December 16, 2021 Edition of the Bay Area Reporter

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Vol. 51 • No. 50 • December 16-22, 2021

Build out of Castro Muni station elevator pushed back

by Matthew S. Bajko

T Jane Philomen Cleland

Singer-songwriter Blackberri

Singer-songwriter Blackberri dies

by Cynthia Laird

B

lackberri, a gay Black singer-songwriter whose music has been archived at the Smithsonian, died December 13 at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Oakland, friends announced on Facebook. He was 76.

Blackberri, who used one name, had been ill, according to posts by Kin Folkz, a member of his care team, and others. In early October he suffered a heart attack, his care team wrote on Facebook December 9.

Blackberri was a presence in the Bay Area LGBTQ community. Tributes came in from many who were moved by his music and activism.

“I first met Blackberri in 1989 at a Black Men’s Xchange (BMX) meeting, an organization created by Cleo Manago to empower Black men who love men, that we both were members of at the See page 9 >>

wo city agencies first proposed in 2016 adding a second, more accessible elevator to the Castro Muni Station, considered the front entrance into San Francisco’s LGBTQ district. Nearly six years later three different gay men have represented the neighborhood at City Hall and there have been as many designs for the new lift.

The cost for the project has also increased from an initial estimate of $9 million to $14.5 million. A website for the project, as of December 9, listed its predicted completion as being sometime in 2024.

In 2020, city officials had told the Bay Area Reporter they expected work to begin sometime in 2021, with the build out taking at least 18 months. Yet, with just three weeks left to the year, construction has not commenced.

At the December 7 meeting of the board that oversees the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, Director of Transit Julie Kirschbaum noted that the elevator was still in the “design phase” and getting it built was the agency’s “highest priority” for the coming year. She also said the agency is looking at adding a second elevator to the LGBTQ district’s other underground subway station at Church and Market streets.

Overseeing construction of the Castro station elevator will be the city’s Public Works Department. Spokesperson Rachel Gordon told

Courtesy Treanor

Looking west at Harvey Milk Plaza from Castro Street

located on the Muni station’s platform for trains headed downtown (or to the city’s eastside as Muni’s announcements now say), the concourse level, a walkway accessed via the station’s entrance plaza, and Market Street where several bus lines make stops.

The current elevator for the Castro Muni Station is across the street near Pink Triangle Park where 17th Street meets Market Street. When it is out of service, wheelchair users and others with mobility issues that prevent them from using stairs have no way to access the station.

See page 6 >>

the B.A.R. December 9 that SFMTA is reviewing the bid for the project before it goes out.

“Project will go out to bid next month at the earliest,” Gordon wrote in an emailed reply. “The NTP (notice for construction to proceed) typically occurs six to eight months after the bid goes out. Duration of construction is estimated at 20 months to get to substantial completion. At this point, we’re looking at late 2024.”

After years of debate and pressure from neighborhood leaders and transit advocates, SFMTA last December agreed to include four stops in the new elevator. They will be

Supes OK purchase of potential safe drug site

by John Ferrannini

Assemblymember Bill Quirk (D), left, and candidate Jennifer Esteen

East Bay Assembly seat opens up

by Matthew S. Bajko

A

n East Bay Assembly seat has now opened up due to Assemblymember Bill Quirk (D-Hayward) opting not to seek reelection in 2022 and instead retire when his term ends next December. His decision is likely to lead more Alameda County leaders to seek to succeed him.

Quirk, 75, lives with his wife in a retirement community in Union City. The couple has a daughter who is bisexual, and Quirk signed the marriage certificate when she wed her wife.

He also has a gay brother and has consistently earned perfect scores for his voting record on LGBTQ bills from Equality California, the statewide LGBTQ advocacy organization. Nonetheless, he has drawn younger, out candidates seeking to unseat him from the Assembly in the past two years.

See page 10 >>

T

he San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted 10-1 December 14 to spend $6.3 million to purchase a site in the Tenderloin that may be used as a supervised drug consumption facility.

As the Bay Area Reporter reported, Mayor London Breed’s office had said November 16 that it is interested in opening a facility and that it had found just the place for it – a site, at the corner of Geary and Hyde streets, that consists of an 8,875 square foot building and an adjacent 2,186 square foot parcel.

Last week, the proposal to buy that property was approved by the supervisors’ budget and finance committee.

Supervised consumption sites – also called overdose prevention sites or supervised injection facilities – are places where drug users can consume pre-obtained drugs under the eye of trained staff. Advocates argue it is necessary to implement in San Francisco, where the number of accidental drug overdoses dramatically rose from 259 in 2018 to 712 in 2020 – and is on track for a similar death toll this year.

Legal support from the city would be necessary to potentially prevent the operators of the site from being prosecuted under

Christopher Robledo

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved $6.3 million to purchase the vacant building at 822 Geary Street and an adjoining parcel that are being considered as a safe consumption site.

the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986. Signed by then-President Ronald Reagan as part of the war on drugs, that law made managing or maintaining a “drug-involved premises” (i.e., where illegal drugs are openly used) a federal crime. (The penalties enacted in that law were expanded by the Illicit Drug Anti-

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Proliferation Act of 2003, which was introduced by then-Senator Joe Biden, who is now president, and signed by then-President George W. Bush.)

New York City became the first U.S. city to open government sanctioned supervised injection facilities late last month, as the See page 7 >>

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<< Community News

t SFUSD queer, trans parent council plan advances 2 • Bay Area Reporter • December 16-22, 2021

by John Ferrannini

T

he San Francisco Unified School District is one step closer to having a Queer and Transgender Parent Advisory Council.

On December 13, the school board’s augmented curriculum and program committee moved forward the proposal – introduced by embattled Commissioner Alison Collins last month – to the budget committee, which meets January 5. If approved there, it will go before the full school board. There was no vote, with Chair Kevine Boggess expressing that the three members of the committee had a consensus.

Collins is one of three members of the city’s board of education who are facing a recall effort, which will be voted on February 15. Earlier this year, old tweets from Collins resurfaced in which she accused Asian Americans of “white supremacist thinking to assimilate and ‘get ahead.’” Collins was subsequently removed as vice president of the board and from her seat on various committees. She responded by filing an $87 million suit against the district and other board members, which was tossed by a federal judge. Collins later dropped the lawsuit after the judge’s decision.

Board President Gabriela López and Vice President Faauuga Moliga are also up for recall. López is on the curriculum committee; Moliga is not. The committee is rounded out

by Commissioner Matt Alexander.

While Our Family Coalition, which introduced the concept, has been stating that the district would be “the first in the nation to solicit guidance from an LGBTQ-centered parent advisory council,” the Bay Area Reporter has learned that there are at least two LGBTQ parental advisory councils in other California school districts.

Screengrab

San Francisco school board President Gabriela López, top right, and Commissioner Alison Collins discussed the need for a Queer and Transgender Parent Advisory Council at a board committee meeting December 13.

The Palm Springs Unified School District announced its council’s formation over the summer.

The B.A.R. contacted Our Family Coalition to inform it about these councils and was told December 2 by Rick Oculto, the director of education for the coalition, “We were taking our cue on that from the families that were organizing around it. From what I understand, the distinction is that the other advisory councils focus on the experience of the students while the SFUSD one, while taking that as part of their work, are also taking up issues involving family engagement, inclusion, and involvement. For example, forms at the school that may not be inclusive of family diversity or in how the district approaches LGBTQ+ representation or even how data about LGBTQ+ families and children are collected.”

“I’m not familiar with the inner workings of the cited advisory committees, but it doesn’t state that in

their description,” Oculto continued.

“If there is no distinction, then we erred in our presentation.”

In spite of being informed of the other school districts’ LGBTQ councils, Our Family Coalition continued to tout the “first in the nation” moniker in a December 13 email prior to the curriculum committee meeting.

In addition to the general Parent Advisory Council, SFUSD has four advisory groups currently, representing parents of African Americans, those learning English, Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, and those in special education programs.

The queer and transgender council as proposed would only allow people identifying as queer and trans to be in leadership positions. Heterosexual and cisgender parents would be excluded, even if they have LGBTQ children, but could still be on the council at-large. It would seat 25 people, and “collaborate with other parent advisory committees/coun-

cils,” according to a PowerPoint presentation made at the meeting.

M Villaluna, a nonbinary, twospirit parent who’s on the general SFUSD Parent Advisory Council, spoke in favor of the proposed council during public comment.

“I’m very excited to be here,” Villaluna said. “Thank you to Commissioner Collins for not forgetting about queer and trans parents in our school district. … What I want to say also – since we’re talking about curriculum – is you will never find bigger advocates for queer and trans students than queer and trans parents.”

Villaluna said that parent forms geared toward cisgender, heterosexual parents need to be changed.

“I have sent dozens and dozens of emails for the past five years,” Villaluna said. “Please recommend to the whole board to pass a parental advisory council.”

As the B.A.R. reported earlier this year, Villaluna had urged Collins to

reject the nomination of a gay white dad, Seth Brenzel, on the general Parent Advisory Council, before they were appointed themselves. Some parents called Villaluna’s selection hypocritical and an example of cronyism. Others highly praised their advocacy around LGBTQ and school issues.

But the biggest concern of the commissioners about the proposed queer and trans council wasn’t up to them to decide: the financial impact.

One factor behind the recall effort is that the school district is facing a $125 million deficit in Fiscal Year 2022-2023, which it must cut to avoid being taken over by the state of California. It’s up to the budget committee to consider the fiscal impact of the proposal, which comes with a new full-time staff support position.

The cost of this position will be disclosed at next month’s budget committee hearing.

The school board voted to accept the $125 million in budget cuts December 14 in a 6-1 vote, with López in the dissent. It includes a $50 million cut to schools and a $40 million reduction in administrative, support and operation services, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Alexander said that “this is an area we definitely need to invest funds in but I’m not convinced a full-time central staff member is the best way to invest these funds. … I think we need to make more cuts in upper management.”

Collins, who was present at the meeting to advocate for her proposal, said that without a full-time staff member, the council would only represent “affluent or well-resourced families.”

“That is why we are calling for funding,” Collins said.

Boggess expressed to the board’s chief of staff that the three committee members achieved a consensus, and the committee moved on to its next item of business.t

<< Open Forum

4 • Bay Area Reporter • December 16-22, 2021

Volume 51, Number 50 December 16-22, 2021

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 & NIGHTLIFE EDITOR Jim Provenzano ASSISTANT EDITORS Matthew S. Bajko • John Ferrannini CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Tavo Amador • Roger Brigham Brian Bromberger • Victoria A. Brownworth Philip Campbell • Heather Cassell Michael Flanagan • Jim Gladstone Liz Highleyman • Brandon Judell • Lisa Keen Matthew Kennedy • David Lamble David-Elijah Nahmod • Paul Parish Tim Pfaff • Jim Piechota • Gregg Shapiro Gwendolyn Smith •Sari Staver • Charlie Wagner Ed Walsh • Cornelius Washington • Sura Wood

ART DIRECTION Max Leger PRODUCTION/DESIGN Ernesto Sopprani PHOTOGRAPHERS Jane Philomen Cleland • FBFE Rick Gerharter • Gareth Gooch Jose Guzman-Colon • Rudy K. Lawidjaja Georg Lester • Rich Stadtmiller • Fred Rowe Steven Underhill • Bill Wilson

t

Court precedents on shaky ground T

he U.S. Supreme Court recently heard oral arguments in a case from Mississippi that could drastically alter the landscape for abortion access. Given the court’s 6-3 conservative majority, it appears likely that Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that protects a pregnant person’s right to choose to have an abortion, and Casey v. Planned Parenthood, a 1992 case that reaffirmed Roe, will either be significantly undercut or perhaps overturned altogether. That’s a frightening thought, but one that numerous legal observers believe to be the case. The Mississippi law bans most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

During the oral arguments, several justices explored a new way to view precedents, as the New York Times reported. “If the court overrules Roe, an increasingly real possibility, it will have to explain why it is departing from the principle of stare decisis, which is Latin for “to stand by things decided,” wrote Times Supreme Court reporter Adam Liptak.

One concern for LGBTQ activists is how damaging a decision undermining such long-standing precedents might be to other Supreme Court precedents, such as Lawrence v. Texas (2003) and Obergefell v. Hodges (2015), as we reported in an online article after the oral arguments.

That concern was heightened by comments from Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh.

Barrett said that upholding previous decisions is “not an inexorable command.” She pointed to the 2003 Lawrence decision, which itself overturned the 1986 Bowers v. Hardwick decision and struck down state sodomy laws. That decision arguably opened the doors to marriage equality 12 years later

Fred Schilling, Collection of the U.S. Supreme Court.

The U.S. Supreme Court seems poised to radically change access to abortion, and that could be trouble for same-sex marriage and other LGBTQ issues.

in Obergefell. Kavanaugh also pointed to Lawrence as an example of the Supreme Court overturning its previous decision on an issue.

