January 26, 2017 Edition of the Bay Area Reporter

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Vol. 47 • No. 4 • January 26 - February 1, 2017

Women’s March sends message to Trump

Courtesy Atkins’ office

State Senators Toni Atkins, left, and Scott Wiener

by Sari Staver

The San Francisco Women’s March drew about 100,000 people who protested President Donald Trump.

New SFPD chief pledges safety, respect

Sari Staver

by Seth Hemmelgarn

police shootings of people of color and a scandal in an Francisco’s new police chief which numerous officers has been sworn in, pledging to be were accused of exchanging someone who’s “accessible” and a racist and homophobic text “relationship builder.” messages.

Bill Scott, 52, who’s taking over a Recent reports by the department that’s struggling with racU.S. Department of Jusism, homophobia, use of force, and tice’s Community Oriented other issues, told the packed crowd in Policing Services branch the City Hall rotunda Monday, Januand the Blue Ribbon Panel ary 23 that these are “very challenging on Transparency, Accounttimes for law enforcement in the city ability and Fairness in Law and in our nation,” but “I will do evEnforcement, launched by erything in my power” to keep the city District Attorney George safe while respecting people’s constituGascón, pointed to probtional rights.

Rick Gerharter lems with the SFPD’s use of Scott, who’s African-American and Frejeanne Scott pins the San Francisco police badge on her husband, force policies, among other had been a Los Angeles deputy po- Bill, following his swearing-in as the city’s new police chief. issues. lice chief, replaces acting Chief Toney Scott, who’s originally Chaplin, who took over the departfrom Alabama, joined the said Monday that San Francisco strives to balment in May after ex-Police Chief Greg LAPD in 1989 and worked ance “public safety and community trust,” and Suhr resigned. in the agency’s patrol, detectives, gangs, internal Scott had used “community-based strategies affairs, and other bureaus over the years. He was Several protesters tried to interrupt Scott to decrease violence” in some of Los Angeles’s Monday, but he continued speaking as they promoted to commander in 2012 and became a toughest neighborhoods. shouted their mostly unintelligible remarks. deputy chief in 2015. Most recently, he oversaw The mayor said he’s “confident” that Scott’s He said he expects officers to “revere the the department’s South Bureau, which has over taking over “will be our city’s next step on the 1,700 employees and serves almost 640,000 sanctity of human life” and “prevent crime and path to improvement and reform.” disorder, not just react to it.” residents, according to Lee’s office.

Hundreds of people, including Chaplin, Referring to two of the city’s most vexing The LAPD has “enacted dozens of major issues, he also said, “I understand the com- Suhr, police officers, city supervisors, and othreforms” in the last 16 years, the mayor’s office plexities of dealing with mental illness and ers attended Monday’s ceremony. said in a December news release, including use Many had called for Lee to fire Suhr after of force investigations and improving the ways homelessness.”

Lee, who appointed Scott in December, several controversial incidents, including fatal it tracks officer misconduct.t

S

by Seth Hemmelgarn

C

alifornia state Senators Toni Atkins and Scott Wiener have introduced a bill that would allow people to choose “non-binary” as the gender on their birth certificates and other documents.

Senate Bill 179 – the Gender Recognition Act of 2017 – would also streamline the process people use to update their gender and names on documents. One change would be that people would no longer need a letter from their doctor attesting to medical treatment.

The bill, which Atkins (D-San Diego) and Wiener (D-San Francisco) introduced Tuesday, January 24, would go into effect January 1, 2018 if approved by the Legislature and signed by Governor Jerry Brown.

The state would be the first in the country to have a third-gender marker for non-binary people.

People face “so much confusion” during interactions like going through airport security or buying something with a credit card if “they’re ID doesn’t exactly look like or match who they present themselves to be,” Atkins, a lesbian, said.

She noted that when she was in the state Assembly, she authored Assembly Bill 1121, the Name Changes and Birth/Death Certificates Act, to simplify the processes people have to go through to legally change their name and gender. Brown signed that bill into law in 2013.

“As we delved into this, more and more issues just came up that called out for additional legislation” and “clarification,” Atkins said in an interview Tuesday.

Among other provisions, SB 179 would allow See page 12 >>

{ FIRST OF THREE SECTIONS }

Inaugural US Event January 27–29, 2017 Festival Pavilion | Fort Mason

photofairs.org

© JIM KRANTZ, Epic Western no.5, 2010.

Courtesy of Danziger Gallery (New York)

F

rom the opening remarks at the rally before the San Francisco Women’s March to the rainsoaked finish down Market Street, the queer thumbprint was on the stage, in the crowd, and behind the scenes.

See page 2 >>

Bill would allow ‘non-binary’ on docs

<< Community News

2 • BAY AREA REPORTER • January 26 - February 1, 2017

Diaz pleads not guilty to disfiguring man

by Seth Hemmelgarn

D

avid Munoz Diaz, the gay San Francisco man previously jailed after killing a sex partner and allegedly starting fires in the Castro, has pleaded not guilty to charges that he disfigured a man while impersonating a peace officer.

In the November incident, Diaz, 27, deprived the victim “of a member

body and did disable, disfigure, and render it useless and did cut and disable the tongue, and put out an eye and slit the nose, ear, and lip” of the victim, according to charging documents.

Court records say Courtesy SFPD Diaz was arraigned David Munoz Diaz Monday, January 23 on felony counts of mayhem, assault with force of his likely to cause great bodily injury,

battery with serious bodily injury, unlawful use of a badge, and false imprisonment.

The badge-related count says he used “a badge of a peace officer with the intent of fraudulently impersonating a peace officer.”

In response to an emailed question about the new case, especially the charge that describes the victim’s alleged disfigurement, Deputy Public Defender Rebecca Young said, “None of that happened and the case is overcharged.”

Diaz has been in custody since November 29. Asked about why it took almost two months to charge him, Max Szabo, a spokesman for the district attorney’s office, said in an email that “It took some time for investigators to locate the victim.

Diaz remains in custody for violating the terms of his post-release community supervision and does not have a right to bail.” (Court records say his bail has been set at $100,000, but the sheriff’s department website says he’s being held without bail.)

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According to a police summary, the incident occurred at 4:55 a.m.

November 29 at Folsom and Harriet streets when Diaz allegedly walked up to the 45-year-old victim, who was in his car, “shined a flashlight on him,” and “told him to get out of the car.”

Officer Giselle Talkoff, a police spokeswoman, said in an interview shortly after Diaz’s arrest that the victim had apparently been “trying to See page 12 >>

Peskin moves to protect SRO tenants

by Seth Hemmelgarn

I

n a move to protect some of San Francisco’s poorest residents, Supervisor Aaron Peskin is proposing legislation to stop singleroom occupancy hotel units from being rented out for weekly tourist stays.

Low-income transgender people, people living with AIDS, and many others rely on the relatively cheap housing found in neighborhoods such as Peskin’s North Beach and the Tenderloin and Mission districts as other affordable homes have vanished in the city.

At a news conference in City Hall Monday, where he was flanked by housing advocates, SRO tenants, and others, Peskin said the units have been “the last vestige of very affordable housing to our most vulnerable residents” who are

<<

“struggling to get by in our beloved the city’s Department of Building city of San Francisco.”

Inspection’s enforcement capabiliThe supervisors’ Land ties, including by giving it Use and Transportation administrative subpoena Committee forwarded powers.

Peskin’s proposal MonPeskin announced his day with recommendalegislation, which would tion to the full board, update Chapter 41 of where it will receive its the administrative code, first reading Tuesday, following “an attempted January 31. mass conversion” that Peskin called the pracwould have removed 214 Rick Gerharter tice of using the rooms for of the units from the short-term stays by tour- Supervisor Aaron market, according to his ists, travelling profession- Peskin office. He said that the als, and others “a vicious number of SRO units has game of what’s called musical rooms.” been “decimated” from more than He said his legislation would “return 33,000 to 19,112. hundreds, if not thousands” of units Jordan Davis, a disabled transto the market. gender SRO resident, said that she The proposal would create disinneeds the private bathroom her unit centives to convert units including provides more than a tourist does. by increasing the in-lieu conver“Don’t be Trump-like,” she said sion fee. It would also strengthen Monday, referring to the newly

Women’s March

From page 1

Beginning weeks ago, when the National Center for Lesbian Rights decided to organize an LGBT contingent, the queer community has played a crucial role in organizing, running, and participating in the five-hour event January 21 that drew over 100,000 people, according to CBS 5, and was part of an international movement for human rights, civil liberties, and social justice.

Other Bay Area cities that had marches included Oakland, which drew more than 80,000 people, and San Jose.

The first speaker at the Civic Center rally, Ruth McFarlane, director of development at NCLR, told the crowd that the march was “the moment we were born for.”

“It is not what we were expecting and it is not what we wanted.

But which woman who stood up and spoke out ever got exactly the moment she wanted or expected?” asked McFarlane, who identifies as a black lesbian.

Noting that she was on stage representing the LGBT community as well as NCLR, McFarlane discussed the importance of forming “broad coalitions.”

From the time NCLR was formed in 1977 the group realized that its work “cannot get done by us alone,” she said.

After seeing the Trump administration immediately remove policies related to LGBT protections, HIV/ AIDS, and climate change from the White House website, the formation of coalitions “is the only way we will be able to move forward,” McFarlane added.

“Women’s rights are human rights. We rise up in support of a vision that while it demands justice for all, is particularly mindful of those who are least likely to be heard, first to be attacked or cut off or punished unfairly,” she said.

“In our lifetimes, there has never been a more profound challenge

Kelly Sullivan

Oakland saw a large turnout for its Women’s March, which included plenty of signs.

to this country’s ideals of justice, inclusion and equality than there is today,” she added.

Transgender activist Julia Serano, also addressing the pre-march rally, said she was speaking because she had “learned so much from other marginalized people from diverse backgrounds and perspectives.”

“Our ability and willingness to empathize with one another, and to work together as a coalition – where your cause is my cause, and my cause is your cause – that is how we are going to resoundingly defeat Trumpism,” she said.

In an email to the Bay Area Reporter on Monday, Serano wrote, “Since the election in November, many of us have been in shock over the results, and consumed with feelings of hopelessness and fear of what’s to come. I think the Women’s March reminded many of us that we do represent a majority of this country.

And while Trump may now be president, Trumpism is not very popular in America. The sheer numbers of the protests around the country and around the world prove that. It’s my hope the march is a spark that mobilizes us to actively fight back against this administration’s unpopular and backwards-thinking policies.”

She added that what she found most heartening about the march was the fact that organizers,

speakers, and the crowd “seemed to all recognize that this needs to be an intersectional movement that includes a broad coalition of not only women, but all minorities and all people who have been pushed to the margins of society.”

A number of LGBT organizations registered their contingents, according to march organizers, including the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club, Dyke March, Trikone, and the Asian Pacific Islander Queer Women and Transgender Community.

Speaking for the Alice club, CoChair Lou Fischer told the B.A.R. in an email that some 50 club members and allies marched “to show Trump and the rest of the world that we will not sit by complacently and let this president and the Republican majority in the House and Senate take away health care, reproductive rights, immigration, LGBT/civil rights and all the other social benefits that we have gained.”

Fischer said that the club has formed a committee to encourage club members to participate in political actions to protect the rights of LGBT people, and work in coalition with other clubs and interest groups who may lose rights in the Trump administration. (See the online Political Notes column for more.)

Gay men were a visible part of Saturday’s march, including a

inaugurated president. “Please approve this bill. Keep us in our homes.”

Speaking in Spanish through an interpreter, Andrea Manzo, a transgender SRO resident who lives in the Tenderloin, said she’s already had to move out of the Mission and Bayview neighborhoods, and she’s hoping “not to be further displaced.”

“My earnings are not sufficient to afford anything other than an SRO hotel,” Manzo said.

District 11 Supervisor Ahsha Safai, who’s co-sponsoring Peskin’s legislation, said, “We need to protect the most vulnerable people in our tenant population.”

Supervisor Jane Kim, whose District 6 includes the Tenderloin and who’s also a co-sponsor, said in a news release, “For decades, residential hotels have been the place where the working poor, disabled and immigrants have been able to

access low-income housing. ... It won’t matter how many new units of construction we bring on board if we hemorrhage residential hotel units lost to conversions.”

DBI Chief Housing Inspector Rosemary Bosque said at Monday’s news conference that Peskin’s proposal would “give DBI the essential tools we need to protect this inventory.”

Tommi Avicolli Mecca, a longtime queer activist who works for the Housing Rights Committee, said after the news conference that SROs “have always been and still are” residences for “poor, homeless, working class LGBT folks. ... This is an issue that’s very crucial to our own community right now.”

District 10 Supervisor Malia Cohen and gay District 8 Supervisor Jeff Sheehy are also listed as cosponsors of Peskin’s legislation.t

number of city officials.

California state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), interviewed on his way down to the Civic Center, said he was marching because “we have a president who doesn’t respect women” and who has “opposed health access for women ... and bragged about sexually assaulting women.”

Wiener, a gay man who previously was a city supervisor representing District 8, which includes the Castro, said that the president, as well as Congress “has vowed to tear apart immigrant families” and “has attacked LGBT people.”

“Women are under assault and we’ve got to stick up for them,” he said.

Current District 8 Supervisor Jeff Sheehy, a gay man who was recently appointed by Mayor Ed Lee to replace Wiener, said in an email that he marched with families whose children attended the Clarendon Elementary School with his daughter, Michelle.

“Our daughters were the drivers and instigators,” said Sheehy, a longtime AIDS activist. “They want to stand up to Trump, do something to fight back. A couple of girls stayed up late Friday making signs, which they carried the whole route. Standing for two hours at a rally listening to the speakers, marching in the rain, soaked, exhausted, and hungry, the girls started leading chants around New Montgomery instead of repeating chants.

“Chanting ‘Love Trumps Hate,’ those girls got a second wind,” Sheehy added. “Fierce, resolute faces filled with love, hope, and resistance.

I am so very proud of my daughter, her friends, and everyone around the world who marched in solidarity.”

Asked about his plans going forward, Sheehy said, “I support Mayor Lee’s leadership in asserting San Francisco’s status as a sanctuary and join in resisting threats and actions from the administration targeting our immigrant sisters and brothers.”

He added that he’s particularly focused on sustaining the health

care safety net that has been developed in San Francisco.

“We should all keep gathering and marching too – we need to sustain our solidarity achieved by coming together as a community to show our defiance.”

Gay City College of San Francisco Trustee Tom Temprano said in an email that he marched because “Trump needs to know that if he tries to roll back LGBT rights, attack our immigrant neighbors, take away women’s health care, or privatize public education that the American people will stand in his way.”

“We sent that message loud and clear on Day 1,” he added.

Some of the people attending the San Francisco march traveled several hours.

Dr. Elizabeth Harrison, a Rocklin, California psychiatrist and longtime women’s rights activist, said, “Planned Parenthood, for over 50 years, has been where the teenage girls and young women have gone for birth control, infections, disease prevention, mammograms, and Pap smears.”

“The younger girls are not going to go to the county clinics or their family doctors,” added Harrison, a lesbian.

She added that women of all ages access Planned Parenthood for potentially life-saving screenings.

“I remember when Orange County, before abortion was legalized, complications of illegal abortion were the number one cause of death of women of child-bearing age,” Harrison said. “We can’t go back.”

Dr. Patricia Robertson, an obstetrician, was also at the march.

“The stakes are too high to be a bystander,” said Robertson, a lesbian. “At 67, as a physician, I continue to march for health care equity, for women’s reproductive rights, and for justice for all.”

After the marches, organizers, still buoyed by turnout across the country, offered ways people can take action during the first 100 days of the Trump administration. Fore more information, visit womensmarch. com/100/.t

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Community News>>

January 26 - February 1, 2017 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 3

Housing subsidy program up in the air

by David-Elijah Nahmod

C

iting the voters’ decision not to approve a sales tax increase last fall, San Francisco city officials have not restored $3 million in housing subsidy funds, setting off a scramble so that low-income people, including those living with HIV/AIDS, can get shelter.

Last week, about two-dozen clients of the Q Foundation met at City Hall to implore the Board of Supervisors to restore $1.6 million in housing subsidy money that had been cut by Mayor Ed Lee, according to Brian Basinger, executive director of the Q Foundation.

Q Foundation provides rental assistance subsidies to low-income people with AIDS and other disabilities, as well as to low-income LGBTQ seniors.

Basinger and Jennifer Friedenbach, executive director of the Coalition on Homelessness, accompanied the clients January 19.

According to Basinger, the Homeless Emergency Services Providers Association secured $3.1 million in the current city budget for 250 senior or disabled rental subsidies, “heavily targeting LGBTQ and HIVpositive tenants,” he said.

“The oldest person in our subsidy program is a 99-year-old AfricanAmerican lesbian who moved here in the 1950’s,” Basinger said. “These are homelessness prevention and rapid rehousing subsidies – $1.5 million came from the Board of Supervisors and $1.6 million came from the mayor.”

Basinger shared some of the stories of Q Foundation clients.

“We have a female with cancer who is unable to start chemo because she has lost her home,” he said.

“She has a certificate of preference from when her family was bulldozed out to the Fillmore due to redevelopment because it was blighted. She

won the lottery to use her certificate at an affordable housing complex but has been turned down because she does not make enough money to meet the minimum income requirements of affordable housing.”

Basinger added that three women in the Mission, two of whom were seniors, and their disabled daughter were evicted through the Ellis Act and lost their business in a recent fire.

“They won the lottery for an affordable unit in the Mission but were turned down due to insufficient income,” he said, noting that there were many other clients with similar stories.

The Ellis Act is a state law that allows landlords to evict tenants without prior notice so they can “get out of the rental business.”

But Basinger said that Lee decided to withhold the funding for seniors and disabled people, citing lack of funds after voters failed to pass Proposition K, a city sales tax increase, as well as a vote by the Board of Supervisors earlier this month to make City College of San Francisco tuition-free for full-time students who are San Francisco residents.

The mayor’s office did not respond to messages seeking comment.

“Now, more than ever, the LGBTQ community needs to hold our local elected officials accountable to ensure that our city uses its $9.6-plus billion budget to keep our community housed,” Basinger said. “Our community needs rent subsidies today.

Locally, we can use our voices and our vote to demand that San Francisco gets back to its roots of a safe and welcoming sanctuary for LGBTQ people, and people from all walks of life. It is more important than ever to fight displacement, eviction and homelessness – the costs of getting displaced back to Trump-land is too high a price for far too many of us to pay.”

As the City Hall action got

Rick Gerharter

Supervisor Aaron Peskin’s legislative aide Sunny Angulo, left, speaks with a group of housing activists as they lobby the supervisors to support restoring funding to a city rental subsidy program.

underway, both Basinger and Friedenbach said that the mayor was trying to pit City College and lowincome people in need of housing against each other. They also said that they would not accept the “divide and conquer” mentality and that there was enough funds in the city budget for all.

The protesters, accompanied by Basinger and Friedenbach, made their way to supervisors’ offices.

District 3 Supervisor Aaron Peskin was not in his office, but staffer Sunny Angulo talked to the protesters.

Patricia Hayashi, 62, who has cancer, spoke for the crowd. She said that she could not begin her chemo treatments until she had housing.

“I’m living on the streets out of a storage unit,” Hayashi said. “I only have two years to live. I don’t want to die on the streets.”

Angulo listened to Hayashi.

“We are not going to defund City College,” Angulo said. “We are not going to pit students against the homeless. We are committed to restoring those funds.”

District 1 Supervisor Sandra Lee Fewer stepped out of her office to talk to the protesters. She expressed her commitment to restoring the subsidy funding.

“I’m a fourth-generation San Franciscan,” she said. “I’ve never seen such a wealth gap. San Francisco is at its best when we unite to help those who need it most – we’re going to work really hard at this because there’s enough funds to satisfy everyone.”

Bobbi Lopez, legislative aide for District 6 Supervisor Jane Kim, said that Kim was 100 percent supportive of the funds being restored. Lopez spoke in Spanish with a Coalition on Homelessness client who was hopeful about receiving a subsidy.

Rosie Dilger, a legislative aide for Board of Supervisors President London Breed (D5), said that she didn’t know what the supervisor’s position on the issue was. Dilger asked Hayashi for her contact information.

“I would love to connect you to organizations that can get you some short-term help,” Dilger said.

District 9 Supervisor Hillary Ronen was also not in her office, but legislative aide Sheila Chung Hagen said that Ronen was supportive of restoring the funds.

District 8 Supervisor Jeff Sheehy, who is gay and HIV-positive, also expressed support for the funding.

The supervisor was not in his office at the time of the protesters’ visit,

but responded to the Bay Area Reporter afterward.

“With the high cost of housing affecting so many San Franciscans, it’s important for the city to support the most vulnerable,” Sheehy, a member of the budget and finance committee, said. “Rental subsidies for seniors, persons with disabilities, and families keep folks housed and off our streets.”

Sheehy also addressed the city’s possible loss of federal funding as President Donald Trump has said he plans to end federal assistance to sanctuary cities, of which San Francisco is one.

“We must also be vigilant in the face of potential federal cuts to the Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS program,” Sheehy said. “I am committed to providing critical funding for these programs.”

Basinger said that he was pleased with the outcome of the action.

“I was heartened by the reception we received at the Board of Supervisors on our coalition’s request to restore the funding for the family and senior or disabled subsidies that were recently re-allocated to other priorities in the budget,” he said. “I have high hopes for this woman-led majority at the Board of Supervisors. It feels great.

“We are hopeful for unanimous support from the entire Board of Supervisors to maintain the commitment they already voted for and passed to help keep families, seniors, and disabled San Franciscans housed,” he added. “Now more than ever, we need to make sure that immigrant families who need San Francisco’s sanctuary city status, people with HIV, and LGBTQ people who need and deserve to live in a world free from stigma and discrimination, that all of the us’s have access to the necessary rental support to stay in this city.”t

<< Open Forum

4 • BAY AREA REPORTER • January 26 - February 1, 2017

Volume 47, Number 4 January 26 - February 1, 2017 www.ebar.com PUBLISHER Michael M. Yamashita Thomas E. Horn, Publisher Emeritus (2013) Publisher (2003 – 2013) Bob Ross, Founder (1971 – 2003) NEWS EDITOR Cynthia Laird ARTS EDITOR Roberto Friedman BARTAB EDITOR & EVENTS LISTINGS EDITOR Jim Provenzano ASSISTANT EDITORS Matthew S. Bajko • Seth Hemmelgarn CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Ray Aguilera • Tavo Amador • Race Bannon Erin Blackwell • Roger Brigham Brian Bromberger • Victoria A. Brownworth Brent Calderwood • Philip Campbell Heather Cassell • Belo Cipriani Richard Dodds • Michael Flanagan Jim Gladstone • David Guarino Liz Highleyman • Brandon Judell • John F. Karr Lisa Keen • Matthew Kennedy • Joshua Klipp David Lamble • Max Leger Michael McDonagh • David-Elijah Nahmod Paul Parish • Sean Piverger • Lois Pearlman Tim Pfaff • Jim Piechota • Bob Roehr Donna Sachet • Adam Sandel • Khaled Sayed Jason Serinus • Gregg Shapiro Gwendolyn Smith • Sari Staver • Jim Stewart Sean Timberlake • Andre Torrez • Ronn Vigh Ed Walsh • Cornelius Washington Sura Wood ART DIRECTION Jay Cribas PRODUCTION/DESIGN Max Leger PHOTOGRAPHERS Jane Philomen Cleland • FBFE Rick Gerharter • Gareth Gooch Lydia Gonzales • Jose Guzman-Colon Rudy K. Lawidjaja • Georg Lester • Dan Lloyd Jo-Lynn Otto • Rich Stadtmiller Steven Underhil • Dallis Willard • Bill Wilson ILLUSTRATORS & CARTOONISTS Paul Berge • Christine Smith ADVERTISING/ADMINISTRATION Colleen Small VICE PRESIDENT OF ADVERTISING Scott Wazlowski – 415.829.8937 NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE Rivendell Media – 212.242.6863

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SFPD press pass policy outdated F

or decades, the San Francisco Police Department has administered the program that awards press passes to reporters working in San Francisco. But the police department’s policy came under scrutiny last week when a reporter for 48 Hills, an alternative online news site, was kicked out of a police department news conference because she didn’t have a press pass. Coinciding with the start of new Chief Bill Scott’s tenure this week, it’s opportune for the city to review this policy to determine: 1) if SFPD should even be issuing the passes to reporters who might cover them, thus presenting a conflict; 2) if not, then what department should assume that responsibility; and 3) who will define what constitutes a legitimate reporter or news organization.

