Ed Walsh • Cornelius Washington Sura Wood ART DIRECTION Jay Cribas PRODUCTION/DESIGN Max Leger PHOTOGRAPHERS Jane Philomen Cleland • FBFE Rick Gerharter • Gareth Gooch Lydia Gonzales • Jose Guzman-Colon Rudy K. Lawidjaja • Georg Lester • Dan Lloyd Jo-Lynn Otto • Rich Stadtmiller Steven Underhil • Dallis Willard • Bill Wilson ILLUSTRATORS & CARTOONISTS Paul Berge • Christine Smith ADVERTISING/ADMINISTRATION Colleen Small VICE PRESIDENT OF ADVERTISING Scott Wazlowski – 415.829.8937 NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE Rivendell Media – 212.242.6863

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Trans people need more help I

f you were to die tomorrow, what name would the authorities use to identify you? Usually it would be your birth name or legally changed name. But if you’re a trans person who hasn’t legally changed your name, the coroner’s office most likely will identify you by your birth name. This occurred last week with the identification of several trans victims of the tragic Ghost Ship fire in Oakland. The San Francisco Chronicle even published a story about “deadnaming” and how upsetting it is to a lot of trans people and the friends of those who were lost. Tiffany Woods, a trans woman who works with East Bay law enforcement on trans issues, deserves credit for the sensitivity shown by the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, which oversees the coroner’s bureau, in releasing the names of Ghost Ship victims. Yet even the final official list included the birth names of two trans victims, followed by the names they had chosen to use in their daily lives. In short, it’s important for trans people to take the legal steps necessary to change their names and obtain correct identity documents, such as driver’s licenses and passports. And with the uncertainty and anxiety many of us feel over the incoming Trump administration, there is no time to waste. Which is why it’s surprising that established trans legal organizations have so far done little in this regard, either by hosting clinics or offering drop-in advice to people. Locally, Christina Ann Marie DiEdoardo, an attorney in private practice, was so fed up she held her own clinic in Berkeley earlier this month. And Gwendolyn Ann Smith, the Bay Area Reporter’s longtime Transmissions columnist, last week alerted readers to www.translawhelp. org, which serves as an online database of legal resources for the U.S. The website also helps trans people who cannot afford the cost of these documents – obtaining a passport runs nearly $200 with the fees and birth certificate requirements. And the website is also connecting people with lawyers and others willing to help.

As we wrote over a year ago, we’re struck by the lack of help the Oakland-based Transgender Law Center is providing, in general, when it comes to name changes. Shortly after the election, we were referred to links on its website when we asked if the agency would be holding a clinic on identity documents. While that information is valuable – and some people can probably take it from there – we’re concerned about those who don’t have the resources or wherewithal to take the initiative. We received some blowback after last year’s editorial from TLC supporters who thought we were being too critical of an organization that serves the trans community. But we would argue that if we won’t publicly call agencies out, change may not happen. It may not happen even when we do, as seems the case now, but it’s better than remaining silent. Our editorial had suggested TLC fundraise for a grant program that would cover court fees for name changes. If the organization had taken action, a grant program could have been up and running by now. After the election TLC Executive Director Kris Hayashi issued a statement that rightfully praised the trans community. “And at Transgender Law Center, we have long been committed to building up the strength and capacity of our communities even as we fight

for policy, legal, and culture shifts,” Hayashi stated. “That is why all of our programs and strategies prioritize developing robust leadership and strength across our communities and movements, rather than relying on the status quo. Now more than ever, this moment calls on all people who care about justice to find new ways to partner, work in coalition, and build across differences.” Hayashi and TLC should be helping trans people now in this time of uncertainty before the next administration takes office. President-elect Donald Trump’s nominations for Cabinet positions are people who either oppose or may not have much experience with the federal agencies they will be overseeing. Representative Tom Price (R-Georgia), the nominee for Health and Human Services secretary, has worked in Congress to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Imagine what he’ll do once he’s running one of the largest federal departments – and the impact that could have on trans patients. Trump’s pick for labor secretary, fast-food magnate Andrew Puzder, opposes minimum wage increases. Retired Marine General John Kelly was chosen to run the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the Transportation Security Administration – an agency that has been ineffective in ending bias against trans airline passengers. Rex Tillerson, the Exxon Mobil CEO, was selected this week as secretary of state. He’s received an “Order of Friendship” medal from anti-gay Russian President Vladimir Putin and, if confirmed, would oversee the State Department, which issues U.S. passports. There is less than a month before Trump is sworn in as president. Now more than ever there is no time to waste for trans people who want to secure identity documents that match their name and gender. At least TLC is hosting a webinar this Friday, at 10 a.m., focused on updating federal documents (www.transgenderlawcenter.org). That’s a great first step. But more is needed – especially for those without web access – so that trans people won’t be caught in the crosshairs of the Trump administration.t

Castro patrol celebrates 10 years by Greg Carey

he Castro Community on Patrol was founded in 2006 in response to reports of several violent street robberies accompanied by sexual assaults. Carlton Paul, with close ties to the leather community, quickly found a number of people who took up the mantra: “This should not be happening in our neighborhood.” We soon had over 100 volunteers. This visible response caused the original problem to dissipate. After about six months, many of the early volunteers felt the work was finished and turned their energy to other priorities. A few of us realized that this work is never really finished. We now have a smaller number of patrollers who are still very dedicated to our mission. The underlying need comes from the constant fear-mongering of a few vocal and well-funded political and religious groups that consistently use the LGBT community as a distraction from real issues, especially during presidential election cycles. This scapegoating makes it likely that the Castro might become a target for groups who either want to film extreme street drama or plan harm to our neighbors in order to make their point. So, we kept Castro Patrol viable through the years following Proposition 8 as a deterrent to groups who might want to make the Castro a focal point for opposition to accepting equality. Our high visibility in the streets, along with coverage on television news, served as a reminder that we were ready to take care of the residents and visitors to the LGBT neighborhood. Fortunately, the events leading up to the 30,000 people who celebrated the Prop 8 Supreme Court victory a few years ago involved no violence. We now need extra care after this year’s contentious presidential election. It once again calls for a very visible safety presence for the next six to 12 months. If our approach to prevention works again, we can keep hate mongers from using the Castro as a target. If they do bring violence, we are trained and ready to work with legal authorities and the courts as needed to protect everyone in the community.

Kelly Sullivan

Greg Carey addresses an LGBT safety forum last month.

Ten years later, we make every effort to get patrols on the street as often as possible based on volunteer availability. We are often first reporters to violent events, such as assaults, robberies, or vandalism. We also respond frequently to medical situations, such as overly intoxicated clubbers, accidents, or individual health crises. We devote a lot of non-patrol activity to prevention and education. We have placed over 90,000 safety whistles and 150,000 Clubbers Safety Guides into the hands of the public, and have trained more than 500 people in personal safety through our free self-defense workshops. We are always ready to act as a liaison between members of the public when dealing with the police department or district attorney’s office. Sometimes, this just involves understanding how the legal system works. At other times, it may involve someone who feels they were not treated fairly as the victim of a crime. If you need our help, please send details to: info@castropatrol.org so we can follow up and help you through what may be a complicated or stressful situation. More importantly, we have formed a broad safety coalition with other groups, including the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence in the Stop the Violence project; the San Francisco Police Department, through the SFPD Chief ’s LGBT

Community Advisory Forum; the district attorney’s office, through its LGBT Advisory Program; and a dozen other organizations and neighborhood associations that are part of Castro Cares, which implements innovative solutions to quality of life issues. We also work closely with neighborhood businesses through the Castro Business Watch, which is a program of SF-SAFE (San Francisco Safety Awareness for Everyone that also operates the city’s Neighborhood Watch programs). CBW, in conjunction with managers of 80 locations, works to reduce crimes that affect the viability of small businesses. Through this collaborative work, the district attorney has been able to obtain “public nuisance” stay-away orders from two individuals who had a history of escalating violent crimes that endangered workers and shoppers. We continue to work with SF-SAFE’s business experts to help CBW members improve the safety of their locations, including the better use of security cameras to document crimes when they occur. We always need new volunteers to continue our work. The next training date is Saturday, January 21. Reserve a seat by visiting our website at http://www.castropatrol.org. We also ask for your tax-deductible donations to help pay for things like safety whistles and literature. You can use the “donate” tab on our website, and please remember to enter CCOP in the “honoree” box. As we move into our second decade, we look forward to working with each of you in a variety of ways.t Greg Carey joined the San Francisco Neighborhood Emergency Response Team and became a volunteer with the Castro Community on Patrol in 2007. He became the CCOP chief of patrol in 2008 and was named “Saint Watchful Eyes of the Castro Beat” of the Order of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence in 2012. His main passion involves improving community safety and he is currently part of seven different public service organizations.

Letters >>

Health care state of emergency

December 15-21, 2016 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 5

Waiting to see what happens on the issue of health care is crazy. The Republicans have already vowed to repeal the Affordable Care Act as their first item of business – before figuring out what replaces it. Repealing the ACA will undoubtedly mean repealing the individual mandate, the item they hate the most and which is the financial underpinning of the program. As a recent New York Times article pointed out, the health insurance companies hate uncertainty and they certainly dislike losing money. There is likely to be a long, messy fight in Congress about what replaces ACA, if anything. California gets $20 billion from the federal government for health care, money that the state cannot easily come up with. Moderate Democrats seem to me unlikely to be comfortable with raising state taxes to the tune of $20 billion a year. This scenario has the potential for the entire health care system to descend into chaos sooner rather than later. Considering the number of people living with HIV and other life threatening illnesses in San Francisco it behooves city government officials to be talking to the state government about emergency measures. I cannot miss a dose of medication and I cannot stock up on drugs. I take four HIV drugs and various other drugs for other conditions. The price of the HIV drugs in particular is astronomical – I cannot afford them. I was on one to three drugs for 15 years and never had more than a zero T-cell count. I did not start to get better until 10 years ago; I almost died and my new doctor put me on five HIV drugs (six when I was in the hospital). I cannot get by on one or two HIV drugs. If the system descends

into chaos I cannot wait around for six months for government officials to figure things out. There needs to be an emergency plan in place for Healthy San Francisco or the SF health department to take over the AIDS Drug Assistance Program rolls currently funded by the state and managed by a private company. San Francisco managed ADAP before, it can do it again. But there needs to be an emergency plan in place before the new Congress meets, not afterward. Alan W. Martinez San Francisco

Stop whining about state Senate race

We are all very much aware that Patrick Batt was a big supporter of Jane Kim, but she lost [Mailstrom, December 8]. Stop whining and work with our new state senator, man, and I am sure we will be as proud of him as we were when he was supervisor. James (Robbie) Robinson San Francisco

Safe injection site locale

California’s very first supervised safe injection site should be where so many firsts have started up – in historic Ward 86, at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital; shielded from the view of passersby and Trumpites [“Safe injection sites get boost from Garcia,” December 8]. No NIMBY can claim to predate this 19th-century hospital; and very few predate Ward 86.

First gay councilman takes seat in Hercules by Matthew S. Bajko

uesday night Roland Esquivias quietly made history as the first LGBT person to be sworn into a seat on the Hercules City Council in the East Bay. The political novice came in second in the November election among five candidates running for three council seats. Esquivias, 59, is now the fourth known LGBT city council person in Contra Costa County. He is also the second gay Filipino elected council member, the first being El Cerrito City Councilman Gabriel Quinto. The quartet also includes gay Pleasant Hill City Councilman Ken Carlson and lesbian Richmond City Councilwoman Jovanka Beckles. “It is really a great honor. I just recently realized I would be the first LGBT council member in the city,” Esquivias told the Bay Area Reporter last week ahead of his swearing-in ceremony. During the fall campaign, which Esquivias entered just prior to the August filing deadline, he did not run as an out candidate. Nor did he seek media coverage of his swearing in as the city’s first gay councilman and being one of the few LGBT Asian Americans to hold elected office in the Bay Area. It was Hercules City Councilwoman Myrna de Vera, who was elected mayor by her council colleagues Tuesday night, who contacted the B.A.R about the historic nature of Esquivias’ victory. She had seen the paper’s coverage of the campaign of another Hercules council candidate, gay real estate agent Brian Campbell-Miller, who did run as an out candidate and came in fourth place. In a phone interview last Thursday, Esquivias told the B.A.R. that it “didn’t even occur” to him to run as a gay candidate or that doing so would be newsworthy. It wasn’t until after he won that he learned from others that he was the first LGBT person to win a council seat in the small town on the shores of the bay. “I only know five or seven people who are LGBT living in Hercules,” said Esquivias, who is retiring as of December 31 from the California Public Utilities Commission, where

Courtesy Roland Esquivias

Roland Esquivias waved to passersby during his successful campaign for a seat on the Hercules City Council.

he has worked for 20 years as a public utilities regulatory analyst. “I never thought about it.” His sexual orientation isn’t a secret among his family, friends, or co-workers. Nor was Esquivias concerned about it becoming known among the general public. He told the B.A.R. he didn’t think it mattered in terms of the council race. “But I don’t see it as something that I can use to win or be a detriment to my winning. I just went in there just like any other person who wants to serve the community,” he said. Campbell-Miller told the B.A.R. he is “thrilled” to see Esquivias serving on the council and hopes to join him in two years, should an incumbent council member not seek re-election in the fall of 2018. “I am thrilled that Roland won, I think that he can bring his environmentally conscious, communityminded ideals to work and will be a great addition to the city council,” wrote Campbell-Miller in an email. “I think it is about time that Hercules had an out member of the LGBT community on council. I look forward to joining him on council at the next election.” In 1984, with the dictator Ferdinand Marcos still in power, Esquivias fled the Philippines and relocated to San Jose. He soon after moved to San Francisco where he met his late partner, Steven Michael Sutton, and over the next 23 years

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the couple lived in a variety of cities around the Bay Area. After Sutton died of cancer in 2009, Esquivias moved in with a female cousin in Hercules with whom he continues to live. This past July, wondering what he should do in his retirement, he received a constituent email from de Vera that encouraged people to run for city council since two incumbents had decided to step down. He entered the race never expecting to win, so his landing in second place came as “a shock,” admitted Esquivias, who believes some voters may have cast their ballots for him thinking he is Latino based on his last name. “I was really surprised, myself, that I garnered a lot of votes,” said Esquivias. He plans to focus full-time on his council duties, with his top concerns being the city’s budget and fostering closer ties between City Hall and the schools. Already people have been asking him about seeking higher office, perhaps a county supervisor seat. “It has crossed my mind,” admitted Esquivias. “We will cross that bridge when we get there. When you go county, it is a huge thing.”

Citing illness, Pérez drops Congressional bid

In a shocking development last weekend, gay former California Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez (D-Los Angeles) dropped his bid for a congressional seat just nine days after entering the race. He announced Saturday, December 10 that he was withdrawing to focus on his health. Without providing specifics about his ailment, Pérez, 47, announced that over the last 48 hours he had received confirmation from his doctors that he had a “health care situation” that would require his “immediate attention and my ongoing focus for the near term.” As the B.A.R. reported on its blog December 1, Pérez launched his congressional bid that day less than an hour after Governor Jerry Brown picked Congressman Xavier Becerra to be the state’s next attorney general. The position will become vacant when the current attorney general, Kamala Harris, is sworn in next month as California’s junior U.S. senator, having been elected last month to outgoing See page 10 >>

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6 • BAY AREA REPORTER • December 15-21, 2016

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Book details early days of AIDS activism by Brian Bromberger

any critics are calling David France’s new book, How To Survive a Plague the definitive book on AIDS activism. It was recently named one of the top 100 books of the year by the New York Times Book Review with gay writer Andrew Sullivan giving it a glowing front-page appraisal. As an investigative reporter in the 1980s and 1990s, France, a gay man, was able to write firsthand witness accounts of grassroots activists often engaged in their own personal life-or-death struggle, who protested both to develop and gain access to new experimental drugs that turned AIDS from a death sentence to a manageable disease. In San Francisco recently for a book signing and conversation with Terry Beswick, executive director of the GLBT Historical Society, France, 57, met with the Bay Area Reporter for an interview. France began in 2008 to tell the story of the plague years. He had developed a book proposal and sent it to publishers who rejected it saying everyone knows the story. France explained why this wasn’t true. “Randy Shilts’ excellent And the Band Played On didn’t tell the whole story. It ended too quickly and told nothing about activism, this huge positive legacy that came out of the crisis with unexpected people doing heroic things,” he said. “But as part of my research I went back and began looking at the old videotapes of meetings and conversations and realized this could become the genesis of a documentary film,” France said. “This was my first film and I thought it would be easy, but it was a tremendous amount of work going through archival footage that was shaky and shot by nonprofessionals. I had to watch 800 hours of that footage to find both multiple camera angles and the rich stories I wanted. It turns out I innovated a new language of filmmaking now called archival verite.” His film, How To Survive A Plague, would go on to be nominated for an Academy Award as best documentary and two Emmy awards. “With the documentary I could only tell the stories of the people in front of the camera. I understood that I could only correct this void and tell the real complete history of what happened with AIDS activism with all the players by going back to writing my book. The writing took forever,” he said.

France fortuitously found a trove of audiotapes, gathered in boxes that had never been listened to or transcribed, so that the conversations recorded in the book are actual ones, not recreated. “When singer/longtime survivor cum activist Michael Callen, his writing partner, Richard Berkowitz (a self-described S&M hustler), and Dr. Joseph Sonnabend got together to invent safe sex and reject PWAs being labeled as victims, we have their initial meetings on tape. I know how they responded to the critics. They taped everything. The early treatment activists recorded their meetings with the National Institutes of Health and early pharmaceutical representatives. Brian Bromberger Everybody knew from the first days of the epidemic that things Author David France holds a copy of his were going to get dicey and they new book. would need an irrefutable record of what happened, so like the film wait for the science to advance. It was I could tell the story in the way a miracle they worked in concert for they intended it to be told.” five years.” The book chronicles the genOf all ACT UP’s campaigns, the esis, successes, and ultimate deone at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New mise of the AIDS Coalition to York City was the most controverUnleash Power, the radical protest sial. Every gay and AIDS organizaorganization. tion in the country condemned the By 1992, ACT UP was involved in group for it. What had initiated the every facet of AIDS from housing protest were the American Catholic PWAs, clean needle exchanges, inbishops strengthening their posisurance issues, parsing the science – tion against condom use with false especially treatment alternatives, as science. ACT UP felt the policy was well as politics. And it had extended always irresponsible in that it caused the life expectancy for PWAs (four infection and death. At the protest, months) and had delivered anACT UP was joined by reproductive other drug in the pipeline as well as rights activists. popularized prophylaxis treatments “I don’t judge them for that acagainst opportunistic infections. tion. I let them judge themselves in But the death rate started to soar the book, for it created great internal in 1992 and would double in 1993, tension. It didn’t unfold as planned, culminating in its highest numbers it was supposed to be a silent protest in 1995. but was anything but silent,” France “There was a sense of despair and said. “No one planned the most futility, expressed in angry confroncontroversial action, the crumpling tations about strategy, responsibilup of the communion host. It was ity, and accountability,” France said. committed by a single Catholic man The rage, which had held them towith his own anger issues against gether for five years, began splitting the church, which dovetailed with them apart. the fury the others brought to it. “In that fog of war, key people [Activist] Larry Kramer said in spite started imagining other people doing of the criticism that it was the most terrible things to them. A belief took significant action the group had hold for awhile that the group had ever taken because it made people been infiltrated by the FBI, fomentafraid of the ‘sissies,’ that ACT UP ing more internal dissent, though would cross any line.” I found no evidence of such a conACT UP was a constant media spiracy,” France said. “This is what spectacle whether it be staging diehappens when you’ve put in all these ins on Wall Street, closing down years as a volunteer and feel you have tunnels and bridges, or bursting made so little progress. They had into scientific meetings, causing broken down the old drug approval them to come to an abrupt end. The process and thus began the eternal

media picked up on the actions but it didn’t see what that was enabling. “ACT UP had this concept that you don’t talk to the media but through the media. This part of their campaign did have traction,” France said. “By 1987 they had to present gay people as normal, everyday folks, although they dressed oddly and seemed frightening to middle America. Just the image of them at the doorstep of the FDA begging for a drug started reaching into the consciousness of America, which made progress. In the Gallup polls from 1981 to 1996 measuring America’s feelings toward gay people, we saw epic positive change in the relationship of gay people to the rest of the nation. This was due in large part to the theatrics ACT UP engaged in; with their singular message that health care was a right for everyone. And America came to believe in this message.”

Central figures

France paints portraits of central figures during the 1980s and 1990s, not only the activists, but scientists like Robert Gallo and Anthony Fauci. The chief character in this tragedy is Kramer, the principal adjudicator of the movement who radicalized AIDS activism, becoming an essential historical figure. Kramer put his own life on stage as emblematic of AIDS itself. “He galvanized the whole process bringing about all the efforts so those drugs could be brought to market,” France said. “He did it in an interesting way by being a pain in the ass. He was chaotic, unreliable at times, emotional. He could sometimes be dishonest, taking the opposite position you would imagine he would take, which he purposely intended to do, even when he did things that were indefensible. He made his personality center stage. Even when he seemed mercurial, he was always achieving what he set out to accomplish. His actions helped save thousands of lives, even with his flawed method, but it worked.” Gallo, the brilliant retrovirus researcher, claimed to have been the first to discover the HIV virus, challenging for years Luc Montagnier of the Pasteur Institute in Paris who insisted they first found the virus. “Gallo made the point that the argument didn’t delay research into the virus, but it did delay the release in this country of a reliable

HIV screening tool,” France said. “The French had developed one and had applied for a patent around the same time Gallo applied for one for his test. His test, according to all third party analysts, was significantly less reliable than the French test. We were in that period of Reagan’s America, a kind of nationalism that took hold of the various arms of the Public Health Service. “Gallo’s test got approved and it took two years for the French to get their approval, but only on condition that they couldn’t market it as being superior to the U.S. test, even though the Red Cross knew it was a better one. So there were an incalculable number of false positives, which led to more people committing suicide once they were told they had HIV, incorrectly as it turns out. It was one case every week in San Francisco that people were killing themselves after a diagnosis and HIV infection was being pumped into the blood supply because Gallo’s test was not capable of screening all of it out. In fact, 1 in 10 people with AIDS were testing negative on the Gallo test. These were lives lost in this ridiculous and intellectually greedy campaign waged by the U.S. Gallo never admitted it was a mistake or expressed any remorse and when I broached the subject he was very defensive.” France, however, concludes that Gallo was “the towering figure in AIDS research,” he said. “He hypothesized the retrovirus. He developed the tools for finding it. He was the person who created the cell line to grow it in,” France said. “Every intellectual breakthrough was his, but he couldn’t find the virus. Montagnier, using all of Gallo’s background, stumbled on the virus in a matter of weeks. To Gallo, I believe this was very unfair. He felt it should have been him and he had a personality type that couldn’t and wouldn’t shrug it off.”

Personal story

France interjects his own story into the narrative of Plague, making it an insider’s account. “It’s the first time I’ve written personally and it was a hard decision to make, as I’m a private person and I don’t find my life all that interesting,” he said. “I wanted to be able to interpret these events as a witness. I was the journalist from the start, never the activist. I wanted to talk about the different journeys, callings, and missions that would See page 11 >>

Community News>>

December 15-21, 2016 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 7

SF dog group plans suit over GGNRA rules by Matthew S. Bajko

s the National Park Service readies to adopt more restrictive canine access rules throughout the sprawling Golden Gate National Recreation Area, a San Franciscobased dog owners group has vowed to file suit over the dog management plan. Park officials and dog owners have been fighting over the proposed rules for the last 14 years, as they will curtail off-leash access to many GGNRA sites dog owners frequent, particularly Ocean Beach, Crissy Field, and Fort Funston in San Francisco. Last Thursday, December 8, the Park Service released its Final Environmental Impact Statement setting out the new dog management proposal it expects will be adopted in early 2017. While the Park Service amended its last proposal based on more than 4,100 comments it received this year, dog advocates contend the plan released last week will still result in a 90 percent reduction in off-leash dog areas in the GGNRA. And the San Francisco Dog Owners Group is already preparing to sue to block its implementation. The group has lined up pro bono legal representation with attorney Christopher J. Carr, a partner at Morrison and Foerster who chairs the San Francisco firm’s environment and energy group. “The GGNRA is trying to finally ram this through, and we are fully prepared to file a lawsuit as soon as it is,” said Sally Stephens, SF DOG’s longtime chair. Park officials contend the GGNRA is the most dog-friendly park overseen by the National Park Service and will remain so under the new rules. Plus, noted GGNRA Acting General Superintendent Jim Milestone, it will continue to be the only one to offer off-leash dog recreation. “The dog management plan seeks to balance recreation and preservation at Golden Gate National Recreation Area, increase visitor safety by providing space for all types of recreational users, and protect park resources for future generations,” said Milestone, who is shown with his dog, Hanna, on the plan’s webpage. The Park Service’s preferred alter-

native identifies 22 locations for dog walking at GGNRA, including sites at six locations that would welcome dogs under voice and sight control, meaning off-leash. In certain areas, a permit from the Park Service would be needed in order to walk four to six dogs at once. Nearly one third (31 percent) of the mileage on the park’s beaches and more than one third (34 percent) of the mileage on trails would be available for dog walking. At Ocean Beach, dogs off-leash would be restricted to an area south of the Cliff House, between stairwells 1 through 21, which is across from the Beach Chalet. “It makes no sense to ban dogs from most of Ocean Beach,” said Joel Engardio, a gay man who made off-leash dog access in the parks a major focus of his failed bid for a San Francisco supervisor seat this fall. “If they are going to compact the off-leash area into such a small area that is going to be bedlam. It is better to spread it out.” At Fort Funston, the plan calls for more than 18 acres on the cliff overlooking the ocean to be off-leash in addition to the beach area below. Most of the trails and parking lots would designated as on-leash, though there will be off-leash access

Rick Gerharter

Dogs frolic in the off-leash area of Crissy Field, part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

to the beach. At Crissy Field, dogs would be permitted in most places under the plan, said the Park Service. Approximately 40 percent of the airfield, more than had been initially proposed, and 40 percent of the beach-

front mileage would be available for off-leash dog use. In addition, much of the airfield (83 percent), the East Beach picnic area, and nearly all of the trails would be open to dogs on leash. In response to complaints from

San Mateo County residents, the Park Service is proposing to designate an off-leash dog area at the Flat Top section of Rancho Corral de Tierra in Montara on the Peninsula south of San Francisco. Nonetheless, Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D-San Mateo) said she remained “disappointed” with the decision to designate most of the GGNRA as off limits to dogs and their owners. “I appreciate the Park Service’s compromise, but it does not go far enough to address the full scope of what dog walkers reasonably requested,” stated Speier. “However, after 14 years of gridlock, I am relieved to see some movement in the right direction by the Park Service. I have always made it very clear to the Park Service that it is unacceptable to have no off-leash dog walking in San Mateo County.” The Park Service will publish a Record of Decision in the Federal Register sometime in January, with a final rule setting out the plan’s effective date to follow sometime after. The full dog management plan, including maps of the affected areas, can be downloaded at https://www. nps.gov/goga/getinvolved/dogplan-feis.htm.t

Together, we can achieve your possible.

SF dog plan

From page 1

of McLaren Park, Buena Vista Park, and the Oak Woodlands of Golden Gate Park. There are 32 local park sites designated as natural areas, which encompass 1,100 acres and 30 miles of trails. Many of the sites are popular with dog owners as they provide recreational access within walking distance from their homes. The purpose of the management plan, under discussion for close to 25 years, is to protect the city’s native habitats and species, some found nowhere else in the world, such as the San Francisco garter snake and mission blue butterfly. With that goal in mind, the plan calls for the removal of a total of 19.3 acres of off-leash dog areas from the city’s parks. The other 75.9 acres where dogs can play off-leash would remain. “While there are some impacts for people who like to run their dogs off-leash, it is the broader goals of the plan to preserve the environment and cultivate nature in our city that we hope win out,” said Sarah Madland, director of policy and public affairs for the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department. Dog advocates argue that adopting the city’s plan at the same time as the National Park Service intends See page 8 >>

The difference between impossible and possible often starts with a person saying, “I think I can.” At U.S. Bank, we think you can too. And with our online tools and resources, we’re here to help in every way we can. Find your possible at a U.S. Bank branch, call 800.825.BANK (2265), or visit financialgenius.usbank.com

<< Community News

8 • BAY AREA REPORTER • December 15-21, 2016

Groundbreaking National Park Service LGBT exhibit opens by Michael Nugent

he Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park has made history with the opening of its new exhibit “LGBTQ Histories: Stories from the WWII Home Front.” Displayed at the visitor’s center in Richmond, the exhibit, which opened December 3, is one of the first ever by the Park Service to document LGBTQ history. It joins the U.S. Department of the Interior’s

groundbreaking, newly released nationwide LGBTQ Heritage Theme Study – part of the Obama administration’s efforts to document and protect LGBT history. A packed room witnessed history on opening day thanks to the efforts of historian Donna Graves and park Ranger Elizabeth Tucker. “When you have places that tell your story you feel validated on a whole other level,” said Tucker, 49, who is a lesbian. The exhibit, supported in part by

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the Rosie the Riveter Trust, features three people whose lives cast light on the opportunities and experiences of LGBT people in the U.S. during the war years: a lesbian, Bev Hickok, who died in 2014; a gay man, Selwyn Jones, 94; and a trans man, Jeffrey Dickemann, 87, known then as Mildred. Hickok was a real life riveter during the war, and afterward wrote the book Against the Current: Coming Out in the 1940s while working as a UC Berkeley librarian. Jones is an artist living in San Francisco who served in army intelligence during World War II. Dickemann was present, and as he got up to speak a woman in the crowd yelled out, “nice name!” to warm laughter about the pronunciation of “dyke-man.” Before transitioning at age 65 Dickemann worked during the war in the Women’s Land Army and afterward as an anthropology professor. Dickemann also talked about the UC Berkeley LGBT Alumni Association, which died out when it was perceived to no longer be needed – a stance Dickemann is now reevaluating. “It seems that bad times have come again,” he said. “We have to do the same things we did before, we need to begin to plan again.” Graves spoke about the remarkable opportunity the war offered for LGBT people. “World War II was a catalyst for enormous social change. The war years were a watershed period in LGBT history and the Bay Area was a critical site,” she said. “Tens of thousands of people passed through the Bay Area for military and defense employment, and it created a setting for people to discover LGBT groups and love.” Graves, a 58-year-old ally, added that the exhibit “feels like one small piece of the larger effort to achieve equal rights for people who have been marginalized.” Books such as the late Allen Berube’s Coming Out Under Fire and Nan Boyd’s Wide-Open Town were cited as influences that paved the

SF dog plan

From page 7

to remove nearly all the off-leash dog areas in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area will negatively impact the city’s parks, as dogs and their owners will crowd into the remaining dog play areas in their local parks. (See story, page 7.) “When combined with the GGNRA plan, suddenly it is going to be a huge impact on people with dogs in the city,” said Sally Stephens, the longtime chair of the San Francisco Dog Owners Group. “What the GGNRA currently has available but will close is greater than all the off-leash areas in San Francisco’s parks combined.” The city’s planning commission is expected to approve the plan’s environmental impact report during a special joint session with the recreation and park commission Thursday afternoon (December 15) at City Hall. Once it does, the rec and park commissioners are expected to adopt the management plan, which would then need to be approved by the Board of Supervisors sometime in early 2017. The rec and park department’s preferred management plan for the natural areas is also facing opposition from those upset with how it would manage the city’s forests and cull non-native species and dead trees. Opponents of pesticide use have also raised concerns about how the plan would allow various insecticides and herbicides to be sprayed in the city’s parks.

Impact on dogs, people

As for the impact on dogs and their owners, the bulk of the changes would be felt in three of the city’s

Michael Nugent

National Park Service Ranger Elizabeth Tucker, left, joined historian Donna Graves; trans man Jeffrey Dickemann, who worked in the Women’s Land Army during World War II; and Marsha Mather-Thrift in opening a new LGBTQ history exhibit at the Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park in Richmond.

way for this exhibit. Tucker emphasized there is an ongoing need for story collection in these areas. “We are losing World War II-era veterans every day,” she said. “Some people are still coming out on their deathbeds. “We are a part of American history, so therefore we need our voices to be heard,” said Tucker. “The only way to do that is if we share those voices with American institutions like the National Park Service that preserve American history.” Concomitant to the exhibit’s opening is the release of the LGBT Heritage Theme Study, the first-ever from any national government, according to the Park Service. A 1,200-page tome published this fall on National Coming Out Day (its 32 chapters are available free online), this landmark study also allowed the Park Service to evaluate properties for LGBT historical significance, serving as site nomination preparation. Currently, 10 sites have national designation but none are in California. Drew Bourn, Ph.D., a Stanford librarian who authored a theme study chapter and organizes with Radical Faeries for Racial Justice, spoke of

the need for LGBT people to use an intersectional lens – seeing how different aspects of identity have an impact on each other. “Things will get better for everybody when we listen and reflect on the experience of groups such as AlFatiha, which supports LGBT Muslims. We are strongest when we see and value all of the LGBTQ family,” said Bourn. According to Wikipedia, the AlFatiha Foundation is no longer registered as a nonprofit.t

parks, McLaren, Bernal, and Lake Merced. The plan calls for replacing 16 percent of the existing off-leash dog play areas in those parks with on-leash trail access. “What this plan calls for is changing the size and location of some of the off-leash areas,” said Madland, who stressed that dogs on-leash will continue to be allowed in any city park. At Lake Merced, the existing fiveacre dog play area would be removed, and on Bernal Hill the existing dog play area would be reduced by six acres. In McLaren, the dog play area would decrease by 8.3 acres to protect a creek that runs nearby. To compensate for the changes, four additional off-leash dog-play areas – there are now 31 – would be created around the city, according to the rec and park department. Plans are underway to create offleash areas at Balboa, Francisco, and Moscone parks. “This makes no sense because if GGNRA is severely restricting dogs, which will move more dogs and people into city parks, and the city is restricting where dogs can go, it is untenable,” said Joel Engardio, a gay man who made off-leash dog access in the parks a major focus of his failed bid for a San Francisco supervisor seat this fall. “How are people living in an urban city going to be able to recreate?” There are an estimated 150,000 dogs in the city, and that number is only going to increase, said Stephens, meaning the need for places where dogs can play is only going to grow in importance. “As more and more people come to the city there will be more and more dogs,” she said. “The need for

off-leash play areas is only going to increase, so where is it going to go?” SF DOG is pushing for city officials to reject the rec and park department’s preferred plan, and instead, adopt the maintenance alternative, which basically would keep things the way they are now in the local parks. Under that option, none of the dog play areas would be removed or decreased in size and protection of natural areas would not be prioritized. “What is the purpose of an urban park? Is it for plants or for people to have an active life?” asked Stephens. “In a city as dense as San Francisco, the urban parks primarily need to be for people’s enjoyment, where they can go for a walk or just sit in the sun. In a remote wilderness like Yosemite natural areas should take precedent.” The San Francisco Parks Alliance, while it has some problems with the plan, is supportive of seeing the EIR be certified and the department’s preferred plan be adopted. “On the whole, they have done a huge job of trying to balance all the different ways people are using the parks and why, whether it be off-leash dog access and bike trails to recreation and stewardship,” said Rachel Norton, who has worked for the parks alliance since 2013 and became its interim chief executive officer in July. Norton added that her group agrees, “It is important for there to be off-leash dog areas in parks because there are a lot of dogs in San Francisco and they need places to play.” But protecting the city’s natural

The LGBT Heritage Theme Study can be found at: http://www.nps. gov/subjects/tellingallamericansstories/lgbtqthemestudy.htm. The Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park is searching for more LGBT people who served in the Army or home front during World War II to share their stories. Call the confidential phone line at (510) 232-5050, ext. 6631. The Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park, 1414 Harbour Way South, #3000, Richmond, is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Entrance to the museum is free.

See page 11 >>

Sports>>

December 15-21, 2016 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 9

Oakland tries to keep the Raiders

Where the Raiders will end up is to be determined.

by Roger Brigham

hat’s a pro football franchise worth to a city? How much of its soul should that city be willing to hold on to a team? Those are the questions facing the city of Oakland, as for the second time in history the city is faced with the loss of the Raiders. In the nonbinding term sheet, essentially a proposal to work out a

proposal, the city and county would provide hundreds of millions of dollars in bond money – including $100 million that would be raised by special sales taxes at the sports complex. The plan is to build a new football stadium in the north portion of the existing Coliseum complex, and a baseball stadium in the southern part of the complex. The idea of negotiating to retain the Raiders is no doubt salivating, but the reality is there is already a deal waiting for league approval to Las Vegas – and Raiders owner Mark Davis was actually involved with those negotiations. He has not been involved with the Oakland talks. “It’s an enormous roadblock in any city if you’re trying to put a deal together with a sports team and you’re outlining the basis on which the land be developed, controlled, taxed, improved – and the sports

team is not in the conversation,” NFL Executive Vice President Eric Grubman told USA Today. “That’s a fairly big impediment to getting a deal done.” The Alameda County Board of Supervisors approved the term sheet for the $1.3 billion stadium project Tuesday afternoon on a 3-1 vote, with one abstention. That night, the Oakland City Council approved the term sheet on a 7-0 vote, with out Councilman Abel Guillen abstaining. While we wait for the drama to play out, I offer this bit of advice to Oakland, Las Vegas, San Diego or any other city considering selling its soul to land the Raiders – or any other football franchise. It’s not worth it. The Raiders were a financial sinkhole when the city and county lured them (i.e., paid them off) back from Los Angeles. That was more than three decades ago, and taxpayers are still paying off the debt; the city’s

Disability community reacts to ‘60 Minutes’ attack on ADA by Belo Cipriani

n December 4, 60 Minutes ran a segment on the Americans with Disabilities Act. For 13 minutes, correspondent Anderson Cooper interviewed allegedly corrupt attorneys whose get-rich plots involved visiting businesses with the sole purpose of suing them for not being ADA compliant. With angry tones, business owners expressed their frustrations to Cooper, as they felt wronged for being targeted. The piece also profiled two disabled individuals who had been hired by unethical lawyers, and tricked into participating in what Cooper refers to as “drive-by” lawsuits. For several people, the segment may have come across as simply a cautionary tale – especially when you hear Cooper end the piece with the unnerving words, “Most states and the District of Columbia currently award cash damages for plaintiffs who file such lawsuits, and with so many businesses around the country still not in compliance, it may not be long before you start hearing about these kind of lawsuits in a town or city near you.” However, for a group of disability advocates in the San Francisco Bay Area, Cooper, who’s is gay, and 60 Minutes didn’t just promote fear and animosity toward the ADA, but also deceived them. “I was contacted by 60 Minutes in early June of 2015 to be a part of an ADA celebration story,” said disabil-

ity rights attorney Layny Feingold over the phone. “A bunch of us from the disability advocate community were interviewed and had our photo taken. But, the story never ran.” Feingold, who has been representing the blind community for 20 years, said she has done interviews for the media in the past that never aired; though, this is the only time in which she witnessed people having their picture taken for a celebratory story, only to discover their images being used in a negative way. One of the advocates whose cropped photos were used in the

Obituaries >> Stephen Gerald Becker (aka Willow) October 1, 1961 – November 26, 2016 Stephen Gerald Becker (aka Willow) was born in New Rochelle, New York and moved to San Francisco in 1990 with his beloved cat, Beth. With his partner, Tim Gnabasik, he moved to Freestone in 1995 and lived there for two decades. He returned to San Francisco in 2014, rediscovering all of his city loves. A survivor of the AIDS wars, he endured his health challenges with stoic brevity and grace. Willow’s great compassion for the suffering of others was a lifelong gift and a source of strength for his community. His insightful nature and wry humor crowned his remarkable character. He was held in high esteem by all who knew him. He slipped away unexpectedly, and too soon. He is survived by his mother, two sisters, two nephews, and cherished friends on both coasts. A celebration of his life and loves will be held Sunday, December 18, from 1 to 5 p.m. at 1433 Haight Street #2, San Francisco. Blessed be!

Jeffry Jay “Jeff” Winemiller March 22, 1961 – November 11, 2016

Courtesy CNN

60 Minutes correspondent Anderson Cooper

60 Minutes piece is Ingrid Tischer, director of development at the Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund. Tischer’s fury for what 60 Minutes and Cooper did to the disability community in the Bay Area and the ADA is palpable. In her blog, Tales from the Crip, Tischer writes: “... they used that footage to undermine and dishonor the law that made me – a woman with a disability – a full citizen in 1990. 60 Minutes came to OUR house, used us, and told the world people with disabilities are either dupes, greedy, or both.” The Bay Area Reporter reached out to 60 Minutes for comment, but See page 10 >>

Jeff Winemiller, 55, of Oakland, California, passed away at Kaiser Permanente in Oakland November 11, 2016, at 7:55 p.m. He was born on March 22, 1961, in Dayton, Ohio, to Robert and Rosabelle (Weinmann) Winemiller, and both preceded him in death. Jeff is survived by his domestic partner, Michael Trempert, of Oakland; a brother, Glen (Lynn) Winemiller, and their children, Connor and Alexander, of Leesburg, Virginia; and brother Chris (Darlene) Win-

emiller, and their children, Micah, Josiah, Arielle, and Larissa, and Arielle’s son, Evan, of Carrollton, Texas; an aunt, Rita Isom, of Las Vegas, Nevada; cousins Scott (Pam) McClain and their son, Sean, of Henderson, Nevada; cousin Greg (Cheryl) McClain of Las Vegas. Jeff received a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and chemistry from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, and also completed two years of medical school at Ohio State University in Columbus. He also did some postgraduate biochemistry studies at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Jeff completed a credentialing program at Mills College in Oakland that allowed him to go on and teach high school algebra and chemistry in Hayward, California. Jeff later went on to become credentialed in regulatory affairs in the biotechnology sector, and worked at Novacea, NeurogesX, XOMA, Cerexa, Revance, and was currently working at Portola Pharmaceuticals upon the time of his passing. Jeff had many interests outside of work. He was a baseball enthusiast, especially for his hometown Oakland Athletics. He loved live music, ranging from concerts of classical music to shows at the Fox Theater featuring Rihanna or the Pet Shop Boys. Also, Jeff loved seeing the world, and had traveled to Prague, Budapest, Munich, Vienna, Salzburg, London, Vancouver, and many cities in the U.S. Jeff had a love for the outdoors, enjoyed living in northern California, and liked hiking along the coast or through forests with friends, or by himself. He had a wickedly sharp sense of humor, and would host “Game Night” and tell hilarious stories over card games with friends. He will be sorely missed by those who were lucky enough to be close to him. A celebration of Jeff ’s life will be held at Parlour, 357 19th Street, Oakland, from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, January 14. Anyone who knew Jeff is encouraged to attend. Share a favorite story about Jeff with others who loved him also. Please email mltrempert@ gmail.com to RSVP.

share is about $10 million a year. While Oakland has struggled to finance fire and police departments and salvage an underfunded, mismanaged city, it has been strapped to cover the ungodly expenses the return demanded. There are greater expenses with greater benefits to cover. NFL teams are hunted moneymakers – moneymakers for themselves, that is, not so much for the cities in which they park themselves.

And to the needs of organizations covering these transactions? When government officials were bending over backward to lure the Raiders back from Los Angeles, the press, led by the Oakland Tribune, did a piss poor job of reporting the hazards of accepting ultimate responsibility for the franchise’s demands. You can thank ’em next time you pay your taxes. Some battles are better lost.t

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<< International News

10 • BAY AREA REPORTER • December 15-21, 2016

Trump picks concern global LGBT groups by Heather Cassell

GBT global activists remained concerned about safeguarding the status of the progress of LGBT rights around the world with President-elect Donald Trump’s nominations to the United Nations and to head the State Department. Trump formally announced the selection of Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson as secretary of state December 13. Last month, he announced that Republican South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley was his nominee be the next U.S. ambassador to the U.N. “Rex Tillerson’s nomination raises critical questions as to how a Trump administration plans to protect LGBTQ employees and contractors affiliated with the State Department, and ultimately whether it will continue American efforts to advance equality through U.S. foreign policy,” Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign, said in a December 13 statement. “For millions of people around the globe, their position on these and other issues are a matter of life and death. These are among the questions that senators – Democrats and Republicans alike – must ask.” Some Republicans and Democrats have expressed concern about Tillerson’s relationship with anti-LGBT Russian President Vladimir Putin and expect a rocky confirmation process, according to media reports. The nominations of Haley, 44, and Tillerson, 64, alarm global LGBT rights activists. Haley’s record is mixed at best

Political Notebook

From page 5

Senator Barbara Boxer’s seat. Over the ensuing days Pérez had rolled out a slew of high-profile endorsements from Democratic Party officials throughout the state. Pérez was shaping up to be the clear frontrunner for Becerra’s 34th Congressional District seat, which is centered in downtown Los Angeles and covers the gayfriendly Eagle Rock neighborhood. But Pérez said his health issues

Seeing in the Dark

From page 9

no one replied to our queries. It is also important to note that Cooper is dyslexic, according to Disabled World and Understood.org, and has openly discussed growing up with a disability. Yet, the outrage toward Cooper and 60 Minutes continues to grow across the country, as many people with disabilities feel as though the piece creates a dark sentiment toward people with disabilities, and that the law protects them. New York-based blind writer Stephen Kuusisto condemned Cooper in his personal blog, Planet of the

News Briefs

From page 2

required. AEF, which continues to operate its emergency financial assistance program as part of PRC, distributes tickets to more than 20 different AIDS service organizations in San Francisco in early December. Each agency then makes tickets available to its clients. Each person with HIV/AIDS and their guests need their own invitation. Seating begins at 11:30 a.m., but guests can request specific seating times when they pick up their tickets, said Demetri Moshoyannis, PRC managing director of strategic partnerships. The holiday dinner is a monumental undertaking, coordinated

to maintain the U.S. commitment to protect LGBT people around the world. “The U.S. must sustain efforts on the international level and at the U.N. because it is often the only platform to advocate for country-level change, since it is almost impossible to do any advocacy inside Iraq,” said Amir Ashour, founder of IraQueer, Iraq’s only LGBT organization, in a December 10 news release from OutRight Action International. The activists, who met at OutRight’s New York offices for the fifth annual OutSummit, also stated they would work with the Trump administration. “We are open and willing to work with the Trump administration because there is a greater good and a greater goal in mind, and that is to ensure equality and dignity for all human beings, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity,” Steve Letsike, co-chair of the South African National AIDS Council, said in the release. Some gay diplomats are hopeful that Trump won’t roll back LGBT rights globally. “It would look bad for Trump personally, and for his administration more broadly, if they were to suddenly just say no more Pride flags on embassies, no more Pride celebrations, ambassadors should not march,” gay former Ambassador Michael Guest said. The Blade reported he made the remarks at a panel at the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund Institute’s International LGBT Leaders Conference December 8-12 in Washington, D.C.t

and silent at most about her stance on LGBT rights during her political career, reported Washington-based Metro Weekly. She has been more moderate in recent years, calling for respect during debates about samesex marriage and LGBT adoption. She even refused to support a bathroom bill similar to North Carolina’s House Bill 2, the anti-transgender law, publicly stating that her state doesn’t have an issue, according to the newspaper. It’s unclear if Haley will continue to semi-speak out on behalf LGBT people if confirmed into her new role representing the U.S. at the U.N. Tillerson poses a completely different threat because of his close relationship with Putin and a mixed history on LGBT rights as the head of Exxon Mobil. A few years ago he received Russia’s “Order of Friendship” medal from Putin. Exxon Mobil resisted implementing policies protecting its LGBT employees in the U.S. and around the world up until 2015. In 1999, when Exxon acquired Mobil, domestic partner benefits and company policies protecting LGBT workers were eliminated by the merger, according to human rights organizations. Exxon Mobil became the only company to score a negative 25 on HRC’s Corporate Equality Index in 2012 and 2013. The oil company’s score only rose due to protections implemented by U.S. federal laws and policies and President Barack Obama’s executive orders that forced the company to protect its queer employees, ac-

cording to experts. Last year, following the U.S. Supreme Court’s samesex marriage ruling, LGBT Exxon Mobil employees in the U.S. finally received full protections. Yet, in a 2014 blog post on the company’s website, Ken Cohen, Exxon Mobil’s then-vice president for public affairs, denied that the company discriminates against members of the LGBT community. “Exxon Mobil does not discriminate, will not discriminate, and has not discriminated against members of the LGBT community. Period,” Cohen wrote. However, “substantial evidence” of Exxon Mobil’s discriminatory hiring practices against LGBT people was found by the Illinois Department of Human Rights in 2014. That prompted the department to join pending legal action against the company by Freedom to Work and the Equal Rights Center, reported the Washington Blade. Exxon Mobil received an 85 percent rating on HRC’s 2017 Corporate Equality Index. The multibillion dollar company was docked points due

to its philanthropic arm’s guidelines allowing donations to non-religious organizations that discriminate against LGBT people and its antidiscrimination policy only covers U.S. LGBT employees, reported the New York Times. Tillerson’s anti-LGBT policies are mostly reflected through Exxon Mobil, but he’s also taken smaller pro-LGBT stances recently, such as with the Boy Scouts of America. Tillerson was president of the Boy Scouts from 2010 to 2012, and was “instrumental” in ending the ban on gay youth in the organization through his lobbying efforts, his colleague John Hamre told the Dallas Morning News. The Boy Scouts lifted its ban against gay youth in 2013. In 2015 it lifted the ban against adult participants, but troops chartered by religious organizations are permitted to exclude gay people as den leaders, scoutmasters, or camp counselors.

would prevent him from running the type of campaign for the open congressional seat voters deserved. “As such, I am bringing my campaign to a close, despite the overwhelming support that I have seen,” stated Pérez. Despite his diagnosis, Pérez pledged to remain civically involved. He currently serves on the University of California Board of Regents. “I’m going to take the next couple of days off as I prepare to focus on my health. I expect to be back at full

force before too long,” stated Pérez. “While I won’t be a candidate for Congress at this time, you will still see me actively engaged in my business and in advancing the progressive causes we all care deeply about.” Without Pérez in the race, several candidates who had decided not to run against him are expected to now seek the seat. And it alters the chances of those who had already jumped into the race, such as Democrats Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez and labor activist Wendy Carrillo and Green

Party candidate Kenneth Mejia. Gomez quickly picked up endorsements from Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and state Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles) on Monday. And late Tuesday night Arturo Carmona, a social justice and civil rights advocate and former deputy political director for Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign, entered the race. Another Democrat, Sara Hernandez, a former aide to Los Angeles City Councilmember Jose Huizar,

also made her bid official this week. So far no other LGBT candidate has entered the race. To date there is only one out member of California’s congressional delegation, gay Congressman Mark Takano (D-Riverside).t

Blind. He writes: “On Sunday evening, CBS ran a vicious piece about the Americans with Disabilities Act, essentially portraying it as a profound impediment to business. ... Anderson Cooper should be ashamed of himself, though one supposes he lives in such a perfect bubble he’s beyond social irony. Or perhaps he’s a single issue politician.” Other disability advocates believe Cooper and 60 Minutes are antagonizing the ADA even though the law has been around for more than two decades. And, not knowing the law never makes a person not accountable.

Tammie Stevens, a living skills trainer for people with visual impairments at the Center of Vision Enhancement, reacted to Cooper and 60 Minutes with disgust and rage. “They have to have been living under a rock not to know that there is accountability for noncompliance with existing laws of any kind. Yes, the lawyers were taking advantage of the situation. Yes, there exists a situation to be taken advantage of. Villainizing the people that the law was meant to protect clearly misses the point,” Stevens wrote in an email to the B.A.R. According to the Current Popula-

tion Survey, people with disabilities are the largest minority group in the United States. Furthermore, Disability-Marketing.com states that of the 54 million people limited in their activities due to long-term disability: • 73 percent are the heads of households • 46 percent are married • 58 percent own their own homes • 77 percent have no children • 48 percent are principal shoppers Lastly, the aggregate income of people with disabilities tops $1 trillion. This includes $220 billion in discretionary income. Sadly, Cooper and 60 Minutes

used their platform to fuel fear among small business owners, instead of showing how complying with the ADA isn’t just the law, but also a smart business investment.t

by a group of volunteers who began planning in September. Led by Neil Figurelli, more than 100 volunteers work as serving assistants. The core team includes Cindy Roberts, Joanie Juster, Terry Irvin, Randy Schiller, Gavin Middleton, Glennon Sutter, Rafael Musni, George Macaluso, and Stanley Wong. Liz Baldwin of Bon Appetit Management Company will donate 80 cooked turkeys with all the fixings. Volunteers prepare the mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, and cranberry sauce. There will also be assorted vegetables, bread, cookies and cakes, and Cumaica coffee. The dinner is underwritten by corporate and foundation gifts, including the aforementioned Bon

Appetit, Kaiser Permanente, Mosaic Event Management, White Rain Productions, and the Eli and Mae Rosen Foundation.

bership perks have been added and Frameline will debut a new website and ticketing platform next spring. According to a pricing schedule, it appears that costs will increase by about $10 in the “Friend” categories, but jump to an additional $100 in the “Patron” category. For example, for an individual, the Friend category, now $50, will increase to $60, and includes two tickets. Members can renew now at the current pricing. For more information, visit http://www.frameline.org.

viduals in nine California counties, including San Francisco, will receive a federal grant of $500,000 per year for up to three years to expand substance abuse disorder treatment, behavioral health, and HIV/AIDS services for underserved populations at risk for the disease. The grant is from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, which last week announced a total of $4.5 million to programs in the state for mental health and substance use prevention, treatment, and recovery. HealthRight 360’s grant was in the targeted capacity expansion HIV category and it was one of three California agencies selected for the funding.t

Sputnik International

Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Frameline to raise membership prices

Frameline, the organization that produces the annual San Francisco LGBT film festival, has announced that effective January 1 its membership pricing will increase. According to a letter mailed to subscribers, Frances Wallace, Frameline executive director, said that over the past 10 years the organization has held member costs steady, “but it is now necessary for us to adjust pricing to accommodate growing expenses.” Wallace added that new mem-

Plea to Trump

LGBT activists around the world used International Human Rights Day, December 10, to urge Trump

HealthRight 360 receives federal grant

HealthRight 360, a family of integrated health programs that provides services to over 38,000 indi-

A longer version of this column is online at ebar.com.

Web Extra: For more queer political news, be sure to check http:// www.ebar.com Monday mornings at noon for Political Notes, the notebook’s online companion. This week’s column reported on a sharp rise in AIDS charitable giving in 2015.

Belo Cipriani is a disability advocate, a freelance journalist, the award-winning author of Blind: A Memoir and Midday Dreams, the spokesman for Guide Dogs for the Blind, and the national spokesman for 100 Percent Wine – a premium winery that donates 100 percent of proceeds to nonprofits that help people with disabilities find work. Learn more at www. belocipriani.com.

t <<

Read more online at www.ebar.com

AIDS activism

From page 6

represent how AIDS drafted us to fight. For me, it had to do with my friends, my own fears, and ultimately my lover Doug Gould’s infection, illness, and death. “I felt I should share that so that future generations would know what that was like. I also wanted to look at the condition of surviving. What does it take to survive and after surviving what does it do to a person, what does it leave behind? For me it left behind all sorts of unprocessed stuff and I worked a lot of that into the writing. I went into therapy as soon as I finished the book.” France observed that despite the introduction of the protease inhibitor drugs in 1996, activists made sure there was no formal closure, as they didn’t know if the drugs would continue to work or what their side effects would be. “Because there was no cure, there couldn’t be any celebration,” he said. “Many activists moved into other aspects of the movement like how do you get these drugs out to people who can’t afford them or to the rest of the world.” Today, France pointed out, more than half the people infected are on the drugs. “I took some criticism when my film came out, because I celebrated that watershed moment of 1996,” he said. “They asked me to tell them how to survive a plague because ‘we’re still trying to figure it out.’ Long-term survivors have a hard time physically but also emotionally. It’s post-traumatic stress syndrome, but we didn’t go out to build support organizations or safety nets for those people.” France noted that there is anger between the generations. Those who survived want to be supported by the younger community. “They don’t have to worry about AIDS, which for them is only a dark ugly past, joyously living without that awful knowledge,” said France. “The book is trying to bridge that gap by passing along to younger people the idea of what their community was able to accomplish in the plague years.”

Patient Zero

Recently researchers have debunked the Patient Zero hypothesis advocated by Shilts that flight attendant Gaetan Dugas was the person who brought AIDS to North America, despite no evidence to support this view. In fact, France interviewed Michael Denneny, the editor of And the Band Played On, who admitted

SF police

From page 1

feared that she “may be reaching for a weapon. He therefore grabbed her left arm and pulled her out of the car,” then handcuffed her. Officers called an ambulance when she complained that her shoulder was injured, the motion says. “While at the hospital, [Moujaes] refused to give a blood test for alcohol,” defendants say. “The officers therefore cited and released her.” In court documents, Moujaes says that she’d initially been unsure whether police were trying to pull her over and that she’d been undoing her seatbelt before getting out of the

SF dog plan

From page 8

habitats is equally important, added Norton, an elected member of the public school board. “What is really important to be aware of with this plan is it is about habitat restoration,” noted Norton. “For the species of animals and plants threatened by climate change and overall urbanization and development in San Francisco, this plan tries to lay out over 20 years how do we manage our natural lands and

December 15-21, 2016 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 11

vilifying Dugas was part of a publicity campaign to sell more books, with Shilts reluctant to comply. Denneny confessed it was his idea, which he later came to regret, France said. “I drew the same conclusion as [the recent] study though I didn’t have the biological knowledge they had. I knew from the stored blood samples taken from patients before they had AIDS that proved he was not the source of the infection as there were other people in that same study who also were infected,” France said. In his book, France said he tried to restore Dugas’ humanity. “I spoke to people who knew him. And I found him on the videotape Randy wrote about in his book. Randy described him as a sexual hedonist, head to foot in leather and arguing for the right to fuck as many people as he wanted. It’s not the case. He was wearing a preppy light blue sweater. Randy saw him as the demon of the plague who immorally or amorally allowed the epidemic to spread. This was just a regular guy, though very pretty, as confused as anyone in 1983-84 as to what was happening,” France said. Speaking of Shilts’ book, France sees Plague as both a sequel and a remedy. “If you read Shilts’ book you would have thought the epidemic impacted San Francisco more than New York, which was seen as a sideline to what was going on,” France said. “But New York was the epicenter where 50 percent of AIDS cases occurred and that remained true into the 1990s. New York was the birthplace of AIDS activism, which Randy largely missed. His errors were mistakes of perspective. He lived in San Francisco. The people he wrote about were the people he knew, so I went back to the first day of the plague to retell the story from the epicenter and correct his historical misdirection.” France also mentioned Bobbi Campbell, a Sister of Perpetual Indulgence and a registered nurse who was the first person in San Francisco to speak openly about his infection, later proposing a national support organization for people with AIDS. Throughout his illness Campbell kept a diary consciously created for the LGBT community and before he died in 1984 he appointed an executor to his journals who was going to edit and publish them. France, to his horror, found that except for one volume accidentally given to a nurse, Campbell’s conservative family had deliberately destroyed them. “Bobbi was a great historical figure

who put his entire life onstage, including his recreational drug use and recreational sex, which are the things his family responded to in their decision to erase that part of our history,” France said. “His activism included being an initiator of a meeting in Denver where PWAs throughout the county got together and for the first time wrote a declaration, the Denver Principles, which established their rights and responsibilities as people with AIDS, ultimately driving the movement and still does today. I spoke to his father, who said he didn’t recall what happened, that he had left the diaries with his son, who had just died. I called his sister-in-law who told me the story and we both cried on the phone. I don’t think she knew until that moment how much Bobbi belonged to all of us.” For France the next step in AIDS activism is about ending the disease, not in the sense of curing it, which might happen, but closing down the epidemic. “We know how to do it. We have all the tools and our government is not doing it, so we need activists to do it,” he said. “We know which communities are being hit hardest by HIV, kids ages 14 to 24, especially people of color, but we are not getting to them. If we do get to them and put them on effective treatment, they are rendered virtually non-infective. If we get to them before they are infected and put them on PrEP, then they won’t catch HIV. So we do know how to get to zero, but it will take a huge effort to do it.” France sees a legacy to AIDS activism. “Everything about medicine, drug research, drug approval, and drug marketing ... that entire field was revolutionized,” he said. “Actually so was everything relating to culture because the fact that we are so integrated into American civic life today is the result of the way we responded to AIDS and the gains and traction we made in that response. I hold gay marriage as a direct result of that activism. Also lesbians and gay men were not engaged with each other before AIDS either politically or socially, and the epidemic brought us together. AIDS made the closet door a dangerous thing. It tore off those doors and opened up the possibility of selfidentification and self-expression for so many people and created this massive, politically diverse LGBT community we have today.”t

car. She also claims police hadn’t explained the purpose of the blood test. Moujaes is seeking compensation for her injuries along with damages for her constitutional rights being violated, emotional trauma, and other problems. The eight jurors who will hear the case were selected Monday, December 12. Opening statements were expected to start Tuesday. One prospective juror, the chief financial officer for a San Francisco startup company, said during jury selection Monday that he doesn’t “discriminate in employing people,” but “I don’t support legalized gay marriage.”

He also said, “It would be a challenge” to be fair in the trial because he gives police “the benefit of the doubt.” However, he said, “I would try to be as fair as I could be.” Kevin Love Hubbard, one of Moujaes’ attorneys, told Magistrate Donna Ryu that the man should be dismissed in part because he’d be “unable to accept that LGBT people might experience discrimination.” Deputy San Francisco City Attorney Margaret Baumgartner said that the man “did say he could evaluate the evidence in the case,” but Ryu dismissed him. The trial is expected to end by December 20.t

protect species.” Gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), who was critical of the GGNRA plan to restrict offleash dog access during his time on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, told the Bay Area Reporter he also has issues with the local parks plan for dog access. Yet he overall supports the goal of protecting the natural areas in the city. “There are some superb aspects but also some challenges with it, including restrictions on dog access,” said Wiener. “I do have concern the federal re-

strictions and city restrictions in combination will lead to some problems.” He demurred when asked what he would change about the city parks plan, saying he wanted to leave it up to the supervisors “to hash it out” when they take up the matter next year. To read the full plan, and see how it will impact individual park sites, visit http://sfrecpark.org/ parks-open-spaces/natural-areasprogram/significant-natural-resource-areas-management-plan/ snramp/.t

Jury selection

How to Survive A Plague (Knopf Books, $30) is available in bookstores and on Amazon.com.

Legal Notices>> FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037355400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LA KIWI BABY, 566A GROVE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed BRITTANY HOOPER. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/26/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/21/16.

NOV 24, DEC 01, 08, 15, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037348900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE RENTAL GAL; BAY AREA RENTAL ADVISORS; BAY AREA REAL ESTATE ADVISORS, 1998 PACIFIC AVE #201, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed PAMELA O’BRIEN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/06/10. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/15/16.

NOV 24, DEC 01, 08, 15, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037346200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GERMAN’S ELECTRICAL SERVICES, 1008 LARKIN ST #304, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed GERMAN EDUARDO LOPEZ SANCHEZ. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/14/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/14/16.

NOV 24, DEC 01, 08, 15, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037350100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BRAND X ANTIQUES, 570 CASTRO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed TIMOTHY J. FLINT. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/09/11. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/16/16.

NOV 24, DEC 01, 08, 15, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037327800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE JACKSONFULLER TEAM; SF MODERN CONDOS PROJECT, 2282 MARKET ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed ALABAMA NAPLES, INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/01/16.

NOV 24, DEC 01, 08, 15, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037353700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ABRAMS TOWING, 585 BRYANT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed SAN FRANCISCO AUTO BODY, 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 11/18/16.

NOV 24, DEC 01, 08, 15, 2016 STATE OF MAINE DISTRICT COURT OF LEWISTON CIVIL ACTION DOCKET NO.: FM-16-291

LESLIE KOVALAKIDES, Plaintiff, v. JESUS GUITERREZ, Defendant. The matter of Leslie Kovalakides v. Jesus Guiterrez is pending in the County of Androscoggin, Lewiston, Maine. The action is for divorce. Plaintiff is represented by Attorney Sheilah R. McLaughlin, 124 Maine Street, Ste. 216, Brunswick, Maine 04011. The Family Matter Summons and Preliminary Injunction states that Plaintiff has filed an action against Defendant for divorce. If Defendant wants to oppose this action, he must serve a written answer to the Complaint within 20 days after the day he receives notice by publication to the Lewiston District Court, 71 Lisbon Street, P.O. Box 1345, Lewiston, Maine 04243-1345, and to mail a copy of his answer to Plaintiff’s attorney at the above address. This order shall be published once a week for 3 successive weeks in Androscoggin County in the following publication: a San Francisco newspaper within 20 days after the date the court granted the Order for Service by Publication. Dated 10/13/16.

DECEMBER 01, 08, 15, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037351200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: DOES ARCHITECTURE, 22 MONTEZUMA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ERIC D. STATEN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/26/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/17/16.

DEC 01, 08, 15, 22, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037357800

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-16-552540

In the matter of the application of: TIMOTHY WAYNE ARNETT, 182 HOWARD ST #141, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner TIMOTHY WAYNE ARNETT, is requesting that the name TIMOTHY WAYNE ARNETT, be changed to JAX LELAND MCCLOUD. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514, Room 514 on the 12th of January 2017 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

NOV 24, DEC 01, 08, 15, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037360400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CONSULT OUR SOURCE, 1628 FOLSOM ST, SAN FRANCISCO 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DAVID W. AGUILAR. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/28/16.

DEC 01, 08, 15, 22, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037355900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HAIR BY TERI ANNE, 2444 FILLMORE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed TERRI KEMNITZ. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/21/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/21/16.

DEC 01, 08, 15, 22, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037363500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ZAKHRABOV MOTORS, 1317 EVANS #C, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed OREN ZAKHRABOV. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/29/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/29/16.

DEC 01, 08, 15, 22, 2016 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-16-552546

In the matter of the application of: SOOYEON CHO, 1435 WASHINGTON ST #7, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner SOOYEON CHO, is requesting that the name SOOYEON CHO, be changed to TIFFANY CHO FORD. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514, Room 514 on the 19th of January 2017 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

DEC 08, 15, 22, 29, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037375600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: IAMTHEWAYSERVICES1, 291 HOLLY AVE, SO. SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94080. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MIGUEL A. JIMENEZ. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/17/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/06/16.

DEC 08, 15, 22, 29, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037353300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CUMBE LEATHERS, 3448 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed NICOLAS ULLOA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/01/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/18/16.

DEC 08, 15, 22, 29, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037372600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MUTINY RADIO AND GALLERY, 2781 21ST ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed PAMELA BENJAMIN. 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 12/05/16.

DEC 08, 15, 22, 29, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037353900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PRO VET WARE, 3450 17TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ARI ERIC ROZYCKI. 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 11/23/16.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BAY AREA DBT & COUPLES COUNSELING CENTER, 4216 18TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MARIELLE BERG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/18/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/18/16.

DEC 01, 08, 15, 22, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037360100

DEC 08, 15, 22, 29, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037363200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: Y MIKUMO CO, 130 POPE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed YOSHIRO MIKUMO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/23/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/28/16.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TWIN PEAKS ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTING, 1504 SHRADER ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed YINLAN ZHANG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/29/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/29/16.

DEC 01, 08, 15, 22, 2016

DEC 08, 15, 22, 29, 2016

Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

12 • BAY AREA REPORTER • December 15-21, 2016

Classifieds The

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For Sale>> STORAGE LIEN AUCTION 12/23/2016 –

8 am, 32 containers 5x7x7, household goods & furniture of customers are Adam Burgh (2 containers), Melissa Arviana (2 containers), Lottie Taylor (11 containers), Beatrice Houseknecht (1 container), Cecilia Robbins (3 containers), Tanya Bray (3 containers), & James Hunt (10 containers) at Celtic Moving, 1290 Egbert Ave., SF CA 94124. Containers not for sale individually. All contents to be removed by 5 pm on day of auction.

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Notices>> THANK YOU ST. JUDE

May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be adored, glorified, loved and preserved throughout the world now and forever. Sacred Heart of Jesus, pray for us. St. Jude, worker of miracles, pray for us. St. Jude, helper of the hopeless, pray for us. Say prayer nine time a day for nine days. Thank you Jesus and St. Jude for prayers answered. Publication must be promised. S.W.

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Legal Notices>> FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037342400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: DIG-IT TRAVEL, 77 SHOTWELL ST, UNIT 3, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LUKE JOHNSTONE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/28/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/10/16.

DEC 08, 15, 22, 29, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037342500

Household Services>>

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The following person(s) is/are doing business as: DIG-IT EXPERIENCES, 77 SHOTWELL ST, UNIT 3, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LUKE JOHNSTONE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/28/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/10/16.

DEC 08, 15, 22, 29, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037350300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: WEST PORTAL PRODUCE MARKET, 222 WEST PORTAL AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94127. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed YH CHOE AND SONS, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/01/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/16/16.

DEC 08, 15, 22, 29, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037375200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: WASSAM LABORATORIES, 1026 WISCONSIN ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed WASSAM LABORATORIES 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 12/06/16.

DEC 08, 15, 22, 29, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037370000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: RIVERSIDE SEAFOOD RESTAURANT, 1201 VICENTE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed E&S SUNSET GROUP INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/21/11. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/01/16.

DEC 08, 15, 22, 29, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037366400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SLICE HOUSE BY TONY GEMIGNANI, 1535 HAIGHT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed FERAT INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/30/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/30/16.

DEC 08, 15, 22, 29, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037369600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: JYVE, 832 SANSOME ST, 1ST FL, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed JYVE (DE). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/02/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/01/16.

DEC 08, 15, 22, 29, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037372500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: EYEBROW QUEEN SALON, 4792 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed EYEBROW QUEEN SALON INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/05/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/05/16.

DEC 08, 15, 22, 29, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037369500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ST. REGIS HOTEL SAN FRANCISCO; ST. REGIS LOBBY LOUNGE; VITRINE; REMEDE SPA; ST. REGIS HOME OWNER ASSOCIATION; GRILL RESTAURANT, 125 3RD STREET, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed QIA SR SAN FRANCISCO OPERATING LLC (DE). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/01/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/01/16.

DEC 08, 15, 22, 29, 2016 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-036624600

RATES for Newspaper and website: First line, Regular 10.00 All subsequent lines 5.00 Web or e-mail hyperlink 5.00 CAPS double price BOLD double price X-BOLD triple price PAYMENT:

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The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: EYEBROW QUEEN SALON, 4792 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business was conducted by a general partnership and signed by EYEBROW QUEEN SALON. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/11/15.

STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-036255800

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: WASSAM LABORATORIES, 660 4TH ST #297, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business was conducted by an individual and signed by PASCAL WASSAM. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/20/15.

DEC 08, 15, 22, 29, 2016 NOTICE

The Annual Report of the Burk Chung Foundation, 837 Washington Street, San Francisco, California 94108 is available at the Foundation’s office for inspection during regular business hours. Copies of the Annual Report have been furnished to the Attorney General of the State of California. Burk Chung, Trustee. Fiscal year ended November 30, 2016.

DEC 15, 22, 29, JAN 05, 2017 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-16-552615

In the matter of the application of: LARRY DUKE ROGERS, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner LARRY DUKE ROGERS is requesting that the name ROGERS be changed to LARRY DUKE ROGERS. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514, Rm. 514 on the 7th of February 2017 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

DEC 15, 22, 29, JAN 05, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037379000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SEABEE CONSTRUCTION, 1387 BRUSSELS ST., SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ZHIBIAO YAN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/01/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/08/16.

DEC 15, 22, 29, JAN 05, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037378600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ROHAN CONSTRUCTION, 26 FOREST SIDE AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94127. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed KIERAN P. ROHAN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/08/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/08/16.

DEC 15, 22, 29, JAN 05, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT A-037378900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: DOWNTOWN GROCERY, 289 EDDY ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed GHAMOAN JAMIL ALI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/01/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/08/16.

DEC 15, 22, 29, JAN 05, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT A-037382600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LARK IN THE MORNING, 837 25TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ERIC AZUMI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/12/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/12/16.

DEC 15, 22, 29, JAN 05, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037363600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MIKE’S, 505 HAIGHT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed ZIPZAP HAIR INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/26/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/29/16.

DEC 15, 22, 29, JAN 05, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037376800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FRESH GREEN, 1970 JERROLD AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed GRUBMARKET INC (DE). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/05/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/07/16.

DEC 15, 22, 29, JAN 05, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037376700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: UX SOLUTIONS, 4257 18TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed GREGORY WELLS INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/15/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/07/16.

DEC 15, 22, 29, JAN 05, 2017

DEC 08, 15, 22, 29, 2016 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-035773700

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: BIG SLICE PIZZA, 1535 HAIGHT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business was conducted by a corporation and signed by FERAT INC. (CA). The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/10/14.

DEC 08, 15, 22, 29, 2016

ebar.com

Holiday chorus

TV queens

Out &About

Reunion story

O&A

Vol. 46 • No. 50 • December 15-21, 2016

www.ebar.com/arts

Amazing grace:

San Francisco Ballet in Helgi Tomasson’s Nutcracker.

‘Nutcracker’ returns by Paul Parish

an Francisco Ballet moved back into the Opera House last Saturday night with their big-league production of The Nutcracker. Dance fans come from all over the world to see heroic dancing on the scale presented to us by the stars of this company. All of us can go see a show that uses the full battery of theatrical illusion that the Opera House can provide. See page 22 >>

Erik Tomasson

Transforming refuse into

art by Sura Wood

he artwork produced by the Artist-in-Residence program at Recology San Francisco goes well beyond turning sows’ ears into silk purses. Each year nine Bay Area artists, chosen from over 100 applicants, are provided a backstage pass to scavenge through the massive piles of discarded materials at the Public Disposal and Recycling Area, a 47-acre facility in the southern part of the city better-known as the public dump.

Don Ross, Dandies (2004), found image, photo emulsion on Masonite.

See page 22 >> Courtesy Recology AIR Program

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<< Out There

14 • BAY AREA REPORTER • December 15-21, 2016

Red, hot & blue

by Roberto Friedman

WINNER Best Wedding Photographer

Steven Underhill

PHOTOGRAPHY

415 370 7152

WEDDINGS, HEADSHOTS, PORTRAITS

stevenunderhill.com · stevenunderhillphotos@gmail.com 2pub-BBB_BAR_120816.pdf 1 11/28/16 4:02 PM

as Tony Award-nominated show-stopping dame Sharon McNight born to play legendary burlesque vaudevillian Sophie Tucker? Why yes, we believe she was. If you’re the least bit undecided about it, you can go see McNight in Red Hot Mama – The Sophie Tucker Songbook, opening on Jan. 6 and running through Jan. 29 at the Cinnabar Theater in Petaluma. The show is described as the story of Sophie Tucker, “the first lady of show business, the ‘Last of the Red Hot Mamas,’ whose remarkable career spanned 60 years. It contains the music and history of burlesque, vaudeville, Broadway and Las Vegas, in a critically acclaimed one-woman musical biography of the entertainment legend, written by and starring Tony Award nominee Sharon McNight.” La Tucker started out in the Ziegfeld Follies and “worked blue” (told raunchy jokes) all through the era of radio and television. McNight will deliver over two dozen songs made famous by Tucker, including those by composers Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, George and Ira Gershwin, Henderson, DeSylva & Brown, and her 1928 million-dollar record-seller, Jack Yellen’s “My Yiddishe Mama.” Out There could sing a few verses of that last one, and the chorus would always be, “Oy vey!” Bette Midler is, of course, another talented lady who has made hay with Sophie Tucker jokes in her act. Here’s a favorite from her 1977 album Live at Last: “I was in the woods last night with my boyfriend Ernie, and he said to me, ‘Soph’ – he always called me Soph – he said to me, ‘Soph, these woods sure are dark. I sure wish I had a flashlight.’ I said to him, ‘So do I, Ernie. You have been munching grass

Cinnabar Theater

Sharon McNight as Sophie Tucker in Red Hot Mama – The Sophie Tucker Songbook, coming to the Cinnabar Theater.

for the last 10 minutes.’” Red Hot Mama – The Sophie Tucker Songbook will play the Cinnabar Theater, 3333 Petaluma Blvd. N, Petaluma, CA. Tickets ($35, general; $25, youth): online at cinnabartheater.org/red-hot-mama or (707) 763-8920.

Magazine wrack

There’s a fun feature in the December issue of Vanity Fair – that’s the one with Adele on the cover above the teaser, “Adele: Raw. Real. Funny. Where’s Her Nobel?” but don’t let that put you off. It’s a piece about a cast reunion from the classic British TV miniseries Brideshead Revisited, 35 years after its heyday. You remember Brideshead, the 11part adaptation of Evelyn Waugh’s novel that follows the lives of English aristocratic youth. Jeremy Irons played Charles Ryder, and Anthony Andrews played his friend and love interest, Lord Sebastian Flyte. There at the great ancestral pile Castle Howard, where the series was filmed, assembled Irons, Andrews, director Michael Lindsay-Hogg, producer Derek Granger, and other

cast members, looking for the most part none the worse for the wear. Lindsay-Hogg tells a great behindthe-scenes story: Irons dyed his fair hair brown for his role as Ryder, and Andrews was told to dye his dark hair blond. When Andrews showed up wearing a cap, he explained, “We have a problem. I sat in the garden at home on Sunday. It was such a nice day. It wasn’t a good idea.” Lindsay-Higg explains, “With some chagrin, he took off his cap. His hair had turned an interesting shade of green.”

Orchestral maneuvers

Congratulations go out to Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony, whose live concert recording of works by Bay Area composer Mason Bates was nominated for a 2017 Grammy Award in the category of Best Orchestral Performance. Mason Bates: Works for Orchestra was released in March 2016 and features the first recordings of the SFS-commissioned The B-Sides and Liquid Interface, in addition to Alternative Energy. We’re pulling for you to win the award, SFS and young master Bates.t

Bohemian rhapsody by Jim Piechota

CMY

Black Wave by Michelle Tea; The Feminist Press at CUNY, $9.99 e-book here is a lot of restlessness, inner conflict, and angst in award-winning San Franciscobased author Michelle Tea’s new novel Black Wave, and that’s a very good thing. But it’s also the end of the world, and that minor detail throws her story into a terrific tailspin. Commandeering the great bohemian engine powering up this fantastic autobiographical fiction is a plucky lesbian named Michelle, a Valencia Street denizen who is also a “poet, a writer, [and] the author of a small book published by a small press that revealed family secrets, exposed her love life, and glamorized her recreational drug intake.” It’s the end of the 1990s, she is 27, and the “once Irish, then Mexican” Mission District has become a place of gentrification and resistance, “invaded by a tribe bound not by ethnicity but by other things – desire, art, sex, poverty, politics.” These recognizable, exacting descriptions are not just literary puffery; in Tea’s hands, they become part of the book’s honest artistry. Anyone struggling in today’s hyperpriced urban landscape knows about the choosing of sides in a battle of the old guard protecting neighborhood independence vs. the reckless erasure of the new. “The city was coming apart,” Tea writes. “People were charging $2,000 to sleep in a closet.”

Michelle (the character) has smoked crack in dingy lesbian bars but hated it, and now, in a different bar, she observes drunken, offensive, yuppie “invaders” stomping on her territory, priming her and her friends for a fight. Her life is comprised of prickly mornings hungover after drug-binged nights, random poetry slams, and the nurturing of her soccer-playing girlfriend Andy. She also frets about her two mothers, seemingly frozen in time in the dank Massachusetts town of Chelsea, a rusty, blue-collar industrial birthplace she was lucky enough to escape. Tough and penetrative, the novel churns along as Michelle and her friends party hard, pick fights, intellectualize life in the big, changing

city, have sex (“lazy and hard, slow-motion, invasive”), break up, and still remain “clumped together in friendship with the loyalty of Italian Mafiosi.” But their dirty-faced solidarity exists under a dark cloud no one saw coming: the end of the world. On television, Michelle watches footage of a Manhattan “chaotic landscape of rolling debris clouds and screaming, scorched humans.” In Tea’s universe, the hot dial of a global warming catastrophe has been ratcheted up a few decades and is now in full swing, threatening to decimate the planet and everything on it. Everyone on Earth now bears an expiration date, and while most resort to suicide, Michelle’s survivalist instinct kicks in with a spontaneous move to Los Angeles armed with an expansive agenda: to write a screenplay, reconnect with her brother, quit the booze and drugs, and realize a dream of bookstore ownership. She accomplishes all of this, complete with scoring a studio apartment in Hollywood at a jaw-dropping $400 a month. Her transformation is just beginning while the world crumbles around her: “Michelle was beginning to look like a Ramone. At night she began to dream that her room was haunted and the spirits wanted her dead.” Once in LA, with the end of days fast approaching, the book veers off into uncharted territory, a narrative See page 17 >>

Theatre>>

December 15-21, 2016 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 15

When Yanks invaded before D-Day by Richard Dodds

orget Santa Claus. You know good things are on their way when Emma Rice is coming to town. A Christmas tree would need only sprout in one scene during 946: The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips and then you could call it a holiday show, except for the significant seasonal detail that D-Day happened in June. But Rice’s latest extravaganza of theatrical imagination still feels like a gift dropped from a sleigh that circumvented the polar route on a direct flight from London. Emma Rice has been bringing forth singular stage creations for the past two decades in the UK, mostly with Kneehigh Theatre, and is now visiting the Bay Area for the fourth time with Adolphus Tips. Previous Kneehigh productions seen here are the stage and cinema mash-up of Noel Coward’s Brief Encounter, the blues-infused Brothers Grimm tale The Wild Bride, and a variation on Tristan & Yseult that managed to pull Yma Sumac, children’s party balloons, and anarchic dancing into the tragic love story. Rice doesn’t rely on repeating stylistic maneuvers, and Adolphus Tips has yet another improbably peculiar and wonderful way to tell a story

set in a sleepy village on the to clean clothes, but these English Channel. World War workaday props will become II is already raging across the the waterline where the Engwater, but things are mostly lish Channel meets Slapton quiet in Slapton, where wives, Sands, and where a tragic children, and grandparents military error is played out take on the chores of the in miniature but with frightdeployed able-bodied menful impact. The 946 that has folk. What happens next has been added to the original enough dramatic fodder for a title of Morpurgo’s novel is straightforward retelling, but here explained, and while the Rice takes us on a topsy-turcircumstances are historically vy adventure that improbably documented, they are sufstarts out with a pet cat that ficiently forgotten that their has gone missing, and carries reveal should be saved for us through comedy, tragedy, theatergoers. Steve Tanner neglected history, a bebopEven though the approach ping Yank invasion, and as An American solider (Nandi Bhebhe) helps a of D-Day sets most of the happy an ending as you can little English girl (Katy Owen) reunite with action in 1944, the play is find at a time when the cards her beloved cat (operated by Bhebhe as well) told in flashbacks and flashwere stacked in death’s favor. in Emma Rice’s phantasmagorical 946: The forwards and even flashRice is the production’s Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips at Berkeley Rep. sideways as a recent widow director and choreograpresents a visiting grandson pher, and she co-adapted with her childhood diary is equally high but fundamentally Michael Morpurgo’s novel of the war years. “You can’t different as well. The Amazing Story of Adolphus have the end of a story before you An impressive sight created by set Tips with its author. Morpurgo also have the beginning,” she tells the designer Lez Brotherston greets auwrote War Horse, another novel gangly Boowie before unexpectedly diences as they enter Berkeley Rep’s about a beloved animal lost during jetting off to America. Then we get Roda Theatre, where a full-size front a world war that debuted in 2007 to know Grandma when she was fuselage of a plane and propeller is at the National Theatre in London Lily, the most engagingly obnoxious engulfed in what could be both a before moving to Broadway, then 12-year-old you’re likely to meet. hangar and a band shell. Along the stopping in SF on tour. But they are Whenever Lily is onstage, which front of the stage, rows of washbasins very different stories, and the genius is most of the time, you don’t want are being used by actors in coveralls that pulled them from page to stage to take your eyes from her for a

second lest you miss a beat from the cornucopia of little quirks and inflections that adult actor Katy Owen offers with the know-it-all disdain of an insecure adolescent. It’s wonderful performance as Lily manages to grudgingly ingratiate herself to the suddenly widening population of her hometown. First come children evacuated from London, snooty city folk as far as Lily is concerned, but as she shares a school desk with the tweedy Barry (the winsome Adam Sopp, who also plays Boowie), a prickly affection begins to develop. And then come the Yanks, who force the residents of Slapton to relocate inland so troops can practice the upcoming Normandy invasion on its shores. Lily befriends two soldiers, Adi (the charismatic Ncuti Gatwa) and the mostly silent Harry, who shock the insolated villagers by being black, and who are themselves shocked at the civility with which they are received. Lily enlists Adi and Harry to help find her beloved pet cat Tips, who has gone missing during the relocation, and Nandi Bhebhe, who plays the quiet Harry, becomes impressively expressive operating the lifesized marionette of Tips. Presiding See page 17 >>

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<< Music

16 • BAY AREA REPORTER • December 15-21, 2016

Celebrating Lou Harrison at SoundBox by Philip Campbell

usical maverick, Bay Area icon, visionary artist, writer and activist are just a few of the titles that have been bestowed on composer Lou Harrison since his death in 2003. Centennial celebrations of his birth and vibrant legacy are offering even more descriptions of the beloved man and his enduring impact on gay history, the Left Coast avant-garde, and the world. Last week SoundBox, the experimental performing venue and late-night music club of the San Francisco Symphony, started season three with an immersive and intimate event curated and conducted by SFS Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas. The joyful concert started with MTT immediately adding a few more monikers to the Harrison bio. Calling his old friend and colleague both Santa Claus and bodhisattva, and a gay man who was “out before anyone really knew what that meant,” our own musical pied piper launched a lively evening filled with excerpts from the composer’s huge canon performed by members of the SFS. Throughout the night and even during the generous intermissions, clips from the documentary film Lou Harrison: A World of Music by Eva Soltes filled in the fascinating historical backdrop to Harrison’s life and his many musical influences. Of course, MTT had plenty to say, too, and he offered his own typically

Cory Weaver

SoundBox: Pacific Harmonies was devoted to the music of gay composer Lou Harrison.

engaging remarks about the composer’s personality and relationships with legendary musical teachers in a friendly, almost ad-lib style. With atmospheric and often beautiful visuals by video designer Adam Larsen and lighting designer Luke Kritzeck, it made a perfect setting for the enthusiastic crowd, well-mixed with attendees who previously didn’t know much about Harrison, and devotees and friends eager to share in some cherished memories. Playing as we entered SoundBox and right

up to showtime, Mayang Sunda, a Santa Cruz-based West Javanese traditional gamelan ensemble, alerted listeners to one of the composer’s deepest influences as they performed on authentic instruments in a tuning known as salendro, comparable to the slendro scale used in many of his compositions. The concert that followed really covered the waterfront of modern Pacific Rim music, from Arnold Schoenberg’s 12-tone system (an early teacher of the composer)

through Korean court music and the exquisite and ear-delighting sounds of the Indonesian gamelan. Large-scale works (Harrison wrote many) were absent, but a taste of the composer’s self-described greed for musical knowledge was apparent in the many pieces that made up the satisfying mosaic of the program. There were a few highlights that proved especially effective. Excerpts from the Suite for Violin and American Gamelan, with SFS violinist Nadya Tichman, an absorbed and

absorbing soloist amidst percussion instruments created by the composer and his life partner Bill Colvig, earned a standing ovation from seated listeners and cheers from the many others already on their feet. The club setting would yield many more moments of direct communication, and I still can’t get the projected image of Harrison and Colvig wearing straw hats covered with artificial fruit out of my head. MTT said they used to attend concerts together at Davies Symphony Hall wearing matching red corduroy shirts that were equally endearing. The Concerto No. 1 for Flute and Percussion, with Tim Day, flute, and Jacob Nissly, Tom Hemphill, percussion, was another crowd-pleaser; and excerpts from the Suite for Cello and Harp, Jieyin Wu, harp, and Sébastien Gingras, cello, as well as selections from the Concerto for Organ with Percussion Orchestra, Michael Hey, organ, further energized the packed space of the large room. There will be much more to hear and learn of Lou Silver Harrison during 2017 and his centennial year. SoundBox: Pacific Harmonies was a great way to get the ball rolling in his old stomping grounds and happy proof new listeners will embrace his wondrous sound world when given an irresistible chance. The SFS will continue with more at DSH in June. For more information on all things Harrison, and upcoming 100th birthday celebrations, visit otherminds.org/lou100.t

Giving the gift of books, 2016 by Gregg Shapiro

hat a great year 2016 has been for books, especially books by and about queer people. That’s why these outstanding titles in poetry, fiction, nonfiction and even picture books should make holiday shopping a breeze. Literary language: Primer (Univ. of Pittsburgh Press), the third fulllength book by gay poet and educator Aaron Smith, explores some of the darker corners of existence while letting in just enough light for the poems to glow with cool radiance. The seven short stories in At Danceteria and other stories (Squares and Rebels Press), the debut collection by Philip Dean Walker, are deeply entrenched in the 1980s, with appearances by era icons Keith Haring, Princess Diana, Freddie Mercury, Halston, Liza Minnelli, and Sylvester. The late renowned African-American lesbian-feminist poet and performer Pat Parker (1944-89) is feted with the massive compilation The Complete Works of Pat Parker (Sapphic Classics/A Midsummer Night’s Press/Sinister Wisdom). Edited by Julie R. Enszer with an introduction by Judy Grahn, the tome contains poetry, prose and two plays. Set during the Cold War and based on the “hidden life” of awardwinning lesbian writer Lucy Jane Bledsoe’s aunt, the novel A Thin Bright Line (Univ. of Wisconsin Press) follows Lucybelle’s struggles with “the impossible compromises of queer life” at the dawn of the civil rights movement. Sinister Wisdom editor/publisher and poet Julie R. Enszer’s new fulllength poetry collection Avowed (Sibling Rivalry Press) encompasses celebration, mourning, and aspects of being a lesbian in a long-term relationship, including being the one who always does the dishes. Straight author Ann Patchett, who created unforgettable queer characters in her 1997 novel The Magician’s Assistant, returns with

her new novel Commonwealth (Harper), about generations of the Keating and Cousins families. Winner of the 2015 Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize, In the Volcano’s Mouth (Univ. of Pittsburgh Press), the debut collection by queer poet Miriam Bird Greenberg, is a “portrait of life on the enchanted margins.” Described as a “contemporary odyssey,” The Troubleseeker (Chelsea Station Editions) by Alan Lessik combines Greek mythology and Cuban Santería as a means of telling the story of Antinio in post-revolution Cuba through the early days of the AIDS epidemic. Words & pictures: With an introduction by Kate Clinton, Pride & Joy: Taking the Streets of New York City (New Press) colorfully celebrates the institution of the NYC LGBT pride parade via photos by Jurek Wajdowicz and affirming quotes from Holly Hughes, former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Lea DeLaria, Michangelo Signorile, Edie Windsor, Dan Savage, John D’Emilio, Governor Andrew Cuomo, Mayor Bill DeBlasio, and Cyndi Lauper. “Real-life couple” artist-authors

Lynn Dowling and Asia Kepka expanded what began as a collaboration exhibited at the Griffin Museum of Photography in Boston into the book Horace & Agnes: A Love Story (Blue Rider Press), a love story between a middle-aged horse and squirrel. As dishy as it is enlightening, including a chapter on “The Love That Dare Not Speak Its Name,” The Art of the Affair: An Illustrated History of Love, Sex and Artistic Influence (Bloomsbury) by Catherine Lacey and Forsyth Harmon is about the affairs behind great works of art. No One Told Me To Do This: Selected Screenprints 2009-2015 (Akashic Books) by Jay Ryan, with a foreword by Aaron Horkey, features Ryan’s colorful concert posters, including those for shows by queer artists Bob Mould and St. Vincent. Rad Women Worldwide (Ten Speed Press), written by Kate Schatz and illustrated by Miriam Klein Stahl, features “artists and athletes, pirates and punks, and other revolutionaries who shaped the world,” including Frida Kahlo, Venus and Serena Williams, Poly Styrene, Ugandan LGBT activist Kasha

Jacqueline Nagabasera, Chavela Vargas, Audre Lorde, Sylvia Rivera, Grace Jones and Pussy Riot. True stories: Anatomy of a Song (Grove Atlantic), expanded from Wall Street Journal contributor Marc Myers’ column, features interviews with the artists and songwriters behind 45 essential pop songs, including queer acts Michael Stipe of R.E.M. (on “Losing My Religion”) and Janis Joplin, as well as performers beloved by LGBT folks, including Joni Mitchell (on “Carey”), Cyndi Lauper (on “Time After Time”), Bonnie Raitt (on “Nick of Time”) and Debbie Harry and Chris Stein of Blondie (on “Heart of Glass”). Boys in the Trees: A Memoir (Flatiron Books) is the bestselling memoir by singer/songwriter Carly Simon, who openly discussed her sexuality in a 2008 interview in the Bay Area Reporter. She writes with humor and sensitivity about the lesbians of Sarah Lawrence College and Provincetown, and leaves off at the end of her marriage to James Taylor. With any luck, there might be more to come from the “You’re So Vain” diva.

The Sea Is Quiet Tonight: A Memoir (Querelle Press) by retired psychotherapist Michael H. Ward takes readers back to the early days of the AIDS epidemic in Boston. Described as “the partial inspiration” for Dustin Lance Black and Gus Van Sant’s forthcoming ABC miniseries, When We Rise: My Life in the Movement (Hachette) is Cleve Jones’ personal story of self-discovery in 1970s San Francisco through the AIDS crisis and his co-founding of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt. The travel memoir anthology Inspired Journeys: Travel Writers in Search of the Muse (Univ. of Wisconsin Press), edited by gay writer Brian Bouldrey, features contributions by queer writers Raphael Kadushin, Goldie Goldbloom, Lucy Jane Bledsoe, Trebor Healey, and Susan Fox Rogers. Not your typical music memoir, Tranny: Confessions of Punk Rock’s Most Infamous Anarchist Sellout (Hachette) follows Against Me!’s Laura Jane Grace’s journey from being Tom Gabel in Naples, FL, to the groundbreaking trans musician and activist she is today.t

Music>>

December 15-21, 2016 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 17

I am the future of the LGBT community.

Holiday choral cheer

I’m gay.

Steven Underhill

The San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus offered Babes in Joyland: Dreaming of a Pink Christmas at the Nourse Theater.

by David-Elijah Nahmod

he San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus spread some much needed holiday cheer when Babes in Joyland: Dreaming of a Pink Christmas played to a packed house at the Nourse Theater this past weekend. There were moments that celebrated the birth of Jesus, and moments that reminded the audience that in a diverse society, some may see God differently than others. “Some children see him lily white, some children see him bronzed and brown,” sang the Chorus in Alfred Burt’s “Some Children See Him.” Much of the evening had a strong gay sensibility. Instead of dreaming of a White Christmas, the Chorus sang of a Pink Christmas. There was a bevy of adorable elves, and a chorus line of can-can-dancing Santas. There were serious moments as well. Chorus artistic director and conductor Dr. Timothy Seelig acknowledged there may be dark days ahead in the aftermath of Donald Trump’s White House win. Seelig and executive director Chris Verdugo urged people to donate to the Chorus’ upcoming Lavender Pen Tour, named after the pen used by former Mayor George Moscone to sign the city’s first major gay rights ordinance into law. That bill was introduced by former Supervisor Harvey Milk. Both Milk and Moscone were assassinated at City Hall in 1978. “We’ll be going to states where our brothers, sisters and youth feel threatened,” Verdugo said. “Over 2,500 incidents of bullying have been reported, these are the states we will be travelling to. We will sing on the steps of the state Capitol in Jackson, Mississippi. We will sing in churches and in schools. We will sing in support of our brothers and sisters, and hopefully we will change hearts and

Black Wave

From page 14

peppered with capitalization and fierce italics, and a plot slam-dancing with distorted realism, expanding and contracting like the pupil of an eye. This section is more fragile and less compelling than the tough outer shell of the story’s first half. Still, it’s absorbing and entertaining, especially with the guest appearance of Matt Dillon, who saunters into Michelle’s bookstore to charm and seduce her. Sure, the book is miserably dystopian, but it also manages to be funny, insightful, wise, dark and deliciously apocalyptic. Readers who

Adolphus

From page 15

over the proceedings from a bandstand above the stage is the Blues Man, who may sing songs new and old often accompanied by actors who double as musicians. In the shiny suit of an urban hipster, the magnetic Uzoh Akpore also mixes up time as he tries to engage the dubious Lily with his stories. “Have you ever heard of a man called Bertolt Brecht?” queries the Blues Man of little Lily. He quotes Brecht as

minds.” Chorus members will be paying their own way to join the Lavender Pen tour. Donations to help meet expenses were encouraged. One of the concert’s highlights was the appearance of guest artist Marnie Breckenridge, a New York-based soprano. Breckenridge sang “Silent Night” to thunderous applause. Then the Chorus signed the song in ASL sign language for the deaf. Breckenridge showed her lighter side with her campy take on “Jingle Bells,” clad in a stunning white gown and matching boa. There was a definite Marilyn Monroe vibe. The Chorus will perform their annual Home for the Holidays show on Christmas Eve at the Castro Theatre. “This year is the 27th annual Home for the Holidays at the Castro,” Seelig told the B.A.R. “I ‘cancan’ give you a few little hints – that was one of them. Make sure to wear something pink if you want to fit in! We also welcome international opera diva Melody Moore back. She appeared in our holiday shows six years ago and was a huge hit. “The LGBTQ community in the majority of our country still suffers from a wide array of discrimination and abuse from every area: family, friends, and government,” he said. “We know we must still sing to encourage our entire community and continue to fight against the injustice we all share. The chorus has a 38-year history of being on the forefront of every issue that affected our community,” Seelig added. “We will continue to be out, sing out, and call out those wishing to take away our hard-fought rights.”t

I’m 22 years old and I’m an exchange student from Spain. Going to college here means a fun time, lots of hard work and getting to see new things. It also means a chance to really be myself. My parents are supportive of my sexuality, and my host family here is a couple with two teenage boys. Nobody cares if they’re gay or straight. I’m excited to be part of a world where that can be true. I am the future of the LGBT community. And I read about that future every day on my Android tablet. Because that’s where I want it to be.

The person depicted here is a model. Their image is being used for illustrative purposes only.

PRESENTS

San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus: Home for the Holidays, Sat., Dec. 24, 5, 7 & 9 p.m. Castro Theatre. Tickets: sfgmc.org.

enjoyed Tea’s highly praised debut memoir Valencia will recognize the new book’s protagonist, savor the prose, not missing a nuance or a sharp social critique. Tea’s talent for intuitive commentary will have readers reflecting on the difference between working in a bookstore in Northern vs. Southern California, the wonder of the younger gay community, the epic battle to retain sobriety, and how the heart and soul of a writer can manifest. This is a magnificent novel uniting themes of belonging, societal tribalism, and the interconnectedness of the human condition. It’s a timely story of survival at what many perceive as the end of an era.t asking, “In the dark times, will there also be singing?” Yes, and the whole audience will eventually join in, as Adolphus Tips works its way through the dark times toward its happy ending. In fact, it’s a story that actually may have one too many happy endings, but save your complaints for your local Grinch.t 946: The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips will run through Jan. 15 at Berkeley Rep. Tickets are $22.50-$97. Call (510) 647-2949 or go to berkeleyrep.org.

CHEYENNE JACKSON 8:00 p.m. Friday January 20, 2017 GET TICKETS NOW lesherartscenter.showare.com | 925- 943 - SHOW

1601 Civic Drive Walnut Creek, CA 94596

<< Out&About

18 • BAY AREA REPORTER • December 15-21, 2016

O&A

Thu 15

Cirque du Soleil @ AT&T Park

Glen Meadmore & Jon Ginoli @ The Stud

The amazing Canadian circus company performs another dazzling show, Luzia, a Waking Dream of Mexico. $49 and up. Tue-Sat 8pm. Also various matiness thru Jan. 29. 74 Mission Rock St. www.cirquedusoleil.com/luzia

The pioneers of gay music –countrypunk and pop-punk– perform live at the historic gay bar for a taping of an episode of Under the Golden Gate, with Maria Konner and her band, and DJ Dank; Johnny Cat’s dance rock party afterwards. $10. 8pm. 399 9th St. www.studsf.com

A Christmas Carol @ Geary Theatre

Future Friend/Ships @ CounterPulse

Mistletober by Jim Provenzano

t’s ironic that the sprig of ivy we’re supposed to kiss under for the holidays is toxic. Anyway, here are some festive arts events. For nightlife, see On the Tab listings.

Thu 15 Amy Hanaiali’l @ Feinstein’s at the Nikko The bestselling Hawaiian singer performs a holiday-themed cabaret show. $25-$60. 8pm. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. (866) 663-1063. www.amyhanaialiigilliom.com www.feinsteinsatthenikko.com

Classic & New Films @ Castro Theatre Dec. 15: Little Shop of Horrors (7pm) and Three Amigos (9pm). $11-$16. 429 Castro St. castrotheatre.com

Comedy Returns @ El Rio Marga Gomez, Matt Gubser, Priyanka Wali, Nick Leonard, and Lisa Geduldig share jokes you can actually laugh at. $7-$20. 3158 Missoin St. elriosf.com

Future Friend/Ships @ CounterPulse Keith Hennessy and Jassem Hindi’s intense, political, sexy duo danceperformance explores transforming chaos into hope. $15-$25. 8pm. Thru Dec. 17. 80 Turk St. counterpulse.org

The Golden Girls @ Victoria Theatre Heklina, D’Arcy Drollinger, Matthew Martin and Holotta Tymes return in Christmas episodes of the hilarious and popular drag stage adaptation of the hit sitcom about retired women in Florida. Special guest stars Dec. 1-3. $30. ThuSat 8pm. Sun 7pm. Thru Dec. 23. 2961 16th St. at Mission. goldengirlssf.com

Inside Storytime @ Armory Club ‘Trepidation’ is the theme for writers Ruth Whippman (America the Anxious), Jennifer Blowdryer ( Good Advice for Young Trendy People of All Ages), Cesar Love ( Birthright), Richard May ( Inhuman Beings), and Lisa D. Gray. 7pm. 1799 Mission St. www.insidestorytime.com www. armoryclub.com

The Kinsey Sicks @ Oasis The dragapella quartet’s holiday show, Oy Vey in a Manger, will make you bust a gut with their gay song parodies. $25-$35. 7pm. Thru Dec. 15. 298 11th St. www.kinseysicks.com www.sfoasis.com

The Last Christmas @ PianoFight Daniel Heath and Christy Crowley’s Holiday Action Musical pits Santa Claus, Jesus and a pop princess against Big Oil’s plan to drill at the North Pole. $20-$50. Thu-Sat 7pm. Thru Dec. 23. 144 Taylor St. www.pianofight.com

Lesbian & Bisexual Stars @ GLBT History Museum Lesbian & Bisexual Stars: Inside the Hollywood Closet with author Boze Hadleigh. $5. 7pm. Dec. 19: Magnus Hirschfeld: Through Knowledge to Justice, a discussion with exhibit curator Gerard Koskovich. Also $5, 7pm. 4127 18th St. glbthistory.org

Next Time, I’ll Take the Stairs @ Joe Goode Annex 13th Floor Theater company performs Jenny McAllister’s dance-theatre work; three adult siblings find their way into a mysterious world inhabited by two duplicitous strangers. $15-$40. Thu-Sat 8pm. Sun 7pm. Thru Dec. 17. 401 Alabama St. www.13thfloortheater.org

Scrooge in Love @ Marines’ Memorial Theatre Jason Graae stars in 42nd Street Moon’s production of Grossman, Blair & Poole’s fun musical about what happens to Ebeneezer Scrooge after Christmas. Thru Dec. 24. 609 Sutter St. www.42ndStMoon.org

Smuin Ballet @ YBCA Michael Smuin’s The Christmas Ballet is performed by the popular local dance company. $25-$70. Thu-Sun 8pm. Sat & Sun 2pm. Thru Dec. 24. 700 Howard St. www.smuinballet.org www.ybca.org

White Christmas @ Golden Gate Theatre The classic Irving Berlin musical returns for the holidays, with lavish sets and production numbers. $30$120. Tue-Fri, 7:30pm. Wed 2pm. Sat & Sun 12pm & 5:30pm. Thru Dec. 24. 1 Golden Gate at Market. www.shnsf.com

Fri 16 946: The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips @ Berkeley Rep Michael Morpurgo and Emma Rice’s rousing musical play about a seaside British family whose house is invaded by WWII U.S. soldiers after D-Day. $29-$97. Tue-Sat 8pm. Sat & Sun 2pm. Sun 7pm. Thru Jan. 15. Roda Theatre, 201 Addison St., Berkeley. www.berkeleyrep.org

Avenue Q @ New Conservatory Theatre Center Lopez & Marx and Whitty’s hilarious puppets-for-adults musical comedy returns, with two different casts, and a New Year’s Eve show, too. $20-$60. Wed-Sat 8pm. Sun 2pm. Thru Jan. 15. 25 Van Ness AAve., lower level. www.nctcsf.org

Beach Blanket Babylon @ Club Fugazi The musical comedy revue celebrates its 40th year with an ever-changing lineup of political and pop culture icons, all in gigantic wigs. Holiday Extravaganza runs Nov. 16 –Dec. 31 (special New Year’s Eve shows). $25$160. Beer/wine served; cash only; 21+, except where noted. Wed-Fri 8pm. Sat 6pm & 9pm. Sun 2pm & 5pm. 678 Beach Blanket Babylon Blvd. (Green St.). 421-4222. www.beachblanketbabylon.com

American Conservatory Theatre’s popular annual large-scale stage adaptation (by Cary Perloff and Paul Walsh) of Charles Dickens’ holiday story about Ebeneezer Scrooge. $25$120. pm. Tue-Sat 7pm. Wed, Fri Sat 2pm. Sun 1pm & 5:30pm. Thru 415 Geary St. www.act-sf.org

Fool La La! @ The Marsh Berkeley Unique Derique’s annual kid-friendly clwon solo show. $12-$100. Daily at 2pm. Thru Dec. 302120 Allston Way, Berkeley. www.themarsh.org

The Jewelry Box @ The Marsh Brian Copeland returns with his solo show about his misadventures in buying his mother a Christmas present on the ‘mean streets’ of Oakland. $30-$100. Fri 8pm, Sat 5pm. Thru Dec. 17. 1062 Valencia St. www.themarsh.org

Katya’s Holiday Spectacular @ Oasis Katya Smirnoff-Skyy, the drag Russian royal (aka actor-singer J. Conrad Frank) performs holiday classics with a comic twist. $25 and up. 7pm. Also Dec. 17. 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

The Madwoman in the Volvo @ Berkeley Rep NPR personality and best-selling memoirist Sandra Tsing Loh takes the driver’s seat and slams the engine into overdrive in her hilarious, enlightening, and totally candid road trip through the triple M’s—middle-age, menopause, and motherhood. $60-$75. Wed & Sun 7pm. Thu-Sat 8pm. Sat & Sun 2pm. Thru Feb 15. 2025 Addison St., Berkeley. www.berkeleyrep.org

Megan Hilty @ Feinstein’s at the Nikko The Broadway singing sensation performs her Christmas-themed cabaret show. $75-$115. 8pm. Dec. 17 at 7pm. Dec. 18 at 3pm. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. (866) 663-1063. www.feinsteinsatthenikko.com

Sons of the Prophet @ New Conservatory Theatre Center Stephen Karam’s Tony-winning and Pulitzer Prize Finalist comic family play about suffering and redemption gets a local production. $25-$50. Thu-Sat 8pm. Sat 3pm. Sun 2pm. Thru Dec. 18. 25 Van Ness Ave., lower level. nctcsf.org

Iliza @ Nourse Theatre Iliza Shlesinger, the young talented comedian, performs her Confirmed Kills show. $30. 8pm. 275 Hayes St. www.cityarts.net/nourse

Inversion: Circus Disobedience @ Kinetic Arts Center, Oakland Live circus-theatre show about civil disobedience and justice. $24-$75. Sat 4pm & 8pm. Sun 3pm & 7pm. Thru Dec. 18. 785 7th St., Oakland. www.kineticartsproductions.com

Kitka @ Various Venues The amazing women’s European folk vocal ensemble performs their Wintersongs concert at multiple venues. 12/15 at Louden Nelson Center, Santa Cruz. 12/16 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Oakland. 12/17 at Old First Church, SF. 12/18 at Nile Hall, Oakland. $15-$40. www.kitka.org

Nutcracker Sweetie @ Cowell Theater Mark Foehringer Dance Project’s annual concert of a shortened (50-minute) light-hearted take on the The Nutcracker, with live musical accompaniment. $21-$31. Sat & Sun 11am & 1pm. Also Mon/Tue Dec. 19 & 20. Thru Dec. 20. Fort Mason Center, Marina Blvd at Buchanan. www.nutcrackersweets.org www.fortmason.org

Paradise Street @ Exit Theatre Clive Barker’s unusual Christmas play gets an American premiere production; two British brothers debunk miracles on a mystical street on the eve of its demolition. $20-$30. Thru Dec. 17. 156 Eddy St. www.theexit.org

SF Hiking Club @ Joseph Grant County Park Join GLBT hikers of the SF Hiking Club for an 8.5-mile scenic, tranquil, and remote loop hike in Joseph Grant County Park. Bring lunch, water, sturdy shoes, hat, sunscreen, windbreaker. Carpool meets at 8:15 at Safeway sign, Market & Dolores. (408) 797-7088. www.sfhiking.com

She Loves Me @ SF Playhouse

Sat 17

The lighthearted musical by Masteroff, Bock and Harnick follows a comedic misadventures of a straight couple looking for love over the holidays. $30-$125. Tue-Thu 7pm. Fri & Sat 8pm. Sat 3pm, Sun 2pm. Thru Jan. 14. 450 Post St. www.sfplayhouse.org

A Billion Buddhas @ Asian Art Museum

Watermelon Woman 3.0 @ Center for Sex and Culture

A Billion Buddhas: The Awakened Cosmos of Himalyan Buddhism (thru April 9). Other exhibits include The Rama Epic: Hero, Heroine Ally, Foe (thru Jan. 15), Worshipping Women: Power and Devotion in Indian Painting (thru Mar. 26). Free-$25. Tue-Sun 10am-5pm. 200 Larkin St. 581-3500. asianart.org

Chanticleer @ St. Ignatius Church The Grammy-winning a cappella men’s vocal ensemble performs their holiday concert. $35-$75. 8pm. 650 Parker St. Also Dec. 23. (and Dec 18 in berkeley) www.chanticleer.org

Cloud Forests @ SF Botanical Gardens See beautiful floral and foliage displays, trees and plants in various beautiful gardens specific to region. Daily walking tours and more. Free$15. Tours, lectures, classes and more. Also, The Park: A Love Story, nature photos by Stephen Kane; thru Dec. 6:30pm-8:30pm. Free Day Nov. 24! Open daily, 7:30am-sunset. Golden Gate Park. 661-1316. www.sfbotanicalgarden.org

Group exhibit of diverse art works celebrating director Cheryl Dunye’s groundbreaking African American lesbian film. Thru Jan. 6. 1349 Mission St. www.sexandculture.org

Sun 18 Abrazo, Queer Tango @ Finnish Brotherhood Hall, Berkeley Enjoy weekly same-sex tango dancing and a potluck, with lessons early in the day. $7-$15. 3:30-6:30pm. 1970 Chestnut St., Berkeley. (510) 8455352. www.finnishhall.com

Home Land Security @ Presidio Trust Park Site-specific multi-artist installation in and around the historic gun turrets overlooking the bay and Golden Gate Bridge; curated by Cheryl Haines with the For Site Foundation. Free. Thru Dec. 18. www.for-site.org

LGBTQ Histories from the WWII Home Front. @ Rosie the Riveter Visitor Education Center, Richmond Park indoor exhibit that showcases the lives of historic LGBT people. Open daily 10am-5pm. 1414 Harbour Way South, Suite 3000, Richmond. www.roseitheriveter.org

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? @ Ashby Stage, Berkeley Shotgun Players perform Edward Albee’s classic drama about disgruntled married college town couples. $25-$40. In repertory thru Jan. 22. 1901 Ashby Ave., Berkeley. (510) 841-6500. shotgunplayers.org

Mon 19 Native Son @ Marin Theatre Company, Mill Valley Nambi E. Kelley’s stage adaptation of Richard wright’s classic novel stars Jerod Haynes, who originated the role in the Chicago world premiere. Previews; opens, Jan 24. $22-$60. Tue-Sun 7:30pm. Sat & Sun 2pm. Thru Feb. 12. 397 Miller Ave., Mill Valley. www.marintheatre.org

San Francisco Girls Chorus @ Davies Hall A Highlands Holiday, the 350-member chorus’ Scottish-themed concert. $30-$60. 7:30pm. 201 Van Ness Ave. www.sfgirlschorus.org

Tue 20 Fabian Echevarria @ Strut Fotohodo, an exhibit of the local gay photographer’s work. 470 Castro St. www.strutsf.org

Jackie Beat @ Oasis Caustic Christmas comedy and songs from LA’s best drag act. $30. 7pm & 9pm. 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

Viewpoints @ Jenkins Johnson Gallery Group exhibit of abstract and conceptual works by Romare Bearden, Tony Lewis Aubrey Williams and 6 other artists. Thru Jan 14. 464 Sutter St. www.jenkinsjohnsongallery.com

Wed 21 Alaska Thunderfuck @ Oasis The naughty funny RuPaul’s Drag Race star performs a raunchy Christmas show. $30-$75. 7pm & 9:30pm. Also Dec. 22 & 23 (7pm only). 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

Mittens and Mistletoe @ Dance Mission Theater Sweet Can Productions’ annual Winter Circus Cabaret promises acrobatic and clown talents for the whole family. $18-$65. Wed-Sun most shows 2pm. Fri 8pm. Thru Dec. 31. 3316 24th St. www.sweetcanproductions.com

Queerest Library Ever @ SF Public Libraries Hormel at 20: Celebrating Our Past/ Creating Our Future, a dual exhibit of archival materials celebrating two decades of the LGBTQ collections. 100 Larkin St., 3rd floor, and at the Eureka Valley Branch, 1 Jose Sarria Court at 16th St. www.sfpl.org

Thu 22 The Unseen World of the Tenderloin @ Tenderloin Museum The Unseen World of the Tenderloin: Rare Historic Photographs 1907-71 (thru Jan. 16). 398 Eddy St. 351-1912. www.tenderloinmuseum.org

Skin Deep: The Art of Tattoo @ Katz Snyder Gallery Exhibit of art and photos about tattoo art by 20 regional artists. Thru Jan. 20. Jewish Community Center, 3200 California St. www.jccsf.org

Film>>

December 15-21, 2016 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 19

Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) and Mia (Emma Stone) in director Damien Chazelle’s La La Land.

City of broken dreams by David Lamble

irector Damien Chazelle’s flashy, toe-tapping new musical La La Land opens on a 21st-century version of the Yellow Brick Road. We’re pulled into a nightmarish traffic snarl at the intersection of LA’s 105 freeway and the 110 flowing into downtown. We see a chorus line of motorists vaulting in and out of their vehicles. The scene, involving a hundred dancers spinning on a roadway a hundred feet in the air, is thrilling, signifying the scope of the young director’s ambition and his ability to connect with our dreams, our fears, and a genre long thought dead and buried: the MGM-style musical, bursting into song and dance. For all its bows to Hollywood history, La La Land is foremost

the story of wannabe actress Mia (Emma Stone) and dedicated piano man Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), both battling to survive in LA, famous for stamping out dreams, obliterating hearts and hopes. The third wheel in this motorized love story/musical jamboree is jazz musician John Legend, who appears as Sebastian’s buddy and employer, band leader Keith. Early in the story, he challenges Sebastian’s definition of jazz music. “How are you gonna be a revolutionary if you’re such a traditionalist? You hold onto the past, but jazz is about the future.” Fans of Chazelle’s feature Whiplash remember how the sadistic band leader Fletcher (J.K. Simmons) bullied an aspiring young drummer (Miles Teller) with homophobic language (“cocksucker”). Simmons returns in La La Land with a pungent

Dale Robinette

walk-on as a supper-club manager who warns piano-player Sebastian to play only treacly Christmas music that patrons can easily ignore. The stubborn Sebastian breaks into a jazz riff. Boss: “You’re fired.” Sebastian: “It’s Christmas.” “Yeah, I see the decorations. Good luck in the New Year.” Meanwhile, Mia has been battling her own creative wars. Attempting to finance her onewoman play, she does shifts serving overpriced coffee to annoying yuppies. Her off-time is spent in futile auditions for TV/film work. Confiding in Sebastian, with whom she has developed an onagain/off-again sexual thing, Mia expresses her fear that maybe she can’t hack the big time.

SFGMC.ORG or (415) 392-4400

THE OFFICIAL AIRLINE OF SFGMC

See page 21 >>

th e

: S E I V V I SK Camelot’s first lady

JACQUELINE PATTON PHOTOGRAPHY

O A D K IL L H O L ID AY R

Fox Searchlight

Natalie Portman as the title character in director Pablo Larrain’s Jackie.

by David Lamble

he new bio-pic Jackie from director Pablo Larrain doesn’t ask where you were when the “Camelot” presidency of John Fitzgerald Kennedy ended abruptly on a beautiful fall day in Dallas, Texas. Instead, Jackie imagines what it must have been like for first lady Jacqueline Kennedy when the sound of three bullets shattered her regal world forever. Told in an elaborate series of flashbacks, Jackie reconstructs the moment when for many Americans “the 60s” truly began, a neverending series of “Future Shocks.” The creators of this smart, sensitive, beautifully lensed film don’t attempt to cover its subject’s spectacular life arc, her privileged childhood, her talent for learning languages, or her love of horses. Instead, Jackie zeroes in on the crucial hours of the Dallas motorcade and the assassination. Many viewers will be motivated to do their own homework about details not covered in the film.

Among the sources I recommend are Robert Caro’s magisterial biography The Years of Lyndon Johnson: Vol. 4, The Passage of Power, in which the author shows the lengths to which the new president went to ensure that his legitimacy as Kennedy’s successor was bolstered by the presence of JFK’s widow standing next to him during his swearing-in ceremony aboard Air Force One. She was attired in the now-famous pink outfit, splattered with her husband’s blood and brain tissue. Director Larrain clinches the film’s emotional appeal by detailing the origins of the post-assassination meme that the 1,000 days of Kennedy’s presidency represented a modern respinning of the myth of Camelot. “Don’t let it be forgot, that once there was a spot, for one brief, shining moment, that was known as Camelot.” Natalie Portman as Jackie drives home the point in a chat with a Life magazine reporter (Billy Crudup). “There’ll be great presidents again, but there will never be another Camelot.”

Jackie succeeds thanks to a topflight cast, beginning with the Israeli-born Portman, whose resume includes the Oscar-winning 2010 dance-world feature Black Swan. The ensemble is rounded out by Peter Sarsgaard as an effective Bobby Kennedy, with whom Jackie argues privately about the funeral arrangements for the slain President (Caspar Phillipson); Gerta Gerwig as Jackie’s close friend, Nancy Tuckerman; John Carroll Lynch as LBJ; and Beth Grant as Lady Bird Johnson. In the end, the film strikes home because of some pithy Jackie speeches, words from a strong-minded woman with two grieving small children, Caroline and John, Jr. “These pictures should record the truth – two heartbroken, fatherless kids are part of that. “People like fairy tales. Camelot has been reprinted all over the world. Maybe that’s what people will believe now. “I will not sneak out the back door. I will go out the usual way. We all will.”t

STARRING

LAUREN MOLINA AND NICK CEARLEY RANDY HARRISON

WITH SPECIAL GUEST

Literally stripping to their skivvies, performing hilarious mash-ups of pop songs and classics such as “Blue Christmas” on an array of quirky instruments, The Skivvies take on holiday music with such creativity and originality that you’ll feel like you’re hearing old standards for the first time.

“UNDIE ROCK, with a SOUPÇON OF BROADWAY” The New York Times

DEC 22–23 ACT-SF.ORG | 415.749.2228

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<< TV

20 • BAY AREA REPORTER • December 15-21, 2016

Queens of the television night by Victoria A. Brownworth

is the season to be striving for some small glimmers of joy. There’s scattered sightings of Hillary Clinton in the wild, as seen on SNL’s brilliant The Hunt for Hil sketch starring our fave lesbian comedian, Kate McKinnon. There’s Samantha Bee and Trevor Noah, without whose dry humor we would be drinking heavily every night. But it’s dark here on the 24/7 news cycle in the midst of the impending Trump Administration – or should we say Junta, as every other Cabinet pick is a general? (Remember when Trump said he knew more than the generals?) We’re not sure why more folks aren’t scared by positions formerly held by civilians being given to the military, but then if folks had been calling Trump out for the past year (looking at you, mainstream TV media, who gave Trump nonstop free publicity for a year), we might not be where we are now. We were shocked-not-shocked to see Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (DINOHI) on Jake Tapper’s The Lead on Dec. 8 talking about how great it was to have all these military folks in civilian roles, after meeting with Trump for a possible position in his Administration. Gabbard’s spot on the show was rather brief, so she didn’t have a opportunity to deliver one of her homophobic rants, but we’re sure she’ll be back. The MSM loves those pretty fascists-in-Democrat-clothing. Speaking of fascists, which we assume we’ll be doing for the next four years, the face of Trump’s team, former campaign manager Kellyanne Conway, who did more to get Trump elected than anyone by reining him in during the final weeks of the campaign and delivering anti-Hillary slams on TV 24/7, said on Dec. 7 that women should

stay home with their husbands and kids, and out of the White House. Conway told the audience at Politico’s Women Rule event on Dec.7 that it would be impossible for her to serve both in the Trump White House and as a mother to her four children, all of whom are under 12. (Conway’s husband is a partner at a major law firm.) Setting feminism back even further, Conway told the audience, “I do politely mention to them the question isn’t would you take the job, the male sitting across from me who’s going to take a big job in the White House. The question is, would you want your wife to,” Conway said. “Would you want the mother of your children to? You really see their entire visage change. It’s like, oh, no, they wouldn’t want their wife to take that job.” Cue Mad Men. Call us crazy, but we think women can do it all. As the first female campaign manager of a Republican presidential candidate, Conway should know better. Tomi Lahren, political talk show host and one of the coterie of petite blonde conservative women who populate cable TV news, was on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah on Nov. 30, whining about how “liberals” should have been giving Conway plaudits as a feminist icon for being the first female campaign manager to get a candidate elected. (Donna Brazile was the first African American to manage a campaign: Al Gore’s run in 2000; Susan Estrich was the first woman to run a presidential campaign, Michael Dukakis in 1988. Robby Mook was the first gay man to run a presidential campaign, for Hillary Clinton this year.) Lahren’s appearance on Noah’s show is a must-see. Noah localized the anger of many progressives and Democrats on that episode, and Lahren fought back on her own show on Dec. 7, saying she was “liberals’

Welcome the season with Chanticleer's profound and joyful mix of holiday music, from the Renaissance to spirituals and carols

A Chanticleer Christmas Dec 10-23

Oakland: 12/10 @ 8:15pm Cathedral of Christ the Light, 2121 Harrison Street Petaluma: 12/11 @ 5 & 7:30pm St. Vincent’s Church, 35 Liberty Street Carmel: 12/13 @ 6 & 8:30pm Carmel Mission, 3080 Rio Road Sacramento: 12/15 @ 8pm Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, 1017 11th Street San Francisco: 12/17 & 12/23 @ 8pm St. Ignatius Church, 650 Parker Street Berkeley: 12/18 @ 8pm 1st Presbyterian Church, 2407 Dana Street Santa Clara: 12/22 @ 6 & 8:30pm Mission Santa Clara, 500 El Camino Real Cla

Tickets available through City Box Office: 415-392-4400 or online: www.chanticleer.org

love and redemption, and is far worst nightmare.” We actually more satisfying. It has a built-in are pretty sure that’s Trump, poignancy that never engages but we expect to see lots more itself in either pedantries or of rising conservative supermawkishness. It’s the real deal. star Lahren in the coming (Spoilers ahead.) months. Alas. Part of the reason for this Although we spend way too is the incredible cast, led by much time watching CNN and Milo Ventimiglia as Jack PearMSNBC and seething, we have son, the father of triplets; and been fleeing regularly to nonsinger/actress Mandy Moore political TV for relief from, as Rebecca Pearson, mother well, reality. So we watched A of the triplets. The show veers Charlie Brown Christmas and back and forth between the cried as the stick tree turns 1980s as the kids grow up and into that really overdone gay the present as they have just tree. Somehow that just made celebrated their 36th birthus sadder. days. One of the triplets dies We watched Hairspray during the complicated birth, Live!, and that ultra-gayness and the obstetrician convinces helped a lot. The NBC special Jack to adopt a baby left at a was the fourth in a series of firehouse that night to fill the live musicals on NBC. While place of the third baby. Plot it had the same hit-and-miss twist? The baby is black. quality as the others (The The two birth siblings, Kate Wiz was best), the hit made NBC-TV and Kevin, are always pushed a the miss not-so-terrible. We Jennifer Hudson as Motormouth Maybelle in little to the background as Jack weren’t keen on having former NBC’s Hairspray Live! and Rebecca overcompensate Glee star Darren Criss (Blaine) for being white parents of their running circles around the black child, Randall. For his Campbell, Tyrese Gibson, Lenny lot between scenes. That felt part, Randall never ceases the search Kravitz and Terence Howard, on forced and jarring. We weren’t sure for his black father who left him at loan from Empire. Newcomer Jude why Criss, who has a far better voice that firehouse. On his 36th birthday, Demorest plays Star Davis, a smartthan Derek Hough, wasn’t in the he finally finds him. assed 17-year-old singer determined production playing Corny Collins. There are many turns to this to break out of her horrible life in Hairspray has real resonance tale of mismatched siblings. Kate foster care in Pittsburgh. Her sister, in these days of race-baiting and (Chrissy Metz) is hugely fat, weighSimone (Brittany O’Grady), is in white-nationalist rising, dealing ing in the 600-lb. range. Kevin (Jusfoster care in Harrisburg and also a as it does with issues of race and tin Hartley) is a pretty-boy hunky budding singer. Ryan Destiny plays segregation (“Negro Day!”), so the actor best known for a comedy Alexandra “Alex” Crane, a rich girl political aspect was key. Alas, some series called The Manny, where he trying to break out of her life and of the pivotal lines in the show that is mostly shirtless. Randall (Sterling into music. Think a really edgy start delve into racism were delivered K. Brown) is one of those moneyto Destiny’s Child here, as Star is somewhat flatly, and changes in the makers who does something with most definitely the Beyonce characscript diluted some of the power we stocks that no one understands. The ter who is going to make it big after remembered from the play and the acting is dreamily good. Brown is she ditches the other two, but that’s film. extraordinary as the buttoned-up, a couple seasons from now if this Who were the standouts in the over-achieving black man with the show lasts. Dec. 7 production? The show’s perfect life, wife and daughters, who The backdrop is bleak as hell. Star writer, Harvey Fierstein was just has a secret that threatens that peris in a nightmare scenario, and so is tremendous as Edna Turnblad. At fect existence. her sister. Majority working-class 62, Fierstein is still kicking like a gay When Randall finds William, his in America is black, and Daniels 20something. Kristin Chenoweth, birth father, played with extraordelivers it in all its harsh realone of our fave LGBT allies, was dinary restraint and simmering ity here. Pittsburgh and Harrisburg spectacular as Velma Von Tussle. pathos by Ron Cephas Jones, everyare depicted in all their blue-collar Ariana Grande was superb as Penny thing changes. On the season finale, misery. If you’ve been blessed to Pingleton. Martin Short was Martin William was revealed to be gay. For escape foster care but know it has to Short, always playing himself but the entire season we’d noted that the be ugly, Star reinforces that impresalways delivering, as Wilbur Turnonly thing wrong with this show was sion. After a sudden and stunning blad. Derek Hough was cute as hell, no gay characters. And now one of act of violence, the three girls leave but not strong as Corny Collins. the most pivotal is the gay one. And Pennsylvania and flee to Atlanta. Newcomer Maddie Baillio as Tracy his lover, Jessie, is played by none The Davis girls have a godmother Turnblad was fine, but she was no other than the extraordinary gay acthere, failed singer Carlotta. Atlanta Rikki Lake, and her line delivery was tor Denis O’Hare (American Horror becomes the stage for the trio to often more question than assertion, Story). The two re-meet at a meetpropel themselves onto the stage. which flattened some of the key seging of Narcotics Anonymous early Jahil is eager (maybe too eager) for regation points. on Christmas Eve, where William a win. The girls are his ticket out of Queen of the night was Jennifer tells a story and then, several rows the shadows and into the limelight. Hudson as Motormouth Maybelle, behind him, another man, Jessie, Carlotta both aids and restricts that the vocal star of the show. Whenever tells his story. The revelation that rise, and that conflict is one of the we recall that she came in seventh each has spoken about the other is many gritty elements of the show. on American Idol in 2004, our head visited upon William’s face as Jessie Star isn’t Empire. Folks looking explodes. Hudson has one of the talks. It’s shocking. for a spin-off won’t find it. Queen great voices of her generation, and William is dying of cancer. Jessie Latifah is, like Taraji P. Henson, she just gets better as she gets older. says he wants to spend the remainlarger than life on the small screen, She’s only 35, same age as Beyonce. ing time with him. When they show but her Carlotta is not to be conRe-watching her in Dreamgirls over up together at Randall’s, one of Ranfused with Henson’s Cookie, even if the holidays will give you comfort dall’s young daughters explains to they share some of the same pentand joy. him as he and his wife Beth (Susan up rage. Carlotta has different axes Speaking of fabulous voices, Fox Kelichi Watson) are trying to figure to grind, and the landscape of Star premiered Star Dec. 14, another out who Jessie is to William that it’s is much more gritty than that of must-see creation from out gay dilike a story she read at school about Empire. Here you’ll find a very difrector Lee Daniels, who brought us two dads: Grandpa is gay. ferent black world: the barbershop the Emmy-nominated, queer-heavy This Is Us layers itself with the anchor in a community, the seedy Empire. (Not for the first time do nuances of real life in ways that are clubs where singers get their rise, we ask how is it Fox has such edgy breathtakingly real while also superthe backstage drama that may or programming while it’s promoting subtle. William, a jazz musician, is may not propel a singer forward. We the Worst Politics Ever? Fox also playing the piano. Jessie is standing would watch Queen Latifah in anyhas more shows with majority black back watching him, his expression a thing, so we were ready for Star. We casts than any other major network. mix of love, longing and loss. The were surprised at how very different A conundrum.) Star is a very differgirl, a child of the 21st century, sees it is from Empire, but not unhappily ent vehicle from Empire. It’s much this; her parents do not. There’s a lot so. It reminds us of Daniels’ versatildarker and reminiscent of Daniels’ of sadness in This Is Us, but also a ity as a director, producer and show work on the big screen, like Precious lot of joy. The season finale on Dec. runner. and The Paperboy. 6 ended with a cliffhanger crescendo Star features Queen Latifah as Triple threat we never saw coming. Carlotta Brown, an Atlanta beautyOne of the best new shows of the So for brilliant acting, the Sturm shop owner shepherding three fall season is NBC’s This Is Us, which und Drang of “alt-right” politics, young singers into show biz. Benjawe love in a way we never were able and occasional festive holiday fare min Bratt plays Jahil Rivera, a talent to love Parenthood. TIU is also a like The Great Christmas Light Fight manager way down on his luck and complex familial drama with some (which continues on ABC right up looking for a sure thing. There are humor and a lot of interconnected till Christmas), you know you really a plethora of big-name recurring relationships. But TIU is more about must stay tuned.t stars, including supermodel Naomi

Film>>

December 15-21, 2016 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 21

A most unlikely hero by Erin Blackwell

heodophilus is an enigmatic person in the Bible whose name literally means lover of god, but is sometimes translated as loved of god or even friend thereof. When shortened to Theo, as in the case of Vincent van Gogh’s very understanding brother, it simply means God. To live up to such a name a person must be sorely tested. A stunning example of this existential challenge, in the form of a Middle Eastern misadventure, is beautifully documented in Theo Who Lived, opening Dec. 16 at that stand-alone jewel of independent film programming, the Roxie. Theo Padnos is a 45-year-old itinerant journalist, in his father’s words, who quixotically crossed the border from Antakya, Turkey, into Syria in 2012, running through orchards with only his backpack towards a story he hoped would earn him $500 upon publication in the New Republic. Had he known the scale of the tale on which he was launching himself, he might not

have hopped that fatal barbed-wire fence. Any inkling of how much trouble he’d get into he simply ignored, hot in pursuit of an unnamed truth he could only find through suffering, captivity, and deprivation. Through his foolishness, Theo earned himself 22 months of confinement in various dungeons, as his Al Qaeda captors shifted their headquarters. His guards hoped he was CIA, due to his impeccable Arabic, which he’d picked up wandering around the Middle East. He was no ordinary prisoner. He’d already written books, even converted to Islam, in his writerly quest to enter the mind of the “enemy.” His backstory wasn’t known, since his byline didn’t match the legal name on his passport. He passed for one more American journalist to be kidnapped, sequestered, and ransomed. David Schisgall has directed this film with grace and eloquence, letting Theo tell it his way, in a sitespecific reenactment that is itself a bit adventurous. The two of them retrace the itinerary from Antakya

re-enacts dicing onions as her way of staying grounded in daily life. New England is a different country. We don’t see much of it anymore. Bernie Sanders was a brief burst of Yankee sensibility that took the country by storm. New Englanders are known for their common sense, marbled with a mystic

streak exemplified by Emily Dickinson, and a maverick virtue embodied by Henry Thoreau. Schisgall, who also hails from that neck of the woods, captures the quiet dignity of the womenfolk working for Theo’s release. Emotions run deep, with only a few flashes of sadness in the eyes. Theo embodies the best of his heritage by remaining resolute, virtuous, poetic, and even loving to his captors. There are many ways to receive this film: as a travelogue to a war zone, as a nightmare road trip, as a primer on torture, or as an uncanny juxtaposition of two cultures too far removed from each other to have any hope of reconciling differences. Yet Theo manages to communicate with his keepers, and in an echo of the great warrior-gone-native Lawrence of Arabia, to see and be seen by them as an equal in humanity. The end result is the most subtle anti-war film imaginable. By his amazing feat of foolish self-endangerment, Theo serves as a mystic sacrifice who breaks the chains of war.t

to excel in so many fields. The 1945 movie version of his one-act play Still Life, re-titled Brief Encounter, is among his most admired works. It epitomizes emotional restraint and unfulfilled passion, characteristics admired by the English that often cause great emotional pain. Celia Johnson plays Laura, a wife and mother, who meets Dr. Alec Harvey (Trevor Howard) at a railway station teashop. He is kind and attentive, but very proper. She is unhappy in her dull suburban life. They fall in love but don’t consummate their relationship physically. Their last, wrenching meeting – he has accepted a position in South Africa – is at a train station. Women filmgoers wept watching the noble couple as they said goodbye. With Stanley

Holloway, Everley Gregg as a clueless acquaintance, and Cyril Raymond as Laura’s devoted and understanding husband. Coward (uncredited) appears briefly as a train station announcer. David Lean directed. The score includes Rachmaninoff ’s Piano Concerto No. 2. Coward may have based the plot on the many unspoken homoerotic relationships that were so common at that time. Emotional restraint is not the first description that comes to mind when thinking of Joan Crawford. In 1947’s Possessed (not a remake of her 1931 film), she plays Louise Howell, who is wandering the streets of Los Angeles at night. She collapses in a cafe and is taken to a hospital. How did she get into this situation? In flashback, the audience learns that the answer involves a man, murder, and madness. Crawford earned a Best Actress Oscar nomination for her intense, thoughtful performance. The film was a success and solidified her comeback at Warner Brothers, where she had dethroned Bette Davis as Queen of the Lot. Directed by Curtis Bernhardt. With Van Heflin, Raymond Massey, and Geraldine Brooks. Screenplay by Silvia Richards and Ranald MacDougall. Based on a story by Rita Weiman. The lush score is by Franz Waxman. Adrian designed Crawford’s costumes. Wonderful noirish cinematography by Joseph Valentine and Sidney Hickox.t

Zeitgeist Films release

Theo Padnos in director David Schisgall’s Theo Who Lived.

to Aleppo, Syria, as Theo, who has the wide-eyed gentleness of Ishmael in Moby Dick, narrates the danger, pain, and philosophical clarity that enabled him to survive intact. He’s worried he’s putting his old mother through a harrowing time, and this very worry is a life-line back to the stately farm in Vermont where she

Discs for holiday giving by Tavo Amador

hopping for holiday gifts can be daunting, but DVDs or Blu-rays provide excellent options. One or more of the following titles will likely please even your most demanding recipient. Orson Welles’ Chimes at Midnight (1965) is now available from Criterion. Dismissed by most critics when released, it is today regarded as a masterpiece. Welles boldly and brilliantly portrays the relationship between Sir John Falstaff and Prince Hal in this compilation derived from five of Shakespeare’s plays – Henry IV Parts I and II, Henry V, Richard II and The Merry Wives of Windsor. He based the film on his stage adaptation Five Kings. Welles plays Falstaff to Keith Baxter’s Hal, with Sir John Gielgud as Henry IV, Margaret Rutherford as Mistress Quickly, and surprisingly, Jeanne Moreau as Doll Tearsheet. Ralph Richardson provides the narration. This is a cohesive and powerful depiction of a deep friendship that evolves in the face of life’s challenges. Loyalty, betrayal, ambition, and the pain of outgrowing those whom we once loved are dynamically captured in what Welles later said was his favorite among all his movies. Alfred Hitchcock’s perversity, his pleasure in putting people into terrifying predicaments and allowing

the audience to watch as they try to save themselves, is graphically demonstrated by two films recently made available on DVD. In 1953’s I Confess, real-life troubled gay actor and matinee idol Montgomery Clift plays a priest who is suspected of murder. He knows who actually committed the crime, but cannot reveal that information to the police because he learned of it while administering confession to the killer. Clift’s rare combination of beauty, sensitivity, strength, and intelligence is on full display and makes this one of his most underrated performances. With Anne Baxter and Karl Malden. Screenplay by George Tabori and William Archibald. Based on a play by Paul Antheleme. Dimitri Tiomkin wrote the music. Fine black-and-white cinematography by Robert Burks. Shot on location in Montreal, Canada. Henry Fonda is The Wrong Man in Hitchcock’s 1956 nightmarish film about how people often see what they believe, rather than believing what they see. Fonda plays a musician who is barely making a living in the Jackson Heights neighborhood of the New York City borough of Queens. When his wife (Vera Miles) needs some expensive dental work, he decides to borrow on her life insurance policy. At the insurance company office, he’s mistaken for a man who robbed them

a few weeks earlier. Knowing they are wrong and confident it will soon become clear to all involved, he cooperates with the police, but they keep unearthing more crimes that they think he committed. With Anthony Quayle as the attorney who tries to prove his innocence. Fonda is excellent as a man who believes in the system and cannot understand why it is failing him. Maxwell Anderson and Angus MacPhail wrote the screenplay based on Anderson’s story. Terrific Bernard Herrmann score. Robert Burks’ black-andwhite cinematography is crisp and sharp. Shot on location. British gay playwright, composer, actor, and stage and screen director Noel Coward was often called “The Master” because of his ability

La La Land

From page 19

Mia: “Maybe I’m not good enough! It’s like a pipe dream.” Sebastian: “This is the dream! It’s conflict and it’s compromise, and it’s very, very exciting! You could just write your own rules.” “What are you gonna do?” “Have my own club. I’m calling it ‘Chicken on a Stick.’” La La Land, opening Friday, is an engaging tussle, an original vision and a wonderful reboot of the Golden Age of Tinseltown musicals. Gosling’s crash-course piano training deserves far more than a passing grade, and Stone’s work is Oscar buzz-worthy. Crucially, the pair’s third big-screen outing together demonstrates the kind of chemistry that would have been a pick to click even back in Gene Kelly’s day. As a big fan of the real LA, I was pleased to see La La Land take advantage of some classic Southland locations: Angels Flight, Colorado

Steven Underhill

Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone at the Castro Theatre’s La La Land screening last week.

Street Bridge, Pasadena, Grand Central Market and Watts Tower. For Oscar-pool fans, La La Land should provide a bevy of behind-the-camera picks to clinch an office-Xmas-party

win: Linus Sandgren for Best Cinematography, Tom Cross for Editing, and Justin Hurwitz for his melodic score. The soundtrack makes a festive stocking-stuffer.t

<< DVD

22 • BAY AREA REPORTER • December 15-21, 2016

Bedroom farce by Brian Bromberger

he holiday season can be an ambivalent time for LGBT people, especially for those with little connection to their biological families. “They say that gay men choose their own families. That’s never more evident than during the holidays,” begins the voiceover narration at the start of Shared Rooms, the new romantic comedy released on DVD by Wolfe Videos just in time for Christmas. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a gay Christmas Carol all our own? Well, Shared Rooms is not it. One risks being called a Scrooge for saying Humbug to what is obviously meant to be warm, feel-good entertainment, modeled after the British film Love Actually, with similar intertwining, holiday-themed storylines. Screenwriter Laslo (Christopher Grant Pearson) and accountant husband Cal (Alec Manley Wilson) are a childless gay couple lamenting all their friends adopting or siring children through surrogates, “giving

Nutcracker

From page 13

Although Nutcracker is about childhood, Tchaikovsky’s Romantic score uses a huge orchestra in its grand climaxes. The blizzard scene, which provides the transition from the domestic scene in old-time San Francisco to the ideal realm of the Sugar Plum Fairy, is one of the greatest transformation scenes the opera-house world has to offer. It follows an earlier phantasmagoric scene in which the Stahlbaum living room changes shape in the little girl’s dream into an Alice-in-Wonderlandstyle, gigantic, menacing world of colossal rats and life-sized tin soldiers – Christmas presents grown to life-sized monsters, engaged in a lifeand-death struggle with nightmarish vermin, which her Nutcracker wins for her with swashbuckling panache. This is all managed through opera-house magic. SFB engaged a first-class team of designers, from Broadway and opera and ballet, to create scenery that rushes into place, costumes that create a nostalgic atmosphere, lighting that creates

Recology

From page 13

Since it was established 16 years ago, 150 professional and student artists have participated in the AIR program, which includes a four-month residency with an on-site studio and a stipend, culminating in a three-day public exhibition. A retrospective now at SF Camerawork focuses exclusively on photography and videobased works by 22 of the program’s artists who set up shop there between 2002 and the present. A staggering volume of trash essentially washed up on their doorstep each day, giving new meaning to the concept of found objects, and offering nearly limitless possibilities for invention. The show is only a microcosm of the quality and talent that has passed through Recology’s doors, but it reflects the extraordinary resourcefulness and humor it takes to transform refuse into art. Everything from fake fur, pom-poms, welding rods, Styrofoam, recycled paint, old-fashioned telephones and outdated appliances to furniture and bongo drums finds its way into the work. Among the possessions tossed away in vast numbers are oncevalued snapshots. James Sansing retrieved some of them for “Missing Persons” (2009), cut out the people, leaving only their silhouettes behind, recessed the photos inside electrical boxes, and arranged them on the wall like dioramas of past lives. Although photography certainly lends itself to

up gay dates for play dates.” They joke all they want for Christmas is a houseboy. Then Zeke (Ryan Weldon), Cal’s gay nephew, outed and forsaken by his parents, turns up on their doorstep. Suddenly they are faced with a “child” of their own, and must decide if they want to be parents. After a stint in rehab for drinking, painter-photographer Sid (Justin Xavier), feeling lonely on Christmas without family, finds a hookup, Gray (Alexander Neil Miller), on the Manhandler App. They spend the film mostly naked (both avid nudists), having hot sex, with conversational interludes on art, literature, God, and quantum physics. Is there enough to hold these two very different men together? Julian (Daniel Lipshutz) has been secretly renting out his flatmate Dylan’s (Robert Werner) room on LGBTQ BnB.com for money and easy sex. Dylan travels nine months out of the year for business, secretly has a crush on Julian, but is scared to reveal his true feelings. He returns

early from traveling to discover Julian has rented his room out to mysterious stranger Frank (David Vaughn), looking for his kidnapped brother. He is forced to share a bed with Julian. They both lie naked next to each other. Are the romantic sparks mutual or unrequited? These interlocking stories climax at a mutual friend’s New Year’s party, and the relationships among the characters are revealed. Director Rob Williams’ banal scriptwriting, stiff dialogue, inane sexual innuendo, depthless characters, and amateurish acting defeat any possibility of a Christmas miracle. The contrived ending is egregious. Williams’ earlier holiday effort Make the Yuletide Gay (2009) seems like Citizen Kane compared to Shared Rooms. With its sympathetic portrayal of a rejected gay teenager, Shared Rooms tries to say something about what real family means. So kudos for good intentions (and a 75-minute runtime), but we all know where they pave the way.t

mystery and romance, and a heaven full of white confetti that falls in flurries and downpours, blown about by wind machines, as a whole corps de ballet dances their crisp, brilliant steps amidst this dazzling snowfall. Make no mistake: the end of the first act is dangerously exciting; the dancers are flying through the air in grand jetes on a stage that’s so thick with whirling white flakes that you can hardly see them, and nobody looks scared. Our French ballerina Mathilde Froustey made a triumphant debut as the Queen of the Snow, perhaps the most brilliant performance of that role that I have ever seen, cutting her figures sharply, with a silhouette as knife-like and gleaming as a diamond’s. The dance is all about crystals, and she as the central figure epitomized the idea of geometric clarity. The Christmas party with which every Nutcracker since the first Russian production in 1892 has begun is the weakest scene in our production, especially on opening night, when the ensemble work is still pulling together. Individual performers may have had the chance

to polish their solos, but the interplay of the aunts and uncles and children in the party always gets better as the run gets going. It was a rather messy hubbub on opening night, but it will get smoother as the company finds the groove. They perform several times a day for the rest of the month. Outstanding were Jim Sohm as the grandfather and Ricardo Bustamante as Clara’s father (both once principal dancers and still charismatic performers); the young dancer Anna Javier as our adolescent heroine; Ruben Martin Cintas as her queer godfather, the magician Drosselmeyer; and Myles Thatcher as the rag doll, who really seemed to be a boneless creature, stuffed with cotton. The uncles and aunts were an amorphous presence. I missed Luke Willis and Chidozie Nzerem, who brought the middleaged members of the family to vivid life as cool uncles you were proud to claim as kin. Our production comes to life in the second act, the ideal world of the Sugar Plum Fairy, where the dancers show you how physical difficulties can be overcome with amazing grace.

This is a world beyond strife, like that of Utopia, the “better world” that came into existence 500 years ago this month in 1516. Thomas More’s better world has been the model for many utopias since, but in every case, there’s been a common realm, where all nations are equals and all are allowed to be themselves to the top of their bent. In Nutcracker, after Clara defeats the Rat King, she and her nutcracker enter a realm of intense, characteristic delights. It’s an allegory: Arabia is represented by coffee, China by tea, Spain by chocolate, and so on, and each nation is represented by a classicized version of their ethnic dance. Every one of these was fabulous. Certainly the most exciting was the Russian troika, who burst out of Faberge eggs and danced a troika with every kind of spin and hop in a dance choreographed by the late Anatole Vilzak. He came to SF from the old school in Russia, taught here, and left us this wonderful, extremely challenging dance, which Wei Wang, Benjamin Freemantle, and John-Paul Simoens put over the top to the point where the audience was screaming. Other heroic dancers in this act

were Daniel Deivison-Oliveira and Anthony Vincent as mirror-image dancers in the Arabian number, Francisco Mungamba as a dazzling Chinese acrobat in the tea dance (his timing was unparalleled for finesse and daring), Sophiane Sylve as the Sugar Plum fairy, and the dancers of the Grand Pas, Vanessa Zahorian and Carlos Quenedit, who jumped in at the last minute to replace Davit Karapetyan as her cavalier. Quenedit, who comes from Cuba, has the larger-than-life style of dancers who come from that island, and demonstrated the grand style on the grandest scale I have seen in a long time. It is characteristic of Cuban dancers to perform in a populist style, playing to the grandstands, but without a hint of the crass. They simply throw themselves into it in a manner that no one could misunderstand. At the end of his variation, he circled the stage in grand jetes that made the space seem way too small, and he flew offstage into the wings with no sense of danger. It’s the dancers who make Nutcracker. Go see them.t

documenting the artists’ responses to sepia-toned, formal portrait of a an environment that’s loaded, politiwell-dressed male couple printed cally, environmentally and artistically on Masonite. Transgender artist Bill speaking, it’s the videos that really Basquin, intrigued with the decomsnap in the context of this particular position of food, turned bananas, exhibition. Michael Damm’s sitecarrots and orange peels into large specific, three-channel video installation Incidental Films for an Accidental Audience, which shows nighttime commuters on public transit as perceived by passengers riding on trains alongside them, mirrors the transportation activity outside on Market Street. Projected on SFC’s large streetside windows, which act as scrims, the video is viewable from the street below after dark. For reasons unrelated to the artist’s intentions, the washed-out imagery of these beleaguered souls brings to mind scenes from Camus’ The Plague. Don Ross, one of a half-dozen LGBTQ artists represented in the retrospective, employs an antique process, re-photographing old photographs and printing them with a silver emulsion directly onto door panels or other materials. The texture and flaws of the surfaces become one with the imagery, suggesting photos from the turn of the cenJamil Hellu, still from tury like “DanFrom Your Head to Mine dies” (2004), (2014), video, 1 min. loop. a crumpled,

landscapes that he photographed and framed with repurposed wood. During his 2014 residency, gay photographer Jamil Hellu went down a different road than one might expect given the touching, intimate portraits of his husband exhibited at Rayko Photo Center last year. In his one-minute video animation From Your Head to Mine, he maintains a sober expression while, courtesy of the marvels of rapid-fire cutting, he appears in 450 photographs wearing a range of wigs and headgear, from stovepipe hats and antlers to a Viking helmet and a leather cap. “It’s about identity and the contrasting roles we have in life,” explains Hellu. “I wanted to portray the multiplicity of individualities, the incredible amount of different types of people who are part of our society.” Kate Rhoades, a queer/lesbian artist with a punkish, cartoony sensibility and a DIY improvisational aesthetic, was into video, painting, comics and art-theory critique when she arrived at Recology earlier this year. Once there, she put on her brave boots, grabbed a shopping cart, and dug deep to come up with raw materials – mattress foam, sofa cushions, fabric, long-forgotten toys, crocheted yarn scraps, shiny Christmas

ornaments and a mop dubbed “Yarno” – for Karen, a wonderfully weird, 21-minute video that imagines an amusing origin story and a name for the Junk Lady, a marginal player in Muppet master Jim Henson’s fantasy film Labyrinth. Karen, whom Rhoades has described as “bitter, deceitful” and one-dimensional, makes a dramatic entrance falling from the sky, moaning as she plummets to Earth in a dizzying swirl like Jimmy Stewart in Vertigo, before landing on a junk heap in a puff of blue dust. After a bit of exploring, she finds her missing Dad buried under the garbage, muttering to himself and in a foul mood. The cast of Muppet-style characters acts out a melodrama of divided loyalties, personal angst, predatory money-lending – the skull & bones on the loan contract is a dead giveaway – and even takes time out for a couple of pointed swipes at the pretentions of the art world. Judging from the excerpt on view, there’s trouble in puppet city.t

Courtesy of the artist

The Photography and Video Retrospective of the Recology Artist-in-Residence Program runs through Jan. 28. On Jan. 21, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m., a free shuttle bus will ferry passengers between SF Camerawork and the Recology Art Studios, where visitors can check out the current residency exhibition featuring the work of Ramekon O’Arwisters, Anja Ulfeldt and Jinmei Chi. Info: sfcamerawork.org.

On the Town

Save Our Stud Update

Shining Stars Vol. 46 • No. 50 • December 15-21, 2016

www.ebar.com V www.bartabsf.com

We three queens Jackie Beat, Alaska Thunderfuck, and Courtney Act at Oasis by Jim Gladstone

Left to Right: Jackie Beat, Alaska Thunderfuck, and Courtney Act each perform holiday-themed shows at Oasis.

hree wisecracking queens are making their way to Oasis, bearing the gifts of gab and song. In something of a Christmas coup, the club has booked solo holiday shows from a troika of tinseled drag queens in a single week. See page 24 >>

Finally, Finn Town Castro restaurant opens with style by Sari Staver

ick Hamer’s long-time dream to open a restaurant in the Castro was much more expensive, time consuming, and difficult than he expected. See page 25 >>

Sari Staver

Finn Town co-owners Ryan Scott and Rick Hamer.

{ THIRD OF THREE SECTIONS }

Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

24 • Bay Area Reporter • December 15-21, 2016

Jackie Beat

We Three Queens

From page 23

There’s sure to be plenty of camp and snark when Justin Honard (Alaska Thunderfuck), Kent Fuher (Jackie Beat), and Shane Jenek (Courtney Act) unload Santa’s sack onstage. We asked the guys to drop the guises here to have a (mostly) earnest conversation about their Christmas memories, traditions, and plans. Hark! The hairy angels sing.

Alaska Thunderfuck

Justin (Alaska): I grew up in Erie, Pennsylvania. We were pretty poor when we were kids, but we always had really amazing Christmases. I’m not sure how my parents made it happen. Kent (Jackie): Honestly, all my childhood memories of Christmas are good ones. You’d never guess that from my shows, huh? My mother was born in Italy and she would always go to the one little Italian specialty market in Scotts-

dale, Arizona where we lived and buy cheese tortellini and this delicious nougat candy. Shane (Courtney): In Australia where I grew up, it’s 90 degrees on Christmas Day, so we had the turkey and traditional fixings, but we’d always go to the beach and swim. Sometimes we’d barbecue. Jackie: My mom would cook all day and everything was perfect— except for the dinner rolls. Every year, no matter what, she always forgot them in the oven and they burned. And then she’d scream “Fuck!” with a cigarette hanging out of her mouth. Good times. Alaska: One year, I was maybe eight, I got a cat. It was a complete surprise. She was calico, with spots of black and carmel. Her name was Spice, because she looked like a whole collection of spices had been dumped on a cat. And Spice came

Courtney Act and a freind.

from Santa, not my parents. I believed in Santa Claus for a very long time. And I’m still holding out. Courtney: I remember getting some of my favorite picture books for Christmas: The Magic Possum, the Wilfrid Gordon series, and Snuggle Pot & Cuddle Pie. But one Christmas, I asked for a She-Ra doll and I was really mad when I got man dolls, like He-Man. I remember taking off their clothes and touching those smooth, hairless muscly bodies. It was like a preview of my future life in West Hollywood. Alaska: A couple years ago, I got the best gift ever; a dress, from my mother. She actually contacted Dallas Coulter in San Francisco who makes my outfits and ordered me a gown. That was so thoughtful. And it was really exciting for her to be involved like that. Jackie: The best gift I ever got was my dog, Baby, from my best friend [L.A. nightlife impresario] Mario Diaz. She changed my life –maybe saved it. Sadly, she is sniffing butts and peeing on the carpet up in Heaven. I am not a religious person, but I really hope to be reunited with her one day. Alaska: The last two years, I’ve been making it a point to go home and be with my family on Christmas. I like getting to go there and be there, even if its just for the day. I get to see my niece and grandma and parents. Courtney: I have a nephew for the first time this year. I’m really looking forward to being the weird uncle who gives gender neutral gifts to the children. Jackie: I’m usually touring with my holiday show right up until Christmas, so by the time it finally comes around, I just want to relax. I really love having Christmas dinner out at a restaurant. No cooking, no cleaning, no doing the dishes, no leftovers. I also love a home-cooked meal, but eating out is much less stressful, and somehow it seems just a little rebellious. Alaska: When I’m in Erie for the holidays, it’s so fun going to The Zone, which is our gay bar. That’s where the people who knew me before Drag Race are. We all went

through growing up there together, so it’s great to hang out and have our two-dollar drinks and smoke inside the bar, which is still allowed there. When I was a kid, the nearest big city was Pittsburgh, and when that felt too small, I went to L.A. As I get older, I appreciate where I’m from. People are normal there. I haven’t done drag in Erie for a long time. I just like to go home. Courtney: I’m staying in L.A. for Christmas this year. I’ll probably spend it with Bianca del Rio. One year, before Drag Race, I was at The Abbey in sort of Christmas drag and I ended up sitting in a booth drinking with Marilyn Manson. Jackie: I can’t remember ever doing drag on Christmas. I only do drag if I’m getting paid. I have nothing against Christmas drag, if someone wants to cough up some cash. Alaska: I like being in drag for New Year’s Eve, though. I mean, they say whatever you’re doing on New Year’s Eve is what your going to be doing for the rest of the year, so… Courtney: This is a weird year to be doing a Christmas show. I was putting mine together before November 8, and now some of the songs have a bit of a dark, melancholoy element to them: “Hard Candy Christmas,” John Lennon’s “So This is Christmas”? “So this is is Christmas, and what have we done?” Really! What have we done? Jackie: I put it all in the show: I’ll be doing a Donald Trump song, a Melania song, and a song about Mike Pence. Besides, I’ve always eaten my feelings, and the fact that our country is a flaming bag of shit just makes gorging myself with fattening food seem even more justified than usual. My new holiday songs include one about having sex on my rooftop with some of the neighborhood boys and a charming ditty that’s about the holidays and the election: “Nazi the Snowman.”t

Courtney Act - The drag singer performs holiday classics made popular by music divas. $25-$35. 7:30pm. Dec. 18 & 19. Jackie Beat - Caustic Christmas comedy and songs from LA’s best drag act, in her new show, The Ghost of Christmas Trash. $30. Dec. 20, 7pm & 9pm. Alaska Thunderfuck - The naughty funny RuPaul’s Drag Race star performs a raunchy Christmas show. $30-$75. 7pm & 9:30pm. Dec. 21, 22 & 23 (7pm only). All at Oasis, 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com