Sharon McGowan, legal director for Lambda Legal Education and Defense Fund, said the Lawrence and Obergefell decisions “expanded individual liberty, not the opposite.”

The landmark LGBTQ rights decisions, she said, are ones “on which we rely today to protect our community’s civil rights,” adding that both “were built directly on the foundation of Casey and Roe.” Alison Gash, a professor at the University of Oregon, said Obergefell and Lawrence rest on the same legal precedent.

“Literally the logic that allows for a woman to argue that she has a right to choose to have an abortion is the same logic that is used to argue that gay couples have the right to choose and marry the partner of their choice,” she told NPR.

Any change to Roe or Casey would take away rights whereas Lawrence and Obergefell expanded rights. And NPR pointed out that the Texas attorney who conceived of that state’s new abortion law (which the Supreme Court allowed to go into effect but heard oral arguments on in November) was quoted as saying that same-sex marriage and intimacy are “court-invented rights,” meaning there certainly could be an effort to undermine them in the future, particularly in red states. This year’s legislative assault on transgender people in numerous states also bodes ill for the LGBTQ community because it encourages state lawmakers to come up with even more extreme laws in an effort to test the courts.

We have relied on the court for decades because so many state lawmakers were hostile to us. Today, that is still the case in many statehouses, but now the courts are stacked with conservative judges. Trump had four years to fill lower court vacancies and got three Supreme Court picks. Notably, one of those, Neil Gorsuch, was because Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky), the majority leader at the time, withheld from President Barack Obama the ability to vote on a justice after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. Barrett’s confirmation was held in record time just weeks before the 2020 presidential election. Judging from their discussion during oral arguments, it appears that the conservative justices on the court no longer consider precedent important, and that’s dangerous. LGBTQ legal observers are right to be worried about what the Mississippi case might mean for same-sex marriage and other precedents in the future. t

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n February 15, San Francisco voters will participate in a special election to replace David Chiu in the California Assembly for District 17.

As the 25th empress of the Imperial Court System of San Francisco, and a former small business owner of Marlena’s bar in Hayes Valley, I will be supporting Thea Selby because, not only is she the only woman in the race, she is a strong, proven progressive leader and citywide vote-getter who is accountable, pragmatic, and committed to being a progressive ally.

Selby has long been intimately involved with the struggle for anti-discrimination and has a demonstrated track record to back it up. She marched for social justice for Rodney King in San Francisco, stood up for women with a city boycott against Republican states that passed unconstitutional anti-choice legislation, and partnered with NARAL Pro-Choice America to strike down an intrusive parental signature bill.

A longtime member of both the Harvey Milk and Alice B. Toklas LGBTQ Democratic clubs, Selby has been involved in electing and supporting many progressive LGBTQ officials including Mark Leno, a former state senator and supervisor. She supported out school board candidates Jamie Rafaela Wolfe and Mia Satya, though neither trans woman was successful in their campaigns. On the City College of San Francisco board, Selby, an elected trustee, has worked side by side with gay trustee Tom Temprano, and gay former trustees Alex Randolph and Rafael Mandelman, who is now the District 8 supervisor. (Temprano and Mandelman have endorsed another candidate).

Selby upholds the progressive values we hold dear and has focused her entire career on making sure all of San Francisco’s diverse communities are heard, respected, and included. Her campaign for Assembly – which, if successful, will make her the first woman from San Francisco elected in two decades – is no different.

Why do we need Selby in the Assembly? The answer is twofold.

First, it is not an exaggeration that our Legislature is failing women. Women represent 50% of California but make up a pitiful 33% of the Legislature. It is shameful that the 17th Assembly District has not been represented by a woman in 20 years, since lesbian Carole Migden left the seat in 2002 and later served in the state Senate. This is hard to comprehend at a time when reproductive rights are under the most severe threat of being stripped away from us since the U.S. Supreme

Courtesy Selby for Assembly campaign

Assembly candidate Thea Selby, left, joined supporter Marlena at an event.

Court upheld Roe v. Wade in 1973. Electing Selby would mean a steadfast voice in Sacramento for issues that matter to women in California, from protecting pay equity and ensuring the right to critical reproductive health care to delivering quality, affordable child care and strong and effective services for families.

Her victory would be a long-deserved win for gender equality and representation with ramifications both here and in the state Capitol.

Second, on other issues, Selby has been accountable for results, and I trust that she’ll carry this reputation into the state Legislature. As a twice-elected City College board trustee – and the board’s former president and vice president – Selby introduced and passed Free City – a partnership between the college district and the city of San Francisco – and turned around a college system drowning in debt, erased a multimillion-dollar deficit, and balanced the budget – all while securing the maximum level of accreditation for the school and putting the college system on solid fiscal footing. We know she will get results because she has.

Like me, Selby cares deeply about neighborhood safety in San Francisco. While each neighborhood has its own unique flavor, we share some similar concerns, and one of them is safety.

She believes that all of us in San Francisco – and across the state – deserve to feel safe. Especially communities with a history of violence being targeted against them, such as members of the LGBTQ, Black, Latino, and Asian communi-

ties, and women. Selby will put public safety first.

After a double-murder occurred on her block in the Lower Haight, she created the Lower Haight Merchants & Neighbors Association to support local businesses and create a more safe, inclusive neighborhood. She spearheaded WalkStops to improve pedestrian corridors. I know Selby will go to Sacramento to get the resources we need to create safer, cleaner, and needle-free streets and neighborhoods.

Selby is a 20-year small business owner in our city, so she knows what small businesses are facing because she’s faced it herself. She’ll be a champion for small businesses and merchants, so new businesses can open their doors, and existing businesses can rehire employees and thrive again.

Unlike some of her opponents who have consistently voted against all kinds of housing, Selby has effectively increased the affordable housing supply. Working together with the rest of the City College Board with the City and County of San Francisco, she negotiated 50% affordable levels for two different properties with over 1,000 units – 33 Gough and Balboa Reservoir. Legislative leaders in Sacramento need an ally like Selby who will pass important legislation to make San Francisco more livable for all of us.

She’ll also address transportation to help our transit-dependent and reach our climate goals. As chair of San Francisco Transit Riders, Selby advocated for the past Free Muni for Youth program and the upcoming pilot program to make Muni free for all youth. She helped pass a half a billion dollar transportation bond to fund vital repairs to San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency infrastructure without raising a penny on new property taxes. As a CCSF trustee, Selby asked for, received the backing of other trustees, and got the developers of Balboa Reservoir to commit to giving $400,000 for City College students that could be used to help run a campaign for a free or discounted Rams transit pass.

I trust Selby to be accountable and deliver for our families, our LGBTQ community, for women, and our futures. Why? Because she’s done it before. I hope you will join me in voting Thea Selby for Assembly District 17 on February 15.t

Marlena, also known as Garry McLain, is a former small business owner of Marlena’s bar in Hayes Valley and the 25th empress of the Imperial Court System of San Francisco.

t

Politics >>

December 16-22, 2021 • Bay Area Reporter • 5

Oregon House candidates with Bay Area ties seek to make history

by Matthew S. Bajko

A

pair of congressional candidates in Oregon with Bay Area ties is seeking to make history in 2022. Either would be the first LGBTQ House member from the Beaver State should they win their races.

As the Bay Area Reporter’s online Political Notes column first reported in November, Jamie McLeodSkinner, 54, is again running for an Oregon House seat. She was the first lesbian elected to the city council in Santa Clara, California, in 2004 and served on it for eight years.

Kevin Easton, 46, is the first openly gay man to run for Congress in Oregon. He formerly lived in San Francisco’s LGBTQ Castro district in the early 2000s and worked on the campaigns of Rebecca Prozan, a lesbian who fell short in her bid for the city’s District 8 supervisor seat, and former city attorney Dennis Herrera’s unsuccessful bid for mayor in 2011.

Easton went on to serve as Herrera’s community relations coordinator in the city attorney’s office, which Herrera vacated last month when he became general manager of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. In 2016, Easton relocated back to his native state – he grew up in Bend, Oregon – to be with his nowhusband, Jeremy Garrison-Easton, and have access to health care to treat a traumatic brain injury he suffered from a surfing accident.

They were also able to afford to buy a home in Oregon, something out of reach in San Francisco, noted Easton.

Last year, due to their jobs, the couple moved to Salem, Oregon where they share their home with their four rescued cats Grandma, Chicken, Biscuit, and Eggo.

“Oregon is a lot more livable. I do love the outdoors and mountains and the change of seasons up here,” said Easton. “I do love San Francisco as well.”

He is running in the state’s newly added 6th Congressional District, which he joked in a phone interview with the Bay Area Reporter is the House seat that California lost due to the decennial census count. It consists of all of Oregon’s Polk and Yamhill counties and portions of Clackamas and Washington counties.

“You could make an argument this is California’s seat,” said Easton, who works for Oregon’s employment department.

The race for the open seat has attracted a bevy of candidates, with state Representative Andrea Salinas of Lake Oswego and former Multnomah County commissioner Loretta Smith among those running in the Democratic Party primary May 17. State Representative Ron Noble (R-McMinnville) and Dundee Mayor David Russ are among the contenders running in the GOP primary.

This is Easton’s first time running for political office. Throughout his career Easton has worked on numerous political campaigns for Democrats, such as Oregon Congressmember Peter DeFazio who recently announced his retirement and former congressmember Lois Capps of Santa Barbara.

He was a political associate at Bay Area-based consulting firm Staton & Hughes and worked for former congressmember Darlene Hooley of Oregon and as policy manager for former Portland mayor Tom Potter.

He also served two years as executive director of Equity Foundation, Oregon’s statewide LGBTQ grant-giving public foundation.

At the launch of his campaign

Barry Schneider Attorney at Law

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

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

Courtesy Kevin Easton

Oregon congressional candidate Kevin Easton

Courtesy McLeod-Skinner campaign

Oregon congressional candidate Jamie McLeod-Skinner stands next to her Jeep Wrangler with her dog, Moshi, in the driver’s seat.

Easton released on his website a detailed list of the policies and legislation he would advocate for if elected to Congress. Among the LGBTQ rights he would push for are counting all LGBTQ Americans on the census and codifying same-sex marriage into federal law.

“Because I haven’t held elected office myself, I thought it was doubly important for me to put out an 18-point platform of what I want to get done in Congress and how I am voting. I really want the discussion to be about policy,” said Easton. “It is why I am running. I felt politics in D.C. have turned to such a competitive battle between getting attention and tweets that the policy discussion has been lost.”

Growing up as a gay kid in Oregon, Easton said he never dreamed of seeking elective office. He doesn’t personally know McLeod-Skinner, and when he looked to find another gay man who had run for a House seat in the state to ask for advice, Easton said he realized there had never been anyone prior to him.

“I always looked at myself as a behind-the-scenes kind of guy making change that way. A lot of that was from my feeling being gay was such a liability that I never thought I would run for office myself,” he recalled. “This was 20, 30 years ago. It just struck me that I can run for office; I am going to run for it.”

With his candidacy Easton said he is signaling to gay boys growing up in the district today that they can also run for Congress when they come of age.

He marveled at the fact that not only are there two out House candidates in Oregon but also that Oregon Speaker of the House Tina Kotek, a lesbian, is running for governor in 2022.

“That gives me the chills; that is not the Oregon I knew growing up, so we have come a long way and I am glad to be a part of that,” said Easton.

He credits McLeod-Skinner for paving the way for him to seek a House seat as an out candidate in Or-

egon, since she was the first to do so.

Luckily the two didn’t end up in the same congressional district, he noted.

“Until the district lines were drawn, we didn’t know who would be running against who,” said Easton. “My best case scenario is Jamie wins in D5 and I win in D6, and we will have two LGBT members of Congress; that would be the best.”

Lesbian’s second campaign

McLeod-Skinner lost her first House campaign in 2018 against then-Congressman Greg Walden (R-Hood River) for the Beaver State’s expansive 2nd Congressional District seat. He had held it since 1999 and opted not to seek reelection last year.

A progressive Democrat, McLeodSkinner won election in July 2019 to an at-large seat on the Jefferson County Education Service District but came up short in her bid last year to become Oregon’s secretary of state.

With the decennial redistricting process creating a brand new 5th Congressional District in Oregon that incorporates parts of the former 2nd District, McLeod-Skinner has jumped into the race for the seat. She will face off against Congressman Kurt Schrader (D-Canby), a moderate Democrat, in the party’s primary.

As Oregon Public Broadcasting reported earlier this fall, McLeod-Skinner lives in Terrebonne just six miles north of the boundary separating Deschutes and Jefferson counties, the line lawmakers used to separate Oregon’s redrawn 5th and 2nd congressional districts. In a phone interview last month with the B.A.R., McLeodSkinner noted that the new 5th district covers much of the areas where she ran for office in the past.

“The only way to get to and from the area I live is through the 5th Congressional District. It ends up not being a big deal,” said McLeodSkinner, who this week announced endorsements from more than 50 elected officials and community leaders throughout the district.

“I’ve got a solid relationship with voters here.”

See page 9 >>

Professional headshots / profile pics Weddings / Events

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Attention:

Freelance Reporters – Write for the Best!

The Bay Area Reporter is seeking freelance reporters to write about the diversity of the LGBTQ community, particularly LGBTQ people of color – in news, arts, and sports. The COVID pandemic may have reduced pages in our print edition, but the B.A.R. posts more (and more-frequently) online nearly every day, and we need help.

For News, this includes local government, LGBTQ and HIV/AIDS nonprofits, LGBTQ community newsmakers, and other matters of interest. For Arts, we are looking to increase coverage of local arts events and local nightlife, each with an LGBTQ focus.

The B.A.R. will also soon have an opening for a freelance sports columnist. The ideal candidate would focus in part on news leading up to the 2023 Gay Games in Hong Kong. Other issues include the ongoing fights over trans inclusion in sports nationally, and other topics of interest.

Women, people of color, and others, are strongly encouraged to apply. We are an equal opportunity employer.

For News and the sports columnist positions, send a resume and writing samples to Cynthia Laird, News Editor, at c.laird@ebar.com. For Arts, send a resume and previously published writing samples (preferably online links) to Jim Provenzano, Arts and Nightlife Editor, at jim@ebar.com.

<< Commentary

6 • Bay Area Reporter • December 16-22, 2021

A little humanity

by Gwendolyn Ann Smith

T

here’s one thing that transgender people have that is routinely stripped away from us and it is something we so desperately need extended to us right now – and that is humanity.

We may joke about our similarities and stereotypes, but we are each truly unique. Not only do we come from every race, religious upbringing, and every part of society, but we each approach this thing we call transgender just a little differently. We are a multitude of different voices, seeking our parts to sing.

To use myself as an example: Yes, I am a transgender woman. There is a lot of my story that may sound a lot like any other transgender woman. Years of confusion as I found my way. Coming out to – and sometimes rejection by – friends and family. Transition.

Yet being transgender is not the be-all and end-all of what makes me.

I am an admitted music fan, enjoying everything from 1970s glam to modern jazz to musique concrète. I adore cats. I have a sense of humor shaped by my life experiences, yet somehow I still haven’t weeded out a love of puns and wordplay. I write. I commit acts of art. I both work within and advocate for virtual worlds. I spent many years in role-playing games, and still

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Elevator

From page 1

As the B.A.R. has previously reported, the elevator project includes several upgrades to Harvey Milk Plaza, the station’s multi-level entrance area named in honor of the city’s first gay supervisor who represented and lived in the Castro. The plaza’s existing lighting fixtures will be replaced

Christine Smith

love card and board games.

Yet to the world at large, I am given but one note to play. As a local television station described me more years ago than I care to say, I am merely “transgender.” My entire identity is distilled into a single word, one of dozens of facts one could pluck from the ether to describe me.

Of course, I could also note that such distillation is also devaluing: in those rare times we do get asked for an opinion on an issue, we are so often reduced to being labeled as a “transgender activist.” It is a way of dismissing us, claiming that we are coming with little more than an agenda, and therefore untrustworthy within the marketplace of ideas.

I have had the pleasure of know-

and its red bricks will be removed to install sparkle grain integral color concrete that matches the paving installed when the sidewalks along Castro Street were widened.

The plaza project will also widen a segment of the sidewalk fronting Market Street headed toward Collingwood Street. As for the elevator shaft, it is to be translucent so station agents can monitor its usage.

City officials had pushed back their

t

ing so many other transgender people over the years, from the elder stateswoman to the freshly-cracked egg, with the only similarity between us all our desire simply to be ourselves in a world that can so often be indifferent at best. We are everywhere and share among us our humanity.

This is not what you’ll hear about us, however.

This year, over one hundred bills were introduced in legislatures across the United States to target transgender rights, from old-school “bathroom bills” to restrictions on our care and challenges to our legal identity. Yet most of these bills didn’t even go so far as to identify the target: transgender people.

Most focused instead on the threat of “biological men” invading women’s sports or the ladies’ restroom. We’re not even properly identified when our rights are being stripped away.

I need not remind that when our opponents speak of “biological men,” they are stripping away our identities and painting a picture that simply does not match reality. They are, in essence, taking away our humanity and reducing us to a threat.

This is what it means when, in 2015, the federal Transportation Security Administration went from referring to transgender people in airport security lines as “anomalies” and chose to refer to us as “alarms” when our bodies

don’t match the pink or blue button it chose for us.

Meanwhile, you have the religious right and a certain class of left-leaning bigots going hand-in-hand to reduce transgender women to their penis, and transgender men to their primary and secondary sexual characteristics. No longer humans ourselves, but simply a womb and a pair of breasts.

We come to the largest canard of them all, the “transgender debate.” We are told that we are simply part of some cultural and/or political divide, and that our needs need to be weighed against endless waves of fears and concerns for the rights of others, while the needs, the fears, the concerns, and the very rights of transgender people themselves are discounted.

Frankly, this is what’s wanted, too.

If we are unnamed, if we are presented as some abstract threat, some nameless “debate,” then we can be negated.

You cannot appeal to the humanity of something that has been rendered hypothetical.

So, I call upon you, dear reader. I am not a debate; I am a human being.

To paraphrase William Shakespeare, the Bard of Avon, if you were to prick

me, I would indeed bleed. I only ask that you recognize this.

Consider for a moment what it is that transgender people just like me want in this world. It is simply to be left in peace. To be given an even playing field with our peers.

To be able to be plain ol’ human beings in a world positively dripping with others of our kind, both trans and otherwise.

Frankly, we don’t want to have to focus our lives on the arguments, the laws, the hatred. We just want to simply be. I think that’s all most humans want: just let us live our lives, same as anyone.

In these holiday times, if we can strip away the crass commercialism, the faux “war on Christmas” outrage, and, yes, even that Mariah Carey song, I hope that we can be left with a holiday that celebrates each other, that allows us a moment to extend a little good will towards all in these cold winter months.

Give us a little humanity. t

initial timeline for the elevator project in order to allow for community discussions to take place on a proposal to completely redo Harvey Milk Plaza.

It is a separate project being overseen by the Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza that has also faced delays, and gone through multiple architects and design concepts.

Initially estimated to cost $10 million, an exact price tag and funding source for the plaza project remains

unknown. In September, a committee of the San Francisco Arts Commission voted in support of the latest plaza revamp proposal that would see a covered, smaller stairway leading to the underground subway station built and various elements added that would honor Milk’s legacy.

The design still needs to be refined and win approval from the various city and regional oversight bodies that need to sign off on it. It continues to

face vocal opposition from those who argue less severe changes to the current plaza design could achieve the same goal of improving the site’s accessibility and memorialization of Milk.

For more information about the Castro elevator project, visit https:// www.sfmta.com/projects/castrostation-accessibility-improvements-project t

Gwen Smith is able to pass those “I’m not a robot” tests on most days. You’ll find her at www.gwensmith.com

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t

Community News>>

December 16-22, 2021 • Bay Area Reporter • 7

Bay Area cities respond to HRC equality index

by John Ferrannini

change and of our partners in communities around the country who have enthusiastically embraced its possibilities.”

As the Bay Area Reporter reported, in 2019, Berkeley (which scored 96/100) and Brisbane (which scored 53) challenged their scores. Berkeley public information officer Matthai Chakko said at the time that the city should have “a total of 108.”

Brisbane City Manager Clay Holstine told the B.A.R. that because fewer than 5,000 people live

there “we don’t have called-out positions to deal with a variety of situations, but everything on this list we deal with as issues come up. ... We wear multiple hats and have multiple assignments.”

Aryn Fields, a press secretary with HRC, told the B.A.R. this year that the group couldn’t change the 2019 scores for Berkeley or Brisbane, because they’d already been announced. However, “this information can inform next year.”

When asked via email what information she was referring to, Fields

did not respond. Fields had stated earlier that the scores this year were from cities self-reporting.

This year, Berkeley received 100, joining San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento, Los Angeles, and San Diego.

Brisbane saw its score rise, too, to 63.

Caroline Cheung, a spokesperson for Brisbane, expressed pride that the City of Stars did better this time and attributed it to efforts the San Mateo County city has taken to be more inclusive.

“We’re glad to see our MEI has increased in the last couple of years,” Cheung stated. “We have added a LGBTQ liaison in our police department, and for the past few years have flown the Pride flag year-round; we are the only city in San Mateo County to do so.

“We also have an active city staff-led working committee called EPIC, for Equity Plus Inclusion Committee, and we’re currently recruiting for volunteers that either live or work in Brisbane to serve on the City of Brisbane’s newest citizen committee, called IDEA, for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accountability,” she continued.

“Those applications are due January 14.”

Cheung also stated that “as a smaller city, we may not have all

of two nonprofits that merged to form a new organization dubbed OnPoint NYC. The property San Francisco plans to purchase is at 822 Geary Street and 629 Hyde Street, according to Andrico Penick, the director of the real estate division of the city’s general services agency.

It is currently owned by Georgios Markoulakis and Crisula Markoulakis.

At the board meeting – the last of the year – District 6 Supervisor Matt Haney announced he wanted to add an amendment to the purchase.

“This is an important acquisition we are going to make that will help to meet the needs of our community when it comes to behavioral health,” Haney said. “The amendment states that the building is not authorized for any spe-

cific use ... and that the city ... is not committed to a specific use of the site.”

District 3 Supervisor Aaron Peskin took exception to this.

“We all know the acquisition of the property is for a specific purpose,” Peskin said.

Peskin added that he has “long been a proponent” of supervised consumption sites, but expressed dismay that the building is being

C

alifornia cities are responding better than a couple of years ago to their scores on the Human Rights Campaign’s latest Municipal Equality Index, with two East Bay cities attaining a perfect score.

The index is the only nationwide evaluation of how inclusive city laws and services are of LGBTQ people, according to HRC. The 2021 edition, released November 18, rated 506 cities (58 of which are in California) and is the 10th.

Cities are rated based on non-discrimination laws, the municipality as an employer, municipal services, law enforcement, and the city leadership’s public position on equality, among other items.

This year was the first time over 100 cities received the top score of 100, HRC stated. When the index started in 2012, only 11 cities received that score.

“For 10 incredible years, the MEI has helped guide, shape, and inspire more inclusive laws and policies in cities of all sizes in all parts of the country,” Cathryn Oakley, the founding author of the index, stated in a news release. “I am incredibly proud of this project and of the MEI team who have made this report a vehicle of enduring

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Safe drug site

From page 1

B.A.R. noted in a December 10 story. The two facilities, located in East Harlem and Washington Heights, were already operating as needle exchange sites and began allowing on-site consumption November 30, according to an announcement from New York Harm Reduction Educators, one

Courtesy city of Berkeley via Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley

The city of Berkeley received a perfect score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign’s new Municipal Equality Index.

the programs that larger-staffed cities do.”

Following up, Holstine reiterated his 2019 point that “small organizations by nature have many employees with multiple hats.”

“We cannot devote the dedicated resources that a bigger organization can,” Holstine stated. “Unfortunately, this rating system does not take that into account.”

One Bay Area city that saw a decline in its score is San Jose, which went from 100 in 2019 to 97 this year. In 2019, the city had an LGBTQ liaison in the city executive’s office, HRC stated in its report that year. In 2021, it did not.

Asked about the rating decline, San Jose spokesperson Carolina Camarena responded, “The city of San Jose aims to be one of the most welcoming cities in the U.S. and looks forward to accessing the Human Rights Campaign resources such as issue briefs and webinars to learn ways to improve the inclusion of LGBTQ+ people in our city.”

Richmond, whose score went from 86 to 84 over the two-year period; and Santa Rosa, whose score went from 78 to 80 in the same timespan, did not respond to requests for comment. t

purchased without much public outreach – something Haney had been critical of during the budget and finance committee meeting last week.

“Many of the Tenderloin’s residents and small businesses are just becoming aware this project is being crammed through,” Peskin said.

See page 9 >>

<< Community News

t Castro says goodbye to SF Patrol Special Police 8 • Bay Area Reporter • December 16-22, 2021

by John Ferrannini

T

he Castro neighborhood will soon be without a San Francisco Patrol Special Police officer for the first time in over four decades.

Cody Clements, a 29-year-old straight ally, announced that his last day will be December 31, as the Bay Area Reporter previously reported (https://www.ebar.com/news/latest_ news/311048), because he has been hired by another law enforcement agency “up north.”

The Patrol Special Police were

formed in 1847, prior to the San Francisco Police Department, when it was included in the city charter. Each beat is a privately-owned and -funded business (new officers do have to be hired through the SFPD and the police commission, however). Yet the Patrol Special Police have fallen on hard times in recent years – Clements was the only new officer in the past decade.

Clements patrols the Mission, Castro, and Noe Valley neighborhoods.

He told the B.A.R. he bought the beat in 2018 from the widow of John Fitzinger, who died the previous October.

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Fitzinger succeeded the late Jane Warner, after whom the plaza opposite Harvey Milk Plaza was named.

“When I leave, there will be three guys left,” Clements said of the Patrol Special Police. The other currentlyoperating beat of the Patrol Special Police covers the Marina and Fisherman’s Wharf.

Patrol Special Police beat owners have to pay out of pocket for medical insurance and retirement savings.

Clements said that city bureaucracy prevented his beat from being financially viable.

“I have to do what’s best for my future,” Clements said.

Specifically, Clements said that he has tried to make hires but has been stifled by the police department.

“If I want to hire new officers, I have to put them under a hiring process the SFPD puts forth,” Clements said. “I have to pay out of pocket and over the last three years, I’ve put forward three background checks and submitted them to the SFPD for review. Historically – when it gets to the police department – they take their time but our background [checks] are not selected. … If I can’t hire employees, I can’t expand my business; I can’t grow my business.”

The SFPD did not respond to a request for comment as of press time.

Clements has three assistant officers, however. He said that he works “five, six, seven days a week, depending on what my other guys do.”

“They work other jobs,” he said.

Clements said that Patrol Special Police officers have citizen’s arrest powers.

“We have limited police powers while on duty. We are peace officers,” Clements said, adding that after he makes an arrest, an SFPD unit “comes out and takes statements, and decides if [the arrested person] faces charges.”

Clements wanted to thank the Castro community.

Christopher Robledo

San Francisco Patrol Special Officer Cody Clements, third from left, greeted well-wishers at a farewell event held in his honor at Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in the Castro December 12.

“We’ve had great support from businesses, the merchants, Rafael Mandelman, and the SFPD’s [LGBTQ+] Pride Alliance,” Clements said, referring to the Castro Merchants Association and the gay District 8 supervisor.

The Castro community thanked Clements during a goodbye party the afternoon of December 12 in the rectory of Most Holy Redeemer Roman Catholic Church on 18th and Diamond streets.

Mandelman was one of many people who attended.

“Cody has been a great resource for neighbors and merchants and surely will be missed,” he stated.

The merchants and Pride Alliance did not respond to requests for comment.

Clements said he enjoyed the sendoff, adding he was grateful for having received “a lot of support.”

Andrea Aiello, a lesbian who is the executive director of the Castro/Upper Market Community Benefit District, stated that “yes, the Castro will miss the Patrol Special Police.”

“The businesses in the Castro have

hired the Patrol Special Police for over 40 years, relying on them for many issues small and large,” Aiello said. “Their absence will create a void in the nighttime Castro and will bring more 911 and non-emergency calls into SFPD, at a time when the police department is struggling with staffing issues.”

Aiello stated that “the Castro Community Benefit District has been a significant funder of the Patrol Special Police, paying them to have a public presence patrolling the district, keeping an eye on our public plazas, intervening and de-escalating situations.”

“Many of the situations the Patrol Special has addressed are issues that don’t rise to a police response, but still are important to address,” Aiello stated. “Without the Patrol Special, these many smaller issues will go unaddressed until they escalate to warrant a police response.”

Aiello said that the Patrol Special Police officers were “unique” for being “compassionate yet ... firm when necessary.”

“They really cared about the neighborhood,” Aiello said. “With them leaving, we are seeing the end of an era.” t

Foundation donates $158K to LGBTQ groups compiled by Cynthia Laird

T

he Grass Roots Gay Rights Foundation recently donated $158,000 to several LGBTQ nonprofits after what organizers called a successful year despite the challenges

PlanningAhead Ahead isisSimple Planning Simple The benefits are immense.

Planning Ahead is Simple The benefits are immense.

brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The foundation concluded its 2021 fundraising season of events with the December 5 check presentation. After two years of virtual and several postponed events due to CO-

VID, the foundation’s events committee and board of directors were able to reconnect their guests on the dance floor for REAL BAD 32, its signature fundraiser.

See page 9 >>

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2007: Navy’s Dunning retires

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retired in 1996. Dunning fought her discharge and won, using a defense that her sexual orientation was not conduct but was status. After her retirement, Dunning was active in the effort to overturn “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the compromise policy that then-President Bill Clinton instituted after promising on the campaign trail to allow gays and lesbians to serve openly in the armed forces. DADT was repealed in Congress in December 2010 and officially ended in September 2011.

t <<

Community News>>

News Briefs

From page 8

This year’s benefitting organizations were the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, Solano Pride Center, Queer LifeSpace, Lavender Youth Recreation and Information Center, National AIDS Memorial Grove, Oakland LGBTQ Community Center, the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, and Maitri Compassionate Care.

“What a year! It’s been an honor and pleasure to be the events chair for 2020 and 2021,” stated Miguel Jimenez. “I’m so glad that this year we are able to have this check celebration in person. We had many touch and go moments due to COVID, however, we were still able to have a great season of events this year.”

Will Vitagliano, incoming event chair for next year’s REAL BAD 33 and RITUAL parties, said, “I am excited to return, after what I thought was going to be a one-year hiatus, to this amazing organization that has been so near and dear to my heart. I am beyond excited to welcome back some seasoned veterans to the events committee and enthusiastic to welcome some talented new team members for an unforgettable season of events.”

For more information, go to https://www.realbad.org/

<<

Blackberri

From page 1

time,” Joe Hawkins, executive director of the Oakland LGBTQ Community Center, wrote on Facebook. “After we signed the lease to open the Oakland LGBTQ Community Center, he came to energetically clear our space with sage. After he finished, he gave me a card with Ochún the Orichá of love on it that I keep on a bookshelf in my office.

“Thank you for all the love and joy that you have given to our community here in Oakland and to the world,” Hawkins added. “You will be remembered always.”

“Tongues Untied,” the 1989 Black

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Political Notebook

From page 5

In 2013, McLeod-Skinner enrolled in law school at the University of Oregon, graduating in 2016. The mother of four had first moved to southern Oregon as a child. Her wife, Cass Skinner, comes from a multi-generational ranching family in eastern Oregon’s Jordan Valley.

During her first congressional race, McLeod-Skinner pitched herself as a “rural Democrat” and garnered local media attention for traveling around the district with her 2-year-old Doberman, Moshi, riding along in her blue

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December 16-22, 2021 • Bay Area Reporter • 9

Safe drug site

From page 7

Peskin blasted Breed, saying his constituents “feel abandoned by the city,” which he characterized as being “more interested in press releases” than in solving problems.

“You cannot say the city doesn’t intend to use this as a safe injection site when the city does intend to use this as a safe-injection site,” Peskin said. “It’s not true on its face.”

Peskin’s concerns were not heeded, and the amendment and purchase passed 10-1.

Haney, a straight ally, is currently running for state Assembly, where if he wins the February 15 race he’ll be representing much of the city’s eastside. His opponents are David Campos, a gay man who is currently on leave as chief of staff to San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin; Thea Selby, a straight ally who is a City College of San Francisco trustee; and Bilal Mahmood, a straight ally who is a former Obama administration official.

Study of LGBTQ+ women underway

drea Jenkins; First Nations Collective Founder Coya White Hat-Artichoker; University of Chicago Professor and founder of the Black Youth Project, Cathy Cohen, Ph.D.; Dean Spade, Seattle University Law School professor, trans scholar and activist, and founder of the Sylvia Rivera Law Project; and Bianca Wilson, Ph.D., and Lee Badgett at the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law. A diverse mix of grassroots organizations including leading LGBTQ community centers around the country, and key national partners like National Center for Lesbian Rights, the National LGBTQ Task Force, social media influencers, and promoters and media partners like Rivendell Media are supporting the project to reach out to queer communities nationwide.

COVID-19 restrictions have made it difficult for the study team to mount in-person events to support participation in the survey, the release states, but the team is planning opportunities to connect in-person in early 2022.

To take the survey, go to https:// www.lgbtqwomensurvey.org/. The deadline is March 31. t

‘Sexy elf’ to be chosen at Castro block party

The Castro Merchants Association will crown a “sexy elf” during its Winter Wonderland block party Sunday, December 19, at Noe Street between Market and Beaver streets.

The sexiest elf contest is slated to begin at 4 p.m. and has a $1,000 grand prize. A news release noted that organizers are “looking for the sexiest elves in San Francisco to join us on stage and convince our celebrity panel of judges why they should be crowned sexiest elf in the city.”

Men and women are encouraged to participate, the release states. To learn more and register, go to https://bit. ly/3m27fs6 The Winter Wonderland has activities for kids from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. including free photos with Santa Claus, a petting zoo, drag queen storytime, and a holiday art mart, which runs the duration of the afternoon.

Events for all ages from 2 to 5 p.m. include the aforementioned contest, drag performances, music, and entertainment.

A landmark comprehensive national community survey of LGBTQ+ women who center and partner with women has compiled data from more than 5,000 participants and hopes to gather more data as it has extended the deadline for people to participate.

According to a news release, Justice Work, a think tank, is conducting the study. The senior researcher on the project is Alyasah Ali Sewell, Ph.D., a sociology professor at Emory University.

“We are striving to have not just the largest repository of current community data on womxn and nonbinary people who partner with womxn, but the most ethnoracially and economically diverse data as well,” Sewell stated.

Urvashi Vaid, director of Justice Work, stated, “This survey’s findings will help our movement develop organizing, advocacy, policy ideas, services, and support for queer womxn who partner with other womxn.”

The release noted that the study is supported by a group of veteran activists and researchers that include Minneapolis Councilmember An-

queer film by Marlon Riggs, contained music by Blackberri. He told the Bay Area Reporter in a July interview that his work appeared in other films and that music of his has been archived at the Smithsonian.

“I have music in Peter Adair’s film ‘Word is Out,’ [and] in the film ‘Looking for Langston,’” he said.

The context of that July interview was that Blackberri received an award from The Barony, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in the East Bay that raises funds for charities within Alameda, Contra Costa, and Santa Clara counties. (https://www.ebar.com/news/ news//306732) However, the award had the wrong name for him. On Facebook, Blackberri was forced to

use the moniker “Blackberri Singer,” and that’s what organizers had originally put on his award.

“Blackberri Singer is not my name,” Blackberri told the B.A.R. “I had to choose it because Facebook didn’t let me use one name.”

In 2015, Sister Roma of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and others met with Facebook officials to discuss the issue. Facebook officials promised that they would make it easier for users to provide the company with more information about themselves so that the names they are commonly known by could be used on their profiles.

But some fell through the cracks, as Blackberri did. Singer was chosen as his last name on his Facebook profile

because it is what he does for a living.

“I took my passport, my credit card, and everything,” Blackberri said.

“They have one name on them. So they realized that I had one name, and they said they would drop ‘Singer’ and just let me use the one name, but they never did.”

Organizers of The Barony corrected the mistake and apologized.

In 1981, Blackberri released “Blackberri and Friends: Finally” on his music label, Bea B. Queen. It included the song “Eat the Rich.” He performed at LGBTQ festivals and open mics for many years. He was also active in the fight against HIV/AIDS. He received awards for his work and music.

Blackberri was born May 31, 1945,

according to his Facebook page.

In 2017, Blackberri was a recipient of the Audrey Joseph Entertainment Award from San Francisco Pride “Blackberri and his entire care team (there are at least 14 of us + dozens of medical caregivers) send prayers and love to all who know Blackberri as a beloved extended + blood family member,” Folkz wrote. “None of us did this alone. We ask for patience as we will reach out for support in the days to come. More information regarding Blackberri’s remembrance and rejoice circles will be forthcoming.” t

Jeep Wrangler. (A photo of her leaning against the vehicle with Moshi in the driver’s seat was included in an October 27 email from McLeod-Skinner teasing her 2022 electoral announcement.)

Schrader is a farmer and had worked as a veterinarian for more than 30 years before entering Congress. He is among the 19 members of the Blue Dog Coalition, a caucus in the House of Representatives of centrist or right-leaning Democrats.

He had questioned certain aspects of the Build Back Better Act, a cornerstone of President Joe Biden’s agenda, but ended up voting for it in the end.

Nonetheless, his publicly debating

the price tag for the social and climate policy initiatives included in the legislation has given McLeod-Skinner an opening to criticize his positions.

“He is a very unpopular Blue Dog Dem who has been undermining Biden’s agenda,” she told the B.A.R. Between January and June of this year McLeod-Skinner had served as interim city manager in Talent, overseeing its recovery from a wildfire that tore through it over Labor Day weekend last year. She decided to run again for Congress because of the impact she could have in the House on her three top priorities of addressing climate change, helping working-class families rebound

from the COVID-19 pandemic, and establishing good governance.

“Ultimately, this is an opportunity for folks across Oregon and across the country to support a healthier, more functional Congress,” McLeodSkinner said of the 2022 midterm elections. “Literally, your democracy is under attack.”

Pointing to her vote margins in past races, McLeod-Skinner argued she does have a path to survive her party primary in the spring and win the seat in November. She expects to make a swing through the Bay Area sometime early next year to help raise funds for her campaign.

“If folks can contribute and help us

make this happen, it is really exciting.

This is a completely winnable race,” she said. “Getting help from friends back in the Bay Area to make this happen would be greatly appreciated.”

Easton also expects to hold a fundraiser in the Bay Area sometime early next year. He is aiming to raise $740,000 just for his primary race and has been hosting virtual events where he shows off his Italian cooking skills while answering questions from participants.

“I am in this to win. I think I can win,” said Easton. “It will be a mad dash from March to May. I do need to raise money to be viable to get my message out.” t

Courtesy GRGR Foundation

The Grass Roots Gay Rights Foundation donated $158,000 to several LGBTQ nonprofits in 2021.

Following the board’s vote Selby stated to the B.A.R., “I support safe consumption sites. We need to do everything we can, including prosecuting drug dealers, to make a safer San Francisco. We all deserve to be safe.”

Campos and Mahmood did not respond to requests for comment.

Breed’s communications director, Jeff Cretan, stated to the B.A.R. that the process had to be fast so that the city didn’t miss out on the opportunity to purchase the building.

“This is an important opportunity to acquire a site for behavioral health uses for people suffering from mental illness and addiction to get off the street and connected to services,” Cretan stated. “The board has made clear their desire that we treat the rise of overdoses and suffering as an emergency, and the Mayor agrees it requires urgent action.” t

Former LYRIC ED honored T

Screengrab

he San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed a resolution December 14 designating December 30 as “Jodi Schwartz LYRIC Day” in the city. Schwartz, a queer woman, is the former executive director of the Lavender Youth Recreation and Information Center, better known as LYRIC, and is now leading the organization’s $2.5 million capital campaign to complete a major renovation of its “Purple House” on Collingwood Street in the Castro. “I’m proud of LYRIC,” Schwartz said during virtual remarks. During her tenure, she said, the nonprofit prioritized youth, with the emergence of a new generation of leaders. LYRIC’s budget has grown to over $4 million, she noted, and it has a dedicated staff of over 30 people. Schwartz thanked gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, who authored the resolution, and co-sponsors board President Shamann Walton and Supervisors Hillary Ronen, Myrna Melgar, Aaron Peskin, Dean Preston, and Gordon Mar. She also gave a shout-out to Carolyn, her wife of almost 30 years.

<< Community News

10 • Bay Area Reporter • December 16-22, 2021

Supes name Mission activist to police panel

by John Ferrannini

T

he San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted unanimously December 14 to appoint Jesus Gabriel Yanez to the city’s police commission.

Yanez takes over the seat left vacant by Petra DeJesus, who was the only openly LGBTQ member of the commission at the time of her retirement April 30. An associate at the law firm Kazan, McClain, Satterley and Greenwood, she’d served on the commission for 15 years.

With the appointment of Yanez,

<<

the commission will be left without a member of the LGBTQ community for the first time in decades.

As the Bay Area Reporter previously reported, two trans women – Veronika Fimbres and Stephen Schwartz (also known as Lulu) – applied for the position, but both were turned down in favor of either Yanez or David Rizk, an assistant federal public defender. The rules committee subsequently decided on Yanez when it met December 13. Fimbres withdrew from consideration, according to Supervisor Aaron Peskin, chair of the rules committee.

In a letter to the supervisors dated December 5, DeJesus endorsed Rizk.

“David’s expertise, historical knowledge of the commission’s policy work, and a deep understanding of the complicated structure between the commission, the department, and the Board of Supervisors is immeasurable,” DeJesus stated. “I know diversity is important on this commission but so is knowledge, passion, and community involvement. It is important to recognize that David has consistently participated with the

Assembly seat

From page 1

First elected in 2012, the former Hayward city councilmember and nuclear physicist could have sought a final two-year term in the Legislature’s lower chamber. But in a letter he sent December 9 to his constituents, Quirk wrote that he wanted to devote himself to addressing climate change full-time in the private sector.

“The greatest challenge the state of California now faces is the implementation of our greenhouse gas reduction goals and ameliorating the impacts of the climate crisis; I want to play a key role in accomplishing those goals,” wrote Quirk. “Most of this work will not require new legislation, but action by the private sector and regulators. During my 10 years in the Assembly, I have spent many hours being a bridge between the research community, the legislature, and regulators. I have decided to make this my full-time occupation.”

Quirk added that he is looking forward “with great enthusiasm” to next year’s legislative session and his chairing the Assembly’s Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials committee.

He hoped 2022 would be his “most productive year in the legislature with bills to improve California’s environmental safety, streamlining regulations particularly in the cannabis industry, improving public access to state agencies proceedings, and criminal justice reform.”

And he thanked his wife, Laurel, and his family “for their immense support over these past many years that I have served in elected office.”

As of December 10, only two Democratic women had pulled papers with the secretary of state’s office for

Courtesy Franco-Clausen, Kumagai

Shanta “Shay” Franco-Clausen, left, said she is running for the 20th Assembly District seat, while Dublin City Councilmember Shawn Kumagai has expressed interest.

Quirk’s 20th Assembly District seat.

One is gay nurse and union leader Jennifer Esteen, seeking to be the state’s first Black LGBTQ legislator.

The other is Fremont City Councilmember Teresa Keng. But as the Bay Area Reporter previously reported, Fremont would be in a different Assembly district under the redistricting process currently underway. It would be part of a redrawn Assembly District 24 seat along with Newark, Milpitas and parts of northeastern San Jose.

As for Assembly District 20, the unincorporated community of Ashland where Esteen lives will remain a part of it along with San Leandro, Hayward, Castro Valley, San Lorenzo, Sunol, and parts of Union City, Dublin, and Pleasanton. The new maps are to be approved in mid-January, with the deadline for candidates to file a few months later.

With state legislators now able to

serve 12 years in their seats, open Assembly and Senate seats often result in crowded contests for them. As Esteen is seen as a progressive Democrat, it is likely someone on the more moderate end of the party will enter the race.

Dublin City Councilmember Shawn Kumagai, a gay man elected in 2018 as the first out LGBTQ person elected to a city council in the East Bay’s Tri-Valley, told the B.A.R. if West Dublin where he lives remains in the newly drawn Assembly seat then he will likely seek it. The married Navy veteran is district director for Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda).

“Obviously, I wouldn’t have thought about it if Assemblymember Quirk was running for reelection. I have a lot of respect for him and the work he has done in the Assembly,” said Kumagai. “When I heard he was contemplating not running for reelection it made we think about it.”

the application for change of name should not be granted.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039539600

t

commission over the years, rolled up his sleeves and did the hard work necessary to bring the commission to where it is today.”

At the board meeting – the last of the year – District 9 Supervisor Hillary Ronen, who represents the Mission neighborhood, supported Yanez, who is a program director with Instituto Familiar de la Raza.

“For decades, Jesus Yanez has advanced ... a community-driven approach to justice,” Ronen said.

“I could not be more excited to be supporting his nomination today.”

Ronen said that Yanez has been a

Mission neighborhood resident for 24 years and has spent 20 of them working with the community.

Ronen quoted District 3 Supervisor Aaron Peskin’s remarks from the rules committee that the city has “an embarrassment of riches,” and stated her hope that “we can get Mr. Rizk on the police commission at some point.”

Ten of the supervisors voted to approve Yanez’ nomination. District 11 Supervisor Ahsha Safaí was absent for the vote. t

He added that his main consideration at the moment is if where he lives stays in the new Assembly district.

“I have been talking to folks to see if I have a viable path to victory,” he said, “so far it is looking pretty good.”

Having moved their family to Hayward after Shanta “Shay” FrancoClausen and her wife bought a home there in June, Franco-Clausen also plans to seek the Assembly seat. While she has yet to return the B.A.R.’s request for comment about her candidacy, she notes on her Instagram account that she is a candidate for the seat.

As West Coast region program director for IGNITE, which helps women run for public office, FrancoClausen works on various political campaigns and advocates for legislation in Sacramento. She grew up in San Jose and lost her bid in 2018 to be elected the first lesbian on the City Council in the South Bay city.

She was then appointed that December as a trustee of the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority to a term the ends in 2022 and is listed as its vice chairperson on its website.

Last March, Franco-Clausen won a seat on the Santa Clara County Democratic Central Committee, which she had been serving on as a non-voting member and was censured by it in 2019 after learning about a fellow party activist’s medical information from her wife, a police officer, and then tweeting about it to several people.

In 2017, Franco-Clausen worked as a field representative for thenAssemblymember Ash Kalra of San Jose, who is now serving in Congress.

Like Esteen, should Franco-Clausen be elected to the Assembly seat then she would be the state’s first Black

LGBTQ legislator, as she is African American/Afro-Caribbean.

Working in Esteen’s favor is her having launched her bid for Quirk’s seat this summer and spending the last few months locking down endorsements. As the B.A.R. noted last month, a host of LGBTQ and progressive Democratic leaders have already thrown their support behind Esteen.

The list includes Tiffany Woods, a transgender woman who is co-chair of the state party’s LGBTQ caucus; Alexis Villalobos, a gay man who ran against Quirk last year; and Brandon Harami, a gay man who is vice chair of the state party’s progressive caucus. Gay former state legislators Assemblymember Tom Ammiano and Senator Mark Leno, both of San Francisco, have also endorsed Esteen, who like Leno is Jewish.

Just this week Alicia Garza, a queer woman who helped found the Black Lives Matter Global Network, came out in support of Esteen, as did the Working Families Party, which aims to elect progressive leaders to office. In a statement December 9 responding to Quirk’s decision, Esteen thanked him for representing the community.

“I thank Assemblyman Quirk for his many years of public service and his commitment to the people of this community,” stated Esteen, adding that she appreciates “the work of Assemblymember Bill Quirk and I will be proud to represent this district in his stead.”

Assemblymember Bill Quirk (D), left, and candidate Jennifer Esteen.

Photos: Quirk, courtesy Assemblymember Quirk’s office; Esteen, courtesy Esteen for Assembly campaign t

OTOLARYNGOLOGY MEDICAL GROUP, INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/22/71. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/26/21.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as SAN FRANCISCO OTOLARYNGOLOGY MEDICAL GROUP, INC., 450 SUTTER ST #1404, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed SAN FRANCISCO OTOLARYNGOLOGY MEDICAL GROUP, INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/22/71. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/02/21.

Legals>> ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556749

NOV 25, DEC 02, 09, 16, 2021

In the matter of the application of MARGARET SEVERANCE MUNN, 1315 4TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner MARGARET SEVERANCE MUNN is requesting that the name MARGARET SEVERANCE MUNN be changed to MARIC SEVERANCE MUNN. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 30th of DECEMBER 2021 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039554100

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556751

The following person(s) is/are doing business as A AND B SEAFOOD OF CALIFORNIA, 279 8TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed GILBERT CHOW. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/97. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/12/21.

NOV 25, DEC 02, 09, 16, 2021

In the matter of the application of ALEJANDRO ALEGRE MENDEZ, 3018 MISSION ST #23, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner ALEJANDRO ALEGRE MENDEZ is requesting that the name ALEJANDRO ALEGRE MENDEZ AKA ALEX MENDEZ AKA ALEJANDRO A. MENDEZ be changed to ALEJANDRO ALEGRE MENDEZ. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Rm. 103N on the 30th of DECEMBER 2021 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

NOV 25, DEC 02, 09, 16, 2021

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556752

In the matter of the application of MINHO LEE, 1330 BUSH ST #2D, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner MINHO LEE is requesting that the name MINHO LEE be changed to NATHAN VINCENT MINHO LEE. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 30th of DECEMBER 2021 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why

The following person(s) is/are doing business as LAHORE DI KHUSHBOO, 4445 3RD ST #310, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MUHAMMAD ALI RAZA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/19/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/19/21.

NOV 25, DEC 02, 09, 16, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039547800

NOV 25, DEC 02, 09, 16, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039553500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as SPARKS REMIT, 953 MISSION ST #108, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LOIDA I. FALCIS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/11/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/18/21.

NOV 25, DEC 02, 09, 16, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039533700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as JOVINA’S CUSTOM UPHOLSTERY; JOVI’S CUSTOM UPHOLSTERY, 1345 17TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JORGE JIMENEZ. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/18/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/01/21.

NOV 25, DEC 02, 09, 16, 2021

The following person(s) is/are doing business as THE UPS STORE, 182 HOWARD ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105-1611. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed SAN FRANCISCO MAIL BOXES CORPORATION (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/14/03. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/05/21.

NOV 25, DEC 02, 09, 16, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039526900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as SAN FRANCISCO OTOLARYNGOLOGY MEDICAL GROUP, INC.; SAN FRANCISCO ALLERGY ASTHMA & IMMUNOLOGY; SAN FRANCISCO VOICE & SWALLOWING; SAN FRANCISCO MEDICAL AESTHETICS; 450 SUTTER ST #1139, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108.

This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed SAN FRANCISCO OTOLARYNGOLOGY MEDICAL GROUP, INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/22/71. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/26/21.

NOV 25, DEC 02, 09, 16, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039527000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as SAN FRANCISCO OTOLARYNGOLOGY MEDICAL GROUP, INC.; SAN FRANCISCO ALLERGY ASTHMA & IMMUNOLOGY, 180 MONTGOMERY ST #2370, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94104. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed SAN FRANCISCO OTOLARYNGOLOGY MEDICAL GROUP, INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/22/71. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/26/21.

NOV 25, DEC 02, 09, 16, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039527900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as SAN FRANCISCO OTOLARYNGOLOGY MEDICAL GROUP, INC.; SAN FRANCISCO ALLERGY ASTHMA & IMMUNOLOGY, 2100 WEBSTER ST #329, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed SAN FRANCISCO

NOV 25, DEC 02, 09, 16, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039534500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as SAN FRANCISCO OTOLARYNGOLOGY MEDICAL GROUP, INC., 2100 WEBSTER ST #202, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 95115. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed SAN FRANCISCO OTOLARYNGOLOGY MEDICAL GROUP, INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/22/71. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/02/21.

NOV 25, DEC 02, 09, 16, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039535000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as SAN FRANCISCO OTOLARYNGOLOGY MEDICAL GROUP, INC.; SAN FRANCISCO VOICE & SWALLOWING; SAN FRANCISCO ALLERGY ASTHMA & IMMUNOLOGY; 450 SUTTER ST #933, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed SAN FRANCISCO OTOLARYNGOLOGY MEDICAL GROUP, INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/22/71. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/02/21.

NOV 25, DEC 02, 09, 16, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039535100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as SAN FRANCISCO OTOLARYNGOLOGY MEDICAL GROUP, INC., 2250 HAYES ST #612, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed SAN FRANCISCO OTOLARYNGOLOGY MEDICAL GROUP, INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/22/71. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/02/21.

NOV 25, DEC 02, 09, 16, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039535200

NOV 25, DEC 02, 09, 16, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039535300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as SAN FRANCISCO OTOLARYNGOLOGY MEDICAL GROUP, INC.; SAN FRANCISCO ALLERGY ASTHMA & IMMUNOLOGY; 45 CASTRO ST #325, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed SAN FRANCISCO OTOLARYNGOLOGY MEDICAL GROUP, INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/22/71. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/02/21.

NOV 25, DEC 02, 09, 16, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039535400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as SAN FRANCISCO OTOLARYNGOLOGY MEDICAL GROUP, INC., 1 SHRADER ST #578, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed SAN FRANCISCO OTOLARYNGOLOGY MEDICAL GROUP, INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/22/71.

The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/02/21.

NOV 25, DEC 02, 09, 16, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039546200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as SAUCY ASIAN, 3801 17TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed SHINN & SONS, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/26/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/12/21.

NOV 25, DEC 02, 09, 16, 2021

<< Legals

11 • Bay Area Reporter • December 9-15, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039534600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as FRESH HOME STAGING, 175 BARNEVELD AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed BLUE IMPERATOR INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/02/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/02/21.

NOV 25, DEC 02, 09, 16, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039550200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as RED WINDOW, 500 COLUMBUS AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed 500 COLUMBUS LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/30/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/16/21.

NOV 25, DEC 02, 09, 16, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039554000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as THE MOCHI DONUT SHOP, 2126 IRVING ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed IRVING ENTERPRISES LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/18/21.

NOV 25, DEC 02, 09, 16, 2021

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556747

In the matter of the application of CONNOR PAUL FANNING, 1537 10TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner CONNOR PAUL FANNING is requesting that the name CONNOR PAUL FANNING be changed to JACK CONNOR CALDERA FANNING. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Rm. 103N on the 30th of DECEMBER 2021 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

DEC 02, 09, 16, 23, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039556500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as TRENDING SOCIAL, LLC, 4629 CALIFORNIA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LUIS QUIROZ. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/19/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/22/21.

DEC 02, 09, 16, 23, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039556700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as LITTLE FEET DOULA SERVICES, 1256 28TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ANA CELENIA MUELLER MARTINEZ. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/15/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/22/21.

DEC 02, 09, 16, 23, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039559300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as QUEERLY COMPLEX, 2690 20TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JASON WYMAN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/30/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/24/21.

DEC 02, 09, 16, 23, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039432000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as US-CHINA REAL ESTATE; US-CHINA LAW COUNSEL, 425 DIVISADERO ST #209, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed YING NATALIE ZHANG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/01/08. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/28/21.

DEC 02, 09, 16, 23, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039560100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as POPULATION, 1459 18TH ST #155, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed POPULATION LIGHTS, INC. (DE).

The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/29/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/29/21.

DEC 02, 09, 16, 23, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039552400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as STUDIO GALLERY; STUDIO, 1641 PACIFIC AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a married couple, and is signed J TERRY & J FARRIS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/12/99. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/17/21.

DEC 02, 09, 16, 23, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039543800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as KOFY TV 20, 900 FRONT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed STRYKER MEDIA 2 LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/09/21.

DEC 02, 09, 16, 23, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039554500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as QURE HEALTHCARE, 450 PACIFIC AVE #200, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed QURE LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/30/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/19/21.

DEC 02, 09, 16, 23, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039560200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as MEDICINE FOR NIGHTMARES, 3036 24TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed VANGUARD LITERARY COLLECTIVE LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/01/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/29/21.

DEC 02, 09, 16, 23, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039560300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as SAA JANITORIAL SERVICES, 483 MADRID ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed SKARLET AMAYA AVILES LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/29/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/29/21.

DEC 02, 09, 16, 23, 2021

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556770

In the matter of the application of CRAIG DABNEY, 255 DUNCAN ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94131, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner CRAIG DABNEY is requesting that the name CRAIG JAMES DABNEY be changed to CRAIG DABNEY JAMES. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Rm. 103N on the 13 of JANUARY 2022 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

DEC 09, 16, 23, 30, 2021

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556769

In the matter of the application of MAYA PERELMAN, 255 DUNCAN ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94131, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner MAYA PERELMAN is requesting that the name MAYA PERELMAN be changed to MAYA PERELMAN JAMES. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Rm. 103N on the 13th of JANUARY 2022 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

DEC 09, 16, 23, 30, 2021

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556772

In the matter of the application of FREDDIE RICHARD LINAWEAVER, 296 CHURCH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner FREDDIE RICHARD LINAWEAVER is requesting that the name FREDDIE RICHARD LINAWEAVER be changed to ATTICUS FREDERIK LINAWEAVER. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Rm. 103N on the 13th of JANUARY 2022 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

DEC 09, 16, 23, 30, 2021

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556535

In the matter of the application of MARIA LISA AHEARNE AKA LISA MARIE AHEARNE, 2538 17TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner MARIA LISA AHEARNE AKA LISA MARIE AHEARNE is requesting that the name MARIA LISA AHEARNE AKA LISA MARIE AHEARNE be changed to MARÍA LÍZA AHEARNE. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Rm. 103N on the 18th of JANUARY 2022 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

DEC 09, 16, 23, 30, 2021

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556783

In the matter of the application of VICTORINE MANGA, 520 41ST AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner VICTORINE MANGA is requesting that the name VICTORINE MANGA be changed to VICTORINE MANDENGUE NGONDE. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Rm. 103N on the 1st of FEBRUARY 2022 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

DEC 09, 16, 23, 30, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039562000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as COASTALOHA TEAM, 891 BEACH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MARK WEISBARTH. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/01/21.

DEC 09, 16, 23, 30, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039562400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as THE G SPA, 490 POST ST #1703, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ELISE GRENIER. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/01/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/01/21.

DEC 09, 16, 23, 30, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039562100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as H&E WHOLESALING, 720 CLEMENT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed HARRY LENCZNER. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/07/90. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/01/21.

DEC 09, 16, 23, 30, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039561600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as PURE AQUA, 100 PINE ST #1250, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MIN YOUNG HWANG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/14/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/30/21.

DEC 09, 16, 23, 30, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039562600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as PRISCAECOSHINE, 3151 CALIFORNIA ST #3A, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LILIA PRISCILA TIRADO SANCHEZ. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/01/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/01/21.

DEC 09, 16, 23, 30, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039566200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as KEVIN’S LIGHT SOURCE, 62 MARNE AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94127. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed KEVIN UGAR. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/29/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/03/21.

DEC 09, 16, 23, 30, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039563500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as SUTTER NAILS, 539 SUTTER ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed THAOLY THI VU. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/01/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/01/21.

DEC 09, 16, 23, 30, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039562300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as CARNEY’S PLASTERING, 1325 EVANS AVE #B, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed WILBERT T. CARNEY. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/01/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/01/21.

DEC 09, 16, 23, 30, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039564900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as JAPANESE NAVAL LIAISON, 5 THOMAS MELLON CIRCLE #216, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed ALPHA ASSOCIATES INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/03/21.

DEC 09, 16, 23, 30, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039556300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as HOM KOREAN KITCHEN, 154 MCALLISTER ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed THEOMY EMPIRE INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/15/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/22/21.

DEC 09, 16, 23, 30, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039563100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as MONGOL CAFÉ, 842 GEARY ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed MONGOL CAFE (CA).

The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/01/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/01/21.

DEC 09, 16, 23, 30, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039559200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as LE REGENCY DELI, 18 CALIFORNIA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111. This business is conducted by a limited liability company and is signed NAAZ LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/24/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/24/21.

DEC 09, 16, 23, 30, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039562500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as 17TH & BALBOA MARKET, 1601 BALBOA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed PAWSON LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/12/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/01/21.

DEC 09, 16, 23, 30, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039566700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as INTIVIX, 605 MARKET ST #410, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed LANXPERT LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/05/11. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/06/21.

DEC 09, 16, 23, 30, 2021

STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-039532800

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as THE G SPA, 490 POST ST #1703, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102.

This business was conducted by a corporation and signed by OFFICE MD (CA). The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/01/21.

DEC 09, 16, 23, 30, 2021

STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-037790200

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as SUTTER NAILS, 539 SUTTER ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102.

This business was conducted by an individual and signed by LILY PHAM. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/04/17.

DEC 09, 16, 23, 30, 2021

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF FRANK ALBERT MANDRILE IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO: FILE PES-21-304993

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of FRANK ALBERT MANDRILE, C/O NICOLE C. KELLY (SBN#320379), THE KELLY LAW FIRM, 345 FRANKLIN ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. A Petition for Probate has been filed by JOVAHNKA ALVARADO in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco. The Petition for Probate requests that JOVAHNKA ALVARADO be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. The petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority. A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: JANUARY 10, 2022, 9:00 am, Dept. 201, Rm. XX, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. If you object

to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney.

If you are a creditor or contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the latter of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined by section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law. You may examine the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250.

A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk. Attorney for petitioner: NICOLE C. KELLY (SBN#320379), THE KELLY LAW FIRM, 345 FRANKLIN ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102; Ph. (415) 552-X.

DEC 16, 23, 30, 2021

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-55676600

In the matter of the application of HA KHANH CHANG, 17 HILLVIEW CT, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner HA KHANH CHANG is requesting that the name HA KHANH CHANG be changed to TIFFANY KHANH HA CHANG. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 11th of JANUARY 2022 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

DEC 16, 23, 30, 2021, JAN 06, 2022

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-55677900

In the matter of the application of CLAUDIA JEANNE PENWELL, 229 LEXINGTON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner CLAUDIA JEANNE PENWELL is requesting that the name CLAUDIA JEANNE PENWELL be changed to CLAUDIA JEANNE PENDLETON. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Rm. 103N on the 13th of JANUARY 2022 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

DEC 16, 23, 30, 2021, JAN 06, 2022

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-55676700

In the matter of the application of KAREN RENEE WAGONER & ROGERIO SA DE SOUSA, 3892 26TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94131, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner KAREN RENEE WAGONER & ROGERIO SA DE SOUSA is requesting that the name DONOVAN WILLIAM DE SOUSA be changed to DONOVAN WILLIAM WAGONER DE SOUSA, the name COLETTE LANOUE DE SOUSA be changed to COLETTE LANOUE WAGONER DE SOUSA. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 11th of JANUARY 2022 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

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FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039572900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as OCEAN ACUPUNCTURE & HEALTH CENTER, 1959 OCEAN AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94127. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed XI ZHI SONG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/22/10. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/09/21.

DEC 16, 23, 30, 2021, JAN 06, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039572500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as THE BRUNCH SLUT, 124 KIRKWOOD AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DONTAYE BALL. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/09/21.

DEC 16, 23, 30, 2021, JAN 06, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039566900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as THE GINGER LAB, 2283 HEARST AVE #20, BERKELEY, CA 94909. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed PAVEL TSERASHKAVETS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/06/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/06/21.

DEC 16, 23, 30, 2021, JAN 06, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039569600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as YUJI, 1700 POST ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115.

This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed IZAKAYA MAYUMI INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/08/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/08/21.

DEC 16, 23, 30, 2021, JAN 06, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039572300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as BONITA TAQUERIA Y ROTISSERIE, 2227 POLK ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed SUMAC MEDITERRANEAN RESTAURANT INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/09/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/09/21.

DEC 16, 23, 30, 2021, JAN 06, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039571400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as TABITA’S CAFÉ, 1101 TARAVAL ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed TABITA’S CAFÉ, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/01/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/08/21.

DEC 16, 23, 30, 2021, JAN 06, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039565400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as ROSE POINT HERBS AND ACUPUNCTURE, 2529 24TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed ELIZABETH SWARTZ ACUPUNCTURE PROFESSIONAL CORPORATION (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/10/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/03/21.

DEC 16, 23, 30, 2021, JAN 06, 2022

DEC 16, 23, 30, 2021, JAN 06, 2022

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556764

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039567300

In the matter of the application of KA YING TSANG & XINAN LIN, 66 CLEARY CT #1403, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner KA YING TSANG & XINAN LIN, is requesting that the name YI CHE LIN be changed to ISOLDE LIN, and the name ENZHUO LIN be changed to ENZO LIN. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 11th of JANUARY 2022 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

DEC 16, 23, 30, 2021, JAN 06, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039563300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as BLISS ORGANIC SALON, 6209 GEARY BLVD, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JOHN LEE MARTINEZ. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/01/21.

DEC 16, 23, 30, 2021, JAN 06, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039569300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as CLT CONSTRUCTION SERVICES, 280 NEWHALL ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed CARLA TUCKER. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/05/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/08/21.

DEC 16, 23, 30, 2021, JAN 06, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039561900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as TBD DANCE, 1221 HARRISON ST #4, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed TIFFANY BOUQUET. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/01/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/01/21.

DEC 16, 23, 30, 2021, JAN 06, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039566800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as OROZCO’S CLEANING, 686 VALENCIA ST #4, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed EVA E PLAMA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/01/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/06/21.

DEC 16, 23, 30, 2021, JAN 06, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039567600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as REINA IRIAS REAL ESTATE, 1124 NEWHALL ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed REINA IRIAS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/07/21.

DEC 16, 23, 30, 2021, JAN 06, 2022

The following person(s) is/are doing business as MRC BARBER, 1115 POST ST #20, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed MACKLAN CLENDENIN CONSULTING INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/07/21.

DEC 16, 23, 30, 2021, JAN 06, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039573000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as ANJA LEE & COMPANY, LLC, 2347 UNION ST #1, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed ANJA LEE WITTELS, ANJA LEE CATERING LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/01/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/09/21.

DEC 16, 23, 30, 2021, JAN 06, 2022––

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West Side Story New film adaptation pays homage while updating a classic tale Ariana DeBose as Anita and David Alvarez as Bernardo in the “America” dance scene in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story.

2021

Pamela Gentile

has been another disappointing year for movies with only small audiences returning to multiplexes to watch new films. So theater owners should get down on their knees and thank the gods for West Side Story. It’s always a daunting gamble to remake an acknowledged classic (i.e. 2018’s Mary Poppins Returns as cautionary tale) especially decades after the original, but Steven Spielberg has defied the odds, reinventing and rejuvenating the 1961 ten-time Oscar winner. With some improvements in his dazzling reinterpretation, he’s fully justified a remake. And if any movie should bring back inperson filmgoers in droves, this might be it.

Spielberg’s revival is based more on the

1957 Broadway musical than on the film, especially because certain songs are reordered according to the stage version, not the movie, changes that help to propel the plot.

However, the crucial alteration relates to the criticisms long levied against the movie having cast white actors in brown face in nearly every Puerto Rican role. Spielberg’s version pays reverent homage to the masterwork, but is intent on making a contemporary movie reflecting contemporary values about race, ethnicity, and gender. All the actors playing the Sharks, male and female, are 100% Latin and young.

Screenwriter Tony Kushner (Angels in America) is also attuned to issues of poverty and gentrification, so the initial scene showcases the rapidly transitioning Upper West Side precincts in the summer of 1957, with decaying tenements being bulldozed to make

Rita Moreno Celebrated actress at SF FILM’s ‘West Side Story’ screening

Rita Moreno on stage at the Dec. 12 SF Film screening of the new West Side Story film.

by David-Elijah Nahmod

A

packed, masked and vaccinated audience braved the rain and filled the Castro Theater on Sunday December 12 for a free screening of Steven Spielberg’s reimagining of the classic musical West Side Story. The crowd was in an upbeat mood, with many saying that they were excited about seeing the film, which stars Ansel Elgort and Rachel Zegler as the star-crossed, ill-fated lovers Tony and Maria.

The afternoon began with famed Castro organist David Hegarty playing songs from the film’s iconic score. An appreciative audience applauded at the end of each number.

The event’s biggest draw was not the film itself, but the presence of legendary actress Rita Moreno, who sixty years ago won an Oscar for her portrayal of Anita in the first

film version of the musical. It was a special weekend for Bay Area resident Moreno, who celebrated her 90th birthday the day before the screening.

The audience was clearly delighted by the screen icon’s presence, singing a joyous “Happy Birthday” to Moreno. The actress is also in the 2021 film, playing the newly created character of Valentina, the owner of the local candy store. In addition, Moreno serves as one of the film’s executive producers.

“Oh my God, you actually showed up,” Moreno said as she addressed the crowd prior to the screening. “I saw that rain and I thought ‘Oh, shit,’ and you came.”

The audience laughed.

“This is probably the most thrilling time of my life,” Moreno said. “That I have reached this kind of apex, and we have for you the most incredible movie you will have seen in many, many years. It’s easy to say this because now all

way for the new upscale Lincoln Center.

This is a real street story with real street characters. Kushner provides a social context to explain the conflict between the gangs as a race war, particularly tragic since the urban renewal forces destroying both their neighborhoods should unite rather than separate them.

Hope and yearning

West Side Story is inspired by Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet with the two warring gangs, the Jets (whom police detective Lt. Shrank derides as “the last of the can’t-make-it-Caucasians”) headed by the wiry Riff (Mike Faist) and the Puerto Rican Sharks led by boxer Bernardo (David Alvarez). Riff ’s best friend Tony (Ansel Elgort) has just returned home after serving a year in prison for nearly killing a rival.

At a dance party, he meets Maria (Rachel Zegler), Bernardo’s sister, and roommate/ the critiques are out. But it is a fantastic, thrilling movie and as joyous as you’ve heard it is.”

Moreno received rousing applause, followed by a hushed silence as the film began.

The end of the film was met with much cheering, especially when Moreno’s name appeared on the screen. She received a standing ovation when she stepped back onto the stage, where she was interviewed by Keith Zwolfer, Director of Education for SF Film.

“I think this is my sixth time,” Moreno said of how often she’s seen the new West Side Story. “I could sit here and sigh for a half hour. I think I get more emotional every time I see it.

Aren’t they wonderful?”

“I want to thank Steven Spielberg and [screenwriter] Tony Kushner for making all these amazing decisions in the film,” Zwolfer said. “But the best decision was to bring you back.”

Moreno shared that it was Kushner’s husband Mark Harris who came up with the idea of having her play Doc’s widow, Doc being the candy store owner in the 1961 film.

“I still don’t know what an executive producer does,” Moreno quipped. “I’m an actress!

One of the funniest things that ever happened on the original movie, when the Jets were in a car, there were about four of them, and apparently, they were speeding. A cop stopped them and he asked each one what they did and one of them said ‘I’m a dancer, I’m doing this movie.’ And that’s how I feel, I’m a producer. He [Spielberg] knew that I could be very helpful to him on all things Hispanic, not just Puerto Rican, but Hispanic. And of course, it was Tony who pushed me on him.”

Valentina’s Day

Moreno recalled that when Spielberg first contacted her, she thought she was being offered a cameo.

“I don’t do cameos,” she said. But when she read the script she saw that she was being offered a fully fleshed-out character. Moreno even has a number in the new film. The plaintive song “Somewhere,” originally sung by Tony and Maria, is given to Valentina, and

close friend to Anita (Ariana DeBose), girlfriend of Bernardo. They almost immediately fall in love, a union opposed by both gangs that will end in catastrophe.

In a departure from the original, a new character, Valentina, the Puerto Rican widow of Doc, the compassionate white pharmacy owner who gave shelter and advice to Tony, provides the same nurturing function here.

In a lovely reclamation, Valentina is played by 90-year-old Rita Moreno, the 1961 Anita (for which she won an Oscar) and now also an executive producer.

In another twist, Valentina sings the musical’s most famous song, “Somewhere,” originally a love duet between Tony and Maria, but now a rueful song of hope and yearning for a better world, as a survivor of an interraSee page 13 >> Moreno’s rendition brought the house down.

She said that it was one of her favorite songs.

“I cried when I saw the movie for the first time,” Moreno said. “At 20th Century Fox, they have a great theater. I cried, and my daughter was sitting next to me, and she’s here tonight.

And I started to cry at the ‘Dance at the Gym,’ which is very joyous and filled with energy. I couldn’t understand why I was crying. And I realized, it was because Steven got it right.”

It may have surprised a few audience members to hear that Moreno almost didn’t do the 1961 film because of the lyrics to the showstopping song “America.” The original opening lyrics to the song were “Puerto Rico, you ugly island, land of tropical diseases...”

“I can’t do this to my people,” she said, as the audience applauded. “And then there was the nightmare of having to tell my agent that I was going to have to bow out on principle.

And you know agents, ‘Principle? What the fuck are you talking about!’ And I was scared to death he would talk me into doing it, because he said, ‘You committed.’ I was terrified, and literally the day before I was going to call my agent, I got a new script, meaning rewrites, and there it was ‘Puerto Rico, my heart’s devotion,’ he (lyricist Stephen Sondheim) changed it, it had nothing to do with me, but obviously someone said to him, ‘That’s kinda harsh, would you consider changing the words?’ and he did.”

Zwolfer noted that Moreno still had all her dance moves when she comes out on stage.

“Was there ever talk of having you dance?” he asked.

“Oh Jesus, no!” said Moreno, as the audience laughed. “What are you talking about?

See page 13 >>

20th Century Studios

by Brian Bromberger

Rita Moreno as Valentina in the 2021 West Side Story

t

Film, TV & Events>>

December 16-22, 2021 • Bay Area Reporter • 13

20th Century Studios

but here provides motives for why the characters do what they do.

However, there’s one major flaw –similar to the 1961 film– where audiences are asked to accept that Maria must forgive another character almost instantly for a dastardly act, which won’t be spoiled here, yet it strains credulity, threatening to undermine the film. This narrative segment should’ve been fixed.

Fizzling romance, dynamic dances

Ansel Elgort as Tony and Rachel Zegler as Maria in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story.

West Side Story

From page 12

cial marriage, which barely manages to avoid sentimentality (often a Spielbergian foible). Casting Moreno could’ve been gimmicky, yet creates a believable bridge between the two films as well as a tenderness to counterbalance the violence.

Outsiders

The prior West Side Story was created by four gay geniuses: director/choreographer Jerome Robbins, composer Leonard Bernstein, lyricist Stephen Sondheim (who just died), and playwright/librettist Arthur Laurents. Their sense of being society’s (sexual) outsiders was easily transferred to the gangs in the plot.

But through the passing decades criticism emerged concerning four white men writing about people of color. This charge still holds with

the 2021 version, as Spielberg, Kushner, and choreographer Justin Peck, are all Caucasians. Only Kushner is gay, and that sensibility is reflected in the wannabe Jet character, Anybodys, initially dismissed as a freakish tomboy, but written as a non-binary, gender nonconformist who rejects being called a girl.

Kushner’s screenplay is a vast improvement over the creaky Ernest Lehman script which just seemed to connect one song to the next,

20th Century Studios

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Rita Moreno

From page 12

I’m an old lady. You know, it’s okay to be an old lady. But no, I would rather eat glass.”

The audience laughed again.

Moreno noted that her favorite number from the new film was “America.” She reminded the audience that in the original stage show, this song was sung by the female

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characters only. It was when they decided to do the first film that original choreographer Jerome Robbins decided to add the male characters to the number, an idea which was retained for the new film.

“Which is the best thing that ever happened to ‘America,’” Moreno said. “It was delicious, charming and funny.”

The Q & A lasted for about twenty minutes. It was followed by

twenty minutes of questions from the audience. At Zwolfer’s suggestion, it was younger members of the audience who stepped up to the microphone. One young girl named Belle asked Moreno what her advice was to anyone who wanted to be an actress. Moreno’s advice: “Finish your education.”t See West Side Story at local cinemas.

Learn more about the film and other productions at www.westsidestory.com Watch Rita Moreno’s interview at https://youtu.be/ey1hQ3DlWYM

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N E W C O N S E R VAT O R Y T H E AT R E C E N T E R IN ASSOCIATION WITH SEASON PRODUCERS: NORMAN ABRAMSON, MICHAEL GOLDEN & MICHAEL LEVY, ROBERT HOLGATE, LOWELL KIMBLE, TED TUCKER EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: GARY DEMYEN & LES PARTRIDGE, WILLIAM GREGORY, JORGE R. HERNÁNDEZ & RON JENKINS, DAVID E. MEDERS PRODUCERS: ANDY LEAS & BONG VILLA-LEAS, JEFF MALLOY & DEAN SHIBUYA, KEN PRAG & STEVE COLLINS

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By Martin Sherman Writer of Bent and The Boy from Oz

Directed by Arturo Catricala

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athletic. “America” is astonishing as it nods to Robbins, but provides its own dynamism in the form of a reckless tribal exhilaration, especially in the gang sequences that embody the frenetic energy of New York City.

The songs remain memorable.

The movie is far from perfect, yet the plusses far exceed the minuses.

Its warning that racism, xenophobia, and poverty threaten society’s cohesiveness sadly seems as timely today as sixty years ago, as does its remedy that love transcends prejudice, division, and intolerance.t

(last seating 9:45pm)

Rita Moreno as Anita in the 1961 film West Side Story.

It’s refreshing to hear singing actors in the roles of Maria and Tony.

Ghost singers replaced the voices of the first stars Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer. Zegler and Elgort are fine singers, less so as actors. Their romance, which, we’re supposed to assume is love at first sight, never sizzles and as the film progresses, fizzles emotionally.

Newcomer Zegler projects the necessary starry-eyed innocence but little else, while uninspiring Elgort is passable but can’t convey Tony’s pathos, though he possesses handsome movie star looks.

The real star-making performance here isn’t Zegler, but DeBose who galvanizes Anita, similar to what Moreno accomplished.

DeBose and Alvarez generate more erotic sparks than Zegler and Elgort. When DeBose is on screen, all eyes are on her, commanding every scene she appears with her mag-

netic exuberance. She becomes the frontrunner for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar.

Faist is exceedingly good suggesting a world-weary hotheadedness encased within an appealing empathic sweetness. Alvarez is quite adept bringing the necessary brawniness, although his role doesn’t have as much depth. He’s probably the best dancer of the major cast.

The film is visually resplendent with luminous, breathtaking lighting and colors, not to mention gorgeous costumes. The choreography is expressive, hypnotic, and

illy Porter (photo) and others celebrated the National Christmas Tree Lighting, With Love stars Mark Indelicato as a gay son coming out on Christmas, plus coverage of ABC’s George Michael special and the Jussie Smollett media blitz are all in TV columnist Victoria A. Brownworth’s latest write-up.

Read all about it, and find more arts and nightlife entertainment, whether cozy indoors or braving the rain outside, in our weekly listings on www.ebar.com.

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<< Theatre & 50 in 50

14 • Bay Area Reporter • December 16-22, 2021

Aging & affection

by Jim Provenzano

“H

SEPTEMBER 8 SAN FRANCISCO THE MASONIC TICKETS:

LIVENATION.COM

ave you done Google yet?” 28-year-old Londoner Rufus excitedly asks Beau, the 62-year-old American expat with whom he’s just spent the night in the opening scene of playwright Martin Sherman’s Gently Down The Stream, now at the New Conservatory Theatre Center.

If you’d Googled “gay history” in 2001, the year in which this dialogue is set, your search results might well have included references to Larry Kramer, the AIDS crisis, James Baldwin, Gore Vidal, Tennessee Williams, and Truman Capote. And if you’d Daniel Redmond and Donald Currie in done the same search 13 years Gently Down The Stream later, when the action of Gently Down The Stream trickles sule in dapper human form, not to its conclusion, you’d note nearly as reluctant as he initially the growing prominence of legalseems to share his life’s stories with ized same-sex marriage and adopan eager audience. tion. All of which are touched upon Rufus’ primary function is to –some with a light namedrop, othserve as our onstage surrogate, elicers with reverberating poignancy– iting tales of his hookup-turnedin this simultaneous valedictory partner’s past adventures and for the gay past and benediction of heartbreaks over the course of what queer generations to come. evolves into a relationship of more In Beau, a world-weary cocktail than a decade. With an initially pianist who begins the play havcharming puppy dog energy, he ing long abandoned hope for new yips and begs for more. Beau spins romance in his life, Sherman gives autobiographical yarns to an unus a natural raconteur with the seen Rufus, who we’re told is videoserendipitous social life of a Forest taping the stories, but not given an Gump or Leonard Zelig. As played explanation as to why. with effortless charm and impresThe weaker material departs sive stamina by Donald Currie, who is on stage for the entirety of the show’s 140 intermission-less minutes, he’s wonderful company.

It’s Beau, not Rufus (gamely played

by Daniel Redmond despite a script that does him no favors), who’s the googlier Guy here; a gay time cap-

t

from Beau’s reminiscences in an effort to give the Rufus character a reason for being. But it never feels like Sherman’s heart is in it. When Rufus first refers to the electrical buzz of his brain, Sherman is foreshadowing the revelation that the young man is bipolar.

But save for one clinically inaccurate paranoid meltdown scene, the challenges of living with and loving someone with mental illness –potentially a play in and of itself– are almost entirely ignored. Similarly, Rufus’ career as a lawyer Lois Tema and troubled relationship with his family get briefly shoehorned into the dialogue on occasion, but are never fleshed out.

Still, much credit is due to Currie, director Arturo Catricala and yes, to Martin Sherman whose own spiritual generosity and emotional experiences are surely reflected in his central storyteller.

Despite its awkward structure, the play is rich in heart and history.

Gently Down The Stream succeeds in spite of itself.t

Read the full review on www.ebar.com.

Gently Down The Stream, through Jan. 9 at New Conservatory Theatre Center, 25 Van Ness Ave. $25$65 (415) 861-8972 nctcsf.com

50 years in 50 weeks:

Tomlin in 2007

SHOP OLD SCHOOL: SHOP LOCAL.

by Jim Provenzano

W

e could have scoured the year’s worth of arts and nightlife articles, but then stopped. What’s better than a concise interview with Lily Tomlin?

As David R. Guarino wrote in our May 30, 2007 issue, “From her first TV appearance on The Gary Moore Show in 1966, Tomlin went on to international success as the gum-chewing, snorting telephone operator-from-hell Ernestine on the 1970s comedy show Laugh In.” Tomlin was promoting her then-latest role in Paul Schrader’s film, The Walker.

“I never really expected to be on TV, I just wanted to be a New York actor,” said Tomlin in the interview. “So I used to go to the local improv and do my routines. As I started out with Ernestine, I began as a tough New York operator. As Ernestine threatened people, it became very organic, it was sort of sexually repressed, dealing with all that petty bureaucracy. My body reacted, got tighter and tighter, and my face got tight. And when my face gets tight, I snort! It’s just one of those things that touches a nerve.”

Asked about the growth and changes in the LGBTQ community, Tomlin said, “I’m sort of thrilled, and I really have to admire this generation. There has been a real spirit of community that is really strong and brilliant.”t Read the full interview at https://www.ebar.com/ arts_&_culture/movies//227869

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Correction:

The Dec. 7 article about the documentary film “No Straight Lines: The Rise of Queer Comics” mistakenly identified poet Diane Di Prima as the creator of the comic ‘Hothead Paisan,’ which was created by Diane DiMassa. The online version has been corrected.

t

Books & Dance>>

December 16-22, 2021 • Bay Area Reporter • 15

Deadly entertainment

by Jim Piechota

A

lthough it’s well past Halloween, let there be room for just one more spook courtesy of Korean-born author James Han Mattson. His second novel, Reprieve (William Morrow Books, $27.99), is a thinking person’s horror novel and encompasses themes of race, identity, greed, prejudice, and sexuality, all playing out within the dark dingy confines of a Nebraska “full-contact” haunted attraction.

The cast of characters, or “contestants,” who participate in the extreme escape room challenges at a local mansion known as the Quigley House, owned by John Forrester, are diverse and addicting to behold.

They consist of Kendra Brown, a nerdy Black teenager who has just lost her father and harbors all kinds of scholarly tenets about why people love to watch others become terrified. Her friend Shawn plays along as well and is also a cerebral horror fan. They are joined by Victor, a banker; his fiancé, Jane, a Thai

Author James Han Mattson

exchange student named Jaidee; and Leonard Grandton, a business acquaintance of Forrester’s.

There’s also Bryan, Kendra’s cousin and the first victim of the house’s rather serious threats which come in the form of lethal weaponry, ghoulish scenery, sinister spooks, and, of course, the aforementioned Leonard, who actually does the stabbing of Bryan and is caught red-handed.

Scattered throughout the core storyline are bits of court testimony and

Hidden Mercy

Author Michael O’Loughlin

G

ay Catholic journalist Michael O’Loughlin’s book Hidden Mercy: AIDS, Catholics, and the Untold Stories of Compassion in the Face of Fear, about the ministry of Catholics during the height of the AIDS crisis, has its roots in a nineepisode podcast he streamed as national correspondent for America

magazine, “Plague: Untold Stories of AIDS and the Catholic Church,” that was later featured on NPR. O’Loughlin had heard stories about the difficult challenges of being a gay Catholic or working with PWAs during the worst years of the AIDS crisis.

He used newspaper archives to find some answers but decided the best course would be to talk to people about their actual experiences of responding to the pandemic. He was shocked to hear that many of the people he interviewed hadn’t been asked about their spiritual work in decades.

Hidden Mercy reads like a journalistic account, a first draft of a history that deserves more fuller documentation. But readers can be

Read the full review on www.ebar.com

grateful to O’Loughlin for profiles of these saints who shouldn’t be forgotten on this fortieth anniversary of the onset of AIDS. It also provides queer Catholics a valuable history and template in their attempts to come to terms with their sexuality and their spirituality.

O’Loughlin comments in his acknowledgments that “his goal in writing this book was to do justice to stories of heroism that have not been told.”t

Read the full review on www.ebar.com

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SF Ballet’s ‘Nutcracker’

evidence exhibits extracted from crime scenes located deep within the haunt which signals that a serious crime has taken place at Quigley House, one that has taken a life in the most cutthroat way.

Just think of a more racially diverse cast of goofballs from Cabin in the Woods trying to battle their way out of the spirit-ridden basement in Thirteen Ghosts, just amped up a few notches on the “bloody confetti” scale.

In the end, it’s a wild ride and well worth the effort. Though the horrors of Quigley House remain fresh on the minds of readers, there’s a more socially relevant undercurrent running just beneath all the dread. The true message here seems to be that the real frights and jump-scares aren’t found in Halloween haunts, but in our very own twisted, real-world realities.t

by Paul Parrish

I

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t is a pleasure to report that a huge audience turned out for San Francisco Ballet’s return to the Opera House for the new production of Helgi Tomasson’s Nutcracker. With principal dancers and soloists even in minor roles, and from the children up, the acting was on a par with the dancing, especially when the roles required both.

The biggest news of opening night was Nikisha Fogo’s debut on the Opera House stage, and her entrance at the beginning of the second act –our first chance to see her live– was greeted with huge applause, which swelled up throughout the house as she bourréed out to take charge of her little angels (very tiny dancers, winged and bewigged and impeccably rehearsed), and to greet Clara and the Nutcracker Prince.

Fogo’s dramatic power was never greater than when she crowned Clara with a tiara and magically transformed her into an adult dancer in pointe shoes, the glorious Frances Chung, who floats as she turns. The show runs through Dec 30. sfballet.orgt

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