For the last several years – at least by our experience – reporters are granted a pass if they are full-time employees “who cover police and fire stories on a regular basis, and who regularly are present at the scene of a police or fire-related story where it may be necessary to go beyond police and fire lines,” according to the SFPD’s media relations unit. In our case, freelancers are not full-time employees yet do cover events at City Hall and other government entities, such as federal courts, but are not allowed press passes because of the police and fire reporting qualification. City Hall and the courts often require a governmentissued press pass – like the ones issued by the SFPD. In the case that erupted last week, 48 Hills reporter Sana Saleem, who regularly covers the police department, was removed from the SFPD news conference at which officials played the body camera footage from a recent officer-involved shooting of unarmed city resident Sean Moore.

The fact that it was very unusual for police to ask to see Saleem’s pass brings attention to the possibility that access could be abused if the

department didn’t like a reporter’s coverage and blacklisted them in response. 48 Hills editor Tim Redmond told us that he has an SFPD press pass, and that the police department had, up until last week’s incident, regarded the site as a news organization, making what happened even more inexplicable.

We understand the need to restrict news conferences to legitimate reporters – and to be clear, not everyone sitting at home writing a blog is a journalist.

But 48 Hills, founded by old San Francisco Bay Guardian staffers, is not a blog; it’s an online news site that covers San Francisco.

Mainstream papers have plenty of reporters who are issued the press passes who do not routinely cover police and fire stories; those who cover City Hall have them, for example.

For his part, former acting police Chief Toney Chaplin told the Police Commission last week that he’s looking into the matter.

With the swearing in of a new chief Monday, new leadership presents the ideal time to reexamine the city’s policy.

We think that news reporters for print, TV, radio, and online publications should be issued city press passes, whether they work fullor part-time. This week, Supervisor Aaron

Peskin said he would ask City Attorney Dennis Herrera to draft legislation to create a new system for granting passes to journalists. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Peskin said the police department shouldn’t have the final say-so on the matter.

It’s important that journalists have proper identification for covering news events, whether that’s a Board of Supervisors meeting, a federal court case, or the police department.

The SFPD media relations department states that it encourages news agencies “to issue its own credential to reporters who do not regularly cover police and fire-related stories.” But that’s unlikely to solve the problem, as many times only an authentic government-issued pass will be accepted without challenge. For photographers, it’s critical that they have press passes so they can access news events at the moment they are happening.

These days, SFPD – rightfully – should be focused on its reform efforts and implementing recommendations from the blue ribbon panel and federal Department of Justice on officer use-of-force and de-escalation techniques. The new chief, formerly from the Los Angeles Police Department, needs to lead his new department and gain the support of the rank and file. While the police department has long run the press pass program, it’s time to remove any potential conflict of interest so the police can’t be gatekeepers to their critics. There must be recognition of the changing media landscape as more diverse media outlets cover the city – long gone are the days when there were two daily papers and a handful of television stations – and the definition of legitimate reporters and news organizations must be expanded.

As Peskin told the Chronicle, “It’s more important than ever” to have a visible press corps, especially in the age of President Donald Trump. He said that he would work to determine what best practices are, “and if they don’t exist, we are going to figure them out.”

We agree. An independent city agency for handling press passes is the way to go.t

DNC candidate outlines his platform

by Ray Buckley

neighborhoods does. We’ve kept people engaged – and turning out to vote decided to become an activist at 8 – even in midterm years like 2014. years old.

After we bucked the national When most kids were passionate trend in 2014, we did a deep dive to about baseball or Barbie dolls, I got find out how we did it, and the data myself excited about lit drops and showed that we did the best in the canvasses. towns that had the most active local This wasn’t by accident – I grew Democratic committees. The comup in a struggling working class munities that had local volunteers family in Keene, New Hampshire, talking to their neighbors, knocking DNC Chair and even then, I could see that the candidate Ray on doors, and making the phone deck was stacked against families Buckley calls were the ones that delivered for like mine. Growing up in the 1960s, our candidates.

I was horrified by how people were It worked again in 2016. We were treated cruelly just because of how they were the only purple state to pick up a U.S. Senate born. This was especially personal for me, as a seat, and we delivered our electoral votes for kid just coming to terms with being gay.

Hillary Clinton. We were able to withstand a It wasn’t fair and it wasn’t justice for all. To late Republican surge because of the time we help, I got involved in Democratic politics, input in the grassroots. This is exactly spired by now-icons like the Bay Area’s own Harwhat we need to do in every single vey Milk. It’s humbling that I’ve now received the state, and the Democratic National endorsement of Milk’s gay nephew, Stuart Milk, Committee needs to be the driving in this race for chair of the Democratic Party. force behind it.

When I was 15 I volunteered every day for I’m running for chair because Jimmy Carter, and I never looked back. By I’m the best-equipped person to now I’ve held just about every position availbuild that grassroots organizaable in my state’s Democratic Party. tion. I’ve got a detailed plan Now in my fifth term as chairman of the for investing in state parties and New Hampshire Democratic Party, I know radically reforming the DNC. what it takes to build a winning state party.

Anything less than that won’t get When I grew up in New Hampshire, Repubthe job done. licans laughed at the idea that they even had to You can view my plans for state parties and compete with Democrats. Now, in the last 10 the DNC online, but a big part of this is that years, Democrats have won 11 out of 13 state$50 million more for TV ads isn’t going to wide races, five out of six gubernatorial elechelp us. No one likes them, and that approach tions, three out of four U.S. Senate elections, has clearly failed us. We will instead use those and nine out of 12 U.S. House elections. resources to build a progressive infrastructure The culmination of all this is that today, our like we’ve never seen before. entire congressional delegation is Democratic.

Of equal importance going forward is the It has to be noted that it’s also the very first need to restore trust that the DNC is fair and all-Democratic, all-female delegation in this neutral in primaries. country’s history.

In 2015 when my secretary of state was We only accomplished all that because we saying that Democratic presidential candidid it at the grassroots. Action on Capital Hill date Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) couldn’t be or on K Street doesn’t win elections; action in on the ballot in the New Hampshire primary

I

because he wasn’t registered in Vermont as a Democrat, I told him I’d take him to court. I escorted Sanders personally to the secretary of state’s office when he filed to make sure there would not be a problem.

I did that because it isn’t the place of party officials to take sides. Our job is to organize primary elections without interfering with the voters’ intentions, and that’s why I never endorsed a primary candidate while I’ve been chair. Sanders’ voters deserved to be heard, and it was my duty to ensure they were. No one should ever get the sense that a finger is being placed on the scale for any candidate, and that includes my proposal to ban joint fundraising agreements between candidates and the DNC during primaries.

Additionally, too often in the current system, the DNC chair makes unilateral decisions without explanation. That has to end. For example, why is the presidential debate schedule decided just by the chair?

That doesn’t make sense to me – under my plan, debate schedules and criteria would be approved by the entire executive committee so a more diverse group has a say.

We’re the party of inclusion, the party of the middle class, and the party that created and fostered the modern American dream for all Americans, including LGBT Americans. We’re the descendants of public servants who made our union more perfect: Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Lyndon Johnson. We must be worthy of their legacy.

I want to rebuild this party from the ground up. I hope California Democratic Party delegates will decide to support me for chair, but more importantly I hope you will take the issues I’ve outlined here to heart. We have a lot of work to do, and we all have a part in building a party that works.t Ray Buckley is running for chair of the national Democratic Party. For more information, visit http://www.RayForDNC.com.

t

Politics>>

January 26 - February 1, 2017 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 5

Health, in policy and lifestyle, a priority for Santa Clara Supe Yeager

Barry Schneider Attorney at Law

family law specialist* Courtesy Facebook

Supervisor Ken Yeager prepares to take part in last year’s Bike to Work Day.

by Matthew S. Bajko

S

anta Clara County Supervisor Ken Yeager has overcome any number of hurdles over his more than two-dozen years in elected politics. From being the first openly gay person to serve on both San Jose’s city council and the county board to advocating for landmark policies on LGBT rights and health issues, Yeager’s achievements have led him to be lauded as a trailblazer.

Three years ago, however, he encountered several obstacles like no others he had previously faced. In his path was a huge metal trash bin, and in order to get past it, he first needed to jump into it and then get himself out.

“I remember looking at it and thinking I don’t know how to get in it,” recalled Yeager in an interview with the Bay Area Reporter at his home in San Jose’s Rose Garden district. “I watched what others did to get in and followed them.”

It was part of an obstacle race held in the South Bay that year.

Having run marathons since 1992, and with the event being held in a county park, Yeager decided to enter it as he felt it would “be good for a county supervisor to do it.”

Despite his inability to complete all of the course’s obstacles – he was tripped up by the monkey bars – Yeager was hooked.

“It was so much fun, I decided I am going to get better at these things,” said Yeager, who will turn 65 this year. “The idea isn’t to fail, the idea is to complete them.”

To build up his abilities Yeager found a gym with monkey bars and ropes where he could practice. He also visited gyms in Las Vegas and Austin, Texas that specialize in obstacle course training and has now competed in a dozen mud runs.

In November Yeager competed in the Spartan Race in Sacramento, noting on Facebook that it was an “eight-mile test of endurance and strength over rolling hills and through various challenges and obstacles.”

“Now it is all obstacle course racing,” said Yeager, who is prepping to enter this April the GORUCK Light Challenge in San Jose, a 12-hour overnight obstacle course participants complete in teams.

Few people of his age enter such races; at a Tough Mudder event he did in Temecula there were just four

men in his 60-64 age bracket.

“I am just in awe I can do all these events,” said Yeager, who has made health issues a signature focus of his since joining the Board of Supervisors in 2010.

Among his achievements have been improving the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, securing funds for HIV prevention programs and LGBT health services, and two years ago raising the county’s age to buy cigarettes to 21. He has also spent six years serving on the county’s FIRST 5 Commission, which directs funding to programs for children 5 years of age and younger, and is again chairing the commission this year.

Jolene Smith, the commission’s chief executive officer, told the B.A.R. that Yeager’s participation in the obstacle course races “is pretty amazing isn’t it.” But it is also consistent, she said, with how he tackles policy initiatives.

“What he says he will do he works diligently and tirelessly to make happen,” said Smith. “He works to overcome those obstacles for the greater good of our children and our families in this whole community.”

Yeager has also used his seat on the California State Association of Counties, which he has served on since 2012 and this year is a member of its executive committee, to advocate for more federal health funding. And he also represents his county on the National Association of Counties, another position he intends to use this year to fight back against health funding cuts in Washington, D.C. “No one knows what impact the Trump administration will have on health and safety net programs. In my 24 years in public office, I have never seen the level of uncertainty and anxiety surrounding a new president that I have seen in the last few weeks,” Yeager wrote in a note to his constituents last month. “But whatever happens in the coming months and years, know that here in Santa Clara County I will make sure we are moving forever forward towards a healthier community for all of our residents.”

Running spurred by kicking a smoking habit

When he was 35, Yeager first took up running as a way to stop smoking, a habit he began at the age of 16.

“When I decided to stop smoking, I thought exercise would increase my lung capacity,” recalled Yeager.

“When I was in graduate school I ran the track at Stanford for a quarter of a mile and just about died. I realized how bad my lungs were and that I needed to stop smoking.”

He was never athletic as a child and had never run before. He wasn’t a fan of gyms, as within 10 minutes of lifting weights he would be “bored out of my mind,” said Yeager.

“In junior high and high school, I did the school newspaper and student government,” Yeager said of his extracurricular interests in his youth.

“I was more the studious type, very earnest, but certainly not athletic.”

As an adult he discovered he not only enjoyed long distance running, he was good at it. In 1992 he entered his first full marathon, the MasterCard City of San Francisco Marathon, and has run 33 marathons over the last two and half decades.

Yeager has lost count of the half marathons he has also entered. A glass-topped coffee table in his living room is filled with the numerous participant race medals he has received.

He and his partner, Michael Haberecht, have run together in several marathons and entered a number of bike races over the years.

As for the obstacle course races, “my partner has no interest,” said Yeager.

He prefers them now to marathons since they require less preparation and are less taxing afterward on the body. At one point he was running between six and 12 miles a day six mornings a week to train for marathons.

“Those days are gone. Now I am more apt to hit the gym and do more body work,” said Yeager, who still runs and bikes and is looking at entering triathlons again. “Obstacle course races don’t take the dedication a marathon does.”

He continues to participate in local charity runs, however, as he noted in an October Facebook post, telling his followers, “I hope together we can make Silicon Valley a runner-friendly place to live ...”t Web Extra: For more queer political news, be sure to check http:// www.ebar.com Monday mornings at noon for Political Notes, the notebook’s online companion.

This week’s column reported on two SF LGBT Dem clubs’ plans to work together against President Trump.

Keep abreast of the latest LGBT political news by following the Political Notebook on Twitter @ http://twitter.com/politicalnotes.

Got a tip on LGBT politics? Call Matthew S. Bajko at (415) 8298836 or e-mail m.bajko@ebar.com.

• Divorce w/emphasis on Real Estate & Business Divisions • Domestic Partnerships, Support & Custody • Probate and Wills www.SchneiderLawSF.com

415-781-6500 *Certified by the California State Bar 400 Montgomery Street, Ste. 505, San Francisco, CA

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<< Community News

6 • BAY AREA REPORTER • January 26 - February 1, 2017

We’ve gotSPRING more bikes in stock & SALE ON NOW! ready to ride than any shop in SF! We’ve got more bikes in stock & ready to ride than any shop in SF! SPRING SALE ON SALE NOW! SPRING NOW!by Matthew S. Bajko We’veSPRING got moreSALE bikes in stock & ON ready ON NOW!

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ready to ride than any shop in SF! Hybrid/City Kid’s

dry up under the administration of President Donald Trump, a new fund backed by two national donor networks has launched to fill the gap.

Called the Emergent Fund, the pot of grant money is being overseen by the Solidaire Network and Hybrid/City Kid’s the Women Donors Network. The Kid’s two fundraising networks, with Hybrid/City Hybrid/City Kid’s offices in the Bay Area, launched Rick Gerharter the effort in mid-December with Jenifer Fernandez Ancona, left, joined Leah Hunt-Hendrix, a goal of raising $500,000 by Inauexecutive director of Solidaire, and Lateefah Simon, president of the guration Day to award to various Oakland-based Akonadi Foundation at the Take Back the Ball: A groups during Trump’s first 100 Night of Hope and Action event January 20. days in office and thereafter on a continuing basis.

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Road Mountain Road Mountain Mountainlast month announcing the launch for strategy and member engageThe idea for the Emergent Fund Road Now Open Thursday to 7pm! of the Emergent Fund, the two ment at the Women Donors Netwas sparked at a donor conference Every Now Thursday April between 4 & 7pm Open in Thursday to 7pm! progressive fundraising groups said work, in a phone interview with the held in Washington, D.C. shortly Now Open Thursday to 7pm!

Now Open Thursday to 7pm! take 20% OFF all parts, accessories & clothing.* they created it “to empower historiBay Area Reporter. “There are a lot after the November election. Staffers of people upset out there who want from the two donor networks began Every Thursday April between & 7pm EveryinThursday in 4April between 4 & 7pm cally under-resourced movements *Salesbetween limited 4to&stock Every Thursday in April 7pmon hand.

Thursday in April between 4 & 7pm to get ready and fi ght back against to make a difference.” discussing how to respond to the takeEvery 20%take OFF all parts, accessories & clothing.* 20%Thursday OFF all parts, accessories & clothing.* NowOFF Open 7pm! take 20% OFF to all & parts, accessories & clothing.*immediate threats to marginalized An event the two networks held election results and landed on the take 20% all parts, accessories clothing.* *Sales limited to stock on hand. communities due to the division last Friday night, January, 20, called collaborative effort. limited to stock on hand. *Sales to stock on hand. *Sales limited to stock on*Sales hand. limited embraced by theSPRING incoming Trump the Take Back the Ball: A Night of “When we started talking about Every Thursday in April between 4 & 7pm administration.”

Hope and Action, raised $500,000, it, we were aligned with what we got m take 20% OFF all parts, accessories We’ve & clothing.* The two networks seeded the which will be divided among the thought needed to happen,” said ready to ride Emergent Fund and two other Ancona, explaining that they felt *Sales limited to stock on hand. fund with $150,000 last month and have been asking their members rapid response funds the networks an “emergent strategy” would work to donate toward it. The nonprofit oversee. best. “The idea is we don’t know Proteus Fund is serving as its fiscal “It is crucial now that we resist what is going to happen but we want sponsor, so all donations are tax the attempts we know are coming to to be ready.”

1065 & 1077 Valencia (Btwn (Btwn 21st & 22nd St.) •St.) SF • SF 10651065 & 1077 Valencia 21st & 22nd deductible. defund public goods and promote LGBT groups are encouraged to 1065 & 1077 Valencia (Btwn 21st & 22nd St.) • SF & 1077 Valencia (Btwn 21st & 22nd St.) • SF SALES 415-550-6600 • REPAIRS 415-550-6601 Anyone interested can make a divisions among us based on race apply for grant funding, as are comHybrid/City SALES 415-550-6600 •REPAIRS REPAIRS 415-550-6601 SALES 415-550-6600 • REPAIRS 415-550-6601 SALES 415-550-6600 •Thu. Mon.Sat. 10-6, 10-7, 415-550-6601 Sun. 11-5 contribution; there is no minimum and class,” stated Leah Hunt-Henmunity-based organizations work1065 & 1077 Valencia (Btwn 21st & 22nd St.) • SF Mon-Sat Sun 11-5 Mon.Sat. 10-6, Thu.11-5 10-7, Sun. 11-5 amount required to do so. Nearly Mon.Sat. 10-6, 10-6, Thu. Sun. 11-5 Mon.Sat. 10-6, Thu.10-7, 10-7, Sun. drix, executive director of Solidaire. ing with women, Muslims, people SALES 415-550-6600 • REPAIRS 415-550-6601 $400,000 has been raised to date.

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1065 & 1077 Valencia 21st &Thu. 22nd 10-7, St.) • SF Mon.- (Btwn Sat. 10-6, Sun. 11-5 “We are trying to democra- things, to trust the organizers on the See page 11 >> tize philanthropy,” said Jenifer ground, and to let go of the need for SALES 415-550-6600 • REPAIRS 415-550-6601

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NoHAPPY HIV infections in Kaiser PrEP program, researchers say Now

Ever y take 20%

O

Thur OFF

by Liz Highleyman

refer members to specialPrEP guidelines. Sixteen percent had ized PrEP clinics. Clients rean STI when they started Truvada o new HIV infecceive HIV, STI, and kidney and 35 percent were diagnosed with tions have occurred function tests before startat least one STI during follow-up, among nearly 1,000 peoing PrEP, as the tenofovir in including chlamydia (26 percent), 1065 & 1077 Vale ple receiving Truvada for Truvada can cause kidney gonorrhea (23 percent), and syphilis SALES 415-550 HIV prevention at Kaiser problems in some people.

(7 percent).

Mon.Sat. Permanente Northern Follow-up testing is done The researchers noted that most valenc California, but sexually at least every three months. repeat STIs occurred less than six transmitted infections Liz Highleyman A total of 972 Kaiser months apart, and given that rectal are climbing, researchers members started PrEP and throat STIs are often asympKaiser study recently reported. between its approval in tomatic, these infections could have co-author Dr. A related study sug- Jonathan Volk July 2012 and the end of remained undetected for months if gests that current PrEP 2014. Most were gay or screening had been conducted only guidelines may leave out some gay bi men and the average age was 38; twice yearly. men who would benefit. only 20 were women. About 70 per“The large number of STIs diag“The lack of new HIV infections cent were white, 12 percent were Lanosed, most of which were asympseen in our study reinforces how tino, 10 percent were Asian/Pacific tomatic, highlights the importance well PrEP works in a population adIslander, and 4 percent were black. of STI testing as part of PrEP delivery herent to the medication – no new Adherence was very good based and suggests that screening for STIs infections were seen in 850 personon pharmacy refills, averaging 92 every six months as recommended years of follow-up among active percent. The researchers suggested by current guidelines would result in PrEP users and side effects were that telemedicine support might delays in diagnosis and treatment,” rare,” study co-author Julia Marcus have helped bring adherence rates co-author Dr. Jonathan Volk told the from Kaiser’s Division of Research above those seen in previous PrEP B.A.R. told the Bay Area Reporter. studies. At the end of the study 70 The Food and Drug AdministraMore gay men could percent were still on PrEP at Kaiser, tion approved Gilead Sciences’ Trubenefit from PrEP and nearly one in five who stopped vada (tenofovir/emtricitabine) for Another recent study by researchended up restarting Truvada.

HIV prevention in July 2012, based ers at UCLA’s Fielding School of No HIV seroconversions occurred in part on data from a study of mostPublic Health suggests that the among clients who used PrEP reguly gay and bisexual men that showed CDC’s PrEP guidelines may not go larly. However, two young men did that daily Truvada reduced the risk of far enough. become infected after they stopped HIV infection by 42 percent overall, The CDC recommends that gay PrEP because they lost insurance and by 92 percent among particiand bi men “at substantial risk” coverage. pants with blood drug levels indicatof HIV infection should consider Less than 1 percent of clients ing regular use.

PrEP. This includes HIV-negative stopped Truvada due to kidney But “real-world” outcomes do not men with HIV-positive partners, problems. Older people were more always match those seen in clinical those who have condomless sex, likely to experience worsening kidtrials, and the cost of medication those with a “high number” of sex ney function, but declines were may be a barrier to consistent PrEP partners, and those with a recent uncommon among PrEP users who use outside of formal studies.

STI. started with normal lab values.

Kaiser Permanente Northern CaliThe UCLA team worked with the PrEP users typically got tested for fornia serves nearly half of the insured Los Angeles LGBT Center – one of STIs four or five times a year – more population in its region, which inthe largest HIV test providers in Los often than the twice yearly screening cludes San Francisco, Oakland, Sacrarecommended by the Centers for See page 12 >> mento, and San Jose. Kaiser providers Disease Control and Prevention’s

N VALENC

t

National News>>

January 26 - February 1, 2017 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 7

Trump takes office, shifts country to right

by Lisa Keen

I

n LGBT-specific terms, President Donald Trump’s inaugural address January 20 was not much different than the first inaugural address of President Barack Obama.

Neither said anything about LGBT people. Neither first inauguration included an openly LGBT person on the program. And both inaugural events gave public platforms to clergy with well-established hostilities toward LGBT equality.

Both first-term presidents also solicited input from the LGBT community through their transition teams. That was not a surprise coming from Obama. He had included LGBT people in a large number of the activities leading up to his inauguration, had LGBT leaders actually meet with transition leaders, and had already appointed a lesbian as chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

Trump’s overtures to the LGBT community during the presidential campaign – including calls for Americans to stand in “solidarity” with LGBT people – had not translated into a working relationship with community leaders. He had the support of individual gay Republicans, but the national gay Republican group, Log Cabin Republicans, withheld any endorsement in the race. And Trump’s frequent pledges to repeal many of Obama’s executive orders – along with his nominations to key administration posts of people with anti-LGBT records – has many LGBT people braced for the possibility he will reverse some or all of those pro-LGBT orders.

But in what was seen by some LGBTs as a promising development, the Trump transition team reached out to Log Cabin.

According to Log Cabin national President Gregory Angelo, the “Trump transition team’s Office of National Engagement invited us to draft and submit the white paper on the LGBT Non-Discrimination Executive Order.” Angelo said the group also provided the paper to “members of the transition team specifically tasked with economic policy and executive order review.”

“Their request that we draft this document sends a strong signal that President Trump’s campaign promise to be a ‘real friend’ of the LGBT community was genuine,” said Angelo in a January 18 news release.

