May 12, 2016 Edition of the Bay Area Reporter

New dog wash option in Noe Valley

ARTS

13

21

33

Bay Area butches

Cady Huffman

The

www.ebar.com

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

Vol. 46 • No. 19 • May 12-18, 2016

US, NC sue each other

by Lisa Keen

T

he controversy over North Carolina’s anti-LGBT bathroom law escalated dramatically this week, dominating much of the national media’s attention as the U.S. Department of Justice and Jane Philomen Cleland North Carolina Governor Patrick McCrory U.S. Attorney sued each other.

General Monday morning, Loretta Lynch McCrory promised a major effort to defend the law in court, announcing a federal lawsuit in response to the Justice Department’s threat last Friday to cut federal funding to the Tar Heel State.

Hours later, Attorney General Loretta Lynch responded with strong words, indicating that the Justice Department and the Obama administration would do “everything we can to protect [transgender people] going forward.”

She then announced that a federal lawsuit would be filed against McCrory, the state, and See page 17 >>

Rick Gerharter

The Tea Room Theatre is closing Sunday.

Grove, HIV project launch new series T he National AIDS Memorial Grove and the HIV Story Project this week launched the next phase of their Surviving Voices education campaign by helping to tell the story of how the hemophilia community was impacted by the HIV/ AIDS epidemic. On Tuesday, May 10 at the grove, project director Jorge Fockele, right, prepared Jeanne

B.A.R. election endorsements SAN FRANCISCO RACES

Congress (Bay Area)

State Senate

Dist. 2: Jared Huffman Dist. 3: John Garamendi Dist. 5: Mike Thompson Dist. 11: Mark DeSaulnier Dist. 12: Nancy Pelosi Dist. 13: Barbara Lee Dist. 14: Jackie Speier Dist. 15: Eric Swalwell Dist. 17: Mike Honda Dist. 18: Anna Eshoo Dist. 19: Zoe Lofgren

Dist. 11: Scott Wiener

State Assembly Dist. 17: David Chiu Dist. 19: Phil Ting

Judges SF Superior Court Seat 7: Paul Henderson

SF DEMOCRATIC COUNTY CENTRAL COMMITTEE Dist. 17: Joshua Arce, Bevan Dufty, Zoe Dunning, Michael Grafton, Pratima Gupta, Shaun Haines, Frances Hsieh, Rafael Mandelman, Gary McCoy, Leah Pimentel, Rebecca Prozan, Alix Rosenthal, Francis Tsang, Scott Wiener Dist. 19: Kat Anderson, Keith Baraka, Joel Engardio, Mark Farrell, Sandra Lee Fewer, Tom Hsieh, Mary Jung, Rachel Norton, Marjan Philhour

CALIFORNIA PRIMARY President: Hillary Clinton U.S. Senate: Kamala Harris

Tea Room Theatre closing

by Seth Hemmelgarn

Rick Gerharter

White-Ginder, mother of Ryan White, for a taping for the project. Ryan White, after whom the federal HIV/AIDS funding program is named, was one of the first children with hemophilia to be diagnosed with AIDS. He died in 1990 at age 18. The stories will premier on World AIDS Day, December 1. For more information, visit www.thehivstoryproject.org.

O

ne of San Francisco’s last gay porn theaters is set to close this weekend.

The Tea Room Theatre, at 145 Eddy Street, which has been in business since the early 1980s and has offered customers a place to watch adult movies and performers, as well as engage in sex acts of their own, is set to close Sunday, May 15.

See page 17 >>

Legal services agency to move into LGBT center

State Assembly (Bay Area) Dist. 15: Tony Thurmond Dist. 18: Rob Bonta Dist. 28: Evan Low

State Senate (Bay Area) Rick Gerharter

Dist. 9: Nancy Skinner

CALIFORNIA PROPS Yes on 50

Jerel McCrary, managing attorney for Bay Area Legal Aid, is pleased the agency will be moving into the LGBT Community Center.

by Matthew S. Bajko

DISTRICT PROPS Yes on Measure AA

SAN FRANCISCO PROPS Yes on Props A, B, C, D, E

Remember to vote June 7!

A

legal services agency that works with low-income Bay Area residents is moving its San Francisco office into the city’s LGBT Community Center this fall.

Bay Area Legal Aid has signed a 10-year lease for the center’s entire third floor to house 24 attorneys and additional support staff. It has the option to extend it another five years, and while

the rent it is paying is below market value, the agency signed a confidentiality agreement barring it from disclosing the price.

“We knew we could not be forced out of San Francisco, as it is where all of our client population is,” said Jerel McCrary, the managing attorney of Bay Legal’s regional office in San Francisco since 2014.

See page 13 >>

{ FIRST OF THREE SECTIONS }

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Ask your healthcare provider if ODEFSEY is right for you.

To learn more visit ODEFSEY.com

Please see Brief Summary of Patient Information with important warnings on the following pages.

5/4/16 3:48 PM

Brief Summary of Patient Information about ODEFSEY ODEFSEY (oh-DEF-see) (emtricitabine, rilpivirine and tenofovir alafenamide) tablets

Important: Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist about medicines that should not be taken with ODEFSEY. There may be new information about ODEFSEY. This information is only a summary and does not take the place of talking with your healthcare provider about your medical condition or treatment.

What is the most important information I should know about ODEFSEY? ODEFSEY can cause serious side effects, including: •

•

•

•

Build-up of lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis). Lactic acidosis may happen in some people who take ODEFSEY or similar medicines. Lactic acidosis is a serious medical emergency that can lead to death. Lactic acidosis can be hard to identify early, because the symptoms could seem like symptoms of other health problems.

Call your healthcare provider right away if you get any of the following symptoms which could be signs of lactic acidosis: –

feel very weak or tired

–

have unusual (not normal) muscle pain

–

have trouble breathing

–

have stomach pain with nausea or vomiting

–

feel cold, especially in your arms and legs

–

feel dizzy or lightheaded

–

have a fast or irregular heartbeat

Severe liver problems. Severe liver problems may happen in people who take ODEFSEY. In some cases, these liver problems can lead to death. Your liver may become large and you may develop fat in your liver. Call your healthcare provider right away if you get any of the following symptoms of liver problems:

What is ODEFSEY? ODEFSEY is a prescription medicine that is used to treat HIV-1 in people 12 years of age and older: •

who have not received HIV-1 medicines in the past and have an amount of HIV-1 in their blood (“viral load”) that is no more than 100,000 copies/mL, or

•

to replace their current HIV-1 medicines in people who have been on the same HIV-1 medicines for at least 6 months, have a viral load that is less than 50 copies/mL, and have never failed past HIV-1 treatment.

It is not known if ODEFSEY is safe and effective in children under 12 years of age or who weigh less than 77 lb (35 kg).

When used to treat HIV-1 infection, ODEFSEY may help: •

Reduce the amount of HIV-1 in your blood. This is called “viral load”.

•

Increase the number of CD4+ (T) cells in your blood that help fight off other infections.

Reducing the amount of HIV-1 and increasing the CD4+ (T) cells in your blood may help improve your immune system. This may reduce your risk of death or getting infections that can happen when your immune system is weak (opportunistic infections).

ODEFSEY does not cure HIV-1 infection or AIDS. You must keep taking HIV-1 medicines to control HIV-1 infection and decrease HIV-related illnesses.

Ask your healthcare provider about how to prevent passing HIV-1 to others. Do not share or re-use needles, injection equipment, or personal items that can have blood or body fluids on them. Do not have sex without protection. Always practice safer sex by using a latex or polyurethane condom to lower the chance of sexual contact with semen, vaginal secretions, or blood.

Who should not take ODEFSEY? Do not take ODEFSEY if you also take a medicine that contains: • carbamazepine (Carbatrol®, Epitol®, Equetro®, Tegretol®, Tegretol-XR®, Teril®)

–

your skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow (jaundice)

–

dark “tea-colored” urine

–

light-colored bowel movements (stools)

•

dexamethasone (Ozurdex®, Maxidex®, Decadron®, BaycadronTM)

–

loss of appetite

•

dexlansoprazole (Dexilant®)

–

nausea

•

esomeprazole (Nexium®, Vimovo®)

–

pain, aching, or tenderness on the right side of your stomach area

•

lansoprazole (Prevacid®)

•

omeprazole (Prilosec®, Zegerid®)

•

oxcarbazepine (Trileptal®)

•

pantoprazole sodium (Protonix®)

•

phenobarbital (Luminal®)

•

phenytoin (Dilantin®, Dilantin-125®, Phenytek®)

•

rabeprazole (Aciphex®)

Do not run out of ODEFSEY. Refill your prescription or talk to your healthcare provider before your ODEFSEY is all gone.

•

rifampin (Rifadin®, Rifamate®, Rifater®, Rimactane®)

•

rifapentine (Priftin®)

–

Do not stop taking ODEFSEY without first talking to your healthcare provider.

•

the herb St. John’s wort or a product that contains St. John’s wort

–

If you stop taking ODEFSEY, your healthcare provider will need to check your health often and do blood tests regularly for several months to check your HBV infection. Tell your healthcare provider about any new or unusual symptoms you may have after you stop taking ODEFSEY.

You may be more likely to get lactic acidosis or severe liver problems if you are female, very overweight (obese), or have been taking ODEFSEY or a similar medicine for a long time.

Worsening of Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. ODEFSEY is not approved to treat HBV. If you have HBV and take ODEFSEY, your HBV may get worse (flare-up) if you stop taking ODEFSEY. A “flare-up” is when your HBV infection suddenly returns in a worse way than before.

–

ODEC0007_SpreadD_BayAreaReporter_9.75x16.indd 4-5

What should I tell my healthcare provider before taking ODEFSEY? Before taking ODEFSEY, tell your healthcare provider if you: • have liver problems including hepatitis B or C virus infection •

have kidney and bone problems

•

have had depression or suicidal thoughts

•

have any other medical conditions

•

are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if ODEFSEY can harm your unborn baby. Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant while taking ODEFSEY.

Pregnancy registry: there is a pregnancy registry for women who take HIV-1 medicines during pregnancy. The purpose of this registry is to collect information about the health of you and your baby. Talk with your healthcare provider about how you can take part in this registry.

•

•

are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed if you take ODEFSEY. –

You should not breastfeed if you have HIV-1 because of the risk of passing HIV-1 to your baby.

–

At least one of the medicines in ODEFSEY can pass to your baby in your breast milk. It is not known if the other medicines in ODEFSEY can pass into your breast milk.

–

Talk with your healthcare provider about the best way to feed your baby.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

•

•

Some medicines may interact with ODEFSEY. Keep a list of your medicines and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist when you get a new medicine.

•

You can ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist for a list of medicines that interact with ODEFSEY.

•

Do not start a new medicine without telling your healthcare provider. Your healthcare provider can tell you if it is safe to take ODEFSEY with other medicines.

How should I take ODEFSEY? •

Take ODEFSEY exactly as your healthcare provider tells you to take it. ODEFSEY is taken by itself (not with other HIV-1 medicines) to treat HIV-1 infection.

•

Take ODEFSEY 1 time each day with a meal.

•

Do not change your dose or stop taking ODEFSEY without first talking with your healthcare provider. Stay under a healthcare provider’s care when taking ODEFSEY.

•

Do not miss a dose of ODEFSEY.

•

If you take too much ODEFSEY, call your healthcare provider or go to the nearest hospital emergency room right away.

•

When your ODEFSEY supply starts to run low, get more from your healthcare provider or pharmacy. This is very important because the amount of virus in your blood may increase if the medicine is stopped for even a short time. The virus may develop resistance to ODEFSEY and become harder to treat.

•

•

•

ODEFSEY may cause serious side effects, including: •

•

See “What is the most important information I should know about ODEFSEY?”

Severe skin rash and allergic reactions. Skin rash is a common side effect of ODEFSEY. Rash can be serious. Call your healthcare provider right away if you get a rash. In some cases, rash and allergic reaction may need to be treated in a hospital. If you get a rash with any of the following symptoms, stop taking ODEFSEY and call your healthcare provider right away: –

fever

–

skin blisters

–

mouth sores

–

redness or swelling of the eyes (conjunctivitis)

–

swelling of the face, lips, mouth or throat

–

trouble breathing or swallowing

–

pain on the right side of the stomach (abdominal) area

–

dark “tea-colored” urine

–

feel sad or hopeless

–

feel anxious or restless

–

have thoughts of hurting yourself (suicide) or have tried to hurt yourself

Change in liver enzymes. People with a history of hepatitis B or C virus infection or who have certain liver enzyme changes may have an increased risk of developing new or worsening liver problems during treatment with ODEFSEY. Liver problems can also happen during treatment with ODEFSEY in people without a history of liver disease. Your healthcare provider may need to do tests to check your liver enzymes before and during treatment with ODEFSEY. Changes in body fat can happen in people who take HIV-1 medicine. These changes may include increased amount of fat in the upper back and neck (“buffalo hump”), breast, and around the middle of your body (trunk). Loss of fat from the legs, arms and face may also happen. The exact cause and long-term health effects of these conditions are not known.

Changes in your immune system (Immune Reconstitution Syndrome) can happen when you start taking HIV-1 medicines.

Your immune system may get stronger and begin to fight infections that have been hidden in your body for a long time. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you start having any new symptoms after starting your HIV-1 medicine.

New or worse kidney problems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare provider should do blood and urine tests to check your kidneys before you start and while you are taking ODEFSEY. Your healthcare provider may tell you to stop taking ODEFSEY if you develop new or worse kidney problems.

Bone problems can happen in some people who take ODEFSEY. Bone problems may include bone pain, softening or thinning (which may lead to fractures). Your healthcare provider may need to do tests to check your bones.

The most common side effects of rilpivirine, one of the medicines in ODEFSEY, are depression, trouble sleeping (insomnia), and headache.

The most common side effect of emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide, two of the medicines in ODEFSEY, is nausea.

Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away.

• These are not all the possible side effects of ODEFSEY. For more information, ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist.

•

What are the possible side effects of ODEFSEY?

Depression or mood changes. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any of the following symptoms:

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

This Brief Summary summarizes the most important information about ODEFSEY. If you would like more information, talk with your healthcare provider. You can ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist for information about ODEFSEY that is written for health professionals.

For more information, call 1-800-445-3235 or go to www.ODEFSEY.com.

Keep ODEFSEY and all medicines out of reach of children.

Issued: March 2016

ODEFSEY, the ODEFSEY Logo, GILEAD, the GILEAD Logo, and GSI are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies.

All other trademarks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners. © 2016 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. ODEC0007 05/16

5/4/16 3:48 PM

<< Community News

6 • BAY AREA REPORTER • May 12-18, 2016

t

Meth in Nix’s system FESTIVITIES may be from prescription

by Seth Hemmelgarn

T

he San Francisco Medical Examiner’s office has determined that methamphetamine found in the system of San Francisco resident Dennis Nix, who died in a hit-andrun crash last year, may have been a byproduct of a prescription drug.

Nix, 60, was fatally struck while riding his scooter near his Ingleside district home November 22. Brendan Wallace, 33, who allegedly hit Nix with his car and fled, and Heinz Raimol “Rymo” Cortado, 34, who’s accused of picking up Wallace after the crash, have pleaded not guilty to charges in the case. Both men are from Daly City.

The medical examiner’s original report on Nix, made public in March, said that amphetamine and methamphetamine were found in Nix’s system.

Those details upset Nix’s friends, who insisted that Nix, a well-known financial planner, used only prescription drugs.

After the medical examiner’s initial report, a doctor informed the agency that Nix had a prescription for Adderall, which can be used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity

BEGIN@

Dennis Nix

disorder and narcolepsy.

Subsequent testing was performed, and Christopher Wirowek, the medical examiner’s deputy director, said this week that the agency’s report would be amended to say, “The amphetamine in the blood may be a reflection of the decedent’s prescription use of Adderall. The methamphetamine in the urine may be a byproduct of prescription Adderall. This report is amended to reflect this interpretation. The cause and manner of

death are unchanged.”

The medical examiner’s office had already determined the cause of death was “multiple blunt force injuries,” including skull fractures and fractured ribs. Nix’s death was an accident, the agency says.

Michael D’Arata, Nix’s best friend and power of attorney, said in an email about the amendment that he’s relieved the issue can “finally be put to rest and that Dennis’ memory can be restored to a place befitting the kind and giving man that he was: one who spent a good part of his life working on issues very dear to the gay community and one who bequeathed hundreds of thousands of dollars to charities supporting and benefiting the LGBT community.”

The amended report will be provided to attorneys for both the defense and the prosecution in the criminal case.

Online versions of the Bay Area Reporter’s previous coverage of this story have been updated to reflect the new information.

Wallace and Cortado are set to have a preliminary hearing June 3, where a judge will determine whether there’s enough evidence to hold them for trial.t

Ex-worker files complaint against VA center

by Seth Hemmelgarn

an affidavit from Martin in which he “engaged in the most despicable, lesbian who worked for the insidious kind of lesbian stereotypSan Francisco Veterans Affairs ing” in an attempt “to cover his ass.”

Medical Center is claiming through Murray said that in Martin’s acCliffs_FESTIVITIES.indd 1 5/3/16 10:26 AM an Equal Employment Opportunity count, he’d “twisted” the words complaint that she faced discrimishe’d used to describe Moore “trynation while working there. ing to dominate me.” She declined Marea Murray, 56, of Oakland, to share a copy of the affidavit. a licensed clinical social worker, Sherrill said she’d been instructed joined the medical center in Deto refer questions to VA attorney cember 2012 on a temporary apVanessa Lichtenberger, who didn’t pointment, which was terminated respond to an interview request. in August 2015.

This isn’t the first time that MurAccording to Shaun May, a ray has complained an employer spokesman for the law firm reprelet her go because of her sexual senting Murray, she “was passed over orientation. San Francisco Superior for permanent positions” in favor of Court records show that in 2006, she people with less experience and who filed a complaint against the Henry Marea Murray were straight.SPRING In her complaint filed Ohlhoff House drug and alcohol in December 2015, Murray claims treatment center, which does busiWe’ve got m she was terminated as part of a “hosready to ness as Ohlhoff Recovery Programs. chael Jake Martin, approached her ride tile work environment” based on her Among other things, she claimed about the case, she said, Moore “acsex and as reprisal for her pointing she’d been wrongfully terminated in cused me of going over his head to to problems she was having. (Fedretaliation for her raising concerns his boss, which I didn’t do.” eral law doesn’t specifically prohibit that she was being harassed because She said Moore told her the conpeople from being fired because of of her sexual orientation. The case flict would affect her performance Hybrid/City their gender identity or sexual orienwas settled in 2007. evaluations.

In copies of evaluations Hybrid/City Kid’s tation, but the government’s ban on Murray, who said, “I won that she provided to the Bay Area Repeople being fired because of their case,” said she’d been “harassed by a porter, Moore rated several areas of sex may be used instead.) straight male psychiatrist” at Ohlhoff. her work as “exceptional.”

In an interview, Murray said that “I’m not somebody who likes Murray told Martin about what in September 2013 she was supto sue,” Murray said. “These were had happened but “he didn’t do Road posed to be “the next person in situations where they did nothing anything,” and “the harassment line” for a permanent position, but Now to protect me, and that is part Op of the continued for months,” she said. it went to someone who’d come to HAPPY job of supervisors, to protect people “All he wanted to talk about was this Ever y Thurs the agency after her, and who wasn’t from harassment.” case, and I had20% 30 to 35 other cases.” take OFF a Road Mountain even interviewed for the new job.

Murray said she’s about to start a Moore declined to comment for “I found that suspicious,” she new job. this story, referring questions to said. “It felt very unfair.”

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A February 2016 letter from the medical center spokeswoman Judi Then, Murray said, she and a suVA’s Office of Resolution ManageCheary, who said she didn’t know pervisor who had “significantly less ment in Los Angeles to Heather about the case and couldn’t comEvery Thursday in April between 4 & 7pm experience than I did” started havWhite, Murray’s attorney, says it ment on “ongoing litigation.” Martake 20% OFF all parts, accessories & clothing.* 1065 1077 Vale ing a conflict over “a very compli- & had determined Murray’s “claim tin didn’t respond to an interview SALES 415-550SPRING cated case” involving a veteran who *Sales*Sales limited to stock ononhand. of harassment” related to the 2015 limited to stock hand. request.

Mon.Sat. 1 was living with AIDS. complaint “passes the severe or m In September 2014, Murray said, We’ve got valenci Murray, who said, “I’ve done pervasive requirement for further supervisor Kathryn Sherrill was “agready to ride AIDS work for 30 years,” said the processing. While a single isolated gressive” toward her and told Mursupervisor “started harassing me. event typically is not sufficiently ray that she’d been doing some “fact He wanted me to do something that pervasive to state a claim of harassfinding” on her.

I didn’t think was appropriate for ment, it is noted that your client has “We know you’re a seasoned this veteran. ... I thought it could do a prior [Equal Employment Opporsocial worker, but you’re intense,” him harm.” tunity] case of harassment” that’s Murray said Sherrill told her.

1065 & 1077 Valencia (Btwn 21st & 22nd St.) • SF Hybrid/City She declined to share details of “currently pending hearing” at the “If you’re a woman and you’re SALES 415-550-6600 • REPAIRS 415-550-6601 the situation, citing the vet’s priEqual Employment Opportunity called ‘intense,’ that means you’re vacy, but she said the supervisor was Commission. angry, or crazy, or both,” Murray Mon.- Sat. 10-6, Thu. 10-7, Sun. 11-5 Dennis Moore.

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Community News>>

t Women’s Building to celebrate 45 years with party

by Heather Cassell

T

he Women’s Building will mark its 45th anniversary with a gala celebration next week that will bring out founding members, past leaders, community members, and local artists.

Co-founder Roma Guy and the first executive director, Carmen Vazquez, will be present at the party.

“This is the dream of all women around the world where you have an organization like this where you feel supported, you feel safe, [and] you feel that you can be yourself,” said Teresa Mejia, the Women’s Building’s current executive director.

From the moment she stepped into the Women’s Building Mejia wanted to work there. She applied for a job and she didn’t get it, but was soon hired as the receptionist and the information and referral coordinator. That was 18 years ago.

“The Women’s Building has been an amazing example of women coming together and getting things done,” said Kelly Lockwood, a 50-year-old lesbian who is the finance and human resources director.

Vazquez, who now is the director of the LGBT health services unit of the AIDS Institute for the New York Department of Health, said she would deliver a short keynote address at the celebration.

“The Women’s Building is a living, breathing expression of women’s power,” Vazquez said in an email. “The power to create, to nurture, to struggle and fight. She is a political symbol of our strength and a literal expression of how rooms of our own are portals to imagination, hope, and resilience. May she stand tall for generations of women to come.”

If these walls could talk

The building, with its well-known exterior mural, relived its historic past recently as filming took place for When We Rise, Dustin Lance Black’s ABC miniseries about San Francisco’s LGBT rights movement, based on the memoir of longtime gay activist Cleve Jones. Women dressed in 1970s-style clothing took over the building as they recreated central moments of the LGBT and women’s movements as a reporter entered the building last Friday.

The flames of the women’s and lesbian-feminist movements were burning bright when a group of women came together in 1971. The founders’ goal was to provide a place for emerging women’s organizations and a safe space for women to advocate for each other at what was then known as San Francisco’s Women’s Centers on Brady Street.

The women outgrew the space in less than a decade and made an unprecedented move when they bought Dovre Hall, a former Sons of Norway meeting hall and neighborhood bar, in 1979, making it the first women-owned community center in the U.S. Little did the founders know how important the decision to buy the building would be nearly half a century later as nonprofits, particularly women’s organizations, struggle as the tech industry continues to change San Francisco’s cityscape and drive rents sky high. The high cost of office space – and the cost of living for community organizations’ employees – has driven many nonprofits out of San Francisco.

“It’s a refuge in many ways for those marginalized communities that can come here,” said Mejia, 59, who earns around $40,000 a year working part-time. She couldn’t stress enough the importance of ownership and what it symbolizes to women to have a building and a center to call their own.

“They know that we will be here

May 12-18, 2016 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 7

because we are not going to lose the building because it’s our building,” she said.

“People say they are so happy that we are here,” added Lockwood.

“Even if they don’t walk through our doors, it’s a symbol.”

For four and a half decades the Women’s Building has served and celebrated women. The recognizable MaestraPeace Mural that adorns the building’s exterior and celebrates powerful women was created in 1994.

Since opening its doors, the Women’s Building, which operates on a budget of nearly $1 million, has served more than 1 million women; incubated and sponsored 170 emerging organizations, including the Lavender Youth Recreation and Information Center; and provided a safe space for women and the LGBT community to come together, said Mejia, who’s a straight ally.

Over the years, though, the organization has changed.

“In the beginning it was very queer, it was very lesbian,” said Lockwood.

The lesbian majority has dwindled to two employees and one board member.

“The community that we are serving is different than when it started,” Lockwood said.

Jane Philomen Cleland

Women’s Building Executive Director Teresa Mejia talks about the importance of the space as the organization turns 45.

The work isn’t done

Upstairs on the fourth floor Mejia has been going about the business of addressing women’s needs today.

There has been a dramatic increase in the use of services provided by the Women’s Building during the past three years, said Mejia, who hasn’t forgotten her roots.

A feminist immigrant from Puerto Rico, Mejia has been leading the

building since 1998. She is focused on serving immigrant and low-income women, including transgender women, who have been part of the most recent wave of women to walk through the front doors of the building.

Over the years, the Women’s Building’s purpose has grown from its lesbian-feminist foundation to continuing to serve low-income women and their families. It assists 25,000 clients and visitors each year seeking a variety of services from the building and the nine women’s organizations that call the building home.

Services include helping women job seekers, English as a second language tutoring; computer training; wellness classes; and a weekly food pantry. There’s also legal and tax assistance, information and referral services, and room rentals for community events.

Many of the clients are women and children escaping violence, particularly those fleeing Latin America, said Mejia. The building’s staff have also witnessed a growing number of women seeking second or third jobs in order to support their families.

Women – no matter where they come from – are equal in the eyes of the Women’s Building’s 18 staff

members, seven of whom are fulltime and the rest are part-time, said Mejia.

“It’s safe and it’s fair. They know what we stand for and that’s really important,” said Lockwood.

That’s one of the reasons that Mejia has agreed to be on the advisory committee of a new women’s building in New York, which is currently in progress and spearheaded by the Novo Foundation.

A vision for the future

Here at home, Mejia hopes to bring increased stability to the Women’s Building as she and the board continue to put money into a rainy day reserve and maintain the financial structure for the building and the organization. She also plans to continue increasing staff salaries and benefits to maintain livable wages in the face of skyrocketing costs of living and operating in San Francisco and the Bay Area.

“We work from our heart, but if we are advocating for the well-being of women and all or most of our employees [who] are women, we have to pay good salaries,” Mejia said. “Every year we’ve been able to increase the salaries and benefits of the employees.”

See page 18 >>

Scott Wiener An Effective Leader for State Senate

• Authored legislation adding rent controlled units to our housing stock and legislation to streamline construction of affordable housing

• Passed groundbreaking environmental legislation

requiring solar panels and water recycling in new buildings

• The leading voice for improving and investing in our public transportation system locally and regionally

• Stood up to insurance company efforts to raise prices on life-saving prescription drugs

• Leads the fight every year to backfill cuts and ensure full funding for HIV care and prevention services

• Addressing the housing and health needs of our aging LGBT population

• Secured funding to support housing, education and meal programs for at-risk LGBT youth

ENDORSED BY:

Senator Mark Leno

EQUALITY CALIFORNIA

VICTORY FUND

Paid for by Scott Wiener for State Senate, 4035 18th Street, San Francisco, CA 94114. FPPC #1378224. Paid Political Advertisement.

SWienerBarAd.indd 1

5/10/16 12:51 PM

<< Open Forum

8 • BAY AREA REPORTER • May 12-18, 2016

Volume 46, Number 19 May 12-18, 2016 www.ebar.com PUBLISHER Michael M. Yamashita Thomas E. Horn, Publisher Emeritus (2013) Publisher (2003 – 2013) Bob Ross, Founder (1971 – 2003) NEWS EDITOR Cynthia Laird ARTS EDITOR Roberto Friedman BARTAB EDITOR & EVENTS LISTINGS EDITOR Jim Provenzano ASSISTANT EDITORS Matthew S. Bajko • Seth Hemmelgarn CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Ray Aguilera • Tavo Amador • Race Bannon Erin Blackwell • Roger Brigham Brian Bromberger • Victoria A. Brownworth Brent Calderwood • Philip Campbell Heather Cassell • Belo Cipriani Richard Dodds • Michael Flanagan Jim Gladstone • David Guarino Liz Highleyman • Brandon Judell • John F. Karr Lisa Keen • Matthew Kennedy • Joshua Klipp David Lamble • Max Leger Michael McDonagh • David-Elijah Nahmod Paul Parish • Sean Piverger • Lois Pearlman Tim Pfaff • Jim Piechota • Bob Roehr Donna Sachet • Adam Sandel • Khaled Sayed Jason Serinus • Gregg Shapiro Gwendolyn Smith • Sari Staver • Jim Stewart Sean Timberlake • Andre Torrez • Ronn Vigh Ed Walsh • Cornelius Washington Sura Wood ART DIRECTION Jay Cribas PRODUCTION/DESIGN Max Leger PHOTOGRAPHERS Jane Philomen Cleland • FBFE Rick Gerharter • Gareth Gooch Lydia Gonzales • Jose Guzman-Colon Rudy K. Lawidjaja • Georg Lester • Dan Lloyd Jo-Lynn Otto • Rich Stadtmiller Steven Underhil • Dallis Willard • Bill Wilson ILLUSTRATORS & CARTOONISTS Paul Berge • Christine Smith ADVERTISING/ADMINISTRATION Colleen Small VICE PRESIDENT OF ADVERTISING Scott Wazlowski – 415.829.8937 NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE Rivendell Media – 212.242.6863

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Wiener for state Senate

S

an Francisco voters, along with those in some northern San Mateo County cities, have an opportunity to send a qualified gay man to Sacramento in Scott Wiener, who’s seeking to replace a fellow gay man, Mark Leno, in the District 11 state Senate seat. We endorse Wiener in this race, as he’s the one candidate who’s able to hit the ground running on numerous state and regional issues. During his time on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, Wiener has been one of the hardest working members, taking on issues other supervisors don’t want to handle or forging his own legislative agenda, with an emphasis on housing and transportation, both of which are critical to San Francisco’s – and the Bay Area’s – future success.

If elected, Wiener promises to bring that same tenacity to the Capitol.

