February 28, 2013 Edition of the Bay Area Reporter

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Tahiti beckons

Royalty in SF

17

ARTS

3

Pre-Code gems

The

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

Oscar party a hit D

Study: Gay men’s meth use declines

ancer Chad Stewart was just one of the highlights at the annual Academy of Friends Oscar viewing party Sunday, February 24 at Terra Gallery. AOF board Chair Howard Edelman said that this year’s party was “comfortably full” with about 700 guests and 200 volunteers. “The Academy Awards show was fantastic and our own show following the awards was incredible,” Edelman said, adding Latrice Royale and Pandora Boxx of RuPaul’s Drag Race were the featured performers while local drag celebrity Daft-Nee Gesundheit served as mistress of ceremonies. Edelman said that preliminary fundraising totals aren’t yet available but he said that AOF exceeded last year’s revenue, which will benefit six beneficiaries. For more on the party, check out On the Town, page 26.

by Matthew S. Bajko

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ack in the early 2000s crystal methamphetamine use among gay and bisexual men was considered so alarming it was dubbed the “second epidemic” after AIDS. Nicknamed Tina or Crissy, the drug is most commonly smoked in glass pipes or snorted. It is of particular concern to health officials trying to stop the spread of HIV because meth users often lose their inhibitions, particularly during sex.

In San Francisco health officials and AIDS agencies launched a number of campaigns to turn the tide and encourage men who have sex with men not to use the drug. Former Mayor Gavin Newsom, at the urging of gay former District 8 Supervisor Bevan Dufty, created a citywide task force in 2005 to address the issue.

While the task force described meth usage in the city at a “high plateau,” researchers within the health department were seeing a different picture. A 2006 study using data collected by the Stop AIDS Project published in the Journal of Drug and Alcohol Dependence found a precipitous drop in meth usage over a three-year period.

Usage of meth among HIV-negative MSM dropped from 14.7 percent in 2003 to 9 percent in 2006, while usage among HIV-positive men fell to 19.9 percent from 28 percent in late 2003.

A new report published this year in JAIDS, the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, shows that declining trend in meth usage continued through at least 2011. The study, “A New Trend in the HIV Epidemic Among Men Who Have Sex With Men, San Francisco, 20042011,” is based on local data from the National HIV Behavioral Surveillance, which surveyed MSM in San Francisco in 2004, 2008 and 2011.

“I would say half as many men are using methamphetamines in 2011 as they were in 2004,” said H. Fisher Raymond, DrPH, the lead author of the JAIDS study and director of behavioral surveillance at the San Francisco Department of Public Health.

The data also shows that over that seven-year period there was “remarkably stable HIV prevalence,” with many MSM getting tested and adhering to treatment. At the same time the data indicated that sexual risk behaviors were at persistently high levels.

“Yet, encouragingly, the rate of new HIV infection seems to be decreasing,” states the study.

“More good news is that methamphetamine use, a noted predictor of HIV transmission, continues a previously noted downward trend among MSM.” In 2004 roughly 23 percent of the 386 MSM surveyed reported using meth in the last 12 months. By 2008 13.2 percent of the 521 MSM See page 10 >>

Vol. 43 • No. 09 • February 28-March 6, 2013

Steven Underhill

Jane Philomen Cleland

Under One Roof team leader DJ Schulz stands outside the organization’s new digs at the Crocker Galleria.

UOR switches retail plans

by Seth Hemmelgarn

A

San Francisco nonprofit that’s provided dwindling payouts to beneficiaries over the years is set to move into a swanky Financial district mall, despite the fact See page 13 >>

Upbeat crowd backs Milk SFO proposal

by David-Elijah Nahmod

A

n upbeat crowd of about 100 people gathered in front of San Francisco City Hall last week to express their support for renaming San Francisco International Airport after slain supervisor and gay rights leader Harvey Milk, while a poll released Wednesday shows the proposal has a steep climb.

The idea, unveiled last month by gay District 9 Supervisor David Campos, has supporters and detractors. But before the proposal can be placed on the ballot for city voters to decide, Campos must secure a sixth vote from a member of the Board of Supervisors. So far, he has five, including gay District 8 Supervisor Scott Wiener, John Avalos (D11), Eric Mar (D1), and Jane Kim (D6).

Campos said that he was pleased with the February 22 rally.

“I feel very excited about the level of grassroots support for the proposal,” he told the Bay Area Reporter. “As each speaker noted, Harvey Milk has a special significance for so many within and outside the LGBT community. He has become a symbol of hope for anyone who feels disenfranchised.”

That hope is what is propelling support for the Milk SFO idea. The late supervisor, who was assassinated in City Hall in November 1978, continues to inspire hope in LGBT people around the world, supporters said.

Danny Buskirk

The Reverend Troy Perry, founder of Metropolitan Community Church, spoke in front of San Francisco City Hall last week urging that San Francisco International Airport be renamed in honor of Harvey Milk as Stuart Milk looked on.

Many of the freedoms that are enjoyed by

{ FIRST OF TWO SECTIONS }

LGBT people today can be traced back and linked to his political campaigns, as well as to his fiery speeches. Throughout the 1970s, Milk urged people to come out at a time when LGBTs were largely invisible.

“You gotta give ‘em hope,” was one of Milk’s best-remembered quotes. It was repeated during the rally by Stuart Milk, his openly gay nephew.

“Our kids are taking their lives,” Stuart Milk said. “Harvey’s story can free them.

Milk Airport sends a message: here’s a city that values your life. Don’t take your life.”

A poll released by the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, however, shows 61 percent of likely voters oppose the idea, while 32 percent support it. The survey of 500 San Francisco voters was conducted January 28-30 by David Binder Research and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.

Campos told the B.A.R. Wednesday morning that from supporters’ perspective, the poll is outdated and that much has changed in the last month.

“Momentum has swung in support,” Campos said, adding that more national organizations have signed on.

He also said that there was initial confusion that the SFO brand would be omitted, when in fact his plan calls for adding Milk’s name to SFO. See page 12 >>

<< Community News

2 • Bay Area Reporter • February 28-March 6, 2013

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Lara honored at EQCA gala

by Peter Hernandez

W

hen state Senator Ricardo Lara approached the stage at last weekend’s Equality California awards gala, he spoke of the “browning” of California and his coming out experience in East Los Angeles rather than his proposed Boy Scouts taxation bill, which he announced just days ahead of the event.

Lara (D-Long Beach) and others who spoke at the February 23 gala at the Fairmont Hotel orchestrated an atmosphere of possibility reinforced by artistic and political achievements. The message was that something big was happening, and now is the time to take action.

“Deal with it, the new face of California is right here,” said Lara, a gay Latino, recounting an incident when he received a homophobic email from an unhappy constituent.

The event was the first for John O’Connor, the executive director for EQCA, who was formerly executive director of the LGBT Community Center for the Desert in Palm Springs. Dressed in a silver tuxedo, O’Connor’s address met applause from a crowd of some 400 people.

“We are on the cusp of extraordinary breakthroughs,” O’Connor said.

EQCA’s persuasive language regarding imminent change complemented disparate accomplishments like queer activist Madeleine Lim’s work as a media organizer or brothers Peter and Benjamin Bratt’s 2009 film, La Mission, which were respectively awarded at the gala.

“All people are conditioned to be part of an ideology,” said Benjamin Bratt, adding that his film dismantled a masochistic father in the Mission district of San Francisco who couldn’t accept his son’s homosexuality.

La Mission resonated with gay San Francisco Supervisor David Campos, who represents the Mission and said that the film captured the pain of coming out. Freshman Congressman Mark Takano (D-

Jane Philomen Cleland

This year’s Equality California gala honored state Senator Ricardo Lara (D-Long Beach), left, and filmmakers Peter Bratt, Madeleine Lim, and Benjamin Bratt. At right is new Executive Director John O’Connor.

Riverside) said the film reminded him of his coming out.

Lara received EQCA’s Leadership Award after an emotional introduction by a former Boy Scout named Matthew Kimball. Now 30, Kimball, a tech investor, recounted learning about a petition started by the mother of 17-year-old gay Bay Area Boy Scout Ryan Andresen, who was denied his Eagle award, which is the highest rank.

“I think it needs to take back its British roots of brotherhood that welcomed all boys,” Kimball said of the scouting organization. He came out as a gay man just six months ago after learning about the petition.

Gay Scout Ryan Andresen’s mother, Karen Andresen, 49, said locals resent her petition when she goes grocery shopping near her home in the East Bay city of Moraga.

Though the Andresens moved to Moraga for its schools, their son now goes to Maybeck High School in Berkeley, a private school that has benefited him psychologically after being inundated by reporters, Karen Andresen said.

The Andresens went public last fall, resulting in a burst of media

attention that resumed last month when word leaked that the Boy Scouts of America was considering lifting its ban on gay scouts and scout leaders. A few weeks ago, the BSA said that it would revisit the issue later this spring.

Lara’s legislation, called the Youth Equality Act, would remove state tax exemption from youth groups that discriminate against leaders and members based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Lara didn’t mention it in his remarks.

Lim was awarded for her array of accomplishments in media arts. She founded Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project in 2000, which holds workshops, like last year’s video semester in Gallup, New Mexico with Navajo Indian lesbians.

“I think film is super powerful – seeing it on the big screen opposed to books. It’s all about the visual,” said Lim. Lim’s film Sambal Belacan, made 10 years after fleeing persecution in Singapore due to lesbian activism, explores Lim’s intersection of sexuality, race, and nationality and is banned in Singapore.

“If I teach a community how to See page 10 >>

DA delays gay murder trial

by Seth Hemmelgarn

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rosecutors are delaying the trial of a man accused of bashing in the skull of his longtime partner as they try to strengthen the case against him.

Timothy Stewart, 48, has been charged with murder in the death of Terry Rex Spray, 60, his domestic partner of almost 20 years. Spray was found August 3 in the garage of their apartment building at 1135 Ellis Street in San Francisco. He died September 18, and police arrested Stewart September 24.

Jury selection was to begin this week, but late last week, the district attorney’s office was granted a first dismissal in the case. In an interview Friday, February 22, Deputy Public Defender Danielle Harris said prosecutors are moving “to look for evidence that would incriminate Mr. Stewart.”

“This is just strictly a way for them to buy more time” and attempt “to find more evidence that might give them hope of getting a conviction,” Harris said. “They’re not going to find it, because it doesn’t exist.”

Prosecutors have “bought themselves three more months,” she said.

“The evidence has gotten weaker” since December, Harris said. That’s when, at the end of the lengthy preliminary hearing, Superior Court Judge Bruce Chan held Stewart to stand trial, but said if he were a juror, he would have a “reasonable

City resident Terry Rex Spray was found severely injured in the garage of his apartment last summer and later died.

doubt” of Stewart’s guilt, based on the evidence he’d seen.

DNA testing that had been outstanding has come back since the hearing concluded, “and none of it is incriminating,” Harris said.

“None of it.”

Asked Friday about new evidence, Alex Bastian, a spokesman for the district attorney’s office, said that after Stewart’s arrest, an investigation revealed a shirt that had blood on it in the closet of a woman Stewart had moved in with. The required DNA testing would “hopefully” be completed within four to five weeks, Bastian said. He couldn’t immedi-

ately say specifically when the shirt had been found.

During the preliminary hearing, a San Francisco Police Department criminalist said that material from Stewart and Spray’s apartment door, the bar allegedly used to attack Spray, and the car of the woman Stewart had moved in with had tested presumptively positive for blood.

Blood taken from the bar matched Spray, while DNA from the door of the couple’s apartment matched Stewart, Bastian said. He said there were two or more contributors to the material found in the woman’s car.

Stewart was one of them, but there wasn’t enough material to determine if Spray was, too, he said.

Bastian said DNA tests on the samples had been requested before the hearing, but they were done afterward.

Stewart isn’t going to waive his speedy trial or hearing rights, Harris said. She said she’d offer to waive a new preliminary hearing.

“We don’t want a preliminary hearing,” Harris said. “We want a jury trial.”

Bastian said prosecutors haven’t decided whether they would agree to such a waiver.

Spray, who had worked as a nurse and had been a union president, has been described as a “tireless” advocate for others.

Stewart remains in custody. Assistant District Attorney John Rowland is prosecuting the case.t

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Travel>>

February 28-March 6, 2013 • Bay Area Reporter • 3

A stunning view of the Pacific Ocean is part of an island tour offered on Moorea, which is part of French Polynesia.

French Polynesia is an island paradise for travelers

by David Duran

W

hen you hear Tahiti, the typical response is to say, “far.” But, in actuality, the amazingly authentic islands of French Polynesia are only a few extra hours from Hawaii, the goto tropical island destination for many Americans.

The eight-hour nonstop flight from Los Angeles via Air Tahiti Nui, one of the only options in getting there, is quite pleasant if you are not expecting an over-the-top, luxury experience. The in-flight crew is exceptionally courteous and responsive to all your needs, and although the aircraft are close to approaching vintage status, they still do provide in-flight entertainment. The food is the same of what you would expect on any in-

ternational flight, and it’s important to mention that alcohol is complimentary.

It’s also entertaining to watch the flight crew change from very professional uniforms to the more traditional Tahitian clothing throughout the flight. From the moment you board the airplane, you feel like you are in another part of the world as announcements are made in both Tahitian and French. The beautiful mixture of both languages helps you to escape and truly adds a special touch to this exotic travel destination.

Tahiti

Tahitians are known for their accepting attitude toward anything and everything. Aita pe’a pe’a, translated in English, is “no problem.” This is a

phrase commonly heard by anyone visiting Tahiti. The islands have no legal discrimination against homosexual activity and homophobia in French Polynesia is uncommon.

It is very common to meet and see cross-dressers, or “rae rae,” working in hotels and restaurants. The Dao bar in Papeete is popular for western gays as well as rae rae. In addition, there is a piano bar located in the center of Papeete that has mainly locals but is welcoming to tourists.

“Polynesians are known for their warm welcome. They are some of the most kind, gentle, and open-minded people in the world,” said Jonathan Reap, managing director of Tahiti Tourism North America. “They embrace any opportunity to share their See page 5 >>

David Duran

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Travel>>

February 28-March 6, 2013 • Bay Area Reporter • 5

David Duran

One of the over-the-water bungalows at the Pearl Beach Resort in Tikehau; the island is cherished by Tahitians and is more off the grid than other islands.

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French Polynesia

From page 3

culture and heritage with visitors, as well as the mesmerizing beauty and tranquility of their islands.”

Reap added that Tahiti, in particular, is an ideal getaway for travelers no matter how they identify.

“In fact, as it’s one of the most romantic places on earth, whether you’re gay or straight, the islands of Tahiti are a couples’ paradise, offering something for every traveler – whitesand beaches, vibrant marine life, rugged mountains, and colorful history.

Whether you want a private island picnic near Bora Bora or a canoedelivered breakfast in your over-water bungalow, Tahiti is the ultimate South Pacific island paradise,” he said.

Tahiti Tourism also has a gay section on its website at http://gaytahiti. com.

Hotel options on Tahiti itself are

which French Polynesia is known. The Hilton Moorea offers both over-thewater and garden bungalows. If you are island hopping, save your over-the-water experience for another island and enjoy the spacious garden bungalows at this resort. The bathrooms are the size of a New York City studio apartment and the private dip pools in each room’s garden provide a great space to enjoy some alone time outside. The private beach at the Moorea is known for lavish wedding or commitment ceremonies for a relatively budgetfriendly price. The Hilton will happily arrange for a traditional Tahitian ceremony for any loving couple, although it’s important to note that for same-sex couples, the ceremonies do not provide an official certificate of marriage.

The executive chef at the Hilton even makes the typical breakfast buffet a gourmet experience, offering up made to order crepes and omelets for guests. For a slightly more affordable option, the Pearl Resort Moorea offers similar lodging and activities as well as provides couples an option to have ceremonies on their property.

Bora Bora

David Duran

The marketplace in Papeete, Tahiti offers tropical fare.

many, and a very fun and upscale option is the Manava Suite Resort, which can easily be compared to the caliber of a W Resort Hotel. The suites are oversized luxury spaces that provide kitchens, living areas, and grand bathrooms. The hotel also boasts the largest infinity pool in Tahiti.

The island offers beautiful beaches, hotels, and all the kitschy shopping one could ask for. The local market has pearl shops on virtually every corner and they are reasonably priced. It’s almost a prerequisite before leaving the island to experience hand-picking pearls from piles of thousands, as it’s extremely daunting in the best way possible.

A short 30-minute ferry ride from Papeete is the island of Moorea. This popular island, known for its many outdoor adventure activities and beautiful scenery, is the perfect place to jump in the lagoons and try paddle boarding. Scuba, snorkeling, and kayaking are also available at most resort hotels. Taking a Jeep tour of the entire island, offered by Inner Safari Tours, is a must as the tour ends by taking you to the highest points of the island for breathtaking photo opportunities.

Moorea resorts also offer the picturesque over-the-water bungalows for

If you are trekking to French Polynesia and want the ultimate in luxury, go to the most famous island, Bora Bora. This distinct island is synonymous with beauty and worldclass resorts. Everything in Bora Bora is on mini islands, even the airport.

The only way to shuttle around from place to place is via water taxi, which tends to be very expensive, so plan on just enjoying your resort, as there is truly nothing else you need to do besides the water-based excursions that each hotel offers.

The Hilton Bora Bora Nui Resort, most recently made more famous by the Kardashian clan’s visit, defines perfection in every extent of the word. Arriving to this floating hotel lobby is a magical experience and the hotel staff goes out of their way to make you feel like a celebrity. The resort is spread out over a very large natural island, unlike some other top resorts that opted to build on manmade islands. In Tahitian culture, man made islands don’t possess the same spiritual embodiment that natural islands have.

If visiting the Hilton, the over-thewater bungalows are a must as the resort raised the bar on luxury and room size when it opened in 2003.

And the Nui’s two newly unveiled side-by-side Presidential Suite villas are the only two-story over-water bungalows in French Polynesia – and without a doubt the show-stopping centerpiece in lodging on the islands.

The ocean water in French Polynesia is blue and crystal clear – it looks like it’s been Photoshopped from a magazine. The thing is, until you are actually there, you won’t believe or understand how water can be so beautiful; the water surrounding Bora Bora just steps it up a notch.

Snorkeling, swimming with

sharks, feeding stingrays, and just lounging in the lagoon are all musts and can be arranged by your resort.

If you are looking for spa treatments, then both the Hilton and the Pearl Beach Resort Bora Bora offer some great options. The spa at the Pearl Resort is the pride of the resort. They offer every service and have enough space to facilitate many patrons at once. The spa itself is surrounded by ponds full of lily pads and makes you truly feel like you are on a different island within an island.

Before leaving Bora Bora, check out the famous Bloody Mary’s Restaurant, which has been frequented and visited by every celebrity that has ever been on the island. It’s a mustdo, selecting from their fresh and ever-changing menu.

A splurge vacation

A typical vacation to French Polynesia for seven nights can run as much as $10,000 per couple, with airfare. It depends on when you go and where you stay. It’s best to book your vacation package via a travel agent who will work to save money by bundling your lodging, activities, and flights. Selecting at least two islands to visit is the best way to visit as you will want to experience what each resort and island has to offer. If you are feeling adventurous and want to include and visit an island that is completely off the grid to the average traveler, then Tikehau is the place to go.