Log Cabin said that “preserving the LGBT Non-Discrimination Executive Order would prove” Trump

to be such a friend. At a press briefing Monday, White House press secretary Sean Spicer was asked about that white paper. He said he did not have any information about plans concerning LGBT-related executive orders.

The executive order prohibits federal contractors from discriminating against LGBT employees and prohibits discrimination based on gender identity in federal employment.

The Log Cabin news release said the paper presented the “commonsense conservative case for LGBT non-discrimination in federal contractors to the Trump transition team.” The paper, created with a pro-LGBT public education group called Liberty Education Forum, noted that the last Republican president, George W. Bush, left undisturbed the original executive order prohibiting discrimination against federal employees based on sexual orientation. It noted candidate Trump’s expressed support for the LGBT community.

So far, none of the several executive orders that Trump has signed in his first days in office has sought to reverse the pro-LGBT executive orders. And his confirmed appointee for defense secretary, retired General James Mattis, said at his confirmation hearing that he had no plans to try and reverse existing law that allows gays to serve openly in the military.

However, Trump did sign an executive order to give states and federal agencies considerable leeway to undermine the Affordable Care Act, a law that has been strongly supported by the LGBT community. And on Monday, he signed executive orders to block non-governmental organizations receiving federal funds from providing information about obtaining abortions and to remove the United States from the Trans Pacific Partnership trade agreement.

Mixed bag

Other Trump administration news of special interest to the LGBT community has also been a mixed bag: • Trump’s inaugural address urged the country to stand “united” and “pursue solidarity.” He promised action for the “forgotten men and women” but identified them as people who “came by the tens of millions to become part of a historic movement the likes of which the world has never seen before.” He promised to help inner city families

in poverty, abandoned Oakland, and San Jose. factories, uneducated Millions of women and students, and victims of their supporters marched, “crime and gangs and according to media redrugs.” ports. The podium at the “We are one namain event in Washingtion – and their pain is ton included at least four our pain,” said Trump.

LGBT speakers, including “Their dreams are our American Federation of dreams; and their sucTeachers President Randi cess will be our success.

Weingarten, AstraeaWe share one heart, one Lesbian Foundation for home, and one gloriJustice Executive Director ous destiny. The oath of J. Bob Alotta, Transgenoffice I take today is an der Law Center spokesoath of allegiance to all woman Raquel Willis, Americans.” and professor and activist Obama’s second inAngela Davis. augural address paid • Lesbian Senator Associated Press homage to the LGBT Tammy Baldwin (Dcivil rights movement President Donald Trump pumps his fist during his Wisconsin) attended the and called for a nation in inaugural address Friday, January 20. exclusive post-inaugural which “our gay brothers luncheon for Trump, and sisters are treated held in Statutory Hall at Mark Takano (D-Riverside) were like anyone else under the Capitol. Baldwin was among 67 members of Congress the law.” invited as a member of the curwho declined to attend Trump’s in• The only mention of “sexual rent Democratic leadership team auguration. Pocan said he decided orientation” or “gender identity” in the House. According to the Hill not to go after reading a classified during the inaugural program itself newspaper, Baldwin was one of two document about Russian hacking was from Senate Minority Leader senators that Democratic presidenof the presidential campaign and Charles Schumer (D-New York). tial candidate Hillary Clinton spent seeing Trump’s “offensive” Twitter “Whatever our race, religion, sexual much of her time talking to at the posts against civil rights icon Reporientation, gender identity; whethluncheon. resentative John Lewis (D-Georgia). er we are immigrant or native-born; • Russian television was interested Takano cited Trump’s Twitter posts whether we live with disabilities or in LGBT participation in inaugural against Lewis, too. do not; in wealth or in poverty; we events. The Russian news channel • The Reverend Robert Jeffress, are all exceptional in our commonly RT.com reported that various events who told Fox News that allowing held yet fierce devotion to our and protests, including a “gay dance same-sex couples to marry “opens country,” said Schumer. According party,” were scheduled “in an atup a Pandora’s box of societal-wide to a number of media reports on tempt to sabotage Donald Trump’s chaos” and leads to an “open season site, those remarks were received inauguration.” In fact, LGBTs held on Christians,” led a prayer service with booing from the inaugural a dance party two nights prior to for Trump prior to the inauguration. audience. the inauguration outside the rented • Trump’s choice to lead the • LGBT and HIV/AIDS content Chevy Chase, Maryland home of Justice Department’s Civil Rights on the White House website was Vice President Mike Pence.

Division has been the lead attorney wiped off within minutes of Trump’s And a group called Qockblockade helping to defend the University of taking the oath of office, along with Brigade staged “queer resistance” North Carolina’s enforcement of a content concerning civil rights and actions during the inauguration. state law banning transgender stuclimate change. A section on the According to various news reports, dents from using a public restroom Department of Labor’s website tithe group, and similar direct action for the gender with which they tled “Advancing LGBTQ Workplace groups supporting other issues, identify. John M. Gore will serve as Rights” was also removed. staged sit-ins and “dance parties” deputy assistant attorney general for “If President Trump truly believes at security checkpoints for enterthe DOJ’s Civil Rights Division. in uniting the country, now is the ing the inauguration audience sites.

• Proposition 8’s key defender, time to make clear whether he will The group said its purpose was “to Charles Cooper, is reportedly one be an ally to the LGBTQ community remind Inauguration attendees, as of two finalists for consideration as in our struggle for full equality,” said well as the world, that we’re here, solicitor general.

Human Rights Campaign President we’re queer, and we’re not going • The January 21 Women’s March Chad Griffin. Griffin urged Trump back in the closet.” to counter rhetoric used by the to reinstate the missing pages but • An unofficial inaugural ball, president during the campaign – added, “We are prepared to do one hosted specifically for “Gays for rhetoric that “insulted, demonized, whatever it takes to protect our Trump,” was held in a Washington and threatened” a wide variety of community and our progress.” suburb on Saturday night. Accordwomen and minorities, including • Two gay Congressmen boycoting to Time magazine, the group “people who identify as LGBTQIA,” ted the inauguration. As reported called its event the “Deplorable Ball” said organizers – drew enormous last week, Representative Mark – an apparent reference to Clinton’s crowds to Washington, D.C., and Pocan (D-Wisconsin) said he would use of the word “deplorables” durmore than 200 cities around the be helping out at a food pantry in ing the campaign to describe some world, including San Francisco, his district. He and Congressman of Trump’s supporters. t

<< Travel

8 • BAY AREA REPORTER • January 26 - February 1, 2017

Live life to the fullest in beautiful Madrid

by Heather Cassell

T

he party was just getting started when my girlfriend and I rolled our bags up to the large wooden door and dialed the code to our host’s apartment.

Rainbow flags were draped across the narrow streets of Madrid’s Chueca barrio, the gayborhood in the heart of the

city, while police continued to set up barricades as people began to filter into the neighborhood for last summer’s Madrid Pride. We could feel the excitement in the warm humid air.

It was the first night of the four-night party leading up to the Madrid Pride parade. We couldn’t wait to join the festivities.

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EXPLORE THE GAY WORLD

Madrid Pride is hosting WorldPride and EuroPride this year, which is why we were there in 2016 to explore this beautiful city.

We quickly dropped our bags off and said hello to our handsome gay host (and his roommates) I found through Airbnb (airbnb.com) before stepping back into the streets, which were beginning to fill up with people adorned with rainbows – painted faces, bracelets, headbands, feathered, and boas.

It was 5 p.m. and we had been traveling all day; a cocktail was waiting for us somewhere. Our first stop was D’Mystic (Facebook.com/ dmysticmadrid), where we grabbed a glass of wine and watched passersby before wandering the streets again to find some tapas.

Madrilenians, what residents of Madrid call themselves, are beautiful, proud, and warm and friendly. The streets were like live runways, everyone was fashionably dressed, even if they were dressed down, and their cigarettes smelled like perfume.

Madrid, Spain’s capital city since 1561, is beautiful. From royal palaces to medieval mansions, the architecture spans each era’s style from baroque to the Belle Époque, juxtaposed against contemporary structures. Throughout old town Madrid beautiful buildings line small streets that open up onto wide boulevards. The city is incredibly clean for all of the partying and the relaxed lifestyle.

Madrilenians also know how to live life; spending time with friends after work seems to be mandatory. They love food as much as they love fashion. When the sun goes down they fill the restaurants, bars, and nightclubs.

As we got into the Madrid way of living – out all night and up around mid-morning in time to enjoy a light breakfast just as restaurants and shops are rolling up their gates – I told my girlfriend I could get used to it.

Many of the Spaniards we met

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Geena Dabadghav

Leathermen pose before a night out on the town during Madrid Pride 2016.

of the first LGBT Pride in Spain, according to the Madrid Pride website.

The city, which is very walkable, will be filled with parties, art and culture, sports, a two-day international conference of human rights, the WorldPride Park, which will be full of vendors; and the parade. It’s a mustnot-miss event that will reintroduce LGBT travelers to Spain’s sophisticated and glamorous capital city.

Where to play

Everything was where our feet could take us in the heart of Madrid.

There was little need to take the subway or bus. We simply wandered the streets stopping in at markets, restaurants, and bars. One day, I explored the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía (museoreinasofia.es/en),

of cheeses that made a great afternoon snack.

Where to eat

My girlfriend and I ate and drank our way through Madrid. It’s hard not to do with all of the opportunities to grab small bites, and where beer and wine is served with a small bowl of tasty olives.

Our favorite markets were the wildly popular Mercado de San Miguel (http://www.mercadodesanmiguel.es/en), near the Plaza Mayor; the Platea Madrid (http://plateamadrid.com/en), located near Madrid’s luxury shopping district, Salamanca (www.shoppingmadrid.com/serrano.html); and the Mercado San Antón (acebook.com/mercadosananton), located in Chueca barrio near where we were staying.

We found delicious tapas at Tasca Celso y Manolo (https://tascacelsoymanolo.wordpress.com) and Tapaspana (facebook.com/ Tapaspana), satisfactory paella at Al Trapo (altraporestaurante.com/ index.php/en), really good tostadas at the popular La Descubierta (Facebook.com/Taberna-La-DescubiertaMadrid-152188678235787), and a literary brunch at El Bistro de la Central (lacentral.com/nosotros/ el-bistro).

Where to sleep Geena Dabadghav

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didn’t speak very much English. We got by using the iTranslate app (http:// www.itranslate.com) on our smartphones – which we discovered was the best after testing it against Google Translate with some natives – and my girlfriend’s limited Spanish. However, we saw signs of America coming to Madrid. Big box American brand name apparel retailers and shopping malls are the new rage. A new Four Seasons Hotel is going up near Puerta del Sol that is predicted to open sometime in 2017. It’s the first Four Seasons to open in Spain, which is dominated by the country’s own luxury brand, Meliá Hotels International, along with a number of smaller high-end hotels that are transforming the city.

These new hotels will welcome the influx of travelers heading to Madrid July 2-23 for WorldPride (madridorgullo.com/en) and EuroPride (gomadridpride.com/europridemadrid-2017), which are expected to attract more than 2 million visitors, according to Travel Weekly. The 22day affair marks the 40th anniversary

while my girlfriend hit the casinos.

The sprawling museum has an impressive collection of original Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali works, along with many other Spanish artists.

We came back together to enjoy the late-afternoon parties during Madrid Pride that started out in the streets throughout Chueca barrio, at Puerta del Sol, and at Parque del Buen Retiro.

There are several casinos in the heart of the city. In order to be granted entry foreigners need to bring their passport and dress up.

At night after dinner we bar hopped from La Kama (facebook. com/LakamaBar) to Kavu Bar (http://www.facebook.com/kavuvaquero) to Bar de Copas. One of our favorite places was the new Bee Beer (facebook.com/BeeBeerMadrid).

The bar is co-owned by Venezuelan husband and wife team Marlene Rodriguez and Xavier Losada and his brother’s family. It was a sweet and relaxing place located in the heart of the gayborhood where they pair European-made beers with a variety

We snagged a great deal in the heart of the gayborhood on Airbnb.

Our host was a gay man (with his roommates) in a huge flat. Our room was a small one off of the front room near the front door. It was well appointed, even if cramped, with a wardrobe, queen size bed, and large window that opened up onto the courtyard below. It had a small TV on top of shelves filled with towels and other necessities, a fan, and an air freshener that periodically squirted out a floral scent into the room. From inside the room with the windows closed we never could tell that there was a party going on until early in the morning, yet we could step out and join the festivities any time.

Getting to and around Madrid

We flew into Madrid from London on Iberia Airlines (iberia.com).

We stopped at the transportation desk outside of Madrid Metro (http://www.metromadrid.es/en) to purchase our one-way passes and took the subway into the center of Madrid. There wasn’t a need to use the subway again until we returned to the airport, where we took the same path back to catch our flight to our next destination.t

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Community News>>

January 26 - February 1, 2017 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 9

Strut panel talks healing during Trump era

by David-Elijah Nahmod

P

anelists speaking at an LGBTfocused discussion about how to survive the Trump administration urged attendees to develop strategies for keeping funding flowing to organizations and to personally share their stories to change hearts and minds.

A standing-room-only crowd packed the second floor meeting area at the Strut health center in the Castro Monday, January 23 for “What Now: Mobilizing Over the Next Four Years,” a panel discussion about the LGBTQ community’s response to the Donald Trump presidency.

Since Trump won November 8 there has been an uptick nationally in hate crimes, including against LGBTs. GOP-controlled legislatures in several states are attempting to pass so-called religious freedom and bathroom bills that would enable anti-LGBT discrimination on religious grounds and force transgender people to use public restrooms that correspond with their gender assigned at birth.

Many of the new president’s Cabinet picks have expressed their opposition to LGBTQ equality or worked against the community, while Vice President Mike Pence has supported conversion therapy and cutting AIDS funding.

As early as this week, Trump is expected to name his Supreme Court nominee, and three conservative white men are reported to be on his short list. That justice would replace the late Antonin Scalia, who was vehemently opposed to marriage equality and other LGBT issues.

Sister Roma of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and drag performer Honey Mahogany hosted the panel, which was part of Strut’s

Real Talk series. Topics included protecting affordable health care and women’s reproductive rights, HIV funding, Black Lives Matter, as well as LGBTQ rights and the rights of undocumented immigrants.

Panelists were Stonewall Project founder Michael Siever, Ph.D.; Shaun Haines of San Francisco Black Community Matters; Ivan Ramirez of Mission Neighborhood Health Center; and Janetta Johnson, executive director of the Transgender Gender-Variant and Intersex Justice Project.

The panelists were first asked what social justice means to them.

“Equal justice,” said Johnson. “If you’re in power share your wealth.”

Johnson, who is African-American, also urged people to be more mindful of the needs of the black trans community, which faces disproportionate amounts of poverty and violence.

How to create change was also discussed. Siever said that he tried to save people’s lives by becoming a psychologist and creating the Stonewall Project, a harm reduction program that was eventually merged with the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, which also operates Strut, a men’s health center.

Haines, who is African-American, addressed discrimination.

“We need to figure out how to get resources into the hands of people who need them.”

“I try to speak to groups in the Latino community about supporting our services,” said Ramirez. “It’s gonna be very hard for everyone, not just my community.”

A number of the panelists addressed the possibility of burnout.

“I’m eating my greens, getting rest, and taking time off,” Johnson said with a smile. She then took on a more serious tone. “We are often not supported in the work that we do,”

Horizons launches LGBTQ needs survey compiled by Cynthia Laird

T

he Horizons Foundation is leading an LGBTQ community needs assessment, and people can now take the online survey.

Roger Doughty, Horizons president, said in an email announcement that it’s been over 20 years since a comprehensive needs assessment has been performed.

“Now, more than ever, we need to make sure we have current data and information about our community,” he added.

Doughty said the assessment will result in “current, actionable data about our community.”

“These data will be employed by the foundation to set grantmaking priorities, and serve as a resource for community organizations and foundations.”

He explained that Horizons staff have been working with 14 other organizations serving the LGBTQ community and Leading for Action to develop the survey.

Doughty said the survey is “a bit long” and estimates it takes about 15-30 minutes to complete.

“And it asks some questions that may take some thoughtful consideration to answer,” he said. “We are only asking these questions because we need to understand more about you and your experiences in order to help Horizons Foundation and community service providers to better serve our diverse community.”

Horizons President Roger Doughty

To take the survey in English, visit surveymonkey.com/r/ SFBA_LGBT_NEEDS_ENG. To take it in Spanish, visitsurveymonkey.com/r/ SFBA_LGBT_NEEDS_ SPAN. Responses are due by midnight Wednesday February 1.

For questions, email Allison Sponseller at Learning for Action at allison. sponseller@learningforaction.com.

TLC launches immigrant defense effort

Now that Donald Trump is See page 12 >>

Rick Gerharter

Zwazzi Sowo speaks at the January 23 Real Talk community forum on mobilizing now that Donald Trump is president.

she said. “There needs to be more support.”

Haines said that he does yoga and energy work like chanting. He also emphasized the importance of more personal contact, like hugging.

“When I hug and kiss you, it’s because I need that love,” he said.

“Be kind to yourself and forgive yourself,” Siever said. “If you don’t forgive yourself, you’ll burn out.”

Roma advised people to continue attending events such as What Now. “It’s important to stay active and engaged,” she said. “We care about these issues and about each other.”

An informal poll by text survey was then conducted, which found that 67 percent of the approximately 150 attendees said they identified as activists.

“Just by being here you are doing activism,” said Roma. “By living our authentic lives we are activists. You may be an activist and not know it.”

Effective activism, panelists said, includes social media and more.

“Direct person-to-person contact

is how you will change hearts and minds,” said Haines.

Ramirez pointed to social media.

“I use Facebook to let people know about HIV and services,” at the health center, he said. “Facebook helps me to answer questions about HIV and legal status.”

“Art and grassroots messages,” said Johnson. “We need to promote more positive messages.”

Jeff Sheehy, the newly appointed District 8 supervisor, then stepped up to address the audience. Sheehy, a gay man and father, received thunderous applause when he said that he was the city’s first HIV-positive supervisor.

“The energy and love in this room is fantastic,” Sheehy said.

“That’s what we need for the next four years. We’ve been through this before but now the mask has been ripped off and we can see the naked face of hate.”

Sheehy recalled the AIDS pandemic of the 1980s and 1990s, noting how hated and reviled

HIV-positive and LGBTQ people were during that era.

“It’s our love that brought us here,” he said. “Our loving sacrifices changed the hearts and minds of America. My office is dedicated to fighting HIV/AIDS.” Sheehy also said that his office would fight to preserve health care and that the city would not abandon its immigrant citizens. On Wednesday, Trump was expected to take action on sanctuary cities, which would affect federal funding for San Francisco and numerous other locales across the country.

Courtney Mulhern-Pearson, director of state and local affairs for SFAF, spoke of the fight for the Affordable Care Act, which she said was important for people living with HIV and those who are at risk.

Trump and Congress have already taken initial steps to dismantle the program, which could affect 20 million people across the country.

“San Francisco is very fortunate to have supervisors committed to making sure that we maintain funding. I’m pleased to see Governor [Jerry] Brown pushing back on Trump’s plans,” she said, referring to the governor’s State of the State speech Tuesday when he closed with, “California is not turning back. Not now, not ever.”

Mulhern-Pearson urged community members to sign up for SFAF’s newsletter and to follow the foundation on Facebook and Twitter in order to stay informed about health-related and other issues.

Another informal text poll was conducted. This one showed that 10 percent of attendees said that housing was their chief concern. Nineteen present went for health care, while 25 percent cited funding as their main concern. Immigration was chosen by See page 13 >>

founding member

<< Community News

10 • BAY AREA REPORTER • January 26 - February 1, 2017

SF convenes LGBT cultural work group

by Matthew S. Bajko

S

an Francisco officials have convened a working group tasked with creating a strategy to preserve the city’s LGBTQ cultural heritage as well as nightlife venues.

The formation of the group is in response to the continued shuttering of LGBT bars, businesses, and entertainment venues throughout the city, from the predominantly gay Castro district to South of Market, the historic home to the leather community, and the Tenderloin, long a haven for the transgender community. It also comes as efforts are underway to landmark various LGBT historic sites throughout the city and create public spaces that honor the LGBT community’s history.

The working group met for the first time Monday, January 9 at City Hall and brought together representatives from various city agencies as well as LGBT community leaders. It is expected to meet at least monthly over the next year as it develops a list of recommendations to present to City Hall sometime in early 2018.

“We want the community to say what it wants to happen now, in the immediate future, and 20 to 30 years out,” Timothy Frye, the planning department’s historic preservation officer, told the Bay Area Reporter during a recent interview.

create LGBT historic districts in the Tenderloin, and a planned overhaul in the Castro of a public plaza named after the late Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official in San Francisco.

“It was always my intention to look at the cultural strategy and nightlife broadly, so it is a good thing,” said Wiener.

Jeff Sheehy, a gay married father who is HIVpositive and was named

by Mayor Ed Lee to the vacant District 8 supervisor seat, met with planning department staff the day of the working group’s first meeting to be briefed on it. He told the B.A.R. he is Rick Gerharter interested in assisting the Standing in front of the site of the Black effort to construct a larger, Cat bar in 2007, the late Jose Sarria, more permanent LGBT right, reminisced about his time at the history museum in the city bar to, from left, then-reigning Emperor and hopes to work with Michael Dumont and Don Berger. The his board colleagues on occasion was the installation of a plaque implementing the working honoring the significance of the bar to group’s proposals.

San Francisco’s LGBT history.

“I am keeping my eye on the issue,” he said.

Nate Allbee, a member The working group is the result of the San Francisco LGBTQ Legacy of a resolution the Board of SuBusiness Coalition, attended the pervisors passed in the fall that was first meeting and intends to remain introduced by gay former District involved with the working group.

8 Supervisor Scott Wiener, now a “I am really glad City Hall is unitstate senator. It was prompted by ing around these particular issues. concerns that the SOMA gay bar For years there has been different the Stud might close due to a drastic groups working on what’s really rent hike its new landlord had prokind of a new discipline of LGBT posed and frustration that a LGBT history,” said Allbee, who is gay and Cultural Heritage District in westis also involved in the effort to form ern SOMA first called for in 2013 the country’s first transgender hishas yet to come to fruition. toric district in the city’s Tenderloin “I am thrilled it is moving forneighborhood. “The federal governward and particularly that it is movment and state government is finally ing forward in such a quick way. It acknowledging LGBT sites and hiswas only a few months ago that I tory are important to our entire authored the resolution calling for culture.” this work group,” Wiener told the Also at the launch of the workB.A.R. this week. “I am happy to see ing group were Shayne Watson and progress, as this idea languished for Donna Graves, the co-authors of a years.” historic context statement for San The working group’s scope is Francisco’s LGBTQ community. not limited to SOMA, however, They are both now working on efand has been broadened to be forts to landmark several LGBT hiscitywide. It aims to bring under toric sites in the city. the same umbrella a number of “I think it is a powerful idea to disparate efforts to honor the link efforts to preserve physical LGBT community’s history, such aspects of the past with contempoas the creation of a plaza and rerary culture,” said Graves, a public model of an alleyway in SOMA to historian based in Berkeley. “It is highlight leather history, talks to

DISPLAY OBITUARIES & IN MEMORIAMS

why I think San Francisco is at the forefront of thinking about cultural heritage. It is great to see the city getting a group of people together to talk about that.”

Added Watson, a lesbian and architectural historian who owns Watson Heritage Consulting, “I think it is going to result in multiple programs in all these different neighborhoods in historic enclaves and existing enclaves. It can’t just be one group overseeing 100 sites of history in seven different neighborhoods.”

Frye, who is gay, said the creation of the working group is an “exciting” development not just for him but also for the department.

“It is important that the San Francisco Historic Preservation Commission is really leading this dialogue at the national level,” he said. “There aren’t really any other cities actively pursuing the same sort of strategy.”

Appeal next week on controversial project

Watson is now chairing a Historic Places Committee that the GLBT Historical Society recently formed to foster closer ties between the community and the planning department. The aim is to create a stronger dialogue between planners and LGBT preservationists when development projects are proposed for sites with ties to LGBT history.

