October 22, 2015 Edition of the Bay Area Reporter by Bay Area Reporter

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Vol. 45 • No. 43 • October 22-28, 2015

Agencies urge states to ban conversion therapy

Courtesy Human Rights Campaign

Vice President Joe Biden

Biden out in ’16 by Cynthia Laird

ice President Joe Biden Wednesday said he would not run for president in 2016, saying that the “window” for such a run has closed. Biden, who made the statement during an appearance in the Rose Garden with President Barack Obama looking on, referred to the death of his son, Beau, earlier this year. “As my family and I have worked through the grieving process, I’ve said all along what I’ve said time and again to others, that it may very well be that the process by the time we get through it closes the window ... I’ve concluded it has closed,” Biden said. Biden, whose wife, second lady Jill Biden, and other family members also attended the news conference, said he felt he was out of time to mount a successful presidential campaign. “Beau is our inspiration,” he added. “Unfortunately, I believe we’re out of time. The time necessary to mount a winning campaign for the nomination. But while I will not be a candidate, I will not be silent. I intend to speak out clearly and forcefully.” The news likely comes as a relief to Hillary See page 14 >>

B.A.R. election endorsements SAN FRANCISCO RACES Mayor: Ed Lee Board of Supervisors: Dist. 3: Julie Christensen Sheriff: Vicki Hennessy City Attorney: Dennis Herrera District Attorney: George Gascón Treasurer: Jose Cisneros SF Community College Board: Alex Randolph

SAN FRANCISCO PROPS Yes on Props A, B, C, D, H, J, K No on Props E, F, G, I

Remember to vote on November 3!

Courtesy NCLR

by David-Elijah Nahmod

wo LGBT rights organizations have joined together urging states that don’t already do so to ban conversion therapy for LGBTQ youth, following a federal report that said the practice is not appropriate for minors. Both the National Center for Lesbian Rights, based in San Francisco, and the Human Rights Campaign, based in Washington, D.C., issued sample legislation for state lawmakers and equality groups that want to protect LGBTQ youth from conver-

sion therapy, which has been widely discredited by medical groups in recent years. California banned the practice three years ago for state-licensed therapists. NCLR and HRC’s action followed the release last week of a report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which supports the abolition of conversion therapy, also known as reparative therapy. This practice is used by a variety of conservative religious denominations as a “cure” for homosexuality. Conversion therapy techniques

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9th Circuit case aids trans Latinas by Heather Cassell

for transgender people, Barnes told the B.A.R., pointing to Transgender Europe’s Trans Murder Monitoring Project’s annual report. “That’s why sometimes many of us make the sacrifice to flee that violence and turn ourselves in at the border only to be detained by immigration officials and wait our turn before the judge,” Gutierrez said.

recent decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has helped one undocumented transgender woman from Mexico stay in the U.S. and attorneys hope the ruling will aid others, both in California and other states. Carey Edin Avendano-Hernandez, a 35-yearold transgender Latina, spent nearly three years in the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s detention center in Santa Ana, California rather than be deported to Mexico for a second time before she won a historic decision last month when the 9th Circuit granted her deferral relief, allowing her to remain in the U.S. Trans Latinas tell stories over and over again about what is happening in Mexico, a country that, on paper, is safe for LGBTs. Stories about bodies tossed into street gutters, down hillsides, or in a river only to be found so decomposed they are unrecognizable, said Jennicet Eva Gutierrez, a 29-year-old undocumented Mexican transgender woman who knows first-hand the reality of the lives of trans Latinas in Mexico. “The crimes are just really bad,” Gutierrez told the Bay Area Reporter. “It’s just a very, very horrific experience in our country.” Gutierrez, an immigrant activist with the Familia Transgender Liberation Movement, is best known for heckling President Barack Obama at a June White House event and being escorted out of the building by security.

Seeking safety

UPI

Transgender advocates held a “die-in” in protest outside an immigration detention facility in Santa Ana, California.

Nielan Barnes, an associate professor in the sociology department at California State University, Long Beach, agreed. Barnes, a 47-year-old queer-identified woman, is an expert in the migration of LGBT people from Latin America, particularly Mexico. She has testified about the lives of trans Latinas and the reasons for migration for 30 cases, half of which are for transgender women escaping Mexico, and 15 of which are still active, she said. In spite of Mexico accepting LGBT people in recent years, the culture has remained unchanged, clinging to the traditional machismo, making it one of the most dangerous countries in the world

{ FIRST OF THREE SECTIONS }

BHAKTI CHAI

have included prayer, electro-shock treatments, and a variety of brainwashing techniques. There have been extreme cases that have included beatings. “This important sample legislation comes at a critical time in our fight to protect LGBTQ youth from the dangerous practice of conversion therapy,” HRC legal director Sarah Warbelow said in a statement, who referred to conversion therapy as “junk pseudoscience” and “child abuse.” “This so-called therapy has been de-

Avendano-Hernandez crossed over the border from Mexico after years of abuse from her family and authorities, including being raped while in custody, she said. Escaping the violence, she first came to the U.S. in 2000 and began building her life in Fresno. The Central Valley city is where she found home and family. It’s where she returned when she re-entered the country in 2008 after her first deportation in 2007. In 2011, she was arrested for violating her parole because she returned to the U.S. after being convicted and serving time in jail for two DUIs, according to court documents. “I feel like my life was in danger. I feel like I’m afraid to get killed,” Avendano-Hernandez told the B.A.R. about her decision to risk the return to the states rather than go to another country or stay in Mexico. However, it came with a price: more than a decade of being in and out of immigration custody fighting to stay in the U.S. rather than returning to Mexico. “She chose to sit in jail instead of going back See page 13 >>

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KEEPS SAN FRANCISCO AFFORDABLE FOR ALL by providing new housing for low and middle-income families, seniors, veterans and those with disabilities – without raising taxes. REPAIRS DILAPIDATED PUBLIC HOUSING for San Francisco’s lowest-income families. PROTECTS RENTERS by maintaining aﬀordable rental housing in neighborhoods across the City. PROVIDES LOAN ASSISTANCE FOR TEACHERS.

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DEMOCRATIC CLUB

Community News>>

October 22-28, 2015 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 3

Man accused in attack on lesbian held for trial by Seth Hemmelgarn

the Potrero Hill neighborhood, the morning of the incident. San Francisco man accused of She indicated that at one point, trying to kill a lesbian by atOwens had been outside, and retacking her with a liquor bottle is turned “banging on the door” beheaded for trial after a judge this fore someone let him back in. week held him to answer on several “I got up to get something to charges. drink,” Jones said. “At Tanrence Joe Owens, that point, it just went 31, has been charged blank. It felt like somewith attempted murder thing hit me.” She said and other counts after she then remembered he allegedly struck Erbleeding and waking up aina “Ray Ray” Jones, in an ambulance. who was 25 at the time, As her testimony conwith a large glass bottle, tinued, though, she said leaving her hospitalized that Owens had hit her for weeks with cuts to Courtesy SFPD with the bottle, which her neck and face. eventually broke, three Tanrence Joe Owens After a preliminary times in a dispute over hearing Monday, Oc“two or three dollars.” tober 19, Superior Court Judge She added that she’d gone to people Brendan Conroy ordered Owens to trying to get help. stand trial on felony charges of atSan Francisco police Officer Mattempted murder and other counts thew Reiter testified Monday that but dismissed an aggravated maya witness reported that Owens had hem charge. Conroy also found alcome to the apartment, poured legations related to inflicting great water on Jones “to wake her up,” bodily injury to be true. asked her about money, then During her testimony Monday, poured more water on her after she Jones frequently struggled to rewent back to sleep. member what had happened during Once Jones got up, Owens told the September 26, 2014 incident, her he was giving her seven seconds taking long pauses, reviewing things to leave, Reiter said the witness told she’d previously said to officials, police. Jones pushed Owens, and he and offering different details as hit her once with the bottle, which attorneys questioned her. She ac“shattered everywhere,” Reiter said. knowledged that what people have After Monday’s testimony, Deputold her since the incident has been ty Public Defender Alex Lilien told mixed in with her own memories of Conroy that he didn’t think “this what happened. was anything other than some type Jones, who had dated Owens’ of explosive attack with a bottle.” son’s mother, recalled how she and “Nothing here shows a specific Owens had both been staying at See page 14 >> an apartment on Dakota Street, in

ALICE B. TOKLAS DEMOCRATIC CLUB VOTE BY MAIL OR IN PERSON

Getting Our City Back on Track

AliceBToklas.org

Y V O TVE3 RB D NO

CITY COLLEGE TRUSTEE ALEX RANDOLPH ▼

DISTRICT 3 SUPERVISOR JULIE CHRISTENSEN

SHERIFF VICKI HENNESSY

ELECTION ENDORSEMENTS ELECTED OFFICIALS

LOCAL BALLOT MEASURES

ED LEE, Mayor

YES PROP A: Building More Affordable Housing

NO PROP F: Short-term Rental Restrictions

GEORGE GASCÓN, District Attorney

YES PROP B: Improving SF’s Parental Leave Policy

NO PROP G: Impractical Energy Restrictions

YES PROP C: Broader Lobbyist Disclosure

YES PROP H: Clean Energy Right to Know

YES PROP D: New Housing, Parks and Shops

NO PROP I: Mission Housing Moratorium

JOSÉ CISNEROS,▼ Treasurer DENNIS HERRERA, City Attorney VICKI HENNESSY, Sheriff JULIE CHRISTENSEN, District 3 Supervisor ALEX RANDOLPH,▼ City College Trustee ▼indicates that the candidate is LGBT

in Mission Bay NO POSITION

NO PROP E: Unworkable Requirements

PROP J: Historic Business Preservation Fund – no position

for City Meetings YES PROP K: Surplus City Property Regulations

Paid for by the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club PAC, FPPC #842018.

<< Open Forum

4 • BAY AREA REPORTER • October 22-28, 2015

Volume 45, Number 43 October 22-28, 2015 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 • 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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BAY AREA REPORTER 44 Gough Street, Suite 204 San Francisco, CA 94103 415.861.5019 • www.ebar.com A division of BAR Media, Inc. © 2015 President: Michael M. Yamashita Chairman: Thomas E. Horn VP and CFO: Patrick G. Brown Secretary: Todd A. Vogt

News Editor • news@ebar.com Arts Editor • arts@ebar.com Out & About listings • jim@ebar.com Advertising • scott@ebar.com Letters • letters@ebar.com Published weekly. Bay Area Reporter reserves the right to edit or reject any advertisement which the publisher believes is in poor taste or which advertises illegal items which might result in legal action against Bay Area Reporter. Ads will not be rejected solely on the basis of politics, philosophy, religion, race, age, or sexual orientation. Advertising rates available upon request. Our list of subscribers and advertisers is conﬁdential and is not sold. The sexual orientation of advertisers, photographers, and writers published herein is neither inferred nor implied. We are not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or artwork.

Cisneros, Herrera, Gascón deserve re-election T hree San Francisco officials are up for reelection this year and face no opposition, so it’s a no-brainer. Treasurer José Cisneros, City Attorney Dennis Herrera, and District Attorney George Gascón. We readily endorse them.

José Cisneros

José Cisneros has been an extremely competent treasurertax collector. Efficient and effective tax collection ensures that city departments receive their funding. His office has made it easier Rick Gerharter for people to pay their taxes by offering online Treasurer filing and payment. In José Cisneros his ballot statement, he noted that his greatest challenge is implementing the new collection process of gross receipts tax, which continues to be phased in. He said he’s leveraged enhanced customer service, tech improvements, and community outreach to make sure the process is transparent, responsive, and fair. As treasurer, Cisneros is charged with keeping the city’s money safe, available when needed, and earning a return when it is not. By all accounts he continues to successfully do that, permitting the city to meet its financial obligations. But it is Cisneros’ leadership to provide help to those in need that has truly made his office more than just a back corner in City Hall. The Bank on San Francisco initiative has really changed people’s lives. The program helps unbanked San Franciscans enter the financial system by offering starter accounts at most bank and credit union locations in the city. The big payoff for these people is that they no longer need to rely on check cashing companies, with their exorbitant interest rates, and lax regulation. It’s a win-win for everyone and has become a model for other cities and states that want to help their residents better manage their money.

Cisneros is currently the only citywide elected gay official, but we’re happy to endorse him because of his stellar qualifications and his commitment to financial justice.

Dennis Herrera

City Attorney Dennis Herrera is a straight ally whose aggressive litigation has supported LGBTs and the San Francisco community as a whole. His office secured marriage equality after a nine-year court Rick Gerharter battle that culminated with the U.S. Supreme City Attorney Court victory in June Dennis Herrera 2013 that restored same-sex marriage rights in California. San Francisco was a party to the federal Proposition 8 challenge that went to the high court, and Herrera and his team did not waver. During those years, he flew to other cities throughout the state, urging them to join San Francisco’s fight to bring a measure of unity to the case. In another recent major case, Herrera’s office filed a lawsuit and was successful in blocking the termination of City College of San Francisco’s accreditation. While the college still has other issues to address, Herrera’s effort was a crucial part of the strategy to keep the campus open so students could continue their education uninterrupted. Herrera has also been proactive on quality of life issues. He sued the state of Nevada two years ago alleging that the state intentionally bused psychiatric patients to San Francisco and declined to pay the costs connected with their care. What happened in reality was that patients often wound up on the streets, and the city had to foot the bill when they were transported to San Francisco General Hospital. Recently a settlement was reached in the case and Nevada is expected to pay San Francisco’s attorney’s fees. In the meantime, Nevada strengthened policies to make sure a patient had supportive care at their destination. Herrera has also worked to protect renters

and affordable housing. His office has enforced housing laws that have saved thousands of people from eviction. In short, Herrera continues to be an advocate for San Francisco values, using the tools of his office when other remedies are not evident.

George Gascon

District Attorney George Gascón has had several major accomplishments. He, along with New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman, led the national effort to reduce smartphone thefts by requiring that Rick Gerharter phones sold in the U.S. District Attorney come equipped with a George Gascón “kill switch.” A law was passed in California last year, and went into effect this year, requiring kill switches on phones sold in the state. The switch enables the phone’s owner to disable the devise remotely, via wireless command, so that it cannot be used. The DA’s office has increased victim services and enhanced services for domestic violence victims and senior citizens. It has also prosecuted wage theft cases and hate crime cases. Gascón, a straight ally, has met regularly with the Bay Area Reporter to apprise us of his various initiatives in order to keep communication open with the LGBT community. To combat bullying, he has initiated a creative contest for school students to make anti-bullying videos. This may not seem like a top law enforcement priority, but it’s a component of his anti-violence program that sends a message to the next generation to respect others who may be different and how stigmatizing bullying can be. He also launched a neighborhood prosecution program to keep low-level offenders from committing more serious crime. Crime continues to be a problem in San Francisco, as it is everywhere. Gascón has a team of competent assistant district attorneys that focus on major cases, not low priority infractions such as marijuana. Gascón continues to do a good job, and has earned our endorsement.t

Will SF allow transphobia to derail jail housing program? by Chris Daley

hy is San Francisco allowing a handful of sheriff ’s department staff to stymie a practical and effective proposal to house transgender inmates safely? I know the city has undergone some changes over the last decade, but I refuse to believe that it has turned its back on the human rights principles that made it famous worldwide. Yet here we are, weeks before an election for sheriff, and this policy – more than two years in the making – is on life support. Why? It can’t be the proposal itself. Here are the facts: after more than a decade of research, the U.S. Justice Department recently concluded that transgender women are – by a horrifyingly wide margin – the demographic group most at risk for sexual abuse in our nation’s corrections facilities. In any given year, 1 in 3 transgender women held in a jail or prison is sexually abused by a staff member or another inmate. This tragedy should surprise no one. With rare exception, transgender women in custody in the U.S. are held in men’s facilities. Beyond sexual abuse, these women are subjected to taunts, insults, coercion, and degradation at a level that seems impossible in a civilized society. The results? Long-term negative health consequences, mental and emotional anguish, barriers to participating in educational and programming opportunities, poor re-entry planning, and higher risk of ending up back in a jail or prison. In light of these realities, meaningful reform of how transgender inmates are housed and treated is urgently needed. Despite myths taking shape in the fog of the sheriff ’s race, it also wasn’t the process that put the policy at risk. When I reached out to Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi in early 2013 to urge

him to improve housing for transgender inmates, he readily agreed. He explained that his department was well positioned to create a comprehensive transgender housing program that could serve as a national model. Over the next year, the sheriff pulled together several meetings between subject matter experts and his leadership staff – including his chief deputies and one of his captains – to discuss what it would mean to conduct individualized housing assessments of transgender inmates. These assessments – already required under federal regulations – would identify transgender inmates who would feel safer housed based on their gender identity. And, when appropriate, house them accordingly. As any good leader does, the sheriff solicited, and listened closely to, opinions and concerns expressed by this staff. While a number of the sheriff ’s leadership personnel were supportive of this change, neither he nor I foresaw the seemingly intractable transphobia that this proposal would generate from a handful of key staff. It was their hostility that initially delayed the effort. The staff who objected to the proposal expressed disgusting and outdated stereotypes about transgender women, their bodies, and the “danger” they pose. It didn’t matter that city leaders and advocates answered and re-answered their “concerns”; they just kept repeating them in later meetings. Not satisfied with attacking only transgender inmates, these staff members also cast aspersions on the professionalism of the department’s uniformed female staff. They told us that female deputies – unlike paramedics, nurses, police officers, home health care workers, and juvenile detention counselors – are unable or unwilling to conduct themselves appropriately when interact-

Jane Philomen Cleland

A cell at the San Francisco County Jail at the Hall of Justice.

ing with transgender women. When these tactics weren’t successful in derailing the policy internally, Eugene Cerbone, the president of the local Deputy Sheriff’s Association, picked up the baton. In well-covered comments reported in the Bay Area Reporter. and then in other outlets, he responded to Mirkarimi’s policy announcement this summer with similarly outrageous assertions. But Cerbone’s offensive and wildly incorrect comments weren’t as shocking as the near silence that followed from the city’s elected officials (including two gay supervisors), editorial writers, columnists, and the organized LGBT community. Other than a column by Pride at Work and statements from the organizations that have been working directly with the sheriff ’s department, I can’t find a single LGBT or ally leader who has stated the obvious: Cerbone’s comments are transphobic; this policy is the best way to house transgender inmates; and, See page 14 >>

Politics>>

October 22-28, 2015 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 5

SF mayor ‘open’ to allowing gay bathhouses by Matthew S. Bajko

an Francisco Mayor Ed Lee is “open” to allowing gay bathhouses to once again operate in the city as long as public health officials believe doing so would not hinder their plan to eliminate by 2020 nearly all new HIV infections. Asked about ending the city’s rule that bans private rooms with locked doors in bathhouses during a recent editorial board meeting with the Bay Area Reporter, Lee said he is not opposed to lifting the ban as long as it would not hinder the city’s Getting to Zero initiative, which calls for reducing new HIV infections by 90 percent over the next five years. “The issue about bathhouses and so forth that is an item that blends entertainment along with safe sex, and I have got to have experts telling me that is something they wouldn’t have a problem with,” said Lee. “I would be open to it but I have got to have that kind of process.” Yet the city’s Department of Public Health told the B.A.R. this week it has not changed its position regarding city rules governing the permitting of bathhouses. The city’s police code bans “any cubicle, room, or booth, or in any area within a public bath house by whatever designation whatsoever which is fixed with a door capable of being locked.” For most gay men, private rooms with locked doors signals whether an establishment is a bathhouse or a sex club. As for the health department and other city departments when it comes to the permit process, a bathhouse is defined as “a business where customers pay for communal sauna, steam, or numerous other types of baths.” In 2013 Health Director Barbara Garcia, a lesbian, assigned staff to look at the issue of allowing traditional gay bathhouses to again operate in the city. Once they reported back to Garcia with their findings, the health department “should have something substantive to say. We know this is an issue of concern to many members of the community,” its spokeswoman at the time told the B.A.R. This week, in response to the B.A.R.’s request to interview Garcia about what the staff findings were, health department spokeswoman Linda Acosta replied by email that, “There is no update on this issue and therefore the health department cannot provide an interview at this time.” The ongoing debate over re-opening gay bathhouses in San Francisco has received renewed attention this year due to a lecture about the history behind their closures that Buzz Bense has given, most recently in August at a standing-room-only talk sponsored by the GLBT Historical Society and held at its GLBT History Museum in the Castro. Bense is a former co-owner of sex club Eros, which continues to operate under new ownership in an upper Market Street building. Because it includes sauna facilities, Eros was required to apply for a bathhouse permit two years ago. It does not provide locked rooms and its owners have said they do not plan to do so. In October 1984, amid an often vitriolic debate within the city’s LGBT community about whether the gay bathhouses and sex clubs should be shuttered as a way to stop the spread of AIDS, a San Francisco Superior Court judge issued a temporary restraining order that shuttered nine gay

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San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, left, said he’s “open” to gay bathhouses but would need Health Director Barbara Garcia, right, to tell him doing so would not affect the city’s efforts to reduce HIV transmissions.

bathhouses and sex clubs. In late November of that year another judge lifted the restraining order but imposed new rules on how the bathhouses and sex clubs could operate. No longer could they rent private rooms, unless they secured a hotel license, and employees had to monitor the sexual behavior of patrons. Bathhouse owners, however, refused to open their doors as the court heard challenges to the new rules. The judge hearing the court case toughened his order and banned any sex from occurring in the bathhouses. “There was never legislation in City Hall. There was never regulation from the health department,” noted Bense in his talk. “These closures happened because a judge made a decision influenced by politics and the media.” Although the judge’s ruling served as a death notice for the city’s bathhouses, over the ensuing years sex clubs opened their doors. Several, like Eros and Blow Buddies, remain in business. By the 1990s the city’s health officials saw the sex clubs as avenues to reach gay men and educate them about safe sex practices. But they remained resolute in their opposition to allowing gay bathhouses to open with private rooms. Also adamant in her opposition to changing the city’s bathhouse rules has been U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-California), who as mayor in the 1980s backed the drive to shutter them as part of her administration’s response to the AIDS epidemic. Asked by the B.A.R. in 2012 if she would oppose the reopening of the bathhouses, Feinstein replied, “That is right.” Yet the city’s HIV epidemic, in effect, ended in 2007 as new infections began to decline and HIV was deemed to be an endemic disease. Last year new HIV diagnoses in San Francisco fell to 302, the lowest number since the start of the epidemic more than three decades ago. The continued decline in new infections, as the B.A.R. has previously reported, is widely credited to a combination of factors, including widespread testing, early antiretroviral treatment, and possibly early signs of the impact of pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, the once-aday-pill found to be effective in preventing sexually active people from contracting HIV. Supporters of allowing gay bathhouses to operate in San Francisco argue doing so would not reverse the city’s latest HIV prevention successes. Instead, they contend it would bolster health officials’ abil-

ity to reach sexually active men who have sex with men to educate them about PrEP use and the need to get tested for HIV as well as sexually transmitted diseases that are on the rise among city residents. But when asked about the possibility of seeing gay bathhouses reopen under Lee’s administration, Bense replied “Oh, never” in a brief interview with the B.A.R. following his talk in August. “I don’t think Barbara Garcia would get on board,” he said. “This isn’t about health science. It is about politics.” Even if the city were to relent and allow gay bathhouses to operate, Bense doubted operators would find it financially feasible in today’s super heated real estate market. “Where the fuck can you buy a big building for less than a gillion dollars to open a bathhouse?” asked Bense. Race Bannon, a longtime HIV activist and writer in San Francisco who pens the B.A.R.’s leather column, said interest in bathhouses differs by age, based on the responses he has received when he raises the issue. “I think for gay men of a certain age they, most of them I think, would like to see them reopen because they remember them clearly, and younger men, many of whom have grown up without ever being in a San Francisco Bay Area culture of bathhouses, simply don’t have a point of reference so they are less interested,” said Bannon, who in 2000 was part of an effort to get the city to reopen the bathhouses. He agreed with Bense’s contention that, “We have a politically driven argument around bathhouses that has nothing to do with science.” The city, Bannon added, “has to change its policy to be in line with good public health science and what is best for the gay male community. And that is allowing the opening of bathhouses should a bathhouse decide to open.” Gay District 8 Supervisor Scott Wiener, who two years ago told the B.A.R. that the city’s ban of private rooms in bathhouses “doesn’t have a basis in public health and is arbitrary,” said in a recent interview that people interested in opening a gay bathhouse had approached him in the past about doing so. “I don’t know what the status is on any of those potential projects,” said Wiener, who declined to disclose the people’s identity since it had been “awhile” since he spoke with them. “Also, there is a little ambiguity there. Some people think you can do it under the current rules. It is one of those murky areas with a lot of urban legends floating around what the rules are.” See page 8 >>

<< Community News

t Unique study compares health of LGB age groups 6 • BAY AREA REPORTER • October 22-28, 2015

by Matthew S. Bajko

unique study enrolling participants in the Bay Area is comparing the health and well-being of lesbian, gay, and bisexual people in three distinct age groups. The Generations Study is affiliated with the California Center for Population Research at UCLA and is funded by a five-year $3.4 million federal grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. In conjunction with the Generations study, researchers at the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law, Columbia University and the Fenway Institute at Fenway Health are looking at similar health issues in various age groups of transgender people. Researchers involved in the project say it is the first to take a historical approach to examining how different generations of LGBT people have been impacted by both discrimination based on their sexual orientation or gender identity and the advancement of rights won by the LGBT community during their lifetimes. “No study has been done like this before,” said Phillip L. Hammack, an associate professor and vice chair of the Department of Psychology at UC Santa Cruz who is one of the Generations study’s seven investigators. “The vast majority of research on LGBT people doesn’t take a historical perspective. What I mean is, for example, most research out there focuses on people’s experience in the moment.” When it comes to examining the stress people have experienced due to being LGBT, Hammack, 39, who is gay, said most research hasn’t been designed to look at whether there is variability based on the time periods in which people grew up.