Unlike Bora Bora, the island of Tikehau is cherished and considered to be the paradise of French Polynesia to Tahitians. This is because it is not a typical tourist destination and it’s still considered untouched. Known for its pink sand beaches, it’s a place to go to get away and disconnect from the world.

The Pearl Beach Resort is the only hotel resort in Tikehau and although it’s not as luxurious as resorts on other islands, the staff provide a warm and welcoming environment as well as one-of-a-kind lodging options. Apart from its over-the-water bungalows, their garden bungalows are extremely unique as they offer indoor-outdoor bathrooms. Getting to Tikehau is an adventure in itself as you land in what appears to be the world’s smallest airport and you quickly feel a disconnect as there is only one hotel and it’s a long boat trip away from the airport. For adventure-seekers, take a quick boat trip over to Bird Island, a tiny island that features several species of birds.

It’s both interesting and frightening.

French Polynesia, with it’s opening and inviting culture, makes for a trip of a lifetime. The beauty one experiences while there are memories one will speak of for many years. From the amazing food, luxury resorts, and overly friendly islanders, the islands make for a perfect backdrop for gay and lesbian visitors who want to get away to relax or who want to exchange vows with each other on perfect sand beaches. t

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<< Open Forum

6 • Bay Area Reporter • February 28-March 6, 2013

Volume 43, Number 09 February 28-March 6, 2013 www.ebar.com PUBLISHER Thomas E. Horn Bob Ross (Founder, 1971 – 2003) NEWS EDITOR Cynthia Laird ARTS EDITOR Roberto Friedman ASSISTANT EDITORS Matthew S. Bajko Seth Hemmelgarn Jim Provenzano CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Dan Aiello • Tavo Amador • Erin Blackwell Roger Brigham • Scott Brogan Victoria A. Brownworth • Philip Campbell Heather Cassell • Chuck Colbert Richard Dodds • David Duran Raymond Flournoy • David Guarino Liz Highleyman • Brandon Judell John F. Karr • Matthew Kennedy David Lamble • Michael McDonagh David-Elijah Nahmod • Elliot Owen Paul Parish • Lois Pearlman • Tim Pfaff Jim Piechota • Bob Roehr • Donna Sachet Adam Sandel • Jason Serinus • Gregg Shapiro Gwendolyn Smith • Ed Walsh • Sura Wood

ART DIRECTION T. Scott King ONLINE PRODUCTION Jay Cribas PHOTOGRAPHERS Danny Buskirk Jane Philomen Cleland Marc Geller Rick Gerharter Lydia Gonzales Rudy K. Lawidjaja Steven Underhill Bill Wilson ILLUSTRATORS & CARTOONISTS Paul Berge Christine Smith GENERAL MANAGER Michael M. Yamashita DISPLAY ADVERTISING Simma Baghbanbashi Colleen Small Scott Wazlowski NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE Rivendell Media – 212.242.6863

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Charity should have closed

L

ast fall, the charitable nonprofit Under One Roof announced that it would be closing its Castro storefront this year and turn instead toward special fundraising projects while continuing to reach out to major donors. Board members even held a community meeting last fall to talk about the plan, called Greater Depths. It sounded like a good idea, based on the fact that the store, which benefits numerous HIV/AIDS organizations, had seen a sharp decline in revenue, and, as a result, the AIDS groups had seen diminished beneficiary checks. It’s long been known that Under One Roof had an expensive lease agreement, and sales weren’t enough to cover its operating costs. When it moved to its current Castro Street location in 2008, the annual rent ballooned from $85,000 to $200,000. Even with a former board member helping to pay the rent, the store became a money pit.

So we were surprised to receive a recent email stating that Under One Roof will open a new store in April. Not in the Castro, however, but in the Crocker Galleria in the city’s Financial district. According to the letter, signed by board Chair Tony Hart, management at the Galleria is “offering us a beautiful space on the first floor of the mall at a fraction of what we were paying in the Castro.”

Well, we certainly hope so; Under One Roof ’s board had not done its financial due diligence on the Castro space that it just vacated.

There are questions for which we’d like answers on behalf of the community and beneficiaries, such as: When did Under One Roof ’s board enter into the Crocker Galleria lease agreement and why didn’t it inform the community prior to signing a lease? Why did Hart tell people last fall that Under One Roof was ending its retail space and focusing on special events, only to turn around and get another retail space? And, what are the projected payouts to the various AIDS organizations? We know from our past reporting that checks from Under One Roof have been smaller and have been distributed less

frequently in recent years; how will it address these issues? What are the projections for shoppers at the Crocker Galleria? Has anyone on the board done a cost-benefit analysis for the new location?

Unfortunately, Under One Roof ’s designated spokeswoman, Jennifer Kutz, has declined to speak with us. That’s too bad, because we’re certain that people living with HIV/AIDS and the organizations that have benefitted from Under One Roof over the years would like some answers. At the very least, this new plan should have been vetted with community members like the agency’s plan to close the Castro store was. Under One Roof ’s Greater Depths plan, which was the focus of last fall’s meeting, didn’t mention anything about a new permanent storefront, yet Hart’s January letter refers to the new space as the first step in this plan.

There is a stunning lack of transparency among Under One Roof ’s board. And it

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brings to mind the problem nonprofits face when they are no longer effective or needed.

For many years, some AIDS organizations have talked about “the day we’ll no longer be needed.” But we doubt that all the AIDS groups would shutter if a cure for the disease is ever found. Some will likely pursue new directions, which may be okay, but will require community buy-in and support. One only has to look at the scope of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation’s plan for a gay and bi men’s health and wellness center in the Castro to see what the future could have in store – and the millions of dollars needed from the community.

Today, the bulk of HIV/AIDS nonprofits continue to struggle financially, and they may face even bigger hurdles if the federal government is forced to make drastic budget cuts under the sequester, which kicks in March 1 unless some last-minute deal is brokered. Under One Roof is essentially taking money that would be going to those groups and using it for overhead costs to operate a storefront that few in the community were aware of, or, we suspect, may want.t

Mandatory mail order meds a bad idea

by Chip Supanich

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atients combatting HIV/AIDS that are treated with specialty drugs have a new worry: whether their health insurance carrier will limit their ability to obtain prescription drugs from the pharmacy of their choice.

Anthem Blue Cross recently tried to require its beneficiaries who use specialty drugs to obtain them through CuraScript, a mail-order pharmacy owned by Express Scripts, the carrier’s pharmacy benefit manager (PBM).

If Anthem had implemented this program, patients who prefer to visit their neighborhood drugstores would no longer have had that option.

Because of negative feedback, Anthem Blue Cross decided to reevaluate this change. The insurer could, however, decide to continue with this policy in the near future.

As an activist and advocate for those with HIV/AIDS, as a board member of Shanti, and as a person living with AIDS, I believe any loss of access to community pharmacies through such a policy will harm HIV/AIDS patients. Mail order and community-based pharmacies are not interchangeable. While both dispense prescriptions, only community pharmacies offer face-to-face counseling, monitoring, and other onsite health services that benefit patients.

Great strides have been made in fighting HIV/AIDS through pharmaceuticals. The antiretroviral drugs now available make it possible for patients to live longer, and have a better quality of life, than those contracting the illness years ago. But adhering to an HIV prescription drug regimen can be challenging for patients, and additional support from a trained pharmacist is essential.

Patients often take numerous medications to fight the disease and other, secondary infections.

A local pharmacist familiar with their unique health needs can help them get the most from

Chip Supanich

their medications, and ensure that they avoid potentially deadly interactions between highlypotent medications. Just like a trusted physician or therapist, a pharmacist is a key partner in helping HIV/AIDS patients fight the disease.

There are also questions about how quickly patients can access their medications from a mail-order program. Patients using a communitybased pharmacy can usually get their medications immediately, unlike those using mail-order warehouses. Waiting for medications to arrive in the mail may put a patient needlessly at risk if the mail is delayed or delivered to the wrong address. For HIV/AIDS patients, missing just a few doses can raise levels of the virus in the body.

Also, people must consider if medicines are lost or stolen or if the doctor’s office has lagged on refilling a prescription what will happen.

I can always go to my pharmacist, who is part of my health care team and is someone I have depended on for over 12 years. I have a relation-

ship with him. He can provide me with a small amount of medication should anything happen to my meds or if the refill isn’t going through smoothly. Mail order can’t do those things for me.

I know my neighborhood pharmacist is looking out for me, ensuring that my many doctors’ offices, my insurance companies, and my pharmacy are working together so that my 15 daily medications are seamlessly provided for me. I don’t trust a faceless mail order company to have my best interests at heart, or the best interests of my fight against my disease.

Anthem Blue Cross claims that its desire to move to it mandatory mail-order policy is a cost cutting maneuver. But the close relationship between the mail-order company and Anthem’s PBM (remember, Express Scripts owns CuraScript) shows other possible motivations behind the new policy: increased profit and reduced competition.

California Assemblyman Chris Holden (DPasadena) recently introduced AB 299 in the Legislature. AB 299 would outlaw insurance companies from partnering with in-state mailorder pharmacies to force patients to exclusively receive their medications via the mail-order providers. It’s expected that the bill will be heard in committee in mid-March.

Those living with HIV/AIDS face difficult health, employment, and social challenges every day. Insurance companies should not further complicate and possibly endanger their lives by restricting where they go for pharmacy care.

And for those tempted to think, “This won’t impact me,” a word of warning: If Anthem Blue Cross succeeds in restricting patients’ rights and freedom of choice by implementing a mandatory mail order for its most vulnerable, chronically ill patients, isn’t it likely they have the same thing in mind for the rest of us?t Chip Supanich is a member of the San Francisco HIV Health Services Planning Council and the Mayor’s Disability Council.

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Letters >>

February 28-March 6, 2013 • Bay Area Reporter • 7

Crime prevention tip from across the pond

I’m currently visiting San Francisco from London and read with some interest your article about an increase in cellphone thefts in the city [“Rise in cellphone thefts spurs hearing,” February 14].

We have a similar problem back in London, but getting wise on your iPhone or iPad’s security settings goes a long way to helping track a device and foil a potential thief in the event that you are a victim of such a theft.

Firstly, make sure that you have installed and activated the “Find my iPhone” app (free from the App Store).

Secondly, reduce a potential thief ’s ability to disable the app, as follows: Go to Settings > General > Restrictions and turn these on. Within the restrictions menu, slide “deleting apps” to “off ” – this prevents a thief from deleting the “Find my iPhone” app.

Thirdly, while in the restrictions menu, scroll down to “Location services” and select “Don’t allow changes” – this stops anyone from disabling the location signal that is emitted by your device.

Finally, change your password from a simple numerical password to an alphanumeric one, making it instantly much harder for a thief to crack the code. This is done via Settings > General > Passcode lock and then turning off “simple passcode.”

Perhaps if you could include these tips in a follow-up article it will enable readers to take steps to protect their devices. The more iPads and iPhones that are stolen with these security features enabled, the less attractive the devices will become as a target.

Steve Higgins London, England

Fear is never a way forward

I cannot count the number of times that people have told me over the last 34 years that the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence should just go away because we might offend straight people. Now I am hearing that same fear from queers about adding Harvey Milk to San Francisco International Airport. They say it might be divisive, impede the movement for gay marriage, and provide fuel for our enemies. Fear has never been a way forward. In fact, this has always been a prescription for stagnation.

If we had adhered to the prejudices of straight people, Milk never would have been elected, there would be no ACT UP, and no effective AIDS drugs. Most of our progress would never have happened and we would still be waiting for the permission of those outside our community.

Add Milk’s name to the airport.

Sister Vicious Power Hungry Bitch a.k.a. Ken Bunch Founder of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence San Francisco

If 49ers didn’t win, glad Ravens did

In his February 7 Jock Talk column [“Bittersweet stuff ”], Roger Brigham called out Forty Niners player Chris Culliver for his comments regarding gays playing in the NFL, and players Ahmad Brooks, and Isaac Sopoaga for saying that they did not make an anti-bullying It Gets Better video. Brooks and Sopoaga later said that they did do the video but only to oppose bullying, not to support gay rights.

However, while Brigham took time to comment on Ravens’ linebacker Ray Lewis and those unconfirmed deer antler velvet rumors, I wish he had instead mentioned Ravens’ linebackers Brendon Ayanbadejo and Terrell Suggs. In particular, Ayanbadejo has been supporting gay equality and same-sex marriage for over four years. During the last election, Marylanders had to vote on whether to confirm a bill that the Maryland Legislature had passed allowing same-sex marriage. Ayanbadejo

did not stay silent on the vote, publicly supporting the bill and encouraging Ravens fans and others to vote. By a 52 percent to 47 percent margin, the bill was upheld and gay marriage is now legal in the state of Maryland.

After the Ravens’ victory, Ayanbadejo vowed to use his team’s victory to continue speaking out for gay equality and same-sex marriage. Just last week, he made a progay marriage equality video for the Respect for Marriage group. Also, Ayanbadejo’s continued support prompted Republican Maryland lawmaker C. Emmett Burns Jr. to write a letter to the Ravens’ owners calling on them to silence Ayanbadejo for his comments supporting gay marriage.

According to Ayanbadejo, Ravens president Dick Cass and owner Steve Biscotti responded by saying, “Brendon, you’re a great person. Keep doing your thing. We believe in you. This is not a team that believes in discrimination in any way, shape, or form. You have this tremendous platform here. Use it. And go ahead and continue to be you, and grow and shape and change the world while you have the ability to do it.”

Ayanbadejo is not the only Ravens player to speak out about the acceptance of gay athletes in professional sports. Suggs was asked at the Super Bowl if he would have a problem with a gay teammate and responded, “Absolutely not. We wouldn’t care. Our biggest thing in the locker room is just to have fun and stay loose. We just accept people for who they are, and we don’t really care too much about a player’s sexuality. To each their own. You know who you are, and we accept you for it.”

If the Niners had to lose, at least I’m glad it was to a progressive organization like the Baltimore Ravens.

G. Lance San Francisco

Praise for monogamy op-ed

As a retired California marriage and family therapist, Adam D. Blum’s excellent Guest Opinion [“Monogamy with your long-term Valentine,” February 14] is worthy of praise. In my professional opinion, long-term relationships require responsibility, maturity, and, as Mr. Blum noted, mutual validation.

Mr. Blum’s four tips in maintaining a long-term relationship ought to be given serious consideration.

Bill Clawson Concord, California

What’s in a name?

The San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band has hired a San Francisco State University professor to guestconduct its spring concert on March 15 at HerChurch.

I checked Professor Martin Seggelke’s, DMA, website and found a list of his upcoming events, in which he refers to the March 15 engagement as the “San Francisco Freedom Band,” leaving out the words “lesbian” and “gay.”

I notified Seggelke and the band’s president, Julie Williamson, more than a week ago and have gotten no reply.

Also, Seggelke hasn’t changed his website.

Does the SFLGFB really hire people who dare not speak its name?

Willie Morrissey San Francisco

Bravo for Tavo

What a good article Tavo Amador wrote in your February 21 issue about writers and the film industry [“Word up! Oscars and writing”]. Bravo, Tavo. Keep on writing.

Burt Weaver San Francisco

Go-go contest comes to Oakland

by Cynthia Laird

I

f you’re a go-go dancer looking for extra cash, a contest next month in Oakland may be for you. Club 21 will host northern California’s largest annual Go-Go Dancer of the Year Competition Friday, March 8 from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. The club is located at 2111 Franklin Street.

Club 21 marketing director Valentino Carrillo said that at least 12 go-go dancers would be competing.

The event is open to men and women ages 21 and older with go-go dancing experience.

More than $1,000 in cash and prizes will be awarded, a news release stated.

Hosted by Violeta, the evening promises to be fun. The contest consists of go-go dancing and cat-

walk, as well as a little pole dancing creativity. The top three finishers are guaranteed a spot as a go-go dancer at Valentino’s sixth annual birthday bash taking place March 22 at Club 21.

Customers are invited to come out and vote for their favorite and, of course, to tip them nicely during the event.

Carrillo said that the last go-go competition had over 15 dancers so those who want to participate should register by emailing valentine@ valentinopresents.com.

For more information, visit www.club21oakland. com.

Inaugural Nitey Awards coming up in SF

The Nitey Awards, honoring excellence in creative content and

Courtesy Valentino Carrillo

Go-go dancer Richard Sanchez is expected to compete in next week’s contest.

See page 12 >>

www.ebar.com

<< National News

8 • Bay Area Reporter • February 28-March 6, 2013

t

GOPers sign brief in favor of same-sex marriage

by Lisa Keen

T

he talk of many political pundits this week is an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court filed by a group of prominent Republicans that argues that California’s Proposition 8, banning marriage for same-sex couples, violates the federal constitutional rights of gay people.

The brief has not yet been filed with the Supreme Court but was reported on February 25 by the New York Times, which was given an advance copy of the document.

Times reporter Sheryl Gay Stolberg said she could not release the brief or the list of signers to other reporters, and attempts to obtain the brief elsewhere have been, so far, unsuccessful.

The American Foundation for Equal Rights, which brought the federal lawsuit challenging Prop 8 on behalf of two same-sex couples, on Tuesday released a list of Republicans who have signed the brief so far.

According to the Times, the brief argues that California’s ban, as well as “all similar bans,” violates the U.S. Constitution. As of Tuesday, the AFER news release included the names of 82 people who have signed onto the friend-of-the-court brief, including, as the Times noted, “a string of Republican officials and influential thinkers.”

One of the prominent gay Republicans who signed the brief is Ken Mehlman, who came out as gay several years ago and was a leader in New York state’s successful effort to legalize same-sex marriage. Mehlman is a former chairman of the Republican National Committee.

According to the AFER release, signers include former California gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman, who supported Proposition 8 in 2008, two years prior to her unsuccessful bid for office. Former Republican governors Christine Whitman of New Jersey, William Weld, Paul Cellucci, and Jane Swift

Ken Mehlman

of Massachusetts, Gary Johnson of New Mexico, and Jon Huntsman of Utah have also signed the brief. Huntsman, as a presidential candidate last year, opposed samesex marriage but supported civil unions. He wrote an opinion piece last week in the American Conservative in which he said he now supports marriage equality.

Other signers include Representatives Richard Hanna of New York and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida, and former Representatives Deborah Pryce of Ohio, Mary Bono Mack and Michael Huffington of California, and Connie Morella of Maryland.

Signers also include numerous officials from the administration of President Ronald Reagan such as his Chief of Staff Kenneth Duberstein and budget director David Stockman.

AFER’s release includes other high-profile gay “political conservatives, moderates, and libertarians.” Such as former Representative James Kolbe of Arizona and Mary Cheney, the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney.

AFER’s list also identifies signers Republican media advisor Alex Castellanos and numerous officials

from the 2012 Republican presidential campaign of Mitt Romney.

Log Cabin Republicans Executive Director Gregory Angelo said the list is important because “Republicans who support the freedom to marry for committed gay and lesbian couples can no longer be dismissed as a small fringe of the party.”

“The individuals who signed on to this Proposition 8 brief are some of the party’s most respected and influential individuals,” said Angelo. “They understand that there is a conservative case to be made for marriage equality, and we hope other Republican leaders follow their bold lead and support marriage for all Americans.”

Freedom to Marry Executive Director Evan Wolfson said the list demonstrates that support for marriage equality is a “mainstream position that reflects American values of freedom, family, and fairness, as well as conservative values of limited government and personal responsibility.”