She pointed to the ongoing fight over Group I’s massive in-fill development the planning commission approved in November for 950-974 Market Street. The buildings there were once home to several gay bars and a shoe store that helped facilitate gay and transgender prostitution and hustling in the area.

Last winter Watson appealed the project as planners’ review of the proposal initially did not consider the site’s LGBT historic relevance. After they redid their review, she dropped her objections in the summer and is now working with Group I to recognize the surrounding neighborhood as an LGBT historic district.

But the Q Foundation, on behalf of a number of LGBT activists, filed its own appeal calling for greater scrutiny of the proposed development’s environmental impacts, including if demolition of the existing structures would hinder forming a smaller transgender historical

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district in the area. It would be named after Gene Compton’s Cafeteria, a 24-hour eatery that had operated nearby at 101 Taylor Street and was where transgender and queer patrons rioted against police harassment in the mid-1960s.

“If a development project comes up and threatens an LGBTQ site, we want the city to go to this committee and say here is this project, what is your reaction,” said Watson. “We want for it to serve as a liaison between interested community groups and the planning department so 950-974 Market Street doesn’t happen again.”

The Board of Supervisors is scheduled to take up the appeal of the planning commission’s vote on 950-974 Market Street at its meeting Tuesday, January 31. District 6 Supervisor Jane Kim is reportedly trying to foster an agreement ahead of the hearing between the developer and the Compton’s historic district promoters.

Asked about the talks by the B.A.R., Kim declined to comment.

But in a statement, she said she is “very excited about the Compton’s Historic District in the Tenderloin.”

Her office, she added, “is drafting legislation in partnership with the community to make this a reality and it’s a continuation of my longstanding commitment to always fight for the needs of marginalized communities in the city.”

Honey Mahogany, a local drag queen who is a community organizer for Compton’s Coalition, said she was unsure if an agreement could be reached ahead of the appeal hearing.

Having attended the first meeting of the LGBTQ cultural heritage strategy working group, she believes the city effort compliments the goals of the group pushing for the transgender historic district.

“What is important to me is this working group identifies ways we can preserve LGBT spaces and also preserve the history of LGBT spaces in San Francisco,” said Mahogany, a social worker who’s also known as Alpha Mulugeta and is currently working for the Q Foundation. “I think we as a community need to take stock of our resources and history and make sure we are doing our due diligence in preserving those things.”

To learn more about the city’s LGBT cultural strategy working group, visit its website at sf-planning.org/lgbtqstrategy.t

SF LGBT historic site downgrades federal landmark request

by Matthew S. Bajko

The Bay Area Reporter can help members of the community reach more than 120,000 LGBT area residents each week with their display of Obituary* & In Memoriam messages.

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ith President Donald Trump in office, an LGBT historic site in San Francisco has dropped its request to become a National Historic Landmark, the Bay Area Reporter has learned.

The leadership of the Women’s Building in the city’s Mission district had been working with Donna Graves, a public historian based in Berkeley, to fill out the paperwork for the structure to secure a landmark designation, one of the highest honors at the federal level a property can receive outside of being named a national monument or park site.

Graves had secured a grant from the National Park Service’s LGBTQ Heritage Initiative, which earmarked funding specifically for LGBT historic nominations, as the B.A.R. first reported in March. The Women’s Building was founded in 1971 by a group of women that included a number of lesbian leaders.

In 1979 it moved into its current location, at 3543 18th Street near

Jane Philomen Cleland

The Women’s Building has dropped its request to be considered for National Historic Landmark status.

Valencia Street, where it has hosted numerous meetings of LGBT groups and conferences over the years and continues to do so. The building is already deemed a city landmark, though it was listed for its

historical significance predating the modern LGBT rights movement.

Had its National Historic Landmark nomination moved forward and been approved, it could have been the third property listed specifically for its LGBTQ significance.

As of January, there were only two such landmarks, according to the Interior Department.

Due to the nomination of Republican Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke to be the federal agency’s secretary, who in that role would sign off on National Historic Landmark applications, Graves was advised to seek a lesser listing for the Women’s Building on the National Register of Historic Places, which has a different approval process, said a person briefed on the matter.

Asked this week about the change in federal recognition for the building, Graves told the B.A.R. she needed to first consult with the National Park Service before responding. In an emailed reply, she wrote, “We’re doing a nomination to the National See page 12 >>

t

Sports>>

January 26 - February 1, 2017 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 11

Alternative sports facts

by Roger Brigham

T

here is so much going on in the sports world and so many false game stories reported by the lying media that it is hard to keep up with all that is going on. Simply overwhelming to follow every story, every Twitter posting, every Facebook blurb, every whatever the hell it is they put on Instagram. But once our understanding of reality has been broadened, it becomes a lot easier to weave a sensible narrative.

First off, it now seems that despite Oakland’s best efforts, the OaklandLos Angeles-Oakland Raiders are headed to Las Vegas. Team owner Mark Davis has submitted a copy of his late father’s old relocation request from the 1980s to the league for approval. It will be hard for the owners to vote against it, considering it’s predicted the team will draw 110,000 people per game and not only will not a single penny of public money be used, team owners predict they will be able to pay fans to attend and offer them free shrimp cocktails to boot. Proposed stadium designs call for slot machines at each seat and the ability to place bets on the popular halftime “dot races.”

That’s a double blow for the CityAcross-The-Bay-From-BaghdadBy-The-Bay. The Golden State Warriors broke ground this month on a new arena in San Francisco and

<<

Donor fund

From page 6

“We want to fight back and fund projects and organizations needing money right now to respond to the changing conditions happening as we speak,” explained Ancona, who is bisexual and based in San Francisco.

In selecting the communities to benefit from the fund, the organizers chose ones they felt are the most likely to face threats, “from a physical violence perspective and policy perspective,” said Ancona, noting that the groups identified were “criminalized, belittled, and attacked during this presidential campaign. We can only prepare for what might come next.”

An advisory committee made up of advocates from across the country representative of the various target groups will select which applications are funded. Among its members are Lateefah Simon, president of the Oakland-based Akonadi Foundation and a member of the board overseeing BART, the regional transit agency; and Loan Tran, a queer, gender non-conforming writer and organizer based in Durham, North

Raiders owner Mark Davis

plan to move in a couple of years, possibly changing their name from the Golden State Warriors to the San Francisco Kumbayas. Early resistance to the relocation from local residents focused on the traffic snarls that the games would create in San Francisco, but local high tech firms assured the public that by 2018 they will have the ability to beam people directly into their seats, just like in “Star Trek.”

But all of that is good news for the Oakland A’s, who will soon have the entire Oakland Coliseum complex to themselves. Having dropped any thought of moving the team anywhere, A’s owners said they would either raze the entire complex and Carolina where they serve as the director of the Youth Organizing Institute and communications director for the Southern Vision Alliance, which has received funding from the Solidaire Network.

Emergent Fund proposals will be vetted to see if they have the likelihood to bring about systemic change or long-lasting results. The first grants approved this month were for $30,000 each, one going to train Black Lives Matter members, with an emphasis on reaching LGBTQ leaders in the group, and the other to address racism within the Muslim community and Islamophobia within minority communities.

“We want to fund things that are not sort of fly-by-the-night but are part of a longer-term strategy,” said Ancona. “We are also looking for leadership in the affected communities.”

To date there have been few funding applications from LGBT-specific groups, likely since the Emergent Fund is so new, said Ancona. Such organizations are highly encouraged to submit grant proposals.

Helping to spread the word is a Nominations Network. It currently

Obituaries >> John Weatherman September 16, 1942 – January 10, 2017 Born September 16, 1942, longtime San Franciscan John Weatherman passed away unexpectedly January 10, 2017. The shock of his death leaves a cavernous void and an aching sadness. A man of strong courage and conviction, John’s larger than life personality, character, deep intellect and wisdom, passion for life, and soulful philosophy brought laughter, comfort, and a positive outlook to all who knew him.

A retired educator, John was born in Illinois and grew up in Indiana. He attended Purdue University, Indiana State University, and Ball State University where he earned his master’s degree. He taught at the Indiana School for the Deaf in Indianapolis before moving to San Francisco. He retired from the San Mateo Union High School District after a long career teaching and inspiring

countless numbers of students with special needs to dream and succeed.

In December 2016, John retired yet again from years of volunteering and working with the Shanti Project in San Francisco, providing support for individuals with life-threatening or disabling conditions.

He was particularly proud of his work with the Shanti L.I.F.E. Program, the nation’s leading HIV self-management and healthenhancement program.

Dealing with numerous physical challenges himself over the years, John maintained a positive reframe on every situation, taking nourishment from his love of opera and classical music which he enjoyed sharing with friends, in particular at San Francisco’s opera, symphony and ballet companies.

John is survived by his husband and partner of 16 years, Louis Kelsh, and family members in Indiana: brother Philip (Carolyn); niece and nephew Krista and Ross; cousins; loving friends and colleagues.

A memorial service is pending. Donations are appreciated in John’s memory to Shanti Project, 730 Polk Street #3, San Francisco, CA 94109.

have the team play in an open lot for anyone who wanted to BART by and watch, or plough all of their money into talented, expensive frontline free agents and hold on to them for the prime of their careers without trading them.

Either way, it would be new territory for the A’s.

Meanwhile, the San Diego Chargers announced they would leave the NFL and create a new Major Soccer League franchise to replace the old disappointment-prone football team. Investors said a new stadium would not require any taxpayer money and fans would actually be able to save money as they would have less need to buy buckets of beer at the end of games to drown their sorrows. Meanwhile, the old Chargers NFL franchise has been sold to Caitlyn Jenner and former running back Jim Brown, who said they would move it to Los Angeles and present it as a present to President Donald Trump.

In other exciting alternative sports facts, golfer Tiger Woods has announced a full recovery and is favored to win the next three Masters tournaments; New York Knicks guru Phil Jackson has scrapped his team’s triangle offense in favor of a new pentagon offense; organizers of the 2017 World Outgames in Miami have increased their projection for the number of athletes to attend the event to 25,000; and the New England Patriots have advanced to the Super Bowl yet again despite Tom Brady having the worst

quarterback ratings of his career, the highlight for him this season being the four games he was suspended. And in a rare instance of cooperation between major sports franchises, Major League Baseball announced it would end its controversial policy of having home field advantage for the World

Series decided by the outcome of the All-Star Game and have it decided by the outcome of the Super Bowl instead.

Them’s the facts, or at least possible facts. If you thought 2016 was something, wait till you see what 2017 has in store.

It’ll be unbelievable.t

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has nine members, with room for three more, and those interested in serving on it are encouraged to apply.

“It is a network of people very plugged into these communities broadly who can help us find good ideas and vet the proposals,” said Ancona. “They won’t be making decisions, but we will share with them truncated versions of the proposals and have them give us feedback. We will use that to inform the decisionmaking process.”

For more information about the fund, as well as how either donate to it or apply for funding, visit emergentfund.net/. t

and your niche in history.

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Bay Reporter.indd 1

9/30/16 10:24 AM

<< Community News

12 • BAY AREA REPORTER • January 26 - February 1, 2017

<<

Diaz

From page 2

drive his car” when Diaz kicked it and made him stop. “The victim got out, and a confrontation ensued,” she said.

After the victim hit Diaz with a metal stick or bracket, Diaz “took him to the ground, handcuffed him, and then bit him,” Talkoff said.

“The victim sustained a bite wound to the head, in which a piece of scalp was removed,” she said.

Diaz and the victim were both taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Diaz “stated that he thought the car was going to hit him,” Talkoff said, while “The victim stated that the suspect identified himself as a police officer.”

Talkoff said police records don’t say how long the victim was handcuffed, but “officers got to the scene fairly quickly.” The victim acknowledged striking Diaz with the metal object, which was found at the

<<

News Briefs

From page 9

president, the Transgender Law Center has launched an emergency response project, the Trans Immigrant Defense Effort, or TIDE, which is devoted to expanding legal support and services available to transgender and gender non-conforming immigrants.

“The Trump administration has pledged to devastate immigrant communities on an unprecedented scale, at a time when our government already deports people in record numbers and holds transgender immigrants in inhumane, abusive conditions,” TLC Executive Director Kris Hayashi said in a news release. “As a national organization dedicated to protecting the rights and lives of transgender people, we have a duty to launch a vigorous defense against this attack on some of the most vulnerable members of our community.”

<<

Non-binary

From page 1

people under 18 to apply to update the gender on their birth certificate.

“I have personal friends I know who had to confront and face this issue with their children” who were as young as 3, Atkins said. “I was just blown away.”

The bill is an opportunity “to advance civil rights for a community. It is about evolving thoughts around who we identify as individuals,” she said.

Wiener, who’s gay, said, “I think

<<

PrEP

From page 6

Angeles County – to determine which behavioral risk factors and other characteristics distinguished gay and bi men who became HIV-positive and those who remained HIV-negative.

<<

LGBT historic site

From page 10

Register of Historic Places because that’s what the funding allows.”

Tatjana Loh, development director for the Women’s Building, did not respond to a request for comment by press time.

Andrew Munoz, a spokesman for the Park Service’s Pacific West Region, told the B.A.R. Wednesday morning the decision was made for financial reasons.

“The funding source for the National Historic Landmark project is through the National Park Foundation. The advice given was it would be better to pursue a National Register nomination because the funding available is not enough to complete the historic landmark process.”

Shayne Watson, who co-wrote

t

melted bin was found with CanulArguello’s heavily charred body.

Jurors acquitted Diaz of seconddegree murder but convicted him of involuntary manslaughter, arson, mutilating human remains, and destroying evidence. He was released in September 2014 after spending more than three years in custody.

San Francisco Superior Court Judge Donald Sullivan dismissed the arson count.

In 2015, Diaz was arrested again for allegedly starting fires in the Castro district. He was accused of setting a fire at the Up Hair salon, which is located above the Mix, as well as burning Mix owner Larry Metzger’s car. Metzger was Diaz’s boyfriend at the time.

Diaz originally pleaded not guilty to felony counts of arson of an inhabited structure, arson of property, and possession of an incendiary device, but as part of a deal with prosecutors, he pleaded guilty in August to the incendiary device charge and

a count of second-degree burglary.

He was released in September after spending more than eight months in custody.

Just before Diaz’s release, retired Superior Court Judge Philip Moscone sentenced him to a year of mandatory supervision. He was required to register as an arsonist for life, wear an ankle monitor for at least the first six months of his supervision, and receive counseling. He was also ordered to stay 150 yards away from 4082 through 4086 18th Street, the building where the Mix bar and the apartment where he’d lived with Metzger are located.

During a December court appearance in the new case, Assistant District Attorney Andrew Clark said that the adult probation department had already recommended about a week before the alleged assault that Diaz be remanded. Clark didn’t provide details of what Diaz’s violation was. Superior Court Judge Garrett L. Wong granted the prosecutor’s

motion to administratively revoke Diaz’s mandatory supervision status.

Metzger and Diaz are still friends, and Metzger previously told the B.A.R. that they went to see a movie just hours before the alleged November assault. In an interview soon after Diaz’s most recent arrest, Metzger said, “He wasn’t allowed to come around here. He stayed away.

He never violated his restraining order.”

Diaz had been doing “all the things he was supposed to be doing,” Metzger said. “I don’t know how this happened.”

He declined to say where Diaz had been living or working.

Superior Court Judge Christopher Hite has ordered Diaz to next appear in court February 1 for a prehearing conference and status update. A preliminary hearing, where a judge will determine whether there’s enough evidence to hold Diaz for trial, is set for February 3.t

the final deadline for registration is March 1, Quan said in a news release.

During the event, which is free to the public, visitors are invited to join many of the artists at the opening celebration and preview at the historic 16th Street train station in Oakland, where there will be live music, food options, and a cash bar.

Open studios will be held over two weekends, June 10-11 and 1718, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

For more information, visit eastbayopenstudios.com.

East Bay Open Studios has a new producer and she has issued a call for artists ahead of the summer event.

Carolyn Quan took over the event from Pro Arts, which had founded East Bay Open Studios more than 40 years ago. Its mission

is to connect the East Bay arts community directly with art lovers in and around the entire Bay Area and promote the interaction between artists and their audience.

The call for artists is open to all visual artists working in any visual medium, who have exhibition space or an art studio in either Alameda or Contra Costa counties. Artists can show in any type of space including their home studio, backyards, restaurants, community centers, yoga studios, cafes, meeting rooms, or retail stores. Artists must secure their own show space in order to participate. Individual artists and collectives are welcome to participate. Visual mediums include, but are not limited to drawing, print making, fiber art, photography, digital art, mixed media, ceramics, wood working, jewelry, film, video, installation art, illustration, media arts, sculpture, and collage.

Early bird artist registration is available until February 1 and

Aficionados of fine antique ethnographic art will discover an extraordinary world of high quality tribal and textile arts February 9-12 when the 31st annual San Francisco Tribal and Textile Show returns to Fort Mason Center’s Festival Pavilion.

More than 70 national and

international galleries and dealers will launch the art fair’s fourth decade with a showcase of rare historical and contemporary art by tribal cultures and indigenous peoples of Asia, Africa, Oceania, the Middle East, and the Americas.

Showgoers will be immersed in a global atmosphere of learning and discovery as they browse displays of premier artworks and interact with some of the world’s most knowledgeable tribal and textile art experts. Works will be on sale.

A kickoff gala will be held Thursday, February 9 that benefits the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.

The show itself continues from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $15 for a one-day pass or $25 for a run-of-show pass (excludes gala). Admission includes viewing of “Indonesian Textile Treasures: A Living Legacy.” For more information, visit Sanfranciscotribalandtextileartshow.com/.t

as other states move to ostracize and marginalize transgender people with bathroom bills and other attacks, it’s even more important for California to go in the other direction and embrace our transgender brothers and sisters.

“As someone is transitioning, there are so many obstacles and challenges, and the state of California should not be one of those obstacles,” he continued. “We need to make it easier for people to go through a transition which is already a difficult period for a lot of people, and we can make it easier by

modernizing our laws.”

Atkins said opposition would likely come from the same conservative groups that have opposed past equality work.

“I can just imagine the comments we might get from some of our colleagues,” she said.

However, Atkins added, “I have a feeling we’re going to have a lot of support.”

“This will send a very powerful message nationally,” Wiener said.

“There are so many transgender people around the country who are terrified right now,” he said. “They

see states passing laws to strip them of their most basic rights.”

The administration of newly inaugurated President Donald Trump is “openly hostile,” Wiener said, and “This is a role California must play.”

He said the message is, “No, we’re going to go the other way, and be progressive and supportive and help people who need help.”

“I’m just really excited to do this,” Atkins said. “... Given all that we’re faced with after this election, California continues to move forward.

We have been at the forefront for rights for all individuals,” including

immigrants, women, and others, she said.

“This is going to be a step forward that will help us make a point to people across the country,” Atkins said. “We’re not backing down on equal rights in any way, shape, or form ... We’re moving forward.”

J.M. Jaffe, 29, who identifies as transgender and uses third-person pronouns, said they’re “still deciding” whether they would change their documents to non-binary, but “at least the possibility being available is very exciting to me.”t

This information was then used to develop an online PrEP risk calculator.

Unlike the CDC guidelines, the risk calculator includes several factors that could put men who have sex with men at higher risk for becoming infected, including substance use, number of sex partners,

age, and race/ethnicity.

The researchers found that if all gay men with risk scores of five or higher – about half of those who used the calculator – had received PrEP, 75 percent of new HIV infections could have been avoided.

They cautioned, however, that the

calculator may not be accurate for other groups including heterosexuals, transgender people, and those whose main HIV risk factor is injection drug use.

“To the best of our knowledge, this PrEP calculator is the first of its kind to be based on real-world data,”

said study co-author Robert Weiss.

“We hope that our PrEP calculator will allow more men who have sex with men to make a more informed decision before deciding whether or not PrEP is right for them.”

The online assessment tool is located at prephere.org/. t

with Graves a historic context statement for San Francisco’s LGBTQ community and contributed a chapter to the park service’s LGBTQ theme study, said the news raised a “red flag” for her when she learned about it.

“It is scary to be honest,” said Watson, adding that as has happened with LGBT pages on other federal websites since Trump’s swearing in last week, “the LGBTQ theme study they can just delete the PDF off the website, that is kind of terrifying to me.”

the Park Service’s webpage for its LGBT initiative was still available, though its list of four LGBT historic places remained out of date, as the number is now up to at least eight.

Earlier this month, prior to President Barack Obama’s leaving office, the Interior Department announced it had awarded $50,000 to the District of Columbia Office of Planning and $49,999 to the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, & Historic Preservation Office to work on adding LGBT historic sites to the federal register.

In San Francisco the planning department’s historic preservation division is moving forward to list two sites with ties to the city’s LGBT history on the National Register as well as designate them city landmarks. It has hired Watson to work on the application for Glide

Memorial Church, at 330 Ellis Street in the city’s Tenderloin neighborhood, and Graves to complete one for the building that once housed the Japantown YWCA, located at 1830 Sutter Street and now occupied by the private, nonprofit childcare center Nihonmachi Little Friends.

“The contracts are being finalized as we speak and we expect research work to start in the next few weeks,” said Timothy Frye, the planning department’s historic preservation officer.

Also in the pipeline is granting city landmark status to seven LGBT historic sites the planning department first identified in August. The list includes 710 Montgomery Street, formerly home to gay bar the Black Cat, and 440 Broadway, once the site of lesbian bar Mona’s 440 Club.

Two buildings that served as headquarters for early LGBT rights groups are on the list: 689-93 Mission Street, known as the Williams Building, where both the Mattachine Society and the Daughters of Bilitis first met, and 83 Sixth Street, the early home of the Society of Individual Rights.

The other three locations are 101 Taylor Street, where transgender and queer patrons of Gene Compton’s Cafeteria rioted in the mid 1960s; 1001 Potrero Avenue, which houses Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital’s Ward 86 AIDS clinic, the first of its kind in the country; and 623 Valencia Street, which houses Community Thrift, a secondhand store that raises money for LGBT nonprofits and others founded by the Tavern Guild, the country’s first gay business association.t

scene. A judge has said the scalp piece was found nearby. Talkoff said a flashlight was also located at the scene, but not a badge.

Diaz had been wearing civilian clothing, rather than a police uniform, “but he did have a pair of handcuffs on him,” Talkoff said.

She said the police report didn’t say whether Diaz had been using drugs.

She didn’t know whether police had obtained video footage of the incident, which occurred near the nightlife event venue 1015 Folsom.

Diaz has declined the Bay Area Reporter’s interview request.

Homicide, arson cases

In 2014, Diaz stood trial for the June 2011 death of Freddy CanulArguello, 23, in Buena Vista Park.

In his testimony, Diaz testified that Canul-Arguello had asked to be choked during a sexual encounter and that he’d accidentally killed him.

Diaz said he’d set fire to a cup in a recycling bin to signal for help. The Alison Pennington, who joined TLC in 2014, is leading TIDE as the project’s immigrant staff attorney.

While Pennington has worked primarily on non-discrimination cases involving trans youth and schools at the agency, she has 13 years of experience in the field of immigrant rights.

TLC is also looking for other pro bono attorneys interested in joining the project. They, as well as trans and gender non-conforming immigrants with immigration lawrelated questions or concerns, can learn more at transgenderlawcenter. org/programs/tide.

East Bay Open Studios issues call for artists

Other designations move forward

It remains an open question if any nominations of LGBT historic sites to the national register will advance under the Trump administration. As of press time Wednesday,

SF Tribal and Textile Art Show

t <<

Read more online at www.ebar.com

Strut panel

From page 9

16 percent, while 22 percent went for the environment. Just 5 percent cited LGBTQ equality as their chief concern.

Johnson said that she was disappointed that no one chose personal safety as a concern, citing the extreme levels of violence that trans

women of color were subjected to.

Audience member Zwazzi Sowo said that it was important for people to recognize diversity.

“We have to look across the aisle at people who are different from us,” she said.