“Sometimes the emphasis is on where people grew up in different parts of the country. A key part of LGBT people’s experience depends on when they grew up and when they were born,” said Hammack, who is also the director of the Politics, Culture, Identity Lab at UC Santa Cruz. “The assumption is all LGBT people experience some of the same issues. We assume growing up in different historical contexts is going to affect how people function psychologically and think about their identity and health.” In addition to the team at UC Santa Cruz, researchers from UCLA, UCSF, the University of Arizona, Columbia University, and the University of Texas at Austin are working collaboratively on the Generations study, which was launched in September 2014. The study’s principal investigator is Ilan H. Meyer, Ph.D., a Williams Distinguished Senior Scholar for Public Policy at the Williams Institute for Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy at UCLA’s School of Law. “We are looking to assess how improvements in the social environment of LGB people, such as the expansion of same-sex marriages, affect the life and health of LGB people and what implications these changes may have to policies such as the delivery of social and health services,” stated Meyer last year in a news release announcing the study. The Generations study is recruiting LGB participants from three distinct age groups. The youngest, what the researchers have designated as the Equality Generation, were born in the 1990s and are now 18 to 25 years old. “These young LGBT people, the Equality Generation, have grown up with the struggle for marriage equality primarily as the major social issue or civil rights issue during their lifetime,” said Hammack.

Courtesy Phillip L. Hammack

UC Santa Cruz Associate Professor Phillip L. Hammack

The second generation in the study was born mostly in the 1970s and is in their late 30s or early 40s today. The researchers are calling them the AIDS Generation because they came of age when the LGBT community’s main focus was on preventing HIV and securing funding for programs to care for those living with HIV or AIDS. The third age group are LGB people in their 50s and are being referred to as the Post Stonewall Generation because they came of age following the 1969 riots that occurred at the New York gay bar called the Stonewall Inn. They benefited from the LGBT civil rights movement that came after Stonewall, noted Hammack, and the social changes it ushered in. But they also lost more people, whether friends or loved ones, to AIDS than the younger generations. “With this older generation we think of the year 2003 being really significant. It was the year the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled in favor of same-sex marriage and was also the year Lawrence vs. Texas

A Paid Study for People Who Are HIV+ Smallpox Vaccine Study

struck down sodomy laws,” said Hammack. “This generation was in their 40s at that time. We think it may have changed the nature of their middle adulthood experience. They had gone through the AIDS era and now are experiencing the equality era in their middle age.” The data for the Generations study is coming from two different sources. In-person interviews lasting up to three hours are being conducted with 180 people – 60 from each generational cohort – in the Bay Area; Tucson, Arizona; Austin, Texas; and the New York City region. Starting in January, another group of 700 LGB people from across the country will be surveyed via telephone by polling company Gallup. They will be asked to take part in a second telephone-based survey in 2018; both surveys will likely take about an hour to complete. “This study is needed, from my perspective, because the knowledge we have about LGBT people is rapidly becoming dated,” said Hammack. “Social change is happening so quickly for LGBT people. Not only do we need to update our knowledge, we also need to change our research designs so they take into account social change.” In response to the Bay Area Reporter’s request to interview people who have participated to date, Hammack said the study’s Institutional Review Board would not allow him to disclose any of the actual participants. Instead, the B.A.R. was allowed to speak with Erin Toolis, a UC Santa Cruz graduate student who is a lead interviewer and project coordinator for the study. Toolis, 29, who is straight and earning a Ph.D. in social psychology, has conducted 30 of the 38 interviews with Bay Area LGB participants in the study. The questions they are asked range the gamut, said Toolis, from delving into participants’ life stories and how they understand their identity to what community they

belong to and how are their sex lives and personal relationships. Questions also probe how (or if) they access health care, what stresses they face, and how they are coping. “I have been really touched by how invested people are and wanting to take part in something to help the community address the issues they are facing,” said Toolis. The interviews are often “really revealing,” she said, about not just the inequality, difficulties and injustices people have faced during their lifetimes but also on how they have overcome those challenges and persevered. “It can be really heartbreaking,” Toolis said. “One really positive thing is how people channel that into a desire to stand up when they see things that are wrong and stand up for people who are different from themselves.” Toolis demurred when asked about differences she has noticed between the age groups since the study is ongoing. Though she did say that the fight for marriage equality has been a constant theme. “With a lot of people, marriage equality comes up in almost all the interviews. It is definitely on people’s minds,” said Toolis, adding that, “in all the interviews people talk about how there is still so much progress to be had. This is certainly not the end.” LGB people from the Bay Area are still needed to take part in the inperson interviews. The researchers are particularly interested in talking to people in the older Post Stonewall Generation as well as Native American and Alaskan Native LGB people from any of the three age groups. Those who qualify for the study will receive $75 after completing the survey process. For more information about the Generations study, and to fill out an eligibility survey online, visit http:// www.generat ions-study.com/. Those interested in taking part can also call (831) 479-4608.t

Report released in drag star’s death by Seth Hemmelgarn

What A study to develop a vaccine against smallpox for people who are HIV positive Who HIV positive adults, 18 to 45 years of age, with t-cells below 500 Pay Participants will receive 2-3 vaccinations and up to $1350 Details For more information, please call Erika at Quest Clinical Research – (415) 353-0800 or email erika@questclinical.com

www.questclinical.com

popular San Francisco drag star’s death last year was the result of an accidental morphine overdose, according to a report recently released by the medical examiner’s office. Witnesses have said that Arthur “Arturo” Galster, 55, had been in an altercation in Dolores Park the day before he died August 25, 2014, but the medical examiner’s report, released Monday, October 19, indicates that incident didn’t lead to his death. Galster, who lived near the park on Dolores Terrace, had traveled the world and was known for his impeccable performances as country music icon Patsy Cline, among other roles. He’s also remembered for his generosity and wit. One longtime associate has recalled Galster, as Cline, saying, “Ladies and gentlemen, I put the cunt in country music.” The city document released this week says the cause of Galster’s death was “acute morphine toxicity” and lists hypertension associated with an enlarged heart as another condition. The overdose finding and the amount of time it took for the report to be completed has upset at least one of Galster’s family members. His brother, Greg Galster, 60, said, “It’s a bureaucratic catastrophe that it would take a year to announce these findings.” Greg Galster, who lives in Pip-

Rick Gerharter

Arthur “Arturo” Galster, appearing as Patsy Cline, performed during a 2004 charitable event

ersville, Pennsylvania, added, “I’m totally appalled they’re saying it was an overdose of morphine. My brother had no access to morphine. He never took morphine.” He wonders if Galster had been given morphine in the hospital before he died. The medical examiner’s office doesn’t indicate that’s what happened, though. Greg Galster, who said his brother had been “a heavy social drinker,” believes his death resulted from the attack in the park, either “directly or indirectly.” Asked about Greg Galster’s comments, Christopher Wirowek, the See page 14 >>

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Dick Leitsch: History is unavoidable by Perry Brass

Inn in the Village exploded as no one thought it would.

or my friend Dick Leitsch, the last president of the Mattachine Society of New York, who last May turned 80, history was unavoidable. I met Leitsch in two different periods of my life. At 20, I attended my first and only meeting of the New York Mattachine Society, at the old Wendell Wilkie House near Bryant Park. He moderated, handsome, stylish, with a soft-spoken Kentuckian polished air. I was turned totally off: Mattachine was strictly out of my world as, new to New York, I struggled to make sense of myself. Two years later, a few months after Stonewall, I joined the Gay Liberation Front. GLF offered me a valid political understanding of why queers were being destroyed in American society, and what we had to do, often rowdy as we were, to change it. Both Leitsch and Mattachine were loathed by many of my young GLF brothers and sisters, some of whom had been in it and, like unruly kids, resented their dowdier parents. Leitsch was often referred to as “Pig Leitsch.” For us, he represented gay accommodationists, what we called “dragonfaggots,” “Aunt Sallies,” queer “Uncle Toms.” His very image seemed like a ghost from the 1950s and mid-1960s. Then in 1975, I started freelancing for Countrywide Publications, a scrappy pulp magazine conglomerate on lower Park Avenue, run by the infamously cheap Myron Fass and his brother (often described as “borderline personality” types for their explosive dealings with employees), who presided over a farm team for a later generation of successful writers and editors. My editor was Robert (Bobby) Amsel, a gifted young man editing a group of lowend, hetero porn magazines often written by hungry gay scribes like myself. Amsel and I became close;

‘Our right to exist’

Gay rights pioneer Dick Leitsch in an undated photo.

he literally taught me how to write for commercial publication. He revealed that his longtime partner was Leitsch, “president of the old Mattachine Society.” I blinked twice. Amsel had actually had a history with Mattachine, and after Stonewall, as Mattachine was folding, became president while Leitsch remained executive director. I soon met Leitsch again, and quickly adored him. He was a throwback to another era, of courtly Southern gentlemen and old-school gay bar queens, denizens of a complete culture of gay bars, something that younger people now find difficult to understand. For decades, gay bars were our most visible institutions. Gay men and lesbians found their only home in them. In New York, bars were raided cyclically: usually before elections, before major events like the 1964 New York World’s Fair when Mayor Robert F. Wagner Jr. closed the bars to keep innocent tourists from wandering in (like, what were they going to do in them?), or when cops decided they wanted to squeeze out a bit more payola from mafia barkeeps.

This was fostered by New York’s state alcoholic beverage agency, which had rules dating from the 1920s against serving homosexuals “openly” in any bar. In 1966, Leitsch, along with other members of NY Mattachine, staged the “sip-in,” the first “out” gay demonstration in New York state history. They walked into Julius’, an oft-raided bar on Waverly Place in the West Village, declared themselves gay and were immediately refused service. The event was recorded in Fred W. McDarrah’s famous photo showing Leitsch in profile next to Craig Rodwell (soon to open the Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookstore, the first gay bookstore in the United States) and longtime activist Randy Wicker. Mattachine took Julius’ and the state agency to court, paying the bar’s legal fees because, as Leitsch put it, “We just wanted to make a case, not punish them.” A New York judge declared that the state’s policy denied gays their basic right to free assembly; the rule was unconstitutional. But this did not stop gay bars from being harassed, and three years later a June raid on the Stonewall

Leitsch told me he never thought of himself as being political; he was simply for “our right to exist.” For close to a decade before Stonewall, he was one of a few openly gay men in America. To be that open, he’d had to take a virtual vow of poverty, and for several years lived rent-free in a room in a spacious rent-controlled apartment leased by Madolin Cervantes, a straight woman and Mattachine officer who loved gay men. To make money, as a solitary advocate for gay rights, he got sent out on college lecture circuits where he met the Beat poet Allen Ginsberg, America’s second openly gay man. “We would crisscross each other on college campuses,” Leitsch told me. “We became friends. He published stuff in Mattachine publications.” Leitsch worked as a journalist, a holiday decorator for restaurants and stores, and a bartender. He loved working in bars and restaurants. “When you’re a writer, you have to wait for the reviews to come out,” he said. “When you work in a restaurant, you get the review immediately. It’s called a tip.” He was very close to his siblings back in Kentucky who all had children, so Uncle Dick had a large extended family. Later when I became close to Jack Nichols, another Mattachine pioneer and a prolific writer who died in 2005, after becoming much more radical than most of his generation, Leitsch told me that having family made him less interested in leaving a legacy for history. “I have lots of nieces and nephews,” he told me. “They will live after me.” But history is unavoidable. We are now starting to see what huge courage and sacrifices these gay pioneers went through – the late Frank

Kameny, who was jobless after a federal witch-hunt deprived him of a position as an astronomer; Nichols, whose own father, an FBI agent, plotted to have him murdered as a teenager; and Leitsch, who took his role in it with such gallantry, never trying to re-invent history to try to concoct a place himself. He went from being America’s most famous, if only, homosexual to almost forgotten. In 2006, on the 40th anniversary of the sip-in, he was asked by Scott Simon on National Public Radio: “Mr. Leitsch, is there still a Mattachine Society?” He answered, “Oh, no, not after Stonewall. I kept saying, what’s the goal of Mattachine? And I always said the goal of Mattachine is to put ourselves out of business. When the cops walked into Stonewall, they tried to close it. People said, no, you’re not going to close our bar. We have a right to have our bars and it’s been established we have the right to have our bars. And Mattachine had nothing to do with Stonewall. That was something where the people rose up and did it. And that’s the beginning of the gay movement.”t Perry Brass has published 19 books, is the author of the bestseller The Manly Art of Seduction, How to Meet, Talk to and Become Intimate with Anyone and Ferro-Grumley Awardnominated King of Angels, a gay, Southern Jewish coming-of-age novel set in Savannah, Georgia in 1963. His newest book is The Manly Pursuit of Desire and Love, Your Guide to Life, Happiness and Emotional and Sexual Fulfillment In a Closed-Down World. The Manly Art of Seduction is now available as an audio book through http://www.Audible. com. Brass frequently writes for the Huffington Post and can be reached through http://www. perrybrass.com.

Shanti gala draws Pelosi, Hormel by Khaled Sayed

ouse Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi recognized supporters of Shanti Project at the agency’s annual gala, which honored Ambassador James C. Hormel and longtime HIV/AIDS advocate Keith Waltrip. Over 500 people packed the Palace Hotel October 14 for “Compassion is Universal,” Shanti’s 41st anniversary dinner. The agency provides practical and emotional support to people living with HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening illnesses. The agency expanded its services this summer with the announcement that it was taking over Pets Are Wonderful Support, an agency that provides services to companion animals of people living with disabling illnesses. Kaushik Roy, Shanti’s executive director, greeted attendees and introduced Pelosi to the cheerful crowd, who welcomed her with overwhelming applause. In Roy’s remarks he mentioned that Pelosi, a San Francisco Democrat, is one of the country’s leading and most active politicians in the fight against breast cancer.

Political Notebook

From page 5

According to a two-page document regarding the city’s bathhouse rules that the health department released in 2013, the city “does not equate the term bathhouse with a commercial sex venue.” Sex clubs, defined as “a business or location which provides facilities for its patrons or members to engage in sex-

“Leader Nancy Pelosi helped secure the federal funding used to propel our breast cancer program in 2002,” Roy said, referring to the Margot Murphy Breast Cancer Program. “I hope leader Pelosi can take a special measure of pride in knowing that the program that she helped get started will next month be the city’s first and most comprehensive to support all women in San Francisco diagnosed with any kind of cancer.” The program will be renamed the Margot Murphy Women’s Cancer Program at a launch event Tuesday, November 10. Pelosi took to the podium and thanked Shanti for what it does, which she said is a model for the country. “I want to recognize Kaushik Roy for his remarkable leadership of Shanti, and I want to recognize him and the founder, Charlie Garfield,” Pelosi said. “Garfield founded Shanti and named it Shanti, which is an inner peace. It’s that tranquility. Isn’t this is what is this all about?” Garfield, who has a doctorate degree, founded the agency in 1974. Shanti is a Sanskrit word meaning ual contact while on the premises,” need to obtain a business permit from the city treasurer’s office. Commercial sex venues are required to abide by minimum standards established in 1990 by the Coalition for Healthy Sex, which was comprised of community members, public health educators, and business operators. The rules, which also cover sex parties conducted in commercial locations, require

“inner peace” or “tranquility.” Pelosi was there to give an award named after her to Hormel, who has devoted his life to advocating for advancing human rights and social justice. He was also a member of the U.S. delegation to the 51st U.N. Human Rights Commission. “I’m honored this evening to be presenting the Nancy Pelosi Lifetime Achievement Award to James

C. Hormel,” Pelosi said, “for his contribution to compassion and volunteerism to improve life for people, to addressing the issue of AIDS. His list of accomplishments goes on and on, including his involvement with Shanti. He was also the first openly gay ambassador for our country.” Hormel became the first out U.S. ambassador when then-President Clinton used a recess appointment in May 1999 to name him to the diplomatic post in Luxembourg. He served until December 2000. Today, there are several out ambassadors and Pelosi noted that it takes courage to serve in that capacity. “If we want to break through, we have to have simply the best, and simply the best is James C. Hormel,” she said. In his speech, Hormel praised Pelosi for her achievements as the first woman Democratic leader of the House of Representatives and the first woman speaker of the House. “I’m so proud to be receiving the Nancy Pelosi Lifetime Achievement Award,” Hormel said. “Nancy Pelosi represents support for an organization that has, for the past 41 years, been serving the community at large

in a way that it was never served before, and that is with compassionate care for people.” Hormel said that in 1974 the need for compassionate service was recognized by Garfield. “Charlie, you have done an absolutely remarkable service to our community. Thank you,” he said. Shanti also bestows the James C. Hormel Community Spirit Award, which was given to Waltrip, who started in the HIV field as a volunteer with the Stop AIDS Project-Chicago in 1993. Waltrip, a licensed professional counselor, was introduced to Shanti shortly after he moved to the Bay Area in 2008. He became a board member in 2009 and serves as cochair for the annual Swim for LIFE event, which benefits the agency’s 12-week Learning, Immune Function Enhancement program. The host of the gala was Egyptian actor Omar Sharif Jr., the grandson of the late actor Omar Sharif. The younger Sharif faced threats of violence in the Arab world after he came out in 2012. He is a former national spokesman for GLAAD. The event raised over half a million dollars for Shanti.t

monitoring to prevent unsafe sex from occurring with the goal being to prevent HIV transmission and the spread of other STDs. “In essence, the rules developed by the Coalition for Healthy Sex, and codified and implemented by the SFDPH, are the same rules that would have been developed to comply with the court ruling (on bathhouses),” states the health department in its bathhouse Q&A document. “If any

bathhouse were to reopen today, that also wanted to operate as a commercial sex venue, they would be subject to these same regulations that are now governing sex clubs and parties.” The city’s goal in terms of the rules governing bathhouses, contended Lee, is not to keep such establishments from opening but to reduce new HIV infections. “If they feel there is a blockage, it is probably because public health

is so concentrated in getting to zero with me,” said Lee.t

Khaled Sayed

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi praised Shanti at the agency’s recent anniversary gala.

Web Extra: For more queer political news, be sure to check http:// www.ebar.com Monday mornings at noon for Political Notes, the notebook’s online companion. This week’s column reported on the gay mayor of Garden Grove declaring his candidacy for Congress in a race with a newly out Anaheim councilman.

SAN FRANCISCO DEPUTY SHERIFFS’

“Serving the Deputy Sheriffs’ of San Fra

SAN FRANCISCO DEPUTY SHERIFFS’ ASSOCIATION, INC. An open letter to San Francisco voters from your D

“Serving the Deputy Sheriffs’ of San Francisco since 1952” SAN

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An open letter to San Francisco voters from your Deputy Sheriffs

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for this Hennessy office toorreplace a committee controlled by a candidate for this office. him. We urge all progressive voters to stand with us as we stand with Vicki Hennessy, a true Financial are available sfethics.org Vicky Hennessy has can proved worthy of tothe support ofand this great,at diverse and progressive Vicky Hennessy is a leader who bringdisclosures a fresh start a demoralized dispirited law enforcement agency wearycity. of Mirkarimi’s

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PAID POLITICAL ADVERTISEMENT Paid for by the San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association Political Action PAID POLITICAL ADVERTISEMENT Committee. This advertisement notSheriffs’ authorized or paid for by a candidate Paid for by the San Franciscowas Deputy Association Political Action for this officeThis or aadvertisement committee was controlled by a or candidate this office. Committee. not authorized paid for byfor a candidate for this office or disclosures a committee controlled by a candidate for this office. Financial are available at sfethics.org Vicky Hennessy has proved worthy of the support of this great, diverse and progressive city. Vicky Hennessy is a Sheriff for all.

Financial disclosures are available at sfethics.org

<< Community News

10 • BAY AREA REPORTER • October 22-28, 2015

Gay photog’s prints on exhibit compiled by Cynthia Laird

n exhibit and sale of gay photographer James Armstrong’s works is now taking place at Medium Rare Books and Gallery, 150 Valencia Street in San Francisco. Armstrong, 90, died in April. He was a well-known photographer who chronicled over 25 years of the city’s gay community, starting in the 1970s. Opening a studio in Oakland in 1970, his photographs appeared in many gay publications, including After Dark and Kalendar. He was also a local photographer for the national Colt magazine. Michael Stephens helped write the catalog to give context for some of the 40 photographs in the exhibit, which are offered for sale by Lisa Terry of Medium Rare. Stephens noted that in the pages of Kalendar, Armstrong displayed his interest in the close-up studio portrayals of individual men that also forms the basis of the exhibit and sale. “In many ways these posed photographs were bold statements of the gay community’s growing legitimacy,” Stephens wrote in an email

about the exhibit. “No longer confined to closets and shadows these men allowed their lives and images to be put on public display.” Armstrong was also very interested in the performance arts, particularly dance. He worked for the San Francisco Ballet and Ashland Shakespeare Festival, among others. The exhibit is evenly divided between color and black and white photos; each one is individually framed as well. Prices range between $100 and $280. Hours of the exhibit, located on Medium Rare’s second floor, are from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., seven days a week. A catalog of the photos with an artist biography, annotated list of models, and price list is available. For more information, call (510) 421-6016.

Project Inform holds anniversary gala

Project Inform, an advocacy organization for HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C, will mark its 30th anniversary with its Evening of Hope gala Saturday, October 24 from 7 to 11 p.m. at the Four Seasons Hotel, 757 Market Street.

Rich Gordon (D-Menlo Park) that caps the amount an individual pays out-of-pocket at $250 for a single 30-day prescription. Anne Donnelly, director of health care policy at the nonprofit, called AB 339 “a big win” for people with HIV, as it requires health plans to cover single-tablet regimens for combination antiretroviral drug treatments. Tickets for the gala are $250. For more information, visit www.projectinform.org and click on “Events” under the “Support” button. Courtesy Michael Stephens

James Armstrong’s black and white portrait of his friend, John Crowley, 1974.

This year’s special guest emcee will be Justin Vivian Bond. The event will feature cocktails, food, a photo booth, cigar bar, live auction, and VIP after-party. New this year will be a “Beauty Bar” by J. Roland Salon. In recent years, Project Inform has been working to enhance access to pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP. It has also worked on state legislation concerning the Affordable Care Act and this year backed a successful bill by gay Assemblyman

Health officials urge flu vaccines

Bay Area health officers encourage all residents to get a flu shot this year before flu season starts. Most seasonal flu disease occurs between December and March, though cases can begin to occur in October and continue to occur into May. Annual flu vaccine is recommended for everyone six months of age or older. The vaccine is particularly important for those at higher risk of severe influenza, including pregnant women, children under 5, the elderly, and persons with certain underlying medical conditions such as diabetes, obesity, asthma, and heart disease. Officials said that being vaccinated

TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT

PROP I

San Francisco’s Chief Economist took a close look at Prop I — the Housing Moratorium. He found that Prop I would lead to fewer homes and higher prices.1 For renters, it’s a double hit. Rents go up and available apartments are harder to find, adding to financial stress.2 And Prop I won’t do anything to prevent displacements or discourage gentrification. In fact, Prop I stops the building of 1,500 new homes including hundreds of affordable homes, and it doesn’t require building one single new affordable home.3

Join Supervisor Scott Wiener, Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club, the Bay Area Reporter and many others, including: e e e e e e e e

U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom Mayor Ed Lee Assemblymember David Chiu Supervisor Katy Tang Supervisor Mark Farrell San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Democratic Party

e e e e e e e e

San Francisco Young Democrats SF Housing Action Coalition The housing experts at SPUR Mission Democratic Club SF Bay Area Renters Federation Willie B. Kennedy Democratic Club Black Young Democrats of SF Sun Reporter

And say No to Prop I on November 3.

www.SFRealHousingSolutions.com Paid for by San Franciscans for Real Housing Solutions, No on I, sponsored by San Francisco Housing Action Coalition, the San Francisco Alliance for Jobs and Sustainable Growth, the San Francisco Association of Realtors, and housing builders FPPC ID# 1374554. Major funding by California Association of Realtors – Issues Mobilization Political Action Committee and National Association of Realtors. Financial disclosures available at sfethics.org 1

Read the report, “Potential Effects of Limiting Market-Rate Housing in the Mission,” here: http://www.sfrealhousingsolutions.com/report; 2 Table 7, “Impact on Housing Prices of a Moratorium and Indefinite Prohibition on Market-Rate Housing in the Mission,” of the report, “Potential Effects of Limiting Market-Rate Housing in the Mission,” City and County of San Francisco Controller’s Office, September 10, 2015; 3 Memo RE: Mission District Housing Moratorium, San Francisco Planning Department, July 2015.

not only protects the individual, but also helps protect the people around them who might be vulnerable to serious health complications from the flu. Health officials said they are optimistic about this year’s vaccine being more effective than last year’s. The vaccine has been updated to match the types of flu expected to be most common during the upcoming season. In addition to getting vaccinated, people are urged to engage in healthy habits such as covering their nose and mouth when sneezing; washing hands thoroughly with soap and water, or using an alcoholbased rub; avoiding touching your eyes, nose, and mouth; and staying home from work or school if sick. To find a location for a flu vaccine, visit http://flushot.healthmap. org/. People can also check with their health care providers for more information or visit www.flu.gov.

SF to take part in aging, disability event

A community-wide event, “A Party with a Purpose,” will be held at the main branch of the San Francisco Public Library, 100 Larkin Street, Friday, October 23 from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. to launch the city’s participation in the global aging- and disability-friendly city movement. A program of the World Health Organization and nationally championed by AARP, San Francisco is now the 65th city in the U.S., and among 300 worldwide, committed to local action to make cities and neighborhoods more livable for seniors and the disabled. The event includes a keynote address by John Feather, CEO of Grantmakers in Aging. Feather is a nationally recognized advocate of the aging- and disability-friendly movement and leads a national philanthropic effort. The afternoon includes breakout groups to explore different domains that impact quality of life, including technology, housing, health and long-term supports, and social inclusion. The inaugural Friendly SF Champion Award will be presented to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency board for instituting free Muni for low-income seniors and people with disabilities. A reception at 4:30 will close out the event. About 250 people are expected to attend the free party, which is wheelchair accessible and will include accommodations for those with other disabilities. It is sponsored by the San Francisco Long Term Care Coordinating Council. Advance registration is required. To sign up, visit http://www.friendlysf.org.

Teen haunted house in Alameda

Halloween is coming early to the island city of Alameda, where a teen haunted house will be open Friday, October 23 through Sunday, October 25. The Alameda Recreation and Park Department is sponsoring the house, which is presented by Alameda Teens, a program of the department. The haunted house is located at South Shore Center, Park Street and Otis Drive. The “spook-tacular” teen haunted house promises to entertain thrill-seekers of all ages. Other activities include psychic readings, frightening face paintings, henna tattoos, and a bounce house. Stores will have candy for trick or treaters and each child will get a tote bag to gather treats. The haunted house will be open 5 to 9 p.m. Friday; 3 to 8 p.m. Saturday; and 3 to 7 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $5 per person for those ages 5-17, and $7 for those 18 years and See page 13 >>

Commentary>>

October 22-28, 2015 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 11

The intellectual disability community cries for help

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Disability rights advocates held a rally at the State Capitol in September to urge lawmakers to support a funding increase.

by Belo Cipriani

ntellectual disability is a condition characterized by significant limitation in intellectual functioning and in adaptive behavior. Formerly known as mental retardation, this disability manifests before age 18 and impacts the ability to communicate, socialize, and take care of oneself. A few decades ago, it was common to hear doctors tell parents that the best place for their child would be an institution. Now, with the right training and education, people with intellectual disabilities can learn to do things on their own and even hold jobs. But while the perception and its label have changed over the years, funding for agencies that provide services for this community has dropped severely in the last decade. Moreover, intellectual disability advocates express great disappointment with California Governor Jerry Brown. Tony Anderson, executive director of Arc California, an advocacy agency for parents of people with intellectual disabilities, stated that Brown, at the end of the budget process, convinced the Legislature to remove the developmental services increase and find a way to fund it in a special session. This was something the leadership in the Assembly, and the state Senate, expressed optimism for. However, it

didn’t bring any fruitful outcomes. The governor refused to use the budget estimates from the Legislative Analyst Office and used his own numbers; figures that are already over $700 million under actual state revenues. “During the special session,” Anderson said, “there were six bills introduced by Republicans and Democrats that would provide funding increases for developmental disabilities, and only two received a hearing and neither received a vote on the floor. In just over the last four years, we have lost 500 group homes for people with developmental disabilities, thousands have lost their community day programs, and now almost 100,000 people are living at home with aging caregivers.” For those who work in the intellectual disability community, the last rate increase was given in 1999. However, in 2006, the state gave a wage pass through, yet removed it for four years starting in 2009. Today’s provider rates for most of the community programs are based on cost reports from 2000 – meaning they are operating with rates based on the cost of providing services in 1999. Additionally, the group homes for people with developmental disabilities currently operate with rates established back in a time when the homes used to support

fewer people. Funding as a whole has increased each year because the population increases yearly, and once you’re in the system, you never lose your disability. Thus, you never lose your eligibility. Presently, there are an estimated 290,000 people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in California’s community system. This includes both children and adults with intellectual disabilities, such as cerebral palsy, autism, Down syndrome, epilepsy, and others. Recently, gay state Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) expressed his support to Arc San Francisco for a 10 percent across the board increase to save this service system – a move that has not been embraced publicly by Brown. “While the governor has never expressed any support,” said Anderson, “we believe the legislators are collectively a powerful body of policymakers who could fight for this community, against the governor’s resistance. Please urge your legislators to repair the developmental disabilities system and ask the governor to fully fund the 10 percent increase to fix this broken system.”t

care unit. He suffered from AIDS-related fungal pneumonia. Born April 7, 1971, Glen was angelically handsome. He grew up in Camarillo, California and attended Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts. He sang and played many percussion and string instruments, and owned his own business, which he could run anywhere in the world. He lived in Berlin, India, New York City, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. He was gentle, generous, bright, and fun. For more information, email Jon Sugar at gawksf@yahoo.com.

Ada-Mei and Aileen; brother, William Jr.; and fiance, Jason. He was predeceased by his father, William. A Requiem Mass will be held at Most Holy Redeemer Church, 100 Diamond Street, San Francisco, Saturday, October 24 at 10 a.m.

Belo Cipriani is a freelance journalist, the award-winning author of Blind: A Memoir and Midday Dreams, and a spokesman for Guide Dogs for the Blind. He was voted “Best Disability Advocate” in the Bay Area in 2015 by SF Weekly. Learn more at BeloCipriani.com.

Obituaries >> Deborah “Deb” Ann Jacobs November 3, 1957 – September 2, 2015 Deborah “Deb” Ann Jacobs, a longtime resident of San Francisco, passed away at home September 2, 2015 after a long battle with toxic chemical exposure. Deb grew up in Tiburon, graduated with a degree in industrial design from San Francisco State University magna cum laude. She was the first woman to earn an A.S. in avionics at San Mateo Community College. She was employed by United Airlines for 15 years, first as a mechanic and then a manager. Deb was a lifelong, avid sailor, reaching the finals at the 2002 Sydney Gay Games. She often competed at the Cal Sailing Club where she was well-known as a fearless, fun, and fierce competitor. Tinkering in her Glen Park garage led to creating patents, one for a medical device and another for an ergonomically correct G-spot stimulator for women’s pleasure. Many people never knew she was ill. Only those closest to her would see her bedridden after teaching Girl Scouts the basics of sailing at the California Maritime Academy. Her ashes have been scattered at sea. In lieu of flowers, please donate to Habitat for Humanity or Gay-Straight Alliance Network.

Glen Holden Stiernelof April 7, 1971 – October 1, 2015 Glen Holden Stiernelof died October 1, 2015 surrounded by his family after being in critical condition for a month in an intensive

Wilson Fernandez Fang June 28, 1973 – September 27, 2015 Wilson Fernandez Fang, 42, was welcomed into the kingdom of heaven September 27, 2015. A San Francisco resident for 20 years, he was born in Quezon City, Philippines to Corazon and William Fang. There he attended Mother Goose Nursery, Grace Christian High, and De La Salle University, where he double-majored in legal management and communication arts. As a member of the university debate team, he traveled extensively, winning several awards, including the 1995 National Intervarsity Debating Championships. Shortly after graduation, Wilson made San Francisco his permanent home where he started his 11-year information technology career, followed by several years as a writer. Here he was active in the Castro community, Gay Asian Pacific Alliance, and was crowned Mr. GAPA 2005. Enthusiasm for travel brought Wilson to 43 countries and 47 states. His moxie, quick wit, eloquence, memory, breadth of knowledge, generosity, unconventional thinking, and unwavering faith in God endeared him to so many people around the world. Wilson is survived by his mother, Corazon; sisters,

Jon Michael Valencia September 10, 2015 Jon Michael Valencia passed away September 10, 2015, at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle, where he had undergone a bone marrow transplant to help fight acute myeloid leukemia, or AML. He was 51. Born in San Jose, California to the late Robert and Yvonne Fiorio Valencia, Jon graduated from California State University, Northridge. Jon had lived in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and most recently in Hong Kong, where he was employed by the international luxury travel retailer DFS as planning manager. Jon leaves behind his beloved husband, Mark Harding, and his cherished dog, Toby. He is also survived by his sister, Diane Valencia, and brother, Chris Valencia. Prior to moving to Hong Kong, Jon was active with the San Francisco Gay Softball League as player and board member. Throughout his life Jon had the remarkable ability to make long lasting friendships, and he received tremendous support throughout his illness. He touched the lives of people around the world. The Yvonne and Jon Valencia Memorial Nursing Scholarship has been established at San Jose State University to honor Jon and his mother, who had a long nursing career. A memorial service was held October 17 in San Francisco.

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<< Sports

12 • BAY AREA REPORTER • October 22-28, 2015

Limerick meeting brings no resolution to Gay Games mess by Roger Brigham

s I flew into Limerick, Ireland last week to represent Team San Francisco at the annual membership meeting of the Federation of Gay Games, I had the slimmest of hopes that decisive action would be taken to ensure the future of the Gay Games and a final resolution of talks to end the decade-long rivalry with the Gay and Lesbian International Sport Association’s World Outgames. Intense talks did not produce the resolution Team SF sought, but they did produce the promise of the continuation of the Gay Games. There were other highlights of the annual meeting preceding the discussion of unified event negotiations. FGG, on a motion first introduced by Team SF, expanded its mission statement to include bisexual and transgender individuals. Although bisexual and transgender people are explicitly included in the federation’s

non-discrimination policy, the language in the mission statement in the bylaws just referred to gays and lesbians and was a legacy of an era when our community had not yet added B and T to its LG jargon. FGG honored the people of Ireland for being the first electorate to approve marriage equality by national referendum – a progressive achievement the city’s taxicab drivers seemed proud of when I spoke to them during my various explorations of Limerick. “I think we’re pioneers,” one told me in an oddly juxtapositional moment as we entered the Medieval remains of Limerick’s past. “Ten years ago the idea of that would have been taboo. Now people just think it’s right.” FGG also named three new honorary life members: the late Marc Naimark, who had served during the past decade as sports officer and vice president of external affairs; Paul White, who has worked in in-

ternational development, communications and technology; and once and future San Francisco resident Kile Ozier, who produced the spectacular opening ceremonies for Gay Games IV and VII, commissioned the writing of the Gay Games musical theme, and helped me in 2004 by stage-managing the presentation of controversial bylaw changes that would lead to a fundamental restructuring of FGG itself. “I am in tears,” Ozier wrote me when I told him of his election. “I thought they had forgotten me.” Numerous other honors were conferred, past Gay Games trailblazers were remembered at an annual Memorial Moment observance, reports on the last Gay Games in Cleveland and the next Gay Games in Paris were presented, and two representatives from Limerick joined the FGG board – the first Irish natives ever elected to the body.

Team SF motion

But the climax was a report on

Assemblymember

PHIL TING

invites you to a

COVERED CALIFORNIA ENROLLMENT FAIR OPEN ENROLLMENT IS NOVEMBER 1 TO JANUARY 31

One of the happier moments at the Federation of Gay Games meeting in Limerick, Ireland was Casey Duncan, second from right, receiving the Legacy Award as male athlete ally for his campaigning for same-sex marriage in Ireland. Pictured with Duncan, from left, are Shamey Cramer, officer of ceremonies; Tony Galluzzo, officer at large; and Co-Presidents Joanie Evans, holding award with Duncan, and Kurt Dahl.

the status of talks with GLISA and a subsequent vote on a motion by Team SF that essentially would have ended the necessity for those talks and moved Gay Games site selection forward. FGG negotiators reiterated that no decisions had been made on the 2022 event but that they remained committed to retaining the Gay Games name and mission. The next steps, they said, were a review of the board’s legal responsibilities, especially as they pertain to partnership talks; evaluations of the worth of the FGG and GLISA brands and organizations; and a risk analysis of joint venture proposals. The Team SF motion called for immediately moving forward with site selection for Gay Games XI and extending an invitation to GLISA to organize a separately funded human rights conference program as an external component of the Gay Games festival. The motion was designed to produce a resolution to talks that have commanded FGG resources in one form or another since 2005, allow both GLISA and the FGG

to refocus on their core missions, open up a calendar spot for the EuroGames in non-Gay Games years (currently they are not held in the same year as the World Outgames, which occur the year before a Gay Games), and give the LGBT sports calendar the quadrennial “one world event” it enjoyed with the Gay Games from 1982 through 2002. Dave Killian, FGG site selection officer, countered by saying that although currently the site selection team contains representatives from both GLISA and FGG, potential bidders receive materials that refer specifically to the event they are inquiring about as the Gay Games. He said he feared the Team SF motion would be too binding on a process that was already begun. Joanie Evans, FGG co-president and a member of the negotiations team, said she thought the motion undermined ongoing talks. A large block of delegates met the night before the vote to ask questions about the motion and to talk See page 14 >>

San Francisco Columbarium A cemetery for cremated remains in the City.

Covered California Enrollment Fair

SUNDAY, NOV 1, 2015 | 1 - 4 PM Richmond Recreation Center 251 18th Avenue San Francisco 94121

LEARN HOW YOU CAN GET BRAND NAME, AFFORDABLE, HIGH QUALITY, HEALTH COVERAGE! Please bring: R Social Security Number R Legal identification (Driver’s License or CA ID)

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Walk-ins are welcome, but pre-registration is appreciated. Please call

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Did you know...? Meet Your Neighbors

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t <<

International News>>

Trans Latinas

From page 1

to Mexico,” said Andrea Ruth Bird, an attorney who served as pro bono counsel on Avendano-Hernandez’s case. “Just to put perspective on how bad it is there.” The Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law estimates that there are at least 267,000 undocumented LGBT immigrants living in the U.S., 70 percent of who are Hispanic, according to a 2013 report from the institute. It is estimated that between 15,000 and 50,000 undocumented LGBT immigrants are transgender, according to the National Center for Transgender Equality, reported Vice. Currently, Munmeeth Soni, 36, an immigration rights attorney with the Public Law Center, estimates there are 35 transgender women who are being held in the new transgender detention center established by ICE in Orange County. Prior to the new center, detained transgender immigrants were housed with other gay and lesbian detainees in a special LGBT detention center, similar to the one in which AvendanoHernandez was held. “There’s another 35 people just waiting for someone to make the right decision for them,” said Bird, a 38-year-old ally at Manatt, Phelps and Phillips, LLP. On September 3, the historic ruling was made. The 9th Circuit overturned Los Angeles immigration court Judge Lorraine J. Munoz’s 2013 decision to deport AvendanoHernandez to Mexico. Bird worked alongside Soni and their legal team on the case, Avendano-Hernandez v. Lynch. (Soni declined to identify her sexual orientation.) For the first time in years Avendano-Hernandez was able to finally plan her life in Fresno, where she currently lives. The decision did more than help Avendano-Hernandez. It pried opened

News Briefs

From page 10

older. Additional donations are welcome. Proceeds benefit the Alameda Youth Committee. For more information, visit h t t p : / / w w w. a l a m e d a c a . g o v / recreation.

Quick trip to Disneyland for Halloween

On Friday, October 31, at midnight, participants will depart from deFremery Recreation Center in Oakland for a quick trip to Disneyland that returns on Sunday, November 1. The trip, open to all families, costs $195 per person, including transportation, breakfast, and park tickets. Youth, ages 12 and under, must be accompanied by an adult. For more information, contact Valorie Winn, deFremery Recreation Center director, at (510) 238-7739.

Conversion therapy

From page 1

nounced by every mainstream medical and mental health association,” Warbelow added. “We look forward to partnering with state legislators in working to pass these vitally important measures to stop this horrific practice once and for all.” The SAMHSA report confirms the findings of mental health practitioners who have stated that conversion therapies do not work. These therapies often cause mental health issues, including long-term post-traumatic stress disorder and suicidal thoughts, to develop among the victims, according to the report. The report further states that the practice of conversion therapy, in both sexual and gender identity cases, may put youth at risk

the door that has been closed pretty tightly for other transgender women fleeing persecution in their native lands and seeking refuge in the U.S. “To some extent there is like, much more at stake for all these individuals, particularly those who are fleeing institutionalized torture,” said Bird. “Literally their lives are at stake.” Avendano-Hernandez and Gutierrez’s stories echo reports that other trans Latinas continue to tell immigration judges. They tell their stories, often alone and without representation because they don’t have an automatic right to free legal counsel, said Bird, because they aren’t U.S. citizens. “They are sitting there without defense. It’s pretty bad,” Bird said.

Asylum requests often denied

Their requests for asylum are often denied. A majority of them are often deported to the country from which they are fleeing. They return to the U.S. ICE picks them up. They spend years in detention waiting for their case to be heard again. But now they have a strike against them – they’ve been deported before or didn’t file their claim for asylum on time – and possibly a few more strikes against them if they have a criminal record. They get funneled to certain courts depending on these two factors, according to Barnes. “They get punished for trying to save their lives,” said Bamby Salcedo, 45, a trans Latina immigrant who is president and CEO of the Trans Latina Coalition in Los Angeles, describing how trans Latinas are detained by U.S. immigration for “long periods of time” and are treated inhumanely in the detention centers. Salcedo highlighted undocumented transgender Latinas’ experiences fleeing violence in Mexico and detention in the U.S. in the report, TransVisible: Transgender Latina Immigrants in U.S. Society.

Cutting through the red tape

The three-judge panel in Avenda-

Dignity/San Francisco announces lecture series

October 22-28, 2015 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 13

no-Hernandez’s case said that she was protected under the international anti-torture conventions. The judges went further, clearly defining gender identity and sexual orientation and clarifying the meaning of country conditions. “This is absolutely a groundbreaking case,” said Soni, the attorney. “This is the first case of its kind – as far as circuit level appellate cases are concerned – that distinguish gender identity from sexual orientation and explicitly recognize that transgender individuals belong in a separate social group from people who identify with being homosexual.” “It is a very important distinction because both social groups face unique challenges and the court pointed that out that even though some protections may be in place there aren’t protections there for transgender individuals,” added attorney Bird. Additionally, the court noted that in spite of Mexico’s outwardly seeming acceptance of LGBT people, the evidence stacked up against the country when examining Mexico’s human rights records. When Avendano-Hernandez was forced to return she was still tortured, raped, and beaten by Mexican officers and military officials, said AvendanoHernandez and her attorneys. “The court decided that there was a very high likelihood that if she returned she would be tortured again,” said Bird. “I don’t think that anyone should be punished for a DUI by being sent somewhere to be tortured, raped, and beaten up.”

Hope for others

The impact of the circuit court’s decision may help other cases. Two other asylum cases from Mexico involving transgender women still face an uphill battle, which might have been softened by the 9th circuit’s decision. Two of the women – Daniella Godoy-Ramirez and Lucia Mondragon-Alday – were denied by Munoz, the same judge as Avendano-Hernandez. Then there is the Georgia case of

Courtesy EuroNews.com

Carey Edin AvendanoHernandez recently won an appellate court decision and can stay in the U.S.

“Estrella” Antonio-Sanchez, who was born Job. Antonio-Sanchez is appealing Judge Dan Trimble’s second denial of her application for asylum with the assistance of her legal counsel at Immigration Equality and Kilpatrick Townsend and Stockton. Soni currently has 10 other cases of transgender Latinas from Mexico in various stages of the immigration courts, she said, “but there are many more people who need help.” However, the force of the law will only be as powerful as the transgender immigrants are able to “effectively advocate for themselves,” said Soni. The other way is if their free legal aid counselors or immigration judges “apply the law correctly.” For the first time, immigration attorneys working with transgender clients have a legal opinion to use in their cases and are immediately implementing it in the cases that they are working on across the country, Soni said. Judges now have clear definitions for transgender and gay and lesbian individuals and country conditions based on gender identity and sexual orientation to guide them in their decision-making to grant asylum, relief, or to withhold removal. “It is really important that this case was decided because it is giving direction to the immigration judges,” said Bird. Bird added that she hopes the long-term impact will be educational for judges and how they handle

transgender clients and their cases. “We hope that the immigration judges will take the court statements that they need to pay attention to what gender they are referring to people by [seriously],” said Bird, referring to how Munoz refused to recognize Avendano-Hernandez by her preferred gender, as did Trimble to Antonio-Sanchez in Georgia. “It’s really demoralizing for a court to tell an individual that they refuse to call them by their gender,” said Bird.

Looking toward the future

The court’s decision freed Avendano-Hernandez. She was relieved that she was able to finally resume living in the U.S. “I’m so happy and excited to hear that we won the case,” said AvendanoHernandez. “That means a lot to me because I can now make more plans, you know, keep doing my goals.” However, she recognizes that the decision goes beyond her own freedom. Avendano-Hernandez and transgender immigration activists are hopeful about the effect the 9th Circuit’s decision has for cases involving other undocumented transgender people. “I hope that this decision will be an opportunity,” said AvendanoHernandez. “I hope that other trans communities [get] the same opportunity that they give to me.” Added Gutierrez, “I just hope that this case is precedent for any other trans woman, especially from Mexico and Central and South America, who are really escaping really severe persecution in their countries.” She hopes other trans Latinas “get the opportunity to stay in this country and seek the opportunities that many of us seek and to finally succeed, thrive, and contribute to the country and to be grateful for every opportunity that we get here.”t Got international LGBT news tips? Call or send them to Heather Cassell at 00+1-415-2213541, Skype: heather.cassell, or oitwnews@gmail.com.

Francisco) will be at a Covered California enrollment fair Sunday, November 1 at the Richmond Recreation Center, 251 18th Avenue in San Francisco. Covered California is the state’s online health insurance marketplace where people can compare health plans and choose one that’s right for them. Under the law, no one can be denied coverage for having a pre-existing condition. Representatives will also be on hand to help enroll individuals into Medi-Cal or Healthy San Francisco. People should bring their Social Security card, legal identification, proof of income (tax return, W2, or pay stub), and proof of citizenship or legal residency to enroll in Covered California or Medi-Cal. Undocumented individuals who want to enroll in Healthy San Francisco will need personal identification, proof of San Francisco

residency, and proof of household income. Walk-ins are welcome, however, pre-registration is encouraged by October 30 at 1 p.m. To pre-register, call (415) 557-2312 or visit https://lcmspubcontact.lc.ca. gov/PublicLCMS/ADInfo/einvites/ AD19/449_Covered_California_ Enrollment_Fair.html.

Point Foundation opens scholarship application period

LGBTQ students seeking financial assistance for their undergraduate or graduate school education can soon apply for a Point Foundation Scholarship. The foundation, also known as Point, is the nation’s largest scholarship-granting organization for LGBTQ students of merit and currently provides financial assistance and programmatic support to 85 students. Students enrolling

in undergraduate or graduate programs for the 2016-17 academic year are eligible to apply for Point’s multiyear scholarship. Applications open online November 1. Students can submit part one of the application until 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time January 19. Qualified applicants will be invited to submit part two of the application, which will be open from November 2 until 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time February 1. Point’s rigorous selection process for awarding scholarships requires candidates to demonstrate academic excellence, leadership skills, community involvement, and financial need. Attention is given to applicants who lost financial support as a result of revealing their sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. To apply, visit www.pointfoundation.org/apply.t

of harm. SAMHSA recomwith a strong background mends putting effort into in gender development, ending the practice. gender identity, and sexuNCLR applauded the al orientation in children SAMHSA report. and adolescents. Experts “We could not be more with a background in grateful to SAMHSA, HHS, family therapy, ethics, and and the entire Obama adthe psychology of religion Courtesy NCLR ministration for producing also participated. such an in-depth and life- NCLR staff NCLR’s Born Perfect saving report,” NCLR staff attorney campaign, run by Ames, attorney Samantha Ames Samantha Ames has been working toward said in a statement. outlawing conversion The report, entitled “Ending Contherapy through legislation in states version Therapy: Supporting and Afwhere it is not already prohibited. firming LGBTQ Youth,” includes the “This sample legislation is the culfirst publication of consensus statemination of two decades of working ments developed by an expert panel to end conversion therapy, three years held by the American Psychological helping states take legislative steps to Association in July. The panel inprotect youth from these ineffective cluded researchers and practitioners and harmful practices, and a truly in child and adolescent mental health exceptional coalition of legal experts

from across the country,” Ames stated. In addition to California, conversion therapy on minors is currently banned in New Jersey, Illinois, Oregon, and Washington, D.C. Organizations that are critical of conversion therapy include the American Medical Association and the American Psychiatric Association. A measure to ban conversion therapy in New York passed the state Assembly by 86-28, but the Republican-led state Senate has yet to vote on the measure. Conversion therapy bans have been introduced in Arizona, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Iowa, Texas, and Nevada. A proposed ban in Rhode Island was defeated. Ames said that she hopes the report brings about the day when

every child knows that they are “born perfect,” paraphrasing the name of the NCLR’s anti-conversion therapy campaign. “NCLR has been at the forefront of the fight to end conversion therapy and works closely with legislators and state leaders across the country to introduce bills protecting youth from this dangerous practice which are associated with extreme depression, substance abuse, even suicide,” Ames stated. The sample legislation can be viewed at NCLR’s website, http:// www.nclrights.org. It includes statements from mental health organizations such as the American Psychiatric Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Psychoanalytic Association, all of which have publicly opposed conversion therapies.t

Dignity/San Francisco, a self-governing faith community of LGBTQ Catholics and straight allies, is inaugurating a monthly, fourth Sunday lecture series with ecumenical, interfaith, and cultural themes. The first speaker will be the Reverend Megan Rohrer, a transgender pastor who leads Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church in San Francisco. Rohrer is also a contributing blogger of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s Living Lutheran. Rohrer will talk on the transgender spiritual journey. The program, which is free, takes place Sunday, October 25 from 7 to 8 p.m. at Seventh Avenue Presbyterian Church, 1329 7th Avenue. The church is accessible via Muni’s N-Judah line.

Join Ting at Covered CA enrollment fair

Assemblyman Phil Ting (D-San

Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

14 • BAY AREA REPORTER • October 22-28, 2015

Jock Talk

From page 12

about the sports mission risks the Gay Games are running by leaving things up for negotiations. Many of them spoke in favor of the motion the next day. The delegate from Team Sydney reported that his membership poll found absolutely no organizational support for a unified event with conferences as part of the central budget. In the end, a majority of the assembly voted against the Team SF motion. The board was given a vote of confidence to proceed with talks on a motion introduced by the

Biden

From page 1

Clinton, the Democratic frontrunner whose campaign has seen an uptick in support since her muchpraised performance in last week’s Democratic debate even as she continues to be dogged by the controversy over using a private email server during her time as Obama’s secretary of state. Clinton is facing a strong challenge by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. Another Democratic candidate, former Virginia senator Jim Webb, dropped out of the race Tuesday. In his remarks, Biden praised the president for his leadership. “I believe that President Obama has led this nation from crisis to recovery,” the vice president said. “And I’m proud to play a part in that.” He said the country would be making a “tragic mistake” if it voted a Republican into office in next year’s election. He also urged Democrats not to run away from Obama during the campaign like the party did in 2000 when nominee Al Gore did not utilize President Bill Clinton on the campaign trail until the closing days of the contest.

Attack

From page 3

intent to kill other than the fact there was a serious injury that results from what I believe is one hit with the bottle,” Lilien added. “... I’m not seeing a deliberate, pre-meditated desire to kill here.” Conroy indicated he was holding

Guest Opinion

From page 4

it reflects core San Francisco values. Thankfully, last week the B.A.R. got Vicki Hennessy, Mirkarimi’s challenger in the race for sheriff, to expand on previous comments. She strongly affirmed that she disagrees with Cerbone’s comments and supports a policy for housing transgender inmates that is based on safety, not stereotypes. With the leading sheriff candidates agreeing on the basic fundamentals of a new policy, we should

Drag star

From page 6

deputy medical examiner administrator, indicated he would contact him directly to address his concerns. “I would question the appropriateness of having this family read an explanation through the [Bay Area Reporter], hence contact with them is imperative before I provide you with additional comment,” Wirowek said. Told of the city’s findings into his longtime friend’s death, Marc Huestis, 60, who divides his time between San Francisco and the Sierra, said, “I’m heartbroken,” and “to this day, I miss him.” Huestis, who regularly produced shows at the Castro Theatre and worked with Galster numerous times, said he had “no idea” why Galster would have morphine in his system,

delegates from Wrestlers WithOut Borders, in essence endorsing the memorandum of understanding the board had signed with GLISA earlier in the year. The group that most undoubtedly wanted the motion to pass were the non-voting honorary life members who loved the Gay Games so much they had written them into their wills, but had removed FGG from their wills when the future of the games appeared to be in doubt because of the talks with GLISA. A couple of assembly members angrily protested that they would not allow their actions to be “held for ransom” and that money should

not be a determining factor. It was an unkind and demeaning remark made against some of the event’s longest and most loyal supporters. And it is a falsity: people demand ransom for things that have not yet happened; the folks who wrote the Gay Games out of their wills did so because of uncertainty caused by past board actions – not because of what the board may or may not do in the future. What those loyalists want is certainty. What they were told is nothing is decided, take heart in that, and everyone wants the Gay Games. It is now the mandate of the board to make it so.t

“Democrats should not only defend his record, but should run on his record,” Biden said. Biden has long been a supporter of the LGBT community, and earlier this month at the Human Rights Campaign national dinner announced his endorsement of the federal Equality Act, a bill that was introduced after the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage. The act would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. He also came out in support of marriage equality before the president and Clinton, although both now strongly support marriage rights for same-sex couples. Recent national polls had shown that Biden faced an uphill fight for the Democratic nomination. Clinton has received wide support from fellow politicians, organized labor, and other groups. She has also amassed a campaign war chest and reported raising $29.9 million during the third quarter, which ended September 30. Sanders reported raising $26.2 million during the same period and has a strong following among the progressive wing

of the party. Sanders issued a statement shortly after the vice president’s remarks. “Joe Biden, a good friend, has made the decision that he feels is best for himself, his family, and the country,” Sanders said. “I thank the vice president for a lifetime of public service and for all that he has done for our nation. I look forward to continuing to work with him to address the major crises we face. He understands the need to rebuild the middle class; and to address income and wealth inequality, a corrupt campaign finance system, climate change, racial justice, immigration reform, and the need for publiclyfunded higher education.” Speculation about whether Biden would run began in August, after New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd wrote that sources told her Beau Biden’s dying wish was to have his father run for president. Political watchers speculated for weeks about a Biden run as the vice president met with Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren (D), labor leaders, and others. In the end, however, he concluded that there wasn’t enough time to wage a successful effort.t

Owens based on the alleged countdown, among other factors. Asked outside the courtroom whether she thought Owens had been trying to kill her, Jones said, “I don’t know ... that’s for you to ask him.” At the beginning of Monday’s hearing, Conroy praised Owens for his efforts in programming that includes parenting skills.

He told Owens, who’s been in custody on $350,000 bail since shortly after the incident, “You’ve been doing very, very well. ... In the programs you’re involved in, you could not be doing better.” Owens’ next court date is November 2 for arraignment. Assistant District Attorney Austin Sanford is prosecuting the case.t

all commit to having one in place by the end of 2015. The policy should include training that provides accurate information to staff with genuine questions or concerns. However, there is no point in going through another years-long process of trying to respond to transphobic and sexist questions from a handful of leadership staff who only want to derail progress. To get there, LGBT and ally leaders in San Francisco are going to have to get involved. As we all know, recent victories didn’t end our movement. This is a good opportu-

nity to remind ourselves of that and recommit to working together even when it’s tough. Otherwise, San Francisco is going to become what many people fear – a city known only for its beautiful views and exciting tech. But I don’t think that is what most people want and now is the time to prove it.t

but Galster had appeared “unhealthy.” “Beyond the fabulous Arturo we all knew, part of his fabulousness was being able to be on the edge,” he said. “But sometimes when you’re on the edge, you go over the edge. That’s what happened to him.” According to the medical examiner’s report, Galster’s roommate found him “unresponsive” just after 3 p.m. August 25. Paramedics gave him Narcan, which can be used to reverse overdoses, and took him to the emergency room at California Pacific Medical Center. Workers there continued to try to resuscitate him with dopamine and other drugs, but Galster was pronounced dead at 4:37 p.m. A witness to the Dolores Park incident has said that Galster had taken people to the park to show them the view. There, he got into an altercation with a stranger, who punched

him. Galster fell and hit his head. The medical examiner’s office says Galster had “small” scalp and facial wounds but they weren’t associated with skull fractures or similar damage. Among other findings, the agency noted “acute bronchopneumonia” and other problems. Besides morphine, the report says Galster also had codeine; bupropion, often used as an antidepressant under the brand name Wellbutrin; and chlorpromazine, an anti-psychotic drug best known by its brand name Thorazine, in his system. Asked whether he knew anything about Galster using bupropion or chlorpromazine, Huestis quipped, “I don’t, except everybody I know is on anti-depressants, practically. ... When you draw the blood of gay artists, you’re going to find that stuff in it, including my own.”t

Chris Daley is a deputy executive director at Just Detention International. Prior, he lived in San Francisco for 15 years and is a founder of the Transgender Law Center.

Legal Notices>> ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-15-551516

In the matter of the application of: D MICHELE RAGLAND DILWORTH, 576 EUREKA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner D MICHELE RAGLAND DILWORTH, is requesting that the name D MICHELE RAGLAND DILWORTH aka DEBORAH MICHELE RAGLAND DILWORTH aka D MICHELE RAGLAND-DILWORTH aka DEBORAH MICHELE RAGLAND-DILWORTH aka DEBORAH MICHELE RAGLAND, be changed to MICHELE RAGLAND DILWORTH. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514 on the 3rd of December 2015 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

OCT 22, 29, NOV 05, 12, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036663100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NATIVE SF TOURS; GREATERPURPOSE.ME, 787 UNION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed STEPHEN BACCARI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/03/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/03/15.

OCTOBER 01, 08, 15, 22, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036661100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BEST OF GLASS, 645 SILVER AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed REMZI SHATARA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/02/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/02/15.

OCTOBER 01, 08, 15, 22, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036702500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: METRO APPLIANCE REPAIR, 1920 TURK ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ANATOLI DIDENCO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/09/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/28/15.

OCTOBER 01, 08, 15, 22, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036687800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BENNI AMADI INTERIORS, 331 LIBERTY ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed BENEDETTA AMADI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/15/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/18/15.

OCTOBER 01, 08, 15, 22, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036699000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HEALING INTIMACY, 14 PRECITA AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed EMIKO YOSHIKAMI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/01/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/24/15.

OCTOBER 01, 08, 15, 22, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036689000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LIPSHTICK PICTURES, 3870 SACRAMENTO ST #3, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SERENA SHULMAN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/08/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/21/15.

OCTOBER 01, 08, 15, 22, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036690000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: WILD GROWTH, 524 30TH AVE #202, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed EUGENE BURAGA & DAVID YAKUBYAK. 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 09/21/15.

OCTOBER 01, 08, 15, 22, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036696900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GOURMET NOODLE HOUSE, 3751 GEARY BLVD, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed GS RIVERSIDE GRILL (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/23/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/23/15.

OCTOBER 01, 08, 15, 22, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036700800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MATHILDE FRENCH BISTRO, 315 5TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed LE CHARM INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/25/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/25/15.

OCTOBER 01, 08, 15, 22, 2015

NOTICE TO CREDITORS OF BULK SALE

(Notice pursuant to UCC Sec. 6105 and 6106.2) NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a bulk sale is about to be made. The name, business address of the Seller, is: MURA 450 Broadway, San Francisco, CA 94133 Doing Business as: MURA. All other business name and address used by the Seller within three years, as stated by the Seller, is MURA, MURA SUSHI and MURA RESTAURANT. The location in California of the chief executive office of the Seller is: 450 Broadway, San Francisco, CA 94133. The names and address of the Buyers are: XIAOYI ZHENG and ZIJUN WU, 450 Broadway, San Francisco, CA 94133. The assets being sold is generally described as: All stock-in-trade, fixtures, equipment, leasehold, and leasehold improvement of MURA restaurant business and are located at: 450 Broadway, San Francisco, CA 94133. The bulk sale is intended to be consummated at the office of: To & Associates, Attorneys At Law 311 9th Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94118 and the anticipated sale date is 11/19//2015. The bulk sale is subject to California Uniform Commercial Code Section 6106.2 The name and address of the person with whom claims may be filed is: To & Associates, Attorneys At Law 311 9th Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94118, and the last date for filing claims shall be 11/18/2015, which is the business day before the anticipated sale date specified above. Dated: 10-18-2015 Kit To, Esq. /s/ Kit V. To, Attorney at To & Associates.

OCT 22, 29, NOV 05, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036699200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: COMMON SAGE, 1552 POLK ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed ENA NORTH BEACH, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/24/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/24/15.

OCTOBER 01, 08, 15, 22, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036680500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: JOHN COLINS, 138 MINNA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105. This business is conducted by a limited partnership, and is signed JOHN GIUFFRE & COLIN O’MALLEY. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/15/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/15/15.

OCTOBER 01, 08, 15, 22, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036659900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NORTH BAY HAULING, 1579 REVERE AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a married couple, and is signed JOSE DE JESUS SAAVEDRA & LUZ MARIA SAAVEDRA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/2000. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/02/15.

OCTOBER 01, 08, 15, 22, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036687500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: A-YO, 2398 PACIFIC AVE #203, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed A-YO LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/16/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/18/15.

OCTOBER 01, 08, 15, 22, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036687600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: STEPHANIE BREITBARD FINE ARTS, 843 MONTGOMERY ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed STEPHANIE BREITBARD FINE ARTS, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/10/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/18/15.

OCTOBER 01, 08, 15, 22, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036693800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: QIAN XI MOVING COMPANY, 220 LOBOS ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed CHUAN SU XING. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/22/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/22/15.

OCT 15, 22, 29, NOV 05, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036726700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MING CHI ASSOCIATES, 1599 HAYES ST P-101, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ZHIYAN WANG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/09/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/09/15.

OCT 15, 22, 29, NOV 05, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036703100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: AJK MERCHANT SERVICES, 130 WAYLAND ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ZUHDI JAMAL KHALIL. 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 09/28/15.

OCT 15, 22, 29, NOV 05 2015

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Read more online at www.ebar.com

October 22-28, 2015 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 15

Classifieds

Legal Notices>> ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-15-551615

In the matter of the application of: AMANDA MARIE MURPHY, 3367 17TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner AMANDA MARIE MURPHY, is requesting that the name AMANDA MARIE MURPHY, be changed to MANDY MURPHY CARROLL. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514, Room 514 on the 24th of December 2015 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

OCT 22, 29, NOV 05, 12, 2015 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-15-551620

In the matter of the application of: YING JIE ZHENG, 605 BRUNSWICK ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner YING JIE ZHENG, is requesting that the name YING JIE ZHENG, be changed to JESSIE JIE ZHENG. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514, Room 514 on the 10th of December 2015 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

OCT 22, 29, NOV 05, 12, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036725200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: AYNI LAW GROUP, 405 SANSOME ST 2ND FLR, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed CONNIE CHAN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/09/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/09/15.

OCT 15, 22, 29, NOV 05, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036725000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: STICKBOOK STUDIOS, 821 LEAVENWORTH ST #34, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed KELLY CATHERINE LEWIS EASTMAN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/09/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/09/15.

OCT 15, 22, 29, NOV 05, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036706100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ALLSTARS CAFE, 98 9TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DARREN LE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/30/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/30/15.

OCT 15, 22, 29, NOV 05, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036702400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PRECISION APPLIANCE REPAIR, 1776 SUTTER ST #210, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed EDUARD KORENBLIT. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/28/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/28/15.

OCT 15, 22, 29, NOV 05, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036723800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SUNSET DENTISTRY, 919 IRVING ST #101, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed SOPHYA N. MORGHEM DMD, MS CORP (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/08/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/08/15.

OCT 15, 22, 29, NOV 05, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036715600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HALLER ARCHITECHTURE & DESIGN, 1211 FOLSOM ST 3RD FL, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed HALLER DESIGN STUDIO, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/16/10. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/05/15.

The

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036722700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HARENDONG USA, 1886 18TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed NOVO INTERNATIONAL LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/08/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/08/15.

Gaylesta2x2_0610CN Gaylesta2x2_0610CN

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OCT 15, 22, 29, NOV 05, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036710200

Law Offices

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE FINE MOUSSE, 1098 JACKSON, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed PROOST LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/01/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/01/15.

OCT 15, 22, 29, NOV 05, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036723200

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The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GOLDEN GATE NEEDLEPOINT, 3310 SACRAMENTO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by a limited liability company and is signed GOLDEN GATE DESIGN AND NEEDLEWORK LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/26/10. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/08/15.

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OCT 15, 22, 29, NOV 05, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036721000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HIGH ZONE PROJECT; LEDUS HUB, 515 JOHN MUIR DR #A323, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94132. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed FASHION BAG CO. LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/01/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/07/15.

OCT 15, 22, 29, NOV 5, 2015 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-036679900

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: SAN FRANCISCO IN FLOOR HEATING AND HYDRO SOLAR SYSTEMS, 518 24TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business was conducted by an individual and signed by RICHARD D. SEAMAN. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/15/2015.

Legal Notices>>

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FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036726300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FOUNDATION CONSULTING, 5214F DIAMOND HGTS BLVD #808, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94131. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed NICOLE BARAN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/01/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/09/15.

OCT 22, 29, NOV 05, 12, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036727400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BLUE POPPY CONFECTIONS, 1914 47TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed PEGGY INGALLS & JENNIFFER INGALLS. 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 10/13/15.

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OCT 22, 29, NOV 05, 12, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036734600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: RIPPLE, 268 BUSH ST #2724, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94104. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed RIPPLE LABS INC (DE). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/06/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/13/15.

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OCT 22, 29, NOV 05, 12, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036733900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HOTEL VIA, 138 KING ST SUITE B, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed COGAG GROUP. The registrant(s) PHONE 415.861.5019 FAX 861-8144 PHONE 415.861.5019 FAX 861-8144 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 10/16/15.

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The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GOLDEN STATE PLUMBING, 1675 EDDY ST #304, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DAN YI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/16/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/16/15.

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The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FIZZEE’S BAR & GRILL, 3954 GEARY BLVD, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed FIZZEE’S, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/08/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/08/15.

OCT 22, 29, NOV 05, 12, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036733400

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OCT 15, 22, 29, NOV 05, 2015 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-036723700

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Affordable Housing and Parks in the Right Place for San Francisco

Prop D will transform an empty parking lot into Mission Rock, an exciting San Francisco neighborhood — without displacing anyone. Located just south of AT&T Park, along existing transit lines and the future Central Subway, Mission Rock is the right place for new parks, homes and jobs. It includes: Record Breaking 40% Affordable Housing – 40% of the approximately 1500 new rental units will be designated as affordable for low- and middle-income San Franciscans 8 Acres of Parks and Open Space – including 5 acres along the waterfront with open access for all $25 Million Annually for City Services – taxes that will help fund vital city services like schools, parks, libraries and health care and public safety

The fact that Mission Rock has 40% affordable units, near the waterfront for regular people. That makes a big difference.

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Prop D will create desperately needed housing — including housing for middle income and low income San Franciscans — in addition to creating new open space and generating funds for critical city services. Join me in voting Yes on D.

“

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WE SUPPORT YES ON D! State Senator Mark Leno Former State Assemblymember Tom Ammiano Supervisor David Campos Supervisor Scott Wiener Community College Trustee Alex Randolph Former Supervisor Bevan Dufty, Director of Housing Opportunity, Partnerships and Engagement Planning Commissioner Dennis Richards Status of Woman Commissioner Andrea Shorter Rebecca Prozan, San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee Member Zoe Dunning, Co-President, Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club Peter Gallotta, Co-President, Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club Laura Thomas, Co-President, Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club Lito Sandoval, Vice President, Communications, Latino Democratic Club Tom Temprano, Immediate Past President, Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club Danielle Castro, Co-Founder, Trans* Activists for Justice and Accountability (TAJA’s) Coalition (Partial List)

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Shock therapy

Off the Wall

Out &About

Pound cake

O&A

Vol. 45 • No. 43 • October 22-28, 2015

www.ebar.com/arts

Treasures from an exposition by Sura Wood

t has been 100 years since the San Francisco Panama-Pacific International Exposition opened its gates to the 19 million visitors who flocked to see it in 1915. The PPIE, a city-within-a-city encompassing 76 blocks and 635 acres of what is now the Marina district, celebrated the completion of the Panama Canal and San Francisco’s rising from the ashes of the 1906 earthquake and fire. It was a feast of innovation and host to the largest and possibly the most ambitious, truly international arts exhibition ever assembled, consisting of 11,000 paintings, prints, photographs and sculptures. See page 18 >>

Fine Arts Museums curator James Ganz points out a feature of Arthur Mathew’s mural “The Victory of Culture Over Force (Victorious Spirit),” part of the exhibit Jewel City: Art from San Francisco’s Panama-Pacific Exposition now at the deYoung Museum. Rick Gerharter

Cinema in South Asian places by David Lamble

he 13th annual San Francisco International South Asian Film Festival, subtitled Bollywood and Beyond, can at first glance be confusing in format and screening venues, for both its devoted Indian-PakistaniAmerican fan base and its media explainers. Kicking off in San Francisco at the New People Cinema (10/22, 23, 25), making a one-day splash at the Castro Theatre (10/24), the Festival then travels south to Palo Alto’s CineArts Theatre (10/25, 11/1). Caution: the Festival’s press handouts were confusing, and I strongly suggest consulting their website for last-minute scheduling changes and info on money-saving Festival passes: www.thirdi.org. See page 26 >>

Scene from filmmaker M. Manikandan’s The Crow’s Egg. Courtesy 3rd i

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<< Out There

18 • BAY AREA REPORTER • October 22-28, 2015

Pop music appeal by Roberto Friedman

ut There receives an insane number of pitches, releases and swag from record companies, and we’re not really sure why. We do have favorite recording artists, but we don’t listen to that much recorded music because there’s so much live music available in the Bay Area that transcends the simplicity of the latest pop hook. But there are a few new albums out, or soon to be released, that caught the attention of our ever-thirsty ears. The Wainwright Sisters, aka Martha Wainwright and Lucy Wainwright Roche, will release their new album Songs in the Dark on Nov. 13 via PIAS. Here’s the PR backstory: “Although they’re sisters, Martha Wainwright and Lucy Wainwright Roche didn’t grow up together. Aside from genetic, their true bond was a musical one, both growing up in families steeped in songwriting. Both their mothers would sing them lullabies, Kate McGarrigle to Martha and Suzzy Roche to Lucy. Now, 30 years later, Martha and Lucy are singing many of these same songs, penned by their mothers and father [Loudon Wainwright III] on Songs in the Dark. “The record features songs that shaped their childhoods, made famous by the likes of Woody Guthrie and Jimmie Rogers. When

Jewel City

From page 17

A fraction of what was once displayed there, over 200 works by established American and European artists some of whose names are more familiar than others, is currently on view at the de Young in Jewel City: Art from San Francisco’s Panama-Pacific International Exposition. The sprawling show attempts the seemingly impossible feat of suggesting if not exactly replicating the viewing experience at the fair’s three main venues: the Bernard Maybeckdesigned Palace of Fine Arts, the Fine Arts Annex, and the French Pavilion, which would later inspire the construction of the California Palace of the Legion of Honor. It took four years of planning to

Martha and Lucy grew up and become songwriters of their own, they discovered their physical separation was trumped by their shared musical DNA. On Songs in the Dark, this is captured in its elemental essence: dark, mysterious, and beautiful.” The duo also has the chops (and the family connections) to sing Terre Roche’s poignant confessional “Runs in the Family”: “All the boys could’ve gone to school,/All the girls were pretty enough to play the fool./Something about the danger zone/Wouldn’t leave the bunch of us alone.” They’re true heirs to the Roches, Wainwrights and McGarrigles. Duncan Sheik has a new album out, Legerdemain, released last week on Kobalt Music. It’s his first production of original material not attached to a theatrical production since 2006’s White Limousine. (He wrote the music for Spring Awakening.) The songs vary from layers of electronic accompaniment to minimal acoustic textures. Sheik will play the Freight & Salvage in Berkeley on Nov. 5 & 6. New Order’s new album Music Complete is available now on CD, download, black vinyl and limitededition clear vinyl. An exclusive eight-piece deluxe vinyl collection that includes the album plus extended versions of all 11 tracks is

also available on colored vinyl, on Mute. Here’s a new wave band with staying power. Even that elder statesman of pop music, David Bowie, has new music out. Bowie just released “Blackstar,” a new original song written for the British TV crime drama The Last Panthers, starring Samantha Morton, John Hurt, and Tahir Rahim. This is icing on the cake of David Bowie Five Years 1969-1973 (Parlophone Records), first in a series of boxed sets spanning Bowie’s career. The 10-album/12-CD box ($149.98), 10-album/13-LP vinyl set ($249.98) and digital download feature all of the material Bowie released from those fertile early years of his career.

Lupino rules

is still the only film noir to be directed by a woman. O’Brien and Frank Lovejoy co-star as friends on a fishing trip who make a disastrous mistake in giving a ride to a coldblooded killer escaping from the police. The Bigamist screens on Sun., Nov. 22, 11 a.m., at the Balboa Theater, 3630 Balboa St. in San Francisco, followed by The Hitch-Hiker at 12:30 p.m. Both films will be introduced by San Francisco Chronicle movie correspondent Ruthe Stein, who has researched Lupino’s directing career for a story in the Sunday Pink. The program is free, but you must e-mail your request to adam@ cinemasf.com. There is a two-ticket limit per request. Go, Ida!t

produce the fair, and nearly as much time went into researching and organizing this show. Although it’s nowhere close to the scope of the original event, the sheer volume of artworks in the exhibition makes it overwhelming in its own right and difficult to absorb in a single outing. It may sound like a churlish complaint in light of the wealth and variety on offer, but one yearns for a fresh perspective on the work a century after the fact, and a deeper understanding of the set of criteria used to select it. For instance, there was apparently little or no politically-themed art. (The huge doorstopper of a catalogue provides back stories and greater historical background.) The entry to the show is suitably spectacular. As if crowning an arch-

way, a splendid half-moon-shaped mural by Arthur F. Mathews, a founder of the American Arts & Crafts movement, sets the stage. In his “Victory of Culture over Force (Victorious Spirit)” (1914), a goddess-like central figure, a shining beacon of enlightenment that fends off violence and tyranny, seems to descend from the heavens in a pumpkin-colored glow. The image became an emblem of the fair, which started while WWI was underway. The stunning mural is flanked by two bronzes: Adolph Alexander Weinman’s “Descending Night” and “Rising Day.” The original plaster casts, which have since disappeared, were mounted on columns that stood 100 feet high. In front, like a sentry barring passage, is “Star Maiden” (1914), aka “the

Pan-Pacific Girl,” a standing bronze sculpture of a lithe young woman by Alexander Stirling Calder, father of Alexander Calder. The official poster, “Thirteenth Labor of Hercules” by Bay Area artist Perham Wilhelm Nahl, also on view, shows the muscle-bound Greek god parting land masses to make way for the canal. Too bad he wasn’t available – it would have saved a lot of dynamite and dust. Amongst the paintings, drawings and other renderings of the PPIE in the first gallery is a genuine rarity: “Palace of Fine Arts,” a photograph believed to be the first picture taken by Ansel Adams, who was 13 years old at the time. For his birthday, Ansel’s father had given him a season’s

pass and a year off from school so that he could attend the fair; little did he know it was where his son would find his true calling. Wander into an area designated American Modernism and find Arthur B. Carles’ “Torso” (1914), a painting of a wanton, voluptuous white alabaster nude regarded at the time as radical, experimental, and extreme, to put it tactfully, and the terrific watercolors “Black and White 1 & 2” (1911), a pair of lively café street scenes by David Milne that bear the influence of ukiyo-e Japanese prints of the 1800s and French Nabi purveyors Bonnard and Vuillard. See page 19 >>

Duncan Sheik’s new album is called Legerdemain.

Ida Lupino was a pioneering film actress-turned-director.

Contemporary directors like Angelina Jolie, Natalie Portman and Elizabeth Banks owe a debt to Ida Lupino, the first Hollywood actress to step behind the camera to make a movie. Lupino went on to direct seven feature films and more than 100 TV episodes between 1949 and 1968, yet her accomplishments are hardly remembered today. Ida Lupino: Forgotten Pioneer is an opportunity to redress this oversight. This mini film series will screen two of her signature movies: The Bigamist, starring Edmond O’Brien in the title role, and Joan Fontaine and Lupino (the only time she put herself in a film) as his two wives; and The Hitch-Hiker, which

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Rick Gerharter

James Tissot’s “A Political Woman” is part of the exhibit Jewel City: Art from San Francisco’s Panama-Pacific Exposition now at the deYoung Museum.

Theatre>>

October 22-28, 2015 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 19

Celestial celesbian seasonings by Richard Dodds

Ian Douglas

Marga Gomez takes audiences on a journey to a data cloud where she meets up with the lesbian movie characters that have not always been the best role models, in her new solo show Pound at Brava Theatre Center.

ize does matter, even if bigger isn’t always better. Her small hands are an enticing physical characteristic to other women, Marga Gomez tells us early on in Pound. Why that is so will be left to your imagination here, though that’s not the case in her new solo show in which imagination is invoked for other matters. Like passage through a vaginal portal to a data cloud where cinematic lesbians float about replaying the usually grim stories that engulfed them in their movies. “Jill took a tree to the pussy,” Gomez says of the falling phallic oak that does in Sandy Dennis’ character in The Fox. After debuting the show in New York this summer, Gomez has returned home to present the absurdly hilarious Pound at Brava Theatre Center. In the 75-minute show, Gomez acknowledges her new surroundings, noting that Brava’s studio theater is up two flights of stairs and “miles away from any bathroom.” But the space provides an intimacy that serves material both conversational and confessional.

Outfitted in a plaid work shirt, shorts, and military boots, Gomez takes us along several paths that find unlikely points of intersection. One is the unplanned celibacy that her gynecologist diagnoses, ironic since she is rejected by an online hookup with the screen name sadgirl2 because of her reputation as a womanizer. About the only thing she really had in common with sadgirl2 is a love for the 1996 cult movie Bound, with its themes of lesbian empowerment and scenes of steamy lesbian love. That gives Gomez a chance to riff on the negative reinforcement she had gotten since adolescence from movies in which lesbians hang themselves, wield ice picks, or take a tree to the pussy. Gomez has framed the show as a movie script, announcing scenes in terms like “Flashback. Interior. The Metreon.” And it is in the Metreon, after watching a movie with her gay nephew, that she follows a woman who has been cruising her into the restroom. The woman is wide open to all sorts of penetration, and before she knows it, Gomez is sucked up into a vaginal portal that takes

her to that data cloud, where she encounters characters played by Audrey Hepburn, Shirley MacLaine, Sharon Stone, Sandy Dennis, Judi Dench, and, of course, her beloved Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly from Bound. (Gomez thinks there is a market for Bound action figures.) In director David Schweizer’s production, the hallucinatory cloud scenes lack some of the focus and sharpness of Gomez’s crazy-enough scenes of life among the living. These scenes are funny enough in their energetic weirdness, though Gomez’s exaggerated observational humor works best in the semi-real world she inhabits. But with her eyes aglow, her contagious good humor, a missing self-censoring gene, and a talent to make audiences feel that this performance is just for them, Gomez so wants to pull you into her world that you may be ready to jump into the next vaginal portal that comes along.t Pound will run at Brava Theatre Center through Nov. 15. Tickets are $20-$30. Tickets are available at brava.org.

Wolfen race in a scary place by Richard Dodds

efore the latest installment of Shocktoberfest begins, Thrillpeddlers’ Artistic Director Russell Blackwood takes the stage to give a brief background of Le Theatre du Grand-Guignol. The Paris company specialized in terror, especially the bloody sort, but an evening’s program might also include comedy, drama, and music. In other words, a little bit of this and a little bit of that, heavy on the ketchup. That’s a pretty good summary of the 16th Shocktoberfest production, subtitled Curse of the Cobra. The new show gets off to a deceptively straightforward start with a short play set on the grubby fringes of the Gold Rush. Andy Wenger and Damien Chacona’s Cracking the Vein is a tale of greed and backstabbing, and while no one is actually stabbed in the back, there is a high body count at the finish as three miners (Wenger, Chacona, and the comically bountiful John Flaw) and three prostitutes (Bruna Palmiero, Dee Nathaniel, and Katrina Kroetch) battle over an unexpected bounty. Directed by Blackwood, it’s an entertaining piece but much in need of a snappier ending. The second new play in the production can hardly be called straightforward. Rob Keefe’s The Model House deals in domestic

abuse, incest, patricide, castration, autoerotic asphyxiation, and a crabby neighbor. David Bicha struts around his split-level domain as a post-war Marine staking his claim on the American dream, with problems arising when not everyone agrees on what that dream should look like. The kids, of course, are the biggest burr in his suburban saddle. The carrot-topped twins aren’t growing up according to plan, with sullen Heidi becoming increasingly resistant to being daddy’s little girl and sissyish Rusty showing few signs of being a chip off the old block. Owen Asdell creates a boyish, sexually charged Rusty, while Birdie-Bob Watt gives Heidi his comically keen world-weary treatment. Noah Haydon plays their perfectly coiffed mother, and director Blackwood sharply marshals a huge cast as themes, tones, and plotlines go bouncing off the walls. But if you really want off-thewall adventures, wait until the final piece of the production. Scrumbly Koldewyn seems to be channeling his days with the Cockettes in The Revenge of the Son of the Cobra Woman, a musical that takes druggie stream-of-consciousness detours with what starts out to be a story of a man and his dog. Chacona plays a lonely guy who buys a pupboy (which is not the same thing as

a boy puppy) from a vending machine, but their bestial bromance is interrupted when the pup is kidnapped and pirated off to Cobra Island, where the cobra people have enslaved a colony of lupine creatures. Koldewyn has provided an eclectic selection of songs to spice the story, from a pop-ditty about puppy love to the kind of faux-jungle chants found in a Maria Montez movie. Earl Alfred Paus is delightful as the devoted doggie, and Haydon and Bicha play the leaders of the cobra people with demonic flair. Haydon also directed and choreographed the elaborate piece that finds costume designers Glenn Krumbholz, Dwight Overton, Tina Sogliuzzo, and Birdie-Bob Watt at their most imaginative. Koldewyn also provided the production with a chirpy song about cannibalism at a diner named after the Donner Party, and the whole extravaganza ends, as it must, with the lights-out spook show designed by Nicholas Torre. That’s about the only expected thing in the unexpected world that arises each year in Shocktoberfest.t Shocktoberfest 16: Curse of the Cobra will run through Nov. 21 at the Hypnodrome. Tickets are $25$35. Call (415) 377-4202 or go the hypnodrome.org.

Rick Gerharter Rick Gerharter

James Earle Fraser’s “The End of the Trail” became an iconic image following the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, and is included in “The American West” section of Jewel City, now at the deYoung Museum.

Jewel City

From page 18

There’s an abundant grab-bag of “International Art” that includes an enigmatic work by Austrian painter Oskar Kokoschka, a trio of lithographs by Edvard Munch that include an uncharacteristically mild-mannered self- portrait, and a partially naked “Madonna” lost in a trance amidst swirling, vertigo-inducing lines. “Symposion (The Problem)” (1894), by Aksesli Gallen-Kallela, depicts a late-night gathering of inebriated composers – in case you’re wondering, that’s Jean Sibelius on the right – but his “Self-Portrait with Cheetah” (1910), a politically incorrect expressionist work where the Finnish artist, traveling in British East Africa (Kenya), poses as the great hunter with a kill at his feet, is a real oddity. A vast section called “Salon Style” perhaps comes the closest

davidallen.studio

David Bicha and Noah Haydon play the leaders of Cobra Island, where Earl Alfred Paus is one of an enslaved race of wolf people in a scene from the newest edition of Shocktoberfest at the Hypnodrome.

to approximating the spectacular viewing experience at the Palace of Fine Arts with its maze of 120 galleries, curved walls and paintings stacked on top of one another as they are at the Louvre. A blowup of a black & white photograph of the PFA’s interior at the front end of the gallery, along with several circular velvet settees of the period, helps conveys the feel of that installation. Winslow Homer’s moody seascapes “The Artist’s Studio in an Afternoon Fog” (1894) and “Saco Bay” (1896) are here, as well as representatives of American Impressionism such as Guy Rose’s “The Backwater” (1910) and Frederick Carl Frieseke’s “The Garden Chair” (ca. 1912), a spring frisson of purples and iris-blue flowers in a setting reminiscent of Claude Monet’s famed garden in the hamlet of Giverny, where an American expat community coalesced. Each person will have their fa-

vorite moments in a show as expansive as this one. Mine, found in the French Art gallery, is James Tissot’s “A Political Woman” (1883-85), a portrait of a grand entrance. All eyes are on the glamorous society woman in elbowlength gloves, demurely clasping a pink ostrich-feather fan and wearing a matching gown decked out in ribbons, ruffles and a bustle. As she sweeps into the elegant ballroom beyond, light glinting off a crystal chandelier in the distance, one can almost hear the murmuring and tumbling laughter of wellheeled guests, and the rustle of expensive skirts. This work is one of a series of 15 portraits of the most beautiful women in Paris painted by Tissot, a gifted artist who captured both the outer beauty and inner lives of women, and whose paintings are radiant with life. A show of his work is being organized by FAMSF, but we’ll have to wait until 2019 to see it.t

<< Dance

20 • BAY AREA REPORTER • October 22-28, 2015

Dancing to a different beat by Paul Parish

wyla Tharp’s 50th anniversary tour danced into Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley last weekend presented by Cal Performances, preceded by unheard-of fanfare in The New York Times, where each stage of progress towards the Big Apple premiere is being given the “out-oftown opening” coverage usually reserved for Broadway shows. Indeed, Tharp’s most recent dance pieces have been Broadway shows (Movin’ Out ran for three years). Well, if this one is going to move from the Joyce Theater to Broadway, it will need more than just a “play doctor” to help make it a hit. As it stands, it can’t make up its mind if it’s highbrow and difficult, or an entertainment that needs to keep grabbing and tweaking your attention. And it’s too loud and too long. Don’t get me wrong. Twyla Tharp deserved her MacArthur (“genius”) grant and all the Emmys and Tonys that have come her way since she founded her own dance company in 1965. It is a tragedy for art in America that she tried to merge that company into American Ballet Theatre. Since there, despite the much greater financial support and access to large audiences, she lost the cadre of dancers dedicated to her mission, which was to cross-breed jazz and modern with ballet, to fuse highbrow and low-brow in a new way that met the way people felt after the tumultuous 1960s had passed. She did create an idiom that other choreographers have built on, the current fusion of ballet and contemporary dance. Nobody who saw her glorious Nine Sinatra Songs danced here by her own company ca. 1987, then saw it horribly diminished by the ABT dancers, could have failed

Ruven Afanador

Twyla Tharp’s dancers (Daniel Baker, Ramona Kelley, Nicholas Coppula and Eva Trapp Coppula) in Preludes and Fugues.

Greg Gorman

Choreographer Twyla Tharp.

to notice that the dance had lost all its sweep, its mystery and glamor. The steps were still there, but there was almost no dancing left. Then, after times changed at ABT, soon she was out on her own, and instead of giving us new dances to fit the 90s, she had to turn (as Balanchine had done before her) to Broadway and Hollywood, since she needed work and certainly had the chops. For this show, she brought 13 dancers and two big dances, each with an ugly brass fanfare (canned music throughout). The suite of dances to Bach’s Well Tempered Clavier begins, to the well-known Prelude in C, with movement so unremarkable it must be a refer-

ence to the “pedestrian” style that prevailed among the avant-garde downtown dancers of the 60s. But nothing much develops as she passes through duets and acrobatic trios, group pieces with spectacular throws and catches and the occasional heroic pirouettes (but why did that stunt need to be there?) and sections with quite a crowd onstage doing unmotivated things. Suddenly a dancer would pass through them, spinning slowly like a meditating dervish, and the calm of it would be very satisfying – not to mention the remarkable skill displayed in her moving amongst the throng without every hitting anybody. At times like that, you had to admire Tharp’s ability to move large numbers of people around. But though the skill was there, there was little to love. Until the end, when the C Major Prelude came back and the dancers joined hands – suddenly, finally, a real group-mind appeared, like that of a flock of birds. They all

took up the slow-motion spinning motif, and the piece came to a quiet end. The second major piece, Yowzie, a suite of Depression-era dance-hall scenes in outrageously goofy costumes, was set to bouncy American jazz tunes arranged and played by Henry Butler. Though it had some riffs that did not work (a drunk-act that was not funny), and the prima donna seemed just not to bring her character to life, many of the dancers found the groove and were able to make the piece infectious. Prime amongst these were Daniel Baker, Ron Todorowski (as a shy gay boy who could barely believe that Mr. Hot Stuff was actually interested in him – everybody in the house loved this bit), Amy Ruggiero as a game hoofer who aims to please, and above all Ramona Kelley, the shortest dancer and the one with the smallest role, but who grew up in Berkeley and was enjoying a triumphant homecoming by

Hot & steamy with Travis Wall

Bobby Quillard

So You Think You Can Dance favorite Travis Wall is a star and co-creator of Shaping Sound, a touring dance show coming to Cupertino on Oct. 25.

by Richard Dodds

ravis Wall figures his touring dance show Shaping Sound would be rated PG-13 if it were a movie. “It’s a very sexy show,” says Wall, who is best-known as a finalist and more recently as a choreographer on So You Think You Can Dance. “You get hot and steamy, and I know that a lot of couples have a very good time after our show.” But the audiences often include the under-12 crowd, dance kids who have cajoled their parents into taking them to see the show. “In the really small cities, we’ve heard that parents cover their children’s eyes, but that’s because we’re in the middle of Nowhere, Texas,” Wall said. “It never happens in an exposed city.” Wall figures that Cupertino, where

Shaping Sound plays Oct. 25 at the Flint Center, counts as an exposed city given its San Francisco Bay Area designation. “But we don’t get kids who aren’t involved in dance, and an 8-year-old who’s involved in dance is probably more mature than a kid who just plays in the playground.” In Shaping Sound, which is heading out on its third national tour, a company of 14 dancers (including Wall) uses a variety of mostly contemporary dance styles to tell the story of a troubled young woman set to music that can range from Nina Simone to Queen to Benny Goodman. Jaime Goodwin, another SYTYCD finalist, plays the central character who finds respite from an abusive relationship in an extended dream sequence. “In this weird dream state, she’s learning all about the evolution of

love through the other characters she encounters,” Wall said during a recent visit to the Bay Area. “And there’s a section where lust comes in and we break into a little bit of musical-theater jazz, like a flashback to the 1940s, and that’s a fun way to end the first act. But in the second act, the man she’s in the relationship with is now entering her dream and it becomes a nightmare. That’s when she has her breakthrough moment, and then we come to absolute love and light at the very end.” Wall has known Goodwin for 18 years, having first been paired as dance partners at his mother’s dance studio in Virginia Beach when he was 10. “I’ve known most everyone in the cast since I was a teenager,” Wall said of the frequently crossing paths in the world of dance competitions.

Shaping Sound was co-founded by Wall along with dance-world buddies Teddy Forance, Kyle Robinson, and Nick Lazzarini. While all appear in and share credit for the choreography, Wall gradually solidified his place as artistic director. “It’s been very clear who’s the leader and who’s moving us in the directions we need to be moving,” Wall said. “But it took some balls for me to finally be, like, this is what I think should happen.” Lazzarini was the Season 1 winner on So You Think You Can Dance, and his success inspired Wall to audition for the show the following year when he met the minimum age of 18. But at the first set of cattle-call auditions, before the dancers face the TV judges, Wall and his group of friends were cut in less than a minute. “I was confused, I was pissed, I was devastated, and I was like, I’m never auditioning for this show again,” Wall said. “And that wore off and I went back and auditioned in another city, and thankfully it was a different producer who screened me and sent me through.” Although Wall was already out as gay when his run on the competition show began in 2006, he was advised to keep that under wraps. “They were very honest with me, saying that if I wanted to make it to the finale, there are things I shouldn’t say and ways I shouldn’t act since so many of the viewers who vote for you are little girls. If I hadn’t pretended to be some teen heartthrob, I wouldn’t have made it to the finales.” Wall had seen the show as a stepping-stone into choreography, and once the competition was over, he no longer had to tiptoe around his sexuality. By Season 5, the producers were using him as one in the rotating group of choreographers – his intense, per-

dancing in the groove, beautifully, all night. Perhaps there would have been a chance to regroup had not the dance boom ended with the end of the Cold War in 1989, when the State Department lost its rationale for sponsoring tours of American dance companies overseas. Soviet propagandists had sent their Bolshoi and Kirov dancers everywhere as goodwill ambassadors, and the USA reciprocated, sending Graham, ABT, Alvin Ailey, wave upon wave of dancers abroad to show the nonEnglish speaking world American values. Tharp’s Deuce Coupe (1973), danced by the Joffrey Ballet to music by the Beach Boys, was only one of her brilliant, thrilling, refreshing, groundbreaking new ways of putting together a dance that showed America to the world – and to Americans. For her own company, she made dances that used the methods of aerobics, and women who did Jane Fonda workouts could see themselves onstage in beautifully crafted dances made in their idiom. I remember sitting next to a woman in Zellerbach Hall who told me she envied the dancers onstage the workout they were getting. Her biggest claim to immortality came when she made roles for the sensational Russian dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov, who had made international headlines by claiming political asylum. It was a Hollywood-style romance, a thinly veiled allegory of the triumph of American values when the Russian ballet dancer (Prince Charming) wants to dance with the American girl whose parents had owned a drive-in theater in Rialto, CA. For now, sad to say, Tharp’s blogging in the Times makes this production sound like her swan song.t

sonal routines always winning praise from the judges – and during Season 11 he lobbied to choreograph a piece about sexual equality. Danced by two men and two women, and set to “The Wind Beneath My Wings,” it was one of three pieces that recently helped win him his first Emmy Award for choreography. “They had never had same-sex couples dancing in a loving way together,” Wall said. “But I worked with the producer to do it tastefully and not to throw it in anyone’s face. The response on social media was bigger than anything I expected, and maybe it can inspire some 12- or 13-year-old kid who has been afraid to be himself.” Wall is thinking of adding a romantic same-sex dance for his character in Shaping Sound. “I’ve had this dance at the end of the show with a female dancer, and she represented the idea that true love will find you in the end,” he said. “Now it may be that I have this turnaround moment and realize that the person I’m supposed to be with is this guy who’s been staring at me the whole time.” The latest tour debuts this week in Southern California, beginning a 29-city zigzag by bus across the continent. “A normal person would look at it and go, ‘I don’t know how you guys do it.’ But this is what we were made to do, and we have so much fun on the bus. We’re going to be spending Halloween in Medicine Hat somewhere in Canada, and I’m hoping they have something going on, because we’re all big Halloween fans.”t Shaping Sound will have a 3 p.m. performance on Oct. 25 at the Flint Center in Cupertino. Tickets are $35-$75. Call (408) 864-8816 or go to flintcenter.com

Music>>

October 22-28, 2015 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 21

Woman conductor triumphs in SF visit

Simon Fowler

SFS

Conductor Susanna Mälkki: ‘accomplished, exuding quiet charisma.’

Violinist Christian Tetzlaff made an overwhelming impression.

by Philip Campbell

who is also “respected internationally for expertise in contemporary music and a wide swath of the standard repertory.” The writer goes on to bemoan the missed chance of getting Mälkki in the running as a replacement for music director Alan Gilbert when he departs in 2017. Too late for you, Gotham; the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra has already snagged her for its director’s post in 2016. Mälkki was the first woman to conduct an opera at La Scala in Milan in 2011, and her international resume includes a seven-year career as music director of the prestigious and renowned Ensemble InterContemporain in Paris founded by Pierre Boulez. Californians are unsurprisingly appreciative of conductor Mälkki’s impressive achievements, but it doesn’t hurt to remind ourselves of the assured and quietly triumphant blow she strikes for women every time she takes the podium of a major orchestra. Her program last week was maybe a little more male-dominated at the start, as Christian Tetzlaff made such an absolutely overwhelming impres-

innish conductor Susanna Mälkki has recently wrapped the first run of concerts in a two-week guest spot with the San Francisco Symphony. She has appeared twice before at Davies Symphony Hall as she continues an ongoing multiyear tour of the United States. She has earned respect, admiration and glowing reviews in her travels, and, perhaps most significantly, enthusiastic invitations to return.

Los Angeles was first on the West Coast to get her, back in 2010, but she soon performed in Northern California (at least in concert-booking time) with the SFS in 2012 and again in 2014. Her debut with the New York Philharmonic in late May 2015 prompted a review in the Times that started as something more of a think piece, decrying the NYP’s leadership board and its lack of awareness. They provoked the writer’s annoyance for delaying solicitation of a talent “accomplished, exuding quiet charisma,”

Extended play by Gregg Shapiro

ot since its heyday in the early 1980s has the EP experienced such a resurgence of popularity. For impatient fans who can’t wait for their favorite artist to release a fulllength album, an EP is a cost-effective stop-gap measure. On the other hand, EPs are a tease, because just as you’re becoming familiar with a recording, it ends as abruptly as it began. Dancing in Gold (Heinz) by the von Trapps is our first example. Descendants of Maria von Trapp (yes, that Maria), the quartet has been performing since they were children. As adults, they connected with Thomas Lauderdale, the gay frontman of Pink Martini, and have recorded and toured with the band. The four harmonious songs on Dancing in Gold – “Next to Me,” “People like Us,” “Whisper” and the title track, all written by the foursome’s lone male member August – are golden pop tunes that do the von Trapp legacy proud. Married couple Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel of Mates of State return with the five-song EP You’re Going To Make It (Barsuk), their first set of original music in four years. The bouncydancey “I Want To Run” sounds like a long-lost Wilson-Phillips number, qualifying it as Mates of State’s most commercial tune. Alternately, “Gonna Get It” and “Sides of Boxes” are two of these Mates’ most heartbreaking ballads. Love Is Free (Konichiwa-Cherrytree-Interscope) is a sugary yet meaty five-track EP collaboration between Nordic dance diva Robyn and La Bagatelle Magique (Markus Jagerstedt and the late Christian Falk). The exhilarating “Tell You (Today)” is one of the best tributes to vintage disco you are likely to hear this year (sorry, Giorgio Moroder). On the flipside, “Love Is Free” is definitely a 21st-century composition down to its rapped sections. “Set Me Free” is

smack-dab in the middle of the other songs in more ways than one. A couple of acts with queer members have also got in on the EP action. Female sibling foursome von Grey, featuring out sister Annika, moves in an electronic direction on the six-song EP Panophobia (vongreymusic.com). There is also a distinctly goth edge to songs “Phengophobia” and “Cyclical Dreams.” The energy level sparks a bit on “Reborn” and the dancefloor-friendly “Say My Name.” Still rocking with a vengeance, Sick of Sarah’s six-song EP Anthem contains “Bars Full of Strangers,” an anthem if ever there was one. There aren’t too many places where Moog synths and pedal steel guitars co-exist, but they do on The Drawing Room Volume 1 (Intoxicating Sounds), the five-song instrumental EP by the duo known as Steelism. Opener “The Tube” makes public transportation sound irrefutably cool. “The Serge” and “Tintagel” could be from a previously unearthed retro movie soundtrack. Dave Monks of Tokyo Police Club goes the solo route on All Signs Point to Yes (Dine Alone). The six songs on the EP diverge from the power-punk of Monks’ band, leaning more toward acoustic pop. Monks succeeds in committing another aspect of his talents to record. While “Vegas,” “Gasoline” and “Summer Dream” are probably not what his fans expect, they’re strong enough to please those listeners and attract new ones. On her five-song EP Supernova (lunaauramusic.com), Luna Aura sounds like she’s been listening to her fair share of Lorde and Sia. That’s especially true on “Like You,” the rhythmic “Dancing with Your Ghost” and the title cut. Eleven years after his major label debut, Ryan Cabrera has released the five-song EP Wake Up Beautiful (Dynamite). The five songs, including “House on Fire,” are examples of Cabrera’s strengths as both a singer and songwriter of jaunty pop songs.t

sion with his shattering performance of Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No. 1. Mälkki has demonstrated her sympathetic support of soloists in the past, and she has also conducted the fiendishly difficult Concerto before, with a different soloist. This was Tetzlaff’s time in the spotlight, and she un-self-consciously offered him a perfect framework. How Tetzlaff himself has evolved as an artist! Approaching 50, he looks and performs like someone half his age, and his technique has reached a point of jaw-dropping energy. The Shostakovich First Violin Concerto is a work that encompasses all the composer’s most terrifying musical demands: tonal purity, crazy strength and stamina, and intense emotional insight. That Tetzlaff could present the work with such accuracy is one thing, but that he could involve and move the audience so completely is quite another. I can recall few instances of standing so spontaneously for an ovation. The entire bill was devoted to Russian composers, heavily weighted with works of the 20th century,

opening with Shostakovich’s orchestration of Mussorgsky’s brief and wonderfully evocative Prelude to Khovanschina (1880/1959). It was a mouthwatering menu, and Mälkki, Tetzlaff and the SFS, in wonderfully fine form, delivered a thoroughly satisfying and unforgettable experience. The second half provided the conductor with her own moment of glory, Prokofiev’s massive Symphony No. 5 in B-flat Major, Opus 100 (1944). The Fifth is a work that, not unlike the Shostakovich Concerto, shows a lot of everything we love about the composer. The exciting motoric rhythms, tangy harmonies, lush orchestration and passionately lyrical melodies recall all of his best work, ranging from the ballets to the operas and his endearing miniatures (think Symphony No. 1, Op. 25, Classical, and the Suite from Lieutenant Kijé). It’s a big and bold score that has rightfully earned a position as one of Prokofiev’s most successful, and it poses huge challenges to the musicians who perform it. “Set em up and knock em down,” as the saying goes, and while Mälkki led us into the first movement a little too matter-of-factly, she soon showed a game plan she has demonstrated very well before. Let the composer speak for himself, lead with precision and care for detail, and let the soloists sparkle even as they mesh with the ensemble (thanks, Robin Sutherland on piano). By the time all four movements culminated in the exciting Finale: Allegro giocoso, an already impressed crowd erupted in another tumultuous ovation. The conductor seemed pleased and a little surprised at the continued curtain calls, but she shouldn’t have been. We know the real deal when we see it. Susanna Mälkki continues her engagement at DSH this week with performances of Sibelius and Chopin with guest pianist Simon Trpčeski.t

SHARON MCNIGHT

JOHN O’HURLEY

BARB JUNGR &

JOHN MCDANIEL

October 28 - 29

October 30 - 31

November 6 - 7

For tickets:www.feinsteinsSF.com Feinstein’s | Hotel Nikko San Francisco 222 Mason Street 855-MF-NIKKO | 855-636-4556

<< TV

22 • BAY AREA REPORTER • October 22-28, 2015

Scary stuff on the tube by Victoria A. Brownworth

here are a hella lot of October surprises on the tube, and they aren’t just the new shows debuting this month. The Democratic debate earned CNN its second-highest rating ever, and it was the highest-rated Democratic debate ever. More than 15 million people tuned in to the network to watch what Jimmy Kimmel called “Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and three high school principals” have the antithesis of the GOP food fight on Oct. 13. It had some awesome moments you may have missed, and also those gay moderators, Anderson Cooper and Don Lemon. CNN has got to get a lesbian in there. And at press time, three different Republican members of the House Benghazi committee had admitted that the focus of the questioning was to drive Hillary Clinton out of the presidential race. More on that later, because the election is not going away, much as we’d like to disappear some of the more egregious aspects. We’re looking at you, Don-

ald Trump, Ben Carson and Mike Huckabee. Between volleys, there’s some really fine TV on, and we don’t want you to miss it. The shows everyone is watching right now are, in order of excitement and ratings, according to the people that tab that stuff, are Empire, Scandal, The Walking Dead, Blindspot, How to Get Away with Murder, Quantico and Limitless. With only one exception, Limitless, we told you so. We would add the following shows returning this month: The Good Wife, Madam Secretary, Homeland, The Leftovers, iZombie and The Affair. All the shows on the first list are stellar, must-see TV, except for Limitless, which we just can’t get into, but that doesn’t mean you won’t want to take a pill and be a genius. We have a good friend who thinks HTGAWM and Scandal are “unwatchable.” We’re still friends, but. When iZombie returned last week opposite Scream Queens, we were reminded of what a great Buffy-esque show that is and how we’re not nearly as fond of SQ as we expected to be. We keep watching because of Jamie Lee Curtis, Emma

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HBO

Regina King plays the matriarch of the Murphy clan on HBO’s The Leftovers.

Watson and Niecy Nash, who is genius on that show. But there really isn’t anything else like iZombie out there with the possible exception of Sleepy Hollow, also back for another season and still really good. That brings us to The Leftovers. Wow, is this show good. When networks wait just a little too long between seasons (season 1 of this HBO series ended in Sept. 2014), one assumes the show isn’t coming back. We’d pretty much forgotten about The Leftovers. We’d read the book by Tom Perotta, series co-creator. We’d cried through it. We cried through season 1 of The Leftovers. Its premise is strange: one Oct. 14, 140 million people disappeared off the face of the earth in something called The Sudden Departure. Disturbing, but also engaging and raising questions. Survivors’ loss, guilt, and rage at not being among the chosen. But the loss part: it was like revisiting the days after 9/11 on a weekly basis. You started to ask yourself why were you putting yourself through this. But we had faith (no pun intended) that this strange meditation on how we humans deal with crushing loss would give us answers eventually if it ever came back. So now here we are in season 2, and everything has been up-ended. We’ve passed through the plot of the book, so the writers can do a Lost thing here, which they kind of have. We are not in Mapleton, NY any more. Instead we are in Texas. In a small town dubbed Miracle because no one disappeared there. It has become a kind of Mecca or Lourdes or both. The tiny town sees a miniHaaj every day. Some of the sights that go with that are a bit barbaric. Starring in Miracle is the brilliant Regina King, fresh off her Emmy win for American Crime. She plays Erika Murphy, matriarch of the Murphy clan. Erika is deaf. This town is markedly black, and the opener has a kind of parallel story to season 1, except with black people. The Murphys seem to be a much calmer, happier family than the Garveys. Seem to be. The show still features characters from season 1, notably Justin Theroux as Kevin Garvey, Amy Brenneman as Laurie Garvey and the amazing Carrie Coon as Nora Durst. Bits and pieces of families from season 1 come together to create new families in season 2. This is such a queer thing, this piecing together of one’s own fam from survivors like yourselves. But in Miracle, some gifts don’t come without strings attached. Nothing is quite as it seems. There’s a touch too much gratitude. What else is going on?

‘Wife’ & ‘Madam’

479 Castro Street , San Francisco • (415) 431-5365 • www.cliffsvariety.com

The Good Wife has re-imagined itself yet again. Now Peter (Chris Noth, aging in an old-Hollywood kind of way) is running a new cam-

paign, this time sort of for President, but really to be “Hillary’s vice president.” Plus, this season Eli Gold (Alan Cumming) is front-burner and taking no prisoners. Peter cut him loose, he went to Alicia (Julianna Margulies), and now, hell hath no fury like a gay man scorned. Meanwhile, Madam Secretary is giving us a preview of just how dramatic it is to be Secretary of State. This is an exceptional show in much the same way West Wing was 15 years ago. It’s telling us a story about power, about how the sausages of democratic government get made, about the compromises just short of compromising. Téa Leoni is so good as Bess McCord, Secretary of State and former CIA operative, that we believe she is SoS. She’s dealing with much more domestic intrigue at the State Department this season. Parallel to these two shows about politics is Scandal, doing a tidy job of playing shadow White House. On the Oct. 15 episode (spoiler alert), we saw a reprise of both the Clinton and the Obama years in a mashable state that had Fitz dealing with possible impeachment for his affair with Olivia (prompting Cyrus to say, “Impeachment? For an affair?”) and trying to get his signature gun control legislation passed. But it was when Olivia (Kerry Washington) started getting online harassment that it got ultra-real. Her admission that she’s having an affair with the president has her life hell. Fitz calls to check on her, and she tells him there are porn parodies of the two of them. Then Olivia explains, “A lot of anonymous Internet people, cowards who won’t use their names, apparently want to have me killed. Also raped. How come whenever a woman does something that people don’t like, the only way these men on the Internet know how to express themselves is by threatening rape?” Fitz tells her to get off the computer. Olivia continues, “I have at least a thousand threats of rape here. Just on this one site from guys who are mad that I had the audacity to be born female. And black. Do you think if I told them I own a gun and that I’ve shot someone, they’d threaten to rape me? Do you think if I told them I’ve survived being kidnapped and tortured they would get that their weak little misspellings barely make me blink? That I would welcome the chance to take out a little bit of PTSD on the next man who put his hands on me?” Steven Soderbergh said he was giving up movies to do TV, but that wasn’t entirely true. He sort of combined the two. His Emmy-winning Beyond the Candelabra may have whet his appetite for the small screen, but The Knick, which returned for season two on Oct. 16, is big-screen stuff with film actors made to fit the small screen. Clive Owen is truly

at his best. And we love a hospital drama (not enough to be drawn into CBS’ B-level Code Black, but we’re still loving the always topical, always gay Grey’s Anatomy). The Knick is short for Knickerbocker Hospital, an NYC medical center that is doing its utmost to be innovative and not kill people. Which isn’t easy in 1900, when mortality rates were ginormous and antibiotics had yet to be invented. Incredible when you think that Alexander Fleming only invented penicillin in 1928 and Gerhard Domagk invented sulfa drugs four years later. Be grateful you live in the 21st century. At the Knick, people die. A lot. But Dr. John Thackery (based on Dr. William Stewart Halsted, played by Owen), head of surgery, is intent on being the best and brightest and making medical history. He has a few problems, like cocaine and opium addictions, but he’s determined. Dr. Algernon Edwards (Andre Holland), a Harvard-educated, European-trained black surgeon (likely based on Daniel Hale Williams), has different issues, notably racism. The Knick is an all-white hospital, and New York is a racial powder keg. At night, when Thackery is in Chinatown in an opium den, Edwards is in the hospital basement running a rogue clinic for the disenfranchised. Another intriguing character is Sister Harriet (Cara Seymour), a nun and midwife who tends to the sick and performs covert abortions. The Knick has a lot going on, one of the best period dramas on the tube at a time when stellar period dramas are the norm. The topicality of the show, even as it’s set more than a century ago, is riveting. It has strong performances, solid writing, amazing sets, compelling historicity. Find a way to see it if you don’t have Cinemax. Fargo is also back. The second season of the riveting FX drama premiered Oct. 12, and is, as they say in Fargo, a doozy. Fargo is an anthology series, so anything is possible. Season one was set in 2006. Season two is set in 1979. The quirky, crime-dramawith-a-hint-of-dark-humor series plays on the seamy underbelly of contented middle America. This season of Fargo opened with a triple murder at a waffle house. Hold the syrup. FX describes the new season: “In 1979, beautician Peggy Blomquist (Kirsten Dunst) and her husband, butcher Ed (Jesse Plemons) of Luverne, Minnesota, cover up the hitand-run and murder of the son of Floyd Gerhardt (Jean Smart), matriarch of the Gerhardt crime family in Fargo, North Dakota. Meanwhile, State Trooper Lou Solverson (Patrick Wilson), a recently returned Vietnam vet, and Sheriff Hank Larsson (Ted Danson) investigate a triple homicide at a local diner connected to the murdered Gerhardt son, as well as protecting Republican presidential candidate Ronald Reagan during his campaign stop in Fargo.” Fargo does a lot with these film actors it’s borrowed for the small screen. Dunst is perfect. Jean Smart has come quite a ways from her Designing Women days. Danson is doing double cop duty these days. He’s also on CSI: Cyber with Patricia Arquette. He’s good there, he’s better here. The third and likely final season of the Netflix original series Hemlock Grove premieres Oct. 23 and will be streaming in its entirety, like other Netflix series. If you haven’t seen the previous two seasons, you can binge-watch those then jump into the new season. Hemlock Grove is a fictional town in Pennsylvania. Roman Godfrey (Bill Skarsgard) is heir to the town’s wealthiest family. His mother, Olivia (Famke Janssen), is the matriarch. Roman becomes See page 23 >>

Books>>

October 22-28, 2015 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 23

Portrait of a revolution by Brian Bromberger

The Gay Revolution: The Story of the Struggle by Lillian Faderman; Simon & Schuster, $35 illian Faderman is an iconic name among LGBTQ historians, having written two definitive groundbreaking studies. Surpassing the Love of Men (1981) concerns the friendship and love between women from the Renaissance to modern times, and Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers (1991) is a history of lesbian life in 20th-century America. In The Gay Revolution, probably the magnum opus of her career, she attempts to write the most complete and authoritative book on the fight for LGBTQ rights in America, from the 1950s, when queers were branded criminals, mentally ill, and sinners, to the June SCOTUS ruling that legalized same-sex marriage in all 50 states (a meager three paragraphs in the epilogue). To emphasize the incredible gains LGBTQ people have accomplished in 65 years, Faderman relates two case histories in her prologue as a study in contrast: the firing, discrediting, and trial for sodomy of journalism professor and acting dean E.K. Johnston, a closeted homosexual, at the University of Missouri in 1948; vs. the promotion of open lesbian Tammy Smith to army brigadier general, with two stars pinned at her ceremony by her father and spouse in 2012. Faderman attempts to cover a staggering amount of material in an almost 800-page volume. All the significant events and personalities are here, the author having used every major gay and lesbian archive and interviewed such game-changing players as Barney Frank, Roberta Achtenberg, Rita Mae Brown, Cleve Jones, David Mixner, Evan Wolfson, Edie Windsor, among others. Minor characters such as Barbara Gittings, Evelyn Hooker, Jose Sarria, and Leonard Matlovich are given their due as well. This book has a cast of thousands, and characters fly in and out at an alarming speed, covering the McCarthy witchhunts and persecutions, the homophile movements, 1960s stabs at justice such as SF’s Compton Cafeteria riot, the Stonewall uprising and aftermath, the Anita Bryant and right-wing backlash, AIDS, the demand to serve openly in the military, the end of sodomy laws, the struggle for workplace protection, and marriage equality. Faderman is excellent at narrating compelling stories, arguing that the stakes involved are as much personal as political, so gay revolution is never boring or didactic. Faderman’s approach is political, and that word should have been included in the subtitle. Faderman wants to be authoritative, yet the struggle has been cultural as well as political. The revolution extends beyond statehouses, Congress, and the courts, to attitudinal changes

Lavender Tube

From page 22

friends with a newcomer, Peter Rumancek (Landon Liboiron). As the two work to discover who has committed a series of brutal murders in the little town, they are also keeping secrets. Are they ever. With Halloween looming, many shows are prepping their Halloween episodes, including most of the sitcoms, especially our faves, Modern Family, Brooklyn 99, blackish, and as is tradition, The Simpsons. Halloween is big on the tube. In addition to dramas like Scream Queens and American Horror Story where it’s Halloween all the time, SyFy is running its eighth annual scarefest. The network is featuring a couple of

MARIN CENTER PRESENTS

wrought by books, plays, movies, television, and the media’s coverage of gay and lesbian issues, and the role of institutional religion, mostly ignored by Faderman. So Faderman’s book can be seen as definitive only if you accept her limited focus. Her chronology starts a little late, as the late gay historian Allan Berube made the case in Coming Out Under Fire that the experience of gay and lesbians during World War II was crucial, both in military psychiatrists’ determinination that homosexuals were mentally ill and unfit for the armed services, and in gay social life stateside, especially in major port cities such as SF, where gay people hailing from small isolated towns were able to meet one another, then after the war live and work there, giving birth to the LGBTQ subculture familiar today. Faderman’s lack of recognition of both Berube and Randy Shilts’ work on the military is a major oversight. Also, just 25 pages on the AIDS crisis is inadequate considering how the disease impacted the gay and lesbian community on every level, as well as transforming heterosexual perceptions of queers. Because she skims the surface of the major events, she also misses the pathos of this period. On the plus side, Faderman rectifies the male bias in LGBTQ history by reminding us of the critical contributions of lesbians with her chapters on the Daughters of Bilitis and

NOW’s early shameful treatment of its lesbian supporters. She also corrects the mistaken notion that Harvey Milk was the first openly gay elected official in 1977, when in fact Elaine Noble, voted into the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1974, deserves the title of first “out” politician. She tries to represent some ethnic group concerns, but only spottily, and her coverage of transsexual history is unsatisfactory. If there is a major star in her book, it is activist Frank Kameny. Fired from his government job in 1957 for being a homosexual, he fought to regain his position all the way to the Supreme Court, then opposed government discrimination for five decades until his vindication in 2009, when Pres. Obama extended benefits to partners of federal employees. Arguably a more consequential figure than the martyred Milk, Kameny is undergoing a renaissance four years after his death. Faderman deserves credit for giving Kameny his just historical recognition. This book might function best as a user-friendly reference tool so you can read on specific LGBTQ topics rather than plow through from beginning to end and be overwhelmed by detail. She has collected all the high points in one volume, and anyone wanting a comprehensive history of the LGBTQ movement will be well-served by her prodigious research.t

original films, They Found Hell and The Hollow. ABC Family is also doing 13 days of horror. On Halloween, FXX will run all of The Simpsons’ Treehouse of Horror episodes. And on Oct. 30, Grimm returns to NBC. Finally, we were going to talk about the Democratic debate, but what is there to say? The strangest moments were Lincoln Chafee saying he shouldn’t be held accountable for his vote to overturn GlassSteagall because his father had just died and he wasn’t sure what he was voting for, which had Anderson Cooper incredulous. Yet not as incredulous as when Jim Webb said he killed a man, like that was a good credential for running for president. We were appalled that CNN decided to outsource the race ques-

tions to the black guy, but that was the only reason Don Lemon was on the show, from a remote location. You know, like he was being kept in the kitchen. Do better, people. The media agreed for once about who won the debate, Clinton, hands down. We’re pretty sure at least two of those four guys will be off the stage by the next Dem debate. The next debate is the Republicans again on Oct. 28, but both Donald Trump and Ben Carson are threatening to boycott if the time isn’t limited to two hours. Carly Fiorina said she could debate for the third hour by herself. There you have it, folks: the jokes just write themselves. So for election madness, period dramas and things that go bump in the night, you know you really must stay tuned.t

Showcase Theater Series

ARMISTEAD MAUPIN’S

Logical Family Sunday, October 25, 7 pm

Post show book signing in partnership with Book Passage.

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<< Out&About

24 • BAY AREA REPORTER • October 22-28, 2015

O&A

Truck Stop @ Thick House Crowded Fire Theater’s U.S. premiere production of Lachlan Philpott’s dark comedy about two girl prostitutes who lure truckers at rest stops. $15$35. Wed-Sat 8pm. Thru Oct. 24. 1695 18th St. 523-0034. crowdedfire.org

Varla Jean Merman @ Oasis The statuesque drag queen returns for Big Black Hole, a night of musical science fiction hilarity. $25-$35. 8pm. Also Oct. 23 & 24. 298 11th St. at Folsom. 795-3180. www.sfoasis.com

Sat 24

Fri 23

Kinsey Sicks @ Herbst Theatre

Here be Drag’ins by Jim Provenzano

re-Halloween events conjure mystical magical queenly fun, while regular events offer a more grounded entertainments that won’t spring up from the ground, for now. For Halloween and nightlife events, head over to BARtab.

Thu 22 Ah, Wilderness! @ Geary Theatre American Conservatory Theatre’s production of Eugene O’Neill’s lighthearted family comedy about young love, poetry, small town gossip, and coming of age at the turn of the century. $20-$100. Tue-Sat 8pm. Wed & Sat 2pm. Sun 2pm & 7pm. Thru Nov. 8. 415 Geary St. 749-2228. act-sf.org

Black Virgins are Not for Hipsters @ The Marsh Echo Brown’s comic solo show follows a young women’s impending sexual encounter, and its political implications. $20-$35. Thu 8pm. Sat 8:30pm. Extended thru Oct. 29. 1062 Valencia St. at 22nd. 282-3055. themarsh.org

Curse of the Cobra @ Hypnodrome Thrillpeddlers’ new Halloween season spine-tingling show offers terror and titillation! $25-$35. Wed-Sat 8pm. Thru Nov. 21. 575 10th St. 377-4202. www.hypnodrome.org

Dogfight @ SF Playhouse Bay Area premiere of Peter Duchan, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul’s musical adaptation of the film about a young Marine in the Vietnam era who dares to ask an “ugly” girl on a date, only to find empathy and love. $20-$120. Tue-Thu 7pm. Fri & Sat 8pm. Sat 3pm, Sun 2pm. Thru Nov. 7. Kensington Park Hotel, 2nd floor, 450 Post St. 677-9596. www.sfplayhouse.org

Elvis Costello @ Nourse Theater The Grammy-winning musician discusses his new memoir, Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink, with radio host Dan Stone. $29. 7:30pm. 275 Hayes St. www.cityarts.net/event/ elvis-costello/

Adult Swim Drive-In @ Treasure Island View unaired episodes and pilots from the wacky animated show TBS program, plus extended previews of Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalpse, popcorn, candy and food trucks, all in a scenic outdoor area. Free. Sunset10pm. 18+. 200 California Ave. adultswimpresents.com

Alicia Teeter & Will Giammona @ Hotel Rex

Enjoy jazz, blues and rock with a two-piece band, and an open mic at the popular martini bar (3rd Thursdays). No cover. 4 Valencia St. www.facebook.com/ events/1678620629023332/

The musical theatre duo, who’ve performed in shows at New Conservatory Theatre and elsewhere, performs Stage Spouse, a night of songs about theatre couples. $30$50. 8pm. Cocktails and small plates available. 562 Sutter St. www.societycabaret.com

Megan Timpane @ The Marsh

Charles Busch @ Feinstein’s at the Nikko

Maria Konner @ Martuni’s

The film, stage and TV actor performs her solo show, Having Cancer is Hilarious! $15-$50. Thu & Fri 8pm. Sat 8:30pm. Thru Nov. 28. 1062 Valencia St. 282-3055. www.themarsh.org

Monstress @ Strand Theatre American Conservatory Theatre’s staging of Philip Kan Gotanda and Sean San José’s drama about FilipinoAmerican Bay Area life and struggles. $20-$100. Tue-Sat 7:30pm. Wed & Sat 2pm. Sun 2pm & 7pm. Thru Nov. 22. 1127 Market St. 749-2228. www.act-sf.org

Pound @ Brava Theater Center Marga Gomez’ hilarious satire solo show skewers lesbian cinema depictions with a cast of crazy characters. $15-$20. Thu-Sat 8pm. Sun 3pm. 18+ only! Upstairs Studio, 2781 24th St. at York www.brava.org

Russ Lorenson @ Feinstein’s at the Nikko The talented singer performs his special Barry Manilow show, Fanilow: One Man’s Pursuit of Music and Passion. $25-$40. 8pm. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason Street. (866) 6631063. www.ticketweb.com

Screaming Queens @ Phoenix Theater Horror short plays with an LGBT bite, performed by Left Coast Theatre Company. $19-$25. Thu-Sat 8pm. Thru Oct. 31. 414 Mason St. www.lctc-sf.org

The veteran playwright and drag performer brings his new cabaret show Charles Busch, That Girl/That Boy to the classy nightclub. $40$55. 8pm. Also Oct. 24, 7pm. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. (866) 663-1063. charlesbusch.com ticketweb.com

David Schein @ Exit Theatre The veteran comic actor performs his two solo works, Distraction and the gay-themed Out Comes Butch, along with readings, workshops, and later this month, duo shows with Bob Ernst. $10-$20. Fri & Sat 8pm. Thru Oct. 24. 156 Eddy St. (800) 838-3006. www.ftloose.org

Día de los Muertos @ SOMArts Cultural Center Today is the Shadow of Tomorrow, the annual juried group exhibit of Day of the Dead altars, installations and art works by Latino and Hispanic artists. Free during reg. hours. Tue-Fri 12pm7pm. Sat 11am-5pm. Sun 11am-3pm. Thru Nov. 7. www.somarts.org

Ghost Quartet @ Curran Theatre Dave Malloy performs his acclaimed song cycle about spirits; part of the Curran: Under Construction stage-side performances in the renovation-inprogress theatre. $25-$50. Oct. 23-25 28-31 8pm (Oct 31, 7pm). 445 Geary St. www.sfcurran.com

HeroMonster @ Fort Mason Center Chapel We Players’ new drama tells the epic tale of Beowulf, in a show created and performed by Nathaniel Justiniano and Ava Roy; original music by Charlie Gurke. $45. Thu-Sun 6:30pm (different times; check online schedule). Thru Nov. 1. Bay /St. at Franklin. 547-0189. weplayers.org

The Nance @ New Conservatory Theatre Center Douglas Carter Beane’s heartfelt dramedy about the real-life Vaudeville actor Chauncey Miles, who played effeminate stock characters before the 1939 pre-World’s Fair crackdown on burlesque. P.A. Cooley stars, with musical direction by Scrumbly Koldewyn. $25-$45. Thru Nov. 1. 25 Van Ness Ave, lower level. 861-8972. www.nctcsf.org

Queer Open Mic @ Modern Times Bookstore Baruch Porras-Hernandez and Blythe Baldwin welcome featured authors and artists at the vibrant open mic night. 7pm. 2919 24th st. 282-9246. www.mtbs.com

Reigning Queens @ GLBT History Museum

Spooked @ The Strand Theatre

Opening reception for a new exhibit of 1970s San Francisco drag ball photos by Roz Joseph; with curator Joey Plaster, DJ Irwin Swirnoff. 7pm-9pm. $10. Exhibit thru Feb. 2016. Reg, hours Mon, Wed-Sat 11am-6pm. Sun 12pm5pm. 4127 18th St. glbthistory.org

American Conservatory Theatre’s gala costume ball raises funds for A.C.T.’s Master of Fine Arts Program. Enjoy a cocktail reception in the new theatre lobby, with cabaret performances by MFA students, Tarot readings, and dancing to grooves by DJ Flaxo. $50 (after-party only), $150-$500. 6pm-11pm. 1127 Market St. 439-2337. www.act-sf.org

Sat 24 Ada and the Memory Machine @ Berkeley City Club Central Works’ production of Lauren Gunderson’s play about Ada Lovelance, 19th-century countess, metaphysician, daughter of Lord Byron, and the world’s first computer programmer; performed with original live music by The Kilbanes. $15-$28. Thu-Sat 8pm. Sun 5pm. Thru Nov. 22. 2315 Durant Ave., Berkeley. (510) 5581381. www.centralworks.org

Arcane: A Tale of All Hallows’ Eve @ Cowell Theatre

Tue 27 Season of the Witch @ Small Press Distribution, Berkeley Halloween-themed party celebrating books from the East Bay press, with music by Stella Peach, a free taco truck, plus beer, wine, treats, a 40%-off book sale, a panel on magic in contemporary writing with Will Alexander, Daniel Benjamin, Judy Grahn and Brittany Billmeyer-Finn, plus Tarot readings, rituals and more. 6:30pm-10pm. 1341 7th St., Berkeley. www.spdbooks.org

Company C Contemporary Ballet premieres a new Charles Anderson evening-length story ballet with steampunk chic, a live band and a narrator. $25-$55. 7pm. Oct. 25, 1p & 7pm. Oct. 30 11am & 8pm. Oct. 31, 1pm & 7pm. www.companycballet.org

Kinsey Sicks @ Herbst Theatre The chicks with shticks perform their latest hilarious dragapella musical show, with all-new songs. $25-$55. 8pm. 401 Van Ness Ave. www. kinseysicks.com

Nā Lei Hulu I Ka Wēkiu @ Palace of Fine Arts Theatre The award-winning Hawaiian dance troupe $35-$40 (Oct. 24 VIP gala concert and live auction $150, 5:30pm). Sat 8pm, Sun 3pm. Thru Oct. 25. Bay Street at Lyon. naleihulu.org cityboxoffice.com

Rachel Yamagata @ The Fillmore The talented pop-folk singercomposer performs music from her seven CDs, including the new Tightrope Walker. My Name Is You opens. $22.50. 9pm. 1805 Geary Blvd. 346-6000. www.rachaelyamagata. com www.thefillmore.com

SF Hiking Club @ Angel Island Join GLBT hikers for an 8-mile hike around Angel Island. Bring water, lunch, hat, sunscreen, layers, good hiking shoes, money for the ferry trip. Meet: 8:45am at Gate B at the north end of the Ferry Building. 5961304. www.sfhiking.com

Sun 25 Armistead Maupin’s Logical Family @ Marin Center, San Rafael The prolific acclaimed author of the Tales of the City series and other works, presents a onenight performance of his new autobiographical solo show, with a post-show book-signing. $50-$65. 7pm. 10 Ave of the Flags, San Rafael www.marincenter.org

The Waiting Period @ The Marsh Brian Copeland returns with his acclaimed solo show about gun rights, suicide attempts and his personal struggles. $30-$100. Sundays 5:30pm. Thru Oct. 25. 1062 Valencia St. 282-3055. www.themarsh.org

Mon 26 Kristin Hersh @ Bottom of the Hill The vocalist for Throwing Muses performs new music from her solo album, Crooked. Zachary Blizzard opens. $20. 8pm. All ages. 1233 17th St. www.kristinhersh.cashmusic.org www.bottomofthehill.com

Fri 23 Charles Busch @ Feinstein’s at the Nikko

Wed 28 Hush Up, Sweet Charlotte @ Castro Theatre SF premiere of Billy Clift’s loving film parody of Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte, about an aging Southern belle, stars Matthew Martin, Varla Jean Merman and Mink Stole, plus appearance by local drag performers. $35 VIP reception. $15 reg. 7:30pm. 429 Castro St. www.heretv.com www.castrotheatre.com

The Rocky Horror Show @ Victoria Theatre D’Arcy Drollinger stars in Ray of Light Theatre’s production of Richard O’Brien’s classic trans-comic cult classic musical. $25-$36. Wed-Fri 8pm. Sat 7pm & 11pm. Thru Nov. 7. 2961 16th St. at Mission. rayoflighttheatre.com

Sharon McNight @ Feinstein’s at the Nikko The veteran vocalist and community favorite returns with her acclaimed show, Sophie Tucker’s Farewell Tour, her musical tribute to the iconic vaudeville performer. $25-$40. 8pm. Also Oct. 29. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. (866) 663-1063. ticketweb.com

Terror: An Artificial Presence @ Black Box Theatre, Oakland Oakland School for the Arts’ 6th annual Haunted House event with an ectoplasmic alien theme. $8-$12. 7pm. Thru Oct. 30. 531 19th St. oakarts.org

Thu 29 John Grant @ SF Independent The innovative singer-composer (who happens to be gay), returns with music from his new CD, Grey Tickles, Black Pressure. Bright Light Bright Light opens. $20. 8pm. 628 Divisadero St. 771-1421. www.johngrantmusic. com www.theindependentsf.com

The Pandora Experiment @ Exit Theatre Christian Cagigal’s unique and mysterious solo show with magic, illusions and spooky themes, returns in a new version. $20-$30. Thu-Sat 8pm. Thru Nov. 21. 156 Eddy St. www.theexit.org

Music>>

t LGBT History Month playlist

October 22-28, 2015 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 25

by Gregg Shapiro

verlooked queer artists including Smokey, Jobriath, Steven Grossman, Lavender Country and Arthur Russell, all too ahead of their time for their own good, have finally reaped the attention that they deserved. British musician John Howard is another such artist. An openly gay performer at the release of his major-label debut Kid in a Big World in 1975, Howard never fully reached his potential in his homeland, and was completely disregarded Stateside. Now he has a chance to reach a larger audience with the release of his new pop album John Howard & the Night Mail (Tapete). Ten of the disc’s 11 songs are Howard’s collaborations with bandmates Robert Rotifer, Andy Lewis and Ian Button. The 11th is a cover of Roddy Frame’s “Small World.” Standout tracks include “London’s AfterWork Drinking Culture,” “Thunder in Vienna” and “Control Freak.” Lured out of self-imposed retirement by songwriter-producer Chris Braide, queen of new wave Marc Almond (Soft Cell’s “Tainted Love”) returns with The Velvet Trail (Cherry Red/SFE). Almond and Braide collaborate on a dozen songs broken up into three acts, separated by instrumental interludes, with a finale. The album sounds like a Braide production paired with lyrics by Almond, best exemplified on “Scar,” “Demon Lover,” the dramatic “Life in My Own Way” and the Beth Ditto duet “When the Comet Comes.” There’s nothing on Mika’s new album No Place in Heaven (Casablanca/Republic) that approaches the youthful exuberance of his “Popular Song,” but maybe that was the goal. Mika sounds intent on leaving the “cartoon boy” of his past behind in favor of a more grown-up perspective. The subject matter is decidedly serious on songs “Ordinary Man,” “Staring at the Sun” and the title cut. The latest installment in lesbian drummer-percussionist Terri Lyne Carrington’s Mosaic Project series, The Mosaic Project: Love and Soul (Concord) features collaborations between Carrington and a host of divalicious vocalists. Six Carrington originals and six covers fit together to create a sonic montage. Fierce performances include Chaka Khan’s “I’m a Fool To Want You,” Natalie Cole’s “Come Sunday,” Ledisi’s “Get To Know You,” Paula Cole’s “You Just Can’t Smile It Away” and Nancy Wilson’s “Imagine This.” The disc’s musicians, including Meshell Ndegeocello, Patrice Rushen, Regina Carter and Geri Allen, are a Who’s Who of some of the best in the industry. Olly Alexander, the out gay frontman of the British trio Years & Years, said in an interview earlier this year that he’s singing about his boyfriends in the songs on Communion (Interscope). The 13 dance-pop tunes are more pop than dance, although they have a persistent beat. But you have to wait until you get to the album’s chewy center before you can really cut loose on straightforward dance

Steven Underhill

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WEDDINGS, HEADSHOTS, PORTRAITS

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songs “Desire” and “Cold.” Easily the bravest album of his career, Perpetual Motion People (Bella Union) is the musical statement Ezra Furman has been preparing for years. Fully embracing his new “gender-fluid” identity, Furman comes across as the ultimate violent femme with vocals that recall Gordon Gano. In a little black dress and snagged black tights, Furman appears poised to give people a good time, and he delivers. From the exhilarating opening tune “Restless Year” to the updated retro-pop of “Lousy Connection” to the hot noise-pop of “Tip of a Match,” Furman, backed by his band the Boy Friends, sets the emotion in Motion. Cabaret remains the domain of gay men. A new generation of performers looks like they spend as much time at the gym as they do brushing up on the standards, and they’re taking interesting risks. Hot Nicholas Rodriguez’s debut album The First Time (PS Classics) shows what the talented vocalist can do with show tunes “I’ve Never Been in Love Before,” “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning” and “You’ll Be in My Heart.” Rodriguez also covers an array of female singer-songwriters including Joni Mitchell (“Conversation,” “A Case of You”), Carole King (“Will You Love Me Tomorrow”), Dolly Parton (“Jolene”) and Sara Bareilles (“Brave”). Smooth jazz’s gay sax man Dave Koz commemorates the first quarter-century of his prolific recording career with the compilation Collaborations: 25th Anniversary Collection (Concord), with both new and previously released material. The set includes some of the usual smooth

jazz suspects, including Boney James, Kenny Lattimore, Rick Braun, and Brian Culbertson. Where it really excels is in delightful collaborations with Stevie Nicks (“Let Me Count the Ways”), Herb Alpert (“This Guy’s in Love with You”), Luther Vandross (“Can’t Let You Go”) and Barry Manilow (“Apartment 2G: I Hear Her Playing Music”). On The Phantom Cowboy (MPress), sibling duo K’s Choice, led by out lesbian Sarah Bettens, rocks out with a vengeance on 11 songs that hint at renewed energy. The album’s first three songs, “Perfect Scar,” “As Rock & Roll As It Gets” and “Woman,” are some of the most memorable music they’ve made. They rock at warp speed on “Come Alive” and venture into unusual sonic territory on “Bag of Concrete.” Gay blue-eyed soul singer Jacob Mondry’s debut album Unison (Tranny Rex) shows he appreciates classic 1960s and 70s R&B. Footstomping soul radiates on the brassy funk of “Foxy & Free,” “Two Suns” and the smooth ballad “My Love (Still Keeps You Warm).” Gay indie musician Dave Hall has a lot to sing about, so he has released two full-length albums, Songs of Boyhood and Songs of Brooklyn (rowhousemusic.com). A sophisticated and experimental pair of recordings, both do satisfying jobs of making the personal universal. A series of poems set to music or spoken, Songs of Boyhood features Hall backed by a string quartet on songs “Lullaby” and “Parents, Monsters and God.” He plays guitar and sings the dozen songs on Songs of Brooklyn backed by piano and cello, giving the album a theatrical feel.t

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9/25/15

4:04 PM

<< Books

26 • BAY AREA REPORTER • October 22-28, 2015

Broadway battle royales by John F. Karr

ll my life (well, let’s say since puberty) I’ve lapped up backstage stories. So I was sure glad to say hello to the engrossing new book Razzle Dazzle – The Battle for Broadway (Simon & Schuster, $27), in which Michael Riedel, the New York Post’s Broadway columnist, delivers a gargantuan serving of what happened behind the backstage stories. It makes those stories sound like Mother Goose. If you watched the very first episode of the television musical series Smash, you heard Riedel referred to as a “Napoleonic little Nazi.” In his column, Riedel relishes scurrilous gossip and outright malicious “news” (his campaign to kill Spiderman is infamous), for which the B’way community thinks he’s a loathsome toad. Without leaving behind a tinge of nastiness and a delight in telling alarming stories about bad behavior, Riedel has written in Razzle Dazzle what seems his apologia to Broadway. Still, a history of the Broadway underbelly is a strange

South Asian

From page 17

This year’s theme of gender equality is illustrated by several short films, including Mardistan, or Macholand. Harjant Gill examines the once-dirty little secrets of Indian male privilege. This 25-minute short kicks off with writer/journalist Amandeep explaining his rejection of the sins of his fathers when it comes to gender inequality: “I would not like to become an uncle of mine who would beat my mother up. I would not like to become a senior [classmate] of mine who would define himself by sodomizing a junior.” Taun, a motorbike-loving college student, describes the insidious forces in the culture that push some young men towards sexual violence against women and other young men perceived to be vulnerable. His message is underscored by a scene where he’s with his girlfriend in a department store picking out a stuffed teddy bear as a present: “Guys often ask, ‘Are you a virgin or not?’ Losing your virginity is treated like a rite of passage. Every guy has to do it. If a guy doesn’t engage in a physical relationship with a girl, he’s perceived as unmanly. He’s considered a failure. He’s called names like eunuch or gay.” Mardistan’s most disturbing insights are conveyed by a handsome, masculine-appearing social worker and LGBT activist named Dhananjay. “When I came out to my wife

Simon & Schuster

New York Post Broadway columnist and author Michael Riedel.

tribute. The book’s first half is a condensed recounting of the reign of the Shubert Brothers, whose dynasty was ultimately taken over by two non-Shubert Brothers. They led a charge during the 1970s that saved a declining B’way, which let a refreshed B’way industry save a declining, about-to-declare-bankruptcy New York City. From vaudeville as gay, she replied, ‘I don’t need my husband to be manly, I need him to be a kind human being, and you are!’” Dhananjay felt social pressure to marry, and explains the pain this still causes him. “I cannot abandon my wife, she has no other options. Society will not accept her if I divorce her. Society always blames the wife for the divorce. I don’t want her to suffer for my mistakes.” Journey This short switches seamlessly between urban comedy and rural tragedy. We see the plight of a young country girl, Gouri, as she is buffeted between the realities of her poverty and lower-caste status and the tyrannical demands of an older woman who has purchased the child from her desperately poor village-bound family. The film opens with the older woman pounding on the door of Gouri’s sleeping chamber. “Open the door, bitch! I paid your mother good money for you!” In a flashback we see that Gouri had been recruited by her female boss from a brothel, thus even further diminishing her options in a society governed by archaic caste constraints. Soon help arrives in the form of a kindly limo driver who helps Gouri’s boss out on weekly excursions. Controversy arises when an expensive piece of jewelry turns up missing. The limo driver finds the missing treasure in his car and begins to treat Gouri like a father until an incident at a restaurant. Gouri, feeling unwanted at-

days up to the 1980s, the Shubert dynasty and their competitors behaved badly, to say the least. Ah, the smell of the money, the roar of the greed. Oh, the intrigue and power plays. The scams, the secret deals, the double-crossing. The graft and corruption. After the clean-up, when Broadway producing was turned from a

A few misspelled names and incorrect song titles aren’t ruinous to Riedel’s scholarship. But I flat-out don’t believe his accounting that Al Jolson “went on stage eating a chicken leg while singing.” This incredulous tale isn’t footnoted, and is certainly apocryphal. And to say that On the Town “featured [Jerome] Robbins’ Fancy Free” is simply wrong, and undermines our trust in Riedel’s reportage, as well as the Simon & Schuster factcheckers. After meeting with Shubert representatives about their new musical Cats, Andrew Lloyd Weber and Cameron Mackintosh were dumbfounded: “These are the people who run Broadway? They’re all mad.” Razzle Dazzle takes you right into those people’s loony bin, while also revealing the overwhelming love those immoral, greedy producers had for Broadway. It’s a surety that Razzle Dazzle will have legs, as they say. It will stand on my bookshelf right next to William Goldman’s classic The Season, a similarly unique but differently focused look at the doings of Broadway.t

Courtesy 3rd i

Kay Kay Menon in director Vishal Bharadwaj’s Haider, or Hamlet.

tention from a young man at a nearby table, suddenly curses the youth out. The outburst tips her would-be mentor off to her tainted status as a former prostitute. Sound confusing? Writer/director Pratyusha Gupta suggests that a society stuck between its postmodern aspirations and its feudal social realities is likely to be an espe-

Courtesy 3rd i

Scene from French director Jacques Audiard’s Dheepan.

fiefdom to a corporate endeavor, Riedel’s story gets closer to a traditional backstager, with histories of the shows, directors and producers, and how they were ultimately controlled by the theatre owners. Because: no theatre, no show. There’s an entire chapter about David Merrick, whose fantastic, wheeler-dealer, misanthropic and all-too-often mean capreer culminated in Gower Champion’s death on the opening day of 42nd Street, and then trickled away into cokefueled dementia. Another story I like has been told before but not as precisely as Riedel has it. He recounts and revels in the dirty shenanigans that took place when Dreamgirls and Nine competed for Tony Awards. A lot of folks were shocked when Nine took Best Musical over Bennett’s behemoth. But I was there, I saw both shows when they were new. The original Dreamgirls was mechanistic, cold (critic Walter Kerr found it “very efficient,” “very remote”), where Nine was hot-blooded, gloriously emotional, and offered up a compassionate conclusion.

cially cruel place for the gender-oppressed. (both at New People, check site for time) Haider, or Hamlet Filmmaker Vishal Bharadwaj attempts yet another update of the Bard’s most challenging play, by transferring the moody Dane’s angst to the travails of ethnic (Muslim vs. Hindu) conflict in a divided Kashmir. (Castro, 10/24) The Crow’s Egg This story of two poor boys seeking their first taste of pizza will remind Western viewers of Danny Boyle’s 2008 multi-Oscar hit Slumdog Millionaire. The filmmaker M. Manikandan attempts to pivot the boys’ struggle to an Indian perspective. (Castro, 10/24) Tigers Oscar-winning writer/director Danis Tanovic returns with an expose drama centering on a Pakistani baby-formula salesman’s attempt to blow the whistle when he discovers the unadvertised dangers of his product. Filmmaker Tanovic won a Best Foreign Film Oscar for his 2001 drama No Man’s Land, in which two soldiers, one Serbian, one Bosnian, find themselves trapped between lines of fire during the horrific civil-war hostilities in the former Yugoslavia. (Castro, 10/24) PK Indian director Rajkumar Hirani places a young woman (Geetanjali Thapa) between two attractive men, at least one of whom is a space alien, and apparently without violating any of his contentious society’s numerous religious and

cultural taboos. (Castro, 10/24) Dheepan French director Jacques Audiard is justly celebrated for terrifying excursions into subterranean pockets of his country’s underground economy, where immigrants and social misfits are compelled to do the dirty work that greases the wheels of a modern, Euro-grubbing state. In 2001’s Read My Lips, an excon teams up with a deaf woman to thwart a nightclub-based band of thieves; in 2009’s A Prophet, Audiard ratchets up the stakes to portray the harrowing escapades of a halfArab/half-Corsican kid who commits a gruesome murder at the behest of a Mafia crime boss. Dheepan ups the ante again as a former rebel fighter, a one-time soldier with the Tamil Tigers, lands in a suburban Paris highrise ruled by white anti-immigrant thuggish youth. Dheepan is himself a fraud, entering the country with a wife and child who are not his. The film completes a trilogy of taut tales depicting the philosophical and personal challenges facing people trapped in the dangerous divide between haves and have-nots. Audiard presents emotional and psychosexual scenes guaranteed to push anyone’s buttons. The story’s finale in a bucolic English suburb only heightens the anxieties. This one, an odd mix of Marx, Che and Mickey Spillane, will stay with you. (UK-India-France, 2015, New People Cinema, check site for time)t

On the Town

Halloween Hookup

NIGHTLIFE

SPIRITS

DINING

Shooting Stars

SOCIETY

ROMANCE

LEATHER

PERSONALS Vol. 45 • No. 43 • October 22-28, 2015

www.ebar.com V www.bartabsf.com

Darren Criss ‘Glee’ and ‘Hedwig’ star performs at The Nourse by Jim Provenzano

T Luke Fontana

he Nourse Broadway series returns Friday October 30, with host and musician Seth Rudetsky performing in a duo musical concert with the locally-born wunderkid; singing, dancing, rocking sensation Darren Criss. He’ll perform Broadway classics, and share some personal stories as well. See page 28 >>

Darren Criss

BItch, she’s mADONNA

John Grant

on his eloquent musical rage

by Andre Torrez

ongevity and the ability to reinvent herself have always been strong points for Madonna, but what keeps her on stage in front of sold-out crowds spanning from the 1980s Like a Virgin Tour to Monday night’s stop at San Jose’s SAP Center is simple; she’s a hardworking performer and an equally talented businesswoman. Read the full review on www.ebar.com/bartab

by Jim Provenzano

Gem Harris

is melodic arrangements and deep vocal tones inspire an almost inspirational feeling, until a closer listen to his lyrics reveal a darker intention. But in John Grant’s songs, a familiar form of discontent –ex-boyfriends and HIV among them– reveals a kindred, if not jaded, spirit. He’ll perform music from his new album, Grey Tickles, Black Pressure, as well as works from his previous albums, Oct. 29 at the SF Independent. See page 29 >>

{ THIRD OF THREE SECTIONS }

John Grant

Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

28 • Bay Area Reporter • October 22-28, 2015

Darren Criss

From page 27

“I’m a huge Seth Rudetsky fan, and we got to meet less than a year ago,” said Criss, in a phone interview from Los Angeles. “I had seen him perform around town many times, and we’ve performed in two concerts together. One was a fundraiser with him in New York City. He’s really involved in foster care philanthropy. Now we get to do something together, on purpose.” Partial proceeds from the concert benefit Project Open Hand, the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus. “Seth asked me to do the Nourse series, where we can sing and banter about Broadway, and I get to tell a few of my stories about being born and raised in San Francisco,” added Criss. “How could I pass this up?”

Origin of Love

Fans can discover a new side of the talented 28-year-old, other than costarring with Chris Colfer as one half of the popular gay couple on Glee, the multiple Emmy-winning Ryan Murphy/Brad Falchuk musical high school dramedy. The show, which aired on Fox from 2009 to 2015, broke boundaries with depictions of gay, lesbian, transgender, and disabled teenagers, and a few downright crazy-funny adults, with Emmy-winning song and dance numbers. Criss charmed millions of fans in his Season 2 debut as the dapper Blaine Anderson, private

Seth Rudetsky and Darren Criss.

school hunk, with the now-iconic song, “Teenage Dream.” The New York Post cited ‘Klaine’ as “one of the most beloved TV couples of the millennium.” Earlier fans knew Criss from his Michigan State years, and in the Starkid Productions creation, A Very Potter Musical. The whimsical college parody’s video of the stage show went super-viral, and a devoted fandom was born. Other musicals, Starship and Me and My Dick, became chart-topping indie scores. But don’t expect any of that at his upcoming concert. “The set list will surround my chronological story, including some of the shows I did in high school and college, or other shows I performed in at the A.C.T. Conserva-

tory,” said Criss. “I’d like to do this journey about getting to know me in some way.” Before A.C.T., Criss studied music and learned to play multiple instruments, and made his professional stage debut at age 10 with 42nd Street Moon. He graduated from Saint Ignatious College Preparatory in 2005, where some of the roots of his musical ambition were imagined, like perhaps the role of a certain German transgender rock singer? Like one of his Glee moments, it’s all there. The starstruck kid sings along to a soundtrack (shared by his brother Chuck Criss, who performs in the band Freelance Whales), and then, ten years later, the kid stars in that show, on Broadway. “So, of course we’re gonna talk about Broadway and musical theatre,” said Criss. “It’s been a large part of my life since high school.” Before starring in Hedwig and the Angry Inch earlier this year, Criss also starred in the second cast of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, replacing Harry Potter pal Daniel Radcliff. Criss said his shared concert with Rudetsy is a great fit. “I’ve always gravitated towards artists that are really bathed in versatility,” said Criss, whose performing styles range from rock to jazz and Broadway. “My whole goal is to be as diverse as possible. Life’s a banquet and, you know, why not go for it? I want a spicy meal!”

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mad when I see some stuff. It takes everything out of context, and isn’t understood by those who were actually there, which is such a great part of going to the theatre. If a joke is made, you’re not aware that something happened before it, or if there’s a visual gag you didn’t see. They have no idea about that moment, and it’s not understood by someone, say in, say, Chile. It loses the magic. “However, despite myself, to play devil’s advocate, the fact that somebody in Chile gets to see it is amazing. Mentally, I’m an old-fashioned guy, while I’m trying to embrace new technology, and happy that people are excited about watching stuff. Artists love to perform, and it’s something we have to consider. But the fact that people are recording so much makes me think, ‘Oh, shit! I better make this good all the time,’ because it’s gonna be on the Internet forever. It’ll be available long after we’ve left this world… which is kind of terrifying.”

Picture Perfect

Criss is known for his spontaneity at concerts, including his sold out Listen Up tour in 2013, which premiered at The Fillmore, with his family admiring from a stageside balcony view. Another view was brought up, specifically the sea of cell phones at his concerts. Multiple videos of his band’s tour are on YouTube, including some superfan’s mix of his band’s Joan Marcus entire set. And nearly every Starkid concert is Darren Criss in Hedwig and the Angry Inch in 2014 also online. “Nowadays, with video recording, every live show I do is internationAlthough his concert will inally viewed, whether it’s at Carnegie clude personal stories, Criss reHall or a small club,” said Criss. “You flected on this kind of fame, saycan even watch an entire bootleg of ing, “I’m a really private person. Hedwig.” It’s a very weird paradoxical posiFrom the concerts to what he tion. There’s a version of me that is called “awkward audition songs in open to these kids, the fans of Glee my dorm room,” to wailing on the and Hedwig and my rock shows. piano at Marie’s Crisis with Lea But I do have a private life. I’m not Salonga, and even animated gifs saying it’s, like, deep dark weird of him shaking his booty on Glee, shit; just stuff people wouldn’t Criss is well-documented, whether know about, and this show will be he wants it or not. a great opportunity to tell my ver“That’s been really hard to emsion of a few stories.” brace, somewhat,” he said. “I get Criss’ upcoming projects are already stirring buzz, like his next album. Of his participation in another Ryan Murphy project, American Horror Story: Hotel, Criss couldn’t discuss his upcoming guest role, except to say, “I did film some of it, and I think it should be really interesting.”

But for those who have yet to enjoy his solo EP Human and his trove of other music, Criss’ breakout hit “Teenage Dream” still remains his most known song. With its debut rendition in Glee, the tearful piano bar break-up version, to his many live acoustic variations and his epic rock concert take. Criss also performed the song at benefits, including a Trevor Project fundraiser with Katy Perry, and even at a presidential inauguration gala, bother where he paired the hit with his own soulful “Not Alone.” He’s noted that song as having “inadvertently become a sort of anthem” for LGBT youth suicide prevention and other causes “in a way that really surprised and touched me.” And Criss is taking off in, well, new directions, like Girl Most Likely, the warmhearted 2012 comedy with Kristen Wiig, to his concerts at Joe’s Pub, and with Michael Feinstein for a PBS New Year’s Eve show, and even singing as part of the 2012 Oscars broadcast with Kermit the Frog.Serving the But if you only Castro know the since fictional Warbler version, you 1981 should catch up. A hometown 15TH ST | night Catering of song and stories seems a perfect re-introduction to this charismatic multi-talent. “Performances for me are al16TH ST ways about trying new things,” said Criss. “Physically, when we do the rock band thing or Darren Criss at a benefit concert in 2013. me playing instruments 17TH ST or me leading a band, it’s one style. M AR K

Darren Criss and Chris Colfer in Glee.

With most people in my position, I don’t get to do a classic Broadway cabaret; this is going to be more like that. It’s about how much I love that stuff. I’ll try to hug that vibe for the Nourse show, especially with someone like Seth.” Criss referenced singer-composers of the past as inspirations for the show’s classy edge, and he’s showcased his soulful talents at his own concerts. “I love classic performers like Mel Torme, who was a fucking incredible jazz musician,” he said. “He had really insane music chops. I admire the kind of guys who were all over the place, and who got there because there were so diverse. I see it having been done, so it’s really inspiring to have a whole range ahead of me.” At the same time, he’s eager to keep reinventing himself. “What’s interesting about this day and age for musicians is, it’s kind of like being a comedian and burning through material on, say, The Late Show. If you do a set on TV, you’re kind of screwed if you use it again after millions of people have heard it. I can do the same material on the road, with my band. But you have to pick when you can really make an impact.”

The Muse

Asked if he’d been to the Nourse Theatre before it closed for several years, Criss said he’d been gone for so long, “there are a lot of things that’ve changed. When I come back, or talk to people who live there, they say, ‘It’s changed a lot,’ like it’s some tragedy. But everything changes. That’s how cities work, man. What disappoints me, though, is a lot of music and theatre venues are no longer there.” One theatre that’s still going strong is The Curran, where a touring production of Hedwig will open in 2016. See page 29 >>

John Grant

From page 27

kob Smári Magnusson, on drums the one and only Budgie currently hailing from Berlin and on guitars Pétur Hallgrímsson.

A member of The Czars from 1996 to 2005, Grant is also known Grey Tickles, Black Pressure has for his previous solo albums Pale bluntness and specificity in meGreen Ghosts and Queen of Denlodic lyrics, and strings that make mark, which include songs that inan epic tone. Are you still working spire, haunt and mesmerize. with themes of pain and loss? While in his new home of IceI don’t believe there will ever land, the U.S.-born Grant has colcome a time when I won’t be deallaborated with Hercules and Love ing with those things. This album is Affair, Sinead O’Connor, Iceland much more about acceptance and native Ásgeir and other artists. letting go of that pain and loss. But Being gay and HIV-positive is yeah, it’s always there. It’s just part sometimes woven into his musical of the deal. themes. Grant’s powerful anthem, “Glacier” is probably one of the more under-rated of gay-themed empowerment songs. Its accompanying video by Jonathan Caouette offers an astounding array of film clips from 20thcentury LGBT history and cinema. Last May, John Grant visited the Bay Area and performed at Oakland’s Fox Theatre, with an added sold-out show at The Chapel. This time, he’s headlining The Independent. Currently touring through the U.S., with an expansive European tour to follow his San Francisco and Portland gigs, Grant replied to some emailed John Grant’s Grey Tickles, Black Pressure questions while on the road. The song “You and Him” bubbles with flattery and dishonesty while You’re performing with a band rocking out with references to Hitthis time, right? ler, Twister, Taco Bell and decoupI am indeed. On keyboards age. How is it you’re able to make and synths, Chris Pemberbitterness sound so beautiful? ton from Coventry, on bass, Ja-

be exhausting, Criss countered, “I wouldn’t call it that. It would only be exhausting if I didn’t enjoy it. It was exhilarating; such a dream come true! It’s such a privilege for an actor, to be a part of that legacy. If you’re up to the challenge, it’s such a wonderful experience, and the efforts are so rewarded; taking hold of the audience with songs like those. Everything about it was so positive, despite the chaos of the story itself. It was such a joy to do it every night. There was also a lot of variance with the little freestyle parts.” Those included a few lap dances, and Hedwig spitting on a few (lucky?) audience members, who, he’s noted, have their own diverse opinions. Criss recalled signing programs and postAt Elsie Fest in September, Darren Criss ers after a matinee durproduced and performed in New York City. ing the run of Hedwig, where, within minutes of each other, different Darren Criss fans said, “I’ve seen the show ten From page 28 times; you’re the meanest Hedwig!’ Later that same day, another fan Asked if he would consider resaid, ‘I’ve seen this with five differturning to the role, Criss said, “Who ent actors, and you’re one of the knows? I certainly wouldn’t be opsweetest Hedwigs I’ve seen.’ And posed to doing Hedwig again. The that’s live theatre. I never know what thing is, I keep open about work. the audience is coming in with.” Two months before Glee ended, I didn’t know I’d be shooting a film in Ready To Go Italy. Two months before I finished His most recent project, the with Hedwig, I didn’t know I’d be Elsie Fest, held in New York City last doing this concert, or doing Amerimonth, presented a day of outdoor can Horror Story. My life’s been mini-concerts with notable Broadkind of like the story of a traveling way actor-singers, and a Starkid vagabond.” reunion with his Very Harry Potter Asked if the demands of another colleagues. months-long musical run would

October 22-28, 2015 • Bay Area Reporter • 29

Ari Magg

John Grant

Well, I would say this song is about rage rather than bitterness, but I’m glad it sounds beautiful to you. The hatred that people vomit out into the world is so absurd and grotesque that this song seems perfectly unabsurd and appropriate.

my own perspective. I’m too close. I might be able to say many years from now, but for the most part I think I would have made a very similar record anywhere. Not really sure how different backdrops affect me.

You have several nature references in song titles that serve as metaphors as well (“Global Warming,” “Magma Arrives,” and “Black Blizzard”). Has living in the natural wonder of Iceland been an influence? It sure sounds like it, but it’s hard for me be able to judge that from

After your San Francisco gig, you’re performing in Portland, and then back to Europe for many dates, and even in Australia and New Zealand. Some of your UK dates are already sold out. What’s it like to perform there versus in the U.S., where it seems you’re still becoming discovered? It’s fantastic to perform there, because I’m more established and people have got to know me. But

The concert allowed the artists to focus on their best material, with some fun experiments as well. This is just one of many projects, benefits and innovations for Criss. From LGBT causes to disaster relief efforts in The Philipines, the energetic performer keeps super-busy. “My old-fashoned self and new self in this more tech-savvy world are sometimes at odds,” said Criss, when we discussed his focused posts in social media that more often promote his causes and his colleagues. “People want to share their stuff, but not just randomly. That’s exactly why I created Elsie Fest. I want to be able to give artists a chance to find new fans. They want to record stuff their way and be involved, and we

should give the artists a space for that. The performers all ended up crushing it! Now, instead of kids’ iPhone videos, they have their own little concert to promote themselves. Everybody wins.” The balance of fame and artistic success is one that Criss is handling well. “There is so much good to be derived from fans who are interested in artists, and how to route it in the most positive way is one of my goals,” he said. “If kids wanna capture what they’re experiencing and share with people, then lucky us. Who are we to be upset about it?” But please, resist the temptation to whip out your cell phone at The Nourse, despite how amazing Criss performs.

it’s all the same, really. I love to perform and connect with people. The U.S. is not an easy nut to crack, at least not for me. You have to tour and tour and tour some more. But luckily, it’s what I love to do. I’m an American boy through and through, and I love being here and playing here. So I’m up for the challenge.t Read the entire interview online at www.ebar.com/bartab John Grant performs at the SF Independent Thursday, October 29. Bright Light Bright Light opens. $20. 8pm. 628 Divisadero St. 7711421. www.johngrantmusic.com www.theindependentsf.com

“The new concert is my opportunity to do something else,” he said. “San Francisco is such a huge part of who I am and what I did there. I want to make it fresh and original. I try and do stuff in a different way when I can, because on a tour it’s a different kind of feeling. I mean, I would never ask my band to play a Sondheim song.” Then he paused. “But that might be pretty amazing, come to think of it.”t Broadway @ The Nourse: Darren Criss and Seth Rudetsy, Friday, October 30. $50-$100. 8pm. 275 Hayes St. 392-4400. www.darrencriss.com www.cityboxoffice.com www.markcortalepresents.com/ broadway

2016

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