It’s important to know that once Wiener sets his mind on something, he pushes until he succeeds, or often tries again if he doesn’t.

When his ballot measure for a tax on sugary beverages fell short of the two-thirds vote it needed to pass in 2014, Wiener and Supervisors Malia Cohen and Eric Mar came back with another approach: an ordinance requiring health warnings on posted soda ads in San Francisco. It passed but is being challenged in court. When a bunch of nudists took over Jane Warner Plaza a few years back, Wiener first tried legislation that required a towel to be placed on the seats nudists used. When that didn’t work, he passed legislation to ban public nudity in the city, with the exceptions of some street fairs and festivals, like the San Francisco LGBT Pride parade.

That’s the kind of attitude we need in Sacramento. For years, lawmakers like Leno and gay former Assemblyman Tom Ammiano have tried to pass reforms to the Ellis Act, a state law that allows landlords to get out of the rental

Rick Gerharter

District 11 state Senate candidate Scott Wiener

business by evicting tenants. Neither was successful, unfortunately. Now, with affordable housing becoming an issue statewide, the time may be right for Wiener to push through reforms. “I’m not a fan of the Ellis Act,” Wiener told us during an editorial board meeting, adding that it was “sold at the time” as a benefit for small property owners. “It’s gone well beyond that,” he said.

But there are other housing needs too, and Wiener said the state has a broader role to play in affordability issues. He favors stronger incentives to add more housing and affordable housing and noted that the state “is really the only one that can create those incentives.”

On transportation, Wiener has been a leader for years. He serves as chair of the San Francisco County Transportation Authority and is a member of the Metropolitan Trans-

t

portation Commission, the Bay Area’s regional transit body, and the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway, and Transportation district’s board.

He’s a supporter of high speed rail and told us it should start in the Bay Area, where there aren’t alignment issues like in Los Angeles. As an advocate of regional investments, Wiener would work well with the Bay Area’s legislative delegation to help secure critical state and federal funding for BART improvements and other key projects, like extending high speed rail to Caltrain.

On health issues, he would like to expand San Francisco’s Getting to Zero HIV prevention plan statewide. A component of the plan is getting more people on PrEP, the once-a-day pill that’s been shown to prevent HIV; Wiener himself began taking PrEP in 2014. He’d also like to work on HIV decriminalization laws (they have been put on the back burner in recent years, he said, and he’d like to get them “back on the middle burner”).

Wiener has proved during his five years on the Board of Supervisors that he can get legislation passed – one of the latest and most important was an expanded parental leave law that Mayor Ed Lee recently signed. We are confident he will bring that same work ethic to Sacramento. He’s the right candidate to replace Leno, who has endorsed him. San Francisco has a history of sending exceptionally qualified people to the state Legislature.

Wiener would continue that trend, and more importantly, he’ll be able to effectively work with his colleagues to develop more regional approaches to some of the Bay Area’s biggest issues.

Wiener and his main opponent, Supervisor Jane Kim, are both expected to advance to the November general election after the June 7 primary, so we will see more campaigning in the months to come. But make no mistake, for LGBT voters, Wiener is the top choice and we endorse him for state Senate.t

Yes on all ballot measures

P

roposition A: Public Health and Safety Bond. Yes. This measure authorizes general obligation bonds in the amount of $350 million. The funds are to be used for necessary public health and safety measures including seismic stability for San Francisco General Hospital (Building 5), as well as repairs and upgrades at neighborhood fire stations and health clinics. Twenty million dollars is provided for homeless sites and services. Prop A requires approval by two-thirds of the votes cast. It will not require an increase in taxes, as it will be funded by the retirement of previous bonds now retired. Vote Yes on Prop A.

reform step in trying to build confidence in the SFPD and making the process more transparent. Vote Yes on Prop D.

Jane Philomen Cleland

Proposition B: Charter Amendment: Dogs play in Duboce Park, one of San Francisco’s Park, Rec and Open Space Fund. Yes. Locals numerous parks and open spaces that will benefit and visitors alike are proud and sometimes from Proposition B. astonished by the mere size and amount of public parks and spaces in San Francisco. The for a case-by-case review by the planning comcrown jewel, Golden Gate Park, is 20 percent mission and the Board of Supervisors. If the larger than its famed counterpart, Central Park review process reveals that the 25 percent goal in New York. But much of the parklands are on is not attainable due to economic restraints, life support, seriously underfunded and survivthen the Board of Supervisors has the authoriing from crisis to crisis. Necessary infrastructy to set a different affordable housing requireture is back-burnered while individual brush ment that economically permits the developfires are put out (pun intended). A park fund ment of new housing to go forward. This will set aside was created in 2000 that was intended bring flexibility to the process and encourage to improve the situation. It expires in 2030. But the maximum amount of affordable housing. when the great recession hit in 2008 Vote Yes on Prop C. and severely impacted city revenue, park funding through the city budProposition D: Initiative Ordiget was slashed. This measure will nance: Office of Citizen Complaint restore the share of the general fund Investigations. Yes. San Francisco share that preceded the recession and has fully joined the national discussion will extend the park fund for an adon racial bias and police misconduct, ditional 15 years until 2045. We are particularly following the shooting normally hesitant is support setof Mario Woods on December 2. asides and prefer the normal budget And unlike many cities, San Franprocess to address shortfalls as they cisco has encouraged a thorough arise. But the shortfalls are not being adequately review of police policies and procedures. The addressed through the budget process and the police commission has begun a review of the parks and open spaces are too important to its department’s use-of-force policies, and, at the residents and visitors to permit any further derequest of Mayor Ed Lee and Police Chief Greg terioration. We support this set aside. Vote Yes Suhr, the U.S. Department of Justice’s commuon Prop B. nity policing unit has launched a review of the Proposition C: Charter Amendment: Affordable Housing Requirements. Yes. Current city law mandates at least 12 percent affordable housing in any new residential development. This measure removes the 12 percent mandate in current law and substitutes a goal of 25 percent affordable units. It provides

police department. This measure would mandate a review of all officer-involved shootings resulting in death or injury, even in the absence of a citizen’s complaint. The current structure of the OCC requires a complaint before an investigation can be opened. Many people do not know that they need to file a complaint or what the process is. This measure is a necessary

Proposition E: Initiative Ordinance: Paid Sick Leave. Yes. Currently paid sick leave for employees is governed by two different sets of laws: city and state. Often state law provides greater protection than city law. The purpose of this measure is to amend city law to include certain provisions that parallel or accommodate state law so that by complying with city law, the employer will also be in compliance with state law. The revisions called for do not reduce any existing protections under city law. Vote Yes on Prop E. District Measure AA: San Francisco Bay Clean Water, Pollution, and Habitat Restoration Program. Yes. This regional measure proposes a $12 a year parcel tax for 20 years to raise $25 million a year for clean water, pollution prevention, and habitat restoration projects in nine Bay Area counties.

It will generate some $500 million over its 20year term that will be used to leverage funding from state, federal, and philanthropic sources.

It requires two-thirds of all votes cast. It would generate funds to restore bay wetlands and shelter bay communities from flooding and storm surge. Preservation of our San Francisco Bay should be a top priority for all of us who are fortunate to live in this beautiful corner of the world. Vote Yes on Measure AA. State Proposition 50: Suspension of Legislators. Yes. If a member of the state Legislature is suspended by a two-thirds vote of the body’s membership for misconduct (think Leland Yee), s/he continues to receive pay and benefits and may also vote on laws or perform other legislative actions. This state proposition would permit the legislative body (either the Senate or the Assembly) to suspend the pay and benefits of the legislator for all or a part of the suspension. This proposition also prohibits a suspended legislator from voting on proposed laws or otherwise taking actions as a legislator during the period of the suspension.

While its critics worry that it could be used by a majority party to deny due process, on balance it is a common sense political reform measure. Vote Yes on State Proposition 50.t

t

Letters >>

Endless filming for TV show

May 12-18, 2016 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 9

The hubris displayed by the people responsible for deciding the filming of Cleve Jones’ vanity piece When We Rise must take place on two successive weekends in the Castro is beyond the pale. On April 30, May 6 and 7 the entire Castro business community was brought to its financial knees as the neighborhood was shut down to nearly all but the film crew so Gus Van Sant, Lance Black, et al could film the few scenes not being shot in Vancouver.

With “no parking” signs flooding the neighborhood, 311 texting a warning, and police directing traffic away, commerce soon ground to a halt on all three days the Castro was invaded by “Hollywood.” This, while the bulk of the financial benefits of filming this series were sent across the border to Canada. Sam, long time owner of Rossi’s Deli, who sells beverages, foodstuffs and other incidentals, complained to me that his business was off nearly 40 percent on Saturday, May 7. This was only one merchant’s experience and that’s income that will never be recovered.

The negative financial impact on businesses in the neighborhood could have been lessened had the filming taken place during the historically slower weekdays.

The leadership of the Castro Merchant’s group had an opportunity to exert some influence in this regard. Apparently choosing instead to continue its history of a lack of both vigilance and due diligence, it simply allowed its

members and others to suffer the financial consequences of this roughshod treatment by ABC and Film SF. I’m guessing the $1,500 the group received was enough to keep the collective mouth of its board silenced about the obscenity of this disregard for the commercial district.

Lastly, one hopes the damage to the rainbow crosswalk I observed on Sunday, May 8; done as a result of covering of the crosswalk by the film crew, will have been repaired by the time this letter sees print. However, given the history of this debacle, I’m not holding my breath!

Patrick Batt San Francisco

Backing Wiener in state Senate race

I am very disappointed in the endorsement of Jane Kim by Bevan Dufty in last week’s Bay Area Reporter [“Jane Kim for state Senate,” Guest Opinion, May 5]. We have an extremely qualified gay man, Scott Wiener, to fill the seat of incumbent Senator Mark Leno.

I happen to know Dufty and am surprised that he would endorse such a left-leaning candidate. Wiener has been an excellent supervisor and I am proud of his service. I’ve lived and worked in the Castro for over 50 years and know my neighborhood.

James Robinson San Francisco

Gay former SF school board prez seeks to return

by Matthew S. Bajko

M

ark Sanchez, a gay man who served eight years on the San Francisco Board of Education, including two years as president, is now seeking this fall to be elected again to the oversight body.

Should he win, it would mark the return of LGBT representation to the school board since he left in early 2009, shortly after losing a bid to become San Francisco’s District 9 supervisor in November 2008.

In an interview this week, Sanchez, 53, also noted that there hasn’t been a Latino or an educator serving on the school board since he left.

While bringing those experiences to the board is partly why he decided to run for election this year, he said another motivating factor is the need for teacher housing.

“I think, probably, really we are not moving fast enough frankly on teacher housing,” said Sanchez, noting the district needs to hire 500 teachers this year, similar to last summer. “The kids having the most trouble with their education get more adversely affected by teacher turnover because it happens more often on the east side of town.”

He would like to see the district turn underutilized properties it owns into affordable housing for teachers. There are possible sites “in the Bayview, in Twin Peaks, in the Richmond district, in the Mission” that could be redeveloped, said Sanchez.

Currently principal of Cleveland Elementary School in the city’s Excelsior district, where he has been for five years, Sanchez expects he will have to quit his job if elected, similar to his having to leave the district when he first won a school board seat in 2000.

“I was advised by the city attorney’s office to resign from the district. They told me there was no legal precedent about it but still felt it was the best thing to do,” recalled Sanchez, who was hired as a teacher in Redwood City when he was on the board. “So I am prepared to, if I have to, leave in January if elected.”

So far, with four school board seats on the November ballot, Sanchez is the only LGBT candidate in the running among the six candidates who have declared their intent to run.

Fellow gay educator Karling Aguilera-Fort was planning to run.

Mark Sanchez is running for a seat on the San Francisco school board, where he once served several years ago.

But last Friday, he announced via Facebook his withdrawal from the race due to being accepted into the International Doctoral Program for Leadership and Social Justice. With the deadline to file later this summer, it is possible another out candidate will enter the race.

There is one open seat this election cycle, as current school board member Sandra Lee Fewer, rather than run for re-election, is seeking the open District 1 supervisor seat. School board members Rachel Norton, Jill Wynns, and Matthew Haney are all seeking re-election this fall.

Sanchez, who this week secured the endorsement of the teacher’s union, believes he has a serious shot of rejoining the school board.

“I have good name recognition,” he said. “Just the fact I am an educator and have been working in the district 23 years, I have a lot of support.”

Sanchez will officially kick-off his campaign Sunday, May 22. The event will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. at El Rio, 3158 Mission Street. Donations of any amount up to the legal limit will be accepted.

Compton’s street-naming advances at City Hall

A proposal to rename the 100 block of Taylor Street as Gene Compton’s Cafeteria Way is one step closer to reality.

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors’ Land Use Committee voted Monday, May 9 to send the proposal to the full board with a positive recommendation. It is expected that the supervisors will endorse the name change at their May 17 meeting.

Supervisor Jane Kim introduced the resolution last month as a way to honor the transgender patrons

of the former eatery who protested police harassment one night in 1966.

The city’s two gay supervisors, Scott Wiener and David Campos, are cosponsors, as is Supervisor Aaron Peskin, who voted to endorse the name change in committee this week.

If approved, it would be an honorary street name, meaning it would not impact the mailing addresses for businesses and residences on that block. And due to the limited space available on street signs, the name may be shortened to merely Compton’s Cafeteria Way. Kim has been working with transgender advocates and city officials to expedite the process so that the new street signs can be unveiled at the end of this year’s Trans March, set to take place Friday, June 24.

“We are getting the word out so people know about Compton’s and not just Stonewall,” said Trans March vice co-chair Jasmine Gee. “We want the whole city and Bay Area and country to know about Compton’s Cafeteria. So thank you for getting this done for us.”

Gee was referring to the more famous riots over police harassment that occurred at the gay bar in New York City in 1969. President Barack Obama is widely expected to designate the Stonewall Inn next month part of the first national monument honoring LGBT history.

DCCC candidate changes safe injection site stance

Last week the Bay Area Reporter’s online Political Notes column reported that, of the 34 candidates running on the June primary ballot for seats on the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee who turned in the paper’s questionnaire, Gary McCoy was the only one to express an outright objection to having the city open a safe injection site for intravenous drug users.

But after hearing from friends who work in public health about the benefits such a site can provide, and learning more about Vancouver’s program, McCoy has changed his stance.

“Provided we can connect people to adequate wrap-around services from supervised injection sites similar to Vancouver, I am unequivocally dedicated to this initiative and am happy to advocate for supervised injection sites to become a reality in San Francisco,” McCoy told the B.A.R. “Truth lies in the data, and the data indicates this is an effective method of caring for those with addiction – something I personally am in active recovery from.”t

Barry Schneider Attorney at Law

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<< Commentary

10 • BAY AREA REPORTER • May 12-18, 2016

Creating a problem

by Gwendolyn Ann Smith

I

had once erroneously thought that 2014 or 2015 was going to be the year of “pee politics,” with clashes over trans bathroom rights taking up a fair amount of the time spent in fighting for transgender rights. Little did I know what 2016 had in store.

The biggest issue remains House Bill 2 in North Carolina, which is a battle that continues. Governor Pat McCrory remains defiant, even after the United States Department of Justice informed him that the law violates the Civil Rights Act of 1964. On Monday he announced the state would file a lawsuit against the federal government.

While McCrory likes to blame “liberal Democrats” for somehow forcing his hand on HB 2 – even after a report from the Charlotte News and Observer made it clear that both business leaders and other lawmak-

ers tried to steer McCrory away from the legislation – it is the stroke of his pen that moved the trans rights movement to another level.

He is right, of course. None of this happened in a vacuum, and fights over transgender access to public accommodations have been ongoing for some time. Anti-trans bathroom laws have especially taken off in the wake of Obergefell v. Hodges, last year’s U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized samesex marriage nationwide.

McCrory likes to claim that it was Charlotte’s expansion of protections based on gender identity and sexual orientation that somehow forced him into action, citing “major public safety issues” in a February 21 email.

“This shift in policy could also create major public safety issues by putting citizens in possible danger from deviant actions by individuals taking improper advantage of a bad policy,” said McCrory.

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not transgender people – into women’s rooms at Target, presumably to frighten and harass women in these facilities.

To date, there have been no proven instances of people using transgender bathroom rights in the way McCrory or the AFA claim. Instead, their actions are causing vastly more issues than actually exist when transgender people are allowed to use their proper facilities.

Christine Smith How did we get here? In lice at this Target over the policy. an attempt to score political In Dallas, a man who followed points in an election year, an exJessica Rush into the women’s room tremely toxic environment toward challenged her. He claimed that transgender people has been created Rush, who is not transgender, was – as if the record levels of anti-trans“dressed like a man” and was using gender violence and murder were the wrong facilities. not enough. For nearly 20 years I’ve Joey Salads, of YouTube fame, spoken out against anti-transgender donned a bad wig and floral dress violence, but never before have and attempted to get responses to we been fighting this hard for our following women into restrooms humanity. and claiming to be “a transgender.”

One final story, and this one Or so it seemed: Zinnia Jones dedid not happen in a bathroom: In bunked his video on her Gender Montreal, just one hour north of Analysis YouTube channel. the New York border, a man entered Oh, and we’re back to the AFA. the Metropolitan Center of Surgery.

Sandy Rios, who serves as the direcHe had an ax, a machete, and a can tor of government affairs for the orof gasoline. He then set fire to an ganization, addressed the bathroom operating room. The clinic is where issue on the Breitbart News Daily Dr. Pierre Brassard performs gender radio show. reassignment surgeries.

“I think there’s no question when It feels like we’re rapidly apyou say that there are no barriers in proaching a flashpoint. One of these the bathroom. The net effect will confrontations will turn violent, or be that people will not be stopped,” we’ll see more “anti-abortion style” said Rios. “We’ve already had people attacks on our caregivers. All thanks testing this, going into Targets and to governors like McCrory and men trying to go into bathrooms. groups like the AFA, who felt they There is absolutely no barrier.” could score some political points.t Now, perhaps AFA simply wanted more signatures on its online petiGwen Smith hopes everyone tion, but what Rios just admitted stays safe. You can find her at was that they were sending men – www.gwensmith.com.

‘Beyond Two Genders’ film screening to benefit PFLAG SF

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Once again, McCrory was right in his concern – but, again, not quite in the way he may have been suggesting.

After HB 2 became law, many musicians canceled performances in North Carolina, and many businesses shifted jobs and money out of the state. A handful of businesses have gone on record that all their bathrooms are trans friendly, most notably Target.

The Target policy has led to two important developments.

First, the American Family Association started an online petition, allowing people to sign onto a boycott of Target over the policy. AFA says that the petition now has more than 1.2 million signatures, but it is an unsecure online form that allows anyone to sign, multiple times, meaning that its claim is suspicious at best.

Second, it has led to a slew of reported cases of non-transgender people causing disruptions in bathrooms to either protest the policy, or to “police” restrooms for their possible use by transgender people.

Ellie DeLano, on http://www.singlemomtism.com, writes of being spied on in the restroom by another woman, who stated in her defense, “Target lets men and homosexuals use just any bathroom now. I was making sure you were a woman.”

Michael L. Merichko was charged with disorderly conduct after protesting the policy in a Bradley, Illinois Target store. On a video on his Facebook page, Marichko said, “I don’t want some wicked pervert in the same bathroom as my wife or my daughter.”

This was his second run-in with po-

t

5/6/16 12:44 PM

n award-winning local documentary about people who identify as neither male nor female will be screened Saturday, May 14 at San Francisco’s Roxie Theatre.

Three to Infinity: Beyond Two Genders, directed and produced by Berkeley filmmaker Lonny Shavelson, tells the stories of 11 people who consider themselves genderqueer, agender, gender neutral, or any of a number of other terms.

Shavelson, a photojournalist and radio reporter, and a number of the film’s subjects will take part in a panel discussion and answer audience questions following the film.

The screening is a benefit for PFLAG San Francisco, which works with LGBTs and straight allies.

In an interview with the Bay Area Reporter, Shavelson, 64, said he spent most of his career working half time as an emergency physician and half as a journalist. His work has been published in the New York Times, Mother Jones, and has been heard on National Public Radio.

Always on the lookout for “underreported topics,” Shavelson, who declined to say how he identifies, said that he “kept hearing about people who were genderqueer,” but saw few stories reporting on the topic.

“At first when I heard the term, I couldn’t wrap my head around it,” he said. “I asked some pretty sophisticated editors who I’d been working with and they said pretty much the same thing. We agreed it was a story that needed to be told.”

So in 2014, with several short documentaries for the Center for Investigative Reporting under his belt, Shavelson decided the subject would make an excellent full-length documentary.

Courtesy Three to Infinity: Beyond Two Genders

Filmmaker Lonny Shavelson, on scene at dinner with the Crawford family.

“This story was too rich” to be just an article or a short documentary, he said.

When he first envisioned the project, Shavelson estimated it would take three years to complete.

If he could keep the budget under $50,000, Shavelson said, he wouldn’t have to do any fundraising.

Given those limitations, Shavelson began shooting with his two digital single lens reflex cameras and a $300 Lavalier microphone.

“Given the new technology, one of my goals was to see if I could make a documentary as quickly and inexpensively as I had hoped,” he said.

Working largely alone – with occasional help from a few colleagues and a few students – Shavelson actually finished in about a year, spending under $15,000 altogether.

Although the film didn’t have a commercial release, Shavelson said he has made back his original investment “many times” through revenues from over 150 university gender studies departments that purchased the film.

Although the film was “very

popular and well received” at film festivals, Shavelson thought those represented “preaching to the choir.”

Anxious to get the message out to a wider audience of students who might be less gender knowledgeable, Shavelson spent “a lot of time” contacting professors at colleges and universities with gender studies programs and learned there was tremendous interest in the topic.

“I made the film because I was fascinated, and stunned, by the idea that thousands of years of thinking about only two genders will be, in the next decade or so, completely altered.

“Yes, the vast majority of us will still be male or female. But many will not be either. And the way we think about gender, about masculinity and femininity, about what it means to be male or female, will be forever changed,” he said.

The film includes interviews with genderqueer people of all ages as well as a number of their family members.

See page 18 >>

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a

EGRIFTA® is not indicated to treat health issues beyond the reduction of excess abdominal VAT.

SELECTED RISK INFORMATION What is EGRIFTA ®?

• EGRIFTA ® is an injectable prescription medicine to reduce the excess in abdominal fat in HIV-infected patients with lipodystrophy. The impact and safety of EGRIFTA ® on cardiovascular health has not been studied.

• EGRIFTA ® is not indicated for weight loss management.

• It is not known whether taking EGRIFTA ® helps improve compliance with anti-retroviral medications.

EGRIFTA ® may cause serious side effects including: • Serious allergic reaction. Stop using EGRIFTA ® and get emergency help right away if you have symptoms such as a rash over your body, hives, shortness of breath or trouble breathing, swelling of your face or throat, fast heartbeat, and feeling of faintness or fainting.

• Swelling (fluid retention). EGRIFTA ® can cause swelling in some parts of your body.

• Increase in glucose (blood sugar) intolerance and diabetes.

• Injection site reactions. Change (rotate) your injection site to help lower your risk for injection site reactions. The following symptoms around the area of the injection site can occur: redness, itching, pain, irritation, bleeding, rash, and swelling.

The most common side effects of EGRIFTA ® include: joint pain, pain in legs and arms, swelling in your legs, muscle soreness, tingling, numbness and pricking, nausea, vomiting, rash, and itching.

Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away.

Please see brief summary of full Important Patient Information on next page.

Learn more at EGRIFTA.com

A Transformation From Within

IMPORTANT PATIENT INFORMATION The following is a brief summary only. See complete Prescribing Information at EGRIFTA.com or request complete Prescribing Information by calling 1-844-347-4382. This information does not take the place of talking to your doctor about your medical condition or your treatment.

What is EGRIFTA ® (tesamorelin for injection)?

• EGRIFTA ® is an injectable prescription medicine to reduce the excess in abdominal fat in HIV-infected patients with lipodystrophy. The impact and safety of EGRIFTA ® on cardiovascular health has not been studied.

• EGRIFTA ® is not indicated for weight loss management.

• It is not known whether taking EGRIFTA ® helps improve compliance with anti-retroviral medications.

Do not use EGRIFTA ® if you: • have pituitary gland tumor, pituitary gland surgery or other problems related to your pituitary gland.

• have active cancer or are receiving treatment for cancer • are allergic to tesamorelin or mannitol.

• are pregnant or become pregnant. If you become pregnant, stop using EGRIFTA ® and talk with your healthcare provider.

Talk to your doctor to find out if EGRIFTA ® is right for you.

How should I use EGRIFTA ®?

• Read the detailed “Instructions for Use” that comes with EGRIFTA ® before you start using EGRIFTA ®. Your healthcare provider will show you how to inject EGRIFTA ®.

• Use EGRIFTA ® exactly as prescribed by your healthcare provider.

• Inject EGRIFTA ® under the skin (subcutaneously) of your stomach area (abdomen).

• Change (rotate) the injection site on your stomach area (abdomen) with each dose. Do not inject EGRIFTA ® into scar tissue, bruises or your navel.

EGRIFTA ® may cause serious side effects including: • Serious allergic reaction. Some people taking EGRIFTA ® may have an allergic reaction.

Stop using EGRIFTA ® and get emergency help right away if you have any of the following symptoms: • a rash over your body • shortness of breath or trouble breathing • hives • fast heartbeat • swelling of your face or • feeling of faintness throat or fainting

• Swelling (fluid retention). EGRIFTA ® can cause swelling in some parts of your body. Call your healthcare provider if you have an increase in joint pain, or pain or numbness in your hands or wrist (carpal tunnel syndrome).

• Increase in glucose (blood sugar) intolerance and diabetes.

Your healthcare provider will measure your blood sugar periodically.

• Injection-site reactions. Change (rotate) your injection site to help lower your risk for injection-site reactions. Call your healthcare provider for medical advice if you have the following symptoms around the area of the injection site: • redness • bleeding • itching • rash • pain • swelling • irritation The most common side effects of EGRIFTA ® include: • joint pain • nausea • pain in legs and arms • vomiting • swelling in your legs • rash • muscle soreness • itching • tingling, numbness and pricking These are not all the possible side effects of EGRIFTA ®. For more information, ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist.

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

You may also report side effects to 1-844-EGRIFTA (1-844-347-4382).

®

toll-free at

For more information about EGRIFTA ®, go to www.EGRIFTA.com or contact toll-free at 1-844-EGRIFTA (1-844-347-4382). ®

Manufactured by: Jubilant HollisterStier General Partnership, 16751 Trans-Canada Highway, Montreal, Québec, Canada H9H 4J4 Distributed by: Theratechnologies Inc., 2015 Peel Street, Montreal, Québec, Canada H3A 1T8.

EGRIFTA® and EGRIFTA ASSIST ® are registered trademarks of Theratechnologies Inc. © 2016 Theratechnologies Inc. All rights reserved. 190-01-12/15

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Business News>>

May 12-18, 2016 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 13

Lesbian couple re-opens dog-washing business

by Matthew S. Bajko

O

wners of dogs in need of a good washing have a new option in outer Noe Valley at VIP Scrub Club.

The Church Street business features five cast iron tubs and a drying room with wall-mounted dryers where canine caretakers can clean up their four-legged companions. A play area in front features a teepee covered bed, tunnel, and toys for dogs to play with while they wait, and their owners will find a free selfserve coffee bar.

The business, which soft opened April 21, is more of a re-opening, as co-owners Sage Cotton and Lancy Woo took over the space a few months after the former occupant, K9 Scrub Club, closed its doors.

Apart from rearranging the layout in the entrance area, the couple kept everything else pretty much the same, from the placement of the tubs to the blue-and-orange color scheme.

“We used to come in here all the time and loved the shop,” said Cotton.

Woo, who has owned VIP Grooming on 24th Street in Noe Valley for 18 years, would refer her customers to K9, which opened in 2011.

They in turn would refer their customers to VIP. Then, in November, the owners of K9 shut down the business and moved to the East Coast. With both Cotton and Woo turning 50 this year, the women were looking for a new venture that would be less physically taxing for Woo. While she is in good shape, Woo explained that pet groomers are often working with uncooperative clients who contort them into “weird positions.” The job can result in a range of ailments, from a pulled back to carpal tunnel syndrome.

“It is fun; I get to play with dogs,” said Woo. “You do kind of have to be physically strong, because you are bent over all day and working with animals that don’t want to get worked on.”

Opening the dog-washing business, said Woo, “is a good next step for me. I have been in the grooming business over 30 years. I thought opening a self-wash would be kind of fun and a little less physical.”

Plus, it was a way for the couple, together six years and engaged to be married, to co-own a business together. Cotton has been handling administrative duties at VIP Grooming but does not have an ownership stake in the business.

“We want to create something fun and fabulous in this arena, community where people want to hang out,” said Woo.

<<

Legal services

From page 1

As the Bay Area Reporter has previously reported, the center is undergoing a major renovation of its 35,000 square foot building at 1800 Market Street. Work on the $6.5 million project began last month.

The work is expected to take at least six months, with a completion date in “late 2016,” Rebecca Rolfe, the center’s executive director, told the B.A.R. this week.

With the center consolidating its staff and office needs onto the building’s first and second floors, it allowed it to reconfigure the third and fourth floors to accommodate the needs of several local nonprofits that will be moving into new offices later this year.

McCrary began looking for new office space more than a year ago,

Rick Gerharter

Business and life partners Sage Cotton, left, and Lancy Woo wash Symka in their new VIP Scrub Club facility in Noe Valley.

The women envision using the space to host various events, from wine tastings and dog-friendly game nights to adoption days, as well as bringing in pet masseuses and psychics. They plan to begin offering full-service washing and possibly grooming services on-site.

“We will provide washing for people sooner than later,” said Cotton. “Once we get people trained. We are a month away from that.”

For now, the cost of a bath runs $25 with the tubs made available on a first-come basis. VIP Scrub Club also offers discounted packages, with six baths priced at $120. A 12-bath pack costs $210, while the 24bath package runs $360.

Each bath includes shampoo, conditioner, face wash, ear and eye wipe, and towels, plus a free dog treat. There are no size limitations for the dogs, and two dogs can be washed together for $50.

The facility carries four types of specialty shampoos that are wheat and gluten-free, as dogs can have allergic reactions to grooming products. Several of the higher-end shampoos cost extra, from $5 to $10 per bath.

“This is all high-end shampoos and conditioners used by professionals. You can’t buy them at a retail store, only if you are a groomer or have a salon,” said Woo. Also for purchase are a variety of toys and treats, including Wiley’s jerky in several flavors, $12 to $14 per 4 oz. bag, from the San Francisco-based EcoPawz.