Advised Mahogany, “Acknowledge your privilege. That’s part of being an ally.”t

Legal Notices>> TRUSTEE NOTICE;

to agent is notice to principal and notice to principal is notice to agent; I hereby now and forever disaffirm infancy and all contracts in minority, and hereby now notice I have attained the Age of Majority and hereby claim all accounts/property personal and real held in abeyance and I accept all Oaths and give notice of acceptance by acquiescence and decreed fiduciary relationship with trustee appointment of all Oath bound officers, trustees, licensees, and or agents whether claimed or in fact of the principal for the court under original jurisdiction and all subsequent jurisdictions thereof including and not limited to the constitution of these union States of the Republic and between the Author/Settlor/ Sole Beneficiary/Sole Owner for ongoing literary composition, book, map, Chart and registered infant estate, recorded and known as Sheila Ann Blanc- established September 13 1962 and Registered Oct 1 1962 without mine or my parents knowledge or consent as ward of the state; regarding but not limited to labor interests within the original jurisdiction of the court under the original principal now chief trustee; decreed adjudicated Facts of Parentage and Declaration of status as Mother with other documents/bonds/bank notes sent to CDPH November 18 2016 registered #RE059 798 205US; decreed case Sonoma County record #20160955330 for change of status for the Author/Settlor/ Sole Beneficiary/Sole Owner of the infant estate from infant minor to age of Majority including but not limited to all interests/ownership in all biological offspring through my blood and/or marriage. All amendments re-registered November 10, 2016 correcting style and status; Georgia Superior Court Filings February 19, 2016 BPA Book 55, pages 973-984 and book title Certificate # 104-62-261898/ local 3801 14209 with DOS authentication issued pursuant to CHXIV, State of Sept. 15, 1789 1 Stat . 68-69; 22 USC 2657; 22USC 2651a; 5 USC 301; 28 USC 1733 et. Seq,; 8 USC 1443 (f); RULE 44 Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, presented to San Francisco County Local Registrar and Trustee Tomas J Aragon Registered mail#RE0022 058 033US for acceptance/acknowledgment and registration and shall be used at the Authors/ Settlors discretion and will and my promise to god, including and not limited to; Copyright Act of 1790/Statutes at Large, 124; 12 USC 95a(2),Stat.112ch 48 or any other applicable laws with all rights retained. Any rebuttal or refusal to accept this appointment shall be in writing under penalty of perjury with proof of recorded denunciation of Oath to original principal for the court and any agencies thereof; shall be sent within 72 hours registered mail to Sheila Ann Blanc Attn: Author/Settlor/ Sole Beneficiary/Sole Owner at PMB 7319 Witter Road, Sebastopol California Republic 954729999

JAN 12, 19, 26, FEB 02, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037376500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: KEMESTRY, 4007 FOLSOM ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed RONALD B. BROOKS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/07/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/07/16.

JAN 05, 12, 19, 26, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037393400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LAPHET, 448 LARKIN ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed WILLIAM LUE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/20/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/20/16.

JAN 05, 12, 19, 26, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037395800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PUSH DANCE COMPANY, 179 OAK ST #J, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed RAISSA SIMPSON. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/31/05. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/22/16.

JAN 05, 12, 19, 26, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037390200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ABSEE WORLD, 2088 OAKDALE AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed EVELYN TAM. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/16/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/16/16.

JAN 05, 12, 19, 26, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037400400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE URBAN CHAIR, 3650 24TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed CARLA BEYER. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/26/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/28/16.

JAN 05, 12, 19, 26, 2017

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-17-552673

In the matter of the application of: BERYL MAGILAVY, 433 LINDEN ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner BERYL MAGILAVY, is requesting that the name BERYL MAGILAVY, be changed to SIMONE THOMAS. 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 March 2017 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JAN 05, 12, 19, 26, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037408900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CHEFS FEED, 32 PAGE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed CREDIBLE, INC (DE).

The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/03/11. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/03/17.

JAN 05, 12, 19, 26, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037405100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TAKUYA, 716 IRVING ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed TAKUYA INVESTMENT INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/29/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/29/16.

JAN 05, 12, 19, 26, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037385900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ZETAOHM LLC, 2565 3RD ST #315, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed ZETAOHM 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 12/14/16.

JAN 05, 12, 19, 26, 2017 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-034273200

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: GYROTONIC PACIFIC HEIGHTS, 2999 WASHINGTON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115.

This business was conducted by a limited liability company and signed by TRINITY FITNESS LLC (CA). The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/13/12.

JAN 05, 12, 19, 26, 2017 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO

FILE CNC-17-552677 In the matter of the application of: THOMAS NATHANIEL YOUNG, 525 BRYANT ST. SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner THOMAS NATHANIEL YOUNG, is requesting that the name THOMAS NATHANIEL YOUNG, be changed to THOMAS NATHANIEL SPANN. 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 March 2017 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JAN 12, 19, 26, FEB 02, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037400000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LI WANG INSURANCE AGENCY, 2390 20TH AVE #210, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LI WANG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/01/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/28/16.

JAN 12, 19, 26, FEB 02, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037397700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ADS M NETWORK, 948 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MUKESH BUDGUJAR. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/23/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/23/16.

JAN 12, 19, 26, FEB 02, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037384800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MERCHANT ROOTS, 1365 FILLMORE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed RYAN SHELTON. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/21/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/13/16.

JAN 12, 19, 26, FEB 02, 2017

January 26 - February 1, 2017 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 13

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037384100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SHIATSU POINT, 195 COMMONWEALTH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SOO JUNG KIM. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/13/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/13/16.

JAN 12, 19, 26, FEB 02, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037412100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FLAIR TRAVEL, 673 BRANNAN ST UNIT 503, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DAVID MICHAEL PETLIN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/03/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/05/17.

JAN 12, 19, 26, FEB 02, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037411500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FLORA JAPONICA, 542 MUNICH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed RACHEL JOHNSON. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/17.

The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/05/17.

JAN 12, 19, 26, FEB 02, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037411900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LUCKY CAB, 120 WILLOW ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed S AND S TECHNOLOGY SVCS INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/05/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/05/17.

JAN 12, 19, 26, FEB 02, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037410400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BAY AREA CANINE CLUB, 230 TRUMBULL ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed CA DOGWALKING, INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/04/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/04/17.

JAN 12, 19, 26, FEB 02, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037415600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PARK GYROS FOOD TRUCK, 2831 CESAR CHAVEZ, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed HEVAL INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/09/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/09/17.

JAN 12, 19, 26, FEB 02, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037411700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TARA INDIAN CUISINE, 2217 MARKET ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed OM BROTHERS RESTAURANT INC, (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/04/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/05/17.

JAN 12, 19, 26, FEB 02, 2017 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-036764100 The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: TARA INDIAN CUISINE, 2217 MARKET ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business was conducted by a corporation and signed

by SANDER BROTHERS ENTERPRISE (CA). The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/04/17.

JAN 12, 19, 26, FEB 02, 2017 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-17-552682

In the matter of the application of: ISABELA DIAS DE MELLO SÁ GLAISTER, 1226 CHURCH ST #3, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner ISABELA DIAS DE MELLO SÁ GLAISTER, is requesting that the name ISABELA DIAS DE MELLO SÁ GLAISTER, be changed to ISABELA SÁ GLAISTER. 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 9th of March 2017 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JAN 19, 26, FEB 02, 09, 2017 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-17-552683

In the matter of the application of: CHRISTOPHER DIAS DE MELLO SÁ GLAISTER, 1226 CHURCH ST #3, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner CHRISTOPHER DIAS DE MELLO SÁ GLAISTER, is requesting that the name CHRISTOPHER DIAS DE MELLO SÁ GLAISTER, be changed to CHRISTOPHER SÁ GLAISTER. 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 9th of March 2017 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JAN 19, 26, FEB 02, 09, 2017

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-17-552702

In the matter of the application of: MNATSAKAN KOUYOUMDJIAN, 1266 33RD AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner MNATSAKAN KOUYOUMDJIAN, is requesting that the name MNATSAKAN KOUYOUMDJIAN, be changed to MICHAEL MNATSAKAN KOUYOUMDJIAN. 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 16th of March 2017 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JAN 19, 26, FEB 02, 09, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037426100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TATO, 4608 3RD STREET, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed KRISTIN HOUK. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/17/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/17/17.

JAN 19, 26, FEB 02, 09, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037423300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BINGO TRAVEL, 2407 41ST AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JOPHIE YIN NO LEUNG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/13/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/13/17.

JAN 19, 26, FEB 02, 09, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037422800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NOMAD MUSIC; NOMAD DRUM STUDIOS; NOMADS DRUM SHOP, 6743 CALIFORNIA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DAMON HOPE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/09/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/13/17.

JAN 19, 26, FEB 02, 09, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037419700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HESHIES, 550 LAKE ST #201, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed TYLER HESCHONG. 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 01/11/17.

JAN 19, 26, FEB 02, 09, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037417800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FANTASYLAND BY THE PARK, 1623 IRVING ST #1, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed KRISTINE PETROSYAN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/10/17.

JAN 19, 26, FEB 02, 09, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037418000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LITTLE KIDS PARADISE, 266 21ST AVE #101, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed TATIANA SERGUNINA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/10/17.

JAN 19, 26, FEB 02, 09, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037415300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MOLAR DENTAL STUDIO, 390 LAUREL ST #305, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JOSEPHINE CHEN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/03/17.

The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/09/17.

JAN 19, 26, FEB 02, 09, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037402200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GLAMA-RAMA! SALON, 304 VALENCIA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed KATHRYN A. MCKEE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/29/16 The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/29/16.

JAN 19, 26, FEB 02, 09, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037422100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FLORE, 2298 MARKET ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed FOCUS 415 CAPITOL INVESTMENT GROUP, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/12/17.

JAN 19, 26, FEB 02, 09, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037423500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CORTERIX, 1 SANSOME ST #3500, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94104. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed BMM SOFT, INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/15/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/13/17.

JAN 19, 26, FEB 02, 09, 2017

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037406800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LABOR ENFORCEMENT CONSULTING, 15 GALILEE LANE #5, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115.

This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JOSHUA PASTREICH. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/30/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/30/16.

JAN 12, 19, 26, FEB 02, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037419400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LONE STAR SALOON, 1354 HARRISON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed BEAR TRAP LSSF INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/11/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/11/17.

JAN 19, 26, FEB 02, 09, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037398800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: AGESONG UNIVERSITY, 350 UNIVERSITY ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed AGESONG LIVING, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/15/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/27/16.

JAN 19, 26, FEB 02, 09, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037421200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GLENA’S, 632 20TH STREET, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed A STREET 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 01/12/17.

JAN 19, 26, FEB 02, 09, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037420800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TREEFORT CRAFT DISTILLERY, 849 AVENUE D, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94130. This business is conducted by a limited, liability company and is signed TREEHOUSE CRAFT DISTILLERY, 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 01/11/17.

JAN 19, 26, FEB 02, 09, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037411000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HILTON SAN FRANCISCO UNION SQUARE; HERB N KITCHEN; URBAN TAVERN; CITYSCAPE RESTAURANT, 333 O’FARRELL ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed SAN FRANCISCO LESSEE, LLC (DE). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/03/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/04/17.

JAN 19, 26, FEB 02, 09, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037428200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PINK ONION, 64 14TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed PINK ONION 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 01/17/17.

JAN 19, 26, FEB 02, 09, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037419500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ANINA, 482 A HAYES ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed BURGERS 355 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 01/11/17.

JAN 19, 26, FEB 02, 09, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037425800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CASTRO SLIDERS, 449 CASTRO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed CASTRO PIZZA LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/19/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/17/17.

JAN 19, 26, FEB 02, 09, 2017 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-034017900

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: LITTLE KIDS PARADISE, 266 21ST AVE #101, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business was conducted by an individual and signed by KRISTINE PETROSYAN. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/21/11.

JAN 19, 26, FEB 02, 09, 2017 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-034252000

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: FANTASYLAND BY THE PARK, 1623 IRVING ST #1, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business was conducted by an individual and signed by TATEVIK POGHOSYAN. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/05/12.

JAN 19, 26, FEB 02, 09, 2017

t

14 • BAY AREA REPORTER • January 26 - February 2, 2017

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Legal Notices>> ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-17-552721

In the matter of the application of: LINDSAY RENEE BERGMANN, 1233 ARGUELLO BLVD #9, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner LINDSAY RENEE BERGMANN, is requesting that the name LINDSAY RENEE BERGMANN, be changed to LINZI RENEE BERRY. 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 23rd of March 2017 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JAN 26, FEB 02, 09, 16, 2017 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-17-552694

In the matter of the application of: ABDOLHANNAN PARVIZIAN, 2434 UNION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner ABDOLHANNAN PARVIZIAN, is requesting that the name ABDOLHANNAN PARVIZIAN, be changed to HANNAN PARVIZIAN. 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 14th of March 2017 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JAN 26, FEB 02, 09, 16, 2017 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-17-552715

In the matter of the application of: SEUNG HYUK YI/JI HOO YI, 1390 MARKET ST #1428, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner SEUNG HYUK YI, are requesting that the name LIAM (KUN-HEE0) YI be changed to LIAM (CHEON) YI. 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 21st of March 2017 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JAN 26, FEB 02, 09, 16, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037439900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: EMIKO OYOGA, 940 NATOMA ST #2, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed EMIKO M. OYE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/11/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/24/17.

JAN 26, FEB 02, 09, 16, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037428400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HAI FENG TRADITION CHINESE MED; HAI FENG CHINESE HERBAL, 1818 NORIEGA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed RU HAI LIANG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/09/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/17/17.

JAN 26, FEB 02, 09, 16, 2017

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FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037430500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: KA DIAMONDS, 100 SUMMIT WAY, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94132. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed BARSEKH KARAGEUZIAN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/18/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/18/17.

JAN 26, FEB 02, 09, 16, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037433200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CHARLES H. STINSON STUDIO; STARCHAND PRESS, 1890 BRYANT ST #300, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed CHARLES H. STINSON. 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 01/19/17.

JAN 26, FEB 02, 09, 16, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037427900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: EVOLUTION, 3186 16TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed FOTOON AND SAHEEN INC, (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/15/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/17/17.

JAN 26, FEB 02, 09, 16, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037431500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LUSCIOUS GARAGE, 475 9TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed LUSCIOUS GARAGE, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/24/07. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/19/17.

JAN 26, FEB 02, 09, 16, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037432900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BAY CONNECTIONS, 530 HOWARD ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed GRAYSON CARTER, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/02/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/19/17.

JAN 26, FEB 02, 09, 16, 2017 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-037332400

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: CALIFORNIA MOVERS LOCAL AND LONG DISTANCE INC, 1888 GENEVA AVE #504B, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business was conducted by a corporation and signed

by CALIFORNIA MOVERS LOCAL AND LONG DISTANCE INC. (CA). The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/03/16.

JAN 26, FEB 02, 09, 16, 2017 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-037332500

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: SIMPLE MOVE SF, 1888 GENEVA AVE #504B, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business was conducted by a corporation and signed by SIMPLE MOVE INC (CA). The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/03/16.

JAN 26, FEB 02, 09, 16, 2017

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Out &About

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Online Only

Vol. 47 • No. 4 • January 26-February 1, 2017

www.ebar.com/arts

Putting the Fun in Funeral Home

by Richard Dodds

Joan Marcus

W

hen Fun Home won the Tony Award in 2015 for best musical, it added an unlikely exclamation point to a seven-year journey of writing, workshops, readings, and rewrites before more writing, workshops, readings, and rewrites that finally led to Broadway. If the road there sometimes seemed endless, the start-and-stop process turned out to be a gift to its creators.

See page 23 >>

Young Alison (Alessandra Baldacchino) has a rare moment of play with her difficult father (Robert Petkoff) in the tour of Fun Home now at the Curran Theatre.

Moving with grace & ease

by Paul Parish

S

Erik Tomasson

an Francisco Ballet took possession of the entire Civic Center last Thursday for a Gala opening night that ran from dinner until well past Midnight, and tout le monde was there. The entire evening was sold out, all the dinners, the show at the Opera House, and the ball afterwards.

The last dance came around 1 a.m. It was a glorious evening; in fact, it felt kind of like a blow-out, since there was nobody there who didn’t know that tomorrow would come, the Inauguration of a new President whom our town despises. After seeing the wonderful dancing – on stage, and from the crowd of dancers tearing it up on the dance floor in City Hall after the show – it was hard not to be appalled by the following day’s staggeringly graceless “First Dance” for the First Couple at their inaugural ball.

See page 24 >>

San Francisco Ballet dancers in Benjamin Millepied’s “The Chairman Dances.”

{ SECOND OF THREE SECTIONS }

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<< Theatre

16 • BAY AREA REPORTER • January 26-February 1, 2017 2pub-BBB_BAR_Jan2017.pdf

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12/7/16

10:09 AM

When Lenny met Barrie

by Roberto Friedman

T

he opening of Finding Neverland at the Orpheum Theatre (reviewed in this issue) reminds us that Peter Pan, the immortal play by Sir J.M. Barrie, has been the basis of oh so many productions. Disney, Comden and Green, Jule Styne, Mary Martin, even Johnny Depp have all taken their crack at it. So did composer Leonard Bernstein, who wrote music and lyrics for a musical Peter Pan that opened on Broadway in 1950 with Jean Arthur and Boris Karloff as Wendy and Captain Hook. It was soon eclipsed by the Styne version that went on to attain classic status, and then by the Disneyfied Pan. Today it’s hardly remembered.

But in 2005 the score, restored and conducted by Alexander Frey, with Broadway singers Linda Eder and Daniel Narducci as Wendy and Captain Hook, was committed to disc (Koch International

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Classics), so Out earth!/We are eviler There has the obscure far than the tenors musical treasure in are./It is true that hand. There are only the basses have eviler a few songs (none for faces, but we are more Peter, nor for John or evil inside.”

Michael), and some “Build My House” incidental music, but foreshadows “Make Bernstein aficionados Our Garden Grow” will find it worth a from Bernstein’s listen.

Candide. “Captain “Who Am I?” is a Hook’s Soliloquy” lullaby Wendy sings is a ballsy brag that to the children as they points to the Sharks drift off to sleep. “Oh and Jets soon to come who on earth am I?/ Composer/conductor in West Side Story.

Did I ever live as a Leonard Bernstein took Most of the rest of mountain lion or on Peter Pan. the score consists as a fly?/My of ambient pieces, friends only think of entrance music and orchestrations, fun,/They’re all such but even this is of interest, such as incurable tots./Can I Tinkerbell’s signature tune, or the be the only one/Who “Shadow Dance,” in which “Wendy thinks these mysterious sews Peter’s shadow on him. He thoughts?” dances for joy.”

In the “Pirate Song” OK, West Side Story this is not.

Bernstein has some fun It’s not On the Town or Wonderwith his professional ful Town, either. But in the realm colleagues when his piof Bernstein curiosities, the music rates pride themselves as and lyrics to Peter Pan are a timeless being “the evilest creatures in all the treat.t

Monetizing Peter

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by Richard Dodds

T

he abjectly pleasant musical Finding Neverland is the latest attempt to pan for gold in J.M. Barrie’s tale of the boy who wouldn’t grow up. Just about everything about it can slip into one pre-fabricated mold or another, as theatrical surprises are eschewed and conventionality is held tight to its bosom. Still, it’s smart enough to push enough of the right buttons to soothe a smile from audiences.

The touring edition now at the Orpheum Theatre has been spun off from the recent Broadway production that closed last year. Despite tepid reviews and not a single Tony nomination, the show managed a respectable 565 performances.

It didn’t recoup all the investors’ money, but producer Harvey Weinstein has promised them that the current tour, a planned London production, and a possible movie version will eventually generate a profit. “Finding Neverland is now a brand,” he said. “It becomes about

JAN 20— FEB 26, 2017 WEST COAST PREMIERE

BY MICHAEL MCKEEVER DIRECTED BY ALLEN SAWYER

“Beautifully crafted and powerfully realized” MIAMI HERALD

“Impressive and important” THE BUFFALO NEWS

porary readings of the word? monetizing the brand.”

Gary Barlow and Eliot Kennedy’s In that statement, you may deduce songs are seldom less than pleasing some of what ails Finding Neverland. to the ear, while never stimulating it Weinstein produced the 2004 movie with more than Finding Neverp o p - Vi c t o r i a n land that starred good-cheer numJohnny Depp as bers and power Peter Pan creator ballads of little J.M. Barrie. With distinction.

If that promising you find yourself brand in hand, he needing more set out to have the stimulation, you movie turned into might try the a musical. It was little quiz I began launched in the playing, guessing UK in 2012, soon at the upcomafter which all ing rhyme from the creators were the preceding dismissed and rekeyword. Their placed with a new predictability can team that did get easily earn you the title to BroadCarol Rosegg points. way in what was Directed by the possibly a more Peter Pan creator J.M. Barrie commercial form. (Kevin Kern ) has an imaginary estimable Diane Paulus, whose Both the movie confrontation with his creation and the musical Capt. Hook (Tom Hewitt) in the revivals of Pipthemselves derive musical Finding Neverland now pin, Hair, and Porgy and Bess from Allan Knee’s at the Orpheum Theatre. were revelatory, 1998 play The Man the production Who Was Peter is low on imagination. The cast is Pan, which recounted how Barrie, a competent crew, with Kevin Kern already a successful playwright in a friendly, boisterous presence as London, befriended four boys and Barrie, Tom Hewitt doing what is their widowed mother as he pulled needed as the sputtering theatrithem into his elaborate storytelling cal producer (and occasional Capt. of derring-do adventures. Barrie used Hook), and Christine Dwyer sweetthese stories as inspiration for Peter ly frail (and sometimes in the high Pan, named for one of the Llewelyn notes of her songs as well) as Sylvia Davies boys, and it opened in London Llewelyn Davies. in 1904, creating the brand that has In Finding Neverland, the names been monetized in just about every are all true; only the events have decade since. been changed to protect the inJames Graham’s libretto is a purnocent. If you want to know what posefully candy-floss retelling, with happened to the actual Peter LleweBarrie’s la-di-da wife’s infidelity lyn Davies, please Google now. Or with a silly fop played for laughs, better yet, don’t. There is something as is the flamboyant horror of the to be said for taking in as much fairy original acting company’s toward dust while you still can.t Barrie’s new play. A discreet telltale cough into a lace handkerchief early in the play does signal the eventual Finding Neverland will run discreet departure of Mrs. Llewelyn through Feb. 12 at the Orpheum Theatre. Tickets are $55-$275.

Davies in a swirl of fairy dust. And Call (888) 746-1799 or go to speaking of fairies, do we really need shnsf.com. a har-har joke playing off contem-

On the web

BUY TICKETS AT NCTCSF.ORG BOX OFFICE: 415.861.8972 25 VAN NESS AVE AT MARKET ST

This week, find Out & About and the Lavender Tube column, “The Reality-TV Presidency begins,” online at www.ebar.com.

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Books>>

January 26-February 1, 2017 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 17

Darkly magical

by Jim Piechota

Lily by Michael Thomas Ford; Lethe Press, $15

M

eet Lily, acclaimed author Michael Thomas Ford’s latest literary creation, a young girl who has the bittersweet ability to see how anyone she touches will perish. It’s a brooding premise, but one that’s constructed and controlled masterfully in the hands of an inventive, talented writer.

Lily’s uncanny talent makes her scream horrifically on the morning of her 13th birthday when, in the opening pages, she kisses her father hello and has a vision of his death at the end of that very same day. Desperate for answers, Lily scurries off into the woods to the cottage of Baba Yaga, a cackling, child-devouring Hansel-andGretel-witch-like character with jagged fingernails and broken teeth. But she doesn’t stay there long, and runs back home to learn of her father’s fatal drowning.

Once she manages to digest the terror of this new “curse” and the realization that its origins directly correlate to her burgeoning womanhood, Lily becomes obsessed with suppressing it, not only from within herself, but also within the confines of the tiny fishing village where she lives. Desperate for a new start, her mother sweeps her away, across the rickety bridge connecting their village to the rest of the big, bright world they’ve never experienced.

From this point, Ford’s fantastical journey blooms into an immersive road trip of grandiose proportions during which Lily confronts religious “miracle worker” Reverend Silas Everyman and his night-traveling evangelical circus, The Holy Gospel Caravan.

When faced with the blind faith expected of them and wagonloads of empty promises, several characters impart the kind of wisdom that may come from the personal opinions of the author himself.

When a pious woman sings out that Jesus is her king, Baba Yaga opines, “There’s nothing so very special about a king.” She retorts,

“They die like any other man. Usually worse, because somehow they don’t think it will ever happen to them. That’s the fault of their mothers.”

As the eccentric circus characters stomp in, filling out the novel with their colorful antics, curious backstories, and the hope of “salvation” at the Reverend’s hand, Lily remains unconvinced, though she is desperate for him to erase the curse from deep inside her. Readers will soon become entranced by this dark, fanciful world as Lily navigates “the tangle of tents” where all manner of deceit, hope, disillusionment and wonder awaits just beyond the folds. When she meets a caged girl named Star, the heavens may have finally opened in Lily’s favor.

Indonesian graphic artist Staven Anderson’s evocative, bizarre, gothic illustrations accompany Ford’s narrative with the perfect combination of moodiness and impeccably detailed creative expression. Ford’s talent for character description is amazingly kaleidoscopic; readers will be able to visualize Baba Yaga’s witchy appearance even without the drawings. “Her nose strived mightily to reach her chin, and crooked first to one side and then the other. The chin it came near to meeting was itself gloriously warted; her teeth were arranged like mossy stumps in a clearing.” Come for the fantasy fairy tale, stay for the incredible characterization.

More than 20 years in the making, this rich, inventive, mystical fairy tale incorporates themes of adolescent confusion, self-discovery, puberty, and, perhaps most heavily, religious overlording, since Ford’s own childhood was very much defined by Christianity.

With this thrilling new adventure, Ford plumbs the bleak, grim, formidable roots and rinds of childhood allegories, and emerges with the kind of brilliant wizardry fans of fantasy fiction will devour in a single sitting.

A follow-up to Lily is forthcoming, and though it doesn’t involve the same characters, it involves a boy and a mermaid. We can’t wait.t

We are the future of the LGBT community.

“The world still has its challenges but things are getting better. From the way we first met on line to marriage equality to our daughter’s upcoming Quinceañera our life together is more fulfilling every day. We keep up with events and entertainment on EDGE, because that’s where we see our future at its brightest.”

The people depicted here are models. Their image is being used for illustrative purposes only.

<< Film

18 • BAY AREA REPORTER • January 26-February 1, 2017

Noir City film fest concludes

by Tavo Amador

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he portrayals of dark and scary times on screen move beyond the classic era to more recent choice examples from Eddie Muller as his annual Noir City film festival concludes at the Castro Theatre.

The Taking of Pelham 123 (1974) is about a New York Woody Allen never evoked. Robert Shaw, Martin Balsam, Hector Elizondo, and Earl Hindman hijack a subway car and threaten to kill the passengers and the conductor unless a milliondollar ransom is paid in one hour.

Walter Matthau and Jerry Stiller (long before Seinfeld and The King of Queens) are the unlikely cops assigned to foil the kidnappers. Even if the money is paid, how do the hoods expect to escape? Suspenseful direction by John Sargent. Fine performances, especially from Shaw, who personifies the urban lunatic no sane person wants to encounter.

Peter Stone adapted John Godey’s bestseller. Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974) are Clint Eastwood and Jeff Bridges as a veteran heist man and his young protégé. Eastwood’s old pals, including fierce George Kennedy and Gary Busey, haven’t gotten their share of the previous heist, and they want it. Written and directed by Michael Cimino, before The Deer Hunter and Heaven’s Gate. (1/26) The problems of Blue Collar (1978) workers have been much in the news of late, but they’re not new. Richard Pryor, Harvey

Kietel, and Yaphet Kotto play alienated Detroit automobile workers who decide to rob their union by breaking into the office safe. Things don’t go as planned. This is Pryor’s best movie performance.

The rest of the cast, including Ed Begley, Jr., is excellent. Paul Schrader’s directorial debut. He coauthored the screenplay with Leonard Schrader.

In 1978’s Straight Time, Dustin Hoffman learns that it’s tough to re-enter society after a spell in jail, no matter how wellintentioned the ex-con is. With Theresa Russell, Gary Busey, and Harry Dean Stanton. Screenplay by Edward Bunker, Alvin Sargent, and Jeffrey Boam, from Bunker’s novel, written while he was in prison. Directed by Ulu Grosbard, although Hoffman (uncredited) helmed much of the film.

(1/27) Walter Matthau is shrewd, logical Charley Varrick (1973), a crook who knows what to expect. When he robs a small New Mexico bank and winds up with much more cash than he anticipated, he knows he’s in for a rough time, and not just from the law. His partner and the mob are also after him. With Joe Don Baker, Felicia Farr, and Sheree North. Di-

rected by Don Siegel. Screenplay by Howard Rodman and Dean Riesner, from a novel by John Reese. The Brinks Job (1978) is based on 1950’s “Crime of the Century.” Two million dollars was stolen in Boston, and the robbery remained unsolved for years.

William Friedkin grippingly directed this version of what happened. With Peter Falk, Peter Boyle, Gena Rowlands, Paul Sorvino, Warren Oates, and 1940s tough turned television producer Sheldon Leonard as J. Edgar Hoover. Written by Walon Green, based on Noel Behn’s book. (1/28)

In Sexy Beast (2000), Ray Winstone, Amanda Redman (playing a former stripper named Deedee Dove), Ian McShane, and James Fox have retired in sunny Spain, leaving their lives of crime behind them.

Well, almost. A terrifying Ben Kingsley shows up and compels them to commit one more heist, a major one.

Kingsley is amazing. Directed by Jonathan Glazer, from a screenplay

by Louis Mellis and David Scinto.

Ricardo Darin possesses The Aura (El Aura) (2005), which is not necessarily a good thing. He’s a taxidermist

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who dreams of committing the perfect crime. While hunting, he accidentally kills a friend, then discovers a plot for a bank heist. He now decides to live his dream. It turns out to be a nightmare. Set in Buenos Aires.

Directed by Fabian Bielinsky, who authored the script with Pablo De Santis. In Spanish, with English subtitles. (1/28) Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (2007) was the last film directed by the great Sidney Lumet. It’s an intense study of a dysfunctional family in the guise of a superb noir.

Philip Seymour Hoffman bullies his hapless younger brother, Ethan Hawke, into robbing their parents’ jewelry store.

Nothing goes as expected, and the consequences are emotionally harrowing. With Albert Finney and Marisa Tomei.

Brilliant performances by the memorable cast. Written by Kelly Masterson. Laila Costa is Victoria (2015), a lovely young Spanish woman newly arrived in Berlin. She meets a local guy, and what starts out as an innocent flirtation turns into a horrifying heist orchestrated by a gruesome gangster. Filmed in one long take on location using a digital camera, which brings an immediacy to the terrifying action.

Directed by Sebastian Schipper, who co-wrote the script with Olivia Neergaard-Holm, and Eike Frederik Schulz. (1/29)t

Modern French gay love story

by Jason Victor Serinus

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ow many truly sweet cinematic love stories have you seen that begin with a graphic, almost 20-minute grope-and-pump in a Parisian sex club? Such is the case with Paris 05:59 - Théo & Hugo, a remarkable French movie (with English subtitles), written and directed by the real-life couple of Olivier Ducastel and Jacques Martineau, that begins with a lust-filled, “harder, harder” encounter between two young gay men at 4:27 a.m., and concludes with a hope-filled handin-hand at 5:59 a.m.

This extraordinary film, which won the Audience Award at the LGBT Teddy Award component of the 66th Berlin International Film Festival, as well as awards in Boston and Puerto Vallarta, was originally issued under the French title Théo et Hugo dans le même bateau (Theo and Hugo in the Same Boat). The reference is

among intimate gay men in the Age of AIDS. That the two men seem to transcend those realities, more or less, in the most touching way, becomes a poignant affirmation of the power of love.

Spoiling the film by sharing in advance what unfolds in real time in the span of 1:32, is not what anyone intent on seeing Paris 05:59 - Théo & Hugo would want. Better then to focus on some of its most remarkable aspects.

Wolfe Releasing First and foremost are the two actors who bring Geoffrey Couët and François Nambot in the film to life, Geoffrey Paris 05:59 - Théo & Hugo.

Couët (the curly-haired, sweet faced Théo), who to an unwelcome commonality was 26 the year the film that the men discover shortly after was shot, and François Nambot leaving the club. The dynamic that (the 5 o’clock-shadowed, utterly follows is not only believable, but romantic Hugo), who is 11 years reflective of oft-harsh realities older. Thanks to their compelling

chemistry, both men received the best acting prize at the Cabourg Film Festival in June 2016. Equally thin and attractive, and adorable in their own ways, they are part of a larger cast where virtually everyone speaks frankly, with uncommon honesty.

Paris 05:59 was filmed mainly at night, over the course of 15 days.

The orgy takes place in a genuine sex club, the hot and cramped L’Impact, in the Les Halles neighborhood of Paris. The soundtrack is authentically electronic, driving, and impersonal, punctuated only by words and grunts.

Once outside, we follow Théo and Hugo through an unpredictable, early-morning courtship where love and fear dance hand-in-hand.

Streets that are normally deserted only during a film shoot where producers have permission to control traffic are here virtually empty due to the hour. Lighting is natural, and street noises uncensored. As we

move closer to the film’s conclusion, the streets get noisier, and the interactions between the two men more intense.

Seemingly uncensored, albeit precisely choreographed, is the sex scene, whose paradoxical intimacy amidst anonymity is breathtaking.

Not choreographed is a hospital scene in which an intern, played by real-life doctor Claire Deschamps, performs a totally unrehearsed intake to which the two men respond spontaneously. The tension of the encounter is all the more poignant because it is as real as two actors can possibly get.

I never thought a long bike ride through dimly lit streets could be so involving. Nor did I expect that seeing two young men run through the streets with abandon could be so delightful and life-affirming. Grointickling, poignant, sobering, and heart-warming, Paris 05:59 - Théo & Hugo is a joy. (Opens Friday at the Roxie.)t

Shipwrecked

by David Lamble

I

n Michael Dudok de Wit’s daring full-length animated feature The Red Turtle, a Robinson Crusoetype character engages in a titanic struggle with a giant sea turtle before giving in to the creature’s demands that he surrender himself to the universal fate of mating with the opposite sex and giving birth to a male heir. If this sounds like it was snatched from the Donald Trump playbook, rest assured that this Japanese animation has a far more humane agenda.

The story is simple, fable-like in its approach, and should resonate with film buffs anxious for an oldfashioned cinema experience. Even the running time coincides with the time-honored Disney Studio playbook that animated features should

last about the length of an average person’s dream/REM cycle.

Growing up during the last two decades of the life and career of the actual Walt Disney, I’ve always had a bias for fully-executed animation, the kind that requires a small army of animators. Or if the film is to be executed in an “experimental” style, I prefer that it stick to the seven-minute running time of the great post-WWII cartoons from Disney, Warner Bros., MGM and some of the enterprising indie studios. The Red Turtle breaks with this rulebook, and I have to admit that it works for me. The film puts its hero in the kind of peril audiences have always loved: a character battles against an unknown, godlike power; the protagonist is in extreme danger, of drowning, falling from a great height, and finally, of

falling in love with an elusive object of desire. Another ace up the creators’ sleeves is the absence of dialogue, allowing us to fully give into the subtle earth tones that represent our unnamed hero’s world.

Written by Dutch-British animator Dudok de Wit with Pascale Ferran, The Red Turtle has a haunting music track created by Laurent Perez del Mar. It will feel truly arrived on my list when it debuts on the Castro Theatre’s repertory calendar, where it should be paired with an entry from the classic Disney era, from the mid-1930s Snow White to the mid-60s, when Uncle Walt left us wanting so much more. (Opens Friday at the AMC Metreon.)t

Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

Scene from The Red Turtle (Studio Ghibli)

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1/12/17 4:07 PM

20 • BAY AREA REPORTER • January 26-February 1, 2017

<< Music

Gold Rush comes to San Francisco Opera

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by Philip Campbell

2018, including the summer session he San Francisco Opera andevoted entirely nounced the 2017-18 Season to three complete last week at the Diane B. Wilsey Wagner Ring cycles, Center for Opera in an info-packed Shilvock joined press conference that morphed into his panel of guests, an illuminating panel discussion on directors Francesca the power of music and its relevance Zambello and Selto today’s busy, short-attentionlars and composer span society.

Adams, for an abThe occasion was streamed live for sorbing discussion the first time, and is still available for of modern attitudes viewing on YouTube. It can be recto opera staging. ommended mostly for the wise and The positive inquietly inspirational words of comfluence of diverse poser John Adams and director Peter and younger perSellars, but also as an example of just formers and audihow a peaceful transition of power ences on an aging should really look. SFO General Dibut fabulous tradirector Matthew Shilvock graciously tion was stressed by cited everyone responsible for the directors Zambello new season, his second since taking and Sellars and the multifaceted post and the last to international star be planned by retired powerhouse composer and local impresario David Gockley. It will hero John Adams, also be the last season Nicola Luisotti who turns 70 this stays as Company music director. year. The legendary, The gala 95th season-opener feadecades-long parttures Luisotti conducting the colornership of Sellars ful David Hockney production of and Adams contin- A scene from Die Walküre, the second opera in Wagner’s Ring cycle.

Puccini’s Turandot. The San Franues during Adams’ cisco Opera Guild Opera Ball 2017 big birthday year rected by Sellars, who also wrote the conducted by Donald Runnicles, is also being presented in his honor. with the world premiere of Girls of libretto. Grant Gershon conducts a that will offer three chances to enjoy After announcing casting and the Golden West, starting on Nov. 21 cast that includes Julia Bullock, Daand ponder the director’s excepproduction details of the wide range and ending on Dec. 10. vone Tines, J’nai Bridges, Paul Aptionally persuasive parallels between of operas on the menu that starts Set during the California Gold pleby, Hye Jung Lee, Ryan McKinny, the gods of Valhalla and the captains Sept. 8, 2017, and ends in early July Rush, the production will be diElliot Madore and San Francisco of 20th-century American industry.

Ballet principal dancer Lorena FeiThe panel remarked on the joo as mid-19th-century superstar willingness of modern listeners to Lola Montez. commit to Wagner’s enormously The Gold Rush was an “overlong tetralogy (tickets are already whelmingly male-dominated on sale and moving right along) event,” according to the authors and when they ordinarily subsist on historical statistics. It is especially shorter downloads. The appeal of intriguing to learn that their new mythic epics like Tolkein’s Ring operatic take will focus not only on novels and cable’s Game of Thrones the women, but also on the cruelty, probably helps. heroism and sheer environmental Whatever brings new listeners to impact of the 49ers. Sellars has opera, Sellars beautifully articulated assembled a text that uses period the importance of preserving the sources, from Louise Amelia Knapp grand tradition. Avoiding clichés like Smith Clappe (or “Dame Shirley”) “It takes a village,” he still emphasized to Frederick Douglass, Mark Twain, spiritual ties among the vast family of old songs of the day, and poetry creators, performers and audiences written by racially diverse miners. who understand the transcendent It sounds like a not-to-be-missed value of the art-form itself. saga from a recognized dream team, Other highlights of the 2017-18 politically and historically correct in Season include new productions Scott Wall the best sense. of Richard Strauss’ Elektra with Girls of the Golden West composer John Adams and director Peter But wait, there’s more, as the Christine Goerke and Stephanie Sellars at the San Francisco Opera 2017-18 season announcement summer brings Francesca ZamBlythe. Mezzo-soprano Blythe’s press conference. bello’s acclaimed “American” Ring SFO performance as Mrs. Lovett in cycle back for a freshly-tweaked run, Sweeney Todd showed a darker side

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Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera

to her character; she’s a natural for this horrific drama.

Massenet’s Manon will pair soprano Nadine Sierra and tenor Michael Fabiano as the ill-starred lovers, and they should certainly steam up the windows. The new production returns the often-overlooked composer to the stage of the War Memorial Opera House, and fans of French opera and sensuous lyricism in general should be justifiably enthused.

The revival of Turandot will feature alternate casting in the title role. Sopranos Martina Serafin and Nina Stemme portray the icy princess who would rather say no.

It is a tough choice, but Stemme is definitely a fascinating contender based on her notably impressive SFO track record.

Verdi’s tuneful and dramatic La Traviata is always a great introduction to opera, and the revival of John Copley’s handsomely traditional production will feature three artists making their Company debuts in central roles. Maestro Luisotti will rule from the pit, and his loving detail in Italian repertoire is irresistibly seductive.t

AIDS benefit bends genders

by David-Elijah Nahmod

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ueer Eye for the Straight Guy’s Jai Rodriguez and queer funny man Bruce Vilanch will be joining the touring company of the musical Finding Neverland for Broadway Backwards: An Evening of Musical Role Reversals. Jazz singer Kim Nalley is also on board for the show, which is a production of the Richmond/Ermet Aid Foundation.

Broadway Backwards will take place at the Brava Theater on Mon., Jan. 30 at 7:30 p.m.

“The minute anyone asks me to do an AIDS fundraiser, I do it,” Rodriguez, who has starred on Broadway in Rent, told the B.A.R. “Health care is up in the air now. We’re in a time when we need to start supporting AIDS organizations. These organizations are helping people.”

AIDS is an issue that resonates personally with Rodriguez. “When I was 16, my aunt and cousin were diagnosed with HIV,” he said. “AIDS drugs were still experimental then – we lost them both.”

Rodriguez said it was his late aunt who first introduced him to the arts.

age for himself, working as a freelance entertainer as he does. “The very people who voted for Trump will be hurt the most,” he said.

In addition to performing at AIDS fundraisers, Rodriguez said, he intends to give his “fancy coffee money” to organizations like Richmond Ermet, which stages theatrical fundraisers throughout the year in order to raise funds for a variety of AIDS service charities. Broadway Backwards will benefit Broadway Cares: Equity Fights AIDS, a nonprofit that provides support services for people in the theater industry affected

by HIV. Courtesy REAF Rodriguez promises that Queer Eye for the Straight Guy’s Jai Rodriguez will appear in Broadway Broadway Backwards will Backwards: An Evening of Musical Role Reversals. offer a lot of fun, laughs and good music for its audience.

He added that playing Angel, Rent’s singer. “People who have their own “We’ll be singing songs we’d HIV-positive drag queen, meant a health care provided to them don’t normally never be able to perform great deal to him. realize how daunting it can be to get because it’s associated with the opEquality in health care remains coverage,” he said, noting that he posite gender,” he said. “Or it’s a an important issue to the actor/ had difficulty getting health coversong that’s out of type for us.”

He didn’t want to say anything more about what he’d be doing in the show because he wants the audience to be surprised, but he assured the B.A.R. that it would be the last song anyone would expect him to sing. He has no doubts that the audience will be amused. “It’s a well-known song from a wellknown musical,” he said. “It’s pretty outrageous.”

Rodriguez hopes that his fans will also keep their Queer Eyes on alert for his upcoming television appearances. He recently filmed episodes for season 13 of Grey’s Anatomy, as well as for The Magician, a Syfy Channel series that he describes as being “a lot like Harry Potter.”

Looking to the future, Rodriguez plans to keep working and to continue promoting queer visibility. He said that if he could, he’d give the new president and his cabinet not a physical makeover, but a cultural one. “You need a come-to-Jesus moment” is Rodriguez’ message for Trump.t Broadway Backwards ticket info: www.reaf-sf.org.

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Fine Arts>>

January 26-February 1, 2017 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 21

Diane Arbus in the process of becoming

by Sura Wood

“A

photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you, the less you know.” – Diane Arbus.

Revelations, the groundbreaking 2003 retrospective of the work of Diane Arbus, was a peek inside the avid creative mind of a perceptive, psychologically edgy, observant photographer best known for her portraits of twins, offbeat couples, uptight upper-crust types, circus performers, corpses and eccentric, vulnerable people living on the margins and in the hidden subcultures of New York City that most people took care to avoid. If that show was an insightful overview of a 15-year career tragically cut short by her suicide in 1971 at the age of 48, Diane Arbus: In the Beginning, an exhibition of about 100 photographs at SFMOMA, is a portrait of an artist in the process of becoming. It focuses on her first seven years, from 1956-62, a formative period when Arbus was finding her way, discovering her instincts and learning to trust them. It was also the time when she produced nearly half the photographs she printed during her brief lifetime, and before she turned to a higher-definition square-format Rolleiflex camera in 1962, and left 35mm behind. Even in a digital age exploding with a surplus of dispos-

able supersized photos, her small (6”x9”) black & white pictures can stop you in your tracks.

One of the many joys of the earlier images is their materiality and depth, a product not only of Arbus’ technical ability but of the paper’s high silver content, which has all but disappeared from contemporary photographic printing. One needs to look no further than the rich blacks and chiaroscuro of “Jack Dracula at a bar” (1961). His bare, barrel-chested body covered in over 306 tattoos, he’s a work of art in his own right.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, which owns the Arbus archive, originated the show, but SFMOMA’s recently expanded photography space, from 5,800 to 11,000 square feet, really pays off in a lean, loosely sequential installation whose slowbuilding, underlying intensity is a reflection of an artist gathering momentum.

Arbus was an inveterate New Yorker. The city, with its thin membrane between public and private space, envelops her photographs and her subjects, whom she liked to think found her. She might only shoot one or two frames, but she waited patiently for the right moment when a person met her gaze.

Early on she studied with Berenice Abbott, but it was Lisette Model, herself an intimate portraitist,

Rick Gerharter

Jeff L. Rosenheim, curator from New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, speaks about the exhibit he curated, Diane Arbus: In the Beginning, now at SFMOMA.

who steered Arbus away from the orthodoxy of detachment and non-interference prevalent among street photographers of the day, and encouraged her to develop relationships with her subjects, a practice that, for Arbus, was a mid-20th-century version of following her bliss. Strangers shared their secrets, inviting her into their homes and private worlds, but not all were equally receptive: a dour, middle-aged bus passenger in mink looks positively miffed (1957). The pictures are often murky, shot at dusk, on the streets or in tight, dank quarters like the dingy shower stall at Coney Island where an older lady with sagging breasts is showering (1959). The lighting can be harsh, unflattering and less than optimal, sometimes emanating from an exposed light bulb behind a subject or overhead. “The Backwards Man in his Hotel Room” (1961) stands under one hanging from the ceiling.

Other photographs simply lodge in the brain and disturb, like the airless bedroom display in a department store that has the fake hominess of a funeral parlor (1957); James Dean encased in a wax museum (1959); a seated headless woman in caftan and party pumps (1961); or the clown, engulfed in darkness, wearing a fedora and overcoat (1957).

Arbus was particularly drawn to transformation of self – and of gender. Female impersonators, a subject she returned to again and again, sit backstage at their make-up tables in various stages of evolution: the torso of a blond, possibly transgender woman is obscured by glare bouncing off a dressing-room mirror (1959). These figures in transition are in contrast to the wellturned-out women, primped to within an inch of their lives, whom she photographed, such as the 1956 “Woman in a black hat with a pearl choker,” or the matron wrapped in mink, and another in white gloves clutching a handbag. They’re exhibited near a photo of a shop mannequin in an evening gown (1956), and it’s difficult to tell the difference between flesh-and-blood and figurine. With their somber game-faces on, these women appear stifled, constricted in body language

Courtesy The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York /copyright The Estate of Diane Arbus, LLC

Diane Arbus, “Female impersonator holding long gloves, Hempstead, L.I.” (1959).

and facial expression. They’re also a reminder that the 1950s and early 60s were a stultifying era in which to be female; depressed and trapped, many turned to pills, alcohol or suicide. Given Arbus’ exit, one wonders what she might have been working through at the time.

Hubert’s Museum and Flea Circus, located in a basement on 42nd St., was a frequent haunt where Arbus found live “freak shows” with contortionists, dwarves, sword swallowers, transvestite showgirls and snake dancers. (Tiny Tim is said to have gotten his start there) It’s also where she captured the anguished, careworn face of the wild-eyed Hezekiah Trambles, “The Jungle Creep.” The startling 1960 picture is part of a lineup that speaks to class,

juxtaposing a pudgy girl in a cheesy, ill-fitting circus costume (1960) with a doyenne in white fur and pearls, whispering to her tux-attired companion at an opera gala (1959) Disneyland, of all places, was one of the few excursions Arbus made outside the Tri-State area. The unlikely visit, in 1962, yielded truly weird results: a gloomy vision of Cinderella’s castle and the absurd fantasy stage set “Rocks on Wheels.”

Her attraction to the cinematic is also mirrored in images shot in movie theaters of three different ingénues about to be kissed. There’s excited expectation in those amorous moments on screen, a heightened anticipation not dissimilar to the thrill of witnessing an artist coming into her own. Through April 30.t

bug. He can currently be seen in the movie La La Land. Perhaps the most invigorating album of his career, Darkness and Light (Columbia) celebrates love and family with a socially conscious perspective. Working with

producer Blake Mills, Legend raises his profile via collaborations with Alabama Shakes’ Brittany Howard (the title track), Miguel (“Overload”) and Chance the Rapper (“Penthouse Floor”). t

Soul of winter 2017

by Gregg Shapiro

N

ominated for an Oscar for his song “Happy” from the movie Despicable Me 2, Pharrell Williams returns to the movies with Hidden Figures: The Album (I Am Other/ Columbia). Original modern retro soul songs written and produced

by Williams for Hidden Figures, about African-American women working behind the scenes at NASA in the early 1960s, the disc features performances by Williams, Janelle Monae (who also stars in the movie), Lalah Hathaway, Mary J. Blige, Alicia Keys and Kim Burrell.

In the pantheon of mono-monikered divas, Madonna, Cher and Sade reigned supreme for many years. More recently, Adele and Beyoncé have joined the semi-exclusive club. With her exceptional new disc A Seat at the Table (Columbia), Beyoncé’s kid sister Solange may just have earned entry. Serious and mature, songs “Cranes in the Sky,” “Don’t Wish Me Well,” “Borderline (An Ode to Self Care)” and “Junie” are well on their way to achieving classic status.

Here (RCA) may be the name of Alicia Keys’ new album, but there are times when it’s hard to find her. Keys’ misuse of the gimmick

of interludes is overwhelming. It’s almost as if Keys didn’t trust the songs enough to allow them to stand or fall on their own merits.

That’s a pity, because “Pawn It All,” the Erykah Badu-like “She Don’t Really Care_1 Luv” and “Illusion of Bliss” are decent reminders of the Keys of the past.

Besides making music, Donald Glover also acts. He was cast in an upcoming Star Wars movie, and he can currently be seen in the FX series Atlanta. As a musician, Glover performs under the stage name Childish Gambino and made waves with his first two hip-hop albums, Camp and Because the Internet. On Awaken, My Love!

(Glassnote), he shifts gears and moves in a Sly & The Family Stonemeets-Funkadelic direction, best exemplified by “Have Some Love” and the Prince + Macy Gray math of “Redbone.”

Best Original Song Oscar winner in 2015, John Legend has also been bitten by the acting

<< Books

22 • BAY AREA REPORTER • January 26-February 1, 2017

Wilde family values

by Tim Pfaff

T

he people who can quote an Oscar Wilde witticism, knowingly or not, vastly outnumber those who have read De Profundis, his prison letter to Lord Alfred Douglas, or even know of it. The comet that was Oscar Wilde blazed so brightly that it finally burned itself out, consuming itself in its own heat, to all of our incalculable gain.

The glory of Emer O’Sullivan’s new family biography The Fall of the House of Wilde (Bloomsbury Press) is that at last we see the shiny icon Oscar as part of the constellation Wilde.

O’Sullivan’s wholly absorbing book will not push Richard Ellman’s great reference biography of Wilde off the shelf, but it doesn’t seek to. Nor does it bring Comet Oscar down to earth. But it goes a very great distance in re-humanizing a man already lost to symbol, legend and example. The Wilde O’Sullivan gives us – and she does, gratefully, devote the lion’s share of her study to Oscar – is the son of two brilliant members of the

most progressive wings of mid19th-century Irish cultural life (one of whom, his father, exemplar par excellence, was brought down by a sex scandal), sibling of a brilliant if dipsomaniac brother, husband of a woman of unimaginable strength, and father of two boys who literally had to scour their surname off sports uniforms to survive. For the family as a whole, it was a “riches to rags story,” as it has been called with appropriately mordant wit.

Unsurprisingly, O’Sullivan’s Fall has also been called a sad book, but while the family saga frequently attains tragic dimensions, the book is in important ways heartening. Its message may not be that you can in fact get away with being authentic in a staid, slow-moving society, but it equally is that you can be and not be forgotten, that you can, in rags, matter to others, even far beyond your own day. As O’Sullivan writes in her epilogue, “Though the inhabitants of the houses fell, the Wilde name survives. It stands for what is singular, independentminded and fearless.”

Wilde’s father, William, was a noted physician and widely published author, a man of many talents. He played a pivotal role in the so-called Celtic revival, only partly as a collector and guardian of Irish literary artifacts. His overenthusiastic relationship with a female patient, Mary Travers, and his wife Jane’s vituperative letter to Mary’s complaining father, led to charges that landed William in court the day before he was knighted. His was the luck of the Irish only to be the first of the family to die and be buried in a handsome family plot where, O’Sullivan notes, his less fortunate survivors were unable to join him.

Remaining fiercely loyal to her husband, Wilde’s mother Jane – a firebrand, a poet writing under the name Speranza and the holder of high-profile salons for the most progressive figures of the day, helping pave the way for the Irish Uprising – arguably set an example for Oscar in his future, far more famous defamation case. Even in the competition, Jane verges on being the most fascinating individual in Fall.

“The case made a public impression by virtue of its implausibility,” writes O’Sullivan, in what could be an unwitting anticipation of the post-truth era. “It was an absurdity based on a muddle of fact and fiction, where no one appeared in a favorable light. It thus generated acres of newsprint.” Mary won, but her suit for 2,000 pounds in dam-

ages was reduced to a reward of one farthing for her honor. Like the rest of her family unknowing of the fact that, when Willliam’s estate would be settled, she’d be under an avalanche of debt, Jane, fighter to the end, died, destitute, in London.

Willie, Wilde’s older brother, a talented, promising if highly undisciplined writer himself, spent his life in supremely unwise financial dependence on women, only beginning with his mother, and botched a marriage to a rich American newspaper owner with his predilection for alcohol and infidelities. “It is more accurate to say,” O’Sullivan

t

writes, “that Willie went out to America a drinker and came back a drunk.” He returned to England in time to dishonor his younger brother.

Oscar Wilde steps onstage midway through O’Sullivan’s book, though his entrance has been carefully planned.

It says what you need to know that, by the time he reaches what could be deemed by some definition maturity, the reader is fully prepared for both his brilliance and his genius for self-destruction.

The startling, enormously readable few hundred pages about Oscar put our sense of him in a perspective that illuminates and in no way diminishes him (beyond what was known, that is; it’s not a wholly appetizing story).

There’s nothing either accusatory or pity-mongering about O’Sullivan’s depiction of the very extreme consequences of Wilde’s bold candor for his wife and children (and god knows how many gay men then and since). But her unsparing account of his life posttrial might wring pity from an imminent cabinet appointee. We may have to learn again from Wilde’s story, and O’Sullivan has now given it to us in a context so large we may find it expandable.t

Erotic devotion in 1971 France

by Brian Bromberger

F

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rench lesbian films are all the rage ever since Abdellatif Kechiche’s Blue Is the Warmest Color (2013) became a scorching erotic worldwide sensation. With slightly less sexual explicitness and a firmer dedication to feminism, writer/ director Catherine Corsini has produced a warmer, more emotionally 15TH ST film, Summertime, recently | complex Catering released on DVD by Strand Releasing. The movie borrows Blue’s motif of the young naive lesbian 16TH ST falling in love with the older cosmopolitan woman. With both real-life dialogue and an intellectual frame of reference, 17TH STSummertime becomes an almost instant lesbian classic, with its unapologetic erotic devotion to women’s political and cultural freedom, suggesting sexual liberation works in tandem with being treated equally as human beings. Sometimes the most personal intimate behavior can also be the most radically political.

In 1971 France, Delphine (Izia Higelin, a French rock star) works on her parents’ farm in the south near Limoges, even driving her own tractor. Her father (Jean-Henri Compare) worries that at age 23, Delphine risks a life of loneliness by not snagging soon one of the eligible men in the area, especially her childhood amorous friend, Antoine (Kevin Azais). Delphine informs her father she is not interested in marriage because, unbeknownst to him, she has a girlfriend. Later, the girlfriend informs Delphine it is time to grow up, as she is going to marry a boy. Devastated, Delphine moves to Paris, securing a dingy flat and a factory job. She becomes involved with a militant women’s liberation group who go around pinching men’s asses on the street to give them a taste of their own medicine, and throwing veal lungs at an anti-abortion doctor. Their motto is “We are not against men, we are for women.” Their energy, humor, and joyful activism excite

Delphine. They even rescue a gay friend out of a mental asylum where he is receiving electroshock therapy. But Delphine has her eye on their 35-year-old charismatic leader Carole (Belgian actress Cecile de France), a professor of Spanish literature. The brazen Delphine seduces Carole from her bearded, politically sympatico boyfriend, in erotic, full frontal episodes reflecting their evolving lust for one another.

Delphine’s father has an incapacitating stroke, and she returns to run the farm while he recuperates.

Carole, unable to withstand the separation, visits under the guise of being a friend from work, but with Delphine’s mother Monique (Noemie Lvovsky) winds up helping with the daily chores, almost forming their ideal women’s cooperative in a rural setting. Carole tries to make Monique aware of the patriarchal oppression she has endured.

The bucolic splendor makes them less inhibited. There are scenes of the two women making love naked outdoors and chasing cows in the nude. There is also a delightful instance of the two women dancing to Joe Dassin’s infectious pop song “Fais-Moi de L’electricite.”

They sneak between bedrooms in the middle of the night, remaining secretive so as not to disturb Monique. Ironically, the formerly free-spirited Delphine has reverted back to the repressed introvert she had been prior to meeting Carole, hiding her sexuality, while Carole is discovering desires she never knew she had before encountering Carole. But as her passionate attachment grows she is growing increasingly irritated at the platonic friend ruse and, despite the female utopia, is tired of country living. Becoming complacent, the two women are discovered nude in bed by Monique.

Exploding with rage, she

accuses Carole of perverting her daughter. Delphine must choose between remaining on the farm or returning to Paris with Carole.

Delphine’s awareness of her familial responsibility, and connection to the land as basic to her identity, expose the city/country rift on her relationship to Carole, especially as they battle traditional values. The brash political bent of the Paris group had been to change the status quo. Yet the cultural status quo becomes the enemy for Delphine and Carole. The ending comes perilously close to a cliche, but the two actresses redeem it. Both de France and Higelin were deservedly nominated for Best Actress Cesars, the French Oscars, for their dynamic performances revealing the transformative sensual chemistry of the two women. Lvovsky is equally wonderful, secretly jealous of the openness of the two women as they bond, yet resentful of the relationship. The deeper theme here is the responsibilities of newfound freedom and how it can impact families and friends, especially when they have differing attitudes. These social and cultural restraints and forces sparring with liberation fervor make this period film enlightening and bittersweet.t

t <<

Theatre>>

January 26-February 1, 2017 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 23

Fun Home

From page 15

“If there is enough time between all of those things, you come back almost like an audience seeing something new,” said Jeanine Tesori, who wrote the Fun Home score. “That’s what happened to us.

I think the danger with workshops is when you do them without time to sleep on it, and then come back too soon.”

Tesori was on the phone from New York while author and lyricist Lisa Kron was on the line from her family hometown in Michigan visiting her mother in the hospital. They were on the phone to talk about the post-Broadway Fun Home tour, the inaugural theatrical production in the renovated Curran Theatre, where performances continue through Feb. 19. Carole Shorenstein Hays, who owns and operates the Curran, was one of the musical’s producers who helped get it to Broadway.

As Kron and Tesori spent all those years developing Fun Home, they regularly returned to other projects to pay their bills. “I think I made maybe $10,000 from Fun Home during all those years,” said Tesori, best-known for her scores to Caroline, or Change and Violet.

The material never suggested more than a modest future for the show, let alone a moneymaking Broadway run. Its protagonist is a lesbian cartoonist, and the pivotal moment in her life is when her closeted father commits suicide just weeks after she came out to her family.

Kron based her book and lyrics on Alison Bechdel’s autobiographical graphic novel, which carried the subtitle “a family tragicomedy.”

Made up of captioned illustrated panels, it suggested the kind of cinematic storyboard that already framed each scene. “It didn’t work out that way at all,” said Kron, a member of the Five Lesbian Brothers troupe and author and star of Well, which had a 2005 run at Berkeley Rep. “One of the very deceiving things about the book is that it doesn’t have any kind of dramatic narrative. It has a kind of essayistic investigation, and in my previous work I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about how to dramatize those emotional quests.”

In the musical, Alison is looking back on episodes in her life, with actresses playing her at middle-aged, college-aged, and pre-teen. “It’s asking a question about her relationship with her father, and it moves through her memories, back and forth in time, the way all of us move through memories,” Kron said. “It’s not so much telling a story as asking a question.”

Despite that question’s tragic aspects, the quirks of Alison’s family life provide many opportunities for wry humor. Her father runs a funeral parlor, known to young Alison and her siblings as the fun home, and they musically create a mock television commercial extolling its virtue. Their father is also a rabid preservationist, with their house a testament to minute historical details with anything like a pair of casually parked kids’ sneakers marring the aesthetic. He is also given to unexplained absences, which his wife knows and his kids begin to suspect are dalliances with young men.

Fun Home is Kron’s first go at writing lyrics, and her skills developed through trial and error. “I would say I got a little bit faster, but it doesn’t come easily to me, and it was never fun,” she said.

“When people say to me, what is the secret to writing a musical, I say get Jeanine Tesori to collaborate with you and mentor you through learning how to do it.” Kron and Tesori’s score won a Tony Award, the first female writing team to win that award.

“I would say this about Jeanine’s

Joan Marcus

Older Alison (Kate Shindle) tries to sort out her relationship with her father (Robert Petkoff) after coming out as a lesbian in the musical based on Alison Bechdel’s graphic novel.

Lisa Kron and Jeanine Tesori were the first female writing team to win a Tony Award for best score at the 2015 ceremonies.

score,” Kron said. “There are many different things that happen in it, but I think it’s absolutely of a piece.

Go through any day of our lives, we’re always hitting different worlds.

When I hang up this phone, I’m not going to be in an interview about a musical. I’m going to be back in the hospital world. We move like that through life, and Jeanine has written all sorts of figures and themes that are interwoven into a single thing.”

ing when I look back on it.”

Tesori described herself as “super straight,” and joked that she was brought in to diversify the creative team. “Lisa and I talked about it a lot, and she brings her experience as a gay woman of not being able to hold hands with someone in high school. I bring the experience of someone who had no pushback from holding hands with my boyfriend in high school. And we

A third collaborator throughout the process was director Sam Gold, who at one point cautioned Tesori and Kron that the story was slipping toward becoming a coming-out saga. “He said, ‘I think you’re after something greater than that.’ I’m so grateful he said that,” Tesori said, “because when you’re in the mess of it, it’s hard to see when you’re trying to manage all these threads, which was maddening but now it’s thrill-

Courtesy CBS/Tony Awards

talked about my relationship with my father, which had nothing to do with coming out but about a young woman coming of age. Our experiences were so necessary, straight and gay, as two storytellers chasing after the same thing.” t Fun Home will run through Feb. 19 at the Curran Theatre.

Tickets are $29-$185. Go to sfcurran.com.

<< Dance

24 • BAY AREA REPORTER • January 26-February 1, 2017

<<

SFB Gala

From page 15

The performances at the ballet’s 84th anniversary gala were designed to show off the fabulous motor skills of the troupe, which has made itself, in the last few decades, internationally famous.

It seemed like a mighty long time since we’d seen them ourselves, they’ve been out of the Opera House so long, not counting Nutcracker, which though of course it is ballet, has become such a chestnut there’s no novelty left.

Ballet is a vanishing act – like a fireworks display, it relies for its most brilliant effects on creating an image that flashes like a meteor in the dark and then is gone. The miracle is that we see human beings in the midst of this dizzying whirl.

A gala’s aesthetic is that of a benefit. It’s a first-class entertainment, with solos, duets, and small ensembles succeeding each other rapidly in contrasting styles, to create a vision of an ideal peer group and an image of the diversity of the city they represent.

Coming from widely mixed backgrounds, these dancers make a community of talent who exhaust the possibilities of moving with grace and ease through every

possible physical challenge. They look as light as the sparkles in a fireworks fiesta.

Amid the stars on the show, the warm humanity of Sarah van Patten stood out in a disarmingly simple duet by Trey McIntyre about high-school sweethearts. “Presentce” [sic] is the awful title of a wonderful dance that seemed custommade to welcome her back after a year’s absence. Did McIntyre know when he used “Hello Stranger” that the song would be revived by the movie Moonlight and return briefly to the top of the charts? From the first “She bop, she bop, my baby,” the audience fell into a swoon, and as she danced with her very hunky guy (Luke Ingham, who looks great in jeans and a white shirt), everything floats in a sock-hop dream until one especially ecstatic lift brings her down with her skirt having drifted down over his head.

Her smile as she unveils his face revealed such love, we all laughed, but only to keep from crying, it was so sweet and so touching.

The other romantic duets of the evening all paled beside that. They displayed fantastic motor skills, and the “Flames of Paris” pas de deux revealed colossal brio from both Vanessa Zahorian and Taras Domitro, but the expressive content did not match the heroic spirit with which

the physical challenges were met.

The second half of the program unleashed a storm of brilliant dancing by the corps de ballet in Benjamin Millepied’s setting of John Adams’ “The Chairman Dances,” a spin-off from his opera Nixon in China. Elizabeth Powell was a thrilling member of the corps, the principals were Maria Kochetkova and the astonishingly light and fleet Carlo di Lanno. Joseph Walsh dispatched “The Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” with the flair it requires, but also with the poignancy that Paul Taylor built into his great ballet Company B, from which it is an extract. It’s a portrait of the world on the verge of WWII, of many soldiers going to their deaths. Walsh jumped, darted, spun and whirled, he snapped his fingers with a world of cool, and as he made his exit he fell down dead.

The evening ended with a magnificent whirl of corps dancing in the Polonaise from Balanchine’s Diamonds. The stage is crowded with corps dancers moving in a controlled chaos of interlaced vectors, with the ballerina Sophiane Sylve gleaming in majesty, making the whole picture compose.

It was all a foretaste of the brilliant season to come, which begins next week, with alternating triple bills of contemporary work. In an

Erik Tomasson

San Francisco Ballet dancers Yuan Yuan Tan and Aaron Robison in the pas de deux from La Cathedrale Engloutie.

evening of quick star turns for all the company’s top-ranked dancers, many performers stood out.

From the lower ranks, Francisco Mungamba, Diego Cruz, Deniel Deivison-Oliveria, Anthony Vin-

cent, and Angelo Greco stood out in happy dazzle, and the new principal dancer Aaron Robison promises great things. I look forward to seeing them in the repertory season ahead.t

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30

On the Town

31

Bruno Bernal

Shining Stars

SJSU Library Special Collections

Vol. 47 • No. 4 • January 26-February 1, 2017

www.ebar.com ✶ www.bartabsf.com

, y a B h t Sou back in the day

The Disappearing Gay Bars of San Jose

by Michael Flanagan

T

here’s a mystery surrounding the city of San Jose and it doesn’t involve the Winchester Mystery House or the Rosicrucian Museum. The mystery is how the largest city in the Bay Area and the third largest city in California wound up with so few gay bars.

See page 28 >>

Staff at Renegades bar dressed as the New Year’s baby.

PhotoByDot

On the Tab

January 26Februrary 2

F

ind fun for night or day .

Come out of your she ll and strut your stuff.

26 >> Listings begin on page

Tue 31 Alabama Slamma performing at Love @ The Stud

{ THIRD OF THREE SECTIONS }

@LGBTSF

SOCIAL-MEDIA-STRIP.indd 1

@eBARnews

6/28/16 2:45 PM

<< On the Tab

26 • BAY AREA REPORTER • January 26-February 1, 2017

Edited for space.

Full listings at www.ebar.com/barbab

Thu 26

Above and Beyond the Valley of the Ultra Showgirls @ Oasis D’Arcy Drollinger’s hit drag rock musical comedy about Super Vixen, a girl band’s ups and downs, returns, with a live band. $25-$35.

Thu 8pm Fri & Sat 7pm. Thru Feb. 18.

298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

Circle Jerk @ Nob Hill Theatre Brazilian porn stud Bruno Bernal entertains at the interactive sex party before his Jan. 27 & 28 stage shows. $15. 9pm. 729 Bush St. at Powell. 3976758. www.thenobhilltheatre.com

Lick It @ Powerhouse

Saturgay @ Qbar

DJ Blackstone spins grooves at the cruisy night. $5. 10pm-1am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.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

Red Hots Burlesque @ The Stud The saucy women’s burlesque show hosted by Dottie Lux will titillate and tantalize. $10-$20. 8pm-9:30pm. 399 9th St. Also Sunday brunch shows at PianoFight Theatre.144 Taylor St. www.redhotsburlesque.com www.studsf.com

Shenanigans @ Oasis The monthly costume-themed dance party this time goes “Totally Retro,” so dig up your ‘80s and ‘90s gear. $7-$10.

10pm-2am. 298 11th St. sfoasis.com

ShangriLa @ The Endup Tenth anniversary party for the all-night dance party at the famed SoMa club, with ten DJs. $10-$30. 10pm-4am. 401 6th St. facebook.com/ShangriLaSF

Velvet Variety @ Martuni’s What Do We Do Now?, a cabaret concert featuring Lisa Appleyard, BradMagic, Dylan Burditt, Ryan Engstrom, Craig Jacobs, Russell Deason and Jack Sanchez. $10. 7pm.

4 Valencia St.

Dana hosts the weekly singing night; unleash your inner American Idol.

8pm. 43 6th St. www.clubomgsf.com

Rock Fag @ Hole in the Wall Enjoy hard rock and punk music from DJ Don Baird at the wonderfully divey SoMa bar. Also Fridays. 7pm-2am.

1369 Folsom St. 431-4695. hitws.com

SF Restaurant Week @ Multiple Venues Stop by any of 122 participating restaurants for multi-course prix-fixe lunches, dinners and special deals. Thru Jan. 29. www.sfrestaurantweek.com

Thursday Night Live @ SF Eagle Music night with local and touring bands. $8. 9:30pm. 398 12th St. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com

Tubesteak Connection @ Aunt Charlie’s Lounge Disco guru DJ Bus Station John spins grooves at the intimate retro music night. $5. 10pm-2am. 133 Turk St. at Taylor. www.auntcharlieslounge.com

Underwear Night @ Powerhouse Free coat/clothes check when you strip down to your skivvies at the cruisy SoMa bar. $5. 10pm-2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

Fri 27

Benn Bacot @ Hotel Rex The vocalist performs Retro Nouveau!, a cabaret concert with piano accompaniment; cocktails and small plates available. $30-$50. 8pm. 562 Sutter St. www.societycabaret.com

Bruno Bernal @ Nob Hill Theatre The Brazilian porn stud performs interactive solo shows (8pm), live sex shows with Josh Connors (10pm). Also Jan. 28. $25. 729 Bush St. at Powell.

397-6758. thenobhilltheatre.com

Gaymer Night @ SF Eagle Group video game-playing night on the big-screen TVs and prjection screens; free coat check, no cover. 8pm-1am.

398 12th St. www.sf-eagle.com

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

Latin Explosion @ Club 21, Oakland The Latin dance night includes drag acts hosted by Lulu and Jacqueline, and gogo studs. $10-$20. 9pm-4am.

2111 Franklin St., Oakland. www.club21oakland.com

Same-sex partner tango dancing, including lessons for newbies, food and drinks. $5-$10. 3:30pm-6:30pm.

1970 Chestnut St, Berkeley. www.finnishhall.org

The award-winning cabaret sensation pops back to SF for two nights of songs, wit and ‘radical empathy.’ $25$40. 8pm. Also Feb. 1. 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

Sunday’s a Drag @ Starlight Room

Love @ The Stud

Donna Sachet often 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

Mon 30

Karaoke Night @ SF Eagle Sing along, with guest host Nick Radford. 8pm-12am. 398 12th St. www.sf-eagle.com

The Monster Show @ The Edge

Queer Karaoke @ Club OMG

Justin Vivian Bond @ Oasis

Mahlae Balenciaga and DJ Kidd Sysko’s weekly drag and dance night.

9pm-1am. 2369 Market St. www. cafesf.com

Queer weekly night out at the popular Mission bar. 9pm-2am. 3158 Mission St. www.elriosf.com

The weekly drag show with DJ MC2, themed nights and hilarious fun. $5. 9pm-2am. 4149 18th St. at Collingwood. www.edgesf.com

Queer Tango @ Finnish Hall, Berkeley

Drag Mondays @ The Cafe

Gayface @ El Rio

Mahogany Mondays @ Midnight Sun Honey Mahogany’s weekly drag and musical talent show starts around 10pm. 4067 18th St. 861-4186. www. midnightsunsf.com

Sat 28

Asheq @ Slate

One Night Only @ Brava Theater

Sat 28

Sun 29

The queer Middle Eastern and North African dance party celebrates Arab culture, with groovy dance music, belly dancers and specialty cocktails, free coat check, hummus shots. $10. 9pm2am. 2925 16th St. www.slate-sf.com

Enjoy daytime partying with bears and cubs, plus fundraisers for the SF Fog Rugby team. 4pm-8pm. 1354 Harrison St. www.lonestarsf.com

Asheq @ Slate

Bearracuda @ SF Eagle Josh Cheon and Mozhgan DJ the ursine fun party. $5-$10. 9pm-2am.

398 12th St. www.bearracdua.com www.sf-eagle.com

Dark Room @ The White Horse Bar

Beer Bust @ Lone Star Saloon

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. $10. 3pm6pm. Now also on Saturdays. 398 12th St. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com

Richmond/Ermet Aid Foundation benefit performance features Bruce Vilanch, Jai Rodriguez, Kim Nalley and cast members from the tour of Finding Neverland in a new version of Broadway Backwards, where performer reverse musical theatre roles. $35-$65. 7:30pm. 2781 24th St. 273-1620. www.reaf.org

Piano Bar 101 @ Martuni’s Sing-along night with talented locals, and charming accompanist Joe Wicht.

9pm. 4 Valencia St. at Market.

Underwear Night @ 440 Strip down to your skivvies at the popular men’s night. 9pm-2am. 440 Castro St. 621-8732. the440.com

The drag show with Castro Country Club’s sober community lets loose with wild acts, hostess Intensive Claire, and DJ Troix. $15-$20. 7:30pm.

100 Collingwood St. at 18th. www. castrocountryclub.com

Mother @ Oasis Heklina hosts the weekly night of drag tour de force performances, DJ MC2 spins dance grooves before and after the show. Jan. 28 is a 2nd Anniversary party, with D’Arcy Drollinger, Linty, Sugah Betes, the Baloney men and more. $10-$15. 10pm-3am. 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.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

Stripped Down @ Club 21, Oakland Male strip show from Las Vegas performs; men and women welcome. $20-$60. 8pm. 2111 Franklin St., Oakland. www.club21oakland.com

Underwear Night @ Club OMG 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

Wed 1

Comedy Showcase @ SF Eagle Kollin Holtz hosts the open mic comedy night. 5:30pm-8pm. 398 12th St. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com

Girl Scout @ Port Bar, Oakland The weekly women’s happy hour and dance night with DJ Becky Knox. 6pm10pm. 2023 Broadway. www.portbaroakland.com

Latin Drag Night @ Club OMG

Rebel Kings @ White Horse Bar, Oakland Drag king show with Vegas Jake, Mickey Finn, Pepe Pan and others; dancing after the show. $5. 9pm-2am (show at 9:30). 6551 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. www.whitehorsebar.com

Lips and Lashes Brunch @ Lookout

Mascara @ Eureka Valley Rec. Center

Enjoy drinks and a flick, with trivia games and prizes. 8pm-2am. 398 12th St. www.sf-eagle.com

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

The vocalist and her three-piece band perform The Wrong Side of Love, a cabaret concert; cocktails and small plates available. $30-$50. 8pm. 562 Sutter St. www.societycabaret.com

Nark Magazine’s monthly event, with DJs Steve Mizek and Christopher Orr. $5. 9pm-2am. 398 12th St. www.sf-eagle.com

Movie Night @ SF Eagle

Miss Kitty’s Trivia Night @ Wild Side West

Eileen Zamora @ Hotel Rex

Make Out Party @ SF Eagle

Mama Dora, Thee Pristine Condition, and Ultra present new Tuesday-style shenanigans to warm your heart. Jan. 31 theme: We Love Superbowl. $5.

9pm-1am, show at 10pm. 399 Harrison. www.studsf.com

Weekly Latin night with drag shows hosted by Vicky Jimenez. 9pm-2am.

43 6th St. www.clubomgsf.com

Raven ( RuPaul’s Drag Race) guestperforms at the queer gothy-punk drag night’s 6th anniversary, with Abortia Clinik, Crème Fatale, Abominatrix and others; dark glam encouraged. 9pm2am. 6551 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. www.whitehorsebar.com

Weekly show with soul, funk and Motown grooves hosted by Carnie Asada, with DJs Becky Knox and Pumpkin Spice. The yummy brunch menu starts at 12pm, with the show at 1:30pm. 3600 16th St. www.lookoutsf.com

t

Sat 28 Raven performs at Dark Room @ The White Horse Bar, Oakland

Blessed @ Port Bar, Oakland Carnie Asada’s fun drag night with Carnie’s Angels – Mahlae Balenciaga and Au Jus, plus DJ Ion. 2023 Broadway. www.portbaroakland.com

Disco Daddy @ SF Eagle DJ Bus Station John’s groovy retro T-dance with vintage grooves. $5.

7pm-2am. 398 12th st. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com

GlamaZone @ The Cafe Pollo del Mar’s weekly drag show takes on different themes with a comic edge. 8:30-11:30pm. 2369 Market St. www.cafesf.com

Imperial Crown Princess Gala @ DNA Lounge Emperor Salvador Tovar and Empress Emma Peel host a celebration, party and fundraiser for the Court. $30$150. 5pm-12am. 375 11th St. www.dnalounge.com

Tue 31

Bandit @ Lone Star Saloon New weekly queer event with resident DJ Justime; electro, soul, funk, house.

No cover. 9pm-1am. 1354 Harrison St. www.facebook.com/BanditPartySF www.lonestarsf.com

Hella Saucy @ Q Bar Queer dance party at the stylish intimate bar. 9pm-2am. 456 Castro St. www.QbarSF.com

Thu 2 Gym Class @ Hi Tops

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

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

Thump @ White Horse, Oakland

High Fantasy @ Aunt Charlie’s Lounge

Weekly electro music night with DJ Matthew Baker and guests. 9pm-2am.

6551 Telegraph Ave, (510) 652-3820. www.whitehorsebar.com

Weekly drag and variety show, with live acts and lip-synching divas, plus DJed grooves. $5. Shows at 10:30pm & 12am. 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.

t

Read more online at www.ebar.com

January 26-February 1, 2017 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 27

Court & sparkles

Scott Iverson

Left: Emperor and Empress candidates Nic Hunter and Mercedez Munro at The Lookout.

Right: Empress candidate Eva Sensitiva at a recent drag show.

by Donna Sachet

D

espite the relatively tepid January social scene, other than Inaugural-related events which we defer to others to cover, leave it to the Imperial Court to keep us going as the campaign for the next Emperor and Empress of San Francisco gets underway.

The deadline for applications was last week at a packed Twin Peaks as several aspirants made splashy entrances or understated appearances, but not until last Saturday’s meeting of the Imperial Council to approve candidates did they become official. On Sunday afternoon, the official candidates were presented at Encore Lounge to a packed house of San Francisco Monarchs, Imperial Family members, and countless other interested and supportive participants.

The candidates for Empress of San Francisco are Miss Eva Sensitiva and Mercedez Munro; the sole candidate for Emperor is Nic Hunter. Immediately, one could see the distinctive campaigns developing. Eva wore a fantastical multi-colored wig and space-age outfit and performed with several supporters in a high-energy number. Mercedez dazzled with a showstopping feathered head-dress and sparkling body suit, performing a cunning solo number. Nic stayed true to his energetic, positive roots, dressed whimsically and performing with a group of similarly minded friends.

Emcees Empress Alexis Miranda and Empress Khmera Rouge, elected years apart, bridged the generational gap and kept the night moving, as various current title-holders entertained and a remarkably animated assemblage conversed.

In addition to nearly every locally residing San Francisco Emperor and Empress, the crowd included Ken Hamai & Jack Henyon, Keith & Gladys Bumps, Leandro Gonzales, Reverends Lyle Beckman and Diana Wheeler, Maria Konner, Deana Dawn, Nathan Page, David Fleming, Sister Roma, Cameron Stiehl, Terrill Grimes, and Ray McKenzie.

Later in the event, the crowd was rapt with attention as each candidate fielded questions prepared in advance to test the knowledge, composure, and overall style of each. We dare say even the most seasoned Imperial Family member would have been challenged by some of the questions, but each candidate remained calm and col-

lected, delivering measured replies with confidence.

Once again, the community has three qualified, enthusiastic people ready to serve them for a year as Imperial Monarchs in the tradition of our beloved founder Jose Sarria.

Please watch this column for ongoing updates on events surrounding Imperial Coronation, Imperial Beaux Arts Ball: A Regal Black and White Costumed Affair, Saturday, February 25, starting at 6PM at the Design Center, 101 Henry Adams Street.

Even more importantly, get to know these candidates and prepare to vote on Saturday, February 18, 11AM-4PM in front of Project Open Hand on Polk Street, noon-6PM at Harvey Milk Plaza in the Castro, and 1-5PM in front of The Powerhouse in SoMa. Yes, this is a public vote; simply bring a valid photo ID showing San Francisco, Marin, or San Mateo County residence. Let the games begin!

This Friday, January 27, the LGBT Historical Society opens its latest installation at the museum on 18th Street, titled Bear San Francisco, featuring the art of cartoonist Fran Frisch. What a gem this museum is, right in the heart of the Castro, documenting not just history, but our history. Plan a visit soon.

Saturday, January 28, that sexy bartender and leather aficionado Erick Lopez promises a rollicking good time at Code all night at The Edge. Who says the Castro doesn’t embrace Leather?

And the Imperial Crown Princess Ball is this Sunday, presented

by Reigning Emperor Salvador Tovar and Reigning Empress Emma Peel and hosted by Imperial Crown Princess Ehra Amaya from 5-9PM at DNA Lounge. This is an Imperial night surprisingly devoid of rigid protocol and full of entertainment and fun, benefiting AIDS Emergency Fund.

Wrapping up January is Richmond/Ermet Aid Foundation’s One Night Only Cabaret, Broadway Backwards, with members of the touring cast of Finding Neverland and special guests Bruce Vilanch, Jai Rodriguez, and Kim Nalley, at 7:30PM at Brava Theatre.

In addition to the packed Imperial calendar, February is chock full of other appealing events. Join hundreds of happy dancers on Saturday, February 4, 10PM, at LUXX, 60 6th Street, for Locoya Hill’s IJWFD: Neon Jungle, with DJs Jamie J. Sanchez and Billy Lace. If you go to the dance floor to chat, then good-

bye, Felicia! This is strictly for those who love to get lost in the music and dance the night away, And don’t forget to get your tickets now for Krewe de Kinque’s annual Bal Masque at The Café on Saturday, February 11. KdK King XIII Sergio Fedasz and Queen XIII China Silk promise a lively party with all the signature details of a Mardi Gras krewe, including regal ceremonies, elaborate costumes, sexy performances, and special Stoli vodka cocktails with Grand Marshal Juanita More! This raucous event raises money for the non-profit Homobiles, providing secure and reliable transit sensitive to the needs of the LGBTQ Community.t

Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

28 • BAY AREA REPORTER • January 26-February 1, 2017

t

1

SJSU Library Special Collections

A map of gay bars in San Jose, circa 1981.

<<

South Bay

From page 25

There have been bars that catered to gays and lesbians in San Jose since at least 1947. The first of these was Tommy’s Café, later Tommy’s Club at 97 North First Street. In an article for the San Francisco Gay & Lesbian Historical Society Newsletter of June 1987, Eric Garber describes it as “a seedy skid row bar…which was a home for winos and down and outers as well as gays.” It is listed in the city directory through 1960.

Tommy’s was joined by the Sapphire Lounge (189 South First Street) in 1952. In the September 1987 Historical Society Newsletter Marv Shaw says it was, “Completely upholstered in a kind of blue velvet inside…it was known as the Blue

Coffin. Though definitely mixed, it was a comfortable haven.” The Sapphire Lounge was open till 1970.

The Midway Café (448 West Santa Clara) opened in 1955 and was perhaps the closest thing to a modern gay bar in San Jose. It almost immediately attracted the attention of the Alcohol Beverage Control.

The record of the case (supplied to me by the ABC) said the bar, “had become a meeting place for homosexuals of both sexes; not only a meeting place, but a place of demonstration for this type of deviation from the normal sexual pattern….

Likewise the record reveals dancing between members of the same sex which ranged from that which would have been proper decorum between members of the opposite sex, to acts amounting to a violent

sexual demonstration.” The bar was closed by the ABC in 1956.

In the 1960s the Crystal Café (42 West San Fernando) became a gay bar in about 1963. The proximity to San Jose State University gave many young students their first experience in a gay bar.

In the column “Really Rita” in Lambda News from 1977, the author says the Crystal Café was mixed during the day and gay at night, and that both lesbians and gay men were welcome and became good friends, “family.”

1963 was also the year that Mac’s (then at 349 South First Street), the oldest existing gay bar in San Jose, is first listed in the City Directory for San Jose. From 1963 on San Jose had at least three gay bars. Crystal Café was open until 1970.

From the 1970s onward, it becomes much easier to track San Jose LGBT history because of the advent of gay newsletters and newspapers.

The first newsletter to have advertisements for bars was the MCC newsletter, called The Scarab in 1971 and renamed The Apostle in 1972.

Bars advertised included the Savoy (20469 Silvarado, Cupertino), A Tinker’s Dam (46 Saratoga, Santa Clara), The Galley (163 W. Alma, San Jose) and Magnolia’s Closet (1384 Lincoln Ave, San Jose). The newsletter also contained an ad for the Bachelor Quarters baths in East Palo Alto.

2

See page 29 >>

3

Ads for gay bars, benefits and grand openings through the 1980s, from various publications, including: 1. Divine appeared at Desperados 2. Oktoberfest AIDS fundraiser featuring Sharon McNight.

3. 641 Club’s opening 4. HMS bar in Campbell 5. a “Pig Party” barbeque fundraiser

4

5

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Read more online at www.ebar.com

January 26-February 1, 2017 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 29

<<

SJSU Library Special Collections

Top: Billy DeFrank in full drag. Middle: A drag and leather ballet at the Mr. San Jose Leather 1982 contest. Bottom: A lesbian couple at Renegades bar in the early 1980s.

South Bay

From page 28

Aside from the bars, the newsletter provides a startling picture of how advanced gay life was early on. In the Sept. 19, 1971 edition, there is an announcement of the first gay marriage at the MCC (not recognized by the state, of course) between Jeff and David (no last names were given).

In March 1976, the Lambda News began publication. The August 1976 issue reported on a police raid on Alfonso’s Sundown Saloon (349 W. San Carlos). Just prior to closing, 12 police arrived and shut down the bar, saying the music must stop, there could be no dancing after 2 A.M., and that the bar was overcrowded. As of this issue there were eight bars operating in San Jose, including two on South First Street and two on Stockton Avenue listed in the “Where It’s Happening” listings for Lambda News. Renegades, which is still open today, was first included in the Lambda News listing in October, 1977.

In 1978 there was an event which foreshadowed bad times for the LGBT community (and may foreshadow the loss of bars). The San Jose City Council approved and then rescinded a resolution approving a Gay Rights Week under pressure from Christian fundamentalists. The action caused Johnie Staggs and Sal Accardi to announce their write-in candidacy for City Council, making them the first lesbian and gay man to publicly run for office in San Jose.

The conflict with fundamentalists was just beginning, however. In 1979 a city ordinance banning discrimination on the basis of sexual preference was challenged by a referendum. The vote (in June, 1980) was placed on the ballot by the efforts of 53 churches and funded in large part by Anita Bryant’s Protect America’s Children Inc. Gay rights lost overwhelmingly with 70.2 percent voting against the ordinance and 29.7 percent voting for it.

As a result of this defeat, the community banded together and created the Billy DeFrank Community Center. These battles were part of ongoing conflicts which (in 1998) would overturn a domestic partner’s registry and in 2004 would challenge benefits for the partners of city workers.

Harassment of gay bars by police continued through the 1980s. An article in the May 15, 1985 Lambda News reported that three bars (the Boot Rack, Toyon and Interlude) experienced unexpected visits from police and incidents of multiple police vehicles parking outside of the bars for prolonged periods.

From 1981 to 1985, a Vice detail targeted three downtown adult bookstores and arrested at least 300, and possibly up to 1000 men (estimates vary because many men did not contest charges). The community rallied once again and formed a defense committee which challenged the arrests. Despite these efforts, all of the bookstores were closed by 1985.

Despite these challenges, bars continued to open. By 1983 there were four bars (641 Club, Renegades, Boot Rack and Main Street) within three blocks of one another on Stockton Street, giving birth to the “Stockton Strip” neighborhood.

At the peak of the gay village (in 1987) San Jose had 14 gay bars.

So what led to the demise of the “gayborhood”?

In a 2002 SJSU Master’s Thesis, Gay Bars of Silicon Valley: A Study in the Decline of a Social Institution, William M. Coker suggests that AIDS, the internet and migration are all factors The thesis is fascinating and available online at http://bit.ly/2jq5jHB. By the time of the thesis, the city only had three bars.

All of Coker’s suggestions seem

reasonable. The rise of drunk-driving prosecution may have been a factor. When the Boot Rack closed (in 1985), in an article in Our Paper, the owner specifically sited fears of prosecution against his patrons.

For a city as large as San Jose (149 square miles), issues associated with automobile transportation are very important. As for why LGBT people might migrate, the negative political climate could have been a factor.

It is, however, also possible that San Jose has evolved a different type of LGBT community, which is more centered on home life. In a 2005 article in the Mercury News about the

Pride parade (now more than 40 years old), the author refers to it as “family-friendly” and “G-rated.”

It’s worth remembering that the city has had an LGBT center longer than San Francisco and that their bath houses survived when San Francisco’s were put out of business. Although its nightlife may not be nearly as diverse as San Francisco’s, it’s obvious that San Jose has a resilient LGBT population.t The author would like to thank the staff of the SJSU Library Special Collections and the California Room at San Jose Public Library.

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Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

30 • BAY AREA REPORTER • January 26-February 1, 2017

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Bruno Bernal Brazilian stud shares his open-minded sexuality

by Cornelius Washngton

B

runo Bernal is one of the cutest little guys I’ve seen in porn in a very long time and, obviously, this is an opinion shared the myriad studios that have hired him. No long-winded preamble here. Mr. Bernal is hot, cute and sexy, and this is how it goes.

Cornelius Washington: This is your second time performing at The Nob Hill Theater, in only a few months. This time, you’re the headliner. What did you love most about your first performance?

Bruno Bernal: The fact that I could get closer to my fans and people who appreciate my work.

What aspect of your personality is brought out by performing live sex shows, that we don’t ordinarily see?

I don’t know. I’m super transparent and, normally, people see every side of me, but at The Nob Hill Theater, I think the guys saw that I can be funny, too.

Where did you grow up in Brazil? Did the country’s legendary sensuality make it easier for you to embrace your sexuality?

I was born in Rio de Janeiro, but I’ve lived in many different states and cities. I definitely believe that being Brazilian reflects who I am today. When it comes to sexuality, Brazil is an open-minded country.

We explore ourselves very early.

Do your family and friends know about your career? If so, how do they feel about it?

Everyone knows and they respect my life choices.

That I need to be super professional and calm, because one scene can take up to five hours to be completed.

What do you think will be the next evolution in gay porn?

I have no idea. I don’t even know what will be my next evolution.

What was the first porn film you ever saw, and what effect did it have on you?

I cannot remember much, but I’m sure it was some straight porn.

If you could change anything about the porn industry, it would be…?

Power bottoms being used as tops just because of their size. I can’t deal with or watch a scene when it’s clear that the models aren’t connected by anything other than a paycheck.

What would surprise the general public most about gay porn stars?

That some of them aren’t sexy or attractive in real life.

What made you decide to make the leap into porn?

I wanted to challenge myself and see how far I could go in the industry.

What do you love most about performing live onstage?

The contact with the public. I can go down into the audience and tease people. Ha! I love it!

How has your height (5’4”) and versatility been embraced by the porn industry? men.com First, I’m 5’6”. (LOL). I’m already short, for you to dis- Bruno Bernal count some inches. I think the studios and the public like it. I would say that I was very embarrassed at first, but I can’t Who are your favorite co-stars, complain. I’m definitely a satisfied and why? short man.

Professional speaking, I haven’t watched my co-stars, but, I have Are shorter men better lovers? friends in the industry who I reMaybe, but I’m sure we move ally like: Armando de Armas, Josh better in bed.

Conners, Francois Sagat, etc.

Have you ever fallen for a scene partner?

No! Thank God, no!

What is your general life philosophy?

Don’t matter how, where, when, just be happy. I’m not looking for much in life. Anything that brings me happiness, for me, is priceless.

Of the many studios with which you’ve worked, which are your favorites, and why?

I’m not saying it because I’m exclusive model for them, but Falcon is my favorite. They are extremely professional, and they care about the models; how we look, feel, etc.

They care about their labels and the public as well.

Please describe what you’ve learned from filming your first scene.

I learned with Ashley Ryder (my first director) to take as long you can, to position my body better, etc.

What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned about the process of filming porn?

Has your career evolved your private sexuality?

My porn persona and my private life don’t get mixed. My career doesn’t affect my private sexuality.

What are the best and worst aspects of traveling for your career?

Best: staying in and visiting nice places for free, I guess. Worst: being away from my home, my dog and my workout and diet routine.

Have you ever refused to do anything in a scene?

Not yet...

How do you prepare for porn scenes (mentally, physically, etc.)?

I go to the gym and train harder and I eat and drink less.

What has surprised you most about gay porn stars, on and off of the set?

Their attitude. Some models behave like Hollywood celebrities, and I hate it.

What, if any, recent fitness trends (CrossFit, SealFit, etc.) do you incorporate into your training?

For what I’m looking to achieve, the normal and traditional gym such as Gold’s Gym is enough.

Do you love to dance, and what songs really make you move, like nobody’s watching?

I like to dance, but only when nobody is watching me. I’m a horrible dancer!

When The Nob Hill Theater’s curtains open on your performances, what do you most want its audiences to feel?

I want them to feel that it was worth their time to watch us, and leave the theater horny and satisfied.t Bruno Bernal leads Circle Jerk, Jan. 26, 9pm ($15) and performs interactive solo shows (8pm) and live stage sex shows with Josh Connors (10pm) Jan. 27 & 28. $25.

729 Bush St. at Powell. 397-6758. www.thenobhilltheatre.com

t

Read more online at www.ebar.com

January 26-February 1, 2017 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 31

SHINING STARS Steven Underhill Photos by

Saturgay @ Qbar

T

he wet weekend got steamy as the fun diverse patrons of Qbar’s Saturgay enjoyed their weekend, including several folks who arrived after the massive San Francisco edition of the national Womens’ March on January 21. Qbar, 456 Castro Street. www.qbarsf.com More 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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