A Pride first at 90
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Vol. 45 • No. 29 • July 16-22, 2015
Website Roaches lead to Castro eatery closures curates coming A out stories by Seth Hemmelgarn
by Matthew S. Bajko
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ome of the stories are from anonymous posters, such as one by a gay man from the Middle East now living in the U.S. but still concerned about people from his home country learning about his William Thwaites sexual orientation. Coming Out founder “I’m Middle East- Nate Warden ern and I come from a culture where being gay is not acceptable. Technically, I could go to jail or even worse if anyone back in the Middle East were to know I am gay,” wrote the Chicago resident. Other contributors choose to use their full names in writing about the difficult conversations that took place between them and their loved ones, whether parents, siblings, or friends, in revealing their true selves. “Coming out was not easy. Becoming the person I am today was not easy. Opening their minds to the fact that our family is far from traditional was not easy for my parents, but we did it together,” wrote Ricardo Sebastian, a gay man living in the South Bay region of southern California near Los Angeles. Theirs are just two of the 18 short essays posted so far to a new website called Coming Out – http://www.comingout.space/ – where LGBT people can write about how they broke out of the closet. Created by Nate Warden, the site launched Friday, June 26 to coincide with the Pride weekends taking place throughout North America at the end of June. “Everyone has unique stories about coming out to friends and family. Some of us were very young, some older, and most of us were very alone,” said Warden, 25, who is moving from Toronto to New York City next month. “Imagine if we could see how others did it – to use their stories as a guide or to help find the strength to go through a difficult time.” Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, Warden began to come out of the closet about being gay while in college. It was an “emotional experience,” as he writes in his own essay titled “It’s hard. It hurts. I know.” on the website (http://www.comingout.space/ its-hard-it-hurts-i-know/). “Growing up in a small Ohio town pushed me to the limit – just close enough for me to look over the edge and into the abyss,” wrote Warden, who works for the Nielsen ratings company. “But coming out in a small Ohio town also set me free – free to be my true, unlimited self and I’ve never looked back.” See page 5 >>
The city agency found “rodent droppings” throughout handful of restauthe shelving under the counrants have reopened ter at the front service and in San Francisco’s cook’s line areas, in the rear Castro neighborhood after prep area, and in the upstairs recently being closed when storage space. city inspectors found cockThe inspector also noted roaches and, in some cases, “multiple live (lively) cockrodent infestations. roaches in the rear prep It’s not clear where the verarea,” and behind a refrigmin have come from, but one erator and freezer. city health official indicated “A heavy build-up of dirt, there’s no reason to worry. debris, [and] organic matNancy Sarieh, a spokester,” including “droppings woman for the health departand grease” were discovered ment, said when there are only throughout the business. about half a dozen eateries “in Rick Gerharter Among other directions, the last nine months in very Posh Bagel on Castro Street was shuttered for a day in May due to a the inspector told the diner different locations, that doesn’t cockroach infestation. The vermin have popped up at several other eateries to “immediately eliminate really raise any red flags for us.” in the gay neighborhood in recent weeks. cockroach and rodent acNo one from any of the tivity utilizing a licensed restaurants responded to inpest control operator.” imminent public health risk,” the document terview requests. Slider’s was also told to “Clean and mainSlider’s Diner, at 449 Castro Street, is the says. “Your permit to operate is temporarily tain garbage areas in a manner that does not suspended due to the rodent and cockroach most recent eatery the health department’s enattract vermin,” and to stop “storing onions on infestation observed.” vironmental health branch told to shut down the floor.” The report included a “high risk violation” temporarily. The health department said the diner was to An inspection report dated July 7 says ro- related to rodents and roaches, moderate-level remain shut down until an inspector approved problems with “inadequate food safety knowldents and cockroaches were behind the order. it to operate again. “This facility shall cease and desist all op- edge,” and “low risk violations” for “unclean See page 13 >> nonfood contact surfaces” and other conditions. erations and close to the public due to an
AIDS Walk team raises awareness about cannabis by Matthew S. Bajko
plants through its Oaklandbased Dark Heart Nursery it or the second year in a then sells to medical cannarow a number of Bay bis dispensaries throughout Area-based cannabis northern California. It has businesses are teaming up to taken a lead in coordinating participate in this weekend’s the Team Cannabis AIDS AIDS Walk San Francisco. Walk contingent. During the 2014 event, an Dan Grace, 32, CEO of annual fundraiser for local Dark Heart Industries, said HIV prevention programs the main purpose for Team and AIDS service providers, Cannabis being in the AIDS the Team Cannabis group Walk is to encourage cannabis numbered 40 walkers repusers to be visible, similar to resenting five organizations the concept of coming out of and raised $36,000. This the closet about one’s sexual year nine businesses and orientation or gender identity. two other groups are particCourtesy Team Cannabis “The primary effort with ipating in Team Cannabis, Members of Team Cannabis gathered at last year’s AIDS Walk San Francisco. this is not to pitch the ballot whose expected 100 marchinitiative. The real message ers aim to raise $70,000. for Team Cannabis is we The outreach effort at the are coming out,” said Grace, money for AIDS. We are also coming out green 10K walk through Golden Gate Park, which atto the community as we are looking at 2016 leg- who is straight and serves on the board of the tracts upwards of 20,000 participants, comes as islation for adult use in California,” explained California Cannabis Industry Association. supporters of legalizing recreational use of mari“What we want to say is it is OK to be a cannaChristopher Esposito, a gay man who is the juana in California ready to place a ballot mea- director of human resources at Dark Heart Inbis consumer and it is OK to celebrate that and sure before voters in November 2016. Medical celebrate what the plant does for you.” dustries. Esposito is also on the board of Project use of cannabis in the Golden State was legalized Other Team Cannabis participants include Inform, which provides treatment information with the passage of Proposition 215 in 1996. medical cannabis dispensaries Harborside about HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C and is the lead “Team Cannabis is made up of 10 to 12 canHealth Center and Blum in Oakland and the agency of the AIDS Walk. nabis organizations coming together to raise The company cultivates cannabis starter See page 13 >>
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