The Times reported that Mehlman spent “months” quietly gathering signatures from Republican peers.

According to the Times, the brief cites some very high-profile Supreme Court decisions in its reasoning, including the controversial campaign finance decision Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission, and a controversial gun ownership case, D.C. v. Heller.

Producers of the brief have until Friday to submit it to the court. At that time, it will become a public document available through the court’s website.

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the Prop 8 case on March 26. It will hear arguments in a Defense of Marriage Act case March 27. Briefs in support of striking down DOMA are due March 13.

The AFER news release is available at http://tinyurl.com/ bdqhwz6.t

LGBT business leaders share their stories

by David-Elijah Nahmod

A

s more companies adopt policies that are inclusive of LGBTs, CEOs and other corporate leaders are also coming out themselves, and sharing their stories.

Now, Selisse Berry, founder and executive director of Out and Equal Workplace Advocates, has edited an anthology in which those who earn their livings in the executive suite share their experiences as openly LGBT people in the somewhat conservative world of American big business.

The book, Out and Equal at Work: From Closet to Corner Office (Out and Equal Workplace Advocates, $14.95), was celebrated at a launch party earlier this month at Book Passages in the Ferry Building.

It was released to coincide with Valentine’s Day, Berry said.

“We deliberately chose Valentine’s week because we believe that LGBT people should be free to be who we are and love who we choose,” Berry said at the wine and cheese reception that included some of the book’s contributors.

Out and Equal is a nonprofit advocacy group that seeks to promote visibility and provide support for LGBT people in the workplace.

Danny Buskirk

Former Kodak global services president Cynthia Martin, left, prepares to hand a book to Clorox executive Tom Johnson to sign as Marcy Adelman, right, looks on.

“We are amazed and stunned at the courage people have in bringing about change in their workplace,” said Kevin Jones, deputy director at Out and Equal. “We wanted to showcase the stories of these remarkable people. There are people who hated going to work and those who changed the pronouns when talking about their partners. There are 29 states where we can still be fired just for coming out. There’s

much work to do, so tell your stories. It does get better.”

Telling their stories is what the book’s 36 contributors, including Berry, did.

One of them, Tom Johnson, recalled his years as an openly gay executive at Clorox, headquartered in Oakland. When he was offered a job in London, he informed Clorox that his partner would need to make the See page 12 >>

t

Politics>>

February 28-March 6, 2013 • Bay Area Reporter • 9

Pressure builds on Obama to assist LGBT binational couples

by Matthew S. Bajko

I

mmigration reform is set to be a major issue before Congress this session, yet there are conflicting signals on whether pro-gay provisions will be included in the final Senate bill, and if so, whether they could survive in the Republican-led House.

With that uncertainty looming, President Barack Obama is being pressured to take executive action now to assist LGBT Americans with foreign-born partners who are “exiled” out of the country due to anti-gay federal policies. Because they cannot seek citizenship for their partner, they are forced to either break-up, relocate, or live separately for long stretches of time.

“It is almost a prison-like experience where you have conjugal visits,” said attorney Lavi Soloway, in referring to the time binational couples are able to spend together.

Few people realize that the discriminatory immigration laws amount to “the exiling of gay and lesbian Americans,” added Soloway, a cofounder of the DOMA Project, which advocates on behalf of LGBT binational couples. “It causes the forced expulsion of gay and lesbian Americans essentially to the four corners of the Earth to find countries to live in to be with their partner and children.”

Speaking on a panel about immigration reform last weekend during the fourth annual LGBT Media Journalists Convening, held this year in Philadelphia, Soloway called on Obama to order immigration officials to defer deportation hearings involving LGBT binational couples applying for green cards. He likened it to a similar action the president took last year aimed at providing 1.7 million immigrant youth, known as Dreamers, a way to attend college or be legally employed despite not having U.S. citizenship.

“What we have learned from the Dreamers is the Obama administration has a magic wand, and with the Dreamers that magic wand was deferred action,” said Soloway. “The administration can do the same thing for same-sex binational couples and grant deferred action to them. They can use humanitarian parole to make sure we don’t have exiled U.S. citizens and don’t have parents separated from children.”

Yet Obama administration officials contend they lack the authority to take such a step due to the Defense of Marriage Act, which forbids federal agencies from recognizing state-sanctioned same-sex marriages or partnerships.

The policy has made it near impossible for LGBT Americans to successfully apply for green cards for their foreignborn spouse, as heterosexual married people are able to do.

Just this week Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano reiterated that immigration officials’ hands are tied due to DOMA when it comes to assisting binational same-sex couples unable to live together in the U.S. Asked during a February 25 White House press conference about the issue by a reporter from the gay Washington Blade newspaper, Napolitano said that the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services cannot defer the applications of LGBT binational couples.

“The legal advice we have received is that we can’t put them in abeyance because DOMA remains the law,” Napolitano responded to the Blade’s question. “We’d like to see that law overturned. In practical terms, however, most of those cases fall within very, very low priority in terms of what

Karen Ocamb

Immigration attorney Lavi Soloway

we’ve done over the last years, which is to build priorities into immigration enforcement, so we’re not seeing, in practicality, those deportations occur.”

The administration has taken some pro-gay steps in regards to immigration issues. As the

Blade reported last October, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued a memorandum telling its officers to take family relationships into account in deportation cases involving LGBT immigrants in the country illegally.

Last month a fact sheet on immigration reform released by the White House included a call for the inclusion of policies that give U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents the right to sponsor their same-sex permanent partners to immigrate to the United States.

Although a growing chorus of Republicans is calling on their party to embrace immigration reform, it remains to be seen if their support will extend to protecting LGBT families.

“It is hard to tell what is going to happen on the policy end,” Shuya Ohno, a national field organizer at the National Immigration Forum, said during the LGBT media forum panel.

“It is going to be a tough battle in Congress, especially with Republicans controlling the House.”

Administration officials’ excuses for executive-level inaction could become moot this June should the U.S. See page 13 >>

<< Community News

t Queen Mother explores ideas for Imperial Court 10 • Bay Area Reporter • February 28-March 6, 2013

by Peter Hernandez

N

icole Murray Ramirez, with over 50 years of work within the LGBT community, was recently appointed the Imperial Council’s Queen Mother of the Americas and still conjures ideas to bring the Imperial Court out of the “dark ages.”

The 91-year-old successor to Queen Mother Empress I, the Widow Norton, Jose Julio Sarria, 90, carries steel pins that read “Nicole the Great” and glossy images of his drag persona. His personality teeters between the drag queen who reigns over the Imperial Council and the suit and tie-clad San Diego political leader and newspaper columnist that spearheaded the dedication of Harvey Milk Street in San Diego.

“You can tell I don’t like titles,” Ramirez said, laughing and tapping his feet. He was visiting San Francisco last weekend for the Imperial Court Coronation, an inauguration

Danny Buskirk

Danny Buskirk

is a commissioner on the San Diego Human Relations Commission and executive director of the International Court Council. He pens the Conversations with Nicole column in the San Diego LGBT Weekly. He talked at great length about Milk, although they knew each other as casual acquaintances, and recounted his decades of tales that span the AIDS epidemic and Stonewall with climactic fervor.

“I used to tell Harvey to cut his hair or people would think he was a hippie,” Ramirez said of his earliest interactions with Milk.

Ramirez has an undulating optimism for the state of LGBT rights.

He believes in former Supervisor Bevan Dufty’s unrelenting charm, state Senator Mark Leno’s (D-San Francisco) progressive legislation and in youth organizations like the Trevor Project, an LGBT suicide prevention nonprofit for which the court system raised $15,000 in 2011.

“I can go to the grave knowing that our movement is in the right hands,” Ramirez said.t

Queen Mother Nicole Murray Ramirez was at last weekend’s Imperial Court Coronation.

New San Francisco Imperial Court royalty Emperor Drew Cutler, left, and Empress Patty McGroin were crowned at last weekend’s Coronation.

of this year’s Empress Patty McGroin and Emperor Drew Cutler of the Imperial Council of San Francisco.

Succeeding Sarria, who founded the International Court System after claiming himself the Widow Norton, after the deceased and storied Emperor Norton of San Francisco, Ramirez has what he considers big ideas to liven the court, but couldn’t

provide specifics.

“They have pajama parties and outer space themes. Fuck that. What does that have to do with royalty?” he said, rebuking the fundraising efforts of some of the system’s 85 councils, which span North America. Ramirez wants the Imperial Court System to return to its roots in European nobility, which he says began with his implementation of a

double-eagle emblem appropriated from the House of Romanov, an imperial family of Russia.

Ramirez also maintains momentum behind a national campaign to create a postage stamp honoring Milk and spoke at a February 22 rally in front of City Hall to name San Francisco International Airport after Milk. [See story, page 1.]

The energetic and wry Ramirez

porting meth use has steadily declined since 2007, as the Bay Area Reporter reported in December. Four years ago roughly 20 percent of MSM contacted by state health officials said they had used meth in the past 12 months.

In 2011, that number had dropped to 12 percent among the 538 MSM who answered the question. Out of 84 MSM living in San Francisco County, nine men, or 11 percent, said they had used meth in the previous 12 months.

The reports by health officials do not surprise Juan Garcia, a gay man who has produced various nightlife events in San Francisco since the mid1990s. Years ago he could easily name friends he knew using meth.

“I did lose some very close friends to that drug in the last five years,” Garcia said. “It was due to overdoses or people just kind of disappear into the night that you don’t see anymore.”

These days Garcia said he doesn’t know anyone using crystal.

“It used to be when people were doing the all-night rave parties and weekly club events that everybody kind of dabbled in it. Since the end of all the big clubs, I have not heard of or had any access or contact with anybody who does that anymore,” said Garcia, who is helping to revive the formerly weekly Fag Fridays parties as a monthly event returning on April 12 at club Monarch and again May 24 at DNA Lounge.

Now that gay men’s nightlife habits have changed, with bar hopping in the Castro replacing marathon dance parties on most weekend nights, there is little need to turn to meth to fuel a night out, said Garcia.

“There is nothing keeping you up and out all night long anymore,” said Garcia. “I’ve always said that drug culture and late-night partying is always connected. When one goes so does the other.”

cern among those living on the city’s streets.

“I still see it as being a very significant challenge in the community,” said Dufty. “I still encounter people who have lost their housing due to meth use or at times are in an abusive relationship where their partner began using meth and it spiraled them out of control.”

He does credit the drop off in usage researchers are documenting to the work done by the mayoral task force, LGBT community members, and nonprofit agencies that came together to address the issue.

“I think the task force can take pride in the progress that has been achieved,” he said. “I do think because of the focus and emphasis of the awareness campaign a lot was done. It had an impact.”

Michael Siever, Ph.D., manager of the Stonewall Project, a harm reduction effort aimed at gay drug users begun 15 years ago and now part of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, concedes that meth usage by MSM is not “a crisis anymore.” But he contends that it remains a significant problem.

“I would say it is endemic, meaning it is kind of entrenched in the community and has been for years,” said Siever, whose program provides counseling and assistance to 600 men a year. “My sense is cocaine use is probably up and, because of that, possibly meth use is down a little.”

He remains skeptical of the data used to support the various reports’ claims of declining meth usage, which is mainly collected from men stopped on the street asked to take part in the survey. The anti-meth messaging of years past likely makes some users of the drug less willing to admit doing so, maintains Siever.

It is a point the researchers acknowledge, noting in the JAIDS study the “possibility that participants were more likely to give socially desirable responses” such as underreporting their drug use.

“I think the meth task force conclusion is still the case. Meth use, I would say, is at a high plateau that fluctuates year to year,” said Siever. “We have not seen any lessening of demand at Stone-

wall.”

One consequence of no longer having weekly nightclubs operating is it makes it harder to find and question those MSM who may be using meth.

The advent of sex hookup apps on mobile phone devices also makes it harder to survey the community, noted Siever.

“The bottom line for me is, yes, there is some lessening of use. But the reality is gay men use alcohol and other drugs at a very high rate, regardless,” he said. “It is still an issue even if it does go down some.”

Stonewall is currently working with Adam Carrico, Ph.D., assistant professor of nursing at the UCSF Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, to examine if its harm reduction approach to drug and alcohol use among gay and bisexual men has been effective. Called the Stonewall Treatment Evaluation Project, Carrico is using data about the program’s participants over the years to see what impact it has had.

“Trends of meth use seem unchanged to us,” said Carrico, who has published several papers on the effects of stimulants, such as meth and cocaine, on HIV disease progression in MSM. “We are working with people presenting for drug use treatment and are HIV positive and have had meth use problems for years.”

Studies show that use of stimulants can lead to elevated HIV viral loads and cause users not to adhere to their treatment regimens. Understanding such correlations is key to seeing that HIV prevention policies such as treatment on demand are successful, said Carrico, since suppressing viral load among people living with HIV is considered key to reducing transmission of the virus.

“It is not just about getting people to stop using drugs but providing them comprehensive psychiatric care that addresses their multiple health needs,” he said.

In July he will begin enrolling 230 people over four years into a study to see if providing them incentives to not use meth will be effective.

“We want to help people find rewards other than drug abuse,” said Carrico.t

organization’s budget has taken a cut of one-third, with a full-time staff of three and some hundred volunteers.

She wants to take her project to Uganda, where a 2009 Anti-Homosexuality Bill that would prohibit same-sex relationships and penalize

affiliates of the LGBT community is still being debated.

EQCA spokesman Steve Roth said that the dinner, attended by 439 people, raised approximately $225,000 for the LGBT statewide lobbying organization.t

<<

Meth use

From page 1

had used meth in the past year, and in 2011 nearly 12 percent of the 510 MSM had used the drug.

“This decline in meth use in MSM is also seen in L.A. and New York,” said Raymond.

State health officials have documented that MSM in California testing positive for gonorrhea and self-re-

Not everyone convinced

Not everyone is convinced that the meth epidemic among MSM is over.

Dufty, who now handles homelessness issues as part of Mayor Ed Lee’s administration, told the B.A.R. that he believes the drug is still a key con-

<<

EQCA

From page 2

make a film, that’s many more films to be made,” Lim, the recipient of EQCA’s Good Neighbor Award, said.

On stage, she acknowledged that her

For more on the Coronation, see On the Town, page 26.

t

Community News>>

February 28-March 6, 2013 • Bay Area Reporter • 11

Man faces trial in brutal 2011 murder

by Seth Hemmelgarn

A

San Francisco judge has ordered a man accused of brutally murdering his gay Nob Hill roommate in 2011 to stand trial in the case.

Waheed Kesmatyer, 26, is charged with murder and using a knife in the death of Jack Baker, 67. Baker was found stabbed, strangled, and beaten February 11, 2011 in his apartment at 1035 Bush Street.

At the end of the preliminary hearing Tuesday, February 26, Superior Court Judge Bruce Chan said there was enough evidence to leave a “strong suspicion” that Kesmatyer killed Baker.

During the hearing, Assistant District Attorney Diana Garcia presented a police video of Baker’s cluttered home. The footage, which was taken shortly after police were called to the scene, showed Baker’s body lying underneath a pile of decorative items.

Apparent blood spots could be

seen throughout the apartment, including on the ceiling near Baker’s nearly decapitated body. The video also showed what looked like blood smears on a windowsill, a doorframe, and a container holding kitchen utensils. What appeared to be blood was also found on a knife handle.

DNA tests strongly indicated that the stains on the windowsill, doorframe and utensil holder had come from Kesmatyer, according to San Francisco Police Department criminalist Kimberly Sylvester’s testimony.

Testing on a sample from the knife revealed a mixture of DNA from at least two people, with Baker “included as a possible major contributor,” Sylvester said. Kesmatyer “was included as a possible minor contributor,” she said.

Toward the end of Tuesday’s session, Deputy Public Defender Hadi Razzaq noted that no evidence had been presented “that gives the court any information about how long the blood had been in those locations,”

and that police hadn’t confirmed the DNA on the knife handle had come from blood.

Among other factors behind his decision to hold Kesmatyer for trial, Chan said Baker would have been “somewhat of an untidy person to leave these large blood stains in place.”

He also pointed to previous testimony that a wallet containing Kesmatyer’s driver’s license had been found in the apartment, indicating his departure had been “hasty or unplanned.”

Razzaq said “no evidence of any sort of motive” had been presented, among other points.

Kesmatyer’s parents have regularly attended their son’s numerous hearings, and they were in court again Tuesday. They declined to comment on the case.

The preliminary hearing started with a one-day session in October.

Kesmatyer, who remains in custody, is next due in court March 12 for arraignment.t

Senate OKs Hagel as defense secretary

by Lisa Keen

T

he Senate voted 58-41 February 26 to confirm former Senator Chuck Hagel as the new defense secretary.

One of those voting in favor of Hagel, a Republican, was lesbian Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin).

The LGBT community initially balked at Hagel’s nomination, primarily due to comments he made to oppose the confirmation of openly gay ambassador James Hormel during the Clinton years. Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin called Hagel’s past comments and his congressional voting on gay-related issues “unacceptable.” Stacey Long, policy director for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, said her organization was “gravely concerned” about Hagel’s commitment to equality for gay people. And then Barney Frank, the gay former Massachusetts congressman, said Hagel’s hostile comments regarding Hormel were a “disqualification from being appointed.”

But Hagel quickly issued an apology for those remarks – even before President Barack Obama nominated him – and the community’s opposition softened to ambivalence.

“My comments 14 years ago in 1998 were insensitive. They do not reflect my views or the totality of my public record, and I apologize to Ambassador Hormel and any LGBT Americans who may

question my commitment to their civil rights,” said Hagel in the apology. “I am fully supportive of ‘open service’ and committed to LGBT military families,” said Hagel in his statement.

One group that did voice and maintain its opposition to Hagel was Log Cabin Republicans. That group issued a statement Tuesday, following the confirmation vote, saying, “Senator Hagel was never our ideal choice for secretary of defense, but we know we can find common ground with him on at least one issue: we want what is best for the United States of America and our brave men and women who serve to protect it.”

The statement, attributed to Executive Director Gregory Angelo, said that, despite Hagel’s previous “hurtful comments against the LGBT community” and his “dismal” record on LGBT issues, “we must look to the future now that Chuck Hagel has been confirmed as secretary of defense with the hope that his repudiation of past statements and declared commitment to supporting open service for all is genuine.”

Baldwin said initially that she would scrutinize Hagel carefully to determine whether his apology for the Hormel remarks was “sincere and sufficient.” In a press release February 13, she said she would support Hagel’s confirmation. While she did not mention anything about his views on sexual orientation, she noted that she was impressed with his “humility to admit mistakes and

Obituaries >> Steve Iacovino January 19, 1952 – December 20, 2012

Steven Iacovino passed peacefully at his home in Honolulu, Hawaii on December 20, 2012.

He is survived by his loving partner of 25 years, Mark Van Kleeck, and his babies Peanut and Sweetie.

Steve was a longtime San Francisco provocateur, who was equally at home at an Eagle beer bust, a loud rock show, or in the great halls of San Francisco’s mu-

seums. He and his then-partner David Morris served as preparators at the Asian Art Museum in the 1980s. Born in the Bronx on January 19, 1952, he never lost the distinctive dialect and attitude of his origins.

Since moving to the islands in 1992, Steve was very active in the local AIDS communities and as a dedicated volunteer of the Honolulu Food Bank. He was also an accomplished electronic music composer.

We will all miss his bellowing laugh, incessant joke emails, and big warm heart.

A memorial celebration is being planned for the spring. Email vankleeckmark@gmail.com for details.

learn from them.” A spokesperson later told a reporter that Baldwin was satisfied that Hagel’s apology over the Hormel remarks was “sincere and sufficient.”

OutServe-SLDN, which had indiSee page 12 >>

<< Community News

12 • Bay Area Reporter • February 28-March 6, 2013

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ebar.com

Milk SFO

From page 1

“It’s one of those ideas that the more information people get, the more appealing it becomes,” Campos said.

At the rally, retired Metropolitan Community Church founder the Reverend Troy Perry fought back tears as he recalled viewing Milk’s body as it lay in state in the main rotunda at City Hall.

“Join my voice with the city to name SFO for Harvey Milk,” Perry told the crowd. He compared Milk to the late Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Perry, 73, said he recently spoke about Milk at an event in Germany. “Wherever I go in the world, people ask me about Harvey Milk,” he said. Perry concluded his comments by urging the city to “name SFO today for Harvey.”

San Diego Human Relations Commissioner Nicole Murray Ramirez, in town for last weekend’s Imperial Court Coronation, also spoke in favor of the plan.

“You are that shining city on the hill,” said Ramirez. “A city of social justice and diversity.”

Ramirez, a member of the San Diego Imperial Court, hopes to get the U.S. Postal Service to issue a commemorative stamp in honor of Milk.

Also in attendance were Milk speechwriter Frank Robinson and Anne Kronenberg and Dan Nicoletta, both of whom worked on the Milk for Supervisor campaign.

“I think we owe it to the thousands of LGBT people who have been abused by their countries internationally by offering this small gesture in their honor and

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News Briefs

From page 7

patron experience in the San Francisco Nightlife industry, will be held Monday, March 4 at the Castro Theatre, 429 Castro Street. Doors open at 7 p.m., the show starts at 7:30.

Hosts will be Liam Mayclem of KPIX’s Eye on the Bay and KFOG music director and on air personality Renee Richardson.

The Niteys were founded by Site

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Business leaders

From page 8

move with him.

“Clorox became a leader in LGBT equality,” said Johnson, who is vice president of finance and global business services for the company.

“Management sets the tone,” said Johnson. “We let it be known what’s acceptable and what’s not.”

But things were less rosy within his own family. It wasn’t until his parents’ 50th wedding anniversary that they accepted his partner, identified in the book as Bruce, by inviting him to the anniversary celebration.

“My parents were working through their own coming out process,” Johnson recalled.

Some of the contributors shared that they had found their partners through their involvement with Out and Equal. Berry’s partner Cynthia

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Hagel

From page 11

cated it was “comfortable” with Hagel’s nomination, issued a statement Tuesday congratulating him on his confirmation and calling it a “win” for all service members, “and for LGBT service members and their families, especially.”

“We thank the senator for his

t

in honor of the LGBT civil rights movement,” Nicoletta said in a statement to the B.A.R. Organizations that support Campos’s proposal include the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club, Equality California, the Human Rights Campaign, and the San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration Committee. Others who attended the rally in support included Brian Basinger of the AIDS Housing Alliance and Bill Hirsch, executive director of the AIDS Legal Referral Panel.

Wiener, who was unable to attend the event, said in an email that the renaming of SFO would send a message.

“While there are various people worthy of consideration for this honor, naming the airport for Harvey Milk would send a loud and unmistakable message about our city’s support for the LGBT community,” he wrote.

Campos said that among those opposed to the idea is the Chamber of Commerce, because officials fear it will interfere with the SFO brand.

But he disagrees with that position.

“As I understand it, the chamber doesn’t want the airport named after anyone so as to protect the San Francisco International Airport brand. In response, I note that we are keeping the name,” Campos said in an email. “We are simply adding Harvey Milk’s name to the existing name. We get the best of both worlds: we keep the existing brand and get the benefit of Harvey who has become an international symbol of hope.”

For its part, the chamber favors sticking with SFO for the airport’s name.

“The name, and the acronym SFO are familiar to millions of

people who visit or dream of visiting our city,” said Chamber of Commerce spokeswoman Gwen Oldham. “The chamber reiterates that altering the name of the airport in any way will reduce and dilute the spotlight that San Francisco International Airport enjoys on the world stage.”

Oldham also said that the chamber is concerned with the cost of any name change, which is estimated at $4 million.

Campos disputed that figure, saying most of it is for signage.

He indicated that the highway signs could be replaced over time

by Caltrans and don’t need to be replaced right away should the name change occur.

“It’s definitely under $1 million,” Campos said of cost estimates for the name change.

The chamber thinks Milk’s name should grace something else.

“Harvey Milk is a revered figure in San Francisco history and is deserving of recognition,” Oldham added. “The chamber continues to recommend that a more appropriate alternative or facility be identified to honor Harvey Milk.”

The B.A.R. and the San Francisco Chronicle have editorialized against the plan.

As of this week, Stuart Milk’s petition at Change.org in support of naming SFO after Harvey Milk had over 20,000 signatures.

As reported in last week’s B.A.R., backers have also launched a website, www.harveymilksfo.com.t

and Sound, a nonprofit that supports and promotes music, the arts, and popular culture. Out Entertainment Commissioner Audrey Joseph volunteers with Site and Sound and has much experience with live events.

The idea for an awards celebration occurred shortly after the city released its economic impact report, “Nightlife, the Other 9 to 5,” which showed that the industry contributed more than $4.2 billion to San Francisco and has created some

48,000 jobs.

There are numerous categories that will be awarded, including three related to the LGBT community. Winners in some categories, such as best gay dance club, were determined by site visits. The public voted on others, such as best gay bar and most notable drag queen, earlier this year.

Tickets to the Niteys are $15, $25, or $75. For more information, visit www.niteyawards.com.t

Martin was the first out executive at Eastman Kodak. She remained closeted during her early years with the company. When asked if she could work toward making Kodak more LGBT inclusive, she decided it was time to put her own cards on the table. In coming out to her immediate superior, she was surprised to learn why he was so supportive of the company’s LGBT workforce: the gentleman has a lesbian daughter.

Stories such as these abounded at the launch party. The book delves further into the backstories.

Of course, not everything in corporate America is perfect, Berry noted.

“There’s a lag in support for transgenders in the workplace,” observed Berry. “We now offer Trans 101 training and have a transgender advisory committee. There are three transgender stories in the book.”

One of those is by Bay Area resi-

dent Jamison Green, the owner of Jamison Green and Associates, who writes and speaks frequently on trans issues. The other transgender authors are Lori Fox, president and founder of Lori Fox Diversity/ Business Consulting, and Maggie Stumpp, chief investment officer at Quantitative Management, a subsidiary of Prudential Financial.

Bisexuals were included as well.

Bay Area resident Heidi Bruins Green, the wife of Jamison, recalled her experiences dating both men and women at different times, and finding acceptance from neither the straight nor gay worlds. She now serves on Out and Equal’s bisexual advisory committee.

Out and Equal at Work is now in bookstores, and is also available on Amazon in print and Kindle editions.

For more information, visit: www.outandequal.org.t

commitment to equal treatment and equal opportunity, and we urge him to take swift action to include our service members in non-discrimination and anti-harassment protections,” said OutServeSLDN Executive Director Allyson Robinson.

In response to questions from Democratic senators, Hagel said at his confirmation hearing last month

that he would protect the right of same-sex couples to use military chapels for their marriage ceremonies but would not require military chaplains perform such ceremonies if they were morally opposed to such marriages. He also promised Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-New York) his “complete commitment” to ensuring that gay service members’ families would receive equal treatment.t

James Patterson and Cynthia Laird contributed to this article.

t <<

Read more online at www.ebar.com

UOR

that it just dumped its costly Castro Street shop and hadn’t previously announced plans for another permanent storefront.

Under One Roof, which was created in 1991, has said that after the agency paid for operating expenses, all the money shoppers spent on everything from books to shot glasses went to the store’s community partners. But in recent years, the store has spent most of its money on rent and other expenses, and community partners receive only a sliver of what they used to.

Now, the organization is set to move into the Crocker Galleria in April. A ribbon cutting at the new location is scheduled for Friday, March 1.

Last October, Under One Roof announced a strategy of relying on temporary stores and other ideas designed to increase money going to partners. At a community meeting, nothing was said about opening another store.

These developments at the nonprofit have prompted the head of one longtime partner agency to suggest it may be time for Under One Roof to shut down.

John Cunningham, executive director of the National AIDS Memorial Grove, expressed appreciation to UOR’s staff and board, but said, “Like any organization, there comes a time to realize that perhaps your work and your effectiveness has come to an end.”

The Bay Area Reporter had scheduled an interview with board Chair Tony Hart and member Jennifer Kutz for this story, but the day before the appointment, Kutz sent an email that said, “[W]e’re going to pass on an interview at this time.” She didn’t offer an explanation.

Other AIDS service organization leaders expressed disappointment with the change in plans.

“I had thought their new business plan was to cease retail operations and focus on special shopping events and other fundraisers,” AIDS Emergency Fund Executive Director Mike Smith said. “I’m surprised that they’ve chosen to open a new retail location, especially one that’s downtown and not in the Castro.”

He added, “They seem to be choosing the potential visibility of tourists over their most loyal customers who live in the Castro.”

became a money pit. The agency announced last year it would close the shop early in 2013, and did so January 31.

In recent years, UOR has distributed about $40,000 a year to about two-dozen partners, down considerably from what the shop had shared in its peak years. (Beneficiaries aren’t required to do anything, but are asked to promote UOR’s work.)

“We just hope by moving in this direction where we’re not so hampered by these heavy costs we can actually help [beneficiaries] even more,” Hart said in an interview in October.

But the agency recently announced it’s moving into the space at Crocker Galleria, the glass-domed, three-level pavilion at 50 Post Street that opened in 1982 as a home to luxury retailers.

Under One Roof’s new store will officially open April 1.

The nonprofit hasn’t shared how much it’s paying for the Crocker space, but a letter to supporters that Hart sent January 29 says the mall is offering the location at “a fraction” of what the nonprofit was paying in the Castro.

Asked in an email how much UOR would be paying in rent and how long the lease is, Sabrina Goris, who’s with Crocker’s property management company, responded by saying, “We are unable to discuss specific lease details.”

She also crossed out the line in Under One Roof’s letter that said the nonprofit’s getting the space for a fraction of what it was paying in the Castro.

UOR’s letter also says the new space “allows us to maintain a physical, retail presence – and generate revenue to support our partners – while we continue to execute on our restructuring plan.”

That plan, which the agency introduced in October, includes reaching out to individual donors, corporations, and others. UOR also plans a Castro holiday store, temporary popup shops, and “an expanded focus on education and awareness of HIV/ AIDS and GLBT issues,” among other aspects, the agency’s recent statement says.

According to information provided

by Kutz last year, total expenses for the fiscal year March 2012 through February 2013 were expected to be $451,310.

Salaries were anticipated to be below $200,000. Hart had said that after the agency closed the Castro shop, there wouldn’t be a need for retail staff. UOR would likely hire contractors for future needs, he had said.

A drain on finances

Voicing concern

From page 1

After Under One Roof moved to 518A Castro Street in 2008, the annual rent went from $85,000 to more than $200,000. A former board member helped with those costs, but the space

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February 28-March 28-March 6, 6, 2013 2013 • B ay area reporter 13 February • Bay Area Reporter • • 13

Community News>>

Political Notebook

From page 9

Supreme Court strike down a portion of DOMA. The court will hear oral arguments in a case attacking the constitutionality of Section 3 of the anti-gay law in March, with a ruling expected during Pride month. Obama and the justice department last week asked that the court overturn Section 3 and allow federal agencies the ability to recognize same-sex marriages.

Should the court uphold DOMA, however, Ohno suggested that, “The deferred action for Dreamers, I think, does offer an administrative type solution in the future, perhaps,” for LGBT binational couples.

The immigration debate was just one of several issues addressed during the LGBT media forum, which brought together 70 journalists and bloggers from various LGBT newspapers and websites from around the country.

It is funded by the Evelyn and Walter Hass Jr. Fund, based in San Francisco and created in 1953 by heirs of jeans purveyor Levi Strauss. Matt Foreman, director of the fund’s gay and immigrant rights programs, conceived of

Cunningham, who joined the agency that oversees the AIDS grove in Golden Gate Park in 2009, said it appeared his group’s relationship with Under One Roof began in 1992.

the LGBT media forum four years ago and teamed up with Bil Browning, editor-in-chief of the Bilerico Project, to organize it.

SF supes pass DP tax relief

San Francisco is on the verge of offering health care tax relief to its city employees in same-sex relationships. It would join only two other municipalities and a handful of businesses that have already taken such a step.

At its February 26 meeting the Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a measure that would reimburse LGBT city employees who incur a spike in federal taxes when they add their same-sex spouse or partner to their health care plan. Under current federal law, the Internal Revenue Service treats any employer contributions for a same-sex partner’s or spouses’ health insurance premiums as taxable income.

Under the plan proposed by District 2 Supervisor Mark Farrell, the city would pay 20 percent of the portion of the employee’s health insurance premiums attributable to the samesex spouse or partner as determined by the city’s Health Service System. It is estimated doing so for the roughly

Since then, UOR has provided almost $130,000, putting the average at about $6,500 per year.

The funding was “very instrumental in the early years of the grove,” he said.

But the shop’s payments to beneficiaries have shrunk, and Cunningham is troubled by the changes at UOR. He pointed to the store’s high overhead and small disbursements, and he also said if Under One Roof is doing the “vast majority of their fundraising through corporate sponsors and individual donors,” that puts it “in direct competition” with beneficiaries, who also rely on those funding streams.

Rather than competing with partners for that revenue, UOR’s original mission “was to raise money through a retail store and through donated product,” Cunningham said.

The new model is not “in any way serving its beneficiaries,” while “the retail model has been somewhat dead on the vine,” he said.

At Friday’s ribbon cutting, which begins at 5:30 p.m., Under One Roof will be presenting quarterly payouts to partnering agencies.

Cunningham didn’t know how much the grove is supposed to get at the event and he hasn’t decided whether he’d keep the grove’s relationship with UOR. Smith also didn’t know how much AEF is set to get this week.

“They haven’t told us,” he said.

His agency will continue to partner with Under One Roof, though.

“We have a motto here: Every penny counts,” Smith said.

One beneficiary expressed strong support for the retail nonprofit.

Brian Basinger, director of AIDS Housing Alliance-San Francisco, said UOR has “a deep well of good will with me, and I feel love for that organization. I wish them the best, and I really hope they pull through it.”

Asked if he had concerns about the nonprofit again putting money toward rent when the plan had been not to do that, Basinger said, “I don’t have any problems with investing in a business plan. It takes money to make money, and I’m assuming that they’ve had a longstanding relationship with Crocker Galleria. Especially with everything they’ve been through, one can only assume the board is vetting any kind of opportunities that come up.”

He added, “If it was me and I had to reinvent my business plan, and especially in such a public way ... I would be pretty darn confident that it was going to work out, and that the numbers crunched properly, and I can only assume that’s what they’re doing, too.”t

353 same-sex spouses and/or same-sex domestic partners enrolled in the city’s health-care system would cost the city slightly more than $500,000.

The city’s legislation includes a sunset clause for the day when the federal government no longer discriminates against same-sex married couples and ends the unfair taxation policies. After the supervisors vote a second time at their March 5 meeting, the legislation will then head to Mayor Ed Lee, who is expected to sign it into law.

A bill introduced in the state Legislature by Assemblyman Phil Ting (DSan Francisco) would prevent the state from taxing such increased compensation, known as “grossed up pay,” workers in a same-sex relationship receive from their employers. It has yet to have its first hearing.t

On the web Online content this week includes the Bay Area Reporter’s online columns, Political Notes and Wedding Bell Blues; an article on the hiring of an anti-gay man to write an online Superman story arc; and a photo from a butch fashion show in Oakland. www.ebar.com.

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This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Anton Daher. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/04/13.

The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/04/13.

FEB 14, 21, 28, MAR 07, 2013 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034872000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PEOPLE POWER MEDIA, 366 10TH AVE., SF, CA 94118. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed People Power Media (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/01/13. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/01/13.

FEB 14, 21, 28, MAR 07, 2013 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034910900

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The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HARMONY SPA, 2540 TARAVAL ST., SF, CA 94116.

This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Yaling Zeng. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/19/13.

The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/19/13.

FEB 21, 28, MAR 07, 14, 2013 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034892000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TYCHO; ISO50; 635 DOLORES ST., SF, CA 94110.

This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Scott Hansen. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/01/12.

The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/11/13.

FEB 21, 28, MAR 07, 14, 2013 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034860200

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FEB 21, 28, MAR 07, 14, 2013 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034903600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BACANO BAKERY, 3033 MACARTHUR, OAKLAND, CA 94602. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed Bacano Life Inc. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/14/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/14/13.

FEB 21, 28, MAR 07, 14, 2013 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034905700

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The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NATHANIEL PACHTNER, 226 TWIN PEAKS BLVD., SF, CA 94114. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Nathaniel Pachtner. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/28/13.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GALAXY STAR ENTERTAINMENT, 703 MARKET ST. #350, SF, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed Thebroth Inc. (DE).

The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/15/13.

FEB 21, 28, MAR 07, 14, 2013 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-034888300

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The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NESTING DAYS, 929 RHODE ISLAND ST., SF, CA 94107. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed New Planet LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/08/13. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/08/13.

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Legal Notices>> ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CAlIFORNIA, COUNTy OF SAN FRANCISCO FIlE CNC13-549299 In the matter of the application of: NANCY BUTERA & TYRON JAMES HOOPER, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioners NANCY BUTERA & TYRON JAMES HOOPER, is requesting that the name COLE HOOPER BUTERA, be changed to COLE SEBASTIAN BUTERA. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514 on the 23rd of April 2013 at 9:00 am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

FEB 28, MAR 07, 14, 21, 2013 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CAlIFORNIA, COUNTy OF SAN FRANCISCO FIlE CNC13-549298 In the matter of the application of: JANE CASSELL SUMNER, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner JANE CASSELL SUMNER, is requesting that the name JANE CASSELL SUMNER be changed to AVERY GARLAND CASSELL. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514 on the 23rd of April 2013 at 9:00 am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

FEB 28, MAR 07, 14, 21, 2013 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FIlE A-034898500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HUTONG, 2030 UNION ST., SF, CA 94123. This business is conducted by a limited partnership, and is signed Pejiu Wu Inc. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/13/13.

FEB 21, 28, MAR 7, 14, 2013 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FIlE A-034867700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BLUE KITE GROUP, 1586 46TH AVE., SF, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Yvonne Liang. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/15/13. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/30/13.

FEB 21, 28, MAR 07, 14, 2013 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FIlE A-034900200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SUPERB GARDEN GROCERY, 2433 NORIEGA ST., SF, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Yan Kam Fu Wong. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/01/13. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/13/13.

FEB 21, 28, MAR 07, 14, 2013 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FIlE A-032566300 The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: SUPERB GARDEN GROCERY, 2433 NORIEGA ST., SF, CA 94122. This business was conducted by a general partnership and signed by Sau Yin Wong & Yan Kam Fu Wong. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/17/10.

FEB 21, 28, MAR 7, 14, 2013 NOTICE OF APPlICATION FOR CHANGE IN OWNERSHIP OF AlCOHOlIC BEvERAGE lICENSE Dated 02/15/13 To Whom It May Concern: The name(s) of the applicant(s) is/are: NEW HONG KONG LOUNGE INC. The applicants listed above are applying to the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control at 33 New Montgomery St. #1230, SF, CA 94105 to sell alcoholic beverages at 5322 GEARY BLVD., SF, CA 94121-2323. Type of license applied for

41 - ON-SAlE BEER & WINE EATING PlACE FEB 28, 2013 NOTICE OF APPlICATION TO SEll AlCOHOlIC BEvERAGES Dated 02/12/13 To Whom It May Concern: The name(s) of the applicant(s) is/are: EL TOMATE, INC. The applicants listed above are applying to the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control at 33 New Montgomery St. #1230, SF, CA 94105 to sell alcoholic beverages at 2904 24TH ST., SF, CA 94110-4127. Type of license applied for

41 - ON-SAlE BEER & WINE EATING PlACE FEB 28, MAR 7, 14, 2013 NOTICE OF APPlICATION TO SEll AlCOHOlIC BEvERAGES Dated 02/11/13 To Whom It May Concern: The name(s) of the applicant(s) is/are: ROXY’S CAFE INC. The applicants listed above are applying to the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control at 33 New Montgomery St. #1230, SF, CA 94105 to sell alcoholic beverages at 2847 MISSION ST., SF, CA 94110-3907. Type of license applied for

41 - ON-SAlE BEER & WINE EATING PlACE FEB 28, MAR 7, 14, 2013

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FIlE A-034912700

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FIlE A-034911800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CHICO’S GRILL, 3771 MISSION ST., SF, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Hilario Chico. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/19/13. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/19/13.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: WIFI GRAPHICS, 737 POST ST. #1222, SF, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Steven Haskins. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/14/13. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/19/13.

FEB 28, MAR 7, 14, 21, 2013 NOTICE OF APPlICATION TO SEll AlCOHOlIC BEvERAGES

FEB 28, MAR 7, 14, 21, 2013 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FIlE A-034893600

Dated 02/22/13 To Whom It May Concern: The name(s) of the applicant(s) is/are: GRAND HOTPOT LOUNGE INC. The applicants listed above are applying to the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control at 33 New Montgomery St. #1230, SF, CA 94105 to sell alcoholic beverages at 3565 GEARY BLVD., SF, CA 94118-3212. Type of license applied for

41 - ON-SAlE BEER & WINE EATING PlACE FEB 28, MAR 7, 14, 2013 NOTICE OF APPlICATION TO SEll AlCOHOlIC BEvERAGES Dated 02/22/13 To Whom It May Concern: The name(s) of the applicant(s) is/are: SAN FRANCISCO CHAMPAGNE SOCIETY, LLC. The applicants listed above are applying to the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control at 33 New Montgomery St. #1230, SF, CA 94105 to sell alcoholic beverages at 1097 HOWARD ST. #101, SF, CA 94103-2881. Type of license applied for

42 - ON-SAlE BEER & WINE – PUBlIC PREMISES FEB 28, MAR 7, 14, 2013 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FIlE A-034874000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LIDES, 550-15 ST., SF, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Armando Torres. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/01/13. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/01/13.

FEB 28, MAR 7, 14, 21, 2013 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FIlE A-034918800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: WIFI LEGAL GRAPHICS & CONSULTING, 737 POST ST. #1222, SF, CA 94109.

This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Steven Haskins. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/11/13.

FEB 28, MAR 7, 14, 21, 2013 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FIlE A-034918100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: KABUTO JAPANESE RESTAURANT, 5121 GEARY BLVD., SF, CA 94118.

This business is conducted by a married couple, and is signed Eunpil Cho & Sunhee Cho. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/20/13. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/21/13.

FEB 28, MAR 7, 14, 21, 2013 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FIlE A-034884300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NUTRITION FOR THE PEOPLE, 290 DE HARO ST., SF, CA 94103.

This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Ellen Goodenow Garcia. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/03/13. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/06/13.

FEB 28, MAR 7, 14, 21, 2013 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FIlE A-034888200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PER’S BIKE TOURS SAN FRANCISCO, 1200 17TH AVE. #301, SF, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Per Schwarzenberger. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/21/13.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PEOPLEFIRST REHABILITATION, 2043 19TH AVE., SF, CA 94116. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed Kindred Rehab Services Inc. (DE). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/01/13.

The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/08/13.

FEB 28, MAR 7, 14, 21, 2013

FEB 28, MAR 7, 14, 21, 2013

SUMMONS SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CASE NO. CGC-12-525348 Notice! You have been sued. The court may decide against you without your being heard unless you respond not later than April 2, 2013 which is ten (10) days or more after completion of the publication of this summons. Read information below.

NOTICE TO: SAN FRANCISCO MUNICIPAL TRANSPORTATION AGENCY (“SFMTA”), EDWARD D. REISKIN, in his official capacity as Director of Transportation of SFMTA; TOM NOLAN, in his official capacity as Chairman of the Board of Directors of SFMTA; CHERYL BRINKMAN, in her official capacity as Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of SFMTA; MALCOLM A. HEINICKE, JERRY LEE, LEONA BRIDGES, JOEL RAMOS and CRISTINA RUBKE, in their official capacities as Members of the Board of Directors of SFMTA; ALL PERSONS INTERESTED IN THE MATTER OF THE VALIDITY OF TAXI MEDALLION TRANSFER PROGRAM; and, DOES 1-25, Defendants, and Respondents: BILL MOUNSEY, IZA PARDINAS, JEFFREY GROVE, UNITED TAXICAB WORKERS, an unincorporated association of San Francisco Taxi Drivers, and the SAN FRANCISCO CAB DRIVERS ASSOCIATION, a California Nonprofit Mutual Benefit Association, Plaintiffs and Petitioners, have filed a lawsuit to contest the legality or validity of the SFMTA’s Taxi Medallion Transfer Program as set forth in SFMTA Resolution No. 12-110 and the amendments to sections 1102 and 1116 of the San Francisco Transportation Code Division II. The name of the case is BILL MOUNSEY, IZA PARDINAS, JEFFREY GROVE, UNITED TAXICAB WORKERS, an unincorporated association of San Francisco Taxi Drivers, and the SAN FRANCISCO CAB DRIVERS ASSOCIATION, a California Nonprofit Mutual Benefit Association, Plaintiffs and Petitioners v. SAN FRANCISCO MUNICIPAL TRANSPORTATION AGENCY (“SFMTA”); EDWARD D. REISKIN, in his official capacity as Director of Transportation of SFMTA; TOM NOLAN, in his official capacity as Chairman of the Board of Directors of SFMTA; CHERYL BRINKMAN, in her official capacity as Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of SFMTA; MALCOLM A. HEINICKE, JERRY LEE, LEONA BRIDGES, JOEL RAMOS and CRISTINA RUBKE, in their official capacities as Members of the Board of Directors of SFMTA; ALL PERSONS INTERESTED IN THE MATTER OF THE VALIDITY OF TAXI MEDALLION TRANSFER PROGRAM; and DOES 1-25, Defendants and Respondents (Case No. CGC-12-525348), pending in the Superior Court of California, San Francisco County.

You may take a position regarding the alleged validity or invalidity of SFMTA’s Taxi Medallion Transfer Program pursuant to Resolution 12-110 and the amendments to sections 1102 and 1116 of the San Francisco Transportation Code Division II by appearing and filing a written answer to the complaint not later than April 2, 2013, which is ten (10) days or more after the completion of the publication of this summons. Your pleading must be in the form required by the California Rules of Court. Your original pleading must be filed in this Court with proper filing fees and proof that a copy thereof was served on Plaintiffs’ attorney. Unless you so respond, the Plaintiffs may apply to the Court for the relief demanded in the complaint without any opposition from you.

Persons who contest the legality or validity of the matter will not be subject to punitive action, such as wage garnishment or seizure of their real or personal property. You may seek the advice of an attorney in any matter connected with the complaint or this summons. Such attorney should be consulted promptly so that your pleading may be filed or entered within the time required by this summons.

DETAILED SUMMARY OF THE MATTER THAT PLAINTIFF SEEKS TO INVALIDATE: SFMTA has passed Resolution 12-110 that amended sections 1102 and 1116 of the San Francisco Transportation Code Division II and created the Taxi Medallion Transfer Program. The Resolution allows for a long-term medallion transfer policy for a fixed purchase price, which is currently $300,000, to be paid to the SFMTA. Under the terms of the Transfer Program, the SFMTA will realize between 20% and 100% of the medallion transfer price, or $60,000 to $300,000 for each medallion that is transferred, depending on the type of transfer. With the limited exception of a five percent (5%) five percent contribution to a Driver Fund applicable only to retransfers of previously transferred medallions, the transfer amount is retained by SFMTA for its General Fund while the costs of administering the Transfer Program are paid through separate fees imposed on all taxi drivers, medallion holders, medallion applicants, cab companies, and taxi dispatch services to cover the costs of taxi regulation. The Plaintiffs seek to invalidate SFMTA’s Taxi Medallion Transfer Program created by Resolution 12-110. Plaintiffs allege that the Resolution and Code Amendments are an unconstitutional legislative act by an administrative agency, violative of due process as required by the City Charter and the California and federal Constitutions, an unconstitutional special tax and otherwise unconstitutional and unlawful means of generating revenue, that the transfer of medallions by SFMTA pursuant to these provisions unlawfully deprives qualified applicants on the waiting list of the economic and other benefits possession of a medallion provides contrary to representations and promises made to them upon which Plaintiffs and others similarly situated have relied. Plaintiffs seek to invalidate the Resolution and have it set aside. The name and address of the Court is: Superior Court of the State of California, County of San Francisco; 400 McAllister Street, San Francisco, CA 94102. The names and address of Plaintiffs’ attorneys is Robert F. Kane, Law Offices of Robert F. Kane, 870 Market Street, Suite 1128, San Francisco, California, 94102 FEB 28, MAR 7, 14, 21, 2013

SUMMONS SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO CASE NO. CPF-12-512660 Notice! You have been sued. The court may decide against you without your being heard unless you respond not later than April 2, 2013 which is ten (10) days or more after completion of the publication of this summons. Read information below.

NOTICE TO: SAN FRANCISCO MUNICIPAL TRANSPORTATION AGENCY (“SFMTA”); EDWARD D. REISKIN, in his official capacity as Director of Transportation of SFMTA; TOM NOLAN, in his official capacity as Chairman of the Board of Directors of SFMTA; CHERYL BRINKMAN, in her official capacity as Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of SFMTA; MALCOLM A. HEINICKE, JERRY LEE, LEONA BRIDGES, JOEL RAMOS and CRISTINA RUBKE, in their official capacities as Members of the Board of Directors of SFMTA; SAN FRANCISCO CITY AND COUNTY BOARD OF APPEALS (“Board of Appeals”); CYNTHIA G. GOLDSTEIN, in her official capacity as Executive Director of Board of Appeals; CHRIS HWANG, in her official capacity as President of Board of Appeals; and ANN LAZARUS, in her official capacity as Commissioner of Board of Appeals; ALL PERSONS INTERESTED IN THE MATTER OF THE VALIDITY OF ISSUING 150-200 TAXI MEDALLIONS TO TAXICAB COLOR SCHEMES; AND OF AUTHORIZING THE TRANSFER OF 200 TAXI MEDALLIONS TO TAXI DRIVERS ON THE TAXI MEDALLION WAITING LIST (“WAITING LIST”) AT A COST OF $150,000 AND PROVIDING THAT SFMTA WILL NO LONGER ISSUE MEDALLIONS TO TAXI DRIVERS ON THE WAITING LIST AT THE COST OF AN APPLICATION FEE; and Does 1-25, Defendants and Respondents: BILL MOUNSEY, IZA PARDINAS, JEFFREY GROVE, UNITED TAXICAB WORKERS, an unincorporated association of San Francisco Taxi Drivers, and the SAN FRANCISCO CAB DRIVERS ASSOCIATION, a California Nonprofit Mutual Benefit Association, Plaintiffs and Petitioners, have filed a lawsuit to contest the legality or validity of SFMTA Resolution No. 12-115 authorizing the leasing of 150-200 medallions to taxi companies and Resolution No. 12-146 and amendments to Transportation Code, Division II, Sections 1102 and 1116 (“Code Amendments”) authorizing the issuance of medallions to the first 200 qualified taxi drivers on the Waiting List for $150,000 and ending the issuance of medallions to taxi drivers on the Waiting List for the cost of an application fee. The name of the case is BILL MOUNSEY, IZA PARDINAS, JEFFREY GROVE, UNITED TAXICAB WORKERS, an unincorporated association of San Francisco Taxi Drivers, and the SAN FRANCISCO CAB DRIVERS ASSOCIATION, a California Nonprofit Mutual Benefit Association, Plaintiffs and Petitioners v. SAN FRANCISCO MUNICIPAL TRANSPORTATION AGENCY (“SFMTA”); EDWARD D. REISKIN, in his official capacity as Director of Transportation of SFMTA; TOM NOLAN, in his official capacity as Chairman of the Board of Directors of SFMTA; CHERYL BRINKMAN, in her official capacity as Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of SFMTA; MALCOLM A. HEINICKE, JERRY LEE, LEONA BRIDGES, JOEL RAMOS and CRISTINA RUBKE, in their official capacities as Members of the Board of Directors of SFMTA; SAN FRANCISCO CITY AND COUNTY BOARD OF APPEALS (“Board of Appeals”); CYNTHIA G. GOLDSTEIN, in her official capacity as Executive Director of Board of Appeals; CHRIS HWANG, in her official capacity as President of Board of Appeals; and ANN LAZARUS, in her official capacity as Commissioner of Board of Appeals; ALL PERSONS INTERESTED IN THE MATTER OF THE VALIDITY OF ISSUING 150-200 TAXI MEDALLIONS TO TAXICAB COLOR SCHEMES; AND OF AUTHORIZING THE TRANSFER OF 200 TAXI MEDALLIONS TO TAXI DRIVERS ON THE TAXI MEDALLION WAITING LIST (“WAITING LIST”) AT A COST OF $150,000 AND PROVIDING THAT SFMTA WILL NO LONGER ISSUE MEDALLIONS TO TAXI DRIVERS ON THE WAITING LIST AT THE COST OF AN APPLICATION FEE; and Does 1-25, Defendants and Respondents (Case No. CPF-12-512660), pending in the Superior Court of California, San Francisco County.

You may take a position regarding the alleged validity or invalidity of SFMTA Resolution No. 12-115 authorizing the leasing of 150-200 medallions to taxi companies and Resolution No. 12-146 and Code Amendments authorizing the issuance of medallions to the first 200 qualified taxi drivers on the Waiting List for $150,000 and ending the issuance of medallions to taxi drivers on the Waiting List for the cost of an application fee, by appearing and filing a written answer to the complaint not later than April 2, 2013, which is ten (10) days or more after the completion of the publication of this summons. Your pleading must be in the form required by the California Rules of Court. Your original pleading must be filed in this Court with proper filing fees and proof that a copy thereof was served on Plaintiffs’ attorney. Unless you so respond, the Plaintiffs may apply to the Court for the relief demanded in the complaint without any opposition from you. Persons who contest the legality or validity of the matter will not be subject to punitive action, such as wage garnishment or seizure of their real or personal property.

You may seek the advice of an attorney in any matter connected with the complaint or this summons. Such attorney should be consulted promptly so that your pleading may be filed or entered within the time required by this summons.

DETAILED SUMMARY OF THE MATTER THAT PLAINTIFF SEEKS TO INVALIDATE: On September 4, 2012 SFMTA enacted Resolution #12-115 authorizing the issuance of 150-200 medallions to taxi companies for a fixed term of three years under certain conditions. On November 20, 2012, SFMTA unlawfully enacted Resolution No. 12-146 and Code Amendments authorizing the transfer of taxi medallions to the first 200 qualified drivers on the Waiting List at a price of $150,000 and providing that SFMTA will no longer issue medallions to drivers on the Waiting List at the cost of an application fee. Plaintiffs seek to invalidate Resolution No. 12-115 and Resolution No. 112-146 and Code Amendments. Plaintiffs allege that Resolution No. 12-115 is invalid in that it was enacted in violation of Transportation Code, Division II, Section 1105(a) (2)(B), which provides that no medallion shall be issued except to a natural person and in no case to any business, firm, partnership, association or corporation, and no medallion shall be issued to, or in the name of, more than one person. Plaintiffs further allege that the Resolutions and Code Amendments are unconstitutional legislative acts by an administrative agency, violative of due process as required by the City Charter and the California and federal Constitutions, an unconstitutional special tax and otherwise unconstitutional and unlawful means of generating revenue, that the transfer of medallions by SFMTA pursuant to these provisions unlawfully deprives qualified applicants on the Waiting List of the economic and other benefits possession of a medallion -- contrary to representations and promises made to them upon which Plaintiffs and others similarly situated have relied. Plaintiffs seek to invalidate the Resolutions and have them set aside. The name and address of the Court is: Superior Court of the State of California, County of San Francisco; 400 McAllister Street, San Francisco, CA 94102. The names and address of Plaintiffs’ attorneys is Robert F. Kane, Law Offices of Robert F. Kane, 870 Market Street, Suite 1128, San Francisco, California, 94102.

FEB 28, MAR 7, 14, 21, 2013 SUMMONS (FAMILY LAW) SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO NOTICE TO RESPONDENT: SANDRA jAMILET MARTINEz, YOU ARE BEING SUED. PETITIONER’S NAME IS RUBEN CABRAL CASE NO. FDI-12-776833 You have 30 CALENDAR DAYS after this Summons and Petition are served on you to file a Response (form FL-120 or FL-123) at the court and have a copy served on the petitioner. A letter or phone call will not protect you. If you do not file your Response on time, the court may make orders affecting your marriage or domestic partnerships, your property, and custody of your children.

You may be ordered to pay support and attorney fees and costs. If you cannot pay the filing fee, ask the clerk for a fee waiver form. If you want legal advice, contact a lawyer immediately. You can get information about finding lawyers at the the California Courts Online Self-Help Center (www. courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp), at the California Legal Services Web site (www.lawhelpcalifornia.org), or by contacting your local county bar association.

NOTICE: The restraining orders following are effective against both spouses or domestic partners until the petition is dismissed, a judgment entered, or the court makes further orders. These orders are enforceable anywhere in California by any law enforcement officer who has received or seen a copy of them.

NOTE: If a judgment or support order is entered, the court may order you to pay all or part of the fees and costs that the court waived for yourself or the other party. If this happens, the party ordered to pay fees shall be given notice and an opportunity to request a hearing to set aside the order to pay waived court fees.

SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, 400 MCALISTER STREET, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102; PREPARED BY ROSS MEYERS, LDA #2, SAN MATEO COUNTY, 520 SO. EL CAMINO REAL #650, SAN MATEO, CA 94402, 650-347-2500; the name, address, and telephone number of petitioner’s attorney, or the petitioner without an attorney, is: RUBEN CABRAL, 1352 HAMPSHIRE ST., SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110; 415-509-0614; APR 09, 2012 WARNING: California law provides that, for the purposes of division of property upon dissolution of a marriage or domestic partnership or upon legal separation, property acquired by the parties during marriage or domestic partnership in joint form is presumed to be community property. If either party to this action should die before the jointly held community property is divided, the language in the deed that characterizes how title is held (i.e., joint tenancy, tenants in common, or community property) will be controlling, and not the community property presumption. You should consult your attorney if you want the community property presumption to be written into the recorded title to the property.

STANDARD FAMILY LAW RESTRAINING ORDERS: Starting immediately, you and your spouse or domestic partner are restrained from: 1. Removing the minor child or children of the parties, if any, from the state without the prior written consent of the other party or an order of the court; 2. Cashing borrowing against, canceling, transferring, disposing of, or changing the beneficiaries of any insurance or other coverage, including life, health, automobile, and disability, held for the benefit of the parties and their minor child or children; 3. Transferring, encumbering, hypothecating, concealing, or in any way disposing of any property, real or personal, whether community, quasi-community, or separate, without the written consent of the other party or an order of the court, except in the usual course of business or for the necessities of life; and 4.

Creating a nonprobate transfer or modifying a nonprobate transfer in the manner that affects the disposition of property subject to the transfer, without the written consent of the other party or an order of the court. Before revocation of a nonprobate transfer can take effect or a right of survivorship to property can be eliminated, notice of the change must be filed and served on the other party. You must notify each other of any proposed extraordinary expenditures at least five business days prior to incurring these extraordinary expenditures and account to the court for all extraordinary expenditures made after these restraining orders are effective. However, you may use community property, quasi-community property, or your own separate property to pay an attorney to help you or to pay court costs.

FEB 07, 14, 21, 28, 2013

Paige on stage

28

Chilean campaign

Father figures

22

Out &About

21

O&A

19

The

Vol. 43 • No. 09 • February 28-March 6, 2013

www.ebar.com/arts

e d o C e r P lms fi isco r F r e ov

China’s Terracotta Warriors: You are there Bette Davis in Fog Over Frisco (1934).

Armored General (detail), Qin dynasty (221-206 BCE), China. Terracotta, excavated from Pit 1, Qin Shihuang tomb complex (1980).

by Erin Blackwell

B

Qin Shihuang Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum, Shaanxi

by Sura Wood Roxie Theater

efore there was Noir, there was PreCode. The Roxie filmhouse is hosting a week of sizzling 1930s melodramas, March 1-7, at a nostalgic $11 per double feature, transporting us back to the heyday of Cagney, Colbert, Davis, Dietrich, Lombard, Tracy, and a host of fabulous supporting players: Ruth Donnelly, Douglas Dumbrille, Jimmy McHugh, Lyle Talbot. On March 7, Margaret Talbot, author of the memoir The Entertainer, will be on hand to illuminate her father’s career.

These mostly B-movies, predating the severe clampdown of the Hays Code of censorship, depict life as lived in all its tawdry, vicious melodrama. The reigning aesthetic is Realism, affording a detailed glimpse into the depths of the American experience. It’s the opposite side

of the spectrum from the high-gloss studio product that belied the widespread poverty, violence, and corruption of the Great Depression.

“Why should we care about these pre-Code films?” asks the Roxie’s director of programming Elliot Lavine in a recent e-mail. “Because for a very brief time, about four years really, Hollywood produced films that were audacious – lurid, violent, and sex-charged. These are films with real bite, genuinely shocking and provocative.”

Lavine, a tall guy who teaches at Stanford in his spare time, wore yellow shoes to the press screenings. Sporting a professorial goatee and glasses, he exudes the passion of a deep-tissue fanatic who’s been programming festivals for See page 30 >>

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early 40 years ago, five farmers, searching for well water in central China’s Shaanxi province, accidentally stumbled upon the archaeological find of the century: the 2,200-year-old remnants of a burial complex housing an entire legion of life-sized, eerily life-like terracotta warriors interred 4-6 meters underground near the tomb of Qin Shihuang, the self-proclaimed First Emperor of China (221-210 BCE). One can only imagine the awe experienced by the team of archaeologists when they caught their first jaw-dropping glimpse of the eighth wonder of the world, a spectacular discovery comparable to that of Howard Carter and George Herbert’s opening of King

Tut’s tomb in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings in 1922. Like the Egyptian pharaohs, the First Emperor was obsessed with eternal life and transplanting himself and his material comforts, along with his retinue and immense military, into the next world. A planner, he had commenced construction on a vast necropolis at the age of 13, when he rose to power.

So far, over 8,000 of the warriors, most of whom were found standing in battle formation in the mausoleum’s network of tunnels along with their weapons, chariots and horses, have been excavated from the massive site, which has become a tourist mecca. At 250,000 sq. ft., it’s the length of four football fields, and includes a replica of the imperial palace with staSee page 20 >>

Unexpected drama

Principal Oboist of the SFS William Bennett.

by Philip Campbell

O

ur coverage of recent San Francisco Symphony concerts at Davies Symphony Hall will be more report than review this week. At this writing, a serious and alarming event during last Saturday night’s performance by William Bennett of the Richard Strauss Oboe Concerto has made a simple review seem superfluous.

The admired and well-liked Principal Oboist of the SFS and occupant of the Edo de Waart Chair since 1987 collapsed onstage a few moments after completing the excruciatingly difficult opening solo of the Strauss Concerto. A stunned audience sat powerless while guest conductor Yan Pascal Tortelier rushed to his side and asked for a doctor. Since it was Saturday night at the Symphony, there were more than a few responders. Several shielded the stricken soloist from view and made him comfortable until

the ambulance arrived.

A doctor sitting directly behind me returned after taking a look and said Bennett was breathing and had a good pulse. It seemed longer, but it was only about seven minutes before the EMTs arrived to stabilize the patient, who had suffered a brain hemorrhage. Approximately five minutes later, they took him out of the hall. It was a surreal experience for the crowd of several thousand, impotent to help and literally unable to look away.

Judging by the faces of Bennett’s orchestral colleagues, everyone was in a state of shock.

The horrible feeling of helplessness was the probable explanation for the round of applause that erupted when the attendants left with Bennett. It was something like when an injured sportsman leaves the field, and it may have been partially in gratitude for the responders. Whatever the reasons,

Courtesy SFS

{ SECOND OF TWO SECTIONS }

it was bizarre but at least allowed a chance to show some support. An announcement said there would be an extended intermission, and the concert would close with the performance of Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 1 in C minor as planned.

In true “the show must go on” fashion, Tortelier returned to lead a buoyant Mendelssohn First, and the hearty troupers of the SFS never missed a beat with their response. These were the first SFS performances of the 15-year-old composer’s work from 1824. The influences of composers like Bach and Mozart are apparent throughout, but Tortelier made it sound like wonderfully plumpedup Haydn, with a nicely judged edge of Beethovian ferocity as well.

The results were both involving and convincing. Seriously though, have you ever heard a score by MendelsSee page 23 >>

<< Out There

18 • Bay Area Reporter • February 28-March 6, 2013

Cuckoo for Coco

by Roberto Friedman

O

h Daniel Day-Lewis, what a madcap spoofer you are! When you won the Best Actor prize at the Oscars last Sunday night, you said that originally, you had been slated to play Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady, while Meryl Streep was first choice for Lincoln. It was one of the few moments of real wit in a generally witless affair. And you know both actors could have pulled it off.

In the category of “never nominated for an Academy Award, because the Oscars are so goddamn straight,” we have: Best Supporting Actress for Miss Coco Peru, for the 1999 picture Trick, featuring her legendary, movie-stealing line, “You ever get cum in your eyes? It burrrrrns!”

Well, get out the ointment and shout “Hallelujah!” cuz Miss Coco (aka Clinton Leupp) is going to be burning down the house at ye olde Castro Theatre on Saturday, April 6,

in her spanking new smash-hit fulllength show She’s Got Balls. The evening of ballsy comic heat will be brought to us by impresario Marc Huestis, who produced last year’s sold-out April Fools with Miss Coco Peru at the Victoria Theatre. The new show recently played in LA, where it was standing room only every night, and marks Coco’s solo debut at our own poodle palace, the Castro. Also on offer: a special matinee screening of Trick featuring a compilation of Coco’s hot new Internet shorts, and a Coco Peru Look-Alike Contest judged by the diva herself (bring your own cum!). Call (415) 863-0611, ask for the Burning Cum discount – ain’t this a classy item?

– and get $5 off the ticket price.

Arting around

Had we but world enough, dear reader, and time – and editorial space – we’d bring you full-length descriptions of all our artscapades

last week, which included (1) the Architecture + Design Forum’s reception for the exhibition Lebbeus Woods, Architect, at SFMOMA; (2) the screening of Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has To Travel at the Castro Theatre; (3) conductor Yan Pascal Tortelier offering Debussy, R. Strauss and Mendelssohn with the San Francisco Symphony; and (4) cabaret artist Benn Bacot essaying Abbey Lincoln songs at the Savanna Jazz Club. Just a few notes follow about all of the above: Re: 1. We got to hang with some old-school bohemians at the A+D Forum party, and so felt part of a vanishing world. Let’s face it, the latest app is not going to save us all from the dwindling hell we inhabit.

But about the exhibition: Woods was a visionary architect whose work, mostly unbuilt, continues to be a big influence on contemporary architects and artists. To us, his vision looks like a mix of deconstructivist architecture (like that of, say, Zaha Hadid), revolutionary spatial conception (like that of, say, Etienne-Louis Boullée), and Blade Runner or 2001-style sci-fi urbanscape. If you’re at all interested in where buildings might one day go, this exhibition is worth a look-see (through June 2).

Re: 2. Damn, fashionista Joy Bianchi makes a good interviewer (onstage, in her post-screening Q&A with director Lisa Vreeland), but apparently she was given no time management from the producers for her tete-a-tete with LV. We learned a lot from this, our second viewing of the DV documentary, and even wondered if we should start rouging our ears. Mostly, we sat in awe of the senior Vreeland’s fierce will and editorial vision, and we loved how she went toe-to-toe with her publishers at Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. It’s never too late to learn from a role model.

Re: 3. We’ll let this issue’s review do the talking, but we’ll just add here that there’s nothing in the world like the sound of a symphony orchestra, even in reduced forces, when it’s in the hands of a conductor who knows the score. We’re rarely disappointed by an evening spent in Davies Hall, and last weekend’s concert hit the spot.

Re: 4. Bacot, aka “The Bass of the Bay,” and the Bacot Quartet presented For the Love of Abbey, a musical tribute to great American songstress

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Jose A. Colon Guzman

Miss Coco Peru (aka Clinton Leupp) is cumming to the Castro Theatre in April for a full-length entertainment.

Matthew Millman

Installation view of Lebbeus Woods, Architect at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art: revolutionary spatial conception.

Abbey Lincoln, at the Savanna, deep in the heart of the Mission. Per Bacot: “Abbey Lincoln was one of the first African American female singers to lend her voice to the Civil Rights movement, in 1957. She was one of the first African American women to wear an Afro.” Unusually for a “chirp,” Lincoln was a singer songwriter, writing her own material when the music she was singing didn’t fit the message she wanted to project. Backed by a swinging jazz

quartet, Bacot was totally committed to these songs. “The Music Is the Magic,” and the spell was cast.

Finally, a Correction: In our Feb. 21 review of the Hamburg Ballet’s performance of Nijinsky, the orchestra was misidentified as the Hamburg Ballet orchestra. It was in fact the San Francisco Ballet orchestra under the direction of the Hamburg Ballet orchestra’s principal conductor, Simon Hewett. The B.A.R. regrets the error. t

Steven Underhill

Fashion icon Joy Bianchi and director Lisa Vreeland at the Castro Theatre for the screening of a film about Diana Vreeland.

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Theatre>>

February 28-March 6, 2013 • Bay Area Reporter • 19

Rare appearance by British stage star

by Richard Dodds

E

laine Paige is often called “the first lady of the British musical theater,” having introduced such classics as “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” and “Memory” in the original productions of Evita and Cats. She has appeared in numerous other London stage musicals, but she has been a rara avis on this side of the Atlantic. Nearly three decades after her star-making performance as Eva Peron in Evita, Paige will finally make her San Francisco debut on March 1 as part of the Bay Area Cabaret concert series at the Fairmont Hotel’s Venetian Room.

Just back from a Scandinavian tour and en route to the States for her first American tour, the diminutive 64-year-old performer was able to answer a series of questions via e-mail.

Richard Dodds: So what has taken so long for you to come see us?

Elaine Paige: I have performed on Broadway twice, and in concert on a couple of occasions in the US, and have been asked to tour many times, but due to commitments in the UK, I have never managed to make it work.

So after Follies [2011], I decided it was time to set some time aside and make it happen.

Please tell us a little bit about the songs you are performing in your current tour. Can we expect greatest hits as well as some surprises?

The repertoire is from my beginnings in the musical Hair [London, 1968], through my career from the West End to Broadway, with lots of anecdotes and songs from the shows I have appeared in, including Evita, Cats, Chess, Anything Goes, Sunset Boulevard and Piaf. And yes, a few surprises, which if I told you wouldn’t be surprises, would they?

Your description in an earlier interview about discussing with Stephen Sondheim the specific meanings of the lyrics in “I’m Still Here” from Follies taught me some things about a song I thought I knew so well. I appreciated your process and approach to the song.

Thank you. It was thrilling to work with Mr. Sondheim and have the opportunity to discuss with him the song and the character of Carlotta Campion. Fascinating to find out he based the song on Joan Crawford and where she was at that time with her career.

Had Broadway been a significant goal for you?

I think for any stage performer, Broadway is a significant goal. It really is the home of the musical, and the Broadway community and audiences are extremely special. I had, due to the rules and regulations of Actors Equity at the time, been unable to bring Evita, Cats, and Chess to Broadway – all roles I had originated – so when Sunset Boulevard finally gave me that opportunity [in 1996], it was a wonderful experience, which remains with me to this day.

Are you aware of your very passionate fan base that I know exists in the States?

It has always amazed me how wonderful American audiences are to me when I perform in the States, especially as I am not there as often as I would like to be. More recently, with the ever-increasing modern technology, I have seen through my website and Twitter the incredible support from my American fans.

I want to ask you about the deep feelings that gay theater aficionados have for you. Any words or ideas you’d like to share?

The gay community has always been incredibly supportive, and I have a lot of fans and friends who are gay.

Working in theatre and being gay isn’t an issue – we are all one. And I feel we are in exciting times right now, and finally it looks like it doesn’t matter who you are with regards to who you love – and that’s how it should be.

I know every interviewer asks you about your intentions regarding a return to Broadway or the West End in a musical. But anything new on that horizon?

If the right role in the right musical came along, then I’d be a fool not to consider it. Eight shows a week is demanding, especially if you want to give 100% every night, which I always do. The only way I deal with it is to give myself completely to the show.

I eat well, sleep a lot, stay away from alcohol, chocolate, and dairy, just to ensure I’m in tiptop condition. I use meditation and yoga to relax, and days off are sacred.

You are often described as “the first lady of the British musical theater.”

Do you ever let yourself really feel that way?

It was a title bestowed upon me by the British press. I’m an actor first and foremost, but I’m grateful I am thought of in this way. I’m incredibly proud of my body of work, but I don’t go around acting or feeling like a First Lady! t

Joan Marcus

Elaine Paige made her second Broadway appearance in the 2011 revival of Follies, singing the classic survival anthem “I’m Still Here.”

Eva Mueller

Elaine Paige will make her San Francisco debut on March 1 at the Venetian Room in a concert that will travel through her long career as a star of the London and Broadway musical theater.

<< Music

20 • Bay Area Reporter • February 28-March 6, 2013

Barber’s probing ‘Smash’

by Jason Victor Serinus

J

azz vocalist/pianist/songwriter/ bandleader Patricia Barber, 57, remains a true original. While her style is as inimitable as Billie Holiday’s, her emotional affect is far cooler, and often suggests danger lurking just below the surface. For Smash, her first recording for Concord Records, Barber again sings in the unmistakable low-voiced, cool, quasi-parlando style that has brought her fame. Together with her guitarist, bassist, and drummer, she presents 12 new songs that mix oft-arcane lyrics with sensational arrangements characterized by percussive explosions.

The startling slam and spacy electric-guitar riffs of the opening track, “Code Cool,” are balanced by the cool intellectualism of lyrics that

are as puzzling as they are intriguing. Even if you can’t always figure out everything she’s talking about, you will likely sit up and take notice as Barber ends “Code Cool” with, “I walk as if I were dancing/I will speak as if I were teaching/I will live as if I were loving.” She speaks of Einstein, Heisenberg, protons and particle shift in “Redshift.”

Mysteries only hinted at in the lyrics are taken to deeper levels via supremely sophisticated pianistic modulations and key changes. The opening verse of “Smash,” a song of heartbreak, quickly segues into a noisy interlude filled with sounds of electric guitar, crashing cymbals, and the like. If in one song, “Devil’s Food,” Barber speaks of “boy meets boy/girl meets girl” and plays with gender roles, the heterosexual love affair at the core of “Spring Song”

suggests that Barber’s fantasies are at best tangentially related to her 14-year relationship with Martha Feldman, Prof. of Music at the University of Chicago, whom she married in 2011.

The one song with no hidden meanings, “Scream,” is a song of activism. “Scream when Sunday finally comes and God isn’t there,” Barber utters at the start of a piece that takes on global warming, investment bankers, war, and by implication, humanity’s karmic come-uppance. As if the lyrics weren’t clear enough by themselves, Barber rams her point home through minor-key transitions and a big instrumental breakout in the song’s middle.

Currently available on CD as a high-resolution download from HDTracks, Smash benefits from

the expertise of Barber’s longtime recording and mixing engineer Jim Anderson.

Thanks to his superb work and Barber’s oft-mesmerizing arrangements, the recording is slated to appear in special audiophilequality SACD and vinyl release formats from Mobile Fidelity.

Much sooner and closer to home, Barber will perform on March 3 in SFJazz’s new home on Franklin

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Street. t Patricia Barber performs at SF Jazz, 201 Franklin St., Sun., March 3, at 7:30 p.m. For tickets, see www.sfjazz.org/events/season1/ patricia-barber.

Books >>

Being Benjamin Britten

by Tim Pfaff

I

f nothing better comes out of the Britten Year, the birth centennial of iconic gay composer Benjamin Britten, than Paul Kildea’s remarkable new biography, Benjamin Britten: A Life in the Twentieth Century (Allen Lane), it will have been a good year.

A book whose biggest miscalculation may be its quizzical subtitle, which the author does eventually make good on, Kildea’s biography is a remarkable chronicle of the life, times, music, and sexuality of the foremost gay composer of the last century – if only because such a large portion of his sprawling output in a startling range of forms has never left the active repertoire; more of his lesserknown works are regularly returning to it; and this anniversary year (and book) make it likely even more will come back into circulation.

It’s Kildea’s gift as a biographer that he can segue between life events, larger historical and social currents (homophobia prominent among them throughout the composer’s life), a dizzying array of personalities, and Britten’s music with the fluidity of cinema – in particular films such as Milk, which go from historical

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Terracotta Warriors

From page 17

bles, offices, an armory, an amusement park, an aviary with elegant bronze sculptures of waterfowl, and a zoo.

China’s Terracotta Warriors: The First Emperor’s Legacy, a wondrous new exhibit at the Asian Art Museum, provides a worthy showcase for 10 of the clay statues – the maximum number that China allows out of the country per institution. It also focuses on Qin Shihuang’s consuming quest for immortality, as well as his unification of the provinces, a mammoth undertaking that involved the standardization of currency, weights and language, and the building of infrastructure. Lest you think he’s only remembered for his innovations, it has been rumored that he had the 720,000 workers enlisted to construct the project buried alive upon its completion to preserve the tomb’s secrets. The story has been dismissed by some as myth, but it nonetheless sheds light on the perception of a ruthless tyrant who unified the country at great cost to his enemies, executing scholars, burning books and smiting anyone who

guage anyone could follow. You thirst for what he describes. This book should come with a miniiPod – and a warning about what it literally might cost a reader, even one with a substantial shelf of Britten recordings already.

The section on Gloriana, arguably Britten’s most spectacular flop at its premiere, for Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation, is typical. Kildea vividly depicts the rampant, revitalized homophobia in Britain at the time, putting in sharp perspective the fact that almost everyone involved in the production (except the actual new Queen, later a friend of the composer’s) was gay in spades. Then he takes you deep into the opera itself, warts and glorious gloraianas and all, whetting your appetite to give it another go.

His writing is at its most probing and eloquent in consideration of the smaller-scaled works, the Canticles and The Turn of the Screw. And he’s as acute about the music’s flaws as he is about the greatness of Peter Grimes and, perhaps especially, Billy Budd.

We can already thank Kildea for his contribution to Britten’s life in the 21st century. t

footage to modern re-enactment almost without the viewer’s noticing the transition. It’s Kildea’s gift as a writer that you wait in vain over the 600-plus pages for Britten to do something dull, or Kildea to write a flat sentence. His admiration for his subject is as clear as it is clear-eyed, placing the book at a far extreme from hagiography, of which there will be enough this year. There’s nothing in this book you don’t want to know except, perhaps – at the personal level – Britten himself, now safely nearly four decades dead.

As, on this long-awaited anniversary, the queers come out to eat their old, and their own, it’s even an important book. Kildea’s lively speculation – with evidence, over a riveting 10 pages – that the heart condition that took Britten off might in fact have been brought on by unknown, untreated tertiary syphilis contracted early on from his sexually more adventurous lifelong partner, the tenor Peter Pears, brought a pre-publication firestorm from an inner circle as obsessed with keeping the curtain drawn on sexual matters as the priggish composer himself was. And in the “smell her” camp, it’s hard to beat

the must-read, ludicrously offbase Guardian review of Kildea’s book by gay oracle Philip Hensher, whose own best work to date is the libretto for gay composer Thomas Ades’ Powder Her Face, a superb chamber opera that would not exist had it not been for its forebear BB. Kildea is hardly the first to argue that Britten’s tormented, contortionist sexuality was an essential – but not the only – facet of his creative personality. But while neither holding anything back nor becoming defensive on the composer’s behalf, he lays out details thoroughly and unflinchingly without resorting to sensationalism. In the company of the fellow-traveling gay artists who were his peers and, sometimes, friends, the Audens and the Isherwoods, Britten was prudish to the point of being made a laughing stock.

Kildea goes farther than his predecessors in his look at Britten’s obsession with willowy adolescent boys, in the process demonstrating what scant evidence there is that Britten ever had his way with any of them (though his rather more

disturbing way with all of them was to withdraw his attention abruptly, often to their hurt perplexity). In a rare departure from his highly consistent tone, Kildea tips his own hat when describing Britten’s early (and to some extent lifelong) infatuation with Wulff Scherchen. “Both of them were new to relationships,” he writes, “but were doing just fine.”

This sidesteps the ground-breaking, stunning, haunting, enduring music itself, which gratefully Kildea does not artfully dodge. He addresses it with a deep knowing, yet in lan-

dared stand in his way.

Although the warriors are certainly the headliner, the bulk of the exhibition is comprised of 110 objects taken from the burial chambers of the First Emperor’s ancestors and areas surrounding his eminence’s tomb. Bronze weaponry and sculptures, a limestone suit of armor and helmet (the latter designed for burial, not combat), figurines and a plaque inscribed with an imperial decree are among the pieces on display. But the main attraction is the presence of the 10 magisterial figures – two horses and eight soldiers representing a variety of ranks – who are like emissaries from a long-ago distant age.

The exhibition’s crackerjack installations, designed by Marco Centin, are possibly the museum’s best yet, and that’s saying a lot, because the Asian’s presentations consistently outclass those of other local venues. Somehow they’ve surmounted the biggest and most daunting challenge they faced: communicating the enormity of the ancient army with a mere 10 statues.

The warriors occupy their own gallery, one of three spaces filled with objects, historical context and videos, and can be viewed

close-up from multiple angles.

Theatrically lit like a stage set in a darkened room, they stand on two separate platforms, while on one large wall, a slide show with blown-up photographs of one of the pits conveys the vastness of the find, and scenes of the actual excavation, which is still underway, unfold on a video screen. Incredibly well-preserved, the figures, which were once painted in blazing bright colors, are amazingly lifelike with expressive faces, individual hairstyles and an uncanny sense of movement in their muscular physiques. Take the formidable general, poised for action, his hands appearing to rest on the hilt of an unseen sword. The horses in particular, with their smooth, muscular flanks, perfectly sculpted hooves, mouths agape, ears on alert and nostrils flared, seem to live and breathe in front of you, ready to be mounted and ridden into the fray. It’s as if they’ve just stepped off the battlefield or emerged from their underground bunkers yesterday instead of 2,000 years ago. If only they could speak, the tales they would tell of a civilization capable of both superb artistry and slaughter on an epic scale. (Through May 27.) t

Armored kneeling archer, Qin dynasty (221-206 BCE), China.

Terracotta, excavated from Pit 2, Qin Shihuang tomb complex (1977).

Qin Shihuang Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum, Shaanxi

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Film >>

February 28-March 6, 2013 • Bay Area Reporter • 21

When ‘No’ means ‘yes’

by David Lamble

I

n the opening frames of No, Chilean director Pablo Larrain’s fictional account of how an ad campaign brought down a monster, we see a former exile returning to the business he knows best: selling trendy products to vast TV audiences. René Saavedra (Gael Garcia Bernal) is directing a chorus line extolling the benefits of a new soft drink, Free. Saavedra – dressing down to his target audience: jeans, no tie, scruffy beard, as if impersonating one of the opponents to Chile’s brutal strongman General Augusto Pinochet – is at that moment working for the dictator’s chief yes-men.

It’s 1988, and ironically, Pinochet’s American backers in the CIA are urging him to make a democratic gesture after 15 years of iron-fisted rule that has abolished press freedom and resulted in the exile, death or disappearance of thousands of left-wing opponents. The gesture is a national plebiscite: a “Yes” vote will mean eight more years of dictatorship, a “No” vote will signal free elections.

A key proviso is that each side will get a nightly 15-minute TV program to pitch their case. A coalition of 17 opposition parties is looking for a unified campaign to appeal to an electorate brutalized into silence and apathy. Saavedra, biting the hand that has fed him, accepts the offer to run the “No” campaign, arguing that the best message is the proposition that a victory for the “No” forces will mean a return to happiness for the average Chilean. One of the cutest ads has a freedom-loving wife resisting her sex-starved hubby in the bedroom with a strident, “No!” The charismatic Bernal has created a fabulous gallery of conflicted protagonists: the impoverished student with a secret crush on his best friend (Y Tu Mama Tambien), the Catholic priest whose lust drives a young woman to seek an abortion (The Crime of Father Amaro), and a prodigal son who destroys the nuclear family he desperately seeks to join (The King). In No, Bernal’s brilliant ad guy is at painful odds with the mouthy leftists whose cause he’s championing, while he has a natural affinity for the rightists, whose goals – Coke, microwave ovens and eight more years of tyranny – underwrite his comfortable lifestyle.

One of the ironies implicit in Larrain’s story is that Pinochet has already served his purpose: converting Chile to the kind of American-style free-market economy that renders further political suppression of socialism passé. He spices up his narrative with clips from the original 1988 TV ads, the verisimilitude of which is heightened by shooting the whole film with one of that era’s crude videocameras. Dramatically, the pot is brought to a boil with images of Pinochet’s thugs lurking just off-stage.

Veteran actor Alfredo Castro gives a pinched take on a Pinochet-toadying businessman, a counterpart to American secret-police chief J. Edgar Hoover. One surreal moment has right-wing politicians debating

Tomás Dittburn, Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

Gael Garcia Bernal as René Saavedra in director Pablo Larrain’s No.

whether the No campaign’s rainbow symbol reflects some secret support for queer Indians.

Larrain devotes almost a third of the movie to intense close-ups of his handsome, conflicted hero, seen dodging riot police breaking up a No rally, pleading with his volatile leftist wife (Antonia Zegers) to return to his bed and the care of their son Simon, and arguing with his boy about who gets to play with Simon’s electric-train set.

No is the third in Larrain’s trilogy of films about Chile’s descent into tyranny: in Tony Manero, an aging psychopath turns into a John Travolta impersonator while his country burns; and Post Mortem, a fable about the collateral damage of collaborating with evil, set in a city morgue, explored the moral and physical costs of tyranny. No asks whether a consumer-obsessed electorate is all that free, even after the monster is gone.

The Jeffrey Dahmer Files Milwaukee-based doc-maker Chris James Thompson conducts an unsettling video exorcism for three people unwittingly swept up in the Dahmer saga (plays Friday at the Roxie).

Rejecting a friend’s advice that he do a quickie Dahmer exploitation flick, Thompson sought out an unlikely trio whose worlds were significantly up-ended by shock waves from the case involving the murder and dismemberment of 17 young men.

For six years, Pam Bass was Dahmer’s across-the-hall neighbor at the Oxford apartments. Puzzled as to why a bright young white man would choose to live anonymously in a poor black inner-city building, Bass eventually warmed to the soft-spoken guy. From her disgust at the memory of accepting one of Dahmer’s home-made sandwiches to the poignant story of having her building torn down because of its association with the killer, Bass is one of the few survivors to weep upon hearing about his death in prison.

Former Milwaukee Medical Examiner Jeffrey Jentzen and retired homicide detective Pat Kennedy show how gathering clues about Dahmer’s victims was not just another day at the office. The affable Kennedy is particularly articulate in detailing the odd sensation of

Scene from director Chris James Thompson’s The Jeffrey Dahmer Files: gathering clues about victims was not just another job.

becoming Dahmer’s cop-shop “friend,” to the extent that Dahmer’s first court date found him wearing clothes borrowed from Kennedy’s college-age son. Thompson’s device of having Dahmer look-alike Adam Swant wander through the movie impersonating the killer, getting on and off buses, does little more than pad the film’s running time to feature-length.

Independent Spirit Awards The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky’s nuanced, gay-themed comedy/drama about how an emotionally troubled high school freshman finds an extraordinary circle of friends led by an open queer boy, copped the ISA prize for Best First Feature. The ceremonies, held the night before the Oscars, honor the kind of indie filmmaking normally shunned by Oscar. Five queerthemed films – Ira Sachs’ Keep the Lights On, Richard Linklater’s Bernie, Lynn Shelton’s Your Sister’s Sister, David France’s How to Survive a Plague and Jonathan Lisecki’s Gayby – were nominated, but didn’t win their respective categories. t

ebar.com

<< Film

22 • Bay Area Reporter • February 28-March 6, 2013

Seen through multiples of 7

by David Lamble

G

ive me a child until he is 7, and I will give you the man! This has been a glimpse at Britain’s future.”

It’s May 6, 1964 and Britain’s Granada TV is airing 7 Up, a oneoff documentary program featuring 20 grammar-school kids. The children have been selected across a broad spectrum of a society with fresh memories of wartime rationing: from kids in care and tots whose families need council housing, to the posh, upper-class set who could recite the list of elite schools they expected to attend. Also, the children of a nascent middle-class that, in the coming Fall, would vote Labour, ushering in six years of social reform: decriminalization of homosexuality, liberalization of abortion and divorce laws, the lowering of the voting age.

The night before the broadcast of 7 Up, gay playwright Joe Orton’s Entertaining Mr. Sloane debuted at London’s New Arts Theatre. The play, whose title character is a bisexual male prostitute and murderer, signaled both a leveling of the social playing field and a quantum leap in the ability of UK artists to make

once-avant-garde subjects fodder for the masses.

7 Up was described by its creators as a preview of the generation that would be running Britain in the year 2000. Now that the eighth entry in the series, 56 Up, settles in at Landmark Theatres, it’s both entertaining and a little disconcerting to catch up with the remaining (now 14) members of arguably the world’s longest-running reality TV series. (In the UK, the Up series usually debuts on the small screen.) UK director Michael Apted, known here also for about two dozen feature films (Firstborn, Gorillas in the Mist), has helmed the series since 14 Up, and it is his creative calls that have shaped its format. One of his most curious, at times exasperating and exhilarating, is Apted’s insistence on mixing clips of his cast at every age – one of the reasons that the new episode clocks in at two-and-a-half hours. Thus we get to see a shot of cuddly, cute Nick at 7, being asked, “Do you have a girlfriend?” Nick, in a 1964 B&W clip that makes him sound a bit like a fifth Beatle from that year’s pop hit A Hard Day’s Night, opines, “I don’t want to answer those kind of questions.”

Decades later, the balding Nick, a

tenured member of the University of Wisconsin science faculty, reflects quasi-sadly to Apted, “My ambition was to be more famous as a scientist than for being in this program, but I’m afraid, Michael, it’s not going to happen.” Nick isn’t the only 56 Up participant to muse about the long shadow cast by this cyclical media event: a female participant concedes it’s probably preserved her marriage, and one grumpy upper-crust cast member insists that he only returns to promote his Bulgarian relief charity.

Neil represents both the best- and worst-case scenarios for somebody who has hung in for the duration.

Seen at 7 as a bubbly, exuberant grammar school lad who seemed to have what it took to make a big splash in the new, swinging England, by 21, Neil was depressed. At 28, he was a homeless vagabond.

As the years went by, Neil got help from fellow cast member Bruce, and found a very British niche for himself as a Liberal Party functionary in the North Country. Unmarried, confessing to a few brief affairs, Neil’s public life is mostly confined to small-town picnics. Otherwise he spends his days turning out unpublished manuscripts, which inspires a rueful exchange with Apted.

“It’s a great gift, isn’t it?”

“Yes, but it shouldn’t be mere masturbation.”

Neil notes what many in the cast feel: that the series often provides a false impression that the audience knows more about the subjects than is really the case. “There have been times when I felt suicidal. But it’s not the job of this program to expose my feelings. A lot of viewers think they know how you feel.”

Neil’s Liverpool childhood pal Peter dropped out of the series for several decades, stung by the backlash to criticisms he had uttered in 28 Up about Margaret Thatcher’s baleful education policies. “I was taken aback at the level of ill will and malice expressed at me.” Peter

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First Run Features

Tony at 49, as seen in Michael Apted’s 56 Up.

returns to plug his new band, The Good Intentions, which is influenced by his devotion to the late American country-rock cult figure Gram Parsons.

If there’s an obvious flaw in the series’ reflection of today’s Britain, it’s in the paucity of women and racial minorities represented. The producers are stuck, 49 years later, with a cast picked at the dawn of feminism and civil rights. Several of the women have suffered marital upheavals, and are raising kids as single moms. Jackie, at 56, is threatened with the loss of her disability benefits under the Tory government’s austerity plan. “If [Prime Minister] David Cameron can find me a job, I’ll do it.”

56 Up provides the oddly comforting pleasure of being able to

look through the family video albums of total strangers who, thank God, are aging as well or badly as many of us. Over the decades, we’ve witnessed the fruits of bad decisions, feckless fate, and surprisingly, some unexpected second chances.

Bruce, a now-pudgy St. Albans private school teacher, married late, and is now, in his mid-50s, raising two frisky teenage boys. After the lovely farce of erecting a tent and inflating a big rubber mattress, Bruce is seen camping out with his sons, one of whom quips, “I don’t want to wake up to find somebody clutching my genitals!” The scene closes with a reminder of the perennial British unflappability and ability to shrug through life’s joys and annoyances with a bit of humor. “Remember, we’re a non-farting family.” t

DVD >>

Venetian binds

by David Lamble

I

n Impardonnables, a.k.a. Unforgivable, the latest drama from French director Andre Techine (Wild Reeds, The Witnesses) fresh from last year’s Frameline film festival, Venice becomes the backdrop for a Gordian knot of very messy lives. At the center of the story is Francis (Andre Dussollier), an aging and temporarily blocked French mystery

writer who thinks the change of scenery will produce not only a good plot, but perhaps the piece of mind to see the new book through to completion before his publisher demands his advance back.

Francis’ bid to rent a small, garret-like room is thwarted by a persistent bisexual real estate woman, Judith (Carole Bouquet), who wants him to lease an off-shore island retreat that

he thinks is too pricey for his budget. Francis winds up living with Judith, her lesbian private-eye ex Anna Maria, and the ex’s gay-bashing ex-con son Jeremy. In the process he learns more that he bargained for about a hard-knocks crowd – enough, it turns out, to fill a book.

Techine treats all his “unforgivables” with an even-handed sense of despair, humor and some kind of rough justice. He sets us up for his death in Venice with shots of the elephantine cruise liners bearing tourists and their Yankee dollars. Reports persist that Venice is a dying city, its priceless monuments and art treasures decaying, its population shrinking. Before it all melts away, catch this rich, empathetic portrait of the kind of folks they used to call “Euro trash” before the Euro crashed.

Features include trailer and subtitles (Strand Releasing). t

t <<

Music >>

SF Symphony

From page 17

sohn that didn’t ultimately prove a charmer?

The unexpectedly dramatic evening began happily enough with the delightful orchestration by Henri Büsser of Debussy’s piano four-hands Petite Suite. Maestro Tortelier shares a Gallic sensibility with the composer, and it translates well in his deceptively nonchalant handling of the score. There was real strength behind the beautifully transparent string playing, and the performance should have been the perfect set-up for William Bennett’s star turn.

Yan Pascal Tortelier, son of the legendary cellist Paul Tortelier and current associate of many major international orchestras, has appeared at DSH as recently as 2011, and continues a growing tradition of welcome guest appearances. His appropriate response to the medical emergency and his professionalism throughout the rest of the evening increased our regard.

Spanish firebrand

The previous week at DSH featured an altogether different sort of guest conductor. Pablo HerasCasado made his debut with the SFS in 2010 and has returned as recently as January 2012. At 35, the young firebrand from Granada, Spain is still making debut appearances with famous orchestras all over the globe. That he manages to increase respect for his serious musicianship amid the buzz is noteworthy, too.

I did notice a little disconnect

February 28-March 6, 2013 • Bay Area Reporter • 23

between the passionate leadership of Heras-Casado and the more measured response of the orchestra during the Prokofiev Fifth Symphony on the second half of the program. The conductor’s big gestures and urgent coaxing were tempered by moments of strict control, and the SFS players appeared to be giving it their all, but it was not until the end that I felt any sense of emotional involvement. It sounded fabulous – it just didn’t grab me with the visceral urgency of prior performances.

The first half of the bill featured another big, eventful piece with another exciting guest artist. Pianist Stephen Hough powered through an amazing Liszt Concerto No. 2 with enough poetry to please the naysayers and enough bravura to have the thrillseekers checking for traces of blood on the keyboard. I confess to a guilty pleasure in most of Liszt, and the Second Concerto rates high on the list. It was perfect having an intelligent and tasteful interpreter, with the requisite virtuosity, make the case.

Hough’s encore, a limpid Chopin Nocturne, could have earned him even more bows, but he chose to depart in a peak of triumph (maybe to get backstage and ice his hands).

The program started with a boisterous first West Coast performance of Finnish composer Magnus Lindberg’s EXPO (2009). At just 10 minutes, EXPO immediately put me in mind of John Adams’ Short Ride in a Fast Machine. It is also a fast ride, but with a snow machine, and it is just as raucous and kaleidoscopic as the popular American curtain-raiser.t

Sonja Werner

Guest conductor Pablo Heras-Casado: serious musicianship.

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<< Out&About

24 • Bay Area Reporter • February 28-March 6, 2013

t

The Art of the Suit @ McRoskey Mattress Co.

Malcolm Hamilton and Gary Fembot cohost The News. Tue 5.

Artful Gentleman presents a men’s fashion show and party. $17.50-$60.

7pm-11:45pm. Penthouse, 1687 Market St. www.artfulgentleman.com

Gay Men’s Sketch @ Magnet Opening reception for a group exhibit of drawings made at the gay men's sketch group that celebrates 25 years of drawing sessions at Mark I. Chester's studio.

8p,-10pm. Community sketch event Mar. 12, 6:30-9:30pm. Thru March. 581-1600. www.markichester.com www.magnetsf.org

Hedwig and the Angry Inch @ Boxcar Theatre New local production of John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask's popular transgender rock operetta, with multiple actor-singers perfoming the lead, including X Factor contestant Jason Brock (who also performs a few post-show songs), Arturo Galster and Trixxie Carr. $25-$40. Wed-Sat 8pm. Also Sat 5pm. Extended thru April 13.

505 Natoma St. 967-2227. www.boxcartheatre.org

Are gay

by Jim Provenzano

I

t may be a bit late to pile on, but here goes. Guess what, Academy Awards? When you hire the creator of inane, crass, sexist, racist, homophobic “adult” cartoon shows to host your awards ceremony, dpmn’t be surprised when the show turns out like an episode of said host’s shows, only much less funny (and lacking campy aliens).

And despite its gay duo production team (and Barbra Streisand), this was far from “the gayest Oscars ever,” Seth McFarlane, despite including the LA Gay Men’s Chorus singing about boobs.

Hopefully, we can scrape the memory of the stupid jokes and pompous speeches out of our collective minds with the exceptionally varied, multi-faceted and utterly fascinating array of LGB and T local and visiting talents that don’t need borrowed jewelry and bad puns to get your attention.

Thu 28 Big River @ College of Marin Roger Miller and William Hauptman’s Broadway hit musical, based on Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, gets a local student production. $10$25 (Opening night gala Mar 1, $40). Fri & Sat 8pm. Sun 2pm. Thru Mar. 17. James Dunn Theatre, 835 College Ave., Kenfield Campus, 485-9385. www.marin.edu/ departments/PerformingArts/index.htm

Carrie Rodriguez @ Freight & Salvage, Berkeley Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist performs as part of her tour, with songs from her new CD, Give Me All You Got. $20-$23. 8pm. 2020 Addison St., Berkeley.

(510) 644-2020. www.thefreight.org

China’s Terracotta Warriors @ Asian art Museum The First Emperor’s Legacy, an exhibit of ten of the famous life-size sculptures of guards of China’s first emperor, and 100plus other treasures from 2,000 years ago.

Reg Free-$22. Tue-Sun 10am-5pm. Thru May 27. 200 Larkin St. 581-3500. www.terracotta-warriors.asianart.org

The Lisbon Traviata @ New Conservatory Theatre The gay theatre company performs Terrence McNally’s (newly revised) darkly comic play about obsessed gay opera fans and their entangled relationships. $22$44. Wed-Sat 8pm. Sun 2pm. Previews thru Mar. 2. Thru Mar. 24. 25 Van Ness Ave., lower level. 861-8972. www.nctcsf.org

My Recollect Time @ South Berkeley Community Church Inferno Theatre’s productions of Jamie Greenblatt’s inspiring play of historical figure Mary Fields, a former slave, and the transformations she undergoes as she struggles to live a free and authentic life after Emancipation. $12-$25. 9pm.

Thu, Sat Sun 8pm.Thru Mar. 3, at 5pm.

1802 Fairview St., Berkeley. (510) 7886415. www.infernotheatre.org

The weekly LGBT and indie comic stand-up night. 8pm-9:30pm. 3079 16th St. at Mission. www.comedybodega.com

LA Plays Itself @ SF MOMA Fred Halstead’s 1972 cinematically artistic gay porn classic gets a screening the museum, with a post-screening discussion with scholar William E. Jones; part of the More Than Just Queer: Luminaries Past and Present series. $7-$10. 7p. Phyllis Wattis Theater, 151 3rd St. at Mission. www.sfmoma.org

Cinema of the Absurd @ Oddball Films Unusual films like Albert Camus: A Self Portrait, Sisyphus, Ionesco’s The New Tenant and others. 8pm. Mar. 1, 8pm: Trance Cinema, short documentaries about Nepalese Sherpas, Walbiri fire ceremonies, Balinese dance rituals and more. $10 each night. 275 Capp St. 558-8117. www.oddballfilms.blogspot.com

Anthony Clarvie’s drama about a family facing the decline of their beach home, and the changing nature of generations, family and gender roles. $35-$60. Tue 7pm. Wed-Sat 8pm. Sun 2pm & 7pm. Thru Mar. 3. 20181 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 843-4822. www.auroratheatre.org

Gene Bush is the guest speaker at the monthly Zen Buddhist meditation and discussion group offered by and for members of the LGBTIQ community. Everyone is welcome. 1pm-3pm. 300 Page St. www.sfzc.org

San Francisco Ballet @ War Memorial Opera House Program 4 includes From Foreign Lands, a world premiere by Alexei Ratmansky, Christopher Wheeldon’s Within the Golden Hour and George Balanchine’s Scotch Symphony. $34-$240. 8pm. Thru Mar. 9.

Mar 1: LGBT Nite Out, with an after-party (cocktails, champagne, hors d’eouvres and DJed music) in the mezzanine. Program 3: Guide to Strange Places, Beaux, and Possokhov’s The Rite of Spring; thru Mar 10.

301 Van Ness Ave. 865-2000. www.sfballet.org

Magnificent Magnolias @ SF Botanical Garden New seasonal exhibit of colorful floral displays, with special events, for evening adult events, lectures, classes, and kids events. Thru March. Also, beautiful floral drawing exhibit of watercolor works by Ernest Clayton. Thru April. $2-$15. 9am7pm. 9th Avenue at Lincoln Way, Golden Gate Park. 661-1316. www.sfbotanicalgarden.org

The Secret Garden @ Zellerbach Hall

As You Like It @ La Val’s Subterranean, Berkeley Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Fri 1.

Pageant, The Musical! @ Victoria Theatre

Foodies, the Musical @ Shelton Theater

Bill Russell & Frank Kelly and Albert Evans' hilarious drag parody of beauty pageants, where the winner is different each night, gets a local production, starring Cookie Dough and other drag talents. $25. Thu-Sat 8pm. Thru Mar. 9. 2961 16th St. at Mission. www.robbie-wayne-productions.com

Morris Bobrow’s musical comedy revue of songs and sketches about food. $32-$34.

Fri & Sat 8pm. Open run. 533 Sutter St. (800) 838-3006. www.foodiesthemusical.com

Impact Theatre’s production of Shakespeare’s crossdressing romantic comedy. $10-$25. Thu-Sat 8pm. Thru Mar. 30. 1834 Euclid Ave., Berkeley. www.impacttheatre.com

Batman on Robin @ Mission Comics & Art Group exhibit of erotic Batman and Robin artwork that outs them as a gay couple, with works by several local artists. Reg hours 12pm-8pm (6pm Sun). 3520 20th St. 695-1545. www.missioncomicsandart.com

Beach Blanket Babylon @ Club Fugazi

Xavier Castellanos @ Montgomery Plaza

Musical comedy revue, now in its 35th year, with an ever-changing lineup of political and pop culture icons, all in gigantic wigs. Reg: $25-$130. Wed, Thu, Fri at 8pm. Sat 6:30, 9:30pm. Sun 2pm, 5pm. (Beer/wine served; cash only). 678 Beach Blanket Babylon Blvd (Green St.). 421-4222. www. beachblanketbabylon.com

Painter of colorful works is in attendance at his exhibit, Mexican Landscapes, 6:30-8:30pm. Exhibit thru March. By Appintment.

456 Montgomery St. www.xavierart.com

Kehinde Wiley @ Contemp. Jewish Museum

Alfred Hitchcock Films @ Pacific Film Archive, Berkeley

New exhibit, The World Stage: Israel, a series of vibrant portraits of Middle Eastern and African men, created by the gay artist. Other exhibits ongoing. Free (members)-$12. Thu-Tue 11am-5pm (Thu 1pm-8pm) 736 Mission St. 655-7800. www.thecjm.org

Screening of the major works of the master of cinematic suspense. This week, Spellbound (7pm) and Notorious (9:10pm).

Mar 3, Under Capricorn (5pm).

Mar 6, The Paradine Case (7pm).

Thru April 24. $5.50-$13.50. UC Berkeley Art Museum, 2575 Bancroft Way, Berkeley. (510) 642-1124. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu

The Kinsey Collection @ Museum of the African Diaspora

Angie Stone @ Yoshi’s Amazing vocalist performs with her band. $40-$75. 8pm & 10pm.

Also March 2. 1330 Fillmore St. 655-5600. www.yoshis.com

Queer Dharma @ SF Zen Center

Sat 2

Dead Metaphor @ A.C.T.

Fri 1 Fred Halsted’s L.A. Plays Itself. Thu 28.

Our Practical Heaven @ Aurora Theatre, Berkeley

San Francisco Opera and Cal Performances present Nolan Gasser and Carey Harrison’s new opera, based on the beloved children’s novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Special events at the theatre and other locations. $15-$80. 7:30pm. Thru Mar. 10. Bancroft Way at Telegraph, UC Berkeley campus.

(510) 642-9988. www.calperformances.org

Comedy Bodega @ Esta Noche

American Conservatory Theatre’s world premiere of George F. Walker’s dark comedy about the politics of postwar life for a modern-day war veteran. Special pre- and post-show programs thru the run, including LGBT Out with A.C.T. March 13. $20-$85.Tue-Sat 8pm. Wed, Sat & Sun 2pm. Thru Mar. 24. 415 Geary St. 7492228.. www.act-sf.org

Gay Men’s Sketch.

Fri 1.

Pageant the Musical!

Thu 28.

New exhibit of works: Shared Treasures of Bernard and Shirley Kinsey, Where Art and History Intersect offers an inspirational journey through five centuries of African American history. Thru May 19. Free-$10. Wed-Sat 11am-6pm. Sun 12pm-5pm.

685 Mission St. at 3rd.

358-7200. www.moadsf.org

Virgie Tovar at East Baydar. Sat 2.

East Baydar @ La Peña Cultural Center, Berkeley Radar Productions presents a reading by East Bay authors and artists with a bold political and/or queer edge, including Novella Carpenter, Amber Dawn, Cheryl Dunye, Marc Bamuthi Joseph, Nia King, and Virgie Tovar. $12-$15. 8pm. 3105 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. www.radarproductions.org www.lapena.org

Navigating Queer Pacific Waves @ Galeria de la Raza Group exhibit of new works in various media by Jean Melesaine, Fuifuilupe Niumeitolu, Jorge Manuel Gonzales, Joy Enomoto, and collaborating artists who focus on their Pacific Islander roots and explore colonialism and LGBT oppression.

Thru March 14. Tue-Sat 12pm-6pm. 2857 24th St. at Bryant. 826-8009. www.galeriadelaraza.org

Radical Acoustic @ Progressive Grounds Open mic night, with donations accepted for GAWK founder Jon Sugar, who’s facing eviction. 4pm. 2301 Bryant St. at 21st. www.progressivegrounds.com

Royal Treasures from the Louvre @ Legion of Honor Exhibit of decorative arts, most never seen in the U.S., from the reigns of Louis XIV to Marie-Antoinette, from the Musée du Louvre, Paris. Free-$20. Tue-Sun 9:30am5:15pm. Thru March 17. Lincoln Park, 34th Ave and Clement St. www.legionofhonor.org

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Out&About >>

February 28-March 6 • Bay Area Reporter • 25

Tue 5 Chavisa Woods @ City Lights Bookstore Brooklyn-based lesbian poet and fiction author reads from and discusses her new book, The Albino Album. 7pm. 261 Columbus Ave. 362-8193. www.chavisawoods.com www.citylights.com

The Drag Show @ Various Channels Stu Smith’s weekly LGBT variety show features local talents, and not just drag artistes. Channels 29 & 76 on Comcast; 99 on AT&T and 30 on Astound. www.thedragshow.org

Filip Dujardin @ Highlight Gallery

A Lady and a Woman.

Thu 7.

Kent Taylor

Voices of Afghanistan @ Wheeler Auditorium Cal Performances presents a concert of traditional and contemporary Afghan music performed by vocalists Ustad Farida Mahwash and Homayoun Sakhi, with a band of four musicians. $36. 8pm. Bancroft Way at Telegraph Ave., UC Berkeley campus. (510) 642-9988. www.calperformances.org

(Dis)location, an exhibit of photomontages of altered urban and rural landscapes.

Tue-Sat 11am-6pm. Thru Mar. 29. 17 Kearny St. 986-4308. www.highlightgallery.com

Funny Tuesdays @ Harvey’s Ronn Vigh hosts the weekly LGBT and gayfriendly comedy night. One drink or menu item minimum. 9pm. 500 Castro St. at 18th. 431-HARV. www.harveyssf.com

Jeff Bradshaw @ Yoshi’s Soul-jazz trombonist performs with his band. $21. 8pm. 1330 Fillmore St. 6555600. www.yoshis.com

Fundraiser for Breast Cancer Emergency Fund, with host Fairy Butch, live music (Kitten on the Keys, Bebe Sweetbriar, Kylie Minono and many more), burlesque, belly dancers, DJ Eric Bellagio and raffles. $5$20. 4pm-9pm. 424 Cortland Ave. www.bcef.org

Outlook Video @ Channel 29 LGBT monthly news program; this month Melanie Nathan on the Uganda “Kill the Gays” bill, Pastor Tony Roberts, Chick-fil-A protests and the Rainbow World Fund Tree of Hope. 5pm. And streaming online. www.outlookvideo.org

Richard Kane @ Castro Country Club Exhibit of multimedia child-like portraits and mixed media sculptures. Thru March 31.

4058 18th St. www.castrocountryclub.org

SF Hikers @ Briones Park Join GLBT hikers for an 8-mile hike on rolling hills of mostly exposed grassland with great Bay Area views; two short detours include climbing hills for panoramic views and a search for a hidden waterfall. The hills should be a brilliant green with early wildflowers. Well-behaved dogs are permitted. Carpool meets 9:15am at the Safeway sign, Market & Dolores. 378-5612. www.sfhiking.com

Sunday’s a Drag @ Starlight Room Donna Sachet and Harry Denton host the weekly fabulous brunch and drag show. $45. 11am, show at noon; 1:30pm, show at 2:30pm. 450 Powell St. in Union Square.

395-8595. www.harrydenton.com

Mon 4 Lawrence Wright @ Berkeley Repertory Theatre Pulitzer-winning author discusses his book Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief, with moderator Mark Danner; signed books available for purchase. Free. 7pm. 2025 Addison St. at Shattuck, Berkeley. (510) 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org

Piano Bar 101 @ Martuni’s Sing-along night with talented locals, and charming accompanist Joe Wicht (aka Trauma Flintstone). 9pm-1:30am. 4 Valencia St. at Market.

Ten Percent @ Comcast 104 David Perry’s talk show about LGBT people and issues. Mon-Fri 11:30am & 10:30pm.

Sat & Sun 10:30pm. www.comcasthometown.com

Radar Reading @ SF Public Library The eclectic indies writers and artists series welcomes Amber Dawn, Bruce Isaacson, Stacey Waite, and Chavisa Woods. Michelle Tea hosts. 6pm. Latino/Hispanic Meeting Room, lower level, 100 Larkin St. www.radarproductions.org www.sfpl.org

Thu 7 California Impressions @ ArtHaus Gallery Group exhibit of California landscape paintings and photographs by Carolyn Meyer, Matthew Frederick, Brian Blood, Gioi Tran, Deborah Brown, Eric Engstrom, Franc D’Ambrosio, Michal Venera and Daniel Berman. Exhibit thru Mar. 30.

411 Brannan St. at 3rd. 977-0223. www.arthaus-sf.com

The weekly LGBT and indie comic stand-up night. 8pm-9:30pm. 3079 16th St. at Mission. www.comedybodega.com

Benefit for the Boob @ Wildside West

The singing competition brings out the run for Best Singer/Songwriter, with guest performers and judges include Katy Stephan, Brendan Getzell, Alex Rodrguez, Nikki Arias, and composer/accompanist Joe Wicht. 7pm. 4 Valencia St. at Market.

241-0205.

Exhibit focusing on African American words, images and sounds that connect inspirational commentary by local queer community leaders with historic artifacts.

Thru April 2013. Another new exhibit, Migrating Archives: LGBT Delegates From Other Collections, features historical items from nearly a dozen countries and archives, each showcasing an archive of prominent LGBT person. $5. Reg hours Mon & WedSat 11am-7pm. Sun 12pm-5pm. 4127 18th St. www.glbthistorymuseum.org

Comedy Bodega @ Esta Noche

Sun 3

Cabaret Showcase Showdown @ Martuni’s

Legendary: African American GLBT Past Meets Present @ GLBT History Museum

Jose Feliciano @ Yoshi’s, Oakland

Chavisa Woods.

See Tue 5.

Ladysmith Black Mambazo @ Yoshi’s, Oakland Renowned South African vocal ensemble performs. $35. 8pm. 510 Embarcadero West, Jack London Square. (510) 2389200. www.yoshis.com

The News @ SOMArts Cultural Center Monthly experimental performance series with a queer twist welcomes Meliza Bañales, Lynne Breedlove, Annie Danger, Bill Hsu, LOVEWARZ! and Margaret Tedesco; guest curators Gary Fembot and Malcolm Hamilton cohost. $5. 7:30pm. 934 Brannan St at 8th. www.somarts.org

Pamela Joy & Paul Dileo @ Live at The Rrazz Jazz and R&B singer perform together. $20. 8pm. 1000 Van Ness Ave. (800) 3803095. www.liveattherrazz.com

Without Reality There Is No Utopia @ YBCA Group exhibit/installation of politicallythemed art focusing on the clash of Capitalism/Communism, propaganda/disinformation, financial lies and truths, and other global issues. Free/$10. Thru June 2.

701 Mission St. 979-2787. www.ybca.org

Veteran pop-guitarist-singer makes a rare Bay Area appearance. $49-$54. 8pm.

Also Mar. 8. 510 Embarcadero West, Jack London Square. (510) 238-9200. www.yoshis.com

A Lady and a Woman @ Eureka Theatre Theatre Rhinoceros presents Shirlene Holmes' two-character drama about a late-19th-century African American lesbian couple. $15-$30. Wed-Sat 8pm. Sun 3pm.

Thru Mar. 24. 215 Jackson St. (800) 8383006. www.therhino.org

Make Some Noise @ Starlight Room DJ Hubert Keller spins tunes at the monthly fundraiser for Meals on Wheels. $10.

8:30pm-1am. Sir Francis Drake Hotel, 450 Powