February 18, 2016 Edition of the Bay Area Reporter

Gay man seeks SF judgeship

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In a Queer Country

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SFAF appoints new CEO

Vol. 46 • No. 7 • February 18-24, 2016

by Seth Hemmelgarn

T

See page 6 >>

Gay SF planning director has no plans to leave

by Matthew S. Bajko

I

n recent months the leaders of several San Francisco city departments and agencies have either departed or announced their intentions to do so. Among them were the gay men heading the city’s airport and serving as the mayor’s homeless czar.

John Rahaim, the gay man at the helm of the city’s planning department for the last

San Francisco planning director John Rahaim stands in his Mission Street office, with zoning maps of the city behind him.

Rick Gerharter

eight years, however, has no plans to leave anytime soon. In a recent interview with the Bay Area Reporter, Rahaim said he continues to enjoy his job, even as he and his staff come under withering criticism prompted by the city’s affordable housing crisis.

“I am very honored to have been here eight years and I have no intention of moving on in the short run. I am more exhilarated and challenged than I have ever been in my

career,” said Rahaim, 60, who lives in the city’s Mission district, which has become ground zero in the debates over luxury housing and gentrification. “I am really having fun.

It is not an easy position. I am being both personally and intellectually challenged at a level I have never been and I am enjoying that.”

See page 9 >>

Fight brewing to replace Scalia

by Lisa Keen

A

ntonin Scalia, the U.S. Supreme Court justice most hostile to equal rights for LGBT people, has died, and a threat by Republicans in Congress to block President Barack Obama from naming his replacement promises to escalate the nation’s already bitter political civil war.

“Justice Scalia was a gleeful and influential political culture-warrior as well as ... a towering figure who cast a dark shadow on the law and on the lives of many Americans,” said Evan Wolfson, who headed up the national Freedom to Marry group. “More than just a dependable ‘No’ vote on the constitutional and civil rights of gay people and others, he reveled in disparagement and incendiary attacks that influenced many judges, politicians, and lawyers, and epitomized the prejudices and exclusion we were working, fortunately with some success, to overcome.”

Such was the spirit of reaction by most LGBT legal activists to the news Saturday, February 13 that Scalia, 79, was found dead earlier that day in his hotel suite at a private resort in west Texas. The news sent shockwaves through the legal community and the current field of presidential candidates.

Within hours of news of Scalia’s death, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) issued a statement saying the Senate should not consider a nominee “until we have a new president,” and during Saturday

Justice Antonin Scalia

night’s GOP debate, most of the remaining six candidates agreed. But Obama made clear that he intends to fulfill his duty to name a replacement, and LGBT legal activists have good reason to feel confident that Obama will nominate someone who will recognize the right of LGBT citizens to enjoy the protections of the U.S. Constitution.

Many political observers say they believe it is unlikely that Congress will allow the seat to remain open for the 12 months or more it would take for a new president to assume office. And it’s a big gamble for Republicans to

presume that the GOP’s eventual presidential nominee will win in November.

If Congress does stall the nomination process, the Supreme Court will operate with eight justices. That scenario could potentially improve chances of positive outcomes on LGBT-related cases, given that Justice Anthony Kennedy often votes with the court’s more liberal wing on LGBT cases.

“It is already apparent that one result of Justice Scalia’s passing will be to focus public attention on how important the Supreme Court is to the lives of all Americans, which I think is a good thing,” said Jon Davidson, national legal director for Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund.

Davidson said he expects history will judge Scalia “quite harshly” when it comes to the rights of LGBT people, women, and people of color.

Davidson’s colleague, Jennifer Pizer, Lambda senior counsel, said Scalia’s “contempt for gay people will look increasingly anachronistic – and disturbed – over time.”

“I believe his strongest influence has been as a trumpeter, calling to rally the religious right,” said Pizer. “His intemperate tone has seemed intended to inspire anger and alarm among those working for reactionary causes. ...[G]iven how frequently his dissents have been cited as authority by the lower courts, he certainly has had influence in slowing LGBT legal progress that See page 9 >>

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he San Francisco AIDS Foundation, one of the largest AIDS-based nonprofits in the country, announced this week that it’s appointed a gay Chicago public health official as Courtesy SFAF its new CEO. Incoming CEO Joe Hollendoner, 34, currently the first Joe Hollendoner deputy commissioner at the Chicago Department of Public Health, will start his new job May 2.

“Joe is a talented and passionate leader, with a strong track record of innovation at large and complex institutions in the field of HIV/AIDS,” SFAF board chair Philip Besirof said in a news release Tuesday. “He has a deep understanding of what is required to lead a large portfolio of successful programs, services and advocacy campaigns, while simultaneously identifying opportunities to develop new ones to meet the ever-changing needs of the community.”

In Chicago, Hollendoner managed the health department’s operations and initiatives to advance the public health agenda and improve residents’ health.

Prior to July 2013, when he joined the health department, he helped lead Chicago’s two biggest HIV service providers. He was senior vice president at AIDS Foundation of Chicago, and before that, he served as vice president/chief program officer at Howard Brown Health Center.

Hollendoner, who has a master’s degree in social work, also was the founding director of the Broadway Youth Center, which SFAF says is “the first center of its kind for LGBTQ youth experiencing homelessness.” The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation named him a Community Health Leader for his work in creating the center.

In SFAF’s announcement, Hollendoner, who’s HIV-negative, stated, “I am honored to lead this extraordinary organization during a critical moment in the HIV epidemic when for the first time no new cases in San Francisco is possible. I look forward to working with the foundation’s talented team to build upon its groundbreaking work. Together, we will continue our efforts toward making San Francisco the first city to end HIV transmission and ensuring that the needs of the diverse communities we serve are met.”

Hollendoner’s salary will be $275,000. SFAF has a budget of $32 million and is playing a lead role in the city’s Getting to Zero initiative.

The nonprofit, which was founded in 1982, provides free services that include HIV

<< Community News

2 • BAY AREA REPORTER • February 18-24, 2016

Folsom fair expands beneficiary pool compiled by Cynthia Laird

F

olsom Street Events, the organization that produces street fairs and parties catering to the leather/fetish community and returns proceeds to the community, has announced that this year it will allow nonprofits based outside of San Francisco to apply in the major beneficiary category.

Previously, only nonprofits in San Francisco could apply.

Now, such organizations in Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties can also apply in the major beneficiary category.

In a news release posted on its website, Demetri Moshoyannis, executive director of Folsom Street Events, said it is hoped the change “will

help to expand our reach throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.”

In an email to the Bay Area Reporter, Moshoyannis said Folsom Street Events’ board of directors approved the change at its recent annual strategic retreat planning meeting in January.

Additionally, he noted, Folsom Street Events recognizes that there have been changes in the nonprofit world.

“For example, many agencies are merging or collaborating in new and different ways,” he wrote. “As such, two projects under one agency or fiscal sponsor may apply if both projects utilize different primary contact people coordinating volunteers. Each project must apply under a separate application.”

Moshoyannis said that major

Rick Gerharter

Fairgoers took part in a dildo ring toss at the 2015 Folsom Street Fair.

beneficiaries provide Folsom Street Events with “a significant number of volunteers.” For example, he said, the number of volunteers ranges from 15-30 for the Up Your Alley fair to 30-60 for Folsom Street Fair, not including two “super volunteer” shifts. For the parties, about 10-15

volunteers are required. An average volunteer shift is four hours.

“We also ask that major beneficiaries help to promote our events, too,” he added.

Generally, Moshoyannis said, volunteers are asked to help coordinate tasks within the various

t

fair departments. There’s security, helping to enforce fair rules; gates, collect donations with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence; green team, educate the public about recycling and composting at the trash towers; exhibitors, welcome exhibitors and help them set up; entertainment, welcome the performing artists and get backstage hospitality set up and maintained; and operations, distribution of tables, chairs, and other items.

Grants received by major beneficiaries range from $10,000 to $20,000, or slightly higher, Moshoyannis said Last year Folsom Street Events returned $347,437 to all its beneficiaries.

Folsom Street Events maintains several grant-making categories, See page 10 >>

Sex offender rehab gives up on site

by Seth Hemmelgarn

S

harper Future, the sex offender rehabilitation company, has announced that it’s given up trying to move into San Francisco’s Duboce Triangle neighborhood.

Many residents, upset by the rehab’s lack of community outreach, protested its attempt to move into the former Out of the Closet thrift store.

A couple days after a February 8 meeting about the move drew about 200 people, Mary-Perry Miller, the company’s president, released a statement saying, “Sharper Future has decided to immediately halt efforts to move into 100 Church Street. After Monday evening’s meeting, it is clear that our presence would be divisive for everyone concerned.

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“Out of respect for the community and the very critical work that we do, we’ve elected to seek an alternative location,” Miller added.

Miller didn’t say where her company would be looking. A spokeswoman declined an interview request.

Sharper Future had signed a lease with Maitri hospice, which owns the site, in January. AIDS Healthcare Foundation had operated the thrift store and a medical clinic in the space.

Even though it’s been vacant for more than a year, Supervisor Scott Wiener, whose District 8 includes the facility, said he doesn’t think Maitri would “have a problem filling the space.”

“It’ s a great location, and I know there will be interest in it,” Wiener said.

Rick Gerharter

Sharper Future has abandoned plans to move into the ground floor at 100 Church Street.

Just before Sharper Future announced it was giving up, he introduced a resolution that would impose interim zoning controls for an 18month period. The legislation would

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require new tenants offering medical services to receive a conditional use permit, which requires a public hearing, and an enforceable community outreach process.

Asked about whether a medical marijuana shop could be put there, Wiener said the site is part of a “green zone” and “is properly zoned for medical cannabis.”

He said the Sharper Future fiasco is “a good reminder of the importance of strong, robust outreach.”

“Surprising the community is never a good thing,” Wiener said. “...

You need to work with people. This project was going to be controversial regardless, but the lack of outreach created mistrust in the community that made it a more difficult situation than it was already going to be.”

In a Facebook exchange with the Bay Area Reporter after Miller’s announcement, Duboce Triangle resident Devin Kordt-Thomas said, “The community did the right thing. Both Sharper Future and Maitri’s board of directors could have spared themselves this ordeal and, had they been forthcoming with their plans, learned earlier that 100 Church Street was not a suitable location for a sex offender rehab center. The neighborhood involvement on this issue was inspiring and I am thankful for everyone’s efforts.”

Kordt-Thomas, who’s with SF Coalition for Neighborhood Quality of Life, started a change.org petition opposing the Sharper Future move that drew almost 1,000 signatures.

But the outcry that scared off Sharper Future also disturbed some residents.

In a post to the Duboce Triangle Neighborhood Association’s Facebook group, Erik Flatmo, a resident of the area for more than 11 years, said, “I really feel that our neighborhood’s reaction to this issue has been overzealous and without compassion. Frenzied, without patience, and free from any sort of understanding of human complexity. Definitely not ‘liberal’ in the true sense. ... I would love to change the tone of our reactions to such situations in the future.”t

SF officials react to gay man’s attack

by Seth Hemmelgarn

S

an Francisco city officials are among those reacting to a gay resident’s account that he was recently attacked in the Marina district.

Jeffery Lafayette, 28, whose story spread quickly after he posted a video to Facebook, told KPIX 5 that the February 6 incident started when a group of about 20 men called him “girly” and a “faggot.” They spit on him and punched him during the attack, said Lafayette, who didn’t immediately report the incident to police because he “just wanted to go home.” He said a co-worker stopped the attack.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Lafayette still had not filed a police report, according to Officer Carlos Manfredi, a department spokesman.

KPIX reported that Lafayette told the station he was attacked for wearing “tight white pants.”

In a statement released February 11, Mayor Ed Lee and Supervisor Mark Farrell, whose District 2 includes the Marina, said the “brutal attack” on Lafayette “is inexcusable.”

Jeffery Lafayette, in an image that he posted online.

“Even in San Francisco, a world leader in LGBT rights, sadly this kind of hatred and violence still exists,” Lee and Farrell said. “... San Francisco is a beacon of hope for many in the LGBT community See page 8 >>

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<< Open Forum

4 • BAY AREA REPORTER • February 18-24, 2016

Volume 46, Number 7 February 18-24, 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

LEGAL COUNSEL Paul H. Melbostad, Esq.

Change on the Supreme Court P

resident Barack Obama has an extraordinary opportunity to nominate his third justice to the U.S. Supreme Court. The sudden death of Associate Justice Antonin Scalia over the weekend profoundly affects the court’s balance, as he was the leading conservative on the bench. Agree with him or not – and we usually didn’t – Scalia was the lead promoter of “originalism” on the court and in right-wing legal circles, meaning he favored a literal interpretation of the Constitution’s text at the time it was written coupled with the intent of the Founding Fathers. This is in stark contrast to the belief that it is a living document expanding its interpretation to address the needs of succeeding generations. But this philosophy was really just a sham to justify his retroactive bias, and he used it to promote his anti-gay beliefs under the guise of jurisprudence.

Scalia was a secure vote on the court’s 5-4 conservative majority in many cases, including Bush v. Gore, which gave us eight years of George W. Bush. He voted against every gay rights case that came before the court during his 30 years on it.

But his homophobia stood out when he was on the losing end of gay cases. Famously, his dissents, particularly in cases involving LGBT rights such as 2003’s Lawrence v. Texas that overturned state sodomy laws, were peppered with anti-gay language. He equated homosexuality with other “behaviors” such as “fornication, bigamy, adultery, adult incest, bestiality, and obscenity.” He pushed all the slurs in his dissents that religious conservatives use against us. He was also in the minority in 2015’s Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.

Jon Davidson, legal director at Lambda Legal Defense and Education Network, issued a statement Saturday that noted the “strong disagreements” the organization had with Scalia over the years. But Davidson also noted that Scalia was a defender of important aspects of the Constitution, “especially free speech and against unreasonable search and seizure.”

The outrageous things he said about gay people, however, are a stain on his legal career.

The news of Scalia’s death from an apparent heart attack Saturday afternoon shook the country. Immediately, Republican Senate leaders and the GOP presidential candidates called for allowing the next president to make the nomination. Obama said in a brief statement Saturday that he intends to nominate a successor soon, and on Tuesday said, “The Constitution is pretty clear about what is supposed to happen now.”

Obama’s term does not end until January 20, 2017. Until that date, he is the commander in chief, and has an obligation to fulfill the duties of his office. The Constitution is clear that the president has a responsibility to nominate a justice when a vacancy occurs. Given the country’s deep polarization, however, it’s evident that the Republican-controlled Senate will obstruct anyone the president nominates. Americans concerned about the importance of an independent judiciary should be angry over this blatant political play to deny the president his constitutional duty to nominate a Supreme Court justice. The judicial branch is supposed to serve as a check and balance. The Senate has a constitutional duty to “advise and consent” regarding the president’s nominees. It does not have a duty to stonewall and deny an up or down vote.

Republicans are trying to make the case that

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presidents haven’t usually made high court nominations during a presidential election year.

That is not accurate. According to Vox.com, six Supreme Court justices have been confirmed during a presidential election year since 1900.

Obama’s pick will be one of the most consequential of his presidency. He could go bold, and nominate an out LGBT person. This would add a level of diversity never before seen on the high court. All the cases the justices hear would benefit from the perspective of an LGBT person, just as the current justices’ own experiences and background inform their opinions. Despite securing marriage equality last year, our community continues to endure bigotry and discrimination, and other cases that the high court will hear like immigration and access to health care also affect us.

Realistically, however, we suspect that Obama will want a nominee who can be confirmed, and while there are out judges in various courts across the country, it’s unlikely one of them will be nominated.

One person who has been mentioned as a potential nominee is Srikanth Srinivasan, who is not gay, but would be the first Indian-American on the Supreme Court. He was confirmed 97-0 for a seat on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2013; that would make it difficult for senators to say he’s not qualified. He’s a former deputy solicitor general (during the Bush and Obama administrations) and was on the team that argued jurisdiction in the Windsor DOMA case. So at least if Obama doesn’t nominate a gay person, Srinivasan is someone who’s comfortable with us. If he had a problem with gays, he probably wouldn’t have taken the Windsor case, which obviously was seen as a positive move for him, professionally. He was nominated to the D.C. circuit not long afterward.

Stalling the nomination could backfire on the Republicans, and already Iowa Senator Charles Grassley, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has backtracked, saying that he has not ruled out hearings on an eventual nominee. We hope that Grassley and other Senate leaders come to their senses and not only agree to hearings, but a vote on whomever the president selects.t

Super Bowl party should make us all mad

by Tommi Avicolli Mecca

A

BAY AREA REPORTER

t

ccording to a report in last week’s Bay Area Reporter [“No love lost between Castro merchants and Super Bowl,” Business Briefs], Castro merchants were upset with the recent Super Bowl 50 festivities that the city staged in the days leading up to the big football game in Santa Clara.

Upset that they saw no spike in business during the sports celebration because the F-Line’s historic trolleys weren’t running while their tracks at the foot of Market Street were occupied by Super Bowl City, a blocks-long fair for tourists who otherwise might have headed for the world’s most famous gayborhood to spend some of their dough.

Merchants weren’t the only ones in our community affected by the Super Bowl celebration. A lesbian couple living in a tent were forced to move again and one of the two women lost her job because of the sweep of the homeless that preceded the Super Bowl, even though city officials deny such a sweep occurred.

According to a story in the San Francisco Examiner [“Homeless woman lost job after Super Bowl tent sweeps,” February 5], Chanell Jones, a homeless lesbian, lost her job when police and San Francisco Public Works workers swept her and her wife, Linda Fuchs, from their tents. Jones says that she and her partner were forced to pick up and move 15 times during the month of January.

Jones said she had to choose between going to work and protecting her tent and her belongings. She stayed with her wife.

Jones and Fuchs are among the 30 percent of the homeless who identify as LGBT. They are the invisible homeless, invisible because they’re seldom acknowledged, and

Ekevara Kitpowsong/Special to S.F. Examiner, reprinted with permission

Linda Fuchs, left, and Chanell Jones share a meal in their tent.

never advocated for, by mainstream LGBT organizations such as the Human Rights Campaign or Equality California.

Their stories are never featured in promotional materials for the gay marriage fight. If they set up their tent in the Castro, merchants and neighbors would no doubt call the cops on them.

Jones and Fuchs attended a protest at the Embarcadero on the Thursday night before the Super Bowl to demand affordable housing for those who need it the most, as well as an end to the criminalization of homelessness via sit/lie and other laws that result in fines and/or arrests and make obtaining housing more difficult. The 500 people at the demonstration were also angry at recent statements politicians made about those without a roof over their heads.

Mayor Ed Lee proclaimed in the weeks before the event that certain people weren’t welcome

in the city for the Super Bowl. The homeless.

“They are going to have to leave,” he said. His statement ignited a firestorm of criticism from housing and homeless advocates.

Just days before the kick-off, Castro Supervisor Scott Wiener re-ignited that firestorm when he sent a letter to the heads of several city agencies asking for an investigation of the many tents and encampments that have appeared on the streets this winter. While he urged a transition of homeless people into housing, he described the growing number of tents as a failure on the part of the city “to make clear to those who refuse help that tents on our sidewalks and in our public spaces are unacceptable.”

Where are people supposed to go when there are not enough shelter beds and the city doesn’t have units in which to place all of the homeless? Shouldn’t they be allowed to protect themselves from the rain?

Construction of new housing is mainly geared to the middle class and the rich. If the mayor were serious about housing the homeless, he’d reserve the first 7,000 of the 30,000 units he says he wants to build by 2020 for those on the streets. But that isn’t going to happen, the mayor told me at a meeting months ago.

Spending over $5 million on a party for tourists and rich people at a time when that money could be better spent on other more important things, like housing, should make us all mad. Especially when that party causes more suffering for the most vulnerable among us.t Tommi Avicolli Mecca is a longtime queer activist, writer, and performer who works at the Housing Rights Committee.

t

Mail>>

February 18-24, 2016 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 5

Few F-Line passengers

Long-term disability concerns

With regard to the supposed loss of business during the Super Bowl caused by the closure of the F-Line, I would like to point out that I have seen many F-Line trolleys arrive at Castro and Market [“No love lost between Castro merchants and Super Bowl,” Business Briefs, February 11]. Normally, you can expect to see five to eight people get off the car. The same applies to people getting on the F-Line car at the stop for the trip toward the Embarcadero. However, when a Muni Metro train arrives at the Castro station underground stop, dozens of people come out of the subway.

The argument posed by the merchants does not hold up to scrutiny.

Thanks to Loren Meissner for his letter on his longterm disability policy benefits [Mailstrom, February 11]. We know there are many people living with HIV who are receiving long-term disability benefits and those benefits will end when their policy ends.

They will experience a dramatic reduction in their income and they need to plan for that now. Folks should contact an attorney at the AIDS Legal Referral Panel for help in reviewing their LTD policy and for help in planning for the future. People living with HIV may call us at (415) 701-1100.

Jerry Lang San Francisco

Bill Hirsh, Executive Director AIDS Legal Referral Panel San Francisco

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Gay man seeks open SF court seat as out judges get a pass

by Matthew S. Bajko

S

everal out local judges saw no one file to run against them in June, while a gay attorney is among a trio of candidates seeking an open court seat in San Francisco.

Attorney Paul Henderson, Mayor Ed Lee’s deputy chief of staff and director of public Alameda County safety, aims to become the first San Francisco Superior Court LGBT African American to serve judicial candidate Judge Victoria on the San Francisco Superior Paul Henderson Kolakowski Court. He is one of three people who have filed to run for the local court’s Seat 7, whose curHe worked his way up through rent occupant, Judge Ernest H. the office, becoming the chief of adGoldsmith, announced earlier this ministration in 2007, while serving month he would retire effective four district attorneys. In 2011 HenApril 14. derson left to work for the mayor.

“As an out African AmeriHe was drawn to the can man who is from legal profession due to the city and from seeing so many people limited means, I think of color be impacted I have a voice, and I by it, whether they were think I have a perspecarrested and jailed or had tive, that should be a part family members in the of the judiciary and the criminal justice system. criminal justice sys“I really believe tem,” Henderson told strongly in having the Bay Area Reporter leadership positions in his first media interin the legal community view about his judicial reflect the community campaign. being served,” he said. “From growMeanwhile, Alameda County ing up here in the Bayview, I have Superior Court Judge Victoria always felt it was really important to Kolakowski was breathing a sigh have things happen for my commuof relief after no one filed to run nity rather than to my community.” against her by the deadline to do so According to the 2015 demolast Wednesday, February 10. graphic report for the state court It is exceedingly rare for seated system, the San Francisco bench as judges in California to face an opof December 31, 2014 had just three ponent. But as the country’s first black judges and a total of 18 judges elected transgender judge, who is of color. There were four lesbian and married to B.A.R. news editor Cyntwo gay judges among the court’s 47 thia Laird, Kolakowski had heard judges seated at that time. rumors she could face an opponent “I look at the bench, and not to this year. be critical of them, they are all there “I was very excited and very to do a good job, but I think people relieved. Having gone through a can be even better if more diverjudicial election twice, I don’t want sity is reflected in the bench for the to ever have to deal with something people they make decisions about,” like that again,” said Kolakowski, said Henderson, a legal analyst for who won her race for an open seat the local CBS affiliate as well as the in 2010, two years after her first bid MSNBC and Fox cable channels. “I to join the bench was unsuccessful. think diversity goes beyond race and Two gay and two lesbian judges has to do with sexual orientation on the San Francisco bench also saw and experience.” no one file to run against them this More than two years ago Henyear, among them Joseph Quinn, derson sought to be appointed to a who was appointed to a vacancy judicial vacancy by Brown. But he last year by Governor Jerry Brown. has yet to hear from the governor’s Quinn, the husband of the presiding office, prompting him to run for the justice of the First District Court of seat.

Appeal’s Division One, James M. Also in the race are trial attorney Humes, holds the court’s Seat 13.

Sigrid Irías, a past president of the Judge Linda Colfax, who won a San Francisco La Raza Lawyers Ashard fought race for an open seat sociation, and attorney Victor M. in 2010, also saw no one file to run Hwang, a former San Francisco assisagainst her this year for her Seat 5. tant district attorney who prosecuted And longtime Judges Ronald E. Alhate crimes. According to a statement bers (Seat 1) and Carol Yaggy (Seat from Hwang released last Wednesday, 17) will not face opponents this year. he has the endorsements of both Lee and District Attorney George Gascón.

SF court seat race “Having served on both sides of Henderson, 48, earned his law dethe aisle in the criminal courtroom gree from Tulane University in 1993. over the past 20 years, I have seen He worked in the San Diego District the difference that a good judge Attorney’s office before being hired can make inside and outside of in 1995 by former San Francisco the courtroom,” stated Hwang, District Attorney Arlo Smith. who was a deputy public defender

in Los Angeles. “I’m running for San Francisco Superior Court because I believe that I have the temperament, judgment, experience to run a courtroom in a way in which parties, witnesses, and jurors will walk out of the courtroom with a stronger faith in our judicial system regardless of their personal outcome.”

Henderson has secured support from eight of the court’s judges, including Albers, Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom, and Sheriff Vicki Hennessy.

If none of the three candidates secures 50 percent plus one of the vote in the June primary, then the top two vote-getters will advance to the general election in November.

“I think all races are hard,” said Henderson. “But I am confident because of my history and my experience and reputation from working in the legal system, and working in the community, that people will be supportive of my candidacy and familiar with my work and abilities as a judicial officer.”

To learn more about his campaign, visit http://www.paulhendersonforjudge.com.

Lesbian BART board member seeks re-election

Lesbian BART board member Rebecca Saltzman will kick off her re-election bid next week.

Elected in 2012, Saltzman holds the District 3 seat on the regional transit agency’s board of directors and is one of two out members on the oversight body. She represents parts of Alameda and Contra Costa counties, including the BART stations Bay Fair, Downtown Berkeley, El Cerrito del Norte (partial), El Cerrito Plaza (partial), North Berkeley, Orinda, Rockridge, and San Leandro.

In an emailed invite to her February 24 campaign kickoff event, Saltzman noted that she has strived to make “substantial progress” on ensuring the BART system is “more financially and environmentally sustainable” as a board member.

“BART still faces many challenges: much of BART’s infrastructure is more than 40 years old and needs to be replaced or repaired. Ridership is rapidly growing, and BART must invest in expanding capacity.

I am running for a second term because we need to keep making progress on these and other critical issues,” wrote Saltzman. “The last election was hard-fought and I have to plan for a similarly tough race this year. I need your early support now to ensure a successful re-election effort.”

Her event will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. next Wednesday at Blow Salon, 2112 Berkeley Way, three blocks from the Downtown Berkeley BART station. A donation of $50 is requested of attendees.

To purchase tickets or to RSVP, email RebeccaForBART@gmail.com.

For more information, visit http://www.rebeccaforbart.com/.t

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6 • BAY AREA REPORTER • February 18-24, 2016

Tip further, Hollywood

by Gwendolyn Ann Smith

I

n May 2014, Orange is the New Black star Laverne Cox adorned the cover of Time magazine. Next to her was the phrase “The Transgender Tipping Point.” The cover itself is likely the most important media representation of a transgender person since the New York Daily News pushed coverage of the H-bomb off its cover to present Christine Jorgensen’s 1952 transition story under the headline “Ex-GI Becomes Blonde Beauty.”

The choice of Cox for Time’s cover, too, was important: Cox’s role as Sophia Burset on Orange is the New Black is a groundbreaking one. It marks the first time an out transgender person has acted as a transgender person on the small screen.

After a turn on I Want to Work for Diddy and playing a handful of characters in other films and television shows, Cox hosted on the show TRANSform Me before taking her place on Orange is the New Black.

While still a recurring character, she is also taking on other roles, including that of Dr. Frank-N-Furter in a made-for-television reboot of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Cox has won a Screen Actors Guild Award, and been nominated for an

Emmy, for Orange is the New Black.

If anything, she is indeed emblematic of huge change from what came before. Trans stories have long been fodder for both the big and small screen. In 1975, actor Robert Reed played a transwoman on Medical Center, while Archie Bunker gave mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to a female impersonator on All in the Family. Two years later, the short-lived show All That Glitters took to the air with Linda Gray as a transsexual – the first recurring transgender character on television – while Billy Crystal played Jodie Dallas, a transsexual, then gay, then straight character on Soap. This, of course, is discounting the cross-dressing antics of comedians such as Milton Berle.

Transgender representation took a step back in the next couple decades, focusing on cross-dressing serial killers and “wacky” films and television shows liberally ripping off the plotline of Some Like It Hot. Yet if we look beyond Cox, we still see a world where transgender stories remain poorly told, a land of stereotypes and underdeveloped characters.

Consider Transparent, featuring Jeffrey Tambor as Maura Pfefferman, a transwoman dealing with the coming out process. I personally have loved Tambor in many other projects, most notably as George

Actress Laverne Cox

Bluth Sr. in Arrested Development.

Still, I find myself wondering why a transgender woman could not have played this role. Is it because, as many have surmised, Hollywood prefers its transwomen appear mannish and “unconvincing,” providing some sort of safe distance for non-transgender audiences to feel comfortable?

Indeed, I would contend that those in Hollywood choose actors who fit what they think a trans person should be – not what we actually are. We who are trans are not the caricature they picture when they think of transgender people.

Beyond this, pickings become very slim indeed. There are always reality programs such as I Am Jazz and I

Am Cait, or independent fair like the excellent Her Story. And yes, I’ll discount the recent horrible example of trans representation on the rebooted X-Files. This transgender tipping point seems a lot more limited than Time might have let on in 2014.

Movies have fared worse than television, too. Aside from the whitewashed portrayal of transgender involvement in the eponymous Stonewall directed by Roland Emmerich, you end with the recently released The Danish Girl featuring Eddie Redmayne as Lili Elbe.

The movie, veering from the actual story of Elbe’s life in the 1933 book Man Into Woman, tries to paint Elbe as a character who becomes feminized due to the actions of her wife and a fetish for her feminine self.

Once again, we see a male actor playing a transwoman in The Danish Girl. Redmayne’s public comments about the role have to an extent echoed those of Jared Leto’s portrayal of a transwoman named Rayon in Dallas Buyer’s Club. Leto received an Academy Award for the role, and many have suggested Redmayne will have a strong chance for an Oscar this year.

I can’t help but remember calls about the Oscars favoring non-disabled actors in disabled roles in the past, and treating them as “brave” for pretending to be disabled on the screen. The roles ofRayon and Elbe could potentially have been played by a transwoman, and that

t

I would consider far braver than anything Leto or Redmayne could muster.

I should also mention that Tangerine, a movie that also featured a transgender character – two in fact – was anticipated to be in the running this year. Unlike The Danish Girl, it featured transgender actresses, Mya Taylor and Kitiana Kiki Rodriguez.

The lack of the film being included this year is another example of the 2015 Academy Awards passing over a movie that spoke to the black experience.

By the way, Cox lobbied on behalf of the film, urging Academy members to consider Rodriguez or Taylor for an Oscar nomination.

So here we are, two years past that tipping point that Time magazine proclaimed, and not much seems to have changed in Hollywood.

Transgender roles are still largely going to non-transgender actors, typically white males – and while there are still strong independent productions like Her Story and Tangerine, they’re not getting near the recognition or backing of others.

I’d like to see Hollywood take us at face value. Cox is brilliant, but is not the only transgender person who can act. Many others are able and willing to take roles. Let’s make this tipping point a real and lasting thing, Hollywood.t Gwen Smith always tries to tip generously. You can find her at http://www.gwensmith.com.

PTSD and the human trafficking of queer youth

by Belo Cipriani

P

eople with mental and emotional conditions have been misunderstood and misrepresented by popular culture and the media for ages.

And perhaps this is largely caused by the lack of education in our society about people with mental or emotional disabilities.

For R.K. Kline, a gay man who was a victim of human trafficking as a teen in St. Louis, Missouri, and who now struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of his horrific experience, living with a disability that is misjudged by many is his daily reality.

In his 2015 memoir, Faraway: A Suburban Boy’s Story as a Victim of Human Trafficking, which he coauthored with Daniel Maurer, Kline shares his riveting story on how trusting a man led him to prostitution. And while he was able to document his experience, and attend a few initial book promotional events, his PTSD now keeps him from further discussing his book with the public.

For this reason, Maurer stepped in for my interview.

“With Kevin, he’s suffered from PTSD for a long time. There were very few people he trusted to share his story with after that summer in 1975,” said Maurer, referring to Kline.

Maurer, a straight man, met Kline

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SFAF

From page 1

testing, syringe access, and counseling to thousands of people a year.

In January, SFAF opened Strut, the gay and bi men’s health center at 470 Castro Street.

Neil Giuliano, who served as CEO for five years, left in December to become CEO of Greater Phoenix Leadership, a business organization focused on civic improvement activities.

Tim Jones has been SFAF’s interim CEO since Giuliano’s departure, and he’ll remain in that role until Hollen-

in seminary school in the late 1990s.

And while they have both left the ministry to pursue other projects, they remained in contact over the years. Like Kline, Maurer also struggles with having a disability that is not visible to the public.

“Disabilities that are invisible to other people hide themselves so readily,” Maurer said, “because we who carry them don’t want others to uncover the pain that runs deeply, and the shame that often accompanies a public diagnosis.”

“With me,” Maurer continued, “I’ve dealt with depression and addiction. I tried to hide these disabilities, because I didn’t want to be found out.”

After a phone call in 2013, the pair began to write Faraway – a course that took Maurer to Hawaii to see Kline, and to St. Louis, where the story takes place. During this process, Maurer believes that as they both revealed their disabilities and owned them to each other, the less power their conditions had over them.

With vivid and piercing prose, Faraway opens with Kline, a typical teenage boy, who is coming to terms with his sexuality. And instantly, one is immersed in the America of the 1970s – a time when boys could not afford to show an ounce of femininity.

As we bounded down the bus stairs and stepped outside, I saw the little kid ahead of us and the boys following close behind. My sister and I were farther back.

The school bus door closed with a click and the diesel engine revved up as the bus pulled away. I saw the boys rush after the effeminate boy and heard him squeal one single word: “No!” And then we watched the other boys beat the living snot out of him.

“Should we help him?” I asked, knowing the answer.

“Shut up,” was all she replied.

The boy screamed. He cried.

I can hear his screams and cries to this day.

Faraway is a page-turner, and one cannot help but to want to save Kline as he finds himself forced to sell his body to men on the street.

The book is also full of memorable characters, such as the crooked cop that buys time with underage male hustlers, and Stevie and Squirrel, two other boy victims of human trafficking, who take Kline under their wing and show him the ropes.

The sex scenes are respectfully done – they give clear glimpses into this terrifying world, without being gory.

In addition to presenting a compelling story, Faraway is also packed with factual information about the human trafficking industry. The back of the book says that according

doner takes over, according to Mary Cha-Caswell, who chaired the board of directors’ search committee.

Jones’ tenure has marked the first time in recent memory that a man who’s living with HIV is leading SFAF. Asked about possible community concern that the nonprofit has selected an HIV-negative man as its next leader, Senior Vice President James Loduca noted that the agency’s clients include people who are HIV-negative as well as those who are HIV-positive.

Loduca added that along with his HIV status, Hollendoner had also given SFAF permission to share that

his partner is HIV-positive, and that “he lives HIV prevention and care every day of his life.”

“I would hope that people wouldn’t use such a one dimensional measure” as HIV status to judge Hollendoner, Loduca said. “... Our relationship to HIV is much more complex.”

Hollendoner wasn’t available Tuesday for an interview, but in his LinkedIn profile, he says, “I care deeply about serving vulnerable populations, and seek to create new innovative models of care that place the needs of the individual/community at the center.”

Some may be concerned about

Daniel Maurer co-wrote Faraway: A Suburban Boy’s Story as a Victim of Human Trafficking.

to a study by Rick Curtis, nearly 50 percent of trafficked youth are boys.

Beth Holger-Ambrose, executive director of the Link, a Minnesotabased nonprofit that works with youth that have been victims of human trafficking, said that a significant number of sexually exploited youth identify as queer.

“In a study my street outreach partner and I did in Minneapolis with youth who have experienced sexual exploitation, we found that 33 percent of the youth we interviewed identified as LGB and 17 percent as transgender,” said Holger-Ambrose.

Holger-Ambrose pointed out that LGBT homeless youth are particularly vulnerable to being sexuanother white man leading an agency that serves many people of color, but Cha-Caswell said that the candidates she and others spoke to for the position “were equally diverse in their experiences as well as gender and sexual preference. We did see a wide range of individuals across the board. The fact is that Joe is a young, white gay male, but he also more than fits the criteria that we were looking for in our next executive.”

The executive search firm Egon Zehnder “assessed over 160 people at the top of the process,” ChaCaswell said. Then, “we narrowed

ally abused.

“Studies have shown that LGBT youth (although it doesn’t separate out gay boys) represent 20-40 percent of the homeless youth population within the U.S. and that there are between 575,000 and 1.6 million homeless youth in the U.S. each year.

Homeless youth are also very vulnerable to being trafficked in that studies have shown that between 25-30 percent of homeless youth are sexually exploited,” she stated.

Faraway tells a remarkable story about survival, while touching on a very serious problem in the United States. It also shines a light on a gay boy’s experience with human trafficking – something that has not been heavily written about. And even though Kline’s story is the focal point, he shares his tale not for himself, but for his friends Stevie and Squirrel, who he believes everyone should know about and remember.

In the end, Kline does not heal from his PTSD, but he learns to better manage his disability.t Belo Cipriani is a freelance journalist, the award-winning author of Blind: A Memoir and Midday Dreams, and a spokesman for Guide Dogs for the Blind.

He was voted “Best Disability Advocate” in the Bay Area in 2015 by SF Weekly. Learn more at www.BeloCipriani.com.

it down” to five people for one-onone interviews, she said.

What was most striking about Hollendoner was “how well-rounded he was across all the key criteria” that had been established, she said.

“Not any one candidate was perfect, 100 percent in each of the categories we were looking at,” Cha-Caswell said, but she pointed to his experience, and said qualities including his “interpersonal skills” and “innovative thinking” are “in lock step with us in terms of where we wanted to see the most senior leader in the organization.”t

t

Community News>>

February 18-24, 2016 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 7

Santa Clara County adopts plan to end HIV transmission

by Matthew S. Bajko

S

anta Clara County has adopted a four-pronged plan to halt the transmission of HIV within the 15 cities under its jurisdiction.

At its February 9 meeting the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors approved a “Getting to Zero” initiative developed by the county’s public health department.

The move had been expected, as the board instructed county health officials in December to devise a strategy for ending the spread of HIV in the South Bay. “I am proud of the board’s unanimous support to provide the resources necessary to make this program a success,” gay Supervisor Ken Yeager, who initiated the call for the plan, wrote in an email to constituents last week.

“Getting to Zero will build on the existing infrastructure and strong

foundation of efforts has been made in recent already underway to decades, HIV/AIDS reduce HIV transmission remains a major health and improve outcomes in concern,” wrote Cody. the county.”

“After nearly a decade of Santa Clara’s plan is steady decline, the number modeled after the one San of new HIV diagnoses Francisco health officials increased by 20 percent adopted two years ago. between 2013 and 2014, It calls for supporting particularly among young persons newly diagnosed Supervisor Latino men who have sex Ken Yeager with HIV: engaging with men.” those living with HIV in Cody outlined four high quality care; reducing HIV steps the county department will transmission; and reducing HIVnow take to further flesh out the related stigma.

Getting to Zero plan, including There are currently 3,480 people conducting community outreach with an HIV diagnosis living and determining a “backbone in Santa Clara County, and an organization” to oversee its estimated 378 who are infected but implementation. not yet aware of their infection, It will also create a steering according to a memo from Dr. Sara committee and four to six H. Cody, a health officer and the subcommittees to work on various county’s public health director. aspects of the plan, from ensuring “Although tremendous progress access to PrEP for HIV-negative

individuals and rapid access to antiretroviral therapy for those newly diagnosed with HIV to retaining people in care.

In her memo, Cody listed a number of fiscal needs the health department estimated it would cost to implement the Getting to Zero plan. The appropriations included $80,000 to hire a consultant to help finalize the plan; either $175,000 per year to hire an outside agency to serve as the backbone group or $157,463 to hire a program manager on the county staff to shepherd the plan; and $132,027 to hire an epidemiologist.

Another $150,000 for fiscal year 2017 would be needed to extend by 12 months an existing contract with a social marketing firm, wrote Cody, with an additional $200,000 to cover the media costs of running four campaigns.

Rather than set aside a total budget

amount for the plan’s first year, the supervisors directed public health staff to return at a later date with proposed action plans and associated costs for them to consider.

The board did vote last week to create a new HIV/STD controller position with a yearly salary between $146,426.54 and $207,468.30. According to Yeager, the person will help lead the Getting to Zero initiative by serving as a department liaison and representative to communities who bear a disproportionate burden of HIV and STDs. They will also support the county’s STD Clinic, “which is currently understaffed,” noted Yeager, and help lead further implementation of the county’s LGBTQ Health Assessment.

“This position fills a critical gap in our public health staffing,” he wrote.t

Gay travel agent Peter Greene dead at 61

by Seth Hemmelgarn

J

ust a few days before he died last week, Peter Greene sat in the desert with a friend, looking at the Milky Way. The scene in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park allowed Mr. Greene, 61, a respite from his troubles.

“It was a wonderful trip together,” with “lots of good conversations, and lots of laughter,” said Jake Tapia, 43, who traveled to the southern California park with Mr. Greene. “... It was just nice to see him in such good spirits and without any discomfort.”

Mr. Greene, who’s remembered for his kindness, his good looks, and his love of singing, had struggled in recent years.

The Now Voyager travel agency he founded in San Francisco’s Castro district in 1984 with Jonathan Klein was still in probate after Klein’s 2013 suicide, and Mr. Greene, who had been living with AIDS for decades, had had trouble with his back and other problems. After the travel agency was evicted from its 18th Street home, where Mr. Greene had also lived, he’d moved to a trailer in Palm Springs. He’d been hoping to move back to San Francisco.

Last Monday, February 8, after Tapia had returned to his Oakland home, Mr. Greene, who’d recently ruptured a disk in his back, went to the hospital. Staff there suspected internal bleeding. By 4 a.m.

Wednesday, February 10, “he was gone,” Tapia said.

A friend posted to Facebook that the cause of death was “liver failure from hepatitis B.” Sergeant N. Rissy, a spokeswoman for the Riverside County Coroner’s Bureau, said Mr. Greene died at Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs. She said the hospital’s doctors would determine the cause of death, and it’s not a case that her agency is investigating. A call to the hospital wasn’t returned.

‘Incredibly handsome’

Cleve Jones, 61, who’s lived in San Francisco off and on since the 1970s, was friends with Klein and

Rick Gerharter

Peter Greene and Jonathan Klein outside Now Voyager

request, Carole Scagnetti, an attorney for Jonathan Klein’s brother and estate executor, Alan Klein, said, “As an attorney in an active case, I cannot comment or provide information.”

Despite the troubles, “we have a following of clientele that’s excellent,” Wylie said. Mr. Greene, who was known for arranging bike trips in China and other adventures, had “been all over the world. He was fantastic. He knew all the nooks and crannies.”

Wylie said Mr. Greene had told her he was leaving the agency to her. That couldn’t immediately be verified with his attorney, but she said she’d like to keep the business in the Castro.

Love of music Mr. Greene for years.

“I met him because he was so damn cute, I made a point of meeting him,” Jones said of Mr. Greene.

“He was incredibly handsome.”

“Both of them were so well loved,” Jones said of Klein and Mr. Greene. “I don’t know anyone who ever spoke an ill word about either of them, and in this neighborhood, that’s saying a lot, isn’t it?”

Jones said he last saw Mr. Greene in the Castro “a couple weeks ago.”

“He wanted nothing more than to be able to come back and live in San Francisco, and that was the topic of all of our last conversations,” Jones said.

During their last talk, Mr. Greene “was expressing frustration at how long the probate process was dragging out,” said Jones, who attributes Now Voyager’s survival to “the force of [Klein and Mr. Greene’s] personalities, and the great attention to detail. They would create magical travel adventures for people.”

Patti Wylie, of Pacifica, has been managing Now Voyager.

The travel agency, which Klein left to Mr. Greene and is now located at 4115 19th Street, is still in probate, and the process had been tough on him. It had made conducting business and planning for the future challenging, friends said, and Wylie said people associated with Klein’s estate had “put him through hell the past three years.”

In response to an emailed interview

Carolyn Turrentine, 71, of New Port Richey, Florida, met Mr. Greene in the early 1970s when they were both working at a Mexican restaurant in Boulder, Colorado.

Turrentine said Mr. Greene, who was once Mr. Gay Colorado, “was just an incredible guy. He had so much intelligence, and so much creativity, and so much compassion and caring and talent and humor and zest for life and devilishness.”

Asked if there were any stories about Mr. Greene that stood out, she laughed and said, “Nothing that I could repeat,” but she recalled the poetry he used to write and his love of music.

“He sang classics, old classics, and he always got the words wrong,” Turrentine said.

Ginger Perry, 65, of Boulder, another longtime friend, recalled singing with Mr. Greene. A particular favorite was Frank Sinatra’s “The Way You Look Tonight.”

Perry said Mr. Greene was diagnosed with HIV in 1985, and he’d seen many friends die from the disease. She attributed his survival to the drug trials he took part in “and good luck, I think.”

But like many other people who have lived through AIDS, aging had been especially challenging for Mr. Greene, who was quoted in a 2011 Associated Press story about survivors’ “premature aging.”

“I survived all the big things, but

A memorial for gay actor-singer Aaron Wimmer will be held Sunday, March 6 at 1 p.m. at Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church, 100 Diamond Street in San Francisco.

Aaron died unexpectedly February 2. He was 37.

Born in Provo, Utah, on July 26, 1978, his childhood and youth in Utah and Hawaii gave Aaron his gentle, kind spirit,

“It’s just terribly, terribly tragic.”

Like many others, Jones, who’s lived in the Castro for years, worries about the survival of the community that’s made it through the AIDS epidemic but is now faced with unaffordable housing costs.

He remembers the times he’s been able to walk into the street and, “within minutes,” see people that he’s known for decades.

Referring to Klein and Mr. Greene, Jones said, “I saw them mostly every day, and we’d walk for a block or two” and sometimes get coffee.

“That’s what remains so wonderful about this neighborhood, and that’s what is going away,” he said.

Tapia, the friend who spent time in the desert with Mr. Greene before he died, said, “The gay community lost a very loving and spiritual figure. ... A piece of history has passed.”

Plans for a memorial are pending.t

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Obituaries >> Memorial set for Aaron Wimmer

now there is a new host of things.

Liver problems. Kidney disease.

It’s like you are a 50-year-old in an 80-year-old body,” Mr. Greene said.

Just before Mr. Greene died, he was helping his friend Brian Basinger plan a trip to Thailand for his boyfriend’s 50th birthday.

Basinger, director of AIDS Housing Alliance/San Francisco, said Mr. Greene’s desire to return to the city came up in their final conversation.

“The very last thing he said to me was, ‘Brian, you’ve got to help me find a place to live,” Basinger said.

Mr. Greene, who was “pretty dejected” about the probate process, “needed to be here for his health care” and “to keep that legacy business alive,” Basinger said. “His whole life was here.”

The problems with the agency and other troubles had made him “worn down,” Basinger said.

“Trying to take care of your health and carry on, it’s just tragic,” he said.

and his love for animals. He pursued his dream of performing at Walt Disney World, Florida, later moving to New York to further pursue his love of theater. Aaron’s proudest achievement was his poetry and performance series, Nuclear Poetry, which ran for several years. In San Francisco, he sang for the gay men’s chorus and performed in several plays, including Dear Harvey.

He was a fearless actor, and a passionate writer and lover of music. He shared the fantastical, creative world of his heart liberally, and his time in California was

a time of adventure far afield and a time of growth.

Aaron is survived by his partner, John Bowman; mother Jennifer Anderson; stepfather Al Cymbaluk; stepmother Ruth Wimmer; siblings Abram, Christian, and Jasamyn Wimmer; grandfather Richard Anderson; and their partners and many, many loved ones.

He was a creative force and a generous soul. Donations can be made to the San Francisco SPCA, http://www.sfspca.org.

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<< National News

8 • BAY AREA REPORTER • February 18-24, 2016

t

Federal budget sustains HIV funding, requests more for PrEP

by Liz Highleyman

F

unding for domestic HIV services saw a modest increase in President Barack Obama’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2017 – including a $20 million allocation for a new PrEP pilot program – but advocates say it does not provide enough for HIV research, global AIDS assistance, or hepatitis C. “The HIV Medicine Association is pleased that the president’s fiscal year 2017 budget proposal largely sustains funding for domestic HIV/ AIDS programs,” said HIVMA chair Dr. Carlos del Rio. “However, we are disappointed that under his

proposal investments in HIV research are flat-funded for the third year in a row, and that funding for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief once again has not seen an increase since peak funding in 2010. A robust federal response is more critical than ever to effectively respond to the HIV epidemic.”

Obama’s final budget request comes to $4.1 trillion, a 4.9 percent increase over last year. While the Department of Health and Human Services gets about a quarter of that amount, more than 80 percent is committed to Medicare and Medicaid, leaving $82.8 million in discretionary funds.

The budget allocates $2.3 billion

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to the Ryan White Treatment Modernization Act, a modest $34 million increase over FY 2016, including $900 million for AIDS Drug Assistance Programs that pay for antiretroviral medications for people living with HIV. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, Sexually Transmitted Infections, and Tuberculosis Prevention saw only a small increase, remaining at approximately $1.1 billion (out of a total CDC budget of $7 billion), and the $788 million allocated for domestic HIV prevention and research stays about the same.

New this year is $20 million for a demonstration project to improve access to PrEP for HIV prevention.

Up to 30 percent of this amount may be used to pay for medication and associated lab tests.

The only FDA-approved PrEP drug, Truvada (tenofovir/emtricitabine), retails for about $1,200 per month, but most Medicaid and some private insurance plans cover it, and manufacturer Gilead Sciences offers financial assistance programs.

Other domestic HIV funding comes through the Department of Veterans Affairs, which received a $57 million increase for medical care for veterans living with HIV, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS, or HOPWA, program, which is level-funded at $335 million.

HIV research and global funding flat

The National Institutes of Health budget for medical research received a 2.5 percent increase overall – up to $33.1 billion – but HIV research got no additional funding for FY 2017, leaving it at the same level as FY 2015 and FY 2016.

“This is a time of unprecedented promise in AIDS research, and flatlining the NIH AIDS research budget for three years in a row threatens the many opportunities we have to end the epidemic as quickly as possible,” Kenyon Farrow of the Treatment Action Group told the Bay Area Reporter. “There are many new and innovative studies underway in vaccine and cure research.”

“Implementation of science research will help us address many of the disparities in prevention, treatment, and care we see in communities still largely impacted by the virus, particularly black gay men,” Farrow added.

Funds for global HIV/AIDS efforts come from a variety of sources including DHHS, CDC, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the Department of State, much of it consolidated under PEPFAR. The FY 2017 budget provides a total of $8.6 billion to combat HIV/ AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis, and address other global health issues. While this is $73 million more than the 2016 allocation, most of the increase goes to malaria, maternal

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Gay man’s attack

From page 2

across the country and world. We must all stand shoulder-to-shoulder to fight hate anywhere that it exists to send the strong message that love will always be stronger than hate.”

The police department is investigating the incident. No arrests have been reported.

Max Young, who owns the HiFi Lounge, 2125 Lombard Street, told the Bay Area Reporter, “We know there was a scuffle outside the bar,” in the parking lot of the neighboring Kentucky Fried Chicken/Taco Bell.

However, “We don’t know what caused it or what got it started,” said Young, who wasn’t at the bar during the incident. He didn’t know wheth-

are greater than the total number of deaths associated with the other 59 diseases combined.”

Other health allocations

The CDC’s Division of Viral Hepatitis, funded at $39 million, received a small $5 million increase, which advocates say falls short given the large number of people with hepatitis B and C who do not know their status and are not receiving treatment.

“The president’s budget fails the more than 5 million Americans living with hepatitis B or hepatitis C and the many more at risk for infection,” said National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable Executive Director Ryan Clary. “The lack of funding and commitment to address hepatitis B and hepatitis C in a meaningful way, particularly given the exciting and sorely needed initiatives to combat the overlapping opioid, heroin, and overdose epidemics, is not simply disappointing – it is incredibly short-sighted.”

However, the Ryan White budget includes $9 million for a new program to expand hepatitis C screening and treatment for people with HIV. About a quarter of HIV-positive people are estimated to have hepatitis C and co-infection with both viruses leads to more rapid liver disease progression. In addition, a portion of the increase in Veterans Affairs funding for medical care will go toward hepatitis C treatment.

“While we are pleased by the president’s requests to invest $9 million to support hepatitis C treatment for people living with HIV through the Ryan White program and $1.5 billion for the VA to treat veterans living with hepatitis C, we need more comprehensive investments,” Emalie Huriaux of Project Inform told the B.A.R. “Of the 60 nationally notifiable infectious diseases, hepatitis C-associated deaths

The DHHS budget proposal encourages reluctant states to expand their Medicaid programs under the Affordable Care Act by covering the full cost of expansion for three years regardless of when they start. About half of all HIV-positive people receiving medical care are covered by Medicaid, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, and 16 states have not yet expanded Medicaid to low-income adults up to 133 percent of the federal poverty level.

The budget also includes several provisions to reduce the cost of prescription drugs, including allowing the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to partner with states to negotiate lower prices, reducing the patent period for brand-name biologic drugs from 12 to seven years, increasing discounts for seniors who fall into Medicare’s donut hole, or coverage gap, and requiring more price transparency from drug manufacturers.

Other notable health-related items in the FY 2017 budget include $877 million to fight antibiotic resistance and develop new drugs, $500 million to expand access to mental health services, and $755 million for cancer prevention and treatment research – the so-called moonshot proposed in the president’s recent State of the Union address. Obama also made a supplemental request for more than $1.8 billion in emergency funding for Zika virus response.

In the area of sexual health for young people, the proposed budget eliminates all funding for “abstinence only until marriage” sex education programs.

Finally, the budget sets aside $1.1 billion over two years to address a growing opioid addiction and overdose epidemic – mostly associated with heroin and prescription painkillers – which has hit hard in rural areas. The initiative includes expanded medication-assisted addiction treatment using methadone or buprenorphine and increased access to naloxone to prevent overdose deaths.

This new allocation comes on top of $400 million in opioid epidemic funding in a bipartisan budget agreement reached late last year, which also removed language banning the use of federal money for needle exchange programs.

“Expanded access to prevention and treatment of opioid abuse is critical to improving health outcomes for our patients with HIV with co-occurring substance use issues,” said HIVMA’s del Rio. Experts consider it unlikely that the Republican Congress will approve Obama’s FY 2017 budget request as a whole, but specific pieces could pass – such as the cancer moonshot – and it sets the groundwork if a Democrat is elected as the next president in November.t

er anyone heard slurs being used.

A HiFi doorman briefly tried to break up the fight, which quickly “dissipated,” he said.

Young, who declined to make the doorman available for an interview, doesn’t know whether Lafayette had been in the bar. Police have contacted him to see if the bar has surveillance cameras, which it does not.

A phone number listed for the KFC wasn’t in service.

Witnesses verified Lafayette’s story, according to KPIX. Lafayette didn’t respond to a Facebook message from the B.A.R., and there was no response to a note left at an address listed for him. The B.A.R. wasn’t able to find his phone number.

Asked whether there had been any calls for service near HiFi on

the night of the incident, fire department spokespeople said in an email that at 10:29 p.m., there had been a medical call to Fillmore and Lombard streets, “where a single private ambulance responded.” The KFC is at that intersection. “Fire department resources were not dispatched” to the scene, the email said.

A group called SF Gay Mafia is planning what it describes as a “festive and fun takeover” of HiFi Friday, February 19.

Young said, “We invited them. ...

We think that’s a great thing.”

Anyone with information about the identities of Lafayette’s attackers is encouraged to call the police anonymous tip line at (415) 5754444, or text a tip to TIP411 and begin the message with SFPD.t

Rudy K. Lawidjaja

President Barack Obama called for a cancer “moonshot” in last month’s State of the Union address.

and child health, family planning, and vaccines, while HIV/AIDS itself saw no increase.

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria ($1.3 billion), bilateral HIV/AIDS assistance to individual countries ($4.3 billion), and UNAIDS ($45 million) all received the same amounts as last year.

Hepatitis funding

Community News>>

t Kaiser moves HIV drugs off Medicare specialty tier

by Seth Hemmelgarn

K

aiser Permanente recently decided to remove HIV drugs from its potentially high priced “specialty tier” for Medicare patients.

The health care provider, which drew attention last year for temporarily making people pay more for the drugs than they had been, had already moved drugs off the top tier for many patients, but the drugs still remained in that category for many Medicare patients.

In an email last week, Kaiser spokesman John Nelson said the company’s formulary team decided in January to move the HIV drugs from the HIV specialty tier, effective February 2.

“Any Kaiser Permanente patient

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Scalia

From page 1

way, as well as by motivating political outrage against, and defiance against, liberal court decisions.”

Staunch conservative

Scalia was the current Supreme Court’s most staunch conservative, and one who often wrote dissenting opinions to the court’s most historic rulings on LGBT-related cases.

Appointed to the court by President Ronald Reagan in 1986, Scalia always voted against the interests of gay people in cases before the court – beginning with the 1987 decision, 5-4, allowing the U.S. Olympic Committee to ban Gay Games from calling itself the Gay Olympics. He also joined the unanimous decision in 1995 to allow St. Patrick’s Day parade organizers in Boston to exclude a gay contingent, and was with the majority 5-4 decision in 2000 to allow the Boy Scouts of America to revoke the membership

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Planning director

From page 1

Since he arrived in San Francisco from Seattle, where he had served as that city’s planning director for four years, Rahaim has faced intensifying arguments over the direction of development in the city and various housing policies. Over the last year tensions have flared at planning commission meetings over how to rein in home-sharing sites, block market-rate housing in the Mission, and most recently, rezone various neighborhoods to allow for denser developments in exchange for more affordable housing.

Fears that the city’s gay Castro district is losing its LGBT residents have also grown stronger since Rahaim was hired. At times he has been asked what the planning department can do to stop the gayborhood from becoming “too straight.”

The answer, said Rahaim, is there isn’t much the department can do, in terms of zoning policies, to prevent that from happening.

“To be honest it is hard for me to know, from a land use stance per se, what we should be or could be doing different,” said Rahaim. “It would be interesting to know from the gay community’s standpoint if there are things ... To be honest, perhaps to my own detriment, I haven’t engaged the LGBT community at a political level as much.”

He did point to the LGBT senior housing development now under construction at 55 Laguna Street as well as the streetscape revamp of Castro Street in 2014 as two projects he and his department were proud to work on. The sidewalk widening project, in particular, Rahaim feels turned out great.

As for the various in-fill developments on upper Market Street that have added housing over ground floor retail, Rahaim

February 18-24, 2016 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 9

covered under Medicare and prescribed HIV therapies will not need to do anything differently – the change will happen automatically,” Nelson said.

The development means that Kaiser no longer has any HIV drugs on specialty tiers for California members.

Nelson wouldn’t say whether a vote had been taken or what the tally had been, but he said, “The discussion was thoughtful, robust, and patient-centered.

“We here at Kaiser Permanente are extremely concerned about the ever-increasing drug prices being charged by the pharmaceutical industry,” Nelson said. “We are exploring several different ways to manage these costs for our patients

and purchasers. However, managing pharmaceutical costs is becoming an increasingly difficulty challenge.”

Beginning in January 2015, Kaiser added the specialty tier to its commercial small group and individual plans, and all high-priced HIV drugs and other specialty medications within those plans were put on that tier.

The Bay Area Reporter’s coverage of the change brought criticism to Kaiser, and last February the company took the drugs off the specialty tier for members of small group and individual plans.

High-priced HIV medications and other specialty drugs had been in the specialty tier for Medicare members “for several years,” Nelson’s said.

Out of the more than 11,300

patients with HIV prescriptions in 2015, only “about 1,500,” or 13.3 percent, are on Medicare plans in northern California, Nelson said in December.

One patient, who didn’t want his name published, recently shared with the B.A.R. a receipt showing that

he’d paid more than $1,800 for 90 days worth of Reyataz, an HIV drug.

He attributed the cost to Medicare’s infamous “donut hole,” or coverage gap. But even if he hadn’t been in that gap, his coinsurance still would have cost about $1,000. Kaiser’s retail price for the drug was almost $4,100.

Before HIV drugs were taken off the Medicare specialty tier, Nelson said that for those on Medicare, it wasn’t accurate “to say that all patients pay more because a drug is in the specialty tier, compared to the brand tier.”

He also encouraged the B.A.R. to look at other companies’ pricing, saying, “It will be very interesting to see if you find other health plans which are changing their Medicare formularies to move HIV drugs off the specialty tier.”t

of an Eagle Scout because he was gay.

What really marked Scalia as antigay were his dissents to pro-LGBT decisions. They began in 1996 with his vigorous complaint in dissent to a 6-3 majority opinion in Romer v. Evans – a majority opinion that struck down a Colorado law that had barred any political subdivision in the state from prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation. Scalia derided the majority for saying the state law was driven by “animus.”

“Of course it is our moral heritage that one should not hate any human being or class of human beings,” wrote Scalia. But, he said, “one could consider certain conduct reprehensible – murder, for example, or polygamy, or cruelty to animals – and could exhibit even ‘animus’ toward such conduct. Surely that is the only sort of ‘animus’ at issue here: moral disapproval of homosexual conduct. ...”

In 2003, Scalia led the dissent

against a 6-3 majority in Lawrence v.

Texas, which had struck down state laws banning consensual intimate relations between adult persons of the same gender. Scalia said the Texas law, which made it a felony for two adults of the same sex to engage in sexual relations in the privacy of their bedroom, simply sought “to further the belief of its citizens that certain forms of sexual behavior are ‘immoral and unacceptable.’” Other such behaviors, he said, included “fornication, bigamy, adultery, adult incest, bestiality, and obscenity.”

Almost 10 years later, in response to a question at an appearance before an audience at Princeton, Scalia suggested he made such extreme comparisons because they were “effective.”

“I don’t apologize for the things I raised. I’m not comparing homosexuality to murder. I’m comparing the principle that a society may not adopt moral sanctions, moral views, against certain conduct – I’m comparing

that with respect to murder and that with respect to homosexuality.”

And Scalia led the dissent in other major LGBT-related cases before the Supreme Court: U.S. v. Windsor, which in 2013 struck down a key provision of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (“... even setting aside traditional moral disapproval of same-sex marriage (or indeed same-sex sex), there are many perfectly valid – indeed, downright boring – justifying rationales for this legislation.”)

In the most recent LGBT case, Obergefell v. Hodges last year, Scalia led the dissent once again, saying he thought the national public debate over marriage for same-sex couples was “American democracy at its best.”

Because Scalia was in dissent on landmark LGBT decisions in recent years, his hostility to LGBT people was held in check to some extent.

But he was still seen by LGBT legal activists as an unapologetic rabblerouser for lower court judges and right-wing political figures who

shared his disdain for LGBT people.

“His opinions about LGBT people were particularly harsh, and he wrote about them in openly disparaging terms that perpetuated the most damaging and vicious stereotypes,” said Shannon Minter, legal director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights.

“One that particularly stands out is his dissent in Lawrence, when he wrote that ‘Many Americans do not want persons who openly engage in homosexual conduct as partners in their business, as scoutmasters for their children, as teachers in their children’s schools, or as boarders in their home. They view this as protecting themselves and their families from a lifestyle that they believe to be immoral and destructive.’” “[B]y voicing such extreme views,” said Minter, Scalia “gave a stamp of legitimacy to anti-LGBT bias and other deeply reactionary positions and, in that way, pulled the court’s jurisprudence to the right.”t

admitted some have turned out better than others. Two he likes are the Icon building at 16th, Market and Noe, and 2175 Market Street by Forest City “I think it’s a mixed bag. A couple really disappointed that I thought would be better,” said Rahaim, declining to specify which projects he dislikes.

To critics of the buildings who would prefer seeing Victorian-like structures, Rahaim’s response is that developers should be constructing modern architecture and not copies of housing from a bygone era.

“We should build buildings of our time. I do believe it is important we don’t create false historicism,” he said. “It is also true that these buildings need to be part of their context. They need to be complex and have shadow and light.”

And Rahaim is dismissive of architects who complain the city’s design guidelines hamper their creativity.

“My response is nonsense. We have some great buildings out there,” he said. “The designs of what is being built today is far superior to what was being built 20, 30 years ago in the city. I think we need to take credit for that.”

are letting this happen.”

In terms of the affordable housing density program, debate over which has boiled for months and will again go before the planning commission later this month, Rahaim acknowledged the department misjudged public sentiment about the program.

“In such processes, like the density program discussed last night, I think we could have done a better job upfront in engaging the neighborhoods on that,” said Rahaim, who spoke with the B.A.R. Friday, January 29, a day after a heated, nearly six-hour planning commission hearing about the proposal. “We did not anticipate the amount of interest there is. That might have been naiveté on our part, but that is just a fact.”

He rejected, however, a suggestion that his department faces public mistrust surrounding the work that it does.

“The other factor, I have always been a little sensitive about, I think sometimes the word trust is used as a buzzword for disagreement.

In other words it is not necessarily they don’t trust us, it is they disagree with us,” Rahaim said. “There is fundamental disagreement with what we do.”

A main point of divergence is Rahaim’s steadfast stance that the city can’t address skyrocketing housing costs by blocking new development.

“It has been my philosophy, and the department’s point of view, for a while that we need to accept some level of growth. Growth is coming to the city and this region, and we need to plan for it and allow in a certain level of growth,” said Rahaim. “And there are a certain number of folks who fundamentally disagree with that. They don’t want more development. They don’t want more market-rate housing. They

don’t want more growth ever.”

Queer housing rights activist Tommi Avicolli Mecca told the B.A.R. that when the community feels it is not being heard by the planning department, then the only recourse it has is to show up in force at planning commission meetings to voice concerns. He pointed to how Mission district residents have had to rally at City Hall several times over the last year as one example.

“For years, the Mission fought to have more input on important issues affecting tenants and workingclass families, such as what gets constructed in the neighborhood and how that impacts rents, gentrification and displacement of tenants and families and small businesses,” Avicolli Mecca, the director of counseling programs at the Housing Rights Committee of SF, wrote in an email. “One thousand people from the Mission went to City Hall last May to demand 100 percent affordable housing for the Mission and then 800 returned to City Hall in June to demand a moratorium on market-rate housing. That caught the attention of City Hall. And it has resulted in some small concessions to the neighborhood. It’s not enough, but it’s more than the neighborhood was getting.”

He added that the planning department has been reaching out more to residents but could do a better job of gathering community input as it develops policies such as the affordable housing density proposal.

“I think the relationship of neighborhoods and communities to planning and its staff is a work in progress. They’re listening to us more. They’re understanding that the community needs to be involved in issues, but they don’t always involve us until after they formulate plans, such with the density bonus

program,” wrote Avicolli Mecca. “By the time we heard about it, planning had already formulated the plan, and we had no choice but to make an issue of our concerns at the planning commission.”

In response to public opposition to the plan, Avicolli Mecca said planning staff offered to meet with housing activists to hear their concerns. Something, he argued, it should have done early on.

“I feel that planning should be meeting with the community before finalizing its plans. They should understand that we know what benefits our communities,” he wrote.

“Planning should be a community process, the community should be involved from the ground up.”

Developers versus residents

Another complaint often voiced during planning policy debates is that the planning department listens more to developers than residents.

Rahaim, while accepting partial responsibility for the concern, said public anger over planning decisions comes with the job.

“Some of it, I think, we are responsible for and some of it is the system, which is true not only here but in many cities,” he said. “We are the entity that they can point to to say you are causing change in our neighborhoods. Neighborhoods are changing, development is happening, and you

Kaiser has removed HIV drugs from its Medicare specialty tier.

High marks

Gay District 8 Supervisor Scott Wiener, who at times has disagreed with the planning department on zoning decisions in his district, gave Rahaim and his staff high marks.

“He is a very smart and diligent planning director,” said Wiener. “I think John and his department are very focused on our housing needs and do a lot of proactive work around it.”

At the same time, Wiener said the planning department does not bear sole responsibility for ensuring current San Francisco residents are not priced out of the city.

“It is not just the planning department’s job to deal with it. It is also up to the mayor, the Board of Supervisors, and the mayor’s office of housing,” said Wiener. “We all have a joint responsibility. The planning department can’t solve the housing crisis on its own.”

Gay Planning Commissioner Dennis Richards, who was elected last month as the oversight body’s vice president, expressed great admiration for Rahaim and the job he is doing.

See page 10 >>

Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

10 • BAY AREA REPORTER • February 18-24, 2016

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Planning director

From page 9

Prior to being appointed to the commission in 2014, Richards often met with planning staff to discuss various zoning and housing issues as the former president of the Duboce Triangle Neighborhood Association.

“I have intense respect for him and a great working relationship with him. I really look forward to working with him this year,” said Richards. “He gets it, he knows the issues ... he is the right guy for the right time.”

And Richards added, “The nice thing is he admits when maybe they have a misfire.”

In terms of the rapid rise in housing costs, Richards said the issue blindsided not just the planning department.

“I think he will admit, as the rest of us will, the whole acceleration in the real estate market came so fast and furiously, it caught many of us, myself included, a little bit off guard,” he said. “We have 1,000 more people per month moving into the city than we have places for them to live. You start adding up displacement, lack of affordability, and the lack of creating of new units, it really has been a perfect storm.”

Rahaim said, “nobody anticipated the pace of change in recent years” that resulted from both millennials being drawn to the city by the tech sector and baby boomers wanting to leave the suburbs for urban living.

“That has created huge consternation in places like the Mission,” he noted.

Addressing the city’s housing needs will not be solved overnight,

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News Briefs

From page 2

such as supporting beneficiary, beverage partner, and national community grants. Each category has its own qualifications, including, but not limited to, volunteer recruitment. Supporting beneficiaries can come from anywhere in California. Beverage partners, for which there is no geographic restriction, and the national grants are done under separate applications.

There are several parties and street fairs under Folsom Street Events’ umbrella from which beneficiaries receive funds. For 2016 these include Hog Wild, Bay of Pigs, Up Your Alley, LeatherWalk, Magnitude, Folsom Street Fair, and the Deviants Adult Arcade.

For those interested in learning more about this year’s changes, a beneficiary information session will be held Tuesday, March 1 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at Folsom Street Events’ new offices, 293 8th Street.

People should RSVP at Demetri@ folsomstreetevents.org.

Beneficiary applications are due by noon Friday, April 1. For more information, visit http:// w w w. f o l s o m s t re e te ve n t s . o r g / beneficiaries/.

SJ rainbow crosswalk planned

The Billy DeFrank LGBT Community Center in San Jose has announced a tentative date for the ribbon cutting for a rainbow crosswalk Sunday, February 21 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The city’s Department of Transportation is expected to install the crosswalk February 19, weather permitting. The crosswalk is near the center, 938 The Alameda. For updated information, check out the “Billy DeFrank LGBTQ Community Center” on Facebook.

Queer-taught voice classes available

Queer-taught and queerfriendly voice classes will be held starting Monday, February 22 and

cautioned Rahaim, and requires a multi-faceted approach not just at the city level but region-wide.

“Absolutely it is the most important issue of our time and likely will be for quite some time,” he said. “The bonus program is one tool in the toolbox and a tool we are trying to grow. We have a number of tools to grow affordable housing but we don’t have enough.”

Communities around the Bay Area need to be building more housing, added Rahaim.

“Some smaller communities on the Peninsula have not stepped up and built their fair share of housing.

I have been very vocal lately on this,” he said. “It needs to be dealt with regionally. The mayor has also been very vocal about this and has formed a partnership with his counterparts in Oakland and San Jose to address it. I think more and more people are understanding that.”

Among his proudest achievements since taking on the job, Rahaim said, has been “substantially” increasing the professionalism and integrity of the department’s staff and shepherding to adoption various neighborhoodbased rezoning, such as the Market and Octavia Neighborhood Plan.

A major priority for Rahaim is fulfilling the promise, forever immortalized in song, that “San Francisco, open your golden gate / You let no stranger wait outside your door.”

“One reason why the gay community is so important here, we always felt welcome here,” said Rahaim. “What I worry about with the cost of housing is we are losing the ability to welcome anyone. I do believe that is extremely important.”t continuing through April 11.

Jennifer Cleary, of ExploreVoice Studios, said that during the eightweek class students will learn the foundations of singing, including warming up your voice, proper breath support, pitch, and range.

There is no experience necessary and the class is ideal for beginner to intermediate singers.

Tuition is $325, although there are some sliding scale slots available.

Classes take place from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Music City Rehearsals, 1353 Bush Street, in San Francisco. For more information or to sign up visit http://www.explorevoice.com.

Book looks at NYT’s early AIDS reporting

Author Samuel G. Freedman will be in Berkeley next week to talk about his new book, Dying Words: The AIDS Reporting of Jeff Schmalz and How it Transformed the New York Times.

Freedman will appear Wednesday, February 24 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, North Gate Hall Library. The program is free and open to the public.

Dying Words was published December 1, timed with World AIDS Day. The multimedia project is an audio documentary with a companion book about Schmalz, a journalist who covered the AIDS epidemic as he was dying of the disease.

Schmalz’s work is credited with changing the Times’ coverage of gay issues. The paper today – which publishes same-sex wedding announcements and regularly covers LGBT issues – is the fruition of changes that Schmalz helped set into motion. Now, 22 years after he died at age 39, his contributions have been largely forgotten, according to a news release.

Freedman is a columnist for the Times and a professor at Columbia University.

Next week’s event is part of a series sponsored by Kaiser Permanente and co-sponsored by the School of Public Health at UC Berkeley.t

t

Legal Notices>> FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036856000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: REGINALD LYN WISE, 2965 HARRISON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed REGINALD LYN WISE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/24/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/29/15.

JAN 28, FEB 04, 11, 18, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036906100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NIDO AGUILA SAN FRANCISCO, 1189 GENEVA AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SULMA GARCIA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/27/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/27/16.

JAN 28, FEB 04, 11, 18, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036894800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BAKER DESIGNS, 850 6TH AVE #A, OAKLAND, CA 94606. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ALYSSA BAKER. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/18/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/20/16.

JAN 28, FEB 04, 11, 18, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036856600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: OLIVE CATERING, 1668 BUSH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed NOUREDINE HADDADENE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/29/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/29/15.

JAN 28, FEB 04, 11, 18, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036896400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: KTIM LOVE, 164 KERWIN AVE, OAKLAND, CA 94603. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed CHAO QIANG LIN. 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 01/21/16.

JAN 28, FEB 04, 11, 18, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036891400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LUCID SGR, 260 BUCKINGHAM WAY #303, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94132. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SEBASTIAN GUSTAVO REYES. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/05/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/19/16.

JAN 28, FEB 04, 11, 18, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036897300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: KRISPY KRUNCHY CHICKEN, 4517 3RD ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MUSLEH ALOUDI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/21/16.

JAN 28, FEB 04, 11, 18, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036896300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GOLDEN HEALER HONEY ALLA’S APIARY, 68 MEADOWBROOK DR, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94132. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ALLA GRANKINA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/21/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/21/16.

JAN 28, FEB 04, 11, 18, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036872400

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036885500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BLAZING SADDLES BIKE RENTAL AND TOURS, 721 BEACH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109.

This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed AMERICAN SCOOTER AND CYCLE RENTAL INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/14/16.

The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/14/16.

JAN 28, FEB 04, 11, 18, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036875500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SURISAN, 505 BEACH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed JKC FINE DINING 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 01/11/16.

JAN 28, FEB 04, 11, 18, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036903200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: COMPOSITION DESIGN, 1900 EDDY ST #18, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SCOTT MICHAEL UPPER. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/25/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/26/16.

FEBRUARY 04, 11, 18, 25, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036868400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BAYSIDE BARK, 2041 26TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed HANNAH ST MARTIN. 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 01/06/16.

FEBRUARY 04, 11, 18, 25, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036909100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PICSTAR, 50 GOLDEN GATE AVE #524, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed CAREY LEO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/29/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/27/16.

FEBRUARY 04, 11, 18, 25, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036903900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NORTH BEACH PIZZA, 4787 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed PROKOPOS LLC (CA). 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 01/26/16.

FEBRUARY 04, 11, 18, 25, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036899600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: VERVE WELLNESS STUDIO, 1231 CORTLAND AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed KINSELLA WELLNESS CHIROPRACTIC INC, (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/26/10. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/22/16.

FEBRUARY 04, 11, 18, 25, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036907400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BIKE AND ROLL BIKE RENTALS AND TOURS, 2800 LEAVENWORTH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133.

This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed AMERICAN SCOOTER & CYCLE RENTAL (CA). 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 01/27/16.

FEBRUARY 04, 11, 18, 25, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036907500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PETE’S PLUMBING SERVICE, 1238D NORTHPOINT DR, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94130.

This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed CHARLES PAUL SKINNER. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/08/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/08/16.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BIKE AND ROLL BIKE RENTALS AND TOURS, PIER 43.5, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed AMERICAN SCOOTER & CYCLE RENTALS (CA). 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 01/27/16.

JAN 28, FEB 04, 11, 18, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036885400

FEBRUARY 04, 11, 18, 25, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036907700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BLAZING SADDLES BIKE RENTAL, 721 BEACH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed AMERICAN SCOOTER AND CYCLE RENTAL INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/14/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/14/16.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BIKE AND ROLL BIKE RENTALS AND TOURS, 520 BEACH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133.

This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed AMERICAN SCOOTER AND CYCLE RENTAL (CA). 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 01/27/16.

JAN 28, FEB 04, 11, 18, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036886200

FEBRUARY 04, 11, 18, 25, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036907800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BLAZING SADDLES BIKE RENTAL AND TOURS, 721 BEACH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109.

This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed AMERICAN SCOOTER AND CYCLE RENTAL (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/14/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/14/16.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BIKE AND ROLL BIKE RENTALS AND TOURS, 5 EMBARCADERO CTR, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed AMERICAN SCOOTER & CYCLE RENTALS (CA). 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 01/27/16.

JAN 28, FEB 04, 11, 18, 2016

FEBRUARY 04, 11, 18, 25, 2016

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINSTER ESTATE OF ANDREW EMILE VUCKOVICH IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO: FILE PES-16-299469

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of Andrew Emile Vuckovich aka Andrew Vuckovich.

A Petition for Probate has been filed by Larry Milutin Vuckovich in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco. The Petition for Probate requests that Larry Milutin Vuckovich be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. The petition requests the decedent’s will and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The will and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court. The petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority. A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: February 24, 2016, 9:00 am, Rm. 204, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. If you object to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney. If you are a creditor or contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined by section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code.

Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law. You may examine the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk. Attorney for petitioner: Larry Milutin Vuckovich, 913 Champagne South, Calistoga, CA, 94515; Ph. (707) 942-9007.

FEBRUARY 04, 11, 18, 2016 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-16-551846

In the matter of the application of: MARLEEN SCHRODER HERSCHEND, 37 CLIPPER ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner MARLEEN SCHRODER HERSCHEND, is requesting that the name MARLEEN SCHRODER HERSCHEND aka MARLEEN ROSE SCHRODER aka MARLEEN SCHRODER, be changed to MARLEEN ROSE SCHRODER. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514 on the 7th of April 2016 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

FEBRUARY 04, 11, 18, 25, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036907900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BIKE AND ROLL BIKE RENTALS AND TOURS, 899 COLUMBUS AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133.

This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed AMERICAN SCOOTER & CYCLE RENTALS (CA). 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 01/27/16.

FEBRUARY 04, 11, 18, 25, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036915100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CABLE CAR CAKES AND CHOCOLATES, 39 TAYLOR ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102.

This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed CABLE CAR CAKES AND CHOCOLATES, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/01/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/01/16.

FEBRUARY 04, 11, 18, 25, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036904500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GOLDEN BAY MOVERS; GOLDEN BAY MOVING COMPANY, 1160 MISSION ST #1914, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed GOLDEN BAY RELOCATION LLC (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 01/26/16.

FEBRUARY 04, 11, 18, 25, 2016 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-030723200 The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: SCARLETT’S JANITORIAL SERVICES, 1515 BRODERICK ST #341, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business was conducted by an individual and signed by SCARLETT TOLEDO. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/13/07.

FEBRUARY 04, 11, 18, 25, 2016

▼

Read more online at www.ebar.com

Legal Notices>> STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-034178300

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: GOLDEN BAY RELOCATION, 1160 MISSION ST #1914, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business was conducted by an individual and signed by FERNANDO BEGLIOMINI. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/05/12.

FEBRUARY 04, 11, 18, 25, 2016 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-036749600

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: JOHANNA’S HOUSE CLEANING, 162 EDINBURGH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business was conducted by a general partnership and signed by HAROLD MARTINEZ & ADDONIS MARTINEZ. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/28/15.

FEBRUARY 04, 11, 18, 25, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036928400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: KICKLINE PRODUCTIONS, 2658 17TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JENNIFER T. ROST. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/08/16.

The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/08/16.

FEB 11, 18, 25, MAR 03, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036927900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: M. BENTON & CO., 31 THERESA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ELISAVETTA ILYIN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/08/16.

The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/08/16.

FEB 11, 18, 25, MAR 03, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036902600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SF KEBAB, 550 16TH ST #1660, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed TEKIN FOOD & BEVERAGE 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 01/25/16.

FEB 11, 18, 25, MAR 03, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036915200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MEE, 1737 POST ST #330, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed PERFECT LADY COSMETIC & FASHION (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/01/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/01/16.

FEB 11, 18, 25, MAR 03, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036912600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: 450-452 34TH AVE HOA, 450 34TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by an unincorporated association other than a partnership, and is signed JEFFREY MICHAEL RAYMOND, CHARLES DAMIAN SHIELDS & HEATHER WARM. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/29/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/29/16.

FEB 11, 18, 25, MAR 03, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036919900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: JACKRABBIT, 302 BRODERICK ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed BOUNTIFUL FOODS LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/03/16.

FEB 11, 18, 25, MAR 03, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036890300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PANERA BREAD, 2675 GEARY BLVD, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed PAN NORCAL LLC, (DE). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/07/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/19/16.

FEB 11, 18, 25, MAR 03, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036930000

February 18-24, 2016 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 11

Classifieds The

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINSTER ESTATE OF CHI CHIANG LI IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO: FILE PES-16-299501

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of Chi Chiang Li. A Petition for Probate has been filed

by Junji Suzuki in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco. The Petition for Probate requests that Junji Suzuki be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. The petition requests the decedent’s will and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The will and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court. The petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority. A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: March 09, 2016, 9:00 am, Dept. 204, Rm. 204, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. If you object to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney. If you are a creditor or contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined by section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law. You may examine the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk. Attorney for petitioner: Mr. Edward S. Miyauchi (SBN 230553), Marshall Suzuki Law Group LLP, 150 Spear St #725, San Francisco, CA 94105; Ph. (415) 618-0090

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FEB 18, 25, MAR 03, 10, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036924900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MAKE IT MARIKO, 740 ANZA ST #2, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed GINA MARIKO ALINEA ROSALES. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/30/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/05/16.

FEB 18, 25, MAR 03, 10, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036934700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LAUREN RAUCH CONSULTING, 90 CASTRO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LAUREN RAUCH. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/11/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/11/16.

FEB 18, 25, MAR 03, 10, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036938900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: KATY & COMPANY, 302 PRECITA AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed KATY STEADMAN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/12/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/12/16.

FEB 18, 25, MAR 03, 10, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036937400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PARKSIDE MAILBOXES, 945 TARAVAL ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed PARKSIDE MAILBOXES LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/09/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/09/16.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NU SWIM, 619A EUGENIA AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed GINA T. ESPOSITO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/25/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/12/16.

FEB 11, 18, 25, MAR 03, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036930100

FEB 18, 25, MAR 03, 10, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036922500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SAY YA PHOTOBOOTH, 945 TARAVAL ST #281, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed SAY YA PHOTOBOOTH, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/09/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/09/16.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: AMORE HAIR SALON, 1690 VALENCIA ST #A, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ALICIA ARICELA ORELLANA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/04/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/04/16.

FEB 11, 18, 25, MAR 03, 2016

FEB 18, 25, MAR 03, 10, 2016

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FEB 18, 25, MAR 03, 2016 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-16-551878

In the matter of the application of: NICOLLE ELIZABETH MATTHEWS, 2125 BRYANT ST #110, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner NICOLLE ELIZABETH MATTHEWS, is requesting that the name NICOLLE ELIZABETH MATTHEWS, be changed to NICOLLE BUNNY ROSENBERG. 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 7th of April 2016 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

Legal Services>>

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ebar.com Legal Notices>> FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036911400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ECO-GREEN OFFICE & IT PRODUCTS, 649 MISSION ST 5TH FLOOR, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LAI YUNG LEE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/28/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/28/16.

Household Services>> CLEANING PROFESSIONAL –

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Many original clients. All supplies.

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FEB 18, 25, MAR 03, 10, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036894000

Kitchen & Bath, Polish, Wash & Iron.

Call Jose 415-571-5747

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HILARY CHARLOTTE PHOTOGRAPHY, 431 ASHBURY ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117.

This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed HILARY KNIGHT. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above PHONE 415.861.5019 FAX 861-8144 PHONE 415.861.5019 FAX 861-8144 listed fictitious business name or names on 01/13/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/20/16.

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FEB 18, 25, MAR 03, 10, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036926300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MIKE’S CONCRETE PUMP, 815 MOUNT VERNON AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MICHAEL MAC. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/05/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/05/16.

FEB 18, 25, MAR 03, 10, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036930200

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Chef's choice

19

Very British

18

Out &About

Imelda's world

15

O&A

15

Vol. 46 • No. 7 • February 18-24, 2016

www.ebar.com/arts

Ancestors’ curse

Kenneth Kellogg as Emile Griffith in Terence Blanchard’s Champion: An Opera in Jazz, coming to SFJAZZ.

Samuel Rabinowitz as Robin Oakapple (double cast with Samuel Faustine) in Lamplighters’ Ruddygore, or, The Witch’s Curse.

by Philip Campbell

E

Gay boxer’s redemption

ven the most steadfast Gilbert and Sullivan fan will have to admit Ruddygore, or, The Witch’s Curse, the 10th collaboration in the partnership’s beloved canon, falls pretty low in the popularity polls.

Leave it to Lamplighters Music Theatre to rehabilitate an obscure gem. The internationally recognized San Francisco-based troupe has revived the undervalued comic opera with characteristic skill and high artistic standards. Their winter production opened at the Lesher Center in Walnut Creek last week and proved there’s still some life in the old show yet.

E

by David-Elijah Nahmod

mile Griffith (1938-2013) isn’t a particularly well-known name to the general public, but the late boxer had an extraordinary tale to tell.

See page 16 >>

See page 14 >> David Allen

Steve DiBartolomeo

Adoption rites

by Richard Dodds

T

anya Barfield is often asked if her plays are autobiographical. “That assumption is reductive,” she said, despite situations that have, at least apparently, parallels to her life.

“Maybe it’s odd that I’m surprised that I get this reaction,” Barfield said, recalling a solo show in which one of the characters she created is named Danny Chew, and to whom the primary character is unkind. “Someone came up to me and said, ‘I want to go find Danny Chew,’ and I said, ‘What are you talking about? There is no Danny Chew.’ They felt betrayed.”

See page 17 >>

Melissa Keith, left, and Hawlan Ng show a picture of their potential adopted child to Nkechi Emeruwa, as one of the couple’s best friends in Tanya Barfield’s The Call presented by Theatre Rhino.

David Wilson

{ SECOND OF THREE SECTIONS }

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P W O N

NG I Y A

“GLORIOUS. BLUESY. MYTHICAL!” Mail Tribune, Ashland, Oregon

ACT-SF.ORG | 415.749.2228

A.C.T.’S STRAND THEATER

<< Out There

14 • BAY AREA REPORTER • February 18-24, 2016

Vanished worlds

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ne of the highlights of last week for Out There was attending the Circle of Friends opening celebration for the exhibition Roman Vishniac Rediscovered at the Contemporary Jewish Museum San Francisco. In remarks, CJM executive director Lori Starr and exhibition curator Maya Benton made a compelling case for the importance of this exhibit, organized by the International Center of Photography, New York.

Vishniac (1897-1990) recorded Jewish life in Eastern Europe between the World Wars, going on to have an international career of commercial and fine arts photography. This show includes newly discovered works of his that go well beyond social record. But it’s his documentation of the exterminated societies of old-world Jewish community life that will live on in importance, as it offers crucial glimpses of the vanished 20th century. What a different world it would be today if not for the virulence of European anti-Semitism. Watch for a review of the exhibit in next week’s Arts & Culture.

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You know, in all the years we’ve been attending performances at Feinstein’s at the Nikko, it’s surprising that we’d never been to dinner at Anzu Restaurant & Bar in the stylish Japanese hotel. That all changed when we were invited to sample executive chef Michael Raub’s offerings at the dining establishment last week. We settled cozily into a corner banquette one night last week after our rounds at the CJM. Our four-course dinner at Anzu began with an amuse-bouche of spicy tuna poke, the delectable fish nestled with avocado, shallot and tomato in a sesame cone, paired with a Sonoma Piper Blanc de Blancs. This was followed by a baby kale Caesar salad washed down with Hall Sauvignon Blanc. Then Pepi dove into the macadamia nutcrusted King Salmon, while OT enjoyed the butternut squash cavatelli with a nice Chianti. Dessert was a sweet ginger panna cotta with fresh

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“David Eckstein, seven years old, and classmates in cheder [Jewish elementary school], Brod” (ca. 1938), gelatin silver print by Roman Vishniac.

berries, lavender mint and plantain chip, paired with Orange Muscat.

This delectable feast is a real menu bargain at $41 per diner, or $65 paired with the wines, definitely worth considering if you find yourself in the theatre district. Safe to say we’re strangers no more to Anzu.

City life

Crossed the street in Civic Cen-

ter the other day, and a driver in a left-turning SUV tried to cut us off, nearly running us over in his zeal to clear the intersection. “Hey! This is a crosswalk, not a freeway!” we’re afraid we fairly shouted into his windshield.

There was a crowd of onlookers on the far corner waiting to cross, and as we made curbside they began to cheer. “Hey, Crosswalk Guy!” “Give him hell, Crosswalk Guy!” And just like that, we were a meme. Kinda like Pizza Rat, but with an edge.t

Courtesy Anzu

Scene at Anzu Restaurant & Bar in the Hotel Nikko.

<<

Ruddygore

From page 13

After the smash success of The Mikado, the popular duo’s next operetta faced some daunting odds, and the original production was only a qualified success. Musing on the new project, W.S. Gilbert had less of an ax to grind. His biting satirical wit wasn’t focused so much on British class distinctions or politics. Not while his mega-hit still played to packed houses at the Savoy. Sir Arthur Sullivan (knighted four years earlier) was aching to advance his more serious musical ambitions.

After the pair settled their customary artistic wrangling, they decided on a send-up of Victorian melodrama, complete with a hateful hex, hidden identities, jilted and abducted maidens, ghosts, and some typically topsy-turvy moral dilemmas. The crafty Lamplighters cannot overcome some dull spots in the long first act, but there is cumulative appreciation of the convoluted plot as it develops. The shorter second half speeds by once the wordy exposition and comic set-ups are in place.

Restoring historical cuts and recreating the original dialogue (including reverting to the first spelling of the title, after prudish Victorians

David Allen

Deborah Rosengaus as Mad Margaret (double cast with Jennifer Ashworth) in Lamplighters’ Ruddygore, or, The Witch’s Curse.

insisted it change to the less objectionable Ruddigore) may cheer faithful Savoyards (G&S devotees/ purists), but it also slows the action. Don’t expect the light concision of H.M.S. Pinafore or Pirates of Penzance. The story of accursed baronet Sir Ruthven Murgatroyd (disguised as bashful farmer Robin Oakapple) attempting to escape his doom in a sleepy Cornish village unfolds with preposterous but See page 15 >>

t

Theatre>>

February 18-24, 2016 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 15

Imelda Marcos gets her groove on

by Richard Dodds

L

ife is a messy business, and the more you try to control it, the messier it gets. It’s like trying to grab a fistful of Jell-O; the harder you squeeze, the more goop squeezes through your fingers. In the Philippines near the beginning of the end of the Marcos reign, the social Jell-O came loaded with rhinestones, and the squeeze was on. Some people wanted a share of the shiny stuff, and others saw that it was faux gems being pawned off. And there were those who had access to real national treasures, and there the grip was solid for more than 20 years.

Dogeaters, adapted by Jessica Hagedorn from her epic novel, is a suitably messy affair. With 36 characters populating almost as many scenes, the play is a crosscut collection of lives during the go-go days as Ferdinand Marcos is punishing opposition and Imelda Marcos felt she was helping the people by bringing some glamor into their lives. From the seemingly apolitical drag queens lip-syncing in a disco dive to the revolutionaries hidden in the hills around Manila, many lives find various ways to intersect during an international film festival that Imelda Marcos ex-

pects will soon eclipse Cannes.

Oh, the humanity, but first, oh, the celebrities. George Hamilton, Pia Zadora, Brooke Shields, and Linda Blair have been spotted at what is commonly known as “Imelda’s film festival.” Ubiquitous TV personalities Nestor and Barbara (the always-smiling Melvign Badiola and Esperanza Catubig) provide a running commentary on the action. “So many stories! A vaudeville of doomed love, shameless desire, dreams, and longing,” says Nestor at the start of the play.

The duo can help provide the audiences with some sense of locale, and the titles of each scene projected on the Magic Theatre’s back wall can also add needed signposts (although they can be made cryptic by the space’s pillars, which obscure letters and words from certain vantages). That the actors appear as numerous characters further diminishes identifying characteristics and an overall clarity. It’s just too much work to follow along in any traditional sense, if possible at all, and it’s probably best to just grab what information you can on the fly.

Director Loretta Greco’s production is impressive in its sprawling ambition, and individual scenes can land both emotional and comic

Jennifer Reiley

In Dogeaters at the Magic Theatre, Imelda Marcos (Beverly Sotelo) grants an interview to an American journalist (Lawrence Radecker) in this adaptation of Jessica Hagedorn’s novel set in 1980s Manila.

punches. The boxing analogy may be apt, for while the front rows of the three audience sections are set up with cabaret tables, it can feel more like we’re spectators at a boxing match. Unfortunately, the configuration creates serious problems with sightlines for anyone who is only two or three rows back from the cabaret-type tables and chairs, and there are craning necks

straining to see what’s taking place at points closer to the floor. And somehow Greco manages to place actors behind those aforementioned pillars even when they are speaking.

Among the characters and storylines are an inconveniently political young woman just crowned Miss Philippines (Christine Jamlig), who is also the daughter of a reformist senator (Ogie Zuleta), who, much

like Benigno Aquino, is assassinated.

The sole witness is a deejay/rent boy (Rafael Jordan) who hangs out at a disco operated by a glitzy drag queen (Jamar Tagatac), and where the hustler hooks up with German director Rainer Fassbinder (Lawrence Radecker), in Manila for Imelda’s film festival. And of course, there is Imelda Marcos (Beverly Sotelo), whose glamor-obsessed musings can’t accommodate any mundane realities. An ex-pat (Rinabeth Apostol) returning after 14 years for her grandmother’s funeral provides a framing device and bemusement at the rush to mimic Western opulence in her much-changed homeland.

This is but a sliver from the list of characters, whom Hagedorn has speaking in English (mainly), Spanish, and Tagalog, at times even within just one sentence. That’s one more challenge in this difficult and admirable undertaking. In the end, it’s best to just let the play wash over you.

The less you worry about the small stuff, the more the big picture will emerge.t Dogeaters will run at the Magic Theatre through Feb. 28. Tickets are $35-$75. Call (415) 441-8822 or go to magictheatre.org.

Death visits the dining room

by Richard Dodds

I

n this world, according to Benjamin Franklin, nothing can be said to be certain except for death and taxes. And sometimes an eggplant.

A fancier name for eggplant is aubergine, and that is also the title of Julia Cho’s lovely new play having its world premiere at Berkeley Rep’s refurbished thrust stage now known as Peet’s Theatre.

While eggplants could even get featured billing in the program, Aubergine uses the fleshy fruit as a kind of symbol for how food and its tastes help define everything from families to huge swathes of society. When

<<

Ruddygore

From page 14

classic Gilbertian nuttiness. The hamlet’s chorus of professional bridesmaids bewails a long dry spell waiting on poor but virtuous maiden Rose Maybud to choose a mate.

She can’t make a move without consulting her primer on proper ladies’ etiquette, so it looks like they’re in for a long wait.

Enter virile tar Richard Dauntless (Robin’s foster brother), who woos the lovely girl initially on his brother’s behalf. He soon selfishly follows his own heart and, after a winning hornpipe, proposes for himself. Rose accepts, but shortly reconsiders when Robin declares his own true feelings.

Sweet but indecisive, she continues to vacillate as the drama wears on.

Meanwhile, thinking his older brother Ruthven/Robin is dead, Sir Despard Murgatroyd has borne the hideous curse in his stead. He must commit at least one heinous crime a day or die. The witch, burned at the stake by his ancestor the first bar-

you’re a cook, a good cook, you have a transporting power that can rekindle memories that are decades old or send you to another continent. At least that’s the heightened sensory experiences that Cho visits in her play.

But not everyone is on the same frequency. Ray is an up-and-coming chef whose Korean-born father disapproves of this career choice and is satisfied serving a chicken dinner from a bucket. He is dying, a hospital bed set up in the dining room where he is receiving home hospice care from an unnaturally calm and prescient caregiver who offers up a homegrown eggplant as a gift to Ray, with Ray later return-

ing the favor with a meal made from hard-to-find Caribbean eggplants that conjures up for Lucien his own homeland.

The play approaches death with a gentle dignity, although rough emotions are still in play. At first she’s a complication and then a lifeline as Ray’s former girlfriend reluctantly returns to his life to serve as an interpreter between Ray and his Koreanspeaking uncle, long estranged from his brother, who arrives unannounced to say goodbye to the dying man. The atmosphere that Cho brings to the overall situation can be sad but never

onet, has so decreed. When Despard appears to fulfill some mandated mayhem, we finally know where the phrase “Heavens to Murgatroyd” came from.

Momentarily thwarted in his pursuit of Rose, the upset sailor peevishly spills the dirt on his brother, and the wicked baronet proceeds to switch places with his hapless sibling. He also rights a wrong he committed by reuniting with the maid he once unceremoniously dumped and drove crazy.

“Mad Margaret,” as she has come to be known (the split was tough on her), is unconvincingly nursed to sanity by marrying Despard. The oncenasty aristocrat has swapped the old curse for another.

Ancestral Murgatroyd ghosts are forced to descend from portraits in the family gallery to demand some action from the rightful heir to the curse. Woefully inadequate, after years in solitude, he has to consult a copy of Crime for Dummies to get ideas.

Enough is never enough for W.S. Gilbert, and you really have to be there, with a Monty Python taste for

absurdity, to follow the befuddling plot. Suffice it to say (and it’s not much of a spoiler), everything sort of works out in the end. Lovers are reunited, new romantic liaisons made, and the restless dead receive fresh vitality. All is right for the world as the Finale starts with, “When a man has been a naughty baronet.”

Getting to that point has been the dubious plan all along, and it offers an entertaining excuse for the expected cavalcade of delightful ditties, duets, patter songs and stirring choruses. Sullivan supplied some charming dance music, too, which the ensemble executes with stylish liveliness.

Stage director Jane Erwin Hammett moves the cast with clever touches, and the crowd scenes are well-detailed. Everyone moves confidently through the drolly appointed sets (the village Inn is signed “The Crashing Boar”).

Scenic designers Ric Tringali and Peter Crompton have recreated an earlier production and beautifully enlarged it for current theatrical

See page 20 >>

kevinberne.com

As a chef caring for his dying father, Tim Kang is doubtful about a recipe that calls for beheading a turtle provided by his Korean uncle for a supposedly healing soup, in Julia Cho’s new play Aubergine.

venues. Lighting by Jack Buettler is atmospheric, and the always-sumptuous costumes of Judy Jackson MacIlvaine are especially attractive.

Traditional with Lamplighters, leading roles are doubled, but it’s hard to imagine a more uniformly excellent team than the one on opening night. A return visit might be in order. The trio of principal males: Samuel Faustine as innocent Ruthven/Robin, Chris Uzelac as formerly evil Despard, and Robert Vann as salty sailor Richard fill their roles with strong, pleasing voices, and provoke plenty of laughter with expert comic timing.

Megan Fleischmann is the perfect G&S soprano, with a bright and pure tone, adorable looks and just enough flint to keep us from underestimating her personality.

As the 21st Baronet Sir Roderic, William Neely is imposing as he steps from his portrait to cajole his living relative into nefarious acts.

The ensemble with his fellow ghosts had me thinking of conspirational scenes in Verdi: similarly dark, but

in this case quite amusing.

Jennifer Ashworth goes gleefully over-the-top as the aptly named Mad Margaret. As soon as she enters with a butterfly net, thoroughly disheveled and looking like a cross between Lucia di Lammermoor and Miss Havisham, we know we’re in for a crazy ride. Whether plucking the wings off insects or casually munching on nosegays, Ashworth still manages to sing with warmth and accuracy.

In the almost non-singing part of Old Adam (Robin’s faithful servant), veteran Rick Williams shows the importance of tradition. One simply couldn’t imagine anyone else in the role.

The orchestra is conducted by Baker Peeples, and we know from the start of the Overture that his part of the tradition goes on.t Ruddygore opens in San Francisco at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Fri. Feb. 19-21, and continues in Mountain View, Feb. 27-28.

Tickets: lamplighters.org.

<< Music

16 • BAY AREA REPORTER • February 18-24, 2016

<<

t

Champion

From page 13

Griffith, a gay African American man, lived with regret for a half-century after he accidentally killed Benny “the Kid” Paret, a homophobic boxing opponent. Paret died as a result of injuries he received in the ring. Griffith’s tale is a reminder of how difficult it’s been for LGBT people of color over the years.

“I kill a man, and most people understand and forgive me,” Griffith said during his lifetime. “However, I love a man, and to so many people this is an unforgivable sin.”

On February 19, SFJAZZ, in collaboration with Opera Parallele, brings Terence Blanchard’s Champion: An Opera in Jazz to the stage. The production brings Griffith’s story to life. It will run through February 28.

“Griffith was very sensitive, very loving and gentle,” Nicole Paiement, conductor and artistic director for Opera Parallele, told the B.A.R. “We’re trying to bring out his personality – we often think of boxers as being rough-and-tumble.”

Paiement noted that Griffith was a trailblazer in that his homosexuality became known long before coming out was an option. In the sports world, she points out, things haven’t changed as much as they have elsewhere. “It’s still hard,” she said.

“It’s still front-page news. When

Ken Howard

Champion: An Opera in Jazz, performance photo from Opera St. Louis production.

Nitin Vadukul

NBA executive Rick Welts came out five years ago, it made the front page of The New York Times.”

Paiement said that a number of classical music styles would be heard in Champion, and that the show’s singers were definitely up to the challenge. “They sing in whatever form is needed,” she explained.

“They all have trained voices. They understand blues, Caribbean, and jazz. They have the capacity to use their instruments in the style that’s required for the specific moment

in the story. We use their voices to paint the story.”

The music will be equally varied.

“There will be a jazz trio, piano, base and drums, backed by a full orchestra,” Paiement said. “Terence Blanchard is a jazz composer, but he’s also written for orchestra.

I’m amazed by his ability to create melodies. He uses rhythm to convey the emotions of the music.”

Blanchard serves as Resident Artistic Director for SFJAZZ. Griffith’s story is indeed an

emotional roller coaster. He was wracked with guilt for decades after Paret’s death. Towards the end of his life, he met Paret’s son and was told that he was forgiven.

Paiement pointed out that choreographer Joe Orrach should be given credit for helping to create what promises to be a unique experience for audiences. Orrach’s varied resume includes acting, storytelling, tap dance, and boxing.

“It’s a rare occasion to see something that’s so different,” Paiement

Champion: An Opera in Jazz composer Terence Blanchard.

said. “Opera Parallele is a company that’s trying to define what opera is – we want to make it relevant for the 21st Century. Opera can be very different from what it’s been.”t Champion: An Opera in Jazz plays SFJAZZ Center, 201 Franklin St., SF, Feb. 19-21, 23-24, 26-28. Tickets ($30-$170): sfjazz.org.

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Theatre>>

Tanya Barfield

From page 13

That piece was Without Skin or Breathlessness, a one-woman play that introduced Barfield in 1996 to audiences for the first time as a writer as well as a performer.

That primary character is a white mother reflecting on the life of her biracial child. Barfield could be that daughter given her own parental situation, but she said it’s not about her or her mother. And in The Call, a recent play coming to Theatre Rhino, a childless couple struggles with the implications of adopting a child from Africa. Barfield could be part of that couple, but said no, it’s not at all her on stage.

“One of the reasons why it took so long before I even thought of writing the play is because I wanted to make sure I wasn’t writing about myself,” Barfield said of The Call. “I tend to feel people own their own stories, so I wouldn’t want to tell someone else’s story.”

She includes her own life among the stories not to be tapped. Barfield and her partner are raising two adopted children – born in Ethiopia, according to Out magazine – but she has put them off-limits to herself as source material for her plays, and off-limits to any journalist who inquires. “I don’t mean to be rude,” she said, “but the one thing I always tell journalists is that I’m not going discuss my kids. I don’t want to make their lives the subject of my art.”

In The Call, which begins performances Feb. 20 at the Eureka Theatre, married couple Annie and Peter, who had other priorities until the biological clock ran out, choose to pursue adoption. Annie decides that orphaned African children are most at need, and the machinery is set in motion. The couple’s best friends, a black lesbian couple, are skeptical about this decision, from Rebecca’s strictly emotional reaction to Drea’s more complicated political point of view.

“One day she may wonder why she can’t wash and wash and scrub the black off her,” says Drea. “You just have to know it’s going to happen.” And when a photo arrives showing a child who looks closer to 4 than the toddler Annie and Peter were expecting, Annie is unhappy that she probably won’t be the only mother the child remembers.

Because Barfield is circumspect about many personal matters, it’s hard to know how she, a biracial woman, and her partner, a white woman, have navigated any rough waters in adoption that her characters are facing. “I think in all of my plays there is some truth that I understand,” she said, signaling the boundaries to talk of specific personal inspiration.

But Barfield, born in San Francisco and now living in New York, is happy to discuss her playwriting process in more general terms. “I believe that theater should ultimately feel like some sort of confession,” she said.

February 18-24, 2016 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 17

“You have to feel like you’re living inside the characters’ souls, and plays are not about the everyday aspects of one’s soul. I’m not interested in writing about the easy parts of the characters’ lives.”

The Call, which debuted in New York in 2013, marked a return to playwriting for Barfield, who used a period of writer’s block to spend time being a mother. Before that period, Barfield wrote The Blue Door, about a man coming to terms with his blackness; Berkeley Rep staged it in 2007. Her most recent play is Bright Half Life, recently produced by the Magic Theatre, which jumps through time for looks at a long-term relationship between two women that has ended in acrimony and divorce. “It’s a lot of short scenes, but it’s not like TV in that way,” she said. “I used to tell my students, ‘Don’t write me scenes like they’ve been written on Twitter.

Give me 10 pages, give me 20 pages, give me a real scene.’”

Barfield has since gained firsthand knowledge about writing for television. She is one of the staff writers on the fourth season of the FX series The Americans, about Soviet spies posing as happy suburbanites during the Cold War. Her work will be seen beginning in March when the series returns to television.

“There is a team of writers, and you all brainstorm to come up with a basic outline of where the story is heading, and then you divide up and write individual episodes.

The showrunner tells me what he ultimately wants from me, and then you write it, he rewrites it, and then you rewrite it some more. So it is completely unlike theater.”

Barfield says there is no way, at least at this point in her career, that she could make enough money to raise a family strictly through playwriting. In a way, she said, television helps subsidize the theater.

“It’s a wonderful way to make a living, which is also writing, telling dramatic stories, and that’s what I’m interested in, even if it is so different from theater.”

She only has ideas swimming inside her head for what may become her next play. “I hate selling myself,” she said. “Once you’re done with a play, you have to market it and yourself, and I find that so exhausting and disheartening and demoralizing that it sometimes make me not want to write. So there are even times when I’m trying to sell myself to myself.”

As for the actual process of putting words on paper, she said, “I love it when I’m in the zone. I think I am both happy and have a level of discontent.

I want to be working more, working harder, and working at a different level. But that discontent is something I use to keep me striving.”t The Call will run Feb. 20-March 12 at the Eureka Theatre. For tickets, call (800) 838-3006 or go to therhino.org.

Bjorg Magnea

With The Call opening soon, playwright Tanya Barfield can add Theatre Rhino to the list of Bay Area theaters that have produced her works.

<< Out&About

18 • BAY AREA REPORTER • February 18-24, 2016

Green on Thursdays

by Jim Provenzano

L

O&A

Sun 21

et’s celebrate some specifically queer events this week. That term riles some, other find it merely antiquated. But I’ll re-apply its merit to describe the unusual, the different, the fabulous, the glamorous, the gay and the art that’s more than gay. It’s queerly better, or as beloved icon David Bowie sang, “Make way for the homo superior.”

Diego Gomez @ Mission Comics & Art

Thu 18 Black Virgins are Not for Hipsters @ The Marsh Echo Brown’s hit solo show about desire and doubt returns. $20-$100.

Thu 8pm Sat 8:30pm. Thru March 5.

1062 Valencia St. 282-3055. www.themarsh.org

Club Inferno @ Hypnodrome The glam rock musical, based on Dante’s Inferno, with songs by Peter Fogel and book by Kelly Kittell, returns, with the original 2015 cast. $30-$35. Thu-Sat 8pm. Thru March 5. 575 10th St. at Bryant. 377-4202. www.hypnodrome.org

Dogeaters @ Magic Theatre Bay Area premiere of Jessica Hagedorn’s 1998 play set in Manila’s mythical Studio 54 – with drag queens, beauty queens and movie stars alongside statesmen, activists and rebels, in early 1980s Philippines as the country unravels at the end of the Marcos regime. $25-$75. Wed-Sat 8pm. Tue 7pm. Sun 2:30pm. Thru Feb. 28. Fort Mason Center, 2 Marina Boulevard, Building D, 3rd Floor. 4418822. www.magictheatre.com

Fauxnique @ Oasis Monique Jenkinson, the acclaimed faux queen dancer-performer, brings her new show, The F Word, about high femme feminism and Fosse-esque moves, to the nightclub. $25. 7pm thru Feb. 20. 298 11th St. fauxnique.net sfoasis.com

Indigo Girls @ The Fillmore The popular folk duo perform favorite and new songs; Lucy Wainwright Roche opens. $38.50. 9pm.

Also Feb. 19. 1805 Geary Blvd. www.thefillmore.com

Kira Asatryan @ Books Inc. Author of Stop Being Lonely : Three Simple Steps to Developing Close Freindships and Deep Relationships discusses her new self-help book.

7pm. 2275 Market St. www.booksinc.net

Leo Kottke @ Herbst Theatre The master folk-instrumental guitarist performs. $35-$45. 7:30pm. 401 Van Ness Ave. www.omniconcerts.com

Little Erik @ Aurora Theatre, Berkeley World premiere of Mark Jackson’s drama (an adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s Little Eyolf ) about a tech guru, her writer brother, and a family tragedy that turns their world upside down. $32-$50. Tue & Sun 7pm. WedSat 8pm. Also Sun 2pm. Thru Feb. 28.

2081 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 8434822. www.auroratheatre.org

New & Classic Films @ Castro Theatre Feb. 18: Jules and Jim (3:15, 7pm) and The Summer of Sangaile (5:15, 9pm). Feb. 19: InForum event with Sen. Cory Booker (7pm). Feb. 21: Sing-Along Frozen ($11-$16, 12pm).

Feb. 21: McCabe & Mrs. Miller (4pm, 9pm) and Bound for Glory (6:15). Feb 23: In the Heat of the Night (3:10, 9:05) and No Subtitles Necessary (5:15) and Deliverance (7pm). Feb. 24: 1932 version of Scarface (7:45) and Two Seconds (6:15, 9:35).

Feb. 25 & 26: Lesbians Who Tech Summit (www.lesbianswhotech.org/ summit2016). $11. 429 Castro St. www.castrotheatre.com

Mighty Real @ Brava Theatre The popular Sylvester musical, starring Anthony Wayne, returns, with new sets, songs and costumes; special benefit nights for various local nonprofits (Feb 18: AIDS Emergency Fund). February 20 Opening Night includes a party hosted by Juanita More! $35-$100. Thu-Sat 8pm. Wed & Sun 7pm. Sun 2pm. Thru March 13.

8pm. 2781 24th St. www.brava.org www.fabuloussylvester.com

The New Mutants @ GLBT History Museum Author Ramzi Fawaz ( The New Mutants: Superheroes and the Radical Imagination of American Comics) and gay comic artist Justin Hall ( Glamazonia ) discuss queerness in comics and American culture. $5.

7pm. 4127 18th St. glbthistory.org

René Capone @ 611 Hyde Opening reception for an exhibit of the local gay artist’s new animalthemed works, The Chronicles of Zebra Boy, which offer a metaphor for his recent orthopedic surgery ordeals; also, artists Matt Pipes and Alex Brown. Reception 6pm-9pm. 1pm9pm Feb 17-20. 611 Hyde St. at Geary.

595-6325. www.renecapone.com

The Unfortunates @ Strand Theatre The darkly comic blues-gospel musical tells of Big Joe, a tough-talking soldier cursed with giant hands, set in a funky bar, and the underworld. $35$95. Tue-Sat 7:30pm. Wed, Sat Sun 2pm. Thru April 10. 1127 Market St. 749-2228. www.act-sf.org

Fri 19 Aubergine @ Berkeley Repertory Theatre Tony Taccone directs Julia Cho’s acclaimed drama about an estranged Asian family. $48-$89. Tue, Thu-Sat 8pm. Wed & Sun 7pm. Sun 2pm.

Thru March 20. 2025 Addison St. (510) 647–2949. berkeleyrep.org

Ondine @ Exit on Taylor Cutting Ball Theater’s world premiere of Katherine Sherman’s haunting take on The Little Mermaid, Pelleas and Mellisande myths in a transformational love story. $10-$50.

Thu 7pm, Fri & Sat 8pm. Sun pm.

Thru Mar. 6. 277 Taylor St. 525-1205. www.cuttingball.com

Sagittarius Ponderosa @ New Conservatory Theatre Center World premiere of MJ Kaufman’s whimsical play about a transgender man who returns to visit his Oregon family. $25-$45. Wed-Sat 8pm. Sun 2pm. Thru Feb. 28. 25 Van Ness Ave., lower level. 861-8972. nctcsf.org

Sat 20 Black Choreographers Festival @ Dance Mission Theatre

Macbeth @ Berkeley Repertory Theatre “The Scottish play,” Shakespeare’s classic tragedy about a murderous royal couple, stars Conleth Hill and Frances McDormand. $45-$145. Thru April 10. Roda Theatre, 2025 Addison St. www.berkeleyrep.org

The Nether @ SF Playhouse Jennifer Haley’s unusual plays turns a fantasy world into a dark scifi thriller. $15-$45. Tue-Thu 7pm. Fri & Sat 8pm.

Sat 3pm, Sun 2pm. Thru Mar. 5. 450 Post St. 677-9596. sfplayhouse.org

SF Hiking Club @ Citywide Join GLBT hikers for a 10-mile hike across SF from the breakers to the bay. Cross Twin Peaks, Noe Valley, and the Mission. Meet 9:00 at Safeway sign, Market & Dolores, or 9:45 at the ocean end of the N-Judah line. 794-2275. www.sfhiking.com

Tue 23 2Fik @ SF Art Institute Artist talk with Moroccan-CanadianFrench artist 2Fik, who mixes gender and identity in multiple self-portraits; part of Gender in Transition, and the Visiting Artists and Scholars Lecture Series. Free. 6pm social hour, 7pm talk. 800 Chestnut St. www.2fikornot2fik.com www.sfai.edu

Love and Erotic Art @ Gallery on Castro Group exhibit of gay-themed works by local artists. Thru Feb 29. 518A Castro St. www.facebook.com/sfartslave

Tue 23

2Fik @ SF Art Institute

The Call @ Eureka Theatre Theatre Rhino’s new production of Tanya Barfield’s dramedy about a lesbian couple, their adoption plans, and a controversy that tests their marriage. $15-$35. Wed-Sat 8pm.

Sat & Wed 3pm. Thru March 12. 215 Jackson St. (800) 838-3006. www.therhino.org

Caminos Flamencos @ Cowell Theater The vibrant dance and music ensemble performs new and classic flamenco dances. $25-$75. 3pm & 8pm. Feb 21, 6pm. Fort Mason, 2 Marina Blvd. caminosflamencos.com www.fortmason.org

The Colored Museum @ Buriel Clay Theatre George C. Wolfe’s deft satire of contemporary Black lives gets a local production by African American Shakespeare Company. $15-$34. Sat. (3pm & 8pm) and Sun. (3pm) thru March 6. 762 Fulton St. 762-2071. www.african-americanshakes.org

Date Night at Pet Emergency @ The Marsh Berkeley Lisa Rothman’s comic solo show about domestic hell, pet panic and trying to find a date night amid it all. $20$100. Saturdays, 5pm. Extended thru March 26. 2120 Allston Way, Berkeley. www.themarsh.org

World premiere of Cheryl L. Davis and Douglas J. Cohen’s new musical about different eras of the civil rights struggle. $17-$60. Thu-Sun various times thru March 6. 2640 College Ave. Berkeley. (510) 845-8542. www.berkeleyplayhouse.org

Opera Paralelle’s new fully staged production of Terence Blanchard’s opera about the life of bisexual African American boxing star Emile Griffith. $30-$185. Feb 19-21, 23 & 24, 26 & 27. 7:30pm; Feb 28 4pm. www.operaparallele.org www.sfjazz.org

Sexy literary readings at a postValentine’s orgy of regret, with Greta Christina, Jen Cross, Gina de Vries, Jon Ginoli, Daphne Abattoir, Philip Huang, horehound stillpoint, Natasha Tansey,and Na’amen Tilahun, with cohosts Dr. Carol Queen and Simon Sheppard. $10-$25. 8pm.

1349 Mission St. www.sexandculture.org

Next Wave Choreographers Showcase: New Voices/New Works features works by Gregory Dawson, Chris Evans, Cherie Hill, Wanjiru Kamuyu, Erik Lee, Joslynn Mathis Reed, Dazaun Soleyn, Phylicia Stroud and Jamie Wright. $10-$30. 7:30pm.

Also Feb 21. 3316 24th St. www.bcfhereandnow.com

Bridges @ Berkeley Playhouse

Champion: An Opera in Jazz @ SF Jazz Center

Perverts Put Out @ Center for Sex and Culture

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Two-Spirit Powwow @ Herbst Pavilion Fifth annual Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirit (BAAITS) event presents a gathering, dance (12pm and 7pm).

Free, 10am-10pm. Fort Mason, 2 Marina Blvd. www.www.baaits.org

Works in Progress @ Plymouth United Church of Christ Open mic for women, with a potluck and readings. $7-$10. 6:30-10pm.

424 Monte Vista, Oakland.

Sun 21 Abrazo, Queer Tango @ Finnish Brotherhood Hall, Berkeley

Mighty Real: a Fabulous Sylvester Musical @ Brava Theatre

Hair @ Victoria Theatre Bay Area Musicals performs their new production of MacDermot, Ragni and Rado’s classic 1960s musical about Vietnam-era youths, hippies, hair, peace and love. $10-$20. Thru March 12. 2961 16th St. www.bamsf.org

Magnificent Magnolias @ 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.

Open daily, 7:30am-sunset. Golden Gate Park. 661-1316. www.sfbotanicalgarden.org

Event for socially aware gay and straight people who “want to fall in love.” $15. 7pm-9pm.

1714 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. www.thenotcreepygathering.com

Roman Vishniac Rediscovered @ Contemporary Jewish Museum New exhibit of photos from the prolific documenter of Jewish life in eastern Europe. Thru May 29. Other exhibits, lectures and gallery talks as well. Free (members)-$12. Fri-Tue 11am-5pm, Thu 11am-8pm (closed Wed). 736 Mission St. 655-7800. www.thecjm.org

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

Wed 24

Diego Gomez @ Mission Comics & Art

Screening of James Hosking’s documentary about three of the drag performers of Aunt Charlie’s Lounge: Donna Persona, Olivia Hart and Collette LeGrande. $10. Reception 6:30, program 7pm. Dream Queens Revue after-party at Aunt Charlie’s.

398 Eddy St. at Leavenworth. www.tenderloinmuseum.org

Opening reception for the prolific painter, illustrator and drag performer, whose new works transform Disney princesses into X-Men. 5pm. Thru Feb. Daily 12pm-8pm (Sat til 6pm).

2250 Mission St. www.designnurd.blogspot.com www.missioncomicsandart.com

Mon 22 Thu 18

Not Creepy Social Justice Gathering @ SoleSpace

David Bowie Tribute @ SF Independent Screening of the 1973 rockumentary Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, performance by cover band Everyone Is Bowie, and DJed dancing. $10. 8pm. 628 Divisadero st. 7711421. www.theindependentsf.com

From a Place With No Space @ Qulture Collective, Oakland New exhibit of photos and video of dancer-aerialist India Davis, who, with photographer Lauren Hind, visualizes a queer Black femme perspective on the mystical power of New Orleans culture. Thru Feb. 26. Reg. hours Mon-Fri 10am-4pm. 1714 Franklin St., Oakland. www.qulturecollective.com

Reigning Queens @ GLBT History Museum Exhibit of 1970s San Francisco drag ball photos by Roz Joseph; curated

by Joey Plaster. Thru Feb. Reg, hours Mon, Wed-Sat 11am-6pm. Sun 12pm5pm. 4127 18th St. glbthistory.org

Beautiful by Night @ Tenderloin Museum

Bill Bowers @ Glama-Rama Salon New exhibit of the veteran gay local collage artist, whose Funk-and-Flash wearable art has been donned by rock stars and supermodels. Thru March 20. 304 Valencia St. 861-4526. www.glamarama.com

Smack Dab @ Strut SF The eclectic monthly open mic event, cohosted by Larry-bob Roberts and Dana Hopkins, this month features poet Kay Nilsson. 7:30pm sign-up.

8pm show. 470 Castro St. www.strutsf.org

Thu 25 Night Vision, Silence @ Z Below Word for Word, the company that performs great short fiction, takes on Emma Donaghue and Colm Tóibín stories. Tóibín will be at the Feb 25 performance for a post-show chat, and sign books. $20-$55. Wed & Thu 7pm. Fri & Sat 8pm. Sun 3pm. Thru April 3. 470 Florida St. (866) 811-4111. www.zspace.org

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Film>>

February 18-24, 2016 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 19

Film festival serves up ‘Mostly British’

by Sura Wood

A

relative newcomer founded just eight years ago by former San Francisco Chronicle movie editor Ruthe Stein, the astutely programmed Mostly British Film Festival has developed into one of the best homegrown boutique film events on the local scene. Featuring classics and first-run movies on their way to theatrical release, the week-long fest’s accent is on the “mostly” rather than purely British, though British Noir Night is an annual staple. This year’s doubleheader includes two hard-boiled gems: Jules Dassin’s Night and the City, a seamy noir about a con man (Richard Widmark) always looking for the main chance whose schemes go awry in the violent underworld of 1950s London; and The Long Good Friday, in which the late great Bob Hoskins plays a tough-as-nails East End gangster kingpin who hatches a plan to go legit by hitching his star to the 1988 Olympics.

There’s an especially strong contingent of films from Down Under. The Aussies, those lucky mates, are blessed with a supportive national film industry matched by a deep bench of talent in front of and behind the camera like director Jocelyn Moorhouse, who made her debut with the 1991 film Proof, featuring a nascent, hard-tomiss Russell Crowe in a supporting part. Moorhouse, returning to the director’s chair after an 18-year break, helms the festival opener The Dressmaker, a goofy screwball comedy/melodrama mash-up set in the 1950s. The top-notch cast is led by Kate Winslet, who follows her Oscar-nominated turn as Steve Jobs’ girl Friday/ mother/marketing whiz with Tilly, an ultra-chic,

Director Jocelyn Moorhouse’s The Dressmaker is a screwball comedy/melodrama set in the 1950s starring Kate Winslet.

Paris-trained fashion designer with a past. Like an outlaw riding into a dusty town a la Clint Eastwood, she arrives in the rural Australian hamlet that shunned her with a coquettish wide-brimmed hat on her head and vengeance on her mind.

Ostensibly, she’s come home to care for her cranky, ailing mother, portrayed by the reliably acidic, hilarious scene-stealer Judy Davis, but in short order, she’s parading around in knockout ensembles, giving the frumpy female populace a glamour makeover; a handsome hunk in the form of Liam Hemsworth injects requisite romantic spark; and Hugo Weaving provides comic relief as a local cop who crossdresses in designer duds in his spare time.

Weaving, best-known as the ominous, ever-multiplying Agent

Smith in The Matrix and the halfElven ruler of The Lord of the Rings, also appears in the family drama Strangerland, opposite fellow Aussie Nicole Kidman. Kidman goes brunette, downscale and distraught for the role of a frustrated, emotionally starved wife living in the starkly beautiful Outback with an aloof husband (Joseph Fiennes) and two teenagers who run away into the vast expanses one hot summer night, fleeing their dead-end desert town and domestic discord. The harsh, unforgiving landscape, shot in deep-focus, majestic widescreen, mirrors the barrenness of the characters’ interior lives, while the desperate attempts to find the children power the narrative. Weaving, the police detective who supplies Kidman with unnerving sexual chemis-

try along with his investigative skills, uncovers more about the troubled couple’s background than they care to share.

Switching gears in more ways than one, Gilliam Armstrong’s provocatively titled documentary Women He’s Undressed is an unorthodox portrait of Orry-Kelly, who left an Australian coastal backwater in the 1920s and set out to make it big in old Hollywood. Succeeding beyond his wildest dreams, he became an Academy Award-winning costume designer to the stars, from Bette Davis, Ava Gardner and Marilyn Monroe in Some Like it Hot to dashing leading men such as Bogart and Errol Flynn.

Though An American in Paris, Casablanca and 42nd Street are among his stellar list of credits, few people, especially in his native Australia,

by David Lamble

family unit, A War stays soberly on message right through a third-act court martial. The great thing about foreign-language movies is how they can put us inside the heads of people whose mores we often find confounding and obtuse. Sadly, the characters in A War remain infuriatingly calm and rational. For those desiring a more American take on a comparable drama, consult Jim Sheridan’s 2009 film Brothers. Tobey Maguire nails the role of an enraged vet just back from a harrowing tour of duty in Afghanistan. That movie,

‘A War’ & a moral quagmire A

Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures

Scene from director Tobias Lindholm’s A War.

Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures

Pilou Asbæk in director Tobias Lindholm’s A War.

new film from Denmark raises a tricky question about the responsibility of filmmakers – even those from tiny, peaceful countries – to fill in the vast gap in knowledge for a young generation for whom actual combat is as otherworldly an experience as a moonwalk. The film A War arrives at a time when young American women may soon be drafted and subjected to the same combat risks that their male counterparts have long known.

For a guy who isn’t fond of war movies, Tobias Lindholm’s A War is my kind of war movie. Lindholm sets up a prickly narrative where a Danish Army officer, Claus Michael Pedersen (Pilou Asbæk), is leading a small unit in Afghanistan fighting the Taliban while trying to protect Afghan civilians.

The story of how this sober Dane with a spouse and three young kids back home winds up being accused of committing a war crime is of course a twist on an all-too-familiar tale for many war-weary Americans. As you read this, many of you are pondering whether to wait for the Hollywood remake, starring Tom Hanks or Colin Hanks. But what Lindholm’s A War offers is a different Western nation, the previously virtuous Danes, getting bogged down in an enervating, nowin guerrilla war that leaves a trail of dead bodies and permanently soiled reputations. The skill by which Lindholm navigates this moral quagmire is a powerful reason that A War is a strong candidate for a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar at the upcoming 88th Academy Awards.

Set in Helmand province, shot in Turkey and skipping back and forth between the commander’s troops in their foxhole and anxious

have ever heard of him. His extravagant, jaw-dropping creations were out there, but the gay Orry-Kelly was not. He may have feared jeopardizing his career in a then-homophobic industry; however, that didn’t stop him from having affairs, including an early one with none other than a young, scrumptious Cary Grant. Armstrong, the Australian director of the feminist masterpiece My Brilliant Career, interweaves archival materials and commentary from friends and colleagues with sequences in which an actor playing Orry-Kelly serves up pithy observations. You can check out his unadulterated voice in his recently published memoir Women I’ve Undressed, which was discovered stuffed in a pillowcase.

Anyone who’s a sucker for underdog racehorse sagas that make you want to stand up and shout (and this writer is one of them) should not miss Louise Osmond’s documentary Dark Horse, the beatingthe-odds, come-from-behind true tale of Dream Alliance, the Welsh working-class answer to Seabiscuit.

The horse’s hardscrabble owners, a barmaid, her husband, and a tax advisor from a down-and-nearly-out coal-mining town in Wales, entered a sport dominated by toffs whose steeds had superior breeding and bloodlines, not to mention cushier accommodations. Using video footage, old photos, reenactments and interviews with the spunky local inhabitants, Osmond reconstructs a story of a willful, competitive animal who could and did, and the town that loved her for it.t Mostly British Film Festival: Feb. 18-25 at the Vogue, Balboa & Alamo Drafthouse (at the New Mission) Theaters. For more info: mostlybritish.org.

ironically, is based on a 2004 Danish version.

The only other thing missing in the otherwise excellent A War is the blackhumor perspective where I found succor and sustenance as a drafteligible, not-yet-out gay kid during the 12 long years of the Vietnam War. Try renting Richard Lester’s biting satirical classic How I Won the War. A young, hopelessly incompetent British officer (comic gem from freshfaced Michael Crawford) leads his befuddled troops through a series of combat disasters.t

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<< DVD

20 • BAY AREA REPORTER • February 18-24, 2016

Two naughty operas appear on disc

by Tim Pfaff

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lyndebourne’s 2014 production of Verdi’s La Traviata, recently released on DVD by Opus Arte, may look tempting to the SF Opera audience, its Alfredo, local idol Michael Fabiano (soon to return as Verdi’s more demanding Don Carlo), and its conductor, Mark Elder, star of last season’s Meistersinger, in the pit. Caveat emptor. I’ll allow that my sensibilities are rarely in synch with Glyndebourne’s, whose productions regularly leave me wondering whether there’s anyone on the artistic staff who looks at the shows before they open. The DVD cover says it all. This Violetta may well be battling consumption, but to all appearances she’s got bigger trouble in the breast area. You can almost hear the chuckling in Sussex: “Michael, you naughty boy.”

I’m willing to cut any cast slack in Verdi’s merciless first act, a neverending vocal booby trap introduced by music of impossible subtlety. But Fabiano fans might want to cut directly to Act II, his first big scene. He gives the kind of committed performance I keep reading about, but it’s also tight and short on the red blood cells. Pitches aren’t always dead-on, but notes get their full value. Still, phrases seem clipped. Alfredo is a harder part to act than it seems, since it’s largely up to the voice to add dimension to the character. But although Fabiano’s performance

heats up, there’s never a sense of his Alfredo being crazy in love. It would be interesting to see what he did with the role in a production in which he was not treated like a trained seal. Director Tom Cairns shows a perverse fondness for giving his characters something to do with both hands while singing. As though the ensemble challenges in the first act weren’t enough, Cairns makes sure no singer is without a magnum of champagne in one hand and shallow stemware in the other. Fabiano begins Act II with a drink in his hand, then is handed a series of props to fondle while singing.

What problems Cairns doesn’t throw at the cast come from the pit. Elder has never seemed natural for Italian opera, and here he keeps things tidy. The minute there’s a rest in the score, the energy dies, problematic in music that frequently leaves singers on their own, only to have their pitch tested when the orchestra re-enters. Venera Gimadieva is too busy managing her music to venture a Violetta, and goes blank.

It doesn’t help that Tassis Christoyannis looks like both Thomas Hampson and Paul Krugman, but his Giorgio Germont seems more worried about his stocks than about his son.

What bothers me about Puccini is the trash. I’m not of the “shabby-littleshocker” school of Puccini scorn, but I understand it better than I do Puc-

cini, who seemed to have something of an attention-deficit disorder aesthetically. Just when I think he’s onto something, he breaks the trance with music of a jarringly different character, rhythm, and risible banality. I call for my first witness “Nessun Dorma,” three minutes of money notes only the coldest serialist could disdain. In the house, the inevitable ovations allow the sound to decay before music of astonishing triviality follows, a luxury recordings don’t afford.

While I’m assured that La Fan-

ciulla de West sports the “late” Puccini style, I don’t take “late” to mean more mature. So I’ve avoided The Girl onstage, abetted by SF Opera’s having produced it only once during the three decades I was a regular.

Then came the Vienna State Opera’s 2013 Fanciulla, just out on DVD (Sony). Starring Jonas Kaufmann, the Tristan we’re waiting for, and Nina Stemme, the Isolde of the day and on paper an improbable Minnie, it was the kind of show only the late, lamented Pierre Boulez and his

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disciples could have avoided.

Somehow it’s easier to excuse the libretto’s ethnic slurs (yellow-faced Chinamen, Injuns and their whisky) from a stage in faraway Vienna, and Marco Arturo Marelli’s strikingly lit production entertains without outsmarting itself. The miners hear camp minstrel Jake Wallace’s homesick song from a cassette deck on the bar at The Polka. There’s just enough distance from the Golden West to save the day, and enough fidelity to the piece to catch its pulse.

I wouldn’t have thought Franz Welser-Most the ideal Puccini conductor, but from the pit he leads a performance that seethes, and his cast sings its collective heart out.

Kaufmann is the only tenor I’ve heard sing the answer to Minnie’s question about his real name (Dick Johnson, he lies) and answer “Deek” without sounding like a dolt. If his voice were riper, you’d recoil, but he sings the role heroically, with abandon. Stemme’s feisty Minnie melds authority with warmth, personality to burn infusing her voice at its most magnificent. Tomasz Konieczny’s Sherriff Jack Rance strides right between them, eyes flashing, and his singing is, well, arresting, blazing more fearsomely than his gun, as he acts circles around the jittery lovers.t

Small-town paradise

by Brian Bromberger

I

n lists of the favorite LGBTQ films of all time, Big Eden (2000) is always in the top 10. Many critics rate it as among the most romantic gay movies ever made. Wolfe Video has just reissued Big Eden newly remastered in Blu-ray for its 15th anniversary, including retrospective interviews with the director (Tom Bezucha) and cast.

The plot revolves around gay artist Henry Hart (Arye Gross) living in Manhattan, who returns to his hometown, Big Eden, Montana (filmed in Glacier National Park) after his grandfather (George Coe) has a stroke. Henry is welcomed by the local teacher Grace (Louise Fletcher), his best friend there, and learns from her that his former best friend from high school and object of an unrequited crush, Dean (Tim DeKay), has returned to town, divorced with two boys. Will they fall in love? Or does Henry’s future lie with Pike (Eric Schweig), the native American who runs the general store, who is introverted, painfully shy, and talks in monosyllables? Pike is secretly preparing gourmet meals for Henry and his recuperating grandfather from Internet recipes.

Meanwhile, everybody in town is pro-gay, including the matchmaking

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Aubergine

From page 15

gloomy. There is, in fact, considerable humor, from the uncle’s charadesstyle wordless explanation of his trip from Korea to a recipe for a supposedly mystical soup that includes a complicated but matter-of-fact way to properly kill the undersized turtle the uncle has provided. Not to worry, it isn’t turtle soup but merely the mock that is eventually prepared.

Of the basic components to sustain life – air, water, and food – it is the latter that provides the most opportunity for interpretation. Every culture has developed a cuisine from the ingredients at hand, and even as crosspollination has exploded in more recent times, the notion of a comfort food often calls us back to our roots.

Cho explores these notions gracefully,

Widow Thayer (Nan Martin), who, realizing that Henry is gay after trying to fix him up with local girls, throws a party inviting only the area’s available men as potential suitors. All the old cowboys who hang around the general store are cheerleaders for the romantic triangle involving Henry, Dean, and Pike. How that entanglement is resolved, and whether Henry remains

in Big Eden, preoccupy the remainder of the film.

In print, Big Eden can sound cornballish, complete with July 4th dinner dances and Sunday church picnics. The movie was released just over a year after Matthew Shepard was murdered in Laramie, Wyoming, See page 23 >>

without the play becoming a nonstop treatise on comestibles. The hunger for connection is revealed even when food is off the table.

Tony Taccone’s direction is in careful tune with Cho’s writing, which ranges from gentle to intense without ever becoming overwrought. It’s also a wonderful cast he has assembled, headed by the low-key charisma of Tim Kang as the wary, emotionally immature, but ultimately warm son of the dying man who is almost always in our view.

As the ailing father, Sab Shimono mostly must lie in bed with only small reactions to stimuli, but he becomes a potent presence in an out-of-body manifestation. Tyrone Mitchell Henderson, as caregiver Lucien, is an almost beatifically wise presence who can be slyly funny at the same time.

Speaking nary a word of English as

Ray’s uncle, Joseph Steven Yang still draws us into his modern/provincial world, abetted by projected translations and the appealing Jennifer Lim as Ray’s sometimes girlfriend and Korean-speaking interpreter. Safiya Fredericks engagingly opens the play with a monologue about being a foodie, and then mysteriously disappears until her return at the end, when it all makes sense.

The play does float several scenes toward the end that seem they could be the finale, but Cho seems reluctant to let us go. In some plays, that could be an aggravation, but in Aubergine, they are like amuse-bouffes that come at the end of the meal.t Aubergine will run through March 20 at Berkeley Rep. Tickets are $29-$89. Call (510) 647-2949 or go to berkeleyrep.org.

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Film>>

February 18-24, 2016 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 21

Cinematography at the Castro Theatre

by David Lamble

T

he second half of February at the Castro Theatre features a major salute to the art of cinematography, showcasing work that’s best appreciated on our movie palace’s big screen.

Jules and Jim (1962) Francois Truffaut was notably nervous about the commercial reception for this experimental romance between two men and a woman. Spanning over 25 years, it’s the relationship between two friends and the object of their mutual obsession: a career peak for Jeanne Moreau as Catherine, enticing if not seducing adult naifs Jules (Oskar Werner) and Jim (Henri Serre) into one of cinema’s most captivating romantic triangles.

(2/18, French with English subtitles) Fans of Jules and Jim should check out openly gay director Andrew Fleming’s lovely homage Threesome. This daring 1993 entry carried the tag-line, “One girl, two guys, three possibilities.” Featuring future Good Wife star Josh Charles along with Stephen Baldwin and Lara Flynn Boyle, this remains a

sassy sendup of the messy realities of college life as well as the perils of dorm living, an ahead-of-its-time comedy that is in some ways better than Truffaut. (Tri Star DVD) The Summer of Sangaile (2015) A Lithuanian lesbian teen romance?

This lyrically romantic tale from writer-director Alante Kavaite finds its 17-year-old heroine bidding her time on the edge of a small airport. (2/18, Lithuanian with English subtitles) McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971) This extraordinary visual and sound treat is probably as close as Hollywood has got to the real feel of life in the frontier West since George Stevens’ Shane. In perhaps his finest role, Warren Beatty is a charming brothel owner/gambler who overplays his hand with Julie Christie, equally brilliant as his business partner. Leonard Cohen’s songs provide haunting commentary in an early test of director Robert Altman’s decidedly original style. (2/21) Bound for Glory (1976) If it’s possible to summon up nostalgia for soup lines, hobos on freight trains and caravans of lost souls stretching across a once-bountiful land, Hal

Naughty old movies

Ashby’s bio of proud socialist/folksinger Woody Guthrie will do the trick. This film is a must-see treat for the growing legions of young Americans signing up for Bernie Sanders.

David Carradine headlines this first feature shot on the new Stedicam camera. Haskell Wexler notched a second Oscar for cinematography.

With Ronny Cox, Melinda Dillon and Randy Quaid. (2/21) In the Heat of the Night (1967) This slick but provocative melodrama features a feisty two-hander between a redneck Southern cop (an Oscar-winner for scene-stealing Rod Steiger) and a prickly African American big-city police detective (the penultimate Sidney Poitier righteous-dude turn), whose line still resonates half-a-century later: “They call me Mister Tibbs!” Canadian-born director Norman Jewison delivers a socially conscious thriller that still packs a punch. (2/23) No Subtitles Necessary: Laszlo & Vilmos (2008) The highlight of the Castro’s salute to the art of the cinematographer, director/camera visionary James Chressanthis presents the story of a pair of Hungarian film students escaping their Iron Curtain homeland in 1956 with just a camera and a shopping bag full of film. Over a half-century, Laszlo Kovacs and Vilmos Zsigmond would cement their friendship while revolutionizing the art of the camera. Featuring conversations with colleagues and highlights from their stellar resumes: appearances and insights from Karen Black, Peter Bogdanovich, Sandra Bullock, Richard Donner, Dennis Hopper, Tatum O’Neal, Jon Voight, John Williams and Sharon Stone. (2/23) Deliverance (1972) Never has a simple weekend camping trip gone so horribly awry than in John Boorman’s taut cautionary tale. Set in a lush backwoods section of rural Georgia, the film follows four tender-

foots who get in way over their heads with both backwoods natives and a raging-rapids river trip that demonstrates the power of Mother Nature to trump hubris and carefully laid plans.

With Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds (who just turned 80, here in all his macho cover-boy glory), Ned Beatty (in a harrowing, emasculating encounter) and Ronny Cox. (2/23) Scarface (1932) This still-potent gangster flick was originally titled Scarface: The Shame of the Nation.

The Howard Hawks-directed melodrama is a portrait of a brutal master criminal, believed to be modeled after Chicago mobster Al Capone, demonstrating both the downside of Prohibition and the reason why the forces of organized morality wanted to rein in the movies. Starring Paul Muni, Ann Dovrak, Boris Karloff, Karen Morley. Photographed by Lee Garmes. (2/24) Two Seconds (1932) A man on death row relives the circumstances that brought him to this cruel fate, seconds before his execution. With a bravura turn from its charismatic lead, Edward G. Robinson. A great treat for younger viewers unaware of the power of the Hollywood gangsters played by Robinson and Silver Screen tough guys like James Cagney.

Bette Davis, Joan Blondell and Ann Dvorak go Three on a Match.

by Erin Blackwell

A

s a film category, Pre-code is less familiar than Noir and more precise. Films were either made before, during, or after the Hays Code went into effect to rein in the immoral longings of Hollywood studios. Noir can be anything anyone says it is. Wait a minute. The Code was adopted in March 1930, but the films chosen by local curator Elliot Lavine for six salacious programs at the Castro Theatre were released in 1931-33. I’m sure he has an explanation. More importantly, a dozen of the 14 films will be actual films, projected from 35 mm prints.

Now you know how to spend six Wed. nights, starting Feb. 24.

Edward G. Robinson fans, of whom I am not one, will enjoy seeing the unlikeliest leading man in Two Seconds, a melodramatic misogynist’s manifesto. The short, toad-faced star is not strictly speaking believable as a big muscle-bound welder working on a Manhattan skyscraper. His co-star Vivienne Osborne has the thankless task of seducing an honest, hard-working dope in order to get her blonde hands on his hard-earned dough. Playing a woman, Osborne is doomed to obscurity in this load of tripe nonetheless interesting for period details. On a double bill with Scarface, Wed., Feb. 24.

In Three on a Match, Bette Davis plays third fiddle to Joan Blondell and Ann Dvorak in a long, drawnout diatribe against narcissism in women that follows three schoolgirls as they apply themselves to the business of modern womanhood in the Great Depression. Davis’ sensible character goes from business school to personal assistant without a hiccup. Blondell’s tough girl goes from prison to show biz and beyond.

Demonstrating that even pre-Code

Hollywood had a blistering streak of intolerance for weakness, Dvorak’s priggish goody-goody starts at the top and starts slipping and sliding into adultery and drugs, which gives Humphrey Bogart a chance to inject some criminality into this “women’s picture.” On a triple bill with Claudette Colbert’s Torch Singer and, hallelujah!, Tallulah Bankhead in The Cheat, Wed., March 2.

Marlene Dietrich was never better scripted, directed, or cast than in Shanghai Express, a classy intrigue that demonstrates how to stage action almost too complex to be captured on film. No one ever celebrated the complications of train travel with the wit and insouciance of Joseph von Sternberg. This is travel as performance. Arguably the greatest excuse for the Hollywood studio system ever made. Anna May Wong goes toe-to-toe with Dietrich, and both make you feel you’re failing miserably to fully live your life.

On a bill with Safe in Hell, an exotic study in the perils of being a woman in a man’s world, Wed., March 9.

Saving the weirdest for last: Island of Lost Souls, an adaptation of The Island of Doctor Moreau that does for H.G. Wells’ masterpiece what the movie Frankenstein did for Mary Shelley’s book. The evils of misapplied science are an excuse to romp around behaving brutally. Never was there a more sublime madman than Charles Laughton. Unique actor, never dull, ever projecting the power to avenge his vulnerabilities in defense of his proclivities. To make way for extensive views of the wild-eyed Panther Woman, much of Wells’ erudite vision was surgically removed. Kicks off a triple bill of depravity with Fredric March’s brilliant Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Todd Browning’s cult classic Freaks, Wed., March 30.t

I am the future of the LGBT community.

I’m gay.

I’m 55. I’ve been out to my family for twenty years. I married a wonderful woman six years ago, and we adopted a baby girl from Vietnam. My family is everything to me.

That’s why I’m an avid follower of LGBT rights. Not just marriage, either. I want to make sure that I can travel safely, enjoy my retirement and have my child benefit from my life’s work.

I’m the future of the LGBT community. And I read about that future every morning on my work laptop. 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.

This Robinson performance stands in stark contrast to the great actor’s more mature work, such as the mentor to Fred MacMurry’s homicidal insurance salesman in Double Indemnity.

Featuring Vivienne Osborne, Guy Kibbee, Preston Foster, J. Carrol Naish. Photographed by Sol Polito. Directed by Mervyn Le Roy. (2/24) Peaches Christ presents Sister Act, with pre-show parody Mister Act, starring Latrice Royale, Peaches Christ, Kylie Minono, Sister Roma.

(2/27) Sing-along Frozen (2013) An animated feature based on Hans Christian Anderson’s “The Snow Queen.” (2/28) America, America (1963) Director Elia Kazan delivers the tale of an ethnic Greek immigrant’s journey to this country (Stavros Topouzoglou, played by Stathis Giallelis) from his rural town in Turkish Anatolia. (2/28) Heaven’s Gate (1980) The movie that destroyed a studio (the early80s version of United Artists) has never really had a fair hearing. On the heels of his multi-Oscar Vietnam-era epic The Deer Hunter, Michael Cimino went for broke with a big-budget version of the Johnson County War waged by cattle barons against recent European immigrants. Is there a story lurking under nearly four hours of beautiful cinematography and a high-powered cast headed up by charismatic actor-country singer Kris Kristofferson? With Isabelle Huppert, Christopher Walken, Sam Waterston and Jeff Bridges. This is the original theatrical cut, 219 min. with intermission. (2/28) Final Cut: Dreams and Disaster in the Making of Heaven’s Gate by Steven Bach, one of the film’s coproducers, is a witty and entertaining autopsy on the Hollywood system of the day. (William Morrow & Co.)t

<< Books

22 • BAY AREA REPORTER • February 18-24, 2016

A diva’s vanity

by Tim Pfaff

N

ovels about music are rare, novels about opera rarer, few of either type are good, and fewer still last, so there was little enough reason to expect a novel as ambitious in scope and magnificent in achievement as Alexander Chee’s The Queen of the Night (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt).

The novel, like its most illustrious literary counterparts, is not about opera; rather, it takes opera as an imaginative Way Back Machine, a particle accelerator trained to investigate, at the most minute levels, matters as fundamental and multivalent as fate, fame, fortune and freedom, things not circumscribed by historical period but best viewed in a specific historical context.

Chee’s first novel, Edinburgh, also used music as a springboard, but The Queen of the Night sings a different tune. Set largely in late-19thcentury France, this historical novel told entirely in first person is a highwire act perhaps only a daredevil like its protagonist, Lilliet Berne, could have ventured or landed. She bursts off the page at a palace ball at the peak of her fame, a pinnacle the reader instantly recognizes as a perilous one, from which a fall is not merely inevitable but a matter of a conspicuous conspiracy. The orchestra announces her arrival with strains of the Jewel Song from her latest success, Gounod’s Faust, and the crowd cheers. “For I was their creature, Lilliet Berne, La Generale. Newly returned to Paris after a year spent away, the Falcon soprano whose voice was so delicate it was rumored she endangered it even by speaking, her silences as famous as her performances. This voice was said to turn arias into spells, hymns into love songs.”

Mere pages later, in her flight from the ball – she realizes, among other things, that her dress is wrong – she is intercepted by a novelist, Frederic Simonet. The writer is there to tantalize her with a diva’s vanity of vanities: the prospect of an opera not merely written for her but

telling her life story, encoded as only music can artfully conceal. “I should warn you, he said. My novels – it would seem they have a way of coming true.” The curse, she tells Verdi and his wife Giuseppina over dinner the next evening, is that “I fear the roles I take come true. Condemn me to repeat the fates of my characters in life.” “Of course they do, my dear,” Giuseppina responds. “This is why I have sung nothing since marrying.”

Chee’s is an ingenious plot that skillfully skirts the banalities of postmodern opera production.

Productions and novels this clever have a way of outsmarting themselves, but Chee’s delivers the magic in a story any conscientious reader can follow while surrendering time and again the need to fix it or even keep pace with it. The “story” constantly changes, from within and without, but always so enthrallingly that you take each version as true, and each successive one as more true.

There could be no higher praise for Chee’s storytelling than that it would take every word of his 550 pages to retell it. He’s got it right.

I’m perhaps not the one to say whether knowledge of opera is necessary to full appreciation of this book. But I can say that opera lovers will, for once, not mind not being talked down to. And Chee can slip in an explanation of the Falcon Fach, or voice type (think the non-Puccini Maria Callas), without taking a break for a chalk talk. Verdi and Giuseppina are three-dimensional characters that reappear at critical junctures in the story. Lilliet considers Mozart’s Queen of the Night outside her Fach, but the episode in which she sings the Queen’s raging revenge aria, in the jewel-encrusted black gowns to end all opera costumes, is stellar.

The repertoire hangs around Bellini, Donizetti and Verdi, with a bold, Callas-like late-career venture into Bizet’s Carmen, where both Lilliet and Chee delve into the psychology of this stillmisunderstood operatic antiheroine. Lilliet learns Bellini’s La Sonnambula from none other than

Pauline Viardot-Garcia, the prima donna assoluta who is the novel’s richest real-life historical character (with her friend George Sand running her a close second, in a long section in which gender fluidity is the fuel).

Lilliet’s first performing career is as an equestrienne in a traveling circus, and Chee makes a sly, nonspecific nod to La muette de Portici, a contemporary (to the story) opera by Auber whose prima donna is a mute represented onstage by a ballerina. But for me, the masked character at this extended ball is Lulu, the title character in Alban Berg’s powerful opera of a half-century later. Like Lulu, Lilliet has many names, almost as many as there are people addressing her. Her dressmaker, Felix, who walks right off the page, calls her Jou-Jou. But what makes Lilliet most Lulu-like is her unconscious, instinctive, almost unwitting expertise as an escape artist and, preeminently, survivor. Both characters have subcareers as prostitutes and are equally vulnerable and impervious to men.

Long before she hits the streets of Paris as a registered lady of the night, Lilliet has had her sexual initiation at the hands of a physically unsavory old man (whom Chee characterizes with genuine tenderness). And at the opening ball she is accosted by “brother dukes” whose saberrelated sexual appetites she satisfies.

“I’d learned long ago, for men with pleasures this specific, the rest was of no consequence to them.”

There’s some exceptionally good writing about sex, but the only long passage of homoeroticism from the openly gay Chee involves a Prince who loves a tenor with whom Lilliet is also, inextricably, sexually and emotionally involved, one of the novel’s principal and most sinister characters. Emerging from the bath

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in the knowledge that she will be leaving to allow the Prince time with “her” tenor, Lilliet tells the Prince: “It’s so rare that the world allows you to be with the one you love, I said. Enjoy each other as you can.

He met my eyes now at last, as if after all that scrutiny he finally understood what I was. With that he entered the dressing room. When I emerged, there was no sight of him.

I left, did not look back, and there were no more good-byes.”

Such as Lilliet has a true love, it’s Aristafeo Cadiz, the Verdi protegee who composes or will compose Le Cirque de Monde Dechu, the opera for and about Lilliet and, she dreads, her past.

Theirs is the novel’s “true love” story, with its inevitable outcome of tragic misunderstanding. But it’s by no means the end of Lilliet’s story, whose culminating episode, involving a real-life impresario of lasting fame, it would be scenestealing of me to divulge.

Because the novel is operatic,

desperation is mostly the name of the game, extremes of everything the norm. Yet Chee evinces a keen mind for comedy as well. In the Baden-Baden scenes, the book’s warmest section, Viardot-Garcia, Sand and their other guests perform an amateur, drunken Hamlet, not Shakespeare’s but a jiggered version of the Bard’s source material. It’s as smart and funny as anything I can recall since the Fourth of July party in Adam Haslett’s Union Atlantic.

Atlantic Throughout there are potent reminders of Chee’s own three-octave range as a writer. The passages about Lilliet’s tragic childhood on the plains of Minnesota have the eerie, spare beauty of Willa Cather, or Marilynne Robinson. The scenes of war in Paris and its deprivations recall Dumas.

And while there’s a notable absence of the supernatural in overt ways, everything about the story is shot through with the kind of magic realism that animates One Hundred Years of Solitude, and the many passages about Lilliet’s voice and muteness recall Oskar from Guenter Grass’s The Tin Drum.

That’s brilliant company, but the best news is that Chee has found his own voice, and there’s nothing derivative about this Queen. Such as it is about any one thing, it is about the thing Lilliet, and Chee, name over and over, in a common, alltoo-abstract noun: freedom.

Lilliet’s mother, we’re told early on, is dismayed at what a “tomboy” her daughter is. But the woman Lilliet becomes, family-less, is feminine to the core, if often in uncuddly, Lulu-esque ways. Her, and the author’s, love of fabulous frocks is the leaven in this unflinchingly heavy tale. But it’s the indefatigable quest for freedom, to be oneself, that makes this novel gay at the core.t

Set in a college town in 1979, centering on friends Kyle, Craig and Justin, Dale Boyer’s debut novel The Dandelion Cloud (daleboyerworks. com), described by the writer as “a labor of love for a long time,” asks and answers a question many have asked at one time or another: “What is the difference between friendship and love?”

The Scarlet Letter (Penguin Classics) by Nathaniel Hawthorne, newly reissued with an insightful foreword by Tom Perrotta, featuring notorious adulteress (see the red A) Hester Prynne, is as timely as ever, given the rise of public shaming.

The whole queer truth: Now in

paperback, Bettyville: A Memoir (Penguin), “the last place in America with shag carpet” is where gay writer and book and magazine editor George Hodgman has returned (from Manhattan) for his role as “care inflictor” for his 90-year-old mother, the Betty of the title of this breathtaking memoir about mother/son relationships, identity and so much more.

Based on Lindsay King-Miller’s online column on The Hairpin, Ask a Queer Chick: A Guide to Sex, Love, and Life for Girls Who Dig Girls (Plume) promises to “help readers through major life milestones, from coming out to breaking up, from your first really gay haircut to walking down the aisle.”

Augusten Burroughs’ Lust & Wonder (St. Martin’s Press) is the gay Running with Scissors writer’s third memoir in which he focuses his distinctive brand of wit on his ongoing addiction and sobriety struggles, as well as the end of his relationship with his ex Dennis and the beginning of his relationship with his husband (and literary agent) Christopher.

In his eighth book The Fate of Gender: Nature, Nurture and the Human Future (Bloomsbury), gay writer Frank Browning, a former science reporter for NPR, takes an in-depth look at “human gender geographies around the world.” This book foretells “a wave of gender variance and sexual fluidity just visible on the horizon.”t

Winter book report

by Gregg Shapiro

P

oetry shelf: Notes on a Past Life (BlazeVOX) by David Trinidad, as dishy and revealing as the best literary memoirs, picks at old scabs, slashes new wounds, spills the beans on contemporary poetry-world wars, ignites new feud fuses and drops names like F-bombs. This book is so hot, it should come with its own flame-retardant gloves and fire extinguisher.

Matters of the Sea/Cosas del mar (Univ. of Pittsburgh Press) by Richard Blanco, son of Cuban exiles and Barack Obama’s inaugural poet, written for the U.S. embassy in Havana’s ceremonial reopening, is a bilingual chapbook-length poem.

Like Blanco, United States Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera is the son of immigrants, and his poetry collection Notes on the Assemblage (City Lights) touches on the migrant experience and politics.

Fiction in action: Jed, a gay, black expat “earning a living” in Europe in the 1980s, is the gripping main character in Black Deutschland (FSG), the second novel by awardwinning writer Darryl Pinckney.

One of the most celebrated debut novels of the year, What Belongs to You (FSG) by Garth Greenwell, evolving from the author’s novella Mitko, is a stunning achievement in the way that it tells the story of a teacher living in Bulgaria who begins an unusual and intimate

relationship with a young hustler named Mitko.

Hiding (Bloomsbury), the debut novel by Matthew Griffin, is timely in the way it relates the tale of Wendell and Frank, a gay male couple who have been together since after WWII, and addresses the couple’s history in alternating past and present chapters, including the way gay men face every aspect of the aging process.

Alexander Chee’s epic second novel The Queen of the Night (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) takes readers back to the Second French Empire. Lilliet takes the Paris opera by storm while trying to discover

the mysterious person threatening to lift the veil on her true identity.

Winner of two Lambda Literary Awards when it was first published, the expanded 25th anniversary edition of The Gilda Stories (City Lights) by Jewelle Gomez, with a new foreword by the author and an afterword by Alexis Pauline Gumbs, tells the tale of the vampire Gilda, beginning in 1850 Louisiana.

Counternarratives (New Directions), John Keene’s well-received collection of novellas and short fiction, features a varied array of pieces spanning in time from the 17th century to the present day, and crossing multiple continents.

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Music>>

February 18-24, 2016 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 23

Queer playlist

by Gregg Shapiro

T

he eponymous 2011 album by Arthur’s Landing was a cause of celebration. A musical collective whose members had previously performed with the late gay musical mastermind Arthur Russell, Arthur’s Landing joined the chorus of others who made efforts to keep Russell’s music and memory alive.

Four years later, Arthur’s Landing returns with the double-CD remix disc Second Thoughts (Buddhist Army). It’s hard to imagine what Russell, whose contributions to dance music can still be felt today (just ask gay rapper Cazwell, who sampled Russell’s Loose Joints track “Is It All Over My Face?”), would think about the current state of remixing – or the use of the word remix, for that matter. Still, it is eyeand ear-opening to hear the Cooked Audio mix of “It’s A Boy,” the Alkalino mix of “Tell You Today,” the Standard Planets mix of “Dumbo Dumbo,” and the Virgin Magnetic mix of “Change My Life.” They all make Russell more relevant than ever.

Like Arthur Russell, Jobriath was a musician far ahead of his time, and one that we lost too soon, when he died of AIDS complications in 1983. As groundbreaking an artist as Russell, Jobriath was an openly and unapologetically gay performer, marketed by Elektra Records in the early 1970s as American glam rock’s answer to David Bowie. Walking the walk and talking the talk in equal measure, Jobriath failed to catch on as hoped and was soon set adrift.

Over the years, he’s been rediscovered by a variety of musicians (hello, Morrissey) and a range of hipsters, and finally got some of his due belatedly. The attractively packaged

<<

DVD/LP set Jobriath A.D. - A Rock n Roll Fairy Tale + Popstar: The Lost Musical (Factory 25) combines Kieran Turner’s well-received doc about Jobriath (including a wealth of bonus features) with the clear vinyl album containing the previously unreleased songs (and Jobriath’s commentary) from Popstar, his “lost musical.”

Pianist Elizabeth Joy Roe pays homage to Benjamin Britten (191376) and Samuel Barber (1910-81), two of the greatest queer compos-

ers of the 20th century, on Britten & Barber | Piano Concertos, Nocturnes (Decca), playing with the London Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Emil Tabakov. The 1945 revised version of Britten’s Piano Concerto, Op. 13 and Barber’s Piano Concerto, Op. 38 are marvelous choices for Roe, as are Barber’s Nocturne for Piano (Homage to John Field), Op. 33 and Britten’s Night Piece (Nocturno). Roe’s insightful liner notes are also required reading.t

Forward thinking has always been part of Comcast’s philosophy.

And embracing social diversity is our way of showing it.

Big Eden

From page 20

so there was some critical dismissal of the film as fantastical. But time has been kind to Big Eden. In interviews Bezucha says he was inspired by 1930s romantic comedies starring Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant, wanting to make a version where the lovers were two men. He and the film’s stars describe the picture as a fairy tale (pun intended) posing the question: What if an LGBTQ person could live anywhere and be totally accepted for who they were? Bezucha acknowledges that Big Eden is not a real place, but believes such a town is not too far off in time.

The film is appealing because of the warmth and sweetness of its characters, with actors perfectly cast in their roles. For many LGBTQ people, small towns have been bigoted places to escape as soon as possible. But Bezucha turns the idea of small towns as provincial and judgmental upsidedown, idealizing them as upholding traditional values of family, belonging, commitment, and community as valid for LGBTQ people as for everyone else. Big Eden dared to suggest that gay and lesbian people come in all sizes and shapes, so the leads are not movie-star handsome.

Bezucha was interested in issues of intimacy between gay men, as well as intimacy of gay and straight people as friends. The tormented Dean character, somewhere in-between gay and straight, seems contemporary as we are more comfortable now with gender and orientation fluidity.

Producers had a difficult time finding a distributor because studios didn’t think the film would appeal to gay audiences. Fortunately, they were mistaken. Big Eden leaves us with the realization that it is only us stopping ourselves from creating places unconditionally loving and accepting, bridging the gap between straight and queer people.t

Enjoy a special selection of LGBT programming only at xfinity.com/lgbt.

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CROSS PATHS WITH AN

ALBINO ALLIGATOR AFRICAN PENGUINS AND AN ANACONDA

all in one day

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Meet Claude the albino alligator and nearly 40,000 other creatures at the only aquarium-planetarium-rainforest-living museum.

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Leather

NIGHTLIFE

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Check it Out

SPIRITS

Shooting Stars

SOCIETY

ROMANCE

LEATHER

PERSONALS Vol. 46 • No. 7 • February 18-24, 2016 Phillis Christopher

www.ebar.com ✶ www.bartabsf.com

by David-Elijah Nahmod

E

li Conley, an East Bay-based singer, songwriter and musician, is thrilled to be singin’ and struttin’ at El Rio for a rompin’ stompin’ night of Queer Country. It’ll be a night of down home singin’ and dancin’; everything you’d expect over at the Grand Ole Opry, with a good ol’ Queer twist.

See page 26 >> Eli Conley

Shot in the City

On the Tab

February 18-25

life n going, with night e’re keeping the fu schedsy bu ur yo to d events galore to ad s annual Besties Award ules. And our sixth . int pr in d an e lin your voting, on for en op life ll ht sti nig are and ite bars, performers Vote for your favor on pages 27-28 t llo ba int pr a th wi people and events . ar.com/besties2016 or online at www.eb

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Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

26 • BAY AREA REPORTER • February 18-24, 2016

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Trevor McKee

Eli Conley

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The Ps and Qs

In a Queer Country

From page 25

Conley, who identifies as a gay transgender man, and as queer, said in our interview that he’s aware of the controversy surrounding the Q word. Huffington Post recently took some heat for changing the name of its Gay Voices section to Queer Voices.

“I respect that for many LGBT people of the generations before me, ‘queer’ was used toward them as a derogatory term, and it still feels hurtful,” he said. “But being born in the 1980s and coming up during a time when ‘queer’ had been reclaimed by radical groups like Queer Nation, it’s always been the term that felt most resonant to me.

So we call the series ‘queer country’ rather than ‘gay country’ intentionally, both because it’s an umbrella term that can include everybody who falls outside of the norms of gender and sexuality, and because of its political implications. We call

it queer country rather than gay country because it’s not just country music by boys who love boys and girls who love girls. It’s ultimately about making country music that is aligned with a politics of liberation for everyone.”

Conley, who hails from Virginia, has been immersed in music for most of his life. Country was a big part of his musical education.

“There was always music playing on the stereo around our house, especially folk and country music,” he recalled. “My brother once counted and figured out that my dad had about 1,000 records, so I had a rich musical education just poking through my dad’s LPs and CDs, listening to Ray Charles, Van Morrison and the Carter Family. I remember when the movie O Brother Where Art Thou came out in 2000, my sister and I were surprised to hear our friends singing songs like “I’ll Fly Away” that we’d heard all our life but that no one else ever seemed to know.”

Conley’s family influence is strong, musically “My parents liked to sing around the house, and I really took to music early on,” he added. “I was always making up songs and had to be told that no singing was allowed during tests at school. My parents encouraged my creativity by getting me involved in kids musical theater and children’s choirs, giving me piano lessons and playing saxophone in the school band as I got older. In an elementary school public speaking competition, I gave a speech about how I wanted to be a musician when I grew The Ps and Qs at a recent El Rio concert. up and ‘release more albums than the Beatles.’” being poor and working class in this Over the years artists such capitalist society, and that’s someas Loretta Lynn, Johnny Cash, Dolly thing that many LGBTQ Parton and Patsy Cline brought folks can relate to.” country music to a more urbanized Conley is thrilled to audience, with Parton and Cline bebe part of Queer Councoming bona-fide gay icons. Conley try. His former band, addressed the appeal of the genre.

Eli Conley and Hip for “Country music is about tellSquares, performed at the ing true stories in a way that’s clear Trans March and toured and emotionally accessible,” he exCalifornia and the Pacific plained. “Rather than hiding what Northwest. They released you mean in poetic language, counan album in 2011. try music is about telling it like it is, Conley has since relike you’d tell someone in conversacorded as a solo artist. tion. Because of that, it goes right He’ll be joined at Queer to your heart. Is there anything as Country by the sweet beautiful as a sad country song, or porch music and threeas fun as dancing to a fast tune by an part harmony of The Ps old time string band? Country mu& Qs, and the prolific sic often speaks to the difficulties of and hilarious songwriter Dillbilly in a new collaboration with Mississippi Mike. There will be dancing when The Ps and Qs start playing. And there’s no cover charge.

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“Queer country is queer musicians speaking for ourselves through the music we love,” said Conley. “Queer country is about reclaiming country music from the people who say you can’t be queer and country. How do we do that? By being our fabulous gay selves while making great country music that is relevant to the themes of our queer lives. No one should have to turn their back on the music they love just because they’re gay or transgender or queer.”t Queer Country West Coast, with Eli Conley, The Ps and Qs and Dillbilly with Mississippi Mike. Friday, February 26, 8pm. El Rio, 3158 Mission www.gayoleopry.com www.elriosf.com

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BESTIES The 2016 LGBT Best of the Bay

BALLOT

Enter Your Information to Start the Survey and to Qualify for the Prize Drawings

hank you for taking time to complete this survey by the Bay Area Reporter. Your opinion and answers are important to us.

For this sixth annual readers’ poll, we now include nominees for each category, along with a write-in designation if you think another business or individual should be nominated. This year’s nominees are a mix of previous winners and new entries.

The survey should only take 10-15 minutes of your time. Your identity and answers are completely confidential and will be used only to

contact winners of a random drawing for several valuable prizes. You must complete at least 75 percent of the survey to qualify for the prize drawings. One survey per person/email allowed and must be submitted by midnight (Pacific Time) March 2, 2016. Mail to Besties, 44 Gough St. #204, San Francisco, CA 941034 or email to besties@ ebar.com. Survey results will be published in the April 7, 2016 issue of the B.A.R. If you have any questions about the survey, please contact our office at (415) 861-5019.

PRIZES! ONE OF SEVERAL VALUABLE PRIZES JUST FOR VOTING FOR YOUR FAVORITE PLACES, PEOPLE AND THINGS TO DO IN SAN FRANCISCO AND THE BAY AREA.

GRAND: Maui Getaway: Includes three nights accommodations at the Maui Sunseeker Resort with roundtrip airfare for two via Alaska Airlines.

SECOND: Two VIP tickets to see the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus’ Tales Of Our City: Our Lives, Our Heroes, with featured guest Armistead Maupin and the Bay Area Rainbow Symphony.

THIRD: Two VIP tickets to see the SF GIANTS!

Name: City/Town:

State:

ZIP:

Country: Email Address:

Mail in this ballot or Vote online at www.ebar.com/besties2016

Bay Area Reporter staff are not eligible for prize drawings.

Prize winners and results of The Besties will be published in our 45th Anniversary issue on April 7, 2016

Best Mixed Drink £ Blackbird £ Club OMG £ Driftwood £ Martuni’s £ Twin Peaks ✎

ARTS & CULTURE Best Art Museum

£ Asian Art Museum £ Contemporary Jewish Museum £ de Young Museum £ GLBT History Museum £ Legion of Honor £ Museum of Craft and Design £ Museum of the African Diaspora £ Oakland Museum of California £ San Jose Museum of Art £ SFMOMA (closed through May 2016) £ Walt Disney Family Museum ✎

Best Ballet Dance Company £ Alonzo King Lines Ballet £ Ballet San Jose £ Diablo Ballet £ Oakland Ballet £ Post:ballet £ San Francisco Ballet £ Smuin Ballet ✎

Best Classical Venue

£ Davies Symphony Hall £ Herbst Theatre, Veteran’s Building £ War Memorial Opera House £ Old First Church £ SF Conservatory of Music ✎

Best Live Music Venue £ The Chapel £ The Fillmore £ Great American Music Hall £ Masonic Hall £ Regency Center £ The Warfield ✎

Best Modern Dance Company £ AXIS Dance Co. £ Jess Curtis/Gravity £ Joe Goode Performance Group £ Katie Faulkner/little seismic £ Keith Hennessy/Circo Zero £ ODC Dance £ Sean Dorsey Dance ✎

Best Nature or Science Museum

£ California Academy of Sciences £ Exploratorium £ SF Botanical Gardens £ SF Conservatory of Flowers ✎

Best Small Music Venue £ Martuni’s £ The New Parish £ Thee Parkside £ Rickshaw Stop £ El Rio £ SF Eagle £ Soundbox ✎

Best Theatre Company

£ American Conservatory Theater £ Aurora Theatre £ Berkeley Repertory Theatre £ New Conservatory Theatre Center £ Ray of Light Theatre £ Theatre Rhinoceros ✎

COMMUNITY Best LGBTQ Activist

£ Mia Tu Mutch (Community organizer) £ Subhi Nahas (ORAM) £ Sister Roma (My Name Is Coalition) ✎

Best LGBTQ Activist (Under 25)

£ Austin Padilla (youth leader for Getting to Zero) £ Ruby Spies (youth leader for Bay Area Youth Summit) ✎

Best LGBT Event

£ Castro Street Fair £ Folsom Street Fair £ Oakland Pride £ San Francisco Pride £ Silicon Valley Pride ✎

Best LGBT Fundraiser

£ Academy Awards Gala (Academy of Friends) £ AIDS/LifeCycle (SFAF) £ Anniversary Celebration (NCLR) £ Help Is On the Way (REAF) £ Soiree (LGBT Community Center) £ Spark (Transgender Law Center) £ Spring Fling (Openhouse) ✎

Best Health-Related Nonprofit

£ Asian Pacific Islander Wellness Center £ Breast Cancer Emergency Fund £ Lyon-Martin Health Services £ Project Open Hand £ Shanti ✎

Best HIV/AIDS Nonprofit

£ AIDS Emergency Fund £ AIDS Healthcare Foundation £ AIDS Housing Alliance/SF £ AIDS Legal Referral Panel £ Project Inform £ San Francisco AIDS Foundation ✎

Best LGBT Nonprofit

£ Billy DeFrank LGBT Center (San Jose) £ Lavender Youth Recreation and Information Center (LYRIC) £ National Center for Lesbian Rights £ Openhouse £ Our Family Coalition £ Pacific Center (Berkeley) ✎

Best LGBT Sports League £ Golden Gate Wrestling Club £ SF Fog Rugby Club £ SF FrontRunners £ SF Gay Basketball Association £ SF Gay Softball League £ SF Pool Association £ SF Tsunami Swim Club ✎

Nightlife BARS Best Bar/Nightclub to Meet Men £ The Café £ 440 Castro £ Hole in the Wall £ Lone Star Saloon £ SF Eagle £ Powerhouse ✎

Best Bar/Nightclub to Meet Transgender People £ Asia SF £ Aunt Charlie’s Lounge £ Divas £ Oasis ✎

Best Bar/Nightclub to Meet Women £ Qbar £ Rickshaw Stop £ Virgil’s Sea Room £ Wild Side West £ Club BnB, Oakland £ The Uptown, Oakland ✎

Best Beer Selection £ 440 Castro £ Pilsner Inn £ Toronado £ SF Eagle ✎

Best Cabaret Venue £ Martuni’s £ Feinstein’s at the Nikko £ Hotel Rex £ Oasis £ The Starlight Room ✎

Best Castro Bar/Nightclub £ 440 Castro £ Badlands £ Beaux £ The Cafe £ The Edge £ Last Call £ Lookout £ Midnight Sun £ Qbar £ Toad Hall ✎

Best Dance Floor £ 1015 Folsom £ Beatbox £ The Cafe £ City Nights £ DNA Lounge £ EndUp £ Oasis ✎

Best East Bay Bar £ Club BnB £ Club 21 £ Turf Club £ White Horse Bar ✎

Best Neighborhood Bar £ El Rio £ Cinch £ Twin Peaks £ Pilsner Inn £ Virgil’s Sea Room £ Wild Side West ✎

Best Sports Bar £ 440 Castro £ The Edge £ Lookout £ Hi Tops £ Pilsner Inn ✎

Best SoMa Bar/Nightclub £ Beatbox £ Club OMG £ Hole in the Wall £ Lone Star Saloon £ Oasis £ Powerhouse £ SF Eagle £ The Stud ✎

Best Stray (Straight/Gay) Bar £ Blackbird £ EndUp £ The Uptown, Oakland £ Wild Side West ✎

Best Wine Bar £ Blush £ City Club £ Press Club £ Swirl ✎

NIGHTLIFE EVENTS Best Drag Show

£ Dream Queens Revue at Aunt Charlie’s Lounge £ Glamazone at The Café £ Mahogany Mondays at Midnight Sun £ Meow Mix at The Stud £ The Monster Show at The Edge £ Mother at Oasis £ Sex, Drags & Rock n Roll at Midnight Sun £ Some Thing at The Stud £ Sunday’s a Drag at The Starlight Room ✎

Best Comedy Night

£ Comedy Night at the SF Eagle £ Comedy Returns at El Rio £ Funny Fun at Club 21, Oakland £ Funny Tuesdays at Harvey’s £ Hella Gay Comedy at various venues £ Shit Talk at Oasis ✎

Best (non-contest) Leather Event at a Bar £ BLUF at SF Eagle £ Code at The Edge £ Daddy at The Powerhouse £ Lick It at the Powerhouse ✎

Best Monthly Nightlife Event

£ Beatpig at The Powerhouse £ Boy Division at Codeword £ Comedy Returns at El Rio £ Gameboi at Rickshaw Stop £ Go Bang! at The Stud £ Hardbox at The Powerhouse £ Polyglamorous at Oasis ✎

Best Nightlife Event (non-weekly/non-monthly) £ Bearracuda (various venues) £ Cockblock at Rickshaw Stop £ Comfort & Joy (various venues) £ Gameboi at Rickshaw Stop £ Hard French at El Rio £ ShangriLa at The EndUp ✎

Best Stage Show in a Bar/ Nightclub £ Absolutely Fabulous at Oasis £ Baloney at Oasis £ Man Francisco at Oasis £ Matthew Martin at Oasis £ Red Hots Burlesque at Beatbox £ Star Trek Live at Oasis ✎

Best Theme Night

£ Cubcake at The Lone Star Saloon £ Gym Class at Hi Tops £ Hardbox at Powerhouse £ Mazel Top at Oasis £ Onesie Parties at Lookout £ Pound Puppy at the SF Eagle ✎

Best Unusual Nightlife Event

£ After Dark at The Exporatorium £ Kink.com parties £ Nightlife at the California Academy of Sciences £ Nightlife at the de Young £ Opening parties at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts ✎

Best Weekly Nightlife Event £ Bulge at Powerhouse £ The Monster Show at The Edge £ Mother at Oasis £ Musical Mondays at The Edge £ Sundance Saloon at Space 550 £ Underwear Night at Club OMG ✎

Best Women’s Event

£ Cockblock at Rickshaw Stop £ Mango at El Rio £ Pussy Party at Beaux £ Ships in the Night at New Parish, Oakland £ Switch at Qbar ✎

Best Game Night

£ Bottoms Up Bingo at Hi Tops £ Gaymers at Brewcade £ Gaymer Night at SF Eagle £ Trivia Night at Harvey’s £ Miss Kitty’s Trivia Night at Wild Side West ✎

See next page >>

PEOPLE Best Bartender

£ Andy Anderson, 440 Castro £ Michael Breshears, Lookout £ Erick Lopez, The Edge £ Michael Tempesta, Midnight Sun £ Steve Dalton, SF Eagle £ Matt Wruble, The Gangway ✎

Best Cabaret Performer (Female) £ Leanne Borghesi £ Connie Champagne £ Sony Holland £ Paula West £ Wesla Whitfield ✎

Best Cabaret Performer (Male) £ Jason Brock £ Brian Kent £ Barry Lloyd £ Russ Lorenson £ Joe Wicht ✎

Best Cabaret Performer (Trans or Drag) £ Vanessa Bousay £ Veronica Klaus £ Honey Mahogany £ Katya Smirnoff-Skyy £ Shawna Virago ✎

Best Comic (Female or Trans) £ Marga Gomez £ Lisa Geduldig £ Natasha Muse £ Marilyn Pittman £ Karen Ripley £ Irene Tu £ Gina Yashere ✎

Best Comic (Male) £ Yuri Kagan £ Justin Lucas £ Nick Leonard £ Ronn Vigh £ Sampson McCormick £ Jesus U. Betta Work ✎

Best Drag Queen

£ D’Arcy Drollinger £ Glamamore £ Diego F*cking Gomez £ Heklina £ Honey Mahogany £ Joie de Vivre £ Landa Lakes £ Mutha Chucka £ Peaches Christ £ Matthew Simmons/ Peggy L’Eggs £ L Ron Hubby £ Juanita More £ Donna Persona £ Rahni NothingMore £ Sister Roma £ Phatima Rude £ Donna Sachet £ Bebe Sweetbriar £ Grace Towers £ Uphoria ✎

Best Gogo Gal

£ Lucy Dorado £ Jella Gogo £ Chloe Rainwater ✎

Best Host/MC

£ Peaches Christ £ Heklina £ Lance Holman £ Maria Konner £ Gina LaDivinia £ Honey Mahogany £ Pollo del Mar £ Juanita More! £ Mark Paladini £ Donna Sachet £ Sister Roma £ Grace Towers £ Tweaka Turner ✎

Best Band/Musician £ Double Duchess £ Veronica Klaus £ Maria Konner £ Pepperspray £ Tom Shaw £ Xavier Toscano £ Shawna Virago £ Whoa Nellies £ Joe Wicht ✎

Best DJ (Male)

£ Gehno Sanchez Aviance £ Marke Bieschke £ DAMnation £ Hawthorne £ Jason Kendig £ MC2 £ Guy Ruben £ Bus Station John £ David Harness £ Justime £ Mark O’Brien ✎

Best DJ (Female or Trans) £ Balthazar £ Lady Ryan £ G Star £ Najee Renee £ Page Hodel £ Olga T £ Ms. Jackson £ Siobhan Aluvalot ✎

Best DJ Duo/Group £ Adrian & Mysterious D £ BAAAHS £ Hard French £ Honey Soundsystem £ Go Bang! ✎

Best Drag King

£ Clammy Faye £ Arty Fishal £ Fudgie Frottage £ Leigh Crow £ Alex U. Inn £ Mason Dixon Jars £ Kegel Kater £ Kit Tapata £ Chester Vanderbox ✎

Best Faux Queen

£ Alotta Boutté £ Fauxnique £ Linty £ KaiKai Bee Michaels £ Migitte Nielsen £ Miss Shugana £ Vespa Synd £ Ferosha Titties

✎

Best Gogo Guy

£ Claudio Boser £ Jim Collins £ Josh Colwell £ Connor Hochleutner £ Eric Osborn £ Simon Palczynski £ Andrew Slade £ Michael Tempesta £ Ilie Valeri £ Ty Vincent ✎

Best Coffee Shop £ Blue Bottle £ La Boulange £ Coffee Bar £ Dolores Park Café £ Four Barrel £ Philz £ Peet’s £ Spike’s ✎

Best Late Night Restaurant £ DNA Pizza £ Flour + Water £ Grubstake £ It’s Tops £ Lori’s Diner £ Orphan Andy’s £ Sparky’s £ The View ✎

Best Happy Hour Bites £ Alchemist £ Azucar Lounge £ Bar Crudo £ Dosa £ Farralon £ Hi Tops £ Nopa £ Picaro Tapas ✎

Best Bar Menu £ Bar Tartine £ Bender’s £ Harvey’s £ Hi Tops £ Lookout £ Tempest £ Trick Dog ✎

Best Food Delivery App £ Caviar £ Munchery £ Eat24 £ GrubHub ✎

DRINKS Best Beer

£ Anchor Steam £ Bud Light £ Miller £ Stella Artois £ Sierra Nevada £ Trumer Pils ✎

Best Vodka

DINING Best Breakfast £ Crepevine £ Moulin Rouge £ Orphan Andy’s £ Plow £ Stacks ✎

Best Brunch

£ Breakfast at Tiffany’s £ Dottie’s £ Hazel’s Kitchen £ Kate’s Kitchen £ Squat & Gobble ✎

Best Lunch

£ Basil £ Café Flore £ Farm: Table £ Harvey’s £ Super Duper £ Toast ✎

Best Dinner

£ Cala £ Canela £ Chow £ Delfina £ Firewood Café £ Little Gem £ Marlowe £ Saison ✎

Best Dessert

£ Absolut £ Skyy £ Smirnoff £ Stoli ✎

Best Gin

£ Bombay Sapphire £ Gordon’s £ Tanqueray £ Hendrick’s ✎

Best Whiskey £ Bulleit £ Fireball £ Jim Beam £ Johnny Walker £ Seagram’s ✎

Services & Shopping Best Automaker £ Fiat £ Honda £ Lexus £ Tesla £ Toyota ✎

£ Cream £ La Luna £ Sift £ Sweet Inspirations £ Tartine Bakery £ Tout Sweet ✎

Best Bank

Best Outdoor Patio

Best Barbershop

£ Bar Agricole £ Café Flore £ Catch £ Fable £ Foreign Cinema £ Magic Flute £ Starbelly £ Stable £ Sycamore £ Zazie £ Zeitgeist ✎

£ Bank of America £ SF Federal Credit Union £ Sterling Bank and Trust £ Technology Credit Union £ Wells Fargo ✎ £ Daddy’s Barbershop £ Glama-Rama £ Joe’s Barbershop £ Louie’s Barbershop £ Male Image ✎

Best Bicycle Shop

£ Box Dog Bikes £ Freewheel Bike Shop £ Market Street Bikes £ Mission Bicycle Company £ Valencia Cyclery ✎

Best Bookstore £ Aardvark £ Alley Cat Books £ Books Inc. £ Booksmith £ Dog Eared Books £ Green Apple ✎

Best Dentist

£ Financial District Dental Care £ Opera Plaza Dentistry £ Michael Perona, DDS £ Aaron Rose, DDS ✎

Best Dog Park

£ Bernal Heights Dog Park £ Corona Heights Dog Park £ Duboce Park £ Ocean Beach small dog run (weekly) £ Point Isabel (Richmond) ✎

Best Grocery Store (Chain) £ Molly Stone’s Markets £ Safeway £ Trader Joe’s £ Whole Foods ✎

Best Veterinarian

£ Mission Pet Hospital £ San Francisco Veterinary House Calls £ Seven Hills Veterinary Hospital £ VCA San Francisco Vet Specialists £ VetPronto ✎

Best Vintage Clothing/ Consignment Shop £ Buffalo Exchange £ Crossroads Trading Co. £ Sui Generis £ Wasteland ✎

Best Wireless Carrier £ AT&T £ Sprint £ T-Mobile £ Verizon ✎

Best Place to Worship

£ Congregation Sha’ar Zahav £ Grace Cathedral £ Metropolitan Community Church - SF £ Most Holy Redeemer ✎

Best Grocery Store (Independent)

£ Brown & Toland £ CPMC/Sutter Health £ Kaiser £ UCSF ✎

Best Medical Marijuana Dispensary £ Apothecarium £ Bernal Heights Collective £ Green Cross £ Green Door £ Shambhala MCC £ Sparc ✎

Best Place to Pamper Your Pets

£ Best in Show £ Bernal Beast £ Doggie Day Spaw £ George £ Noe Valley Pet Company £ Mudpuppy’s Tub and Scrub £ VIP Pet Grooming ✎

Best Pet Hotel

£ High Tail £ Pet Camp £ Mission: Cats £ Wag (Oakland) £ Wag (San Francisco) ✎

Best Realtor

£ Mario Banuelos (Vanguard Properties) £ Travis Bernard (Coldwell Banker) £ Katharine Holland (Coldwell Banker) £ Kevin Koerner (Zephyr Real Estate) £ Kevin Melander (Zephyr Real Estate) £ Patrick Patricelli (Vanguard Properties) £ Terry Murphy (Bennion Deville Homes, Palm Springs) ✎

Best Real Estate Firm

£ Hill & Company £ Paragon Real Estate Group £ Vanguard Properties £ Zephyr Real Estate ✎

Best Retirement Community

£ Fountaingrove Lodge £ San Francisco Towers £ The Sequoias – San Francisco ✎

Best Ride-Hailing Service £ Homobiles £ Lyft £ Uber ✎

Best Thrift Store

£ Community Thrift £ Goodwill £ Out of the Closet (AIDS Healthcare Foundation) ✎

Best Beach

£ Black Sands £ Ocean Beach £ Marshall’s Beach £ Muir Beach £ Stinson Beach ✎

Best Caterer

£ J Jardine £ Molto Benne Catering £ Taste Catering ✎

Best Domestic Getaway

£ Las Vegas £ New York City £ Palm Springs £ Seattle £ Washington, D.C. ✎

Best Formalwear for Men

£ Bi-Rite Market £ Golden Produce/ Golden Natural Foods £ Good Life Grocery £ Rainbow Grocery ✎

Best Health Care Provider

Weddings & Destinations

£ Macy’s £ Men’s Wearhouse £ Sui Generis ✎

SEX Best Local Gay Male Porn Actor £ Jesse Colter £ Race Cooper £ Leo Forte £ Dominic Pacifico £ Adam Ramzi £ Jon Shield £ Damien Stone £ Dylan Strokes ✎

Best Dating App £ Dandy £ Grindr £ Growlr £ Hornet £ Jack’d £ Manhunt £ Scruff ✎

Best Sex Venue

£ 442 Natoma £ Blow Buddies £ Eros £ Nob Hill Theatre £ Steamworks, Berkeley £ Watergarden, San Jose ✎

Best Place to Buy Sex Toys

£ Folsom Gulch £ Good Vibrations £ Rock Hard £ Mr S Leather £ Does Your Mother Know ✎

Best Place to Meet an Online Date/Hookup £ Blow Buddies £ SF Eagle £ Beck’s Motor Lodge ✎

Best Formalwear for Women £ Kipper Clothiers £ Macy’s £ Saint Harridan ✎

Best Local Getaway £ Carmel-Monterey £ Healdsburg £ Napa £ Santa Cruz £ Sonoma £ Reno-Tahoe £ Russian River ✎

Best Honeymoon Destination £ Hawaii £ Key West £ Provincetown £ Puerto Vallarta ✎

Best Place to Buy Rings £ D&H Sustainable Jewelers £ Gallery of Jewels £ Love & Luxe £ Shane Co. £ Tiffany & Co. ✎

Best Wedding Photographer

£ Jane Philomen Cleland £ Rick Gerharter £ Gareth Gooch £ Georg Lester £ Steven Underhill ✎

Best Wedding Reception Venue

£ Bently Reserve £ City Club of San Francisco £ Terra Gallery £ W Hotel ✎

Best Wedding Venue £ Cal Academy of Sciences £ de Young Museum £ Julia Morgan Ballroom £ Legion of Honor £ SF City Hall ✎

February 18-24, 2016 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 29

On the Tab

Gareth Gooch

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On the Tab>>

February 18-25

Tubesteak Connection @ Aunt Charlie’s Lounge

Ladies of San Francisco @ Club OMG

Some Thing @ The Stud

Disco guru DJ Bus Station John spins grooves at the intimate retro music night. 10pm-2am. 133 Turk St. at Taylor. www.auntcharlieslounge.com

Galilea hosts the weekly “old school drag show” with guest performers and DJ Jack Rojo, and a special Christmas night show. $4. 9pm-2am.

43 6th St. www.clubOMGsf.com

Fri 19

Latin Explosion @ Club 21, Oakland

Mica Sigourney and pals’ weekly offbeat drag performance night. Feb. 19, a special one-woman show with Miss Rahni; Bus Station John guestDJs. $7. 10pm-3am. 399 9th St. www.studsf.com

Boy Bar @ The Cafe Gus Presents’ weekly dance night, with DJ Kid Sysko, cute gogos and $2 beer (before 10pm). 2369 Market St. www.cafesf.com

Comedy Noir @ Balancoire

Enjoy a special 14th annual Brazilian Carnaval night, with drummers, capoeira performers, costumed gogo studs, DJ Carlitos playing samba, Latin, and electro. $10-$20. 9pm3am. 2111 Franklin St., Oakland. www.club21oakland.com

Swagger Like Us @ Oasis Big Dipper, the gay bear rapper, is the guest performer at the queer hip hop night. $10. 298 11th St. at Folsom.

795-3180. www.sfoasis.com

Valerie Branch’s weekly comedy night, where she embodies her faux queen character Pia Messing for some offbeat wit, along with guest performers. $5. 8pm-10pm. 2565 Mission St. www.balancoiresf.com

Dancing Ghosts @ Cat Club Enjoy goth, industrial and post-wave grooves by DJs Xander, Sage, Tomas Diablo and Unit 77, at the LGBTfriendly dance night. Feb. 19: a special tribute to Marc Almond and Coil. $5-$8. 9:30pm-2:30am. 1190 Folsom St. www.sfcatclub.com

Fri 19 Miss Rahni at Some Thing @ The Stud

Thu 18

Academy of Friends @ Mercedez-Benz SF The Oscar party nonprofit hosts a VIP cocktail, wine, food and live music reception and Academy Award warm-up at the luxury car dealership.

Admission proceeds benefit several local nonprofits. Get a free Lyft ride to and from the event! $20. 6:30pm. 500 8th St. www.academyoffriends.org

Paula West @ Feinstein’s at the Nikko The acclaimed jazz vocalist returns for another extended residency at the upscale intimate cabaret. $40-$60 ($20 food/drink min.) 8pm. Thu-Sat 8pm. Sun 3pm (no show Feb 28). Thru March 6. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. (866) 663-1063. www.ticketweb.com

Bulge @ Powerhouse Grace Towers hosts the fun sexy night. $100 cash prize for best bulge. $5-$10 benefits Groundswell Institute, the queer retreat camp. 10pm-2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

Comedy Returns @ El Rio

Indigo Girls @ The Fillmore The popular folk duo perform favorite and new songs; Lucy Wainwright Roche opens. $38.50. 9pm. Also Feb. 19. 1805 Geary Blvd. www.thefillmore.com

Thu 18 Maria Konner @ Martuni’s

Rock Fag @ Hole in the Wall Enjoy hard rock and punk music from DJ Don Baird at the wonderfully divey SoMa bar. 7pm-2am. 1369 Folsom St. 431-4695. www.hitws.com

Sexitude @ Oasis D’Arcy Drollinger’s aerobic dance party gets you in shape for partying.

Bring your Spandex and headbands. $10. 9pm. 298 11th St. at Folsom.

795-3180. www.sfoasis.com

The Trans diva multi-instrumentplaying singer returns for her monthly cabaret show, with a 3-piece band, guitar songs and guest trumpeter Patina De Copper. No cover. 6:308:30pm. 4 Valencia St. at Market.

Themed event nights at the fascinating nature museum, with DJed dancing, cocktails, fish, frogs, food and fun. Feb. 18: Noise Pop includes live acts Gardens & Villa, Charlie Hilton, and a DJ set by Damon Eliza Palermo. Feb. 25: Dark & Stormy Nightlife with DJ Britt Govea, demos on climate change, tides, and more. $10-$12. 6pm-10pm, 55 Music Concourse Drive, Golden Gate Park.

379-8000. www.calacademy.org

Gogo-tastic dance night starts off your weekend. $5. 9pm-2am. 2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

The family-friendly night events returns, with exhibit tours, dancing, food, drinks, and live music. $7-$15.

5pm-9pm. 1000 Oak St. www.museumca.org

Midnight Show @ Divas Weekly drag shows at the last transgender-friendly bar in the Polk; with hosts Victoria Secret, Alexis Miranda and several performers. Also Saturdays. $10. 11pm. 1081 Polk St. www.divassf.com

Sat 20

Happy Friday @ Midnight Sun

Chic with Nile Rodgers @ Fox Theatre, Oakland

The popular video bar ends each work week with gogo guys (starting at 9pm) and drink specials. 4067 18th St. 861-4186. www.midnightsunsf.com

The disco group reunites with founder and stellar music producer Rodgers (Madonna, Bowie, B52s). $55-$75.

8pm. 1807 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. www.thefoxoakland.com

Club Rimshot @ Club BNB, Oakland

St. James Infirmary volunteers and friends gather at the soon-tobe-closed neighborhood gay bar.

6:30pm-9:30pm. 841 Larkin St. 776-6828.

The weekly hip hop and R&B night.

8-$15. 9pm to 4am. 2120 Broadway.

(510) 759-7340. www.club-bnb.com

Gameboi SF @ Rickshaw Stop

Gehno Aviance presents Drag Queen Boxing, with DJ Justime, Imperial Court candidate Emma Peel, boxing gogo studs, and more fun. Go shirtless for free clothes check. Strip down to boxers for a free drink. $5. 9pm-2am.

1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

Fri 19 Big Dipper at Swagger Like Us @ Oasis

Hard Fridays @ Qbar DH Haute Toddy’s weekly electro-pop night with hotty gogos. $3. 9pm-2am (happy hour 4pm-9pm). 456 Castro St. www.QbarSF.com

Mike Greensill Trio @ Hotel Rex Enjoy sung and played songs by Jelly Roll Morton, Nat King Cole, Fats Waller and Ray Charles. Cocktails and small plates available. $30-$50. 8pm. 562 Sutter St. www.societycabaret.com

Enjoy live music and films at dozens of Bay Area venues. Thru Feb. 29. www.noisepop.com/2016/

Indigo Girls @ The Fillmore

Ms. Jackson and Jibbs spin grooves at the monthly women’s night’s threeyear anniversary; with Dinah Shore Weekend raffle tickets, dance acts Bossy SF, Entangle and Sway. $10.

10pm-2am. 314 11th St. www.beatboxsf.com

Latin, hip hop and Electro music night. $5-$25. 9pm-4am. 2111 Franklin St., Oakland. www.club21oakland.com

Noise Pop Music Festival @ Bay Area Venues

Thu 18

Uhaul SF @ Beatbox

La Bota Loca @ Club 21, Oakland

Hardbox @ Powerhouse

Maria Konner @ Martuni’s

Nightlife @ California Academy of Sciences

Friday Nights @ Oakland Museum

Chic with Nile Rodgers @ Fox Theatre

Happy Hour Social @ The Gangway

Fauxnique @ Oasis Monique Jenkinson, the acclaimed faux queen dancer-performer, brings her new show, The F Word, about high femme feminism and Fosse-esque moves, to the nightclub. See feature in this issue. $25. 7pm thru Feb. 20. 298 11th St. www.fauxnique.net www.sfoasis.com

Manimal @ Beaux

UnderCover presents 14 Bay Area bands, who perform unique covers of the East Bay punk-pop band’s 13-million-selling album Dookie. $38$400. 7:30pm. 1807 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. www.thefoxoakland.com

Weekly drag queen and drag king show hosted by Cruzin d’Loo. 8pm10pm. No cover. 2565 Mission St. www.balancoiresf.com

Sat 20

Victoria Secret, Alexandria, Chanel, Mini Minerva, Kipper, Ruby LeBrowne and Lulu Ramirez perform at the monthly downtown drag show. Dinner 6pm, show 8pm. No cover. 124 Ellis St. 421-8700. www.fauxgirls.com

Green Day Tribute @ Fox Theatre, Oakland

Ain’t Mama’s Drag @ Balancoire

The fun monthly comedy night this time includes Diane Amos, Tom Ammiano, Francesca Fiorentini, Mary Carouba and host Lisa Geduldig. $7$20. 8pm. 3158 Mission st. at Precita.

(800) 838-3006. www.elriosf.com

Fauxgirls @ Infusion Lounge

Red Hots Burlesque @ Beatbox

The monthly gay Asian and pals’ dance night celebrates the Lunar New Year. $8-$15. 9:30pm-2am. 155 Fell St. www.rickshawstop.com

Mother @ Oasis Heklina’s weekly drag show night with different themes, always outrageously hilarious. Feb. 20, the 19th annual Star Search Competition, hosted by Heklina and Peaches Christ, with guest judges Kylie Minono, Miss Rahni, U-Phoria and Sandra O. Noshidin’t. $15. 10pm-2am. 298 11th St. at Folsom. 795-3180. www.sfoasis.com

Oleta Adams @ Yoshi’s Oakland The talented jazz and R&B vocalist performs at the stylish cabaretrestaurant. $29-$65. 7pm & 9pm.

510 Embarcadero St. (510) 238-9200. www.yoshis.com

Saturgay @ Qbar

The saucy women’s burlesque show hosted by Dottie Lux. $10. 7pm-10pm.

314 11th St. www.beatboxsf.com

Stanley Frank spins house dance remixes at the intimate Castro dance bar. $3. 9pm-2am (weekly beer bust 2pm-9pm). 456 Castro St. www.QbarSF.com

Ronn Vigh @ Condor Club

Saved by the ‘90s @ Slim’s

The local gay comic (and writer for Joan Rivers’ Fashion Police) performs stand-up at the straight strip club, with Keith D’Souza and Jason Rogers. $30 (2-drink min.) 9pm. Broadway at Columbus. www.condorsf.com

Enjoy dancing and singing along to your favorite ‘90s tunes (Green Day, Nirvana, No Doubt and more). $12$15. 9pm-2am. 333 11th St. www.slimspresents.com

See page 30 >>

<< On the Tab

30 • BAY AREA REPORTER • February 18-24, 2016

Drag Mondays @ The Cafe

Cock Shot @ Beaux

Mahlae Balenciaga and DJ Kidd Sysko’s weekly drag and dance night, 2014’s last of the year. 9pm-1am.

2369 Market St. www.cafesf.com

Shot specials and adult Bingo games, with DJs Chad Bays and Riley Patrick, at the new weekly night. No cover.

9pm-2am. 2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

Epic Karaoke @ White Horse, Oakland Mondays and Tuesdays popular weekly sing-along night. No cover. 8:30pm1am. 6551 Telegraph Ave, (510) 6523820. www.whitehorsebar.com

Gaymer Meetup @ Brewcade

Gameboi SF @ Rickshaw Stop

Soul Delicious @ Lookout

Jock @ The Lookout

Brunch, booze, sass and grooves, with the Mom DJs, Motown sounds, and soul food. 11am-4pm. 3600 16th St. www.lookoutsf.com

Enjoy the weekly jock-ular fun, with DJed dance music at sports team fundraisers. 12pm-1am. 3600 16th St. www.lookoutsf.com

Soul Party @ Elbo Room

The Queen and the Dead @ Oasis

DJs Lucky, Paul, and Phengren Osward spin 60s soul 45s. $5-$10 ($5 off in semi-formal attire). 10pm-2am. 647 Valencia St. 552-7788. www.elbo.com

Sugar @ The Cafe

Screening of the new drag queenzombie comedy film. $15. 3pm. 298 11th St. at Folsom. 795-3180. www.sfoasis.com

Dance, drink, cruise at the Castro club. 9pm-2am. 2369 Market St. www.cafesf.com

FBFE

I Want to Believe @ Oasis Watch new X-Files episodes, enjoy X-Files-themed drag acts and trivia, hosted by Linty and Mannequin. $3.

298 11th St. at Folsom. 795-3180. www.sfoasis.com

Karaoke Night @ SF Eagle Sing along, with guest host Nick Radford. 8pm-12am. 398 12th St. www.sf-eagle.com

Sun 21 DJ Bus Station John’s Disco Daddy @ The Eagle

Mother’s Star Search @ Oasis

Beer Bust @ SF Eagle

The classic leather bar’s most popular Sunday daytime event in town draws the menfolk. Beer bust donations benefit local nonprofits (Check the website for a list of recipients). 3pm-6pm. Now also on Saturdays. 398 12th St. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com

Disco Daddy @ SF Eagle DH Bus Station John’s groovy postbeer bust dance party this time celebrates Earth, Wind & Fire. $5.

7pm-12am. 398 12th St. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com

New weekly event with DJs Haute Toddy, Guy Ruben, Mercedez Munro and Abominatrix. Wet T-shirt/jock contest at 11pm. $5-$10. 9pm-2am.

2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

Bone @ Powerhouse Patronus and the X-Rated Dungeon @ The Edge Kink and Harry Potter-themed fundraiser for the AIDS LifeCycle, with $10 beer bust, dungeon demos, spanking for naughty wixards and more. 4pm-7pm. 4149 18th St. www.edgesf.com

Mahogany Mondays @ Midnight Sun Honey Mahogany’s weekly drag and musical talent show starts around 10pm. 4067 18th St. 861-4186. www.midnightsunsf.com

Monday Musicals @ The Edge

No No Bingo @ Virgil’s Sea Room Mica Sigourney and Tom Temprano cohost the wacky weekly game night at the cool Mission bar. 8pm. 3152 Mission St. www.virgilssf.com

Mon 22 David Bowie Tribute @ SF Independent

Domingo De Escandal @ Club OMG

Sunday’s a Drag @ Starlight Room

Weekly Latin night with drag shows Vicky Jimenez hosts, DJ Luis. 7pm2am. 43 6th St. www.clubomgsf.com

Donna Sachet hosts the weekly fabulous brunch and drag show, now celebrating its tenth anniversary. $45.

11am, show at noon; 1:30pm, show at 2:30pm. 450 Powell St. in Union Square.

395-8595. www.starlightroomsf.com

Weekly live music shows with various acts, along with brunch, mimosas, champagne and more, at the stylish nightclub and restaurant; shows at 12:30pm, 1:30pm and 2:45pm. After that, T-Dance drag shows at 7pm, 10pm and 11pm. 2565 Mission St. at 21st.

920-0577. www.balancoiresf.com

GlamaZone @ The Cafe Pollo del Mar’s weekly drag show.

8:30-11:30pm. 2369 Market St. www.cafesf.com

Weekly underwear night includes free clothes check, and drink specials. $4.

10pm-2am. Preceded by Open Mic Comedy, 7pm, no cover. 43 6th St. www.clubomgsf.com

Bedlam @ Beaux

Sing along at the popular musical theatre night; also Wednesdays. 7pm2am. 2 for 1 cocktail, 5pm-closing.

4149 18th St. at Collingwood. www.edgesf.com

Femme, Xtravaganza @ Balancoire

Underwear Night @ Club OMG

Wed 24

Big Top @ Beaux The fun Castro nightclub, with hot local DJs and sexy gogo guys and gals. $5. 9pm-2am. 2344 Market St. www.Beauxsf.com

Vicky Jimenez’ drag show and contest; Latin music all night. 9pm-2am. 2120 Broadway. (510) 759-7340. www.club-bnb.com

Irene Tu and Jessica Sele cohost the comedy open mic night for women and queers. No cover. 6pm-8:30pm.

4 Valencia St.

Sat 20

Sun 21

Una Noche @ Club BnB, Oakland

Mon 22 David Bowie Tribute @ SF Independent

Screening of the 1973 rockumentary Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, performance by cover band Everyone Is Bowie, and DJed dancing. $10. 8pm. 628 Divisadero st. 7711421. www.theindependentsf.com

Opulence @ Beaux Weekly dance night, with Jocques, DJs Tori, Twistmix and Andre. 9pm-2am.

2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

Piano Bar 101 @ Martuni’s

Gaymer Night @ Eagle Gay gaming fun on the bar’s big screen TVs. Have a nerdgasm and a beer with your pals. 8pm. 398 12th St. www.sf-eagle.com

Meow Mix @ The Stud The weekly themed variety cabaret showcases new and unusual talents; MC Ferosha Titties. $3-$7. Show at 11pm. 9pm-2am. 399 9th St. at Harrison. www.studsf.com

Naked Night @ Nob Hill Theatre Strip down as the strippers also take it all off. $20. 9pm. 729 Bush St. at Powell. 397-6758. www.thenobhilltheatre.com

Retro Night @ 440 Castro Jim Hopkins plays classic pop oldies, with vintage music videos. 9pm-2am.

44 Castro St. www.the440.com

Hella Saucy @ Q Bar Queer dance party at the stylish intimate bar. 9pm-2am. 456 Castro St. www.QbarSF.com

New weekly punk-alternative music night hosted by Uel Renteria and Johnny Rockitt. 10pm-2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

Bottoms Up Bingo @ Hi Tops Play board games and win offbeat prizes at the popular sports bar. 9pm.

2247 Market St. 551-2500. www.HiTopsSF.com

B.P.M. @ Club BnB, Oakland Olga T and Shugga Shay’s weekly queer women and men’s R&B hip hop and soul night, at the club’s new location. No cover. 8pm-2am. 2120 Broadway, Oakland. www.bench-and-bar.com

Dream Queens Revue @ Aunt Charlie’s Lounge Collette LeGrande, Ruby Slippers, Sophilya Leggz, Bobby Ashton, Sheena Rose, Kipper, and Joie de Vivre perform at the twice-monthly classic drag show. No cover. 9:30-11:15pm.

133 Turk St. 441-2922. www.dreamqueensrevue.com

Sing-along night with talented locals, and charming accompanist Joe Wicht (aka Trauma Flintstone).

9pm. 4 Valencia St. at Market. www. dragatmartunis.com

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

Tue 23

Block Party @ Midnight Sun Weekly screenings of music videos, concert footage, interviews and more, of popular pop stars. 9pm-2am. 4067 18th St. 861-4186. www.midnightsunsf.com

Tue 23 Hella Saucy @ QBar

Shot in the City

From page 29

Play the trivia game at the popular new sports bar. 9pm. 2247 Market St. 551-2500. www.HiTopsSF.com

Hysteria @ Martuni’s

Marquis Daniels

<<

Ronn Vigh hosts the weekly LGBT and gay-friendly comedy night. One-drink or menu item minimum. 9pm. 500 Castro St. at 18th. 431-HARV. www.harveyssf.com

Trivia Night @ Hi Tops

The weekly LGBT video game enthusiast night includes big-screen games and signature beers, with a new remodeled layout, including an outdoor patio.

No cover. 7pm-11pm. 2200 Market St. www.brewcadesf.com

Sat 20

On the Tab

Funny Tuesdays @ Harvey’s

t

t

On the Tab>>

February 18-24, 2016 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 31

Skate Night @ Church on 8 Wheels

Thu 25 Ash Fisher and Irene Tu cohost Man Haters @ White Horse Bar

Latin Drag Night @ Club OMG

Circle Jerk @ Nob Hill Theatre

Weekly Latin night with drag shows hosted by Vicky Jimenez. 9pm-2am.

43 6th St. www.clubomgsf.com

Join porn stud Casey Everett at the interactive downstairs sex party (before his solo and duo sex stage shows with Leon Fox, Feb. 26 & 27). $15. 9pm. 729 Bush St. at Powell. 3976758. www.thenobhilltheatre.com

Man Francisco @ Oasis The sexy, funny weekly male burlesque show returns; choreographed by Christopher James Dunn; Mr Pam MCs. $20. 2-drink min.

9:30pm. 298 11th St. at Folsom. 7953180. www.sfoasis.com

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

424 Cortland St. 647-3099. www.wildsidewest.com

Open Mic/Comedy @ SF Eagle Kollin Holts hosts the weekly comedy and open mic talent night. 6pm-8pm.

398 12th St. www.sf-eagle.com

Pussy Party @ Beaux Ladies night at the Castro dance club.

9pm-2am. 2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

Funny Fun @ Club 21, Oakland Weekly LGBT and straight comedy night hosted by Dan Mires. $10. 8pm.

2111 Franklin St. Oakland. (510) 2689425. www.club21oakland.com

Gym Class @ Hi Tops

So You Think You Can Gogo? @ Toad Hall The weekly dancing competition for gogo wannabes. 9pm. cash prizes, $2 well drinks (2 for 1 happy hour til 9pm). Show at 9pm. 4146 18th St. www.toadhallbar.com

Way Back @ Midnight Sun Weekly screenings of vintage music videos, and retro drink prices. 9pm2am. 4067 18th St. 861-4186. www.midnightsunsf.com

Wooden Nickel Wednesday @ 440 Buy a drink and get a wooden nickle good for another. 12pm-2am. 440 Castro St. 621-8732. www.the440.com

Thu 25 Ain’t Mama’s Drag @ Balancoire

Weekly drag queen and drag king show hosted by Cruzin d’Loo. 8pm10pm. No cover. 2565 Mission St. www.balancoiresf.com

Bulge @ Powerhouse Grace Towers hosts the racy night with a $100 wet undies buldge contest at midnight. 10pm-2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

The wacky sitcom about ‘70s roommates gets the local drag parody treatment, with Heklina, D’Arcy Drollinger, Matthew Martin, Adam Roy, Sara Moore and Laurie Bushman. $ Thru March 5. 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

Throwback Thursdays @ Qbar Enjoy retro 80s soul, dance and pop classics with DJ Jorge Terez. No cover.

9pm-2am. 456 Castro St. www.QbarSF.com

Thump @ White Horse, Oakland Weekly electro music night with DJ Matthew Baker and guests. 9pm-2am.

6551 Telegraph Ave, (510) 652-3820. www.whitehorsebar.com

Thursday Night Live @ SF Eagle

Lee Ann Womack @ Great American Music Hall

Tubesteak Connection @ Aunt Charlie’s Lounge

The Grammy-winning Country singer performs new and favorite songs.

Ryan Beaver opens. $21-$46 (with dinner). 8pm. 859 O’Farrell St. www.slimspresents.com

Literary Speakeasy @ Martuni’s

Man Haters @ White Horse Bar, Oakland

Lee Ann Womack @ Great American Music Hall

Three’s Company Live @ Oasis

Enjoy whiskey shots from jockstrapped hotties and sexy sports videos at the popular sports bar.

10pm-2am. 2247 Market St. 551-2500. www.HiTopsSF.com

Poets S.B. Stokes, Bruce Snider, Randall Mann, and Fred Dodsworth read, plus musician Kathleen Knighton and host James J. Siegel, raffle prizes.

7pm-8:30pm. 4 Valencia St. www.martunis.ypguides.net

Thu 25

Groove on wheels at the former Sacred Heart Church-turned disco roller skate party space, hosted by John D. Miles, the “Godfather of Skate.” Also Wed, Thu, 7pm-10pm.

Sat afternoon sessions 1pm-2:30pm and 3pm-5:30pm. $10. Kids 12 and under $5. Skate rentals $5. 554 Fillmore St at Fell. www.churchof8wheels.com

Irene Tu and Ash Fisher cohost a night of women’s queer comedy (with guys welcome, too), with Marga Gomez, Allison Micj, Morgan, Samantha Gilweit and Sampson. $10.

7pm. 6551 Telegraph Ave., Berkeley. www.whitehorsebar.com

Mary Go Round @ Lookout Mercedez Munro and Holotta Tymes’ weekly drag show. $5.

10:30pm show. DJ Philip Grasso.

3600 16th St. www.lookoutsf.com

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

My So-Called Night @ Beaux Carnie Asada hosts a new weekly ‘90s-themed video, dancin’, drinkin’ night, with VJs Jorge Terez. Get down with your funky bunch, and enjoy 90cent drinks. ‘90s-themed attire and costume contest. No cover. 9pm-2am.

2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

Nap’s Karaoke @ Virgil’s Sea Room Sing out loud at the weekly least judgmental karaoke in town, hosted by the former owner of the bar. No cover. 9pm. 3152 Mission St. 8292233. www.virgilssf.com

Picante @ The Cafe Lulu and DJ Marco’s Latin night with sexy gogo guys. 9pm-2am. 2369 Market St. www.cafesf.com

Queer Karaoke @ Club OMG Dana hosts the weekly singing night; unleash your inner American Idol.

8pm. 43 6th St. www.clubomgsf.com

Music night with local and touring bands. $8. 9:30pm. 398 12th St. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com

Disco guru DJ Bus Station John spins grooves at the intimate retro music night; 10pm-2am. 133 Turk St. at Taylor. www.auntcharlieslounge.com Want your nightlife event listed?

Email events@ebar.com, at least two weeks before your event.

Event photos welcome.

Steven Underhill

PHOTOGRAPHY

415 370 7152

WEDDINGS, HEADSHOTS, PORTRAITS

stevenunderhill.com · stevenunderhillphotos@gmail.com

Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

32 • BAY AREA REPORTER • February 18-24, 2016

Weekend of Leather

by Race Bannon

I

t’s that’s time of year again, folks! Leather Alliance Weekend will be held March 4-6, 2016. The Weekend is organized and produced by the San Francisco Bay Area Leather Alliance along with many dedicated volunteers, and offers locals and visitors a wide ar-

ray of things to do.

Among the Weekend’s offerings is what many consider the main event, at least in terms of attendance, the Mr. San Francisco Leather Contest. But there is something for everyone, whether contests are your thing or not.

Kicking off the Weekend on Friday, March 4, are three

t

events. From 5-7pm at Mr. S Leather, 385 8th Street, there will be a Meet and Greet gathering where the public can mix and mingle with the Mr. SF Leather contestants, judges, volunteers and staff.

Following the Meet and Greet will be a Roast of Gary Virginia, a former Mr. SF Leather and one of our community’s most esteemed and hardworking members. The Roast will be held at Beatbox, 314 11th Street, from 7-9:30pm. I’ve always admired Gary. He’s been tireless through the years in trying to make our community and city a better Rich Stadtmiller place. I hope they roast Contestants in the 2016 Mr. SF Leather include (L-to-R) Kody Staubitz, Mr. him well, and with the love Edge 2016; Cody Elkin, Mr. Lonestar Leather 2016; Keith Robling, Mr. Sober and respect he deserves.

Leather 2016; Harry Kong, Mr. SF Eagle Leather 2016; Element Eclipse, Mr. What better way to end Powerhouse Leather 2016; Paul William, Mr. Worn Out West 2016, and Kippy Friday than with a play Marks, Mr. Friendly 2016. party. I love all of the great events available to our local leatherfolk and kinksters, but I try to always remember that, at its core, our scene is about erotic identity and play. The 15 Association helps us remember that by hosting great parties, and they are hosting the Alliance’s men’s play party from 8pm-1am at Alchemy SF, one of San Francisco’s most well equipped dungeons.

All men are welcome and the proceeds benefit the Alliance (www.leatheralliance.

Rich Stadtmiller Rich Stadtmiller org). You can find out the specifics of the party by vis- Other 2016 Ms. SF Leather contestants include Damien Alvarez, Eric Burkett and Jacob Ray. iting their site at www.the15association.org.

Education has been a men committed to supporting and worth preserving, and one way to do part of the Weekend for some years enhancing the quality of life for our that is through oral histories. Here now, and this year offers two fantascommunities and for future generayou can learn what it takes to contic educational sessions produced tions. Payasos-L.A. uses fundraisduct an excellent interview, or be a

by San Francisco Leathermen’s ing, public appearances and volungreat interviewee, including tips for Discussion Group (www.sfldg.org) teering to support youth programs, constructing questions, recording on Saturday, March 5. Refer to the promote Latino presence in the arts, techniques, and more. weekend’s website for the location and generate awareness about issues The Mr. SF Leather contest beof these sessions. that affect the Latino community in gins Saturday night at 6pm at the First up will be “Payasos: Leather, Los Angeles.

Hotel Whitcomb, 1231 Market Laughter, and Latino in Los AnNext up will be “The Story of Street. This year has the most congeles.” Justin Emerick, Fernando You: Giving and Getting a Great testants since the lineup of contesBuenrostro, Leo Iriarte, and Esteban Oral History,” an interactive worktants in 1990. Ten men will be vying Bartolo, all members of the LA-based shop on oral histories for interviewfor the title of Mr. SF Leather 2016.

Payosos (www.payasos-la.org), will ers and interviewees, led by profesThe show will again be hosted by be led in a discussion about their sional public radio journalist Pup the charming and funny pair, our work by our own Patrick Mulcahey.

Spike. Leather and kink history is own Pollo Del Mar and Don Mike Through self-respect and selfsomething near and dear to my of Los Angeles. expression, Payasos-L.A. is a brothheart. This workshop celebrates that See page 33 >> erhood of gay and bisexual Latino the leather community’s stories are

Rich Stadtmiller

Leather title holders from around the country pose in the lobby of the Whitcomb Hotel at the 2015 Mr. SF Leather contest.

t <<

Read more online at www.ebar.com

Weekend of Leather

From page 32

Competing this year are: Cody Elkin, Mr. Lonestar Leather 2016; Damien Alvarez, Mr. Chaps Leather 2016; Element Eclipse, Mr. Powerhouse Leather 2016; Eric Burkett, running as an independent; Harry Kong, Mr. SF Eagle Leather 2016; Jacob Ray, Mr. Daddy’s Barbershop Leather 2016; Keith Robling, Mr. Sober Leather 2016; Kippy Marks, Mr. Friendly 2016; Kody Staubitz, Mr. Edge 2016; and Paul William, Mr. Worn Out West 2016.

Doing the difficult task of selecting this year’s winner will be judges: Arthur Mainster; Garry McLain, also known as Marlena; Gary Virginia, Mr. SF Leather 1996; Patrick Smith, International Mr. Leather 2015; Stela Furtado (D. Love), Ms. SF Leather 2016; and Trevor Black, Mr. SF Leather 2015.

The winner of the contest will go on to represent San Francisco at the International Mr. Leather (IML) contest in Chicago, Illinois. Past Mr. SF Leather winners have a history of consistently placing higher at IML than representatives from any other city in the world.

After the winner of the contest is announced, everyone is invited to the Victory Party to be held at either the winner’s sponsor bar or the Powerhouse, 1347 Folsom Street, starting at about 10pm.

On Sunday morning the 50th Annual San Francisco Leather Community Awards Brunch takes place at Oasis, 298 11th Street, at 11am. The Awards Brunch, begun in 1966, is a longstanding tradition that has honored the groups and individuals who create and support our communities through events and projects. They

are the longest-running leather community awards in the world.

From 3-6pm the SF Eagle, 398 12th Street, hosts the Mr. SF Leather 2016 Beerbust. Everyone can join the new Mr. SF Leather 2016, his brothers, judges, contest MCs, and the rest of the bar’s traditional Sunday beerbust crowd to commune and socialize as the weekend begins to come to an end. Funds raised during the beerbust will support the Mr. SF Leather travel fund.

But, the weekend isn’t quite over yet. The women get the chance to officially close out the weekend’s activities with an Alliance women’s play party, also at Alchemy SF, from 5-10pm. The party is organized by the San Francisco girls of Leather (www.sfgol.org) and The Exiles (www.theexiles.org). All women are welcome and the proceeds benefit the Alliance. Visit their websites for party information.

No weekend of this magnitude can be pulled off without great organizers and an army of volunteers.

Larry Shockey and Erik Will are this year’s co-chairs. Key members of their team include Dahn van Laarz, Rachele Sullivan and Angel Garfold. This year’s contest was organized by Nile Eckhoff and his production staff.

You can access lots of information about the Weekend using the Alliance phone app and the companion website that both serve as the primary hubs of information for the weekend including: a full calendar of events; tickets; photos from previous years, courtesy of Rich Stadtmiller; bios for the contestants, judges, MCs and entertainers; educational sessions; and more. It also serves as the digital resource for the Leather Alliance year round.

The best way to get the app is to

February 18-24, 2016 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 33

Rich Stadtmiller

Contestants, judges and prior title holders at last year’s Mr. SF Leather contest, held at the Whitcomb Hotel.

go to www.leatherallianceweekend. org. If you’re on a phone it should ask you if you want to download the app. If it doesn’t, scroll to the bottom of the page. It’s available for iOS and android.

Phew! That’s a lot of stuff going on over the Leather Alliance Weekend. In recent years the San Francisco leather and kink community has witnessed a renaissance of sorts and it’s nice to see our local scene continuing to remain so vibrant and active.t Race Bannon is a local author, blogger and activist.

You can reach him on his website, www.bannon.com.

Leather Events, February 18 – March 6, 2016 Thu 18

Mon 22

Night Scenes @ Mr. S Leather

Ride Mondays @ Eros

Impact Play & Flogging. Mark Sade and sub demonstrate. Night Scenes is an in-store event to give customers the opportunity to see our gear in use in a live ‘scene’ by experienced players. 385 8th St., 6-8pm. www.mr-s-leather.com

Fri 19 Sober Kink Together @ Castro Country Club Officially a CMA meeting, but open to all Anonymous 12-step Fellowship members, 4058 18th St., 9:30pm. www.castrocountryclub.org

Gear Party @ 442 Natoma Gear play party (leather, rubber, harnesses, etc.) for gay men.

442 Natoma St., $15 (requires $5 membership), 10pm. www.442parties.com

A motorcycle rider and leathermen night at Eros, bring your helmet, AMA card, MC club card or club colors and get $3 off entry or massage. 2051 Market St. www.erossf.com

Wed 24 Leathermen’s Discussion Group @ Mr. S Studio Sensuous Whipping with Steve Gaynes. A talk with Steve Gaynes about his legendary techniques for sensual whipping, history organizing leather groups, and a live sensuous whipping demonstration. 385A 8th St., 7:30pm. www.sfldg.org

Leather/Gear Buddies @ Blow Buddies Erotic fun for leather and gear guys, $15, 933 Harrison St., 8pm. www.blowbuddies.com

Boots Leather Cigars @ SF Eagle Social gathering for men into boots, leather, uniforms and cigars.

398 12th St., 9pm-midnight.

Alpha @ 626 Jessie Street Celebrating the milestone birthday of Pup Turbo and the one-year anniversary of Fog City Pack.

Hot guys, low inhibitions, dark and sexy sounds, play space, film art. Entrance on Jessie St. @ 6th, between Market and Mission. $10.

9pm-3am. www.facebook.com/ fogcitypack

Mon 29 Ride Mondays @ Eros See Mon 22

Fri 4 Sober Kink Together @ Castro Country Club See Fri 19

Gear Party @ 442 Natoma

Sat 20

Fri 26

GearUp Men’s Play Party @ Alchemy SF

Sober Kink Together @ Castro Country Club

Come out and have fun at one the city’s best men’s only play parties.

Must be 18 and over to attend.

1060 Folsom St., $20, 9pm-1am. www.gearupweekend.com

See Fri 19

Leather Alliance Weekend

Gear Party @ 442 Natoma

See all of the Weekend’s events mentioned in this week’s column or visit the event website at www.leatherallianceweekend.org.

Leather and Gear Social @ SF Eagle Layer up the leathers, rubber, neo, Skin gear, sports kit, uniforms, motorcycle, pup and any other gear. It is all welcomed and encouraged. 398 12th St., 9pm12am. www.sf-eagle.com

See Fri 19

Sat 27 CODE @ The Edge Bringing leather back to the Castro.

4149 18th St., 9pm-2am. www.edgesf.com

DEVICE @ SF Eagle Gear-friendly event held at the same time as BLUF and CigarBuddies. You’re encouraged to get in gear and bring a stogie. 398 12th St., 9pm. www.sf-eagle.com

See Fri 19

Fri 4- Sun 6

Sat 5 GearUp Men’s Play Party @ Alchemy SF Sponsored by Joe’s Barbershop; looking for something to do after the Mr. SF Leather contest? Come to this hot and fun men-only play party. 1060 Folsom St., $20, 9pm. www.gearupweekend.com

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February 18-24, 2016 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 35

Shooting Stars Steven Underhill photos by

Mighty Real cast @ Beaux A

nthony Wayne and other cast members of Mighty Real, the rousing musical about disco singing icon Sylvester, performed on February 13 at Beaux for ‘Do Ya Wanna Funk,’ an afternoon beer bust event presented by the Imperial Court, with host Donna Sachet and DJ Jimmy Strano. Fans enjoyed up-close performances, raffles and daytime soul music. www.beauxsf.com Mighty Real plays at Brava Theatre through March 13. Tickets are going fast ($40-$150) for their February 18, 8pm benefit show for the AIDS Emergency Fund. February 20 Opening Night includes a party hosted by Juanita More! www.brava.org More event photo albums are on BARtab’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/lgbtsf.nightlife. See more of Steven Underhill’s photos at www.StevenUnderhill.com.

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For headshots, portraits or to arrange your wedding photos

call (415) 370-7152 or visit www.StevenUnderhill.com or email stevenunderhillphotos@gmail.com