“They work with all local farms in the area. They use products not being used for human consumption and turn it into really yummy jerky and snacks for dogs,” said Cotton.

“It is all organic and cuts of meat we would normally throw away.”

Now that they have VIP Scrub Club open, the women plan to pivot toward planning their wedding.

They have their rings but have yet to pick a date.

It will be a particularly special day for Woo, whose name was initially attached to the California lawsuit filed in 2004 seeking the right to marry for same-sex couples. The case later became known as In Re Marriage Cases when Woo and her former partner, Cristy Chung, announced in 2006 they had decided to separate.

“I was the lead plaintiff in the marriage case,” recalled Woo, “and now we are finally getting married.”

Cotton said she “was very antimarriage for years.” Yet after meeting Woo, she started to “feel that pull to having a ceremony and wanting to make a public declaration.”

VIP Scrub Club is located at 1734 Church Street. It is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday through Monday. For more information visit https://vipscrubclub.com/.

even though the current lease does not expire until September 2017.

The rent on Bay Legal’s current San Francisco office at 1035 Market Street, which also houses the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and other groups, was set to rise from $30 a square foot to $70 a square foot.

“Everyone else in the same position said to start looking now,” said McCrary.

Had it remained in its current location, which totals 8,500 square feet spread over two floors, it would see its rent increase to $60,000 a month, said McCrary. The agency learned about the LGBT center’s planned renovation through the Northern California Community Loan Fund, which is working with Mayor Ed Lee’s administration on the city’s nonprofit mitigation program aimed at keeping such agen-

cies housed in the city.

“We had hoped to renegotiate our lease here,” said McCrary. “Then NCCLF contacted us about the center. They sort of played Yenta for us.”

To ensure the safety of its staff and clients, most of whom have experienced domestic violence, as well as safeguard confidential client records, Bay Legal leased the center’s entire third floor in order for it to be configured so there are locked entryways into the staff offices. A reception area and conference room will be built where an open atrium had been.

The agency is spending $950,000 to remodel the space to its specifications. Rather than launch a capital campaign, Bay Legal is self-financing the cost by borrowing against properties it owns in the East Bay, said McCrary.

“Given how rents are, one of the

Bartending school offers special LGBT class

For Pride Month in June, the California Academy of Bartending and Mixology in San Francisco is hosting a special class for LGBT people who want to learn the basics of making a good cocktail.

“They can come in, learn some-

thing, get a few drinks and walk away with some knowledge,” said Mike Levin, director of operations for CABAM, which launched in April and is located at 1035 Market Street.

Led by two LGBT instructors, the class is set to take place from noon to 2 p.m. Sunday, June 19 at Infusion Lounge, located at 124 Ellis Street near Union Square. Participants must be 21 or older, and since it falls on Father’s Day, it could be a good present for a dad or daddy.

The class is geared toward people who want to entertain at home but may be fearful of manning the bar and mixing drinks for their guests.

“We introduced this class because we know the school isn’t for everyone. Instead of an intensive two-week program, we built a oneday ‘get out of the house and do something’ class around the core concepts people can use at home for fun, to throw amazing parties, and save them money doing so,” explained Levin. “Not only that, but they also get to taste actual cocktails and get behind a real bar to make a drink.”

The academy also offers twoweek-long bartending courses that consist of three-hour classes five days a week. With the city seeing an explosion in cocktail bars, there is a growing need for trained bar staff.

“We have so many people coming to us looking for good bartenders,” said Levin. “On top of it, we have an events company so we need staff all the time.”

To sign up for the special Pride Month class, go to http://www. bartendingsf.com/mixologyclassschedule. Click on the book button and choose the June 19 class. After entering in your personal details and going to the payment page, enter promo code FUNMIX2016 to receive a $79 per person discount off the $199 price.

If attending the class with a friend, then enter promo code 109Special to receive a $109 per person discount.

Courtesy CABAM

Students mix drinks during a class of the California Academy of Bartending and Mixology.

things that makes it possible for us to contemplate paying nearly $1 million for tenant improvements is because the rent is so reasonable,” he said. “It was an immense relief to know we had some rent security amidst all that is happening with rents in San Francisco.”

Increase in services to LGBTs

By housing Bay Legal’s San Francisco staff in the LGBT center, the agency expects it will see more LGBT clients. The agency has a long history of working within the LGBT community, noted McCrary, a gay man who began with Bay Legal in 1989 as a staff attorney in the family law unit focused on domestic violence cases.

Back then the agency was known as the San Francisco Neighborhood Legal Assistance Foundation. It changed its name in 2001 when it

For more information about CABAM, call 415-861-1000 or visit http://www.bartendingsf.com/.

Worn Out West names new tailor

Also just in time for the summer Pride and fetish fair season, Worn Out West 2nd Generation in the Castro has a new leather tailor.

In April Gene Broley took over as the in-house tailor to assist customers of the upper Market Street shop with their tailoring needs. His services run the gamut from repairs and refitting clothing to designing custom outfits, such as a kilt he created for a customer headed to Minneapolis’ Pride celebration.

Prices vary, from $15 for re-sizing or fixing a broken strap to upwards of $300 or more for custom pieces.

For now Broley, who last month married Mike Holland, the store’s owner, works Mondays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

A fashion design student at the Art Institute of California, Broley plans to increase his hours during his school recess. Worn Out West is located at 2352 Market Street; Broley can be reached at (628) 444-3211.

Rotary starts Castro chapter

Rotary International, the 111year old global philanthropic organization helping to eradicate polio, among other service projects, is establishing a new chapter covering San Francisco’s gay Castro district and the adjacent Noe Valley neighborhood.

The new group held its first meeting in February, where more than a dozen people attended. The next monthly get-together will take place the evening of Tuesday, May 17.

“Each of the clubs are unique to their own community. There are eight clubs in San Francisco, and the only community not served by this is Castro/Noe,” said Danielle Lallement, who was the charter president in 2013 and 2014 for the Rotary Club of San Francisco Evening chapter.

The organization began in Chicago, and San Francisco was its second locale. Today Rotary counts 1.2 million members who work on different public service projects in their hometowns.

The new Castro/Noe chapter has yet to finalize how much its yearly dues will be to become a member.

The meeting next week will begin at 6:30 p.m. at a private residence in the Castro and feature a presentation from the Trevor Project, an LGBT youth agency.

For the address, visit the chapter’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CastroRotary/?fref=ts.t Got a tip on LGBT business news?

Call Matthew S. Bajko at (415) 8298836 or e-mail m.bajko@ebar.com.

merged with several other county organizations.

“I think it is a real opportunity for us to have a closer connection with the community to let people know the services we do here. I am really excited about this for us,” said McCrary, who in the past worked with Rolfe when she served as executive director of San Francisco Women Against Rape in the mid to late 1990s.

The agency has a close working relationship with the National Center for Lesbian Rights, having teamed in the past on a project focused on domestic violence in same-sex couples. Other projects it has worked on over the years have focused on transgender individuals, LGBT seniors, and the East Bay’s LGBT community.

See page 17 >>

<< Community News

14 • BAY AREA REPORTER • May 12-18, 2016

Lambda Legal names new CEO compiled by Cynthia Laird

L

ambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, one of the country’s top LGBT public interest legal groups, has announced its next chief executive officer to replace the retiring Kevin Cathcart.

Rachel B. Tiven was named by the board of directors to lead the New York-based organization and is expected to start in the position this summer.

Tiven, 41, served as executive director of Immigration Equality for eight years, during which the group won many victories for LGBT and HIV-positive immigrants. For the past two years she has led Immigrant Justice Corps, the nation’s first fellowship devoted to representing immigrants.

“Rachel’s track record of strengthening and growing missiondriven organizations into national forces for legal, political, and social change made her the clear choice to lead Lambda Legal going forward,” Tracey Wallace and Stephen Winters, co-chairs of the agency’s board, stated in a May 2 news release announcing the selection.

“The list of victories yet to be won is long, and requires a leader who can ensure equality and dignity for our community, our families, and all our loved ones. We’re confident Rachel is the leader to take us forward.”

Tiven, who identifies as a queer woman, is a graduate of Harvard College and Columbia Law School.

In the release, Cathcart, who has led Lambda Legal for 24 years, said he was impressed with Tiven’s leadership when she built Immigration Equality “into a force for

The workshop is timed LGBT immigrants and to the San Francisco Housasylum-seekers.” ing Authority (http:// “She is a fierce fighter www.sfha.org), which is for our community, and accepting online applicaan experienced legal and tions for its waiting list for political strategist who project-based voucher, or gets results,” Cathcart PBV, units through midadded. “I look forward to Courtesy Lambda Legal night May 18. working with her during Incoming Lambda this transition.”

Tiven said that she is Legal CEO Rachel Dyke March fundraiser excited about the new B. Tiven The Dyke March will be position. having a fundraising party Saturday, “It is our job to end discrimiMay 14 from 2 to 8 p.m. at El Rio, nation everywhere in America, 3158 Mission Street in San Francisco. wherever it happens; to protect our According to organizers, the partners and our children through“Super Big Gay Dance Party” will out their lives; and to fight for every feature raffle prizes, including Framember of our community,” she meline film festival tickets, a ticket said in the release. “I am so honored to Russian River Women’s Weekend, to join the talented team of lawyers, and goodies from Good Vibrations advocates, staff, and supportand Mr. S Leather. ers who make up the Lambda Admission is $7 before 3 p.m. and Legal family.” $10-$500 after 3. For more informaA Lambda Legal spokestion, visit https://www.facebook. man said that Tiven necom/events/1714239858830048/. gotiated her contract with the board and Historical society that salary and other receives challenge grant information would be The GLBT Historical Society has reported, as required, received a $5,000 challenge grant to on the agency’s future help offset moving costs as it relotax filings. Lambda Legal’s 2013 cates its offices and archives. The Form 990 showed that Cathcart society announced in March that it earned $353,276 in salary and other had signed a lease on a 6,500 square compensation. foot space at 989 Market Street.

Q Foundation, library The Excelerate Foundation will holding computer workshop match support from new donors In an effort to help those who need dollar for dollar up to $5,000. The subsidized housing, Q Foundation campaign ends Saturday, May 14. (formerly the AIDS Housing Alliance/ Terry Beswick, executive direcSan Francisco) and the San Francisco tor, said in an email that the sociPublic Library will hold a free comety would be hosting special “hard puter workshop that will help people hat” preview tours of the new space learn how to apply online. for all who donate to the moving The session takes place Friday, campaign.

May 13 from noon to 4 p.m. at the “We’re working hard at the GLBT main library, 100 Larkin Street.

Historical Society to prepare for

future growth, which I believe is vital to our mission,” Beswick said.

“We’re relying on continued support from the community to make this growth possible.”

To donate, visit https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/update-queerhistory-is-still-on-the-move - /.

In related fundraising news, Beswick announced at last week’s Castro Merchants meeting that the society will be bringing back its gala after a hiatus. The event is planned for October 15 in the Green Room at the War Memorial Building.

Elizondo to be honored at TNDC dinner

The Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation will recognize longtime transgender activist Felicia Elizondo at its 35th birthday dinner Tuesday, May 17 at the Fairmont Hotel, 950 Mason Street in San Francisco.

Elizondo, 69, will receive the Brother Kelly Cullen Service Award for her years of involvement in the Tenderloin community.

Event co-chairs are Janet and Clint Reilly. Michael Finney from ABC 7 will serve as emcee. The event is TNDC’s largest of the year, with about 500 donors, volunteers, sponsors, and partners expected to attend.

A reception will be held at 6 p.m., followed by the dinner and program at 7. Tickets are $250 and can be purchased at http://www.tndc.org/ news-events/tndcbirthdaydinner/.

SF Pride to hold kick-off party

The San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration Committee hopes to get an early start on Pride season with a kick-off party Tuesday, May 17 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Lookout bar and lounge, 3600 16th Street.

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SF Pride board member Gary Virginia said people will have a chance to meet grand marshals, honorees, Cheer-SF, Bay Area Reporter society columnist Donna Sachet, and other special guests. Sister Roma of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence will serve an emcee, while Sergio Fedasz will be the DJ. There will be complimentary appetizers and drink specials. Those attending get a free raffle ticket upon arrival. Admission is a minimum of $15, up to $250.

Virginia noted that May 17 is also the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, with over 600 events happening worldwide.

For more information, contact Virginia at garyv@sfpride.org.

SFMTA to host parking permit meetings

San Francisco’s residential parking permit program wants to hear from residents at a series of neighborhood community meetings.

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency is seeking public engagement and input to improve the residential parking permit program, which has been largely unchanged for 40 years. SFMTA is seeking to update the program, align it with the city’s transportation goals and policies, and improve customer service for permit holders.

Meetings are being held in the supervisorial districts in May and June.

For District 9, a meeting is scheduled for Thursday, May 19 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the City College of San Francisco Mission campus, 1125 Valencia Street. The meeting in District 6 will take place Wednesday, June 1 from 6 to 8 p.m. at St. Anthony’s, 150 Golden Gate Avenue. The See page 18 >>

NCLR gala focuses on justice

by Khaled Sayed

S

ocial justice was one of the themes at this year’s National Center for Lesbian Rights gala, as speakers and honorees talked about the intersection between LGBTQ rights and the fight for racial equality.

Sending a powerful message to the more than 2,000 people who attended the Anniversary Celebration, Black Lives Matter co-founders Alicia Garza, Patrisse Kahn-Cullors,

and Opal Tometi received NCLR’s Justice Award.

Garza, who accepted the award on behalf of the women – the other two had scheduling conflicts – said that Black Lives Matter is an ideological and political intervention in a world where black lives are systematically and intentionally targeted for demise.

“It is an affirmation of black folks’ contributions to this society, our humanity, and our resilience in the face of deadly oppression,” she said.

EXPLORE THE GAY WORLD

The Black Lives Matter National Network started as a call to action following the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the 2012 killing of Trayvon Martin. It grew in prominence two years later after the police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and promulgated an international conversation about anti-black racism, American democracy, and the experiences of black people across the globe.

NCLR Executive Director Kate Kendell, who was also recognized for her 20 years at the helm of the LGBT civil rights and legal organization, said that each of the honorees “has demonstrated incredible perseverance to stand up for what’s right, becoming role models to every single one of us.”

“They are visionaries who refuse to accept that the systems of oppression cannot be undone,” Kendall said. “They are teaching others to embrace their transgender sons and daughters, and to fight for our families. We applaud the commitment of our honorees to fulfilling the promise of equality and justice for all members of our community.

Their leadership gives us great hope for our future.”

The organization’s Liberty Award was given to Tiara and Sheena Yates, who were high school sweethearts.

They became civil union partners in New Jersey in 2011 and married three years later. They conceived their youngest child, who is now nearly 3, using a known sperm donor through at-home insemination.

But the sperm donor sued them for custody and visitation. NCLR and Lowenstein Sandler LLP helped the women get the case dismissed.

“NCLR stood beside us and

Khaled Sayed

Black Lives Matter co-founder Alicia Garza accepted the Justice Award from the National Center for Lesbian Rights at the organization’s Anniversary Celebration May 7.

worked tirelessly for us during the most emotional experience of our lives,” Sheena Yates said. “When Tiara’s rights as a parent were challenged, we were devastated, but we weren’t going to sit by and do nothing. With NCLR at our side, we won.”

NCLR also awarded Ryland Whittington and his family the Courage Award. NCLR worked closely with Ryland, an 8-year-old transgender boy who won the hearts of millions when his supportive parents, Jeff and Hillary, shared his inspirational journey through a YouTube video that went viral.

“We are humbled to be recognized by NCLR and the LGBT community with this award.” Hillary Whittington said. “We made a promise to Ryland that we would do anything and everything possible to help him. We never imagined that

by sharing our journey we would help thousands of people around the world embrace and celebrate their transgender children.”

NCLR’s gala was timed to its 39th anniversary. The night started out with dinner at the Marriott Marquis, then moved to City View at Metreon for a party.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton sent a video message to the event.

Clinton said that over the past decade NCLR has helped change minds, hearts, and laws.

“You take a groundbreaking approach to LGBT issues that has transformed the legal landscape in America,” she said in the video.

“That is why NCLR’s mission is so important. You are taking out discrimination from the workplace, health care, and housing. You are making sure America lives up to its legacy as a nation of immigrants.

NCLR is fighting for racial justice and working to end the dangerous cruel practice of a conversion therapy, and teaching our children that they were born perfect.”

Clinton concluded her message by stressing the challenges that still face the LGBT community.

“But our work is far from over.

We need to break down all the barriers holding Americans back and we need to build an America where no one can get married on Sunday and be at risk to getting fired on Monday just because of who they are and who they love,” Clinton said.

Lesbian retired Superior Court Judge Donna Hitchens founded NCLR in 1977 when she was fresh out of law school and eager to make a difference. NCLR continues to shape the legal landscape for LGBT people.t

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Community News>>

May 12-18, 2016 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 15

Doughty to be honored by Openhouse

by Sari Staver

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oger Doughty, longtime president of the Horizons Foundation, will receive the Founders Award from Openhouse at its annual Spring Fling benefit Sunday, May 15 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, 5 Embarcadero Center in San Francisco.

Openhouse is a nonprofit founded in San Francisco in 1998 to address the needs of LGBT seniors. It is currently nearing completion on the first phase of the 55 Laguna senior housing complex.

Seth Kilbourn, the outgoing executive director of Openhouse, said in an email that the agency is honoring Doughty “because of his tireless, visionary work on behalf of us all.”

“As president of Horizons Foundation he has championed Openhouse with facilities, advice, networking, credibility, and funding,” Kilbourn said. “More broadly, Roger has created a powerful incubator for

the Bay Area LGBT community, especially by advancing LGBT visibility and community coherence and resourcefulness. He tirelessly works to keep valuable LGBT assets in the community, most recently with a campaign to raise a permanent fund at the foundation. We’re grateful to him and want the whole community to know it.”

Doughty, 55, who has led the Horizons Foundation since 2002, told the Bay Area Reporter in an interview that he was “deeply honored and humbled” to be selected for the award.

“Openhouse has a vision for the community as well as a willingness to take risks to achieve it,” he said.

From the mid-1980s to the mid1990s, Doughty, a gay man, served in several volunteer leadership positions and worked as an attorney specializing in LGBT refugees and asylum. In 1997, he got his first job as what he calls “a professional homosexual,” becoming the director of

programs at the Los AnOpenhouse’s staff and geles LGBT Center. Soon board when the two after, he served as execuagencies shared office tive director of Chicago’s space for several years in LGBT community center the Flood Building in the – now known as the Cenearly 2000s. Beginning ter on Halsted – before in 2000, the Horizons returning to California Foundation has awarded and the Bay Area in 2002.

Openhouse with grants Since 2002, Doughty totaling almost $400,000, has led Horizons Foun- Horizons President Doughty said. dation, which he said is Roger Doughty “We’re incredibly the world’s first LGBT proud of the partnership community foundation. we’ve had and to see how far they’ve In Doughty’s time at Horizons, come,” Doughty added. the foundation has grown nearly “So many people – starting with 10-fold, and brought millions of the founders themselves – have dollars to community organizabrought Openhouse to where it tions, Kilbourn said. stands today. My role has been modDoughty has also led the foundaest relative to that of so many, and tion in developing a long-term stratall of the visionaries, volunteers, and egy based on planned giving to secure staff have my admiration and gratiand protect the rights, meet the needs, tude,” said Doughty in a statement. and celebrate the lives of LGBT people Doughty also talked about the permanently, Kilbourn added. needs of LGBT seniors.

Doughty said he got to know “LGBTQ elders face – and will

face – every one of the challenges that confront all elders in this country. And then some,” he said. “More worryingly, neither society at large nor the LGBT community is prepared to help elders sufficiently to meet these challenges. If we are to do so – as a society and as a community – it will take not only significantly greater financial resources but the kind of moral commitment that fuels all great social undertakings.”

At the Spring Fling, Openhouse is also honoring Diana Nyad, who at the age of 64, in her fifth and final attempt, successfully fulfilled her lifelong dream of completing the 110mile swim from Cuba to Florida on September 2, 2013. Nyad, a lesbian, was considered the world’s top long distance swimmer in the 1970s. She declined an interview request.

Spring Fling takes place from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $200.

For more information, visit https:// openhouse-sf.org/fling/.t

Project Open Hand celebrates longtime HIV survivors

by David-Elijah Nahmod

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Artist Patrick Brandt will feature some of his paintings at a Project Open Hand dinner for long-term HIV/AIDS survivors.

o longer the automatic death sentence it once was, HIV/ AIDS has become a manageable condition that most are able to live with in relative good health for many years. With more and more HIV-positive people living 20-30 years beyond their initial diagnosis, Project Open Hand is co-hosting a dinner and art auction as a celebration of survivors’ lives.

The event takes place Saturday May 14, from 4:30 to 7 p.m. at Project Open Hand’s second floor grocery center, 730 Polk Street in San Francisco.

“The long-term survivor’s community has not had a voice for

The munities

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so long,” Ryan Barrett, manager of wellness programs for Project Open Hand, told the Bay Area Reporter. “It’s a community finally starting to get the recognition it deserves.”

Project Open Hand was founded in 1985 to deliver nutritious meals to people living with AIDS. The organization has since expanded its services to include those with critical illnesses, such as breast cancer. It also operates a senior lunch program.

The May 14 celebration is a collaboration between Project Open Hand and Jesus Herberto Guillen Solis, who moderates HIV Long Term Survivors, a closed Facebook group.

The event will include spoken word and musical performances, and three artists will be displaying their works. One piece can be purchased via silent auction at the event’s Facebook page, proceeds to benefit Project Open Hand. Other pieces can be purchased directly from the artists on Saturday.

Performers include Solis, Hank Trout, Nelson D’Alerta, and Joseph Leonardi.

Barrett said that he was pleased to be putting together an event that would recognize the lives of longterm survivors.

“No other community has lost so many people at such a high rate and at such young ages,” Barrett said.

“Yet they’ve been ignored.”

Patrick Brandt, a gay man, is one of the artists whose work will be seen at the dinner. Brandt has been HIV-positive since 1992 – he began painting in 2000.

“I’m concerned about the way that HIV/AIDS is being portrayed by the media, in education, and in medical offices,” Brandt told the B.A.R. “The magazines have hunky and beautiful models smiling, like as if to say ‘It’s fun to have HIV. Everyone should have it.’ So, of course, rather than pushing condoms, which guard against a magma of sexually transmitted diseases, pills are pushed. Drug companies love that.”

See page 17 >>

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Distributed widely throughout SF and the Bay Area, our annual PRIDE editions offers the most comprehensive coverage and resources for the estimated one million+ people who attend the annual parades and celebrations.

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5/11/16 1:42 PM

<< Sports

16 • BAY AREA REPORTER • May 12-18, 2016

Gay Games, Outgames to open registration

by Roger Brigham

T

wo months ago the Gay Games and the World Outgames ended talks to combine events for 2022.

This month both events will launch participant registrations for the upcoming cycle.

The Paris Gay Games, scheduled for August 4-12, 2018, opens its registration first, more than two years before opening ceremonies,

on Friday, May 13, in conjunction with the start of Tournoi International Paris, an annual LGBT sports and cultural festival that typically draws 2,000-3,000 athletes and performers.

Gay Games 10 organizers said they will offer discount early bird online registration fees through the end of May. According

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to the Paris Gay Games website, “Gay Games 10 registration fees will increase regularly between June 2016 and December 2016, and then again in December 2017.”

Earlier, Paris organizers dropped bodybuilding from its sports program and received permission from the Federation of Gay Games to add fencing and open water swimming. According to San Francisco’s Martha Ehrenfeld, FGG sports officer, Paris was concerned about bodybuilding’s low participation numbers in recent Gay Games, venue expense, complicated rules, and little local support.

“The FGG is committed to supporting the Bodybuilding Guild’s return to the Gay Games in 2022,” Ehrenfeld said. “In the past, bodybuilding has been an iconic part of the Gay Games sports program, attracting large numbers of participants and healthy ticket sales.”

The changes bring the total number of sports offered in Gay Games 10 to 37. Cultural events include French and English improv performance, a choral festival, and symphony concerts.

Gay Games 10 will be preceded by three days of sports conferences.

The August 1 conference will focus on sports as a tool against discrimination. The second day will focus on sports as a tool for health and well-being, and the third day will focus on sports as a tool for accessibility and equality.

More information on registration and events are available at http:// www.paris2018.com/en.

sports, culture, and conferences.

The World Outgames human rights conferences are not restricted to sports issues. Miami has called for abstracts in three areas: promoting inclusivity in sports; health and wellness; and global social justice.

The World Outgames were first held in 2006 in Montreal to rival the Gay Games and lost more than $4 million. They were next held three years later in 2009 in Copenhagen, and have been scheduled for fouryear intervals since. Associated continental Outgames for Asia Pacific (Auckland) and North America (St. Louis) this year were canceled by organizers.

Federation of Gay Games sports officer Martha Ehrenfeld

Outgames

The http://www.outgames.org website indicates that registration for World Outgames Miami would open in June, but recent event newsletters now indicate registration will open May 26 – just one year before the May 26-June 4, 2017 event is held in Miami Beach. The initial general registration fee is scheduled to be $150.

The website lists 33 sports events, from dominos and chess to billiards and poker, and a 34th event – bridge – was announced in the event’s newsletter this week. No information was available about specific sport dates or venues.

Both the Gay Games and the World Games initially projected 15,000 participants. The Gay Games is still projecting that; the World Outgames now projects 10,000 participants in

Local MLB LGBT games

The Oakland A’s will hold their second Pride Night Tuesday, June 14, with a 7:05 p.m. start against the division rival Texas Rangers. Special event tickets come with a rainbow headband for field level purchase and a pre-game party, and partial proceeds benefit AIDS Project East Bay, Our Space, and the Rainbow Community Center. For ticket information and purchase, go online to m.mlb.com/athletics/tickets/ info/pride.

The San Francisco Giants will hold their annual LGBT Night during Pride weekend, with a Friday, June 24 game against the Philadelphia Phillies at 7:15 p.m. Purchase of the special event ticket includes access to a pre-game party and a special edition LGBT-themed Giants trucker hat. For ticket information and purchase, visit the special events section of sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com.t

Agencies get funds to reduce mental health disparities

44 Gough Street, Suite 204, San Francisco, CA 94103

by Seth Hemmelgarn

T

Celebrating Great Memories San Francisco Columbarium

Meet Your Neighbors

We are pleased to present WESLA WHITFIELD in concert & Cheese Open House with MIKEWine GREENSILL at the piano You’re invited to mix and mingle with the people who will one day share your permanent San Francisco address.

Friday, July 19, 2013 2—5pm

RSVP Required: (415) 752-8791

Saturday, May 28, 1pm – 2:30.

1 Loraine Court—San Francisco, CA 94118 Limited seating/parking.

he state’s public health department is providing several Bay Area nonprofits with millions of dollars over the next five years in order to reduce mental health disparities among LGBTQs and others.

In a news release, state Public Health Director Dr. Karen Smith said that the project “is an important step toward ensuring access to culturally and linguistically competent mental health services.”

The groups receiving funding “will serve as key players in our effort to achieve health and mental health equity for all Californians,” Smith said in the May 2 announcement. The agency is awarding Implementation Pilot Projects as part of Phase II of the California Reducing Disparities Project, which aims to cut mental health disparities across LGBTQ, African American, Asian and Pacific Islander, Latino, and Native American communities.

The state health department said in its announcement that the projects’ primary goal “is to validate community-defined evidence-based practices through rigorous evaluation.”

The LGBTQ groups receiving

funding are Asian and kind of trauma,” includPacific Islander Wellness ing sexual abuse and havCenter and Openhouse ing to engage in sex work, in San Francisco; Gen“so their mental health der Spectrum in Alamneeds are high,” she said. eda County; and On the API Wellness Center, Move in Napa County. which will be collaboratThe first three agencies ing with the LGBT Comexpect to get about $1.1 munity Center on the million over five years. project, will also use the Staff at On the Move de- Dr. Karen Smith money for evaluation. clined to be interviewed.

Kwan said the funding Ming Ming Kwan, offers “a unique opportuAPI Wellness Center’s director of nity” to take something that’s combehavioral health and community munity-based and turn it into someprograms, said the funding would thing that’s “scalable, replicable, and be used for clients in the nonprofit’s adaptable for other communities.”

Trans Thrive program, which operIn response to emailed questions, ates a drop-in clinic and provides supoutgoing Openhouse Executive Diport groups, among other services. rector Seth Kilbourn and programs “We’re going to be implementing a director Michelle Alcedo said most communication skills-building curof the funds will be used to build riculum designed specifically for the capacity around programs meant transgender community,” Kwan said. to reduce social isolation and boost The aim of the lessons will be to access to “LGBTQ-aging affirming give people skills to communicate mental health services,” along with with their allies, partners, and others similar work. in the community. They’ll be learn“We are very excited about this ing de-escalation skills, among other grant because older adults – espetools, “all around how they’re able to cially LGBTQ older adults – are overinteract with the world,” Kwan said. looked in mental health research,” “Most of the people who access See page 18 >> Trans Thrive have experienced some

Obituaries >> Jack Lamar Brady July 23, 1960 – May 2, 2016

Call (415) 771-0717 to save a seat inside the historic San Francisco Columbarium.

Jack, aka “Dobbin” to his family, left to spread his smile, and joyful personality to another world in the early morning hours of May 2. His husband of 18-plus wonderful years, Christopher Auzston, was at his side as he passed at home. It was a blessing to be his caretaker, and at his side during his most intimate time. Jack defined dignity in his death.

Jack came to San Francisco in 1982 from

1 Loraine Court, SF 94118 Refreshments provided after the performance.

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Fitzgerald, Georgia. He met his late partner, Bruce Eric Maher, who passed in 1997. Jack met Chris via online HIV-positive Personal Postings in February 1998. We met for our first date March 12, fell in love, became inseparable, and eloped to Hawaii for our first wedding on July 19, 1998. Thanks to the Hawaii Legislature, the wedding would not be recognized. Jack was a waiter at Mama’s and Harris’s restaurants, and a manager at Boudin Bakery at Fisherman’s Wharf.

In November 2001, we moved to Guerneville, and after California legalized marriage, we re-married on our 10-year anniversary, July 19, 2008, on the back deck of our home, supported by several close

friends. Jack volunteered for Forgotten Felines of Sonoma County, the Rio Nido Sunrise Community Garden, and at Curtain Call Theatre. In addition to his husband, Jack is survived by their four fur-kids; his sisters, Linda McCook and Connie Johns, of Fitzgerald; and Ann Brady of Florida; and brother, Andy, of Valdosta, Georgia.

He was preceded in death by his parents, William and Lillian; and brothers Herman and Ricky.

Jack was always a friendly light going to each person with a smile, and an ability to make them feel better about themselves.

“RIP my sweetheart, I love you to the moon and back!” A remembrance gathering is being planned.

t <<

Community News>>

Tea Room

From page 1

The theater’s one of the last gay businesses in the Tenderloin district, which was once home to many gay bars and bathhouses and served as the city’s gay hub, long before the Castro earned that distinction.

Steve Angeles, who’s worked at the theater for several years, said Monday that he didn’t know many of the details of the situation, but “the company doesn’t make any money,” and “the rent is very expensive.”

The Tea Room tends to draw men 40 and older. Business has been steady, Angeles said, but the owner, who couldn’t directly be reached for comment, hasn’t been able to make a deal on the rent, which had already increased several times.

Angeles doesn’t know how much the current rent is. The owner’s only been signing six-month leases in recent years, he said.

Responding to many of a reporter’s questions while standing behind a metal gate in the theater’s lobby, Angeles said he doesn’t know what will happen to the space.

The main draw has been that the

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US, NC

From page 1

other North Carolina entities seeking to have the state law, known as House Bill 2, declared in violation of federal law. She said the Justice Department would also retain the option of curtailing federal funding to the state.

Lynch likened the North Carolina law to Jim Crow laws that, for decades following the Civil War, tried to segregate blacks from whites.

She also compared it to laws that attempted to ban same-sex couples from obtaining marriage licenses.

The state received more than $4 billion from the federal government in 2015 for educational programs and $1 billion for highway and transportation needs.

Noting that she is a native of North Carolina, Lynch said the bathroom law is a “pretext for discrimination and harassment” that “inflict[s] further indignity on a population that has already suffered.”

“This is not the first time that we have seen discriminatory responses to historic moments of progress for our nation,” said Lynch, referring to the laws that sought to enforce racial segregation.

“State-sanctioned discrimination never looks good and never works in hindsight,” she said. “... It was not so very long ago that states, includ-

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Legal services

From page 13

Bay Legal has offices serving seven counties in the Bay Area. Its services run the gamut, from working with youth who are low-income, homeless, or in foster care, to low-income renters facing eviction or people facing housing discrimination.

In 2014 its budget was $11 million, much of which was in federal funding. Due to the governmental support, Bay Legal is restricted to mainly working with clients whose incomes are 125 percent of the federal poverty level, though in some cases it can work with people earning up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level.

It does not track the sexual orientation of its clients, but does collect data on gender identity. The San Francisco office has seen at least 27 transgender clients, according to data McCrary provided to the B.A.R.

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Project Open Hand

From page 15

Brandt found a lot of support at the HIV Long Term Survivors forum.

“It has been a wonderful gift in increasing my social activity,” he

theater shows “brand new movies” and has a high-definition projector, Angeles said. But another attraction has likely been the Tea Room’s price.

For $15 – $10 on Tuesdays – a customer could spend practically the whole day there.

Inside the theater late Monday afternoon, the small auditorium, which has about 50 seats, was practically empty. Just two men were there when a reporter arrived. Another man, who was dressed only in his underwear and apparently does triple duty as a dancer, cashier, and manager, hunched over one of the customers as they talked quietly.

Techno music played as the current movie sat frozen on the opening credits, and blinking red, green, and white lights lined the tiny wooden stage that’s recently held four or five dancers a week.

In an area behind the auditorium, several metal lockers from an old hospital provided a space for men to leave their clothes, and a sex scene played out on a small TV that sat on top of a vending machine, where customers could buy potato chips and other snacks.

Up a short flight of stairs, men

May 12-18, 2016 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 17

wandered in and out of a room lined with a wooden bench where another porn movie was showing.

One man, a 50-year-old gay San Francisco resident who didn’t want his name published because “my significant other would not be happy about it,” said he’s come to the Tea Room for 25 years and called the theater’s closing “the end of an era.”

“Places like this have been dying off over the years,” he said, but “there’s definitely a group of people for whom this is an important place for them to express their sexuality, and you’re not going to find a lot of these people on Grindr with hot torso pics.”

Marco Ruelas, 60, stood near the vending machine drinking a Busch beer as moaning emanated from the movie in the other room.

Ruelas, a gay San Francisco resident, said he’s “sad” about the theater closing.

“I like this place, because I feel very comfortable. It’s different than other places, and I can take a beer,” he said. Sometimes he lets other men jerk him off or perform oral sex on him.

He doesn’t know where he’ll go when the Tea Room closes. The

“... It was not so very long ago that states, including North Carolina, had other signs above restrooms, water fountains, and on public accommodations, keeping people out based on a distinction without a difference.”

–U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch ing North Carolina, had other signs above restrooms, water fountains, and on public accommodations, keeping people out based on a distinction without a difference. We’ve moved beyond those dark days. ...”

McCrory signed HB 2 on March 23, setting off an onslaught of protest and media scrutiny, prompting a number of corporations and celebrities to cancel activities in the state.

While most of the widespread national media attention has focused on the bill’s requirement that people use public restrooms based on the gender indicated by their birth certificate, the law also prohibits any local jurisdiction in the state from enforcing non-discrimination laws to punish any discrimination beyond that based on race, religion, color, national origin, age, biological sex, or handicap. The latter

provision is aimed at undoing local ordinances that prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Vanita Gupta, the principal deputy assistant attorney general at the Justice Department, sent a May 4 letter to McCrory, saying the law violates Title VII of the U.S. Civil Rights Act and the federal Violence Against Women Act. It notes that Title VII prohibits an employer from discriminating based on sex and that the U.S. Supreme Court, in Price Waterhouse v. Hopkins in 1989, ruled that discrimination based on sex includes any “sexbased consideration.”

The Justice Department gave North Carolina until 5 p.m. May 9 to confirm whether it intends to enforce HB 2. After first asking for an extension of the deadline, McCrory instead announced Monday

adult bookstore near his home in the South of Market neighborhood is “dirty,” Ruelas said, and many of the customers there smoke crack.

The Tea Room has five staff, said Angeles, who said he’s already retired and was about to take an annual vacation “anyway,” so he wasn’t too upset about the job loss.

There isn’t much to sell from the theater, other than the projector, he said.

Angeles said he’s told some customers, many of whom come from Bay Area cities outside of San Francisco, about the closing. Their options are limited, he said.

Unlike the Tea Room, the other remaining gay porn theater – the Nob Hill, at 729 Bush Street – isn’t close to a BART station, and many of the Tea Room’s customers can’t make the “long” walk up the hill, Angeles said.

Other businesses

The Nob Hill Theatre and other businesses in the area are hanging on for now.

Larry Hoover, one of Nob Hill’s owners, said of the Tea Room, “I’m sorry to see them go.”

morning that the state would sue for relief.

The lawsuit, McCrory v. U.S., says the Justice Department’s claim against the state law is “a baseless and blatant overreach” by the federal government. It notes that the governor issued an executive order April 12 to expand “discrimination protections to state employees on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, among others.” And it asks the court to declare that HB 2 does not violate federal law.

In various interviews and press statements since last Friday, McCrory has claimed that North Carolina has “not taken away any rights that currently existed in any city” in the state.

He said opponents of the law have “distorted the truth” and are “smearing our state in an inaccurate way.”

He characterized HB 2 a “basic, common sense bill” that protects the privacy rights of individuals.

Backtracks on court ruling

McCrory’s lawsuit and public statements this week stood in stark contrast to his reaction last month to a 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling. That ruling, in Grimm v.

Gloucester, said Title IX of the federal Education Amendments Act prohibits discrimination based on gender identity. McCrory said then that he would “respect” the 4th Circuit panel decision as it applies to federally funded educational facilities.

V, 38, a transgender woman who was born in Mexico and has been living in San Francisco since 2006, was connected to Bay Legal after she was arrested for driving without a license. After she was fingerprinted, she learned the police had been looking for her because they had found the person who had sexually assaulted her in 2008.

Attorneys at Bay Legal assisted in obtaining her a U-Visa as a victim of violence and are now appealing the denial of her Adjustment of Status Application.

“We have been working good,” said V, who asked that only the initial of her first name be used due to her ongoing legal issues.

Asked about Bay Legal’s planned move into the LGBT center, she said she hopes the agency is able to assist more LGBT people.

“If they are going to help our LGBT community, it will be awe-

some,” said V. Another client, Javier, 30, a transgender man, turned to Bay Legal in February for help with his custody suit against the biological father of his three children. NCLR, which is handling his immigration case, had referred him to the agency.

Originally from Central America, Javier speaks Spanish and spoke to the B.A.R. with the assistance of a

translator. He asked that only his middle name be used due to his working to resolve his immigration status and not wanting to jeopardize his job as a janitor at a department store.

As of now, the San Francisco resident can only see his children, two boys and a girl all under the age of 10, one weekend day and one evening during the week. As their

said. “I was able to go to the movie Last Men Standing, a documentary about long-term survivors, and meet the cast of the movie. I made a writing friend – we meet to help each other in writing. I’ve met other artists, gardeners, activists, and photographers who inspire me. It’s

great to share stories, thoughts, and events with others from around the world.”

Brandt added that he’s delighted to be offering his paintings at the auction.

“I’m grateful to be able to have the opportunity to give back to what

I’ve benefited from,” he said. “There are so many of us who have been positive for 20 to 30 or more years. It is so nice to feel that there is a group that I feel I belong to.”

Barrett said that online sign-ups have concluded for the dinner, but that people who want to attend can

“If Bay Legal was not able to help me, I would have to represent myself. I think it would be very difficult for me.”

–Javier, Bay Legal client

“We’re more of a trek up the hill,” he said, but “we would welcome” the Tea Room’s customers.

Hoover, whose theater opened in 1968 and is best known for its live performers, said the other business’s closing might bring more customers to his downstairs video arcade.

He said Nob Hill’s location lends itself to travelers staying in nearby hotels and businessmen in the area, among others.

“We’re doing well,” Hoover said.

“We’re hanging in there.” The headline performers “really draw a nice group of people,” he said. “That keeps us current on the porn scene.

It’s a real plus for us.”

Bob Mainardi is one of the owners of the Magazine, which is at 920 Larkin Street, several blocks from the Tea Room. According to its website, Mainardi’s shop specializes in “back-date magazines, ephemera and erotica.”

He said business is “terrible, but we’re hanging on.”

The shop has been open in one location or another since 1973.

“The Internet has changed everything,” Mainardi said. “Theaters, bookstores, it’s all changed.”t North Carolina’s HB 2 has been the subject of many news reports during the past month, including the 2016 presidential campaign.

Only one former candidate – Republican Senator Ted Cruz – spoke in favor of the law. He tried to use the issue to drum up support for his campaign in Indiana’s primary last week. But Cruz came in a distant second and subsequently dropped out of the race.

In her remarks Monday afternoon, Lynch spoke directly to transgender people, promising that the Justice Department and the entire Obama administration “see you ... stand with you and we will do everything we can to protect you going forward.”

Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund and the American Civil Liberties Union, which have filed their own federal lawsuit against the North Carolina law, applauded the Justice Department’s actions Monday.

Jon Davidson, legal director for Lambda Legal, issued a statement Monday afternoon saying, “We are fighting this case with everything we have. We have the law on our side, we have the facts on our side, and we have the federal government on our side.”

The Williams Institute, a think tank at the UCLA School of Law, estimates that more than 336,000 LGBT people live in North Carolina.t biological mother, Javier is seeking joint legal and physical custody of the children, whom he gave birth to prior to transitioning his gender identity.

“If Bay Legal was not able to help me, I would have to represent myself,” said Javier. “I think it would be very difficult for me.”

He, too, hopes Bay Legal’s planned move into the LGBT center will result in more LGBT people accessing the agency’s services.

“It is a perfect way to work in the community more,” said Javier, so people like him who also are in a “desperate situation” can seek help.

To learn more about Bay Legal and how to access its services, visit https://www.baylegal.org.

Residents of San Francisco County can also call the agency’s Legal Advice Line for help with housing and public benefits issues at (415) 354-6360.t just show up, although a meal can’t be guaranteed. There is no cost to attend.t The HIV Long Term Survivors Facebook group is at https://www.facebook.com/ groups/466278376873515/ - _=_

Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

18 • BAY AREA REPORTER • May 12-18, 2016

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Women’s Building

From page 7

She also wants to expand programs and bring the building full circle back to its activism days by advocating for undocumented children who are crossing the border and affordable housing and displacement, she said.

“The history of the Women’s Building – we did a lot of advocacy [for] women’s issues and GLBT issues,” Mejia said.

Others also talked about the building’s importance.

“The Women’s Building is a historical institution that has brought inspiration, community, hope, and resources to so many of us in San Francisco,” said board member Jessica Beitch, 34, a lesbian who’s a Bay Area native. “Everyone’s story is different ... but there is always a way to come together

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Agencies

From page 16

they said. “Our community programs fill a critical gap in promoting and improving the emotional health of our community. This grant will not only allow us to expand our Friendly Visitor Program, our support groups, and social engagement wrap-around programs, it also provides critical evaluation protocols to help replicate this model in other communities.”

At Gender Spectrum, the funding will be used to help school students.

Joel Baum, the nonprofit’s senior director for professional development, said that the money will support efforts “to work with schools around creating gender-inclusive school climates” and looking at “the various forms of gender diversity and the need to create greater understanding about gender among

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Film screening

From page 10

Best known of those featured is probably Sasha Fleischman, then an 18-year-old senior at a small private high school in Berkeley, whose skirt was set afire on a bus by a teenager who was eventually sentenced to seven years in prison. The case sparked headlines around the world.

The other family in the film is Phil and Francine Crawford, and their teenager, Lux, now a 21-year-old college student, who they learned was gender neutral several years ago.

As the family tried to learn more about non-binary gender identification, they joined PFLAG, where they met other parents dealing with similar issues.

“The hardest thing,” said Phil Crawford in an interview, “was learning to use the pronouns that Lux wanted us to use. Calling Lux ‘them’ still feels awkward but we’re getting used to it.”

Crawford’s employer, the BDO

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News Briefs

From page 14

District 8 meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, June 8 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Harvey Milk Recreation Center, 50 Scott Street.

For more information on the project, including other meetings, visit https://www.sfmta.com/projects-planning/projects/residentialparking-permit-evaluation-reformproject.

Muni Art Program returns

In other SFMTA news, the agency and San Francisco Beautiful have announced the second Muni Art Program and issued a call for proposals from Bay Area artists.

Artists from the nine Bay Area counties have until June 17 at 6 p.m. to submit proposals with the 2017 theme, “San Francisco Neighborhoods” for contest consideration.

and empower each other.”

Mejia agreed, adding, “We still come from the same issues in one way or another. The struggle is not over.”

The anniversary party will be emceed by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and include performances by Circulo Cultural, Rhythm and Motion, and Sweet Can Productions.

Guests will dine on food provided by local restaurants, such as Bar Tartine, Bi-Rite, Delphina, the Cheese School, Pica Pica, Southpaw BBQ, and Venga Empanadas.t The 45th anniversary gala takes place Wednesday, May 18 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Women’s Building, 3543 18th Street. Tickets are $90 per person and can be purchased at http://45th-anniversary-celebration.eventbrite.com. For more information, contact tatjana@ womensbuilding.org.

young people.”

“A lot of the harassment and bullying often experienced by LGBT people is frequently rooted in gender, so the idea of this project is we’re going to be researching and evaluating the practices we’ve been using for many years for working with schools to support the needs of transgender students,” Baum said.

However, he added, his group’s model is also that there’s a need to “create more gender-inclusive conditions around all kids – not just some kids, but every kid.”

In total, the state agency said it would award $60 million to 41 contractors and grantees over six years to implement Phase II of the disparities project. Proposition 63, the Mental Health Services Act, which voters passed in 2004, funds the project. The act imposes a 1 percent income tax on personal income over $1 million.t accounting firm, is a co-sponsor of the Roxie benefit.

Three to Infinity had its local premiere last year at the San Francisco DocFest (http:// www.ebar.com/arts/art_article. php?sec=film&article=1367) and went on to have a successful run at film festivals in North America, winning the top prize for feature documentary at the Art of Brooklyn Film Festival. The film is also available for purchase (https://squareup.com/store/three-to-infinitybeyond-two-genders) and can be downloaded for viewing on Vimeo (https://vimeo.com/ondemand/ threetoinfinity.)t Tickets for the 5 p.m. screening at the Roxie, 3117 16th Street, are $15 for adults and $8 for students and seniors and are available at http://www.roxie.com/ai1ec_ event/three-infinity-beyond-twogenders/?instance_id=12674.

For more on Shavelson, visit http://www.photowords.com.

In August, five finalists will be announced and given the opportunity to transform Muni buses across the city into rolling art galleries for the enjoyment of the over 700,000 daily commuters throughout San Francisco. The art program will take place from January to May. The inaugural Muni Art Program in 2015 was so successful that SFMTA decided to double the number of “art gallery” buses to 100 for next year’s launch.

In addition to having their art displayed on buses, the artist who receives the most votes in public polling will be awarded $2,000 and each of the remaining four will be awarded $1,250.

For entry guidelines and sponsorship opportunities, visit http:// www.sfbeautiful.org/muniart or contact Peter Clarke, Muni Art project manager, at peter@sfbeautiful. org or (415) 636-5971.t

t

Legal Notices>> SUMMONS ALAMEDA COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT NOTICE TO DEFENDANT: BERKELEY INVESTMENTS, LLC, A CALIFORNIA LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY; PRIME REALTY AND FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC., A CALIFORNIA CORPORATION; PRIORITY CAPITOL FUNDING, INC. A CALIFORNIA CORPORATION; QUAN DANG NGUYEN, AN INDIVIDUAL; CHRISTOPHER GREGORY TOY, AN INDIVIDUAL; AND DOES ONE TO TWENTY. INCLUSIVE YOU ARE BEING SUED BY PLAINTIFF: KERSTIN SCHWARTZ CASE NO. RG15789507 Notice: You have been sued. The court may decide against you without your being heard unless you respond within 30 days. Read the information below.

You have 30 CALENDAR DAYS after this summons and legal papers are served on you to file a written response at this court and have a copy served on the plaintiff. A letter or phone call will not protect you. Your written response must be in proper legal form if you want the court to hear your case. There may be a court form that you can use for your response. You can find these court forms and more information at the California Courts Online Self-Help Center (www.courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp) your county law library, or the courthouse nearest you. If you cannot pay the filing fee, ask the court clerk for a fee waiver form. If you do not file your response on time, you may lose the case by default, and your wages, money, and property may be taken without further warning from the court. There are other legal requirements. You may want to call an attorney right away. If you do not know an attorney, you may want to call an attorney referral service. If you cannot afford an attorney, you may be eligible for free legal services from a nonprofit legal services program. You can locate these nonprofit groups at the California Legal Services Web site (www.lawhelpcalifornia.org), the California Courts Online Self-Help Center (www.courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp), or by contacting your local court or county bar association. NOTE: The court has a statutory lien for waived fees and costs on any settlement or arbitration award of $10,000 or more in a civil case. The court’s lien must be paid before the court will dismiss the case.

The name and address of the court is: Alameda County Superior Court, Rene C. Davidson Courthouse, 1225 Fallon St, Oakland, California 94612.

The name, address, and telephone number of the plaintiff’s attorney, or plaintiff without an attorney, is: Charles R. Ostertag, Alamere Law, 802 B Street, San Rafael, California 94901: Office (415) 938 - 7823 Date: October 13, 2015: Clerk, by Lynn Wiley, Deputy.

APRIL 21, 28, MAY 5, 12, 2016 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-16-552050

In the matter of the application of: SUKI CHANG TSANG, 2928 CLEMENT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner SUKI CHANG TSANG, is requesting that the name SUKI CHANG TSANG, be changed to SUKI AVA TSANG. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514 on the 14th of June 2016 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

APRIL 21, 28, MAY 5, 12, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037056100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GREEN BEAUTY NAILS & SPA, 1300 PACIFIC AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed NGUYEN HUONG T. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/19/16.

The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/19/16.

APRIL 21, 28, MAY 05, 12, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037034100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SAN FRANCISCO REIKI CENTER, 3150 18TH ST #243, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed CHRISTOPHER TELLEZ. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/01/2011. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/05/16.

APRIL 21, 28, MAY 05, 12, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037053100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CARDINALE RENTALS, 2227 FILBERT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SAL CARDINALE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/15/16.

APRIL 21, 28, MAY 05, 12, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037054800

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037049100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CAFE SIS, 402 BALBOA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JI YEON LEE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/14/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/14/16.

APRIL 21, 28, MAY 05, 12, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037051600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: COMMERCIAL MAINTENANCE CONCEPTS, 140 CRESTA VISTA DR., SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94127. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed TONY TENG & ANTHONY VENTURI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on04/15/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/15/16.

APRIL 21, 28, MAY 05, 12, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037052300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ROSÉ TODAY, 1420 DE HARO ST #2, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed ALLEN HABEL & CRAIG PALMER. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/01/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/15/16.

APRIL 21, 28, MAY 05, 12, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037048500

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037059800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BAIANO PIZZERIA HAYES VALLEY, 100 GOUGH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed IAN ALMEIDA MATOS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/21/16.

The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/21/16.

APRIL 28, MAY 05, 12, 19, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037058800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SAN FRANCISCO SILENT FILM FESTIVAL 145 9TH ST, #230, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed SILENT FILM FESTIVAL, THE (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/01/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/21/16.

APRIL 28, MAY 05, 12, 19, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037051100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: UDC DENTAL GROUP, 3448 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed ULLOA DENTAL CORPORATION (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/15/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/15/16.

APRIL 28, MAY 05, 12, 19, 2016 NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINSTER ESTATE OF BRADFORD FIELD TOWNSEND IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO: FILE PES-16-299717

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BOOM CITY BUILDERS, 522 PRECITA AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed GARRITT BLANZ. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/14/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/22/16.

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of BRADFORD FIELD TOWNSEND. A Petition for Probate has been filed by SUN YUN KUO, 1035 BRIDGEWATER HILL ROAD, PLYMOUTH, NH, 03264 in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco. The Petition for Probate requests that SUN YUN KUO be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. The petition requests the decedent’s will and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate.

The will and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court. The petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.)

The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority. A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: MAY 25, 2016, 9:00 am, Rm. 204, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. If you object to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney.

If you are a creditor or contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined by section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law.

You may examine the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk. Attorney for petitioner: SUN YUN KUO, 1035 BRIDGEWATER HILL ROAD, PLYMOUTH, NH, 03264; Ph. (603) 968-7832.

APRIL 28, MAY 05, 12, 19, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037054700

MAY 05, 12, 19, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037069000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE CITY INN, 395 9TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed SOMA INVESTMENTS LLC (CA). 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 04/14/16.

APRIL 21, 28, MAY 05, 12, 2016 BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037042200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: AMADOS, 998 VALENCIA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed 998 VALENCIA LLC, (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/01/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/08/16.

APRIL 21, 28, MAY 05, 12, 2016 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-16-552051

In the matter of the application of: ADRIAN ANTHONY ROBERTS, 1390 MARKET ST #2401, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner ADRIAN ANTHONY ROBERTS, is requesting that the name ADRIAN ANTHONY ROBERTS, be changed to ADRIAN A. ROBERTS. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Room 514, Dept. 514 on the 14th of June 2016 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

APRIL 28, MAY 05, 12, 19, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037060200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: INTER ELECTRIC, 1600 LA SALLE AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ELMER MORAN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/18/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/18/16.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CUTIE PIES, 1700 MONTGOMERY ST #101, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MARIA DEL PILAR ALVARADO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/01/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/27/16.

APRIL 28, MAY 05, 12, 19, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037058900

MAY 05, 12, 19, 26, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037060900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ALLSTAR CONCEPTS, ALLSTAR PHOTOGRAPHY, 3145 GEARY BLVD #133, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed CHARLIE ARMSTRONG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/21/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/21/16.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BOUQUET CATERING COMPANY, 1821 15TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed STEPHANIE KAZARIAN-SANTORE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/16/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/22/16.

APRIL 28, MAY 05, 12, 19, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037060400

MAY 05, 12, 19, 26, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037074500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GINA GRAHAME PRESENTS, 50 STANYAN ST 3101, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed GINA D. GROSS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/18/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/18/16.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SENATORIAL COURTESY, 248 GOLDEN GATE AVE #304, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed CHUNG PAU CHOY. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/22/16.

The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/22/16.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: AUTHENTIC AFGHAN RUGS, 3900 3RD ST #207, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ABDUL FAHIM. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/29/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/29/16.

APRIL 21, 28, MAY 05, 12, 2016

APRIL 28, MAY 05, 12, 19, 2016

MAY 05, 12, 19, 26, 2016

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Read more online at www.ebar.com

Legal Notices>> FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037074700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: O’LEARY PLUMBING, 1308 PANACE TERRACE, SUNNYVALE, CA. 94087. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DAVID O’LEARY. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/24/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/29/16.

MAY 05, 12, 19, 26, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037038900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: RODAN STUDIO, 457 BARTLETT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed ROSA V. MENDOZA & DANIEL DOUGLAS ROBERT BALDWIN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/07/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/07/16.

MAY 05, 12, 19, 26, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037070100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ITANI DENTAL SAN FRANCISCO, 450 SUTTER ST #2318, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108.

This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed ITANI DENTAL, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/08/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/28/16.

MAY 05, 12, 19, 26, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037071900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ALEX BAKERY, 431 CLEMENT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed TING YIP INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/28/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/28/16.

MAY 05, 12, 19, 26, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037045500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HUMANKIND CO, 475 CONNECTICUT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed JULIE WERTZ DESIGN CO. LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/01/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/12/16.

MAY 05, 12, 19, 26, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037086000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GRACIELA’S, 315 SENECA AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JULIO MARTINEZ. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/09/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/09/16.

MAY 12, 19, 26, JUNE 02, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037076500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: AL CLARK PRODUCTION, 268 BUSH ST #2511, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94104. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ALBERT CLARK. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/02/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/03/16.

MAY 12, 19, 26, JUNE 02, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037084200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: JULIA, 5438 GEARY BL, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JULIA ROSE MILLER. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/06/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/06/16.

MAY 12, 19, 26, JUNE 02, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037082500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: INTAVA HAIR SALON, 323 IVY ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LIENG PHETHSAYA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/10/10. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/06/16.

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-16-551932

In the matter of the application of: JENNA VELASQUEZ-ORTEGA, 3636 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner JENNA VELASQUEZ-ORTEGA, is requesting that the name ENESSA ELENA VELASQUEZ-ORTEGA, be changed to ENESSA ELENA ESTRELLA. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514 on the 21st of June 2016 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: INNOVATION PLUMBING AND ROOTER, 828 CRESCENT AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110.

This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed RAFAEL CHAHUAYO ZEVALLOS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/05/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/05/16.

MAY 12, 19, 26, JUNE 02, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037056900

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MAY 12, 19, 26, JUNE 02, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037076400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LUSTER PRODUCTIONS, 68 SAINT MARYS AVE #2, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed FTBS MEDIA LLC (NV). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/23/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/03/16.

MAY 12, 19, 26, JUNE 02, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037083200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: VAKANZA, 2852 CALIFORNIA ST #B, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed KIMBERKINI LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/03/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/06/16.

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The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SUBSTATION, 2828 JONES ST SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed WHARF HOLDINGS, 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 04/14/16.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SUZANNE TUCKER HOME, 58 MAIDEN LANE 4TH FLR, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108.

This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed SUZANNE TUCKER HOME (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/29/16.

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MAY 12, 19, 26, JUNE 02, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037049900

MAY 12, 19, 26, JUNE 02, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037072800

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MAY 12, 19, 26, JUNE 02, 2016 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037077200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NEW ZEN SPA, 1933 UNION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed HAI MINH SON & JACK LY. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/02/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/03/16.

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The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ATLAS VOCAL STUDIO, 1232 ARGUELLO BLVD #2, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JAYMEE SENIGAGLIA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/11/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/19/16.

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May 12-18, 2016 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 19

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Live from NY

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Intimate images

Horse sense

Out &About

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O&A

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Vol. 46 • No. 19 • May 12-18, 2016

www.ebar.com/arts

Butch lives “Dalia, April 2014,” photograph by Meg Allen.

by Sari Staver

W

hat do butches look like today?” That was the question photographer Meg Allen says she set out to answer when she first began photographing Bay Area butches five years ago.

See page 24 >>

“

Don’t call him R country!

by David-Elijah Nahmod ising, openly gay musician Steve Grand will perform at the Marines Memorial Theater on Friday, May 13.

See page 23 >>

Courtesy the artist

From top to bottom, Chris Morrell, Melissa O’Keefe, and William Giammona find themselves in a strange menage a trois in a new version of On a Clear Day You Can See Forever at NCTC.

Musical chairs RaMond Thomas, Jocelyn Pickett, and Paul Grant Hovannes are among the celebrants in The Wild Party, opening at the Victoria Theatre.

by Richard Dodds

Erik Scanlon

T

hree musicals each with a few quirks in their backstories arrive in quick succession in the coming week. Two are area premieres of musicals that had a hard go of it in their original New York runs and aren’t often seen, while the third started modestly but has consistently picked up steam since its debut.

See page 31 >>

Zak Resnick and Margo Seibert each tell with song the story of a failed marriage through an opposite trajectory in The Last Five Years at the Geary Theatre.

Lois Tema

Mario Elias

Photo

by Ma

rio Eli

as.

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<< Out There

22 • BAY AREA REPORTER • May 12-18, 2016

Manly men

by Roberto Friedman

C

losing night of the 59th San Francisco International Film Festival (SFIFF) at the Castro Theatre last Thursday was a blast from the past.

Parts of Castro Street were dummied up to look like 1979 for the filming of the ABC-TV miniseries When We Rise. A faux

“Star Pharmacy” on the corner of 18th St. advertised specials priced at mere pennies. A fake campaign poster prompted our bro Pepi to wonder, “Is Carole Migden running for something again?”

Inside the movie palace, SFIFF closing-night film The Bandit took us even further back into the 1970s. It’s a documentary about

the bromance between superstar Burt Reynolds and his longtime “double,” stuntman extraordinaire Hal Needham, whom he got the plum job of director for the seminal 1970s Southern good-old-boys romp Smokey and the Bandit. These guys owned their little corner of the world for a spell.

Director Jesse Moss, introduced on the Castro Theatre stage by San Francisco Film Society (SFFS) executive director Noah Cowan

NEW CONSERVATORY THEATRE CENTER PRESENTS

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MUSIC BY BURTON LANE

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and director of programing Rachel Rosen, expressed his delight at seeing his film play SF’s venerable temple of movie pleasure. A San Francisco filmmaker who did all his production work here in SF, Moss described seeing Errol Morris’ great pet-cemetery documentary Gates of Heaven at the Castro in 1978, and its huge influence on him.

So let’s go back to the 70s, why not? Roomies in Tinseltown, Reynolds and Needham left little mash notes for each other around the house signed, “Love, Roomie.”

They copied each other’s macho drag. They went on romantic dates together, with girls along. After awhile of this, Out There was thinking, Why don’t they just give into their obvious mutual attraction, hug, kiss, and rub up on each other?

Then there was some party footage where they did just that, with a clear exchange of saliva. Straight guys are so kissy-face.

Needham earned our admiration when he explained in the film why he wanted to make a shoot-em-up, car-chase, blow-things-up kind of escapist flick. “I think the American people like to watch action – action, not violence.”

All of the accouterments of 1970s pop culture were there up on the Castro’s Silver Screen: shag carpeting, mutton-chop sideburns, gold chains, chest hair, mag wheels. CBradio speak: “Roger that, good buddy.” Tight-fitting polyester clothing.

Tangerine orange. We wore our

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aviator sunglasses. Pepi saw an exact replica of his beloved boyhood wheels, the iconic black late-70s Trans Am complete with hood decal, gleaming up there on the screen, every bit as much of a star of the film as its good-old-boy leading man. Now that was the chassis of a son-of-a-bitch ride. Over and out.

Trans am

Berkeley Repertory Theatre and California Shakespeare Theater announced last week they will copresent a free half-day symposium called Breaking the Binary: Building a Trans/Gender-Non-Conforming/ Non-Binary Inclusive Theatre. The event, with views from a crosssection of theatre artists on the subject of T/GNC/NB inclusion, is organized by trans-identified theatre professionals Lisa Evans and SK Kerastas, and will showcase work from trans theatre artists and provide support to theatre organizations and artists making this type of work.

Breaking the Binary happens on Mon., May 16, from 3-7:30 p.m. at Berkeley Rep’s offices at 999 Harrison St., Berkeley. There will be panel discussions, breakout sessions, and a showcase of scenes from works by trans playwrights Nick Hadikwa Mwaluko, Ariel Zetina, and Ty Defoe. It will be livestreamed through HowlRound.com, with future viewings available on its site. Seating is limited, RSVP required. Find the event listed on eventbrite.com.t

MAY 13 - J U N E 12 BUY TICKETS AT NCTCSF.ORG BOX OFFICE: 415. 861. 8972 25 VAN NESS AVE AT MARKET ST

Courtesy SFFS

Smokey and the Bandit star Burt Reynolds and director Hal Needham.

Steven Underhill

Tickets are available at LiveNation.com and select Walmart locations. To charge by phone (800) 745-3000. Limit 8 tickets per person. All dates, acts and ticket prices are subject to change without notice. All tickets are subject to applicable service charges.

The Bandit director Jesse Moss at the Castro Theatre.

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Music>>

May 12-18, 2016 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 23

Legendary orchestra visits Davies Hall

by Philip Campbell

A

lan Gilbert, American conductor, violinist and current music director of the New York Philharmonic, will be resigning his post in August 2017, after eight years with the orchestra. His decision to move on, more than a little surprising at the time, has not kept him from fulfilling contractual touring duties.

He appeared last weekend with the legendary orchestra for a two-night stand at Davies Symphony Hall, part of the San Francisco Symphony’s Great Performers series.

The choice of musical offerings may have been a little ironic – mostly Beethoven on concert one, and a whole lot of Brahms the following night – as Gilbert has been criticized at home for not concentrating enough on the “core” repertoire.

Judging by the results produced in the dry acoustics of DSH (still better than Avery Fisher Hall), the outgoing maestro from Gotham proved he has no lack of command or problem in producing a plush and punchy Philharmonic sound with the old standards. Packed houses and a full roster of SFS administrative brass

couldn’t wait to give a big welcome and multiple standing ovations to the visiting director and his impressive crew.

Enthusiastic listeners were treated to the powerful trademark sound of one of the world’s most famous and honored orchestras. Playing fullthrottle with magnificent intensity. the NYP is simply thrilling. Gilbert has been rightly praised for his innovative repertory at home, and for his support of living composers. He has been faulted for a lack of interpretive vision conducting works of the 19th century, and it seems he continues on that course. He lets the music speak for itself, without putting much personal stamp on it.

Considering how many times a regular concertgoer is likely to hear a Brahms or Beethoven symphony, I confess to craving more individual insight or podium personality from visiting conductors. It might not seem fair or even appropriate, but I still enjoy more solidly traditional performances better on disc than in person.

Beethoven’s Egmont Overture, Opus 84, opened the concert last Friday night, with the sheer weight of the orchestra immediately apparent.

Chris Lee

Music director Alan Gilbert led the New York Philharmonic at Davies Symphony Hall last week.

A wonderful intensity in the strings still showed impressive sweetness and bloom, and the brass blared above them with startling accuracy and power. The NYP has a real bottom to its sound that anchors even the quietest moments with gravitas and aural uniformity. It makes us hear old chestnuts with fresh admiration, if not understanding.

The first evening continued with more sculpted and authoritative Beethoven. A shining performance of the composer’s popular Seventh Symphony prompted the first of several standing ovations.

I was more taken by Gilbert’s devotion of the second half to music

by Sibelius. The great symphonist’s Seventh may be no match to

Beethoven’s in audience appeal, but the taut and beautifully panoramic performance certainly satisfied my expectations. The night ended with more exciting Sibelius. Finlandia raised the roof, and an encore, the beloved Valse Triste, sent everyone home in a good mood.

The second program heavily featured Brahms, opening with a strong and moody performance of the Tragic Overture, Opus 81, and ending with a pleasingly burnished rendition of the much sunnier Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Opus 73.

Sandwiched in-between, Carter Brey, principal cellist of the NYP since 1996, presented Schumann’s Cello Concerto in A minor, Opus 129. Brey’s sound can stand in clear outline from the rich orchestral ensemble, and his tone is pure and transparent.

The program included an encore

by Brahms, the Hungarian Dance No. 6. It was a fine way to say goodbye to the visiting orchestra and its departing director. Less victory lap than farewell tour, Gilbert’s appearances reminded us of his obvious focus and commitment to musical excellence.t

The very model of a German soprano

by Jason Victor Serinus

Elisabeth Schwarzkopf: The Complete Recitals 1952-1974 (Warner Classics: 31 CDs) o lovers of art song who built record collections during the first flowering of the LP era, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf (1915-2006) was the consummate interpreter to whom all other lyric sopranos were compared. Blessed with a unique, silvery instrument that, at the start of her career, negotiated high coloratura with controversial technique that produced some quasi-screams at the top of her range, Schwarzkopf flowered into one of the pre-eminent lyric sopranos of the post-war decades.

Several parties, literal and figurative, aided Schwarzkopf ’s initial climb to fame and artistic mastery.

The first was the Nazi Party, with whom she affiliated. To what extent her party membership was a reaction to the Nazis’ 1933 dismissal of her Prussian headmaster father, who had previously barred Nazi Party members from meeting at his school, rather than a willing and opportunistic embrace, is not clear.

But what is certain is that party membership made possible her contract with the Deutsches Opernhaus Berlin, and later, the Vienna State Opera.

In the early 1940s, Schwarzkopf worked diligently with two teachers, retired German coloratura soprano Maria Ivogun and her husband, famed accompanist Michael Raucheisen. If one listens to Schwarzkopf ’s earliest radio recordings and compares them with her first postwar commercial 78s for Columbia

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<<

Steve Grand

From page 21

The evening will benefit Richmond/ Ermet AIDS Foundation, an organization that raises funds throughout the year for AIDS services. Grand will share the stage with out comedienne Shann Carr, who also runs Moxie Studios, purveyors of gay comedy entertainment.

“HIV is an issue that is close to my heart,” Grand, 26, told the B.A.R. “I have many friends who lived through those horrible times. I’ve heard a lot of first-hand accounts.”

Grand emphasized the importance of knowledge as the key to HIV

(remastered and released in a CD box set later this year), it’s possible to see how under the famed couple’s guidance she learned to place her head tones, cover her sound at will, and cultivate the huge range of color, nuance, and dynamics that became her trademark.

Schwarzkopf ’s final, most enduring partnership was with Walter Legge, the famed producer for EMI. Legge, scouting for new talent after the war, arranged an audition with Schwarzkopf after hearing her on German radio in Vienna in 1946.

Their alliance was immediate. Not only did Legge produce virtually all of Schwarzkopf ’s recordings through 1974, but he also married her in 1953. The two remained together until Legge’s death in 1979, two days after Schwarzkopf gave her final recital in Zurich.

Legge and Schwarzkopf worked together arduously, perfecting every sound and phrase in her interpretations. Their partnership and her prime coincided with the advent of the LP and wide-band recording on tape. Multiple volumes of their unpublished recordings have been issued over the years. Comparing them to performances of the same music contained in Warner’s newly remastered, recently released comprehensive 31-CD anthology Elisabeth Schwarzkopf: The Complete Recitals 1952-1974 is witnessing Schwarzkopf and Legge trying out an interpretation, rejecting it, and subsequently recording an entirely different approach.

Schwarzkopf ’s “final take” recitals of the LP era, including the live Wolf recital in Salzburg with Furtwängler and her joint Homage to Gerald

Moore from Royal Festival Hall, can be found on this invaluable new collection. All have been remastered in hi-resolution sound, and present the voice far more faithfully than on previous digital transfers.

The first six mono recitals – Schubert songs with Edwin Fischer (1952), Mozart arias with Pritchard and the Philharmonia Orchestra (1952), Richard Strauss’ Four Last Songs and closing scene from Capriccio with Ackerman and the Philharmonia (1953), Strauss’ Scenes from Arabella with von Matacic and the Philharmonia (1954), a mixed lieder recital with Gerald Moore (1954), and a Mozart song recital with Walter Gieseking (1955) – established the direction for all that was to follow. These early recitals capture her in freshest voice, with much of the youthful bloom still intact. They also show, if you compare the very different performances of Mozart’s great song “Abendempfindung” (“Evening

Sentiment”) with Moore and Gieseking, how much she was liable to change interpretations based upon mood, setting, and partnership.

Listening to even a few of the performances makes clear why Schwarzkopf was as much criticized as revered. Take her 1954 mono rendition with Moore of Robert Schumann’s memorable Goethe setting “Der Nussbaum” (“The Walnut Tree”). This memorable song, whose understated melody is irresistible, speaks of the tree’s blossoms whispering to a maiden of her future marriage. “The maiden listens, the tree rustles; yearning, hoping, she sinks smiling into sleep and dream,” Goethe writes (in translation) as the lovely melody trails off.

Schwarzkopf adopts the tone of a storyteller gazing at the scene from afar. Singing as though she were reciting the poem on the radio, she tells the tale with as much color, nuance, and variety as she can muster

prevention, and wants to remind the younger generation that while now often treatable, HIV is still not curable, and there are other sexually transmitted diseases that need to be avoided. “As gay men we have to be careful,” he cautioned. “STDs spread faster in our community. That may not be PC to say, but I don’t care.

These things are serious. We’re playing with fire when these things get passed around.” Grand reminds us that while Prep can prevent HIV when used under the direction of a physician, the drug has no effect on other STDs. Illinois native Grand became an instant celebrity when the

homoerotic video for his country song “All American Boy” went viral.

In the video, Grand falls in love with an affectionate young man, who returns to his girlfriend after the two go skinny-dipping. Grand is quick to point out that the country label was placed upon him by others on the basis of just one or two songs.

Country isn’t a fully accurate description of what he does. He cites artists such as Joni Mitchell. James Taylor. and especially Neil Young as among his musical influences.

“I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about my classification,” Grand said. “I make singer-songwriter music in the pop-rock-acoustic

Americana genres.”

Grand isn’t yet sure what the audience will see and hear when he takes to the Marines Memorial stage. “I’m still putting the show together. I’ll be playing my music, and covers. There will be some old-school country and contemporary material. I want to make the show appealing to fans and to new audiences.”

He is nonchalant about his sexuality, which has been a defining factor of his persona from the moment he became a public figure. “I’ve been openly gay since before all this started,” he said. “I have nothing to compare it to.

I get asked about my sexuality a lot.

I’m a gay man, I’ve always intended

– more than virtually anyone on record. What saves the recording from being over the top, to the point of mannered hysteria, is how marvelously it highlights the unique timbre and glint of Schwarzkopf ’s voice, and the carefully placed sparkles of light higher in the range.

Sixteen years later, when Schwarzkopf was 59, she recorded Strauss’ “Die Nacht” (“The Night”) with Geoffrey Parsons. It’s a very slow performance in which the voice initially seems too covered, as though attempts to recreate the warm and fragrantly scented head tones of her prime can produce nothing more than a muffled shadow of her prime.

But then, as she and Parsons soften to a virtual whisper, Schwarzkopf ’s higher tones take on a magical sweetness and glow. It is here that we encounter the Schwarzkopf paradox head-on. Even as you wonder at the beauty of her late-career singing, you may find yourself repelled by such a calculated and self-conscious performance. Every note is so carefully placed that you could scream.

These 31 CDs reveal every positive and negative attribute of Schwarzkopf ’s artistry. If you prefer singers who value heart over head, Schwarzkopf ’s mannerisms may drive you bananas, until you encounter a performance in which voice and interpretation meld in a manner so magnificently that all you can feel is admiration. Schwarzkopf ’s singing is anything but the art that conceals art. Yet through all of her overthought and painstakingly rehearsed conceits lies a soul that truly loves her repertoire, and shares it via one of the finest soprano instruments of the 20th century.t to live my life honestly.”

He added that good art is more important than a person’s LGBT status. “Gay doesn’t keep people from liking what they like,” Grand pointed out. But, he said, it’s good to ask these questions, and he’s fine with answering them. “I like being gay, and I like men,” he said. “I like being a man.”t Steve Grand: All American Boy in Concert to benefit Richmond/ Ermet AIDS Foundation, with guest comedienne Shann Carr.

Marines Memorial Theater, 609 Sutter, SF, May 13, 8 p.m. Tickets ($60-$150): reaf-sf.org.

<< Books

24 • BAY AREA REPORTER • May 12-18, 2016

Therapy days & intimate nights

by Tim Pfaff

I

ts title notwithstanding, Adam Haslett’s new novel Imagine Me Gone (Little Brown) doesn’t do tricks. It’s about ordinary people in familiar, present-day situations. Its language is as sharp and bug-free as a surgical tool, and it eschews sensationalism. It has a moral compass, installed so deeply in its works that it never has to announce itself or pause to moralize. In an age that can’t get enough of the genealogy of bad morals, the novel is a triumph of anti-pathologizing the likes of which we too rarely encounter.

It’s as if its author’s sensibility, unmistakably gay, has entered Jonathan Franzen’s airspace with some daredevil if psychically grounded skywriting. Something clearly is rotten in Franzenland, Updikeville, the white, middle-class-wannabe American Northeast-based family; there’s detectable mental illness in every ring of the family tree. Yet there’s not a single cliche to be found in the compost, where, against all odds, living things grow, or move on anyway. The incident that gives the novel its title, recounting which would be a crime, is an utterly chilling evocation of the ordinary horrors of childhood, light-years away from the fashionable abuse-porn of our time.

Even the “sins of the fathers” trope breaks down. Pater familias John, an avatar of British civility unsuccessfully grafted onto American

personal powerlessness, is no sinner, but rather a well-meaning depressive. In the one chapter in which we hear his voice directly, he talks about depression in all of its typical manifestations but with a particularity that will startle even the most seasoned sufferer of the disease. “The monster doesn’t take words. It may take speech, but not words in the head, which are its minions. The army of the tiny, invisible dead wielding their tiny, spinning scythes, cutting at the flesh of the mind. Unlike ordinary blades, they sharpen with use. There is nothing deep about this. It is merely endless.”

His suicide will come as a surprise only to the one child granted a foreboding vision of it, in its exact natural setting, well before it happens. First offspring Michael has so many screws loose that they rattle. He’s obsessed by music, primally black fare or blisteringly loud alternative rock at full rant, though he himself has only one instrument to play, language, similarly as shrill as it is brilliant.

He’s a string stretched so tight that the sympathetic strings of everyone around him are sent thrumming.

No one, especially the reader, can resist his keening cry for love.

He’s like a self-ventriloquist. In his chapters, he throws his voice in intricate ragas of wild imaginings. His most personal musings masquerade as responses to unlikely vehicles: therapy intake forms,

military-style “after-action reports” of family therapy sessions, application letters for creditor forbearance.

The first one, the motor for the novel’s plot, is a rambling psychiatrist’s answering-machine outgoing message that ends: “Finally, if this is about a refill for a medication you require in order to survive, and you have some concern that your request may not reach me in time, and it seems likely that the words you are about to speak into this machine will be your last, then please know that you tried very hard indeed, and that you loved your family as deeply as you could.”

Clearly, this novel issues from a

sensibility that has done time on the couch. But, critically, Haslett’s language has been scoured of argot and treats the platitudes of therapy like death threats. All five family members tell this story, not in turn but compellingly in sequence, in their own words, words so pitch-perfectly their own that they scarcely need physical description to walk right off the page.

No particular pathology clings to third sibling Alec, crybaby child turned bossy-bottom adult, whose gayness per se seems like a problem only for his eventual boyfriend Seth. Their unlikely coupledom supplies some of the novel’s most tender passages. The reader, having first met Alec in a precisely rendered episode of anonymous cruising with an older man on a bus (before its consummation, “the anesthesia was almost complete”), cannot help but thaw, albeit cautiously, when Seth arrives.

“A few minutes ago we’d had our dicks in each other’s mouths,” Alec realizes during the first sleepover at Seth’s. “We’d kissed and tongued.

But all that had been routine. This was different, and riskier. It hinted at intimacy. He was actually touching me. And I was letting him do it.”

Alec’s effort to save his older brother by weaning him off the meds that have, others think, clouded his psyche – though they do not diminish Michael’s vocabulary or

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imagination in his increasingly brilliant exercises in irony-laced dissociation – ends tragically. But much of Haslett’s deep seriousness is wrapped in the language of high comedy, black as it is. His previous, first novel, Union Atlantic of 2009, showed a comparable capacity for ribaldry of Shakespearian dimensions. This book would be unbearable without the comedy, unfailingly of the immensely human variety.

Such as the novel has a motto, it is expressed by middle-child Celia in the plot’s denouement, which transpires like the cooling of lava.

Grown-up Celia has become a therapist in San Francisco, and, like her creator, over time grows only more suspicious of the questionable theses of self-help.

“An old impatience returned, the kind I had experienced when I started as a therapist: the urge to search for moments in [clients’] past that contained the key to liberating them in the present. That’s what I used to do, press for more and more family history, excusing it to myself as interest and attention, when really it was a distraction from the suffering in front of me, a desire to find the passage of experience that would explain their pain away. What good plot didn’t offer that? A meaning sufficient to account for the events. But as time went on I realized that my clients’ lives weren’t works of art.”

But Haslett’s infinitely subtle, insinuating novel is, and no one in it is worse off for it.t

How LGBTs can help Christians Queer Virtue: What LGBTQ People Know About Life and Love and How It Can Revitalize Christianity by the Reverend Elizabeth M. Edman; Beacon Press, $25.95 sually when authors pen books about homosexuality and Christianity, it’s written from the angle of how to reconcile their differences or suggest a truce in a long-standing conflict. In her new book Queer Virtue, openly lesbian Episcopal pastor Elizabeth Edman offers a distinctly different approach, namely what queer experience can teach Christianity. She urges Christians to “queer” lines that pit people against each other.

When people ask her how she reconciles her sexuality with her faith, she sees no division since both aspects of her identity are resonant with each other. Being queer is not morally problematic; rather, it has a moral center that is not at odds

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with the core tenants of JudeoChristian belief.

By queer, Edman is referring to the disrupting of binary thinking about gender and sexual identity, especially male and female. Christianity also ruptures simplistic dualisms like life/death, human/ divine, and self/other. So she can then say authentic Christianity is and must be queer. By authentic Christianity, she is referencing progressive Christianity, the Christian left, essentially mainline Protestant denominations and liberal Roman Catholics.

Her book is a meditation inviting progressive Christians to learn from queer virtues and to realize that not only is the divine alive in LGBT people, but many are deeply attuned to its presence.

Born in Arkansas the granddaughter of the former president of the evangelical Wheaton College, Edman sensed she was on a different path when she developed a crush on a girl. Called to be a priest, she

worked as a chaplain for the AIDS Health Services unit at Jersey City Medical Center in the early 1990s.

Her comment that her queer identity has taught her more about being a good Christian than has the Church both shocks and titillates the reader, especially because she bravely uses a personal, scandalous incident as chaplain at Northwestern University, which caused harm to her family and the Episcopal

<<

STUFF!

by Brian Bromberger

Butch

From page 21

“I came of age in the 1990s,” said Allen, an Oakland freelance photographer, in a recent interview, “when it was not cool to be a dyke, even less cool to be a butch. I wanted to show the world what butches look like, how beautiful they are. I wanted to show what they were wearing and how they were living, and put them in the limelight.”

Allen, 37 and “definitely a butch” herself, shot hundreds of portraits of butches since then, many posted on her website, megallenstudio. com. A selection of them will be featured in her upcoming solo show at the Glama-Rama Salon and Gallery,

community, to show the challenging intersections of both of her worlds.

Part one of her book discusses the nuances of queer virtue using the themes of identity, risk, touch, scandal, and adoption, which she views as common to both traditions. This section occasionally seems abstract, academic, and stifling in its paean to political correctness, but she skillfully uses examples from Orange Is the New Black, Hedwig and the Angry Inch Inch, and the novels of Leslie Feinberg to illustrate queer virtues.

Part two shows how practical aspects of everyday experiences of queer people such as pride, coming out, authenticity, and hospitality might invigorate contemporary Christian practice. She is more successful in this section, especially in the pride and coming out chapters. Traditionally, pride as excessive self-esteem or isolating selfsufficiency, which keeps one from engaging with other people, has been seen as a negative (one of the seven deadly sins) in Christianity. But Edman makes a convincing case for its rehabilitation by using it in its gay context as a sense of self-worth and personal affirmation that connects

people to each other, creating community. Edman is tired of the way the Christian church has been turned into a weapon by the right to become the face of intolerance, so she urges progressive Christians to reclaim the tradition from conservatives. She blames the Christian Left for not appreciating the strengths of their own gospel, especially its prophetic social justice stances and addressing the needs of the marginalized. She condemns her own church for not doing more for the queer community in light of deadly homophobic African laws, as well as high suicide rates of young transgender adults. It is not enough to preach against this violence; one must explain why it is wrong and anti-Christian.

Edman’s approach is both intellectual and provocative, challenging progressive Christianity to deepen its core message by appreciating queerness in all its giftedness. Perhaps it would be another book, but Edman doesn’t discuss what values and questions progressive Christians might pose to today’s queer people. Edman has just touched the tip of the iceberg and might inspire other scholars, lay members, and clergy people to use this fresh perspective to reconcile sexuality with Christianity.t

304 Valencia St., SF, from May 17July 3. The opening reception is on Sat., May 21 from 7:30-10 p.m.

A Bay Area native, Allen grew up on the peninsula. “I always had masculine tendencies and liked to do all sorts of things that boys liked to do, like riding bikes, shooting BB guns, and climbing trees. I wanted to be a professional baseball player and played ball with the boys in the neighborhood,” she said. “My Mom has since told me that her gay friends told her they had always suspected I was a lesbian.”

From the age of 5, Allen said, she was writing stories, and by high school, taking pictures and editing the high school yearbook. “I was shy and had social anxiety,” she said. “But

behind the camera, I was relaxed and comfortable, and really enjoyed documenting what was going on.”

Allen studied creative writing at San Francisco State, and after graduating, worked in construction.

When she was laid off in 2011, Allen decided she would study engineering. “I wanted to do something practical, study something where I thought I could have a stable career.”

But her plans were derailed when relatives offered her a temporary job in France. “When I got there,” she said, “my aunt and uncle asked about my future plans. I think they picked up my uncertainty and ambivalence when I told them I was See page 29 >>

<< Out&About

26 • BAY AREA REPORTER • May 12-18, 2016

O&A

Fri 13

Grey Matter @ The Marsh Julie Katz’ new solo show about various workers at an IT company forced to confront a moral decision. $20, $35-$100. Thu & Fri 8pm. sat 5pm (8:30pm after May 21). Thru June 4. 1062 Valencia St. www.themarsh.org

The Heir Apparent @ Aurora Theatre, Berkeley Cypress String Quartet @ Maybeck Studio for the Performing Arts, Berkeley

Fling, Spring!

by Jim Provenzano

Y

ou know what it’s like when an entire street or garden of flowering plants and trees just drops its collective drawers and shows off some blossoming beauty? This week, with galas, choral and orchestral concerts, literary readings and more, is like that. Fling into Spring; drawers optional.

Thu 12 Above and Beyond the Valley of the Ultra Showgirls @ Oasis D’Arcy Drollinger’s restaging of the high camp rock musical about a singer’s rise and fall, with lots of sex, drugs and original live music. $25$35, $250 Super groupie front row VIP tables. Thu-Sat 7pm. Thru May 14.

298 11th St. at Folsom. sfoasis.com

Anne Boleyn @ Marin Theatre Company Howard Brenton’s new version of the life of Henry VIII’s second wife, based on alleged banned books discovered decades later by King James. $10$58. Extended thru May 15. Tue-Sun 7:30pm. 397 Miller Ave., Mill Valley.

388-5208. www.marintheatre.org

The Rocky Horror Show @ Strand Theatre American Conservatory Theatre M.F.A. student production of Richard O’Brien’s cult classic musical about “sweet transvestite transsexual” aliens. Costumes and responses welcome, but please, no props (toast, rice, etc.) $30-$40. Thu-Sat 7:30pm.

Sat & Sun 2pm. Thru May 15. 1127 Market St. www.act-sf.org

The Untamed Stage @ Hypnodrome The new musical by Scrumbly Koldewyn takes us back to Weimarera Berlin, with a Cabaret/Cockettes styled two-act show of songs, dances and bawdy pre-Fascist abandon, with special guest performers each night. $15. Thu-Sat 8pm. Thru May 28. 575 10th St. at Bryant. 377-4202. www.hypnodrome.org

The Boy From Oz @ Great Star Theater Bay Area premiere of Nick Enright’s musical based on the life of gay performer Peter Allen, with his music throughout; costarring Connie Champagne as Judy Garland. $10$65. Thu-Sat 8pm, Sun 2pm. Thru May 15. 636 Jackson St. 407-9223. www.landmarkmusicals.com

Colette Uncensored @ The Marsh Lori Holt’s new solo show tells the story of the famed French novelist’s pioneering feminist life. $20-$100.

Thu & Fri 8pm. Sat 5pm. Extended thru June 25. 1062 Valencia St. 2823055. www.themarsh.org

The Empty Nesters @ Z Below Theatre World premiere of local playwright Garret Jon Groenveld’s new play about parents whose lives change after their youngest child leaves for college. $25-$30. Tue-Sat 8pm. Sun 5pm. Thru June 11. 470 Florida St. www.zspace.org

Kinky Boots @ Golden Gate Theatre Cyndi Lauper and Harvey Fierstein’s six-Tony-winning musical based on the film about a shoe factory that gets revived by producing drag performers’ boots; including choreography by Jerry Mitchell. $45-$212. Wed-Sat 8pm.

Wed & Sat 2m. Sun 1pm & 6:30pm.

Thru May 22. 1 Taylor St. shnsf.com

The Last Five Years @ Geary Theatre Amercian Conservatory Theatre’s production of writer-composer Jason Robert Brown’s romantic duo musical play about two 20something New Yorkers (Zak Resnick and Margo Seibert) who rush into marriage. $20-$110. Wed-Sat 8pm. Sat & Sun 2pm. Tue & Sun 7pm. Thru June 5. 415 Geary St. 749-2228. www.act-sf.org

Home Improvements @ Fraenkel Lab

Dragathon @ The Café

Thu 19 Meklit Hadero @ YBCA

Fri 13 Cardenio @ Strand Theatre/The Rueff American Conservatory Theatre M.F.A. student production of Charles Mee’s play set at a wedding gone all Shakespeare. $20. Thu-Sat 7pm. Thru May 14. 1127 Market St. www.act-sf.org

Celebrity Trash @ 111 Minna Gallery Jason Mecier’s new exhibit of collage portraits of celebrities made out of junk; including Phyllis Diller, Amy Schumer, and Pamela Anderson. Thru May 29. Reg hours daily 7:30am-5pm.

111 Minna St. www.jasonmecier.com www.111minnagallery.com

Cypress String Quartet @ Maybeck Studio for the Performing Arts, Berkeley The acclaimed music ensemble performs as part of their Salon series. $40-$50. 8pm. Also May 20, 8pm.

1537 Euclid Ave., Berkeley. Other free and paid concerts at unusual and outdoor venues, plus concert halls, thru June. www.cypressquartet.com

Duane Wakeham @ Strut SF Gay Men’s Sketch presents an exhibit of the artists drawings, and works by group members of Wakeham. Special drawing marathon May 22, 2pm-5pm.

470 Castro St. www.markichester.com www.strutsf.com

Fifth annual SF Gay Men’s Chorus drag show fundraiser for the chorus’ financial assistance network. Get ready for some wild outfits and performances! Donations. 5pm-8pm.

2369 Market St. www.sfgmc.org

Christopher Sergel’s stage adaptation of Harper Lee’s bestselling novel is performed by the East Bay company. $23-$60. Various dates/times thru May 22. 2640 College Ave., Berkeley.

(510) 845-8542. www.berkeleyplayhouse.org

The Grace Jones Project, Dandy Lion @ MOAD

Treasure Island @ Berkeley Repertory

Dual exhibitions of video, performance and artwork about the iconic singer and queer identity; and Dandy Lion: (Re)Articulating Black Masculine Identity. Free-$10. Both thru Sept. 18. Wed-Sat 11am-6pm.

Sun 12pm-5pm. 685 Mission St. at 3rd. www.moadsf.org

Mary Zimmerman directs the West Coast premiere of the stage adapatation of the Robert Louis Stevenson pirate classic. $57-$97.

Tue- Thu-Sat 8pm. Tue 7pm. Sat & Sun 2pm. Thru June 5. 2025 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org

Filmmaker John Waters’ curated group exhibit of unusual re-imagined domestic objects. Thru May 28. 1632 Market St. www.fraenkelgallery.com

The How and the Why @ Aurora Theatre, Berkeley West Coast premiere of Sarah Treem’s ( House of Cards) drama about two women biologists who clash over evolution and gender theories. $35$45. Tue 7pm. Wed-Sat 8pm. Sun 2pm. Thru May 22. Harry’s UpStage, 2081 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 8434822. www.auroratheatre.org

v PUTTIN’

ON

The Most Happy Fella @ Eureka Theatre 42nd Street Moon’s production of the Frank Loesser classic musical, a Tony Award winner set in old time Napa Valley. $25-$75. Wed & Thu 7pm.

Fri 8pm. Sat 6pm. Sun 3pm. Thru May 15. 215 Jackson St. 255-8207. www.42ndstmoon.org

Mr. David, for Juanita More! @ de Young Museum Runway show and party celebrating the couture designs of Mr. David (Glamarama) made for local nightlife icon Juanita More! Drag queens galore! Slideshow in Koret Auditorium 6pm-8:45pm. Runway show Wilsey Court, 7:30-8pm. $20. 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, Golden Gate Park. www.juanitamore.com www.famsf.org

Come One! Come All! Midway Entertainment Silent Auction Food and Libations Top Hats Encouraged!

A TRIBUTE TO KITTY GLAMOUR

On a Clear Day You Can See Forever @ New Conservatory Theatre Center

Cady Huffman @ Feinstein’s at the Nikko The Tony Award winner ( The Producers) performs her cabaret show, Tom Boy, Show Girl, a night of unusual songs. $50-$70. 8pm.

Also May 13, 8pm. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. (866) 663-1063. cadyhuffman.com ticketweb.com

Bay Area premiere of David Ives’ adaptation of Jean-Francois Regnard’s 1708 comedy about greed, love and lust. $35-$50. Tue & Sun 7pm. WedSat 8pm. Also Sun 2pm. Thru May 22.

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

To Kill a Mockingbird @ Berkeley Playhouse

t

ALL-STAR

HEKLINA n COCKATIELIA n DON ALEXIS MIRANDA n KANDI DE-LITE n SER

The Alan Jay Lerner/Burton Lane musical gets a new gay adaptation by Peter Parnell; a gay florist, past lives and love triangles collide with comic flair. $30-$50. Previews. Opening night May 21. Wed-Sat 8pm. Sun2pm. 25 Van Ness Ave, lower level.

861-8972. www.nctcsf.org

P

THE ARC UNSTOPPABLES n VOCAL KITTEN ON THE KEYS n KIPPY MARKS IMPROV-

HONORARY CHAIRS: BEVAN DUFT

TUESDAY MAY 24, 2016

Six Suites @ Community Music Center Push Productions presents two dance programs by five choreographers, each of two nights, set to J.S. Bach’s Six Suites for Unaccompanied Cello. $10-$20. 7pm & 9pm. Also May 14.

544 Capp St. www.pushproductions.org

Smuin Ballet @ YBCA The local ballet company’s 22nd season Dance Series Two includes a world premiere by Helen Pickett, and dances by Jiri Kylian and Val Caniparoli. $24-$67. Thu-Sat 8pm. Sat & Sun 2pm. Thru May 15. 700 Howard St. Also in Walnut Creek May 27 & 28, and in San Mateo June 3 & 4. 9121899. www.smuinballet.org

Steve Grand @ Marine’s Memorial Theatre The popular singer performs a concert, with comic Shan Carr, with proceeds benefitting the Richmond/ Ermet Aid Foundation. $0-$60. Afterparty for VIP tickets. 8pm.609 Sutter St., 2nd floor. www.reaf.org

Take This Hammer @ YBCA New exhibit of nearly a dozen local activist-artists who work in different media. Thru Aug. 14. Also, Kevin Cooley’s Golden Prospects, a visual survey of water and waste in California. $8-$10. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission St. www.ybca.org

Oasis 298 Eleventh St. San Francisco, CA 94103

n

Cirque de l’Arc benefits The Arc San Francisco’s Anti-Bullying and

Sat 14 Antony and Cleopatra @ Buriel Clay Theatre African American Shakespeare Company’s production of the classic romantic war tragedy. $15-$34. Sat 8pm. Sun 3pm. Thru May 29. 762 Fulton St. african-americanshakes.org

Arts Festival @ Yerba Buena Gardens Weekend concerts of music, dance, poetry and more, thru October. May 14, 1pm: Con Brio + Duniya Dance & Drum Company + Black Orpheus. May 19, 12:30pm: Cypress String Quartet.

May 19, 6pm: Let’s Go Salsa@Jessie!

Orquesta La Moderna Tradición Mission St. at 4th. www.ybgfestival.org

Eating Pasta Off the Floor @ The Marsh Maria Grazia Affinito’s new solo show about her mother, and a trip to Italy. $20-$100. Sat 8:30pm, Sun 5pm. Thru May 15. 1062 Valencia St. 282-3055. www.themarsh.org

Hamlet @ Ashby Stage, Berkeley Shotgun Players’ new innovative production of the classic Shakespeare tragedy includes performers (who’ve learned the entire play) pulling their roles for the night from Yurick’s skull! $28-$40. Wed-Sun thru May 15. In repertory June 10-Jan, 2017. (510) 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org

Hidden Gold @ Asian Art Museum Hidden Gold : Mining its Meaning in Asian Art (thru May 8). Also, China at the Center: Rare Ricci and Verbiest World Maps; Extracted: a Trilogy of Ranu Mukherjee (thru Aug. 14); Chinese Laquerware (thru July 31); Elephants Without Number (thru June 26), and more. Free-$25. Tue-Sun 10am-5pm.

200 Larkin St. 581-3500. asianart.org

Michael Kerner @ Castro Country Club Pink Flora: The View From Here, paintings and photographs by the local artist. Daily until 10pm, Fri & Sat til 11pm.Thru June. 4058 18th St. www.kernercreative.com www.castrocountryclub.org

t

Out&About>>

Magnificent Magnolias @ SF Botanical Gardens See beautiful floral and foliage displays, trees and plants in various beautiful gardens specific to region. Expect amazing new growth and blossoms following the rainy days. Daily walking tours and more. Free-$15. Tours, lectures, classes and more. Open daily, 7:30am-sunset. Golden Gate Park. 6611316. www.sfbotanicalgarden.org

Oakland East Bay Gay Men’s Chorus @ Montclair Presbyterian Church, Oakland Pride and Joy, the chorus’ spring concert series, includes original works by Jack Curtis Dubowsky and Gabriella Lena Frank. $15-$25. 7:30pm. Also May 15, 4pm. 5701 Thornhill Drive, Oakland. www.oebgmc.org

May 12-18, 2016 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 27

San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band @ Empire Room Spotlight on Broadway, the band’s spring concert, include songs from hit musical Grease, Fiddler on the Roof, Cabaret, La Cage Aux Folles and more, with co-MCs Donna Sachet and singer Leanne Borghesi; drinks, hors d’oeuvres, raffles and a live auction, too. $50. 8pm-10pm. Sir Francis Drake Hotel, 450 Powell St. www.sflgfb.townalive.com

Spring Plant Sale @ SF Botanical Gardens Choose from 1000s of plants grown locally. 10am-2pm. Golden Gate Park, 9th Ave at Lincoln Way. www.SFBotanicalGarden.org

Beautiful floral displays, plants for sale, and docent tours. Tue-Sun 10am4pm. $2-$8. Free for SF residents.

100 JFK Drive, Golden Gate Park, 8312090. conservatoryofflowers.org

Oscar de la Renta @ de Young Museum Stylish new retrospective exhibit of the world-famous fashion designer’s gowns on display, as well as archival photos and materials; Thru May 30.

Other exhibits of modern art as well.

Free/$25. 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive. www.famsf.org

Pierre Bonnard @ Legion of Honor Painting Arcadia, thru May 15. Also, World in a Book, A Princely Pursuit and other exhibits. Free/$15. Tue-Sun 9:30am-5:15pm. Lincoln Park, 100 34th Ave. 750-3600. www.legionofhonor.famsf.org

Spring Fling @ Hyatt Regency Embarcadero Openhouse 16th anniversary gala fundraiser honors athlete Diana Nyad, Horizons Foundation President Roger Doughty, and a delicious luncheon. $200 and up. 11am-2pm.

5 Embarcadero Center. 728-0196. www.openhouse-sf.org/fling

N THE RITZ v Photo Credit: Abi Sherman Photography

Mon 16 Color of Life @ California Academy of Sciences Exhibits and planetarium shows with various live, interactive and installed exhibits about animals, plants and the earth; new exhibit focuses on vibrantly colored species of octopus, snake fish and other live creatures.

Special events each week, with adult nightlife parties many Thursday nights. $20-$35. Mon-Sat 9:30am5pm. Sun 11am-5pm. 55 Music Concourse Drive, Golden Gate Park.

379-8000. www.calacademy.org

Pilobolus @ Luther Burbank Center for the Arts, Santa Rosa

DRAG REVUE

NNA SACHET n KITTY GLAMOUR RENA JACKSON n DAFT-NÉE GESUNDHEIT!

PLUS

L MINORITY/SF GAY MEN’S CHORUS -O-LINIST n SISTERS OF PERPETUAL INDULGENCE

21 AND OVER MEDIA SPONSOR:

TY n HEKLINA n DONNA SACHET

6 v 6:00PM — 10:30PM

n

Floral Exhibits @ Conservatory of Flowers

Advance Tickets: cirque16luvkitty.eventbrite.com

d Arc Allies program for adults with developmental disabilities.

New & Classic Films @ Castro Theatre May 14: Hitchcock’s The Birds (2pm, 4:30, 7pm) and The Bird With the Crystal Plumage (9:15). May 15: world premiere of Agents of Change (1pm), Billy Budd (4:30) and Knife in the Water (8:45). May 16 & 17: Blade Runner (7pm) and The Hunger (9:15).

May 19: Sudden Fear! (2:30, 7pm) and Experiment in Terror (4:30, 9:05). $11$16. 429 Castro St. castrotheatre.com

Opening Day @ SF Museum of Modern Art See the restaged installations and new exhibits of Pop, Abstract and classic Modern art at the renovated and visually amazing museum, with two extra floors, a new additional Howard Street entrance, café and outdoor gardens. Free-$25.

10am-8pm. 151 Third St. sfmoma.org

SF Bach Choir @ Calvary Presbyterisn Church J.S. Bach’s Mass in B-minor is performed. Free-$30. 7pm. 2515 Fillmore St. Also May 15, 3pm at First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way (at Dana), Berkeley. www.sfbach.org

The Wild Bunch @ SF Conservatory of Flowers New Spring exhibit of oddly-shaped succulents, cacti and fat plants. Thru Oct. 16. 100 John F. Kennedy Drive, Golden Gate Park www.conservatoryofflowers.org

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

Air Mail Salon @ Victorian Home Enjoy live performances (Joanna Haigood, Anne Bluethental, James Graham, Diego Gomez and others) and fantastic food and wine in an elegant Victorian home at a fundraiser for the upcoming Seth Eisen work, The Charlip Project, about gay artist Remy Charlip. $158. 2pm-5pm. https:// www.eventbrite.com/e/air-mailsalon-tickets-23294180521

The acclaimed innovative dance company performs new works and repertory classics. $20-$50. 8pm. 50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa.

(707) 546-3600. www.lutherburbankcenter.org

Queerest Library Ever @ SF Public Libraries Hormel at 20: Celebrating Our Past/ Creating Our Future, a dual exhibit of archival materials celebrating the two decades of the LGBTQ collections.

Thru Aug 7. 100 Larkin St., 3rd floor, and at the Eureka Valley Brnach, 1 Jose Sarria Court at 16th St. www.sfpl.org

San Francisco in Ruins @ Tenderloin Museum Exhibit of paintings by local artist Jacinto Castillo depicting old San Francisco. Tue-Sun 10am-5pm, $6-$10 ($15 includes walking tour). 398 Eddy St. 351-1912. tenderloinmuseum.org

Zack Zdrale @ John Pence Gallery Exhibit of compelling portraits by the Wisconsin painter. Mon-Fri 10am6pm. Sat til 5pm. 750 Post St. 4411138. www.johnpence.com

Tue 17 Bill Graham and the Rock & Roll Revolution @ Contemporary Jewish Museum Exhibit of photos and documents of and about the prolific rock concert promoter. Also, Roman Vishniac Rediscovered, an exhibit of photos from the prolific documenter of Jewish life in eastern Europe. Thru May 29.

Other exhibits about Jewish culture, lectures and gallery talks as well. Free (members)-$12. Fri-Tue 11am-5pm, Thu 11am-8pm (closed Wed). 736 Mission St. 655-7800. thecjm.org

Sat 14 Antony and Cleopatra @ Buriel Clay Theatre

Black Queer Artists in Conversation @ GLBT History Museum Alicia Bell, Reek Bell and Mustafa Greene discuss the intersections of blackness, queerness and art. Free.

6:45pm. 4127 18th St. glbthistory.org

Lambda Literary Finalists @ SF Public Library Bay Area finalists in the prestigious annual LGBTQ literary awards in several categories (Roberto Santiago, Kate Carroll de Gutes, Michael Golding, Julie Blair, Willy Wilkinson, Corbett Joan O’Toole, Melissa Buzzeo, Debra Busman, Petrus Liu, Sinclair Sexsmith, encian pastel, Meliza Bañales, Stephanie Gray, Mark S. Luckie) read short excerpts of their nominated books. 5:30pm 100 Larkin St. Latino/Hispanic Meeting Room, lower level. www.lambdalit.org www.sfpl.org

Will Durst @ The Marsh The political comic’s updated solo show, Elect to Laugh: 2016, adds topical jokes about the bizarre election season. $15-$100. Tuesdays, 8pm. Extended thru July 26. 1062 Valencia St. 282- www.themarsh.org

Wed 18 Altered State: Marijuana in California @ Oakland Museum The first-ever museum exhibition to focus on pot, with art, political documents, scientific displays. Thru Sept. 25. Other exhibits as well. Free/$15. Reg. hours Wed-Sat 11am-5pm (Fri til 9pm). 1000 Oak St., Oakland. (510) 318-8400. www.museumca.org

Kings in Shorts @ Roxie Cinema Drag king movies screen, and the amazing Kingdom! and Momma’s Boyz vocal hip hop groups perform a live tribute to Prince. $10-$20. 7pm.

3117 16th St. www.roxie.com

Michael Feinstein @ Feinstein’s at the Nikko The piano-singer cabaret icon returns to his own intimate nightclub ofr a concert celebrating Academy Awardwinning lyricists Marilyn and Alan Bergman (“The Way We Were,” “A Piece of the Sky”), with Bergman. $80-$95. Wed & Sat 7pm. Thu & Fri 8pm. Sun 3pm. Thru May 22. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. www.ticketweb.com

Wish Upon a Star: Pinocchio @ Walt Disney Family Museum Opening of a new exhibit all about the Disney classic about a puppet who longs to be a real boy. Also, Mel Shaw: An Animator on Horseback, an exhibition showcasing 120 artworks and designs by the prominent Disney animator, whose own life was full of adventures. Free (members)-$20. Thru Sept. 12. 104 Montgomery St., The Presidio. 345-6800. waltdisney.org

Smack Dab @ Strut The longest-running queer open mic, cohosted by Larry-bob Roberts and Dana Hopkins, features Nightshade, who performs his new work, The Stag & Crane. Open mic sign-up 7:30pm.

Show 8pm. 470 Castro St., 2nd floor. www.strutsf.org

Thu 19 Black Virgins are Not for Hipsters @ The Marsh Berkeley Echo Brown’s hit solo show about desire and doubt moves to the company’s East Bay theatre. $20$100. Thu 8pm Sat 8:30pm. Extended thru June 25. 2120 Allston Way, Berkeley. 282-3055. www.themarsh.org

Comedy Returns @ El Rio Lisa Geduldig hosts the monthly comedy show, this time with Yayne Abeba, Zahra Noorbakhsh, Robin Cee, and Yvette Fernandez. $7-$20. 8pm.

3158 Mission St. koshercomedy.com elriosf.com

Dishing Daughters of a Riot: Comptons, Courts, Nuns & Punk @ GLBT History Museum Discussion panel about drag and a preview of the upcoming Brava Theatre show, Daughters of a Riot, with Lol McFiercen, Honey Mahogany, Dulce De Leche and VivvyAnne ForeverMORE! 7pm-9pm.

Also, Dancers We Lost: Honoring Performers Lost to HIV/AIDS, a new exhibit of photos and ephemera, curated by Glenne McElhinney, about Bay Area dancers who died of AIDS. Thru Aug. 7. Also, Feminists to Feministas : Women of Color in Prints and Posters, a new exhibit of illustrations depicting LBT women of color from the 1970s to today. Thru July 4. $5. 4127 18th St. www.dancerswelost.org/exhibit/ www.glbthistory.org

Meklit Hadero @ YBCA The Oakland-based Ethiopian musican’s traditional and modern jazz concert, This Was Made Here: A Diasporic Odyssey. $15-$30. Thu-Sun 8pm. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission St. 978-2787. www.ybca.org

SF International Arts Festival @ Various Venues The annual festival of dance, theatre, music, performance art, plus workshops, panels, lectures and receptions features dozens of ensembles and performs (Rotimi Agbabiaka, Sara Porter, Hiroshu Koike Bridge Project, Adrian Arias, Yaelisa & Caminos Flamencos, Del Sol string Quartet). Venues include the Cowell Theatre, Fort Mason, Firehouse, The Chapel. $15-$30. Fest passes $60 and up. Thru June 5. www.sfiaf.org

Sat 14

Oakland East Bay Gay Men’s Chorus @ Montclair Presbyterian Church, Oakland

<< Fine Art

28 • BAY AREA REPORTER • May 12-18, 2016

In the eyes & minds of beholders

t

by Sura Wood

Sally Mann: Emmett, Jessie, and Virginia; Portraiture: A Group Photography Exhibition; both at Jenkins Johnson Gallery, SF he unself-conscious, joyfully naked children in the photographs of Sally Mann are like forest sprites, splashing in the cool water of a muddy river at twilight, frolicking in the languid Southern summer, or swooping through the primordial woods within whose depths lurks black magic. That’s the uneasy spell cast by Mann, a respected photographer who, as a young mother with three youngsters, enlisted her children to be her models. It was a critical decision that has yielded mythic, nostalgic, even feral black & white pictures and no small amount of controversy. The response to the children’s nudity, in particular, has led to censorship in several prominent publications and sometimes obscured her artistic accomplishment. There have been objections to her kids being too young to understand the implications of their poses, some of which are provocative; accusations of child abuse; fear of pedophiles and stalkers; as well as child pornography laws that threaten the artist and the pursuit of her work. Though Mann has said she thinks “childhood sexuality is an

T

Copyright Sally Mann, courtesy Jenkins Johnson Gallery

“Emmett, Jessie and Virginia” (1994) by Sally Mann, from the Immediate Family series. Gelatin silver enlargement print.

oxymoron,” and emphatically stated that her photographs are not erotic, it’s what’s in the eye and mind of beholders that’s troubling and difficult to reconcile.

The intimacy of her imagery makes viewers inadvertently complicit in a form of voyeurism that’s hard to resist given the earthy, sensual beauty of the photographs.

Referencing icons ranging from Edward Weston, Dorothea Lange,

Diane Arbus and Emmet Gowin to Robert Frank, Mann’s goals remain artistic, as is her desire to protect, not exploit her children: Emmett, who’s 12, the only boy in this mischievous, photogenic crew; Jessie, 10; and, Virginia, who’s 7 going on 17. Nowhere is the impishness of the youngest member of the tribe more evident than in a 1988 picture that bears her name, showing her with arms folded, impatiently waiting for her mother to get on with it, and “Modest Child,” where, with tousled curls and tiny hands shielding her chest, she’s a ringer for Alice, the (initially) pint-sized heroine of Lewis Carroll’s books.

“Warm Springs” (1991), a fantastical vision of Virginia swimming, her eyes closed, head tipped back in the water, her wet hair encircling her head like a silvery halo, makes one wonder if the child was delivered to her human family in the dead of night by woodland faeries. Emmett

Courtesy Jenkins Johnson Gallery

“Red Turban” (2015) by Hendrik Kerstens. Raw/color negative ultrachrome print.

playfully goes limp in the arms of a man carrying him away (“After the Party,” 1990), and then there’s Jessie standing naked, thigh-deep in water (“Punctus,” 1992), facing away from the camera, long wet hair coming to a point in the middle of her back, body glistening. In “Jessie at 6” (1987), she’s a slender reed of a thing aligning herself with a likewise wiry birch outside the house, but it was the picture of her taken three years earlier, lying on the ground with a face swollen in reaction to bites inflicted by a swarm of gnats, that created a furor over Mann’s maternal instincts and her priorities.

Those pictures and a woodsy group portrait of the conspirators,

“Emmett, Jessie and Virginia” (1994), are among the mesmerizing images in Immediate Family, a series that began in 1984 and was shot over a 10-year period at the 400-acre Virginia farm owned by Mann’s family. It’s now on view at the Jenkins Johnson Gallery, along with several portraits of rural girls on the verge of womanhood from At 12.

Though they may seem like snapped-on-the-fly documents of a Tom Sawyer-esque childhood, Mann in fact stages many of her pictures, working from sketches and trying out poses with her restless See page 29 >>

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Film>>

May 12-18, 2016 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 29

Animal intelligence

by David Lamble

T

Sony Pictures Classics

Dream Alliance is the animal star of the Welsh racehorse tale Dark Horse.

o really get behind the new Welsh racehorse tale Dark Horse, opening Friday in Bay Area theaters, it doesn’t hurt to have been raised on animal classics like Black Beauty, where a gaggle of humans tie their fates to a noble nag, with motives both pure and far from innocent.

Director Louise Osmond deftly employs a real-life cast of mostly working-class Welsh men and women describing how a most unlikely horse entered and upended their lives for a spell in a marvelous Cinderella story. It helps a lot that her group of most unlikely horse-breeders has a natural, totally unselfconscious gift for gab. The

narrators are 23 citizens from the tiny village of Cefn Fforest. Part of a working-class club (a stillimportant distinction in a still very class-aware Britain), the investors come from many walks of life. They include a tax consultant, a nightclub bouncer (a former coal-delivery guy) and a barmaid with a sneaky sense of humor, boundless energy and a background in breeding small birds. One of the common threads binding the 23 together is their shared legacy of economic distress resulting from the 1980s-era collapse of the coal-mining industry, precisely the experience West Virginia residents are facing now.

The heart of the story comes in the events leading up to their steed’s victory at the Welsh National. The

cast embodies a natural sense of humor that gives the proceedings the larky feel of an old Peter Sellers or Alec Guinness caper comedy from the 1950s. In the end, the noble stallion Dream Alliance fulfills the wildest imaginings of these Welsh people who have spent most of their lives realizing how little their tiny nation normally counts for in the cosmic scheme of things.

This is the kind of movie to let go of your big-city sophistication and just imagine you’re back with one of those vintage Hollywood fantasies, the kind that launched the careers of Elizabeth Taylor and Mickey Rooney, and the kind that still gives animal-lovers everywhere the feeling that their hearts really are in the right place.t

anger you had when you was 20 without thinking it’s going to blow out your candlelight. When I first met him, Earl was one of the most angry, dysfunctional human beings I’ve ever seen. I remember one time when Earl had this disagreement with this big old boy who wanted his

ass. Earl wasn’t going to give it up.

But he knew he couldn’t handle this boy one-on-one, so he went up on the catwalk and got one of them big old steel mop buckets and dropped it.”

“Did it hit him?”

“It didn’t hit him on the head, it hit him on the foot. Now, Earl could have sliced this guy up good. But he has a tender side, that’s what I like about old Earl. Now, come down and eat my pussy!” (Both men laugh.)

Animal Factory is like Earl: in turns tough and tender about one of America’s dirty secrets, the inhumane, crime-producing factories that are this country’s largely unreformed prison systems. Kudos for a great cast, especially the deft son/ daddy combination of Furlong and Dafoe. Animal Factory plays like a double episode of HBO’s brutal prison series Oz, but with the wisdom more concentrated and lifeaffirming. Director Buscemi neatly delivers his truths filtered through the dark pitched humor often observed in his own best screen characters, like the life-affirming gay man with AIDS in Bill Sherwood’s classic 1986 Fire Island comedy Parting Glances.t

Men behind bars

by David Lamble

T

here’s a lot of things to be said for Animal Factory, a beautifully executed men-behind-bars film from veteran actor/director Steve Buscemi. Shot in an actual abandoned Philadelphia prison and based on a prison novel by Edward Bunker (co-screenwriter with John Steppling), the film flirts with tough-guy movie cliches only to subtly skewer them in favor of hard truths about race, sex and sexual orientation that American society is still struggling to engage with 150 years after the Civil War. For LGBT viewers, Animal Factory’s gripping human hook is provided by a skinny-boy first-time felon, Ron Decker. It’s another tortured-boy-on-the-run anti-hero from Edward Furlong, whose early career was spent creating a gallery of little-boy-lost characters in a string of moving if bitter takes on America dystopian nightmares, from American History X, where Furlong is the kid brother to Edward Norton’s American Nazi, to the Brooklyn family tragedy Little Odessa, where Furlong is the ill-fated sibling to another thuggish big brother, a Russian-American gangster hit-man

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Butch

From page 24

going to study engineering. But my uncle really pressed me to talk about what I really wanted to do.

The question kind of surprised me.

Without thinking, I blurted out that I’d really love to take pictures.

“My uncle really encouraged me to go for my dream,” she said. “He told me that once I found what I really wanted to do I should just start walking toward it.”

When she got back to California, Allen decided to dive right into assembling a body of work. “I thought, okay, I’ll ask my butch friends if they would pose,” she explained. “But most were initially very reluctant. I understood their hesitation. When I was younger and felt confused about my gender, I just wanted to be out of the spotlight, too.”

Allen said she set up a light in her apartment, where she lived with two friends who had just had a baby. One

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Jenkins Johnson

From page 28

subjects in the manner of a portraitist. She shoots only during the summer, when the kids are home, using a large-format 8x10 box camera, and prints like a demon the rest of the year to keep up with the demand from clients. Considered one of the best printers in the country, she utilizes 19th-century techniques that give the images a far-away,

chillingly realized by Tim Roth.

With his short stature (5’5”), pretty countenance and high-pitched voice, Furlong was the go-to guy for white-boy innocence besmirched or totally ravaged in hellish environs.

Furlong’s Ron Decker, a middleclass kid whom a ruthless judge seeks to make an example of with a hard-time sentence for small-time pot-dealing, quickly discovers that pretty boys like him have only two choices if they wish to live out their sentences without becoming somebody’s raped punk (“Hey, Goldilocks, come be my bitch!”): submit or find a protector. In Ron’s case. that angel of mercy turns up in the form of a grizzled lifer, Earl Copen (Willem Dafoe), with his own dark survival philosophy: “Better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven.”

An early sample of how truthful yet entertaining Animal Factory is comes in a cell scene between Ron and an effeminate inmate drolly essayed by Mickey Rourke. The scene plays out as Ron leans out a top bunk smoking while Rourke’s brasporting queen does his nails.

“What’s up, Surgarplum?”

“I met this guy today: shaved head, Earl Copen. Know who I’m talking about?”

“Copen and I go all the way back, cellmates together. Tell you what I worry about old Earl these days. I worry that the peckwood is just going to burn his ass out.”

“What do you mean?”

“All the rage, the anger: you can’t come in here with all that rage and

evening when Allen got home, one of the new Moms was holding the baby, and “I saw this beautiful shot. That portrait has turned out to be one of my all-time favorites,” she said.

With some pictures to show her other friends, they gradually relented, although she “had to do quite a bit of begging” to convince people to be photographed. As people began to appreciate their own beauty in her pictures, it became easier to find subjects.

“I realized I could capture butch women the way few people had seen them before,” she said. “I loved the way they cut their hair, the way they wore boots, the swagger, the confidence, and how they interacted with each other,” she said. “What I learned is that nothing has really changed when it comes to butches.

“There has always been the entire range, from a soft butch with a more feminine personality but an outward masculine esthetic all the way to the other extreme of women,

who have had top surgery and have started to use male or ambiguous pronouns. And of course there is everyone in-between.”

As Allen’s portfolio grew, she was invited to show her work in half-adozen shows, including solo shows at Café Gabriela in Oakland in 2014, and at the Lexington Club in San Francisco in 2013. Last year, Allen was in group exhibitions in London and New York City. At the same time, she began picking up freelance jobs in television, making enough money to “feed her art habit” and pay her bills.

Right now, Allen says she is “incredibly excited” about the show at GlamaRama. According to Facebook, she said, 300 people are planning to attend, and another 1,300 are “interested.” After the show, Allen hopes she’ll find a publisher to do a book. In the meantime, she has another project in the works, but would prefer not to discuss the details. “It’s queer,” she said. “I have to keep the rest under wraps.”t

antiquated look reminiscent of Julia Margaret Cameron and Carroll, both of whom photographed children in an era when 50% of them didn’t survive past the age of five, making childhood a prized and perishable commodity.

Mann is certainly not the only artist to draft her children into service. The self-taught Dutch photographer Hendrik Kerstens, for instance, has called upon the austere beauty and forbearance of his

daughter Paula, who has been his subject and muse for two decades.

His recent photographic portraits, apparently influenced by Cindy Sherman’s propensity for adopting guises, are included in Portraiture, a concurrent group exhibition at the gallery. Kerstens miraculously mimics the golden light and stark black backgrounds of 17th-century Dutch Masters painting in works such as “Red Turban” (2015), in which Paula, her head wrapped in

Courtesy the artist

“Nenna, June 2014,” photograph by Meg Allen.

a luxuriant red scarf, appears to be the well-tended wife of a prosperous burgher; her composure, strong features, direct gaze and translucent skin are invaluable in pulling off the charade. Paula, luminous in three-quarter pose, recalls Vermeer’s “Girl with the Pearl Earring,” and prompts a similar question: who is this mysterious, confident young woman, equally self-assured whether her hair is lathered in whip cream (“Cream,” 2015) or her head

is covered by a plastic trash bag (“Bag”)? The late Alexander McQueen was so moved by the latter picture, he used it on the invitation to his 2009 fashion show.

Portraiture also features work by Omar Victor Diop, Lalla Essaydi, Hassan Hajjaj, Zanele Muholi, and Aida Muluneh, all of whom explore issues of identity.t Both exhibitions run through July 9. Info: jenkinsjohnsongallery.com.

<< Books

30 • BAY AREA REPORTER • May 12-18, 2016

Toothsome journal essays

by John F. Karr

F

ans of Samuel Steward will pounce upon Phil Sparrow Tells All, which brings forth from neartotal obscurity 30 of the 50 essays Steward wrote between 1944-49 for, get this, the Illinois Dental Journal.

Readers new to Steward might be best advised to start with the raunchy yet sophisticated erotic stories he wrote under the nom de porn Phil Andros, upon which his fame largely rests, and which will no doubt propel said newcomers to everything else Steward wrote. The author’s breadth includes stylish writing in many categories. There are several novels, a murder mystery, a volume of his correspondence with Gertrude Stein, and memoirs both gritty (Bad Boys and Tough Tattoos) and more civil (Chapter from an Autobiography).

At first glance, Phil Sparrow Tells All may seem a bit of lacunae for Steward buffs. Yet it turns out to be substantially, charmingly, and definitely eclectically more. Don’t gasp at the clothbound edition’s $75 price. The book comes, after all, from a university press, the University of

Chicago. A more graciously priced trade paperback lists at $20.

It’s entirely odd that Steward should become an essayist for the Illinois Dental Journal, a trade journal focused entirely on the concerns of dentistry. But he had a crush on his dentist, and fulfilling the good doctor’s suggestion that he write for the journal provided chances for greater closeness. Lucky for us.

The first essay centers on a dental concern, and though witty, is impersonal. Steward soon drops the mask, deserts jaw smithery, and asserts his own identity and interests. The queer perspective becomes surprisingly forthright, especially considering the era of censorship and homophobia during which the essays were written.

A little less so, perhaps, in Steward’s discussion of the drinking problem that introduced him to AA, or in his lighthearted telling of his experiences as a super at the ballet and the opera.

He offers witty, slightly veiled takes on pet cemeteries, Sigmund Freud, and cryptography. And he becomes more overt, covering bodybuilding, male fashion, and his nocturnal searchings for drunken sailors

t

(indeed, Steward had a bone for the uniformed fellows, and an insatiable desire to cruise the darkest alleys of rough and tumble Chicago).

How pronounced does the gay content get? In a satire on M.F.K. Fisher’s food writing, “On How To Cook a Wolf,” Steward describes a medieval recipe for preparing a wolf to eat, and concludes with, “For my part, I cannot rest until I find a wolf to try it. Unfortunately, there is in these parts a scarcity of the four-legged kind, so I have a notion to call up ‘Esquire Escorts’ and ask them to send me out a tall, husky, grey-eyed blond of the two-legged variety. Then, clutching my trusty cudgel, I’ll lay him flat as he enters the door, and set to work.”

Each essay is entertainingly introduced by editor Jeremy Mulderig, an Emeritus Professor of English at the DePaul University. As Steward plays peek-a-boo with the reader, Mulderig annotates the gay subtext.

Between the editor and the author, erudition is all over the place.

All told, these essays reconfirm Steward’s important place in 20thcentury gay literature.t

Amazing grace

by Jim Piechota

Nine Lives of Morris by Morris L. Taylor; A&A Publishers, $49 self-described “contemporary version of the Renaissance man,” Morris Taylor is a gay octogenarian based in San Francisco with a multifaceted life story, brilliantly realized in a newly published memoir, Nine Lives of Morris.

“I have a story to tell,” Taylor admits. “I did want to tell the journey from being raised extremely poor in the Depression to making a decent living, having a good family and finally finding some freedoms to do what I really wanted to do.”

Born in 1931, the author grew up impoverished in Lancaster, Massachusetts, selling his mother’s craftwork door-to-door. He writes of harboring a love of organic tomatoes, a foray at purse-making, and hand-picking blueberries at a secret grove. There is mystery surrounding the true identity of the author’s father. A pillow containing shredded documents points the way for an adult Taylor to sleuth out his origins.

He keeps busy as a child

A

cultivating gladiolas with his grandfather. He turns this into a business to pay for graduate school, though the precious corms were confiscated by border inspectors when he moved to California to teach at Pacific Union College.

A pianist, Taylor is also an impressive watercolorist, and his fullcolored paintings adorn these pages.

Also included is Taylor’s supple poetry of varying styles, from a metered and rhyming pensiveness to free-verse wordplay.

He was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1953 at the end of the Korean War. As a Chaplain’s Assistant, he resisted the sexual overtures of male assistants. Two years later, Taylor married Elaine, an artistic vocal teacher, both virgins on their wedding night.

There’s a cadence and certainty to Taylor’s prose, and little doubt as to his moods. His stories include the cathartic and joyous, the grief of Elaine’s death and the suicide of his troubled 30-year-old son, Leonard. The author is honest about his “treatable, not curable” cancer diagnosis, but he remains steadfastly true to himself. “I’ve written scholarly things, but it’s so beautiful to write

about oneself, to create a volume that’s artistic and who you are at the core. Now I’m 85, and I’m diagnosed with multiple myeloma, which is a fatal cancer probably, and I say, well, if I’m not going to write now, when am I going to write?”

Taylor’s homosexuality began manifesting later in his life. A closeted fundamentalist university music professor, he began dipping his toes into a scene that titillated him and validated his sexuality. In Chicago, he strolled through

Boystown, and spent a night at the Lucky Horseshoe, agonizing about being discovered. “I do not belong here. If anyone at my church-related university finds out, my career is history.” Later, before a packed auditorium during an Adventist forum, Taylor publicly abandoned his double-life and came out to his collegiate community as a gay man, to mixed reaction.

In West Hollywood, the author ducks into a sex shop where a drastically marked-down rubber suit

catches his eye. He has a penchant for kink, BDSM, and fire play. “Now it seems like my soul is purged of fear.” He describes the genesis of his becoming Master Morris (a 17-year veteran of the leather community, Taylor won the International Master title in 2013) and how he met his current partner Jonathan, who would become his slave, husband, and life partner, and their marriage and collaring ceremony surrounded by friends and family. “There is no greater bliss,” Taylor writes. “I have just married the man of my life to hug and to hold for all the days stretching into the rainbow-hued future. I embrace my nine lives as one: Yankee musician spiritual father professor artist writer gay Master.”

Taylor’s memoir is a study in poetry, watercolor art, and reflective prose illustrating a life fully lived.

There is much to be gleaned from such a courageous man. His book, abundant in art and prose, is a feast for the heart and the senses.t Morris Taylor’s book launch and reading party, Mon., May 23, 8 p.m., Strut, 470 Castro St., SF.

Nothing but gay skies from now on

by Gregg Shapiro

T

hree must be Bob Mould’s favorite number. His groundbreaking band Hüsker Dü was a trio (with Grant Hart, who is also gay, and Greg Norton) as was Sugar (with David Barbe and Malcolm Travis), the band he formed after he tried his hand as a solo artist. While credited to Mould, his last three albums, including his latest, Patch the Sky (Merge), are actually the work of a trio (Mould, Jason Narducy and Jon Wurster). Combining the best, most rocking elements of his previous musical associations, Mould has found a groove, and he’s sticking with it. Opener “Voice in My Head” is one of the gentler tunes here. Mould and company construct the “walls of sound that keep the sky from falling down” referred to in “Monument” on “The End of Things,” “Daddy’s Favorite” and “Losing Time.”

Like Bob Mould, Jeff Heiskell was the gay frontman of a band, The Judybats, who were college

radio favorites with a majorlabel record deal during the early 1990s. Since then, the Knoxville-based Heiskell has set out on a solo career, releasing some respectable albums. His latest, Arriving (heiskellmusic.com), really rocks. It goes out on a limb on “Deep Appreciation,” which benefits from a close reading of the lyrics.

“Carharts” might be the sexiest blue-collar love song ever written. “Fireflies” and “Faded Letter” should put a smile on Judybats fans’ faces.

“Standing Tall” and “Half Full” are fascinating excursions, while “Cry” may make you do just that.

Kevin Thornton is a man of many faces. You might know the openly gay Thornton as an actor from his one-man show Sex, Dreams & SelfControl. You may also recognize him from his various musical acts, including Waves on Waves and Thornton. His latest musical incarnation,

the Nashville-based band Indiana Queen, refuses to hide in a country closet. Putting a distinctively queer spin on Americana tunes, Indiana Queen crowns its second album I Built a Fire (indianaqueen.com).

Each of the nine songs deserves to be heard, with “Everyone I Passed Today” and “The Willow Tree” especially recommended.

Due to his opulent pop style, Rufus Wainwright is one of those artists whose albums should have been released on LP from the very beginning. At the time of the release of Wainwright’s debut disc in 1998, vinyl hadn’t undergone the resurgence it’s now experiencing. Sure, a promo-only version of Wainwright’s 2003 Want One surfaced, but it was

hard to find a copy. Thankfully, this is being remedied, beginning with the doubleLP vinyl reissues of Rufus Wainwright and 2001’s Poses (both on Geffen/UMe).

The best way to describe the experience of listening to these albums on LP vs. CD: The song “Beauty Mark,” written about Wainwright’s late mother, acclaimed singer-songwriter Kate McGarrigle, always sounded pleasant on CD, sandwiched between the songs “Baby” and “Barcelona.” But when it becomes an opening track, as it does on Side 3, it takes on a whole different status. The same can be said of the masterpiece “Grey Gardens,” which opens Side 3 of Poses, or the way that Rufus’ cover of his father Loudon’s “One Man Guy” closes the same side. The LP of Poses, like the 2002 expanded CD reissue, includes Wainwright’s dazzling cover of “Across the Universe.”t

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Theatre>>

Musicals

From page 21

‘Clear Day’ with a twist

Probably the most curious of the lot is On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, beginning its run May 13 at New Conservatory Theatre Center.

It’s both a local premiere and not.

The original version, first on Broadway in 1965, has been seen around these parts, but a 2011 incarnation with a radically new script and several added songs is making its debut. It’s the brainchild of gay director Michael Mayer, whose successes with Spring Awakening and American Idiot gave him enough cache to find support for a reworking of the musical that added a pivotal gay angle.

While Mayer and his librettist Peter Parnell successfully lobbied the estates of lyricist-librettist Alan Jay Lerner and composer Burton Lane for this reincarnation of a musical about reincarnation, a pre-opening feature in The New York Times, the kind of story that usually has more puff than punch, almost read like an advance obituary, with Lerner’s daughter, Lane’s widow, and even star Harry Connick Jr. expressing reservations not long before the

May 12-18, 2016 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 31

show was to open. It was indeed battered by the critics and closed after a few performances.

What obviously drew NCTC to the new version was its gay angle that turned the role of neurotic Daisy (played so memorably by Barbara Harris in 1965) into a neurotic gay man named David. Seeking out a psychiatrist’s help, he develops a crush on his doctor, while the widowed doctor falls in love with the 1940s big-band singer who manifests herself whenever he puts the patient into a hypnotic trance. But the only way he can fulfill his heterosexual desires for Melinda is to hold close the gay man who can provide them.

NCTC Artistic Director Ed Decker is helming this final show in the theater’s season.

NCTC regular Will Giammona heads the cast as psychiatrist Dr. Mark Bruckner, with Chris Morrell as the patient David and Melissa O’Keefe as the chanteuse whose spirits have taken residence in David’s psyche. Clear Day will run at NCTC through June 12. Tickets are available at (415) 861-8972 or go to nctcsf.org.

‘Party’ invitation

Ray of Light Theatre has a

particular, though not easily definable, taste in musical theater.

Jerry Springer: The Opera, musical versions of the movies Carrie and Heathers, and a goth-rock take on the Lizzie Borden story have been in their repertoire. ROLT’s latest production is The Wild Party, a musical seen in New York in 2000.

But that isn’t actually enough to identify the show, for there were two musical Wild Parties seen that year, a case of two teams unknowingly both creating adaptations of John Moncure March’s booklength narrative poem published in 1928.

To be specific, it is songwriter Andrew Lippa’s version that begins performances May 20 at the Victoria Theatre. The other Wild Party has songs by Michael John LaChiusa, and neither show could be called the commercial victor, for each failed to ignite the box office. But each version had its particular fans, with ROLT presumably falling in with the Lippa crowd.

What had sparked Lippa and LaChiusa to independently start work on March’s tale of decadence in the silent movie era was a new printing of the work with illustrations by the Pulitzer Prize-winner Art Spiegelman. Because the text by then was in the public domain, there was no need to find out if anyone else had rights to adapt March’s material

(which, incidentally, was banned in Boston).

Jocelyn Pickett and Paul Grant Hovannes play lovers on the social fast track who decide to throw a party outdoing what any of their eclectic and flamboyant invitees have ever seen. Queenie and Burr’s wild party becomes wilder than anyone expected. Violence, sexual betrayal, and disillusionment arise with the morning dawn. Jenn BeVard is directing the ROLT production, running through June 11. Go to rayoflighttheatre.com for more information.

Crosscurrent romances

ACT’s next production at the Geary Theatre is a musical that has been banging around for 15 years, but seems to be increasingly rising in stature. The Last Five Years had a short off-Broadway run in 2002, but fared better when it was revived there in 2013. There have been numerous regional productions, including a staged concert at ACT in 2015 with the NY revival cast Adam Kantor and Betsy Wolfe reprising their roles. ACT decided to go through with a full mounting of the two-character musical with a new cast that opens at the Geary on May 18.

Margo Seibert and Zak Resnick are now playing an aspiring actress and an ambitious writer whose

relationship is traced through Jason Robert Brown’s songs. What sets the structure apart are the dueling chronologies that have the character Cathy retracing the romance from its end to the beginning while Jamie takes up matters from the start, with the two characters only hitting chronological synchronicity when their trajectories cross on their wedding day.

Brown based the musical on his owned failed marriage, and one bit of offstage drama surrounding the show occurred when actress Theresa O’Neill threatened legal action because she felt the show was too close to the actual relationship.

Brown made some changes, and legal threats were dropped. The musical was also filmed for a feature release in 2015 with Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan as its stars.

Director Michael Barresse, who made his first big splash as a featured dancer in the 1999 revival of Kiss Me, Kate, addressed the closeness that Brown has with the material. “I know there are a lot of autobiographical aspects, and it’s informative to know Jason and to read the material through his eyes,” Barresse said. “But I think it’s also more about the integrity he has as a person and as a musician, and I feel an obligation to do that justice.” For tickets call (415) 749-2228 or go to act-sf.org.t

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Asteroids, Comets, and the Hard-Hitting Stories of Our Cosmic Origins

Explore the past‚ present‚ and future of our Solar System in a new planetarium show‚ now playing.

Narrated by George Takei.

Get tickets at calacademy.org

25716_CAS_BayAreaReporter_Incoming!Meteor_9.75x16.indd 1

4/13/16 10:43 AM

36

Michael Feinstein

38

On the Tab

www.ebar.com ✶ www.bartabsf.com

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Leather

Vol. 46 • No. 19 • May 12-18, 2016

Cady Huffman

Broadway fave performs at Feinstein’s

by Jim Gladstone

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Cady Huffman in Nymph Errant.

BARtab

Lee Wexler

onight and tomorrow night, Tony-winning tongue-incheek temptress Cady Huffman will slink, wink, and joke her way through a rare San Francisco engagement at Feinstein’s at the Nikko.

See page 37 >>

Music to Your Mouth Food--Forward music festivals in the bay area

by Sean Timberlake

S

ummer’s just around the corner, and as the days get warmer (or, as is usually the case in San Francisco, the opposite), opportunities abound to enjoy some live tunes al fresco. Increasingly, music festivals are catching on to the Bay Area’s culinary scene, attracting more notable and refined offerings than ever before. When you harmonize good food and music, the results are magical.

See page 33 >>

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Michael Feinstein

May 12-18, 2016 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 35

Pianist-singer honors lyricists at his second home

by Jim Gladstone

“M

y first major success as a performer was at The Plush Room in San Francisco,” recalls pianist, vocalist, arranger and music historian Michael Feinstein.

“So it’s always been a dream of mine to have a venue there.”

In a relatively rare five-day engagement at his eponymous dreamcome-true nightclub at the Hotel Nikko, Feinstein – who more typically plays at orchestra halls than his 180-seat Union Square jewel box – will pay tribute to the lyricists Alan and Marilyn Bergman.

The Brooklyn-born Bergmans, 91 and 82 years old, met in Los Angeles in the 1950s, where they teamed up personally and professionally as lyricists for some of the most enduring pieces of twentieth century film and theater music.

“The Bergmans are among the only living contemporaries of Sondheim that he views as his equal,” says Feinstein, who initially worked with them in 1988 when he recorded the original release of their “Where Do You Start?” (music by Johnny Mandel), a song later covered by Rosemary Clooney, Tony Bennett, and Barbara Cook and Barbra Streisand, to name a few.

“I admired their work long before I met them,” says Feinstein. “And since I was making the first record of this song, I wanted to sing it the way they’d intended. They came into the studio and listened to me sing the song and gave me notes on my phrasing.”

“The Bergmans have a remarkable way of expressing the human condition,” says Feinstein, “that is filled with beautiful and unexpected allusions. Their songs that aren’t necessarily full of the crisp or deathdefying wordplay that tends to make lyricists famous, but their ability to distill a contemporary sensibility toward love, romance, and the human condition is really special.”

Michael Feinstein

The Bergmans’ long professional relationship with Barbra Streisand yielded pop standards, including “The Way We Were” (music by Marvin Hamlisch) and “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers” (music by Neil Diamond). In 2011, Streisand released an entire album – What Matters Most – showcasing the couple’s work.

For listeners who find this part of the Bergman canon a bit on the schmaltzy side, it’s likely due to the production on the recordings rather than their elegantly emotive lyrics.

“It Must be You,” written for Tootsie with composer Dave Grusin, and most famously performed by Stephen Bishop, features their lyrics in an sparer, airier setting. Their breakout tune “In The Heat of the Night” was a collaboration with Quincy Jones.

“We still write music every day,” said Alan Bergman on a phone call from his home in Los Angeles. He also plays tennis most days.

Bergman will join Feinstein for a portion of each night’s set next week. Marilyn, less fond of the spotlight, will attend as part of the audience.

“I love to perform,” Bergman promises. “I’ll do ‘Windmills of Your Mind’ with Michael.”

Hushed and jazzy, the song –with music by Michel LeGrand– is one of the Bergman’s most enduring. It won an Academy Award after being featured in the 1968 production of The Thomas Crown Affair, sung by Noel Harrison (a son of Rex). It has since been recorded by an astonishing array of performers, from Dusty Springfield to Johnny Mathis to Jim Nabors to Alison Moyet. Most recently, Sting did a version for the Pierce Brosnan remake of Thomas Crown in 1999.

Lyricists Marilyn and Alan Bergman.

“As time progresses,” Feinstein says, “these songs become even more precious to me. Being able to collaborate with creators is very important to me.”

But the Bergmans are by no means taking a curtain call on their career.

“We’re working on an animated musical called Broadway Chicken,” reports Alan. “And we wrote the title song for a documentary that’s coming out about people over 90. It’s called ‘I’m Just Getting Started.’”t Michael Feinstein returns to his own intimate nightclub for a concert celebrating Academy Award-winning lyricists Marilyn and Alan Bergman. $80-$95. Wed & Sat 7pm. Thu & Fri 8pm. Sun 3pm. May 18 - 22. Feinstein’s at the Nikko, Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. www.ticketweb.com

Correction

I Marilyn and Alan Bergman in 1974 with composer Marvin Hamlisch at their Oscar win for the song “The Way We Were.”

n last week’s ‘On the Town’ column, Imperial Crown Prince David Bracamontes was misindentified in a photo caption by the editor as an Imperial Court Emperor.

Apologies for the error.t

Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

Gabe Meline

36 • BAY AREA REPORTER • May 12-18, 2016

August 5-7 Outside Lands, San Francisco This major music festival has been pulling in big-name acts to Golden Gate Park since 2008. Rock out to Radiohead, Lana del Rey, Duran Duran…oh, and the Muppets’ Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem. Outside Lands pioneered the intersection of food and music, bringing chefs together with DJs and musicians for inspired eats.

The food, wine and beer lineups are not set as of press time, but the festival always brings the top providers the Bay Area has to offer. www.sfoutsidelands.com August 20 20th Street Block Party, San Francisco This project of Missionite indie music label NoisePop and Ne Timeas Restaurant Group (flour + water, Salumeria, Trick Dog) is the ultimate fusion of local tunes and beats. While this year’s program isn’t set as of press time, last year’s party spanned two blocks in the Inner Mission, featuring NoisePop bands performing on alternating stages, plus culinary demos in the Ne Timeas Workshop Tent. The food vendors are always a cut above; last year’s included The Tradesman, El Pípila, Intelligentsia Coffee, and of course Ne Timeas’ own flour + water and Central Kitchen. www.20thstreetblockparty.com August 20-21 Cotati Accordion Festival, Cotati Get pumped for squeeze box mania at this “multi-generational, multi-cultural” festival, now in its 26th year. Accordion music spans a wealth of styles, including Polka, Zydeco, tango, gypsy, cowboy, and even classical. Performers come from around the world, from Finland to China, and be sure to tune

Top: Cage the Elephant at last year’s Bottle Rock Music Festival.

Bottom: Cute cupcakes at Country Summer.

Music To Your Mouth

From page 33

May 27-29 BottleRock Napa Valley, Napa This juggernaut music festival rocks multiple stages at the Napa Valley Exposition, drawing A-list performers; this year’s lineup includes Stevie Wonder, Florence + the Machine, and Red Hot Chili Peppers just for starters. Culinary superstars are on the program, too, with offerings from Napa Valley’s finest restaurants including Bouchon, Redd, Morimoto, and more. The festival’s Culinary Stage creates a fun intersection, mashing up musicians and chefs.

(Last year, Flava Flav made fried chicken with Michael Voltaggio of Top Chef.) All passes are currently sold out, but they have a marketplace where people who want to surrender their passes can resell them at non-gougy prices on a first-come, first-serve basis. www.bottlerocknapavalley.com June 3-5 Country Summer, Santa Rosa The ultimate hoedown fills the Sonoma County Fairgrounds with tens of thousands of country music fans. The lineup sports a roster of younger, popular acts like Lady Antebellum and The Band Perry.

Beer is king here –last year they served 38,000 cups of Bud and Bud Light– but saloons abound from winemaker Kendall-Jackson as well as boozier offerings. Local food vendors include venerable Cotati ravioli maker Pasta King, sassy coffee truck Pinup Girl Coffee and Desserts, gourmet sandwiches from Foodie Farmhouse, and local ice cream favorite Three Twins. www.countrysummer.com

in for the Lady Gaga of accordion, The Great Morgani, appeared in four silver outfits in honor of the festival’s silver anniversary. Food vendors are not set as of press time, but odds are strong you’ll be able to get a good sausage. www.cotatifest.com September 10-11 Russian River Jazz & Blues Festival, Guerneville This long-running festival on Johnson’s Beach has attracted some of the greatest luminaries in jazz and blues, including Boz Skaggs, Al Jarreau, Etta James, Trombone Shorty, and many others. The food court skews eclectic and international, and befitting the festival’s location, there’s a wine tent with tastings from prominent local producers. www.russianriverfestivals.com September 23-25 Eat Real Fest, Oakland This is really a food festival that happens to have live music. Every year, Jack London Square fills with the hungry and thirsty seeking to get more connected to their food. Nibble your way through various street food vendors (all bites cost $8 or less), and experience culinary demos and hands-on workshops. The live music stage features local Oakland talent. www.eatrealfest.com September 30-October 2 Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, San Francisco In its 16th year, this massive, free festival colonizes the western half of Golden Gate Park, pulling in hundreds of thousands of music lovers over the weekend.

Because of the tremendous size of the event, it brings out more than 50 street food vendors. www.hardlystrictlybluegrass.comt

June 5 Railroad Square Music Festival, Santa Rosa Occurring in the eponymous downtown plaza, this festival is designed to highlight Northern California musicians. Expect an eclectic array of everything from old-school folk to alt-rock to gypsy jazz. The festival is partnering with Santa Rosa’s West End Farmers Market, so local fare will be on offer as well, like BBQ Smokehouse and Nimble & Finn’s ice cream, and fermented sippers from Virginia Dare and Coppola Wineries, Lagunitas Brewing’s beer, and Revive Kombucha. www.railroadsquaremusicfestival.com July 2-3 Fillmore Jazz Festival, San Francisco Our fair city has many street festivals, but this is the only one with a musical focus, harkening to the days of the Fillmore as one of the country’s great centers for jazz.

The lineup includes an array of acts touching on reggae, Be-Bop, blues and more. The food skews Southern; two notable vendors last year were food truck gone brick-andmortar Wing Wings, and elevated soul food spot 1300 on Fillmore. www.fillmorejazzfestival.com July 22-24 J-Pop Summit, San Francisco More than just music and food, JPop is a full-on extravaganza all things Japanese at Fort Mason Center. Live performances include robo-techno dancers World Order, music duo GARNiDELia, and Harajuku fashion goddess-cum-bubble gum pop star Kyary Pamyu Pamyu. There’s even a J-POP Queen drag contest, so don your finest. In between acts, tuck into steaming bowls of noodles at the Ramen Summit for just $8 a pop, or peruse the food trucks. Past years have included Bacon Bacon, JapaCurry, WeSushi, and others. www.j-pop.com

David Toshiyuko

<<

t

Top: J-Pop Summit.

Bottom: Fillmore Jazz Festival

t

Read more online at www.ebar.com

May 12-18, 2016 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 37

Left: Cady singing on a piano. Right: Cady Huffman with Matthew Broderick in The Producers.

Cady Huffman

<<

Cady Huffman

From page 33

A month ago, she had only the vaguest idea of what her show would consist of.

“Out of the blue, a few weeks back, I got a call asking if I’d come out to San Francisco,” Huffman explained in a phone conversation.

The statuesque actress –who had a Tony-nominated run as a showgirl in The Will Rogers Follies, and won a 2001 Tony for originating the role of Ulla in The Producers– hadn’t done a cabaret act in a couple of years.

But she’d also never performed cabaret in San Francisco, which made the proposition irresistible.

“My career really took off in San Francisco,” Huffman recalls. “It’s where I made my mark as a teenage drag queen!”

The Santa Barbara-born Huffman grew up in community theater, but made her first major professional appearance at age 19. As a birdcage girl in the original San Francisco company of La Cage Aux Folles (A local revival will be mounted this summer by Bay Area Musicals), Huffman’s job was to seam-

lessly blend in with the sequined showboys.

“This was back in 1984, and as much time as I had spent with gay men backstage until then, this was a whole different situation! We opened during Pride Week. Sylvester was in our opening night audience. We had a float in the parade.”

“It was the first time,” she remembers, rather exultantly, “That I saw someone being pulled around by their nipple rings!”

“I made tons of friends in San Francisco,” Huffman said. “I think the city and the gay community really made sense to me. Because, in a lot of ways, I never really felt that my outsides really matched my insides.

I always say that I’m like a naughty Italian boy in the body of a Nordic showgirl.”

It’s her trademark blend of sexy and funny that Huffman ultimately decided to showcase in her new cabaret act which, over weeks since she first discussed it with the Bay Area Reporter, has taken on its shape and its title: Tom Boy, Show Girl.

Unlike one of her past solo shows, a tribute to Rogers & Hammerstein, Huffman says, “I’m not going to do any standards. I know them all, I

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can sing them. But that’s not where I’m choosing to go. This is going to be a little subversive for the cabaret setting, not what you might expect.

There will be nursery rhymes, hiphop, and I will play the ukelele.”

Huffman’s repertoire will include a couple songs she performed on Broadway, but also tunes made famous by Nina Simone and Keith Urban. Not to mention “I’m a Lonely Little Petunia in an Onion Patch” (Recorded by everyone from Arthur Godfrey to Imogen Heap, that one may actually qualify as a standard.).

While Huffman says that after debuting her new act here, she’ll bring it to 54 Below in Manhattan, most

of her time of late has been spent on non-stage ventures.

“I’m working on an app for comedy and comedians. And I did a webseries [www.heswithme.com]. All the young Broadway performers are really using the web to build their careers. I wish we had the internet and social media back we were doing The Producers. But we were busy marveling at the arrival of Tivo.”

Huffman shared some of her other upcoming projects. “I’ve got a writing partner and we’re putting together a TV pilot. I’ve directed four shows downtown. I did the same thing as an actress for thirty years. I’m ready to throw some spaghetti at the wall. I

just want to create art and collaborate with great people.”

If she had to winnow down the possibilities and choose one more art form to cap off her career with, what would Huffman opt for?

“I’d love to be a rock star. It would be great to be Roger Daltrey.”

She pauses. “Or Taylor Swift.”t Cady Huffman performs her cabaret show, Tom Boy, Show Girl, a night of unusual songs. $50-$70.

8pm. $20 food/drink min. May 12 & 13, 8pm. Feinstein’s at the Nikko, Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. (866) 663-1063. www.cadyhuffman.com www.ticketweb.com

<< On the Tab

38 • BAY AREA REPORTER • May 12-18, 2016

On the Tab

Red Hots Burlesque @ Beatbox

Bootie SF @ DNA Lounge

The saucy women’s burlesque show hosted by Dottie Lux. $10. 7pm-10pm.

314 11th St. www.beatboxsf.com Also Sunday brunch shows (see Sun.) www.redhotsburlesque.com

SoMa Ball @ Beatbox Heroific’s sexy cruisy dance event, with DJ Haute Toddy. $25. 10pm-2am.

314 11th st. www.beatboxsf.com

May 12-19

Some Thing @ The Stud Mica Sigourney and pals’ weekly offbeat drag performance night. $7. 10pm-3am.

399 9th St. www.studsf.com

Thu 12

The Younger Lovers @

Steve Grand @ Marine’s Memorial Theatre

Oasis

D

o you take disco naps? Avo id black cats crossing under a ladder? Well, defy superstitions and such silliness, and get out Friday the 13t h in particular, as everythin from drag fashion shows to pop hunk concerts tak g es place, lucky rabbit’s foo t or not.

Thu 12

Above and Beyond the Valley of the Ultra Showgirls @ Oasis D’Arcy Drollinger’s restaging of the high camp rock musical about a singer’s rise and fall, with lots of sex, drugs and original live music. $25$35, $250 Super Groupie front row VIP tables. Thu-Sat 7pm. Thru May 14. 298 11th St. at Folsom. www.sfoasis.com

Bulge @ Powerhouse Grace Towers hosts the fun sexy night. $100 cash prize for best bulge. $5-$10 benefits various local nonprofits. 10pm-2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

Cady Huffman @ Feinstein’s at the Nikko

The Younger Lovers @ Oasis Live music from Brontez Purnell’s fun Oakland punk-pop band. $5. 10pm.

298 11th St. at Folsom. www.sfoasis.com

Fri 13

Ain’t Mama’s Drag @ Balancoire Weekly drag queen and drag king show hosted by Cruzin d’Loo. Mar. 25 features Donna Personna and many other acts. 8pm-10pm. No cover. 2565 Mission St. www.balancoiresf.com

Air Guitar Contest @ Oasis Non-musicians rip, shread and faix-strum their way through the fun competition. $17. 10pm-1am. 298 11th St. at Folsom. www.sfoasis.com

Happy Friday @ Midnight Sun The popular video bar ends each work week with gogo guys (starting at 9pm) and drink specials. 4067 18th St. 861-4186. www.midnightsunsf.com

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

Mercedez Munro and Holotta Tymes’ weekly drag show. $5. 10:30pm show.

DJ Philip Grasso. 3600 16th St. www.lookoutsf.com

Weekly drag shows at the last transgender-friendly bar in the Polk; with hosts Victoria Secret, Alexis Miranda and several performers. Also Saturdays. $10. 11pm. 1081 Polk St. www.divassf.com

The Monster Show @ The Edge

Friday Nights @ Oakland Museum

Mr. David, for Juanita More! @ de Young Museum

The family-friendly night events returns, with exhibit tours, dancing, food, drinks, and live music. $7-$15.

5pm-9pm. 1000 Oak St. www.museumca.org

Runway show and party celebrating the couture designs of Mr. David (Glamarama) made for local nightlife icon Juanita More! Drag queens galore! Slideshow in Koret Auditorium 6pm-8:45pm. Runway show Wilsey Court, 7:30-8pm. $20.

50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, Golden Gate Park. www.famsf.org www.juanitamore.com

Hot dancers grind it at the Castro bar with a dance floor and patio. 4146 18th St. www.toadhallbar.com

Dance party for Middle eastern and North African LGBTs and their friends, with amazing groovy Middle Eastern dance music, gogo and belly dancers, and drink specials. $5-$10.

9pm-2am. 43 6th St. www.clubomgsf.com

Manimal @ Beaux

Heklina’s weekly drag show night with different themes. May 14: RuPaul’s Drag Race star Kim Chi. $15. 10pm-2am. 298 11th St. at Folsom. 795-3180. www.sfoasis.com

Nitty Gritty @ Beaux Weekly dance night w/nearly naked gogo guys & gals; DJs Chad Bays, Ms. Jackson, Becky Know. $4. 9pm-2am.

2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

Midnight Show @ Divas Bob Mould @ The Independent The master rock composer-musician performs new ( Patch the Sky), recent and classic songs. Mike Krol opens. $25. 9pm. Also May 15. 628 Divisadero St. www.bobmould.com www.theindependentsf.com

La Bota Loca @ Club 21, Oakland Latin, hip hop and Electro music night. $5-$25. 9pm-4am. 2111 Franklin St., Oakland. www.club21oakland.com

Pound Puppy @ SF Eagle Guest DJ Jeremy Castillo and residents Taco Tuesday and Kevin O’Connor spin grooves at the cruisy fun dance and hang-out party. $10. 10pm-2am.

398 12th St. www.facebook.com/ poundpuppysf/ www.sf-eagle.com

Saturgay @ Qbar 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

Soul Delicious @ Lookout Brunch, booze, sass and grooves, with the Mom DJs, Motown sounds, and soul food. 11am-4pm. 3600 16th St. www.lookoutsf.com

Soul Party @ Elbo Room DJs Lucky, Paul, and Phengren Osward spin 60s soul 45s. $5-$10 ($5 off in semi-formal attire). 10pm-2am. 647 Valencia St. 552-7788. www.elbo.com

Sugar @ The Cafe Dance, drink, cruise at the Castro club.

9pm-2am. 2369 Market St. www.cafesf.com

Thursday Night Live @ SF Eagle

Disco guru DJ Bus Station John spins grooves at the intimate retro music night. $5. No cell phones on the dance floor, please! 10pm-2am. 133 Turk St. at Taylor. www.auntcharlieslounge.com

The talented vocalist performs a tribute to Bobby Darin and Frank Sinatra. $30-$50. $20 food/drink min. 7pm. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. (866) 663-1063. www.ticketweb.com

Gogo-tastic dance night starts off your weekend. $5. 9pm-2am. 2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

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. www.hitws.com

Tubesteak Connection @ Aunt Charlie’s Lounge

Jonathan Poretz @ Feinstein’s at the Nikko

Steve Grand @ Marine’s Memorial Theatre

Rock Fag @ Hole in the Wall

Music night with local and touring bands. $8. 9:30pm. 398 12th St. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com

Fifth annual SF Gay Men’s Chorus drag show fundraiser for the chorus’ financial assistance network. Get ready for some wild outfits and performances! Donations. 5pm-8pm.

2369 Market St. www.sfgmc.org

Fri 13

Shot In The City

Themed event nights at the fascinating nature museum, with DJed dancing, cocktails, fish, frogs, food and fun. May 12: Origins Nightlife with DJ Manitous, evolution demos and talks. May 19: Chrome Sparks and Planet Booty perform live. $10-$12.

6pm-10pm, 55 Music Concourse Drive, Golden Gate Park. 379-8000. www.calacademy.org

Gogo Fridays @ Toad Hall

Dragathon @ The Café

Mother @ Oasis

Asheq @ Club OMG

Enjoy Latin, hip hop and electro, plus hot gogos galore, and a big dance floor.

April 29: Violeta and Jacqueline La Gata. $10-$20. 9pm-3am. 2111 Franklin St., Oakland. www.club21oakland.com

Valerie Branch’s weekly comedy night, where she embodies her faux queen character Pia Messing for some offbeat wit, along with guest performers. $5. 8pm-10pm. 2565 Mission St. www.balancoiresf.com

Nightlife @ California Academy of Sciences

The weekly hip hop and R&B night.

8-$15. 9pm to 4am. 2120 Broadway.

(510) 759-7340. www.club-bnb.com

Latin Explosion @ Club 21, Oakland

Mary Go Round @ Lookout

The weekly drag show with DJ MC2, themed nights, gogo guys and hilarious fun. $5. 9pm-2am. 4149 18th St. at Collingwood. www.edgesf.com

Sat 14

Club Rimshot @ Club BNB, Oakland

Galilea hosts the weekly “old school drag show” with guest performers and DJ Jack Rojo. $4. 9pm-2am. 43 6th St. www.clubOMGsf.com

Boy Bar @ The Cafe

Comedy Noir @ Balancoire

The popular singer performs a concert, with comic Shan Carr, with proceeds benefitting the Richmond/ Ermet Aid Foundation. $30-$150.

After-party for VIP tickets. 8pm. 609 Sutter St., 2nd floor. www.reaf-sf.org

The mash-up DJ dance party, with four rooms of different sounds. $10-$15.

9:30pm-3am. 375 11th St. bootiesf.com www.dnalounge.com

Ladies of San Francisco @ Club OMG

The Tony Award winner ( The Producers) performs her cabaret show, Tom Boy, Show Girl, a night of unusual songs. $50-$70. 8pm. $20 food/drink min. Also May 13, 8pm.

Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. (866) 663-1063. www.cadyhuffman.com www.ticketweb.com

Gus Presents’ weekly dance night, with DJ Kid Sysko, cute gogos and $2 beer (before 10pm). 2369 Market St. www.cafesf.com

t

Fri 13 Mr. David, for Juanita More! @ de Young Museum

Sun 15

Air Mail Salon @ Victorian Home

Enjoy live performances (Joanna Haigood, Anne Bluethental, James Graham, Diego Gomez and others) and fantastic food and wine in an elegant Victorian home at a fundraiser for the upcoming Seth Eisen work, The Charlip Project, about gay artist Remy Charlip. $158. 2pm-5pm. www.eventbrite.com/e/air-mailsalon-tickets-23294180521

t

On the Tab>>

May 12-18, 2016 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 39

Mon 16

Mahogany Mondays @ Midnight Sun

Drag Mondays @ The Cafe

Mahlae Balenciaga and DJ Kidd Sysko’s weekly drag and dance night, with 9pm RuPaul’s Drag Race viewings. 9pm-1am. 2369 Market St. www.cafesf.com

Epic Karaoke @ White Horse, Oakland Mondays and Tuesdays popular weekly sing-along night. No cover.

8:30pm-1am. 6551 Telegraph Ave, (510) 652-3820. www.whitehorsebar.com

Sat 14 Asheq @ Club OMG

Beer Bust @ SF Eagle

Disco Daddy @ SF Eagle

The classic leather bar’s most popular Sunday daytime event in town draws the menfolk. Beer bust donations benefit local nonprofits (Check the website for a list of recipients). 3pm6pm. Now also on Saturdays. 398 12th St. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com

Enjoy a tribute to Prince’s early years, with DJ Bus Station John playing dance grooves by The Purple One and other artists. $5. 9pm-1am. 398 12th st. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com

Big Top @ Beaux The fun Castro nightclub, with hot local DJs and sexy gogo guys and gals. $5. 9pm-2am. 2344 Market St. www.Beauxsf.com

Domingo De Escandal @ Club OMG Weekly Latin night with drag shows hosted by Vicky Jimenez and DJ Luis.

7pm-2am. 43 6th St. www.clubomgsf.com

Femme, Xtravaganza @ Balancoire Weekly live music shows with various acts, along with brunch, Mimosas, champagne and more, at the stylish nightclub and restaurant; shows at 12:30pm, 1:30pm and 2:45pm. After that, T-Dance drag shows at 7pm, 10pm and 11pm.

2565 Mission St. at 21st. 920-0577. www.balancoiresf.com

Sun 15 Daytime Realness @ El Rio

GlamaZone @ The Cafe

Steven Underhill

Pollo del Mar’s weekly drag show takes on different themes with a comic edge. 8:3011:30pm. 2369 Market St. www.cafesf.com

Daytime Realness @ El Rio DJs Stanley Frank, Robin Simmons and Paul Goodyear spin at Heklina and Tom Temprano’s popular outdoor patio party, which revs up with ‘Gay to Breakers,’ a queer pit-stop take on the massive running event (aka Drunk Straight Pride Day). $10-$8. 2pm-8pm.

3158 Mission St. www.elriosf.com www.facebook.com/DaytimeRealness

Sat 14 Bob Mould @ The Independent

Jock @ The Lookout Enjoy the weekly jock-ular fun, with DJed dance music at sports team fundraisers.

12pm-1am. 3600 16th St. www.lookoutsf.com

Jus’ Teasin’ @ Midnight Sun David Carter-Ford’s Wig Extravaganza fundraiser for wigs for children with cancer; host Mutha Chucka, with performances by Cruzin d’Loo, Harley Rouge, Lynn Phoma, Pickles Buffette, Karla Dream, sally Stus, Jesus U. Bettawork and more. $5. 4pm. 4067 18th st. www.midnightsunsf.com

Gaymer Meetup @ Brewcade Red Hots Burlesque @ PianoFight The saucy women’s burlesque show now serves brunch before and after the show, with bottomless Mimosas. $15-$25. 2pm. Weekly thru May 29.

144 Taylor St. www.pianofight.com

Spring Fling @ Hyatt Regency Embarcadero Openhouse 16th anniversary gala fundraiser honors athlete Diana Nyad, Horizons Foundation President Roger Doughty, and a delicious luncheon. $200 and up. 11am-2pm.

5 Embarcadero Center. 728-0196. www.openhouse-sf.org/fling

The weekly LGBT video game enthusiast night includes big-screen games and signature beers, with a new remodeled layout, including an outdoor patio. No cover. 7pm-11pm.

2200 Market St. www.brewcadesf.com

Karaoke Night @ SF Eagle Sing along, with guest host Nick Radford. 8pm-12am. 398 12th St. www.sf-eagle.com

Honey Mahogany’s weekly drag and musical talent show starts around 10pm, with 9pm RuPaul’s Drag Race viewings. 4067 18th St. 861-4186. www.midnightsunsf.com

Monday Musicals @ The Edge Sing along at the popular musical theatre night; also Wednesdays. 7pm2am. 2 for 1 cocktail, 5pm-closing.

4149 18th St. at Collingwood. www.edgesf.com

No No Bingo @ Virgil’s Sea Room Mica Sigourney and Tom Temprano cohost the wacky weekly game night at the cool Mission bar. 8pm. 3152 Mission St. www.virgilssf.com

Opulence @ Beaux Weekly dance night, with Jocques, DJs Tori, Twistmix and Andre. 9pm-2am.

2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

Piano Bar 101 @ Martuni’s Sing-along night with talented locals, and charming accompanist Joe Wicht (aka Trauma Flintstone). 9pm. 4 Valencia St. at Market. www.dragatmartunis.com

See page 41 >>

Sunday’s a Drag @ Starlight Room Donna Sachet hosts the weekly fabulous brunch and drag show, now celebrating its tenth anniversary. $45.

11am, show at noon; 1:30pm, show at 2:30pm. 450 Powell St. in Union Square.

395-8595. www.starlightroomsf.com

Sundance Saloon @ Space 550 Weekly two-stepping and line-dancing fun, with lessons and DJed music (not just country). 5pm-10:30pm. Also Thursdays. 550 Barneveld Ave. www.sundancesaloon.org

Steven Underhill

PHOTOGRAPHY

415 370 7152

WEDDINGS, HEADSHOTS, PORTRAITS

stevenunderhill.com · stevenunderhillphotos@gmail.com

I am the future of the LGBT community.

I’m 26 and transitioning.

I have a lot going on - I don’t need to be mocked, misgendered, or marginalized, and I don’t have time to hunt out news that matters to me.

That’s why I read EDGE on my Android tablet.

I’m being true to my future - and that’s where it will be.

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

Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

40 • BAY AREA REPORTER • May 12-18, 2016

All in the Family Leather & kink communities redefined

by Race Bannon

M

ention the word family and all sorts of images come to mind - biological and chosen families of various stripes and permutations.

Those of us in the leather and kink world often embrace a chosen kind of family usually referred to as a leather family.

While there are certainly familylike configurations that relate more to the word kink as an identifier,

rather than leather, here I will use the term leather family to refer to them all since that’s the phrase most often used. Just know I’m including kink generally when I say leather.

The idea of a leather family is not new. It’s a concept I’ve heard referenced many times as far back as the early 70s when I walked into my first leather bar and knew I was home.

But lately the concept seems to have taken off and been blessed by a wider cross-section of our scene. When

I chat with fellow kinksters, I hear them increasingly reference their leather family.

So, what is a leather family?

Well, there’s the rub. Ask a dozen leather and kink folks what their version of family means to them and you’re likely to get a dozen answers. To a great extent it’s in the eye of the beholder. It’s an amorphous descriptor that people use to define any familial structure, from specifically defined to broad and generalized.

I did what I often do when I’m pondering an idea. I asked lots of friends what ideas, images and configurations came to mind when they hear the phrase “leather family.” I was also clear when I asked that I was including the entire kink realm when saying leather, not just leather specifically. Their answers told me that while leather family is something many people consider a part of their lives, they don’t all see it the same way.

Some see leather family as just few close people in their kink lives, those people they’ve met through leather or some aspect of the kink scene.

They see their family as a close-knit group of people with whom they may or may not be sexually active.

The incredible closeness of these families were clearly evident with many saying that their leather family sometimes knows them better than their biological family because they are able to be incredibly open both personally and sexually.

Gay men were the largest demographic I discussed this topic with. In the gay men’s community many felt the lines demarcating family often get blurred. A family is likely to include: men who’ve had sex but no longer do; men who still have sex occasionally; men in committed multiple-partner arrangements; men with tight non-sexual bonds to men who are partnered with their fuck buddies; and many other possibilities. Any of those and more might be considered leather family.

A number of respondents gave answers that pointed out the many layers of family they see with many acknowledging the family-like nature of their arrangement or the arrangements of their friends’ families, but not using the word leather to describe them even though they are formed around leather and kink commonalities.

Often I was told that they consider their leather or kink inner circle family, but they don’t really think of it a leather family. They might have their inner circle family, then close friends or scene mentors, then casual friends and the entire leather and kink community itself, all components of what they view as a whole as their family.

Non-kinky people might be part of such a family also if they have close intimate ties with other members of the family.

The leather and kink community itself was mentioned quite often as a larger, all encompassing family of sorts. Even in a room of people one might now know well, let’s say at a leather event, many feel that the entire community serves a family function for them. They expect to generically welcome them, be welcomed by them, and expect that most of what they do sexually isn’t unfamiliar or judged harshly.

In short, most felt that a leather family was a self-defined collection of individuals who understand, welcome and trust each other while sharing the commonalities of the leather and kink scene. There are few rules except that the familial arrangement works for everyone.

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Both photos: Turbo

Top: PJ Shields (pup name Midnight - left) and Phil Hammack (pup name Turbo - right), the leaders of Fog City Pack. Bottom: Members of the San Francisco-based pup family, Fog City Pack.

Pack Pups

While leather families have existed since I entered the scene and likely long before, what prompted me to write this column was observing a local group of young gay men called the Fog City Pack. Fog City Pack is a family of San Francisco pups who hang out together and also host social and educational events.

Whether I saw these guys gathered together, all of them or a few at a time, at the SF Eagle during a beer bust, walking down the street, or at an event, I was always struck by how much of a family they seemed to me.

Closely bonded. Common interests and lifestyle. Shared identity.

Mutual support. Having lots of fun together. All wearing symbolic chain collars. They even sometimes dress similarly.

This pack is led by two men, PJ Shields (pup name Midnight) and Phil Hammack (pup name Turbo).

I asked them in what way their pack is a family.

Turbo answered, but Midnight concurred with everything Turbo said. I think their answer gives some insight into how such erotic identity families form, but of course this is but one of many ways they might come together.

“Our Pack originated in part out of our relationship with one another (Turbo and Midnight),” said Hammack. “We originally referred to one another as ‘cousin’ pups, since my Handler lived in Toronto with his partner, and Midnight was from Toronto and knew them both well. This mentality between us translated into how we decided to construct the Pack. Rather than as a membership organization, we decided to view it as a family of pups, all of us connected to one another through some kind of family-like relationship. For example, each of us with our Betas (Fawks and Shadow), Turbo with his two ‘brother’ pups (Jumper and Amp), and other roles that fol-

lowed. The Pack itself emerged out of a network of intimate relationships, as we were all exploring our pup identities and seeking community at the same time.

“We also run our Pack like a family,” Hammack continued. “We view our Pack as a safe base from which our pups can explore. And we provide nurturance and guidance along the way; not just in terms of exploring their kinks and fetishes, but also in terms of their lives more generally (school, work, relationships).

Our monthly Pack meetings always begin with dinner, and we engage in other rituals intended to promote the idea of family gatherings.”

Pretty nice arrangement, isn’t it?

I know many other leather families defined as two primary partners, multiple polyamorous partners in the same household or not, leather clubs who describe themselves as a type of family, titleholders who form familial units, sexual players who coalesce around certain erotic interests, and many more.

Defining leather family is truly open to interpretation, but the rise in referencing and labeling as leather family, at least to me, means that our leather and kink scene requires exactly the same closely connected and extended relationships that everyone needs.

Think about it. Do you have a leather family you feel a part of, or is that something you might want to seek out? You might be a highly independent kinkster who doesn’t enjoy such affiliations. But if you do, it’s important for you to know there are lots of people doing it, and you can learn from them.

Writer Richard Bach once said, “The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other’s life.” I agree.t For Leather-Kink events listings, visit www.ebar.com/bartab.

Race Bannon is a local author, blogger and activist. You can reach him through his website, www.bannon.com.

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On the Tab>>

May 12-18, 2016 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 41

Floor 21 @ Starlight Room Juanita More! presents a new weekly scenic happy hour event, with host Rudy Valdez, and guest DJs. No cover, and a fantastic panoramic city view.

5pm-9pm. Sir Francis Drake Hotel, 450 Powell St. www.starlightroomsf.com

Latin Drag Night @ Club OMG Weekly Latin night with drag shows hosted by Vicky Jimenez. 9pm-2am.

43 6th St. www.clubomgsf.com

Sat 14 Hysteria @ Martuni’s

Retro Night @ 440 Castro

The sexy, funny weekly male burlesque show returns with a few new handsome talents; choreographed by Christopher James Dunn; Mr Pam MCs. $20. 2 Two-drink min. 9:30pm. 298 11th St. at Folsom.

795-3180. www.sfoasis.com

Irene Tu and Jessica Sele cohost the comedy open mic night for women and queers. No cover. 6pm-8:30pm. 4 Valencia St.

Jim Hopkins plays classic pop oldies, with vintage music videos. 9pm-2am.

44 Castro St. www.the440.com

Michael Feinstein @ Feinstein’s at the Nikko

Meow Mix @ The Stud

Play the trivia game at the popular new sports bar. 9pm. 2247 Market St. 551-2500. www.HiTopsSF.com

Dragathon @ The Café

<<

On the Tab

From page 39

Underwear Night @ 440 Strip down to your skivvies at the popular men’s night. 9pm-2am. 440 Castro St. 621-8732. www.the440.com

Tue 17

Bandit @ Slate Bar New weekly queer event with resident DJ Justime; electro, soul, funk; cocktails and food available. $3.

2925 16th St. www.facebook.com/ BanditPartySF www.slate-sf.com

The weekly themed variety cabaret showcases new and unusual talents; MC Ferosha Titties. $3-$7. Show at 11pm. 9pm-2am. 399 9th St. at Harrison. www.studsf.com

Naked Night @ Nob Hill Theatre Strip down as the strippers also take it all off. $20. 9pm. 729 Bush St. at Powell. 397-6758. www.thenobhilltheatre.com

Block Party @ Midnight Sun Weekly screenings of music videos, concert footage, interviews and more, of popular pop stars. 9pm-2am. 4067 18th St. 861-4186. www.midnightsunsf.com

Una Noche @ Club BnB, Oakland Vicky Jimenez’ drag show and contest; Latin music all night. 9pm-2am. 2120 Broadway. (510) 759-7340. www.club-bnb.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

Bedlam @ Beaux

New weekly event with DJs Haute Toddy, Guy Ruben, Mercedez Munro and Abominatrix. Wet T-shirt/ jock contest at 11pm. $5$10. 9pm-2am. 2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

Shot specials and adult Bingo games, with DJs Chad Bays and Riley Patrick, at the new weekly night. No cover.

9pm-2am. 2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

Gaymer Night @ Eagle

Sun 15 Colin Creveling performs at Air Mail Salon @ Victorian Home

Bone @ Powerhouse New weekly punkalternative music night hosted by Uel Renteria and Johnny Rockitt. 10pm-2am.

1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

Bottoms Up Bingo @ Hi Tops

Hella Saucy @ Q Bar Queer dance party at the stylish intimate bar.

9pm-2am. 456 Castro St. www.QbarSF.com

OutLoud @ Oasis

High Fantasy @ Aunt Charlie’s Lounge 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

Joshua Granell’s popular storytelling series is this time themed, “Encounters,” run-ins with the famous; stories by Bernadette Bohan, Aaron Mills, Michael Capozzola, Raya Light, Kim Burly and Fudgie Frottage. $10. 7:30pm. 298 11th St. at Folsom. www.sfoasis.com

Sat 14 Pound Puppy @ SF Eagle

FBFE

Trivia Night @ Hi Tops

Wed 18

Cock Shot @ Beaux

Gay gaming fun on the bar’s big screen TVs. Have a nerdgasm and a beer with your pals.

8pm. 398 12th St. www.sf-eagle.com

Man Francisco @ Oasis

Play board games and win offbeat prizes at the popular sports bar. 9pm.

2247 Market St. 551-2500. www.HiTopsSF.com

B.P.M. @ Club BnB, Oakland Olga T and Shugga Shay’s weekly queer women and men’s R&B hip hop and soul night, at the club’s new location. No cover. 8pm-2am. 2120 Broadway, Oakland. www.bench-and-bar.com

The piano-singer cabaret icon returns to his own intimate nightclub for a concert celebrating Academy Awardwinning lyricists Marilyn and Alan Bergman (“The Way We Were,” “A Piece of the Sky”), with Bergman. $80-$95. Wed & Sat 7pm. Thu & Fri

8pm. Sun 3pm. Thru May 22. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. www.ticketweb.com

Miss Kitty’s Trivia Night @ Wild Side West The weekly fun night at the Bernal Heights bar includes prizes, hosted by Kitty Tapata. No cover. 7pm-10pm.

424 Cortland St. 647-3099. www.wildsidewest.com

Mommie Queerest @ Oasis Heklina and Peaches Christ’s musical comedy parody of the famous Joan Crawford biopic. $25 and up. 7pm.

Thu-Sat. Thru May 21. 298 11th St. at Folsom. www.sfoasis.com

Open Mic/Comedy @ SF Eagle Kollin Holts hosts the weekly comedy and open mic talent night. 6pm-8pm.

398 12th St. www.sf-eagle.com

Pan Dulce @ Badlands The Latin & hip hop dance night returns, with DJs Adrian and Krazy Spin. $5. 9pm-2am. 4121 18th St. www.sfbadlands.com

See page 42 >>

42 • BAY AREA REPORTER • May 12-18, 2016

Personals

<< On the Tab

t

The

People>>

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I’m a Tall Latin Man in my late 40’s. If you’re looking, I’m the right guy for you. My rates are $90/hr & $130/90 min.

My work hours are 10 a.m. to midnite everyday.

415-515-0594 Patrick call or text. See pics on ebar.com

HOT PARTY WITH PAPI Tall, Hung, Handsome, Mexican, Uncut. Call Jose 415-571-5747

SEXY ASIAN $60 JIM 415-269-5707

FIND REAL GAY MEN NEAR YOU San Francisco:

“I’m no longer accepting the things I cannot change...I’m changing the things I cannot accept.”

(415) 430-1199 Oakland:

www.megamates.com 18+

—Angela Davis

Thu 19 Big Trouble in Little China @ Great Star Theatre

Comedy Returns @ El Rio

Picante @ The Cafe

Lisa Geduldig hosts the monthly comedy show, this time with Yayne Abeba, Zahra Noorbakhsh, Robin Cee, and Yvette Fernandez. $7-$20. 8pm.

3158 Mission St. koshercomedy.com www.elriosf.com

Lulu and DJ Marco’s Latin night with sexy gogo guys. 9pm-2am. 2369 Market St. www.cafesf.com

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

The Monster Show @ The Edge

<<

On the Tab

From page 41

Pussy Party @ Beaux Ladies night at the Castro dance club.

9pm-2am. 2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

Shit Talk @ Oasis Yuri Kagan’s naughty weekly comedy night. 7pm. 298 11th St. at Folsom.

795-3180. www.sfoasis.com

So You Think You Can Gogo? @ Toad Hall The weekly dancing competition for gogo wannabes. 9pm. cash prizes, $2 well drinks (2 for 1 happy hour til 9pm). Show at 9pm. 4146 18th St. www.toadhallbar.com

Way Back @ Midnight Sun Weekly screenings of vintage music videos, and retro drink prices. 9pm2am. 4067 18th St. 861-4186. www.midnightsunsf.com

Wooden Nickel Wednesday @ 440 Buy a drink and get a wooden nickle good for another. 12pm-2am. 440 Castro St. 621-8732. www.the440.com

San Jose:

(510) 343-1122 (408) 514-1111

Thu 19

Academy of Friends @ Room and Board Check presentation to beneficiaries of the annual Oscar party gala. 6:30pm8:30pm. Free-$20. 685 7th St. www.academyoffriends.org

Big Trouble in Little China @ Great Star Theatre Mad Dog’s Movie Mayhem presents an interactive screening of the Kurt Russell cult classic comedy action film, including a live show with extra visual effects, martial artists, & explosions. After-film dance party! Beer, wine & champagne cash bar. $32-$100. 8pm-1am. 636 Jackson St. www.eventbrite.com

Bulge @ Powerhouse Grace Towers hosts the racy night with a $100 wet undies bulge contest at midnight. 10pm-2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

Circle Jerk @ Nob Hill Theatre Porn stud Micah Brandt leads the interactive sex party downstairs at the famed strip club (and performs onstage May 20 & 21). $15. 9pm.729 Bush St. at Powell. 397-6758. www.thenobhilltheatre.com

Queer Karaoke @ Club OMG Dana hosts the weekly singing night.

8pm. 43 6th St. www.clubomgsf.com

Sexitude @ Oasis D’Arcy Drollinger’s sweat-fueled Spandex dancersize class and cocktail party, with special guests Fauxnique and Gia with a Liza tribute. $10. 9pm.

298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

To place your Personals ad, Call 415-861-5019 for more info & rates Stoli Cocktail Classic @ Beatbox Donna Sachet and Patrick Gallineaux cohost the bartender drink-making competition, with celebrity judges Jai Rodriguez, Matthew Mello and Bebe Sweetbriar. 8pm-11pm. 314 11th St. www.beatboxsf.com

Thump @ White Horse, Oakland Weekly electro music night with DJ Matthew Baker and guests. 9pm-2am.

6551 Telegraph Ave, (510) 652-3820. www.whitehorsebar.comt

The weekly drag show with themed nights, gogo guys and hilarious fun. $5. 9pm-2am.

4149 18th St. www.edgesf.com

My So-Called Night @ Beaux Carnie Asada hosts a new weekly ‘90s-themed video, dancin’, drinkin’ night, with VJs Jorge Terez. Get down with your funky bunch, and enjoy 90-cent drinks. ‘90s-themed attire and costume contest. No cover. 9pm-2am. 2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

Nap’s Karaoke @ Virgil’s Sea Room Sing out loud at the weekly least judgmental karaoke in town, hosted by the former owner of the bar. No cover.

9pm. 3152 Mission St. 8292233. www.virgilssf.com

Nightlife @ California Academy of Sciences Themed event nights at the fascinating nature museum, with DJed dancing, cocktails, fish, frogs, food and fun. May 19: Chrome Sparks and Planet Booty perform live. $10-$12. 6pm10pm, 55 Music Concourse Drive, Golden Gate Park. 379-8000. www.calacademy.org

Thu 19 Sexitude @ Oasis

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Read more online at www.ebar.com

Shooting Stars

May 12-18, 2016 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 43

photos by steven underhill NCLR Gala @ City View Metreon

A

fter a VIP dinner and awards gala for donors and supporters of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, held at the Marriott Marquis Hotel, a fun dance party followed at the City View Metreon, where families and friends boogied and enjoyed live and DJed music. www.nclrights.org More event photo albums are on BARtab’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/lgbtsf.nightlife. See more of Steven Underhill’s photos at www.StevenUnderhill.com.

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For headshots, portraits or to arrange your wedding photos

call (415) 370-7152 or visit www.StevenUnderhill.com or email stevenunderhillphotos@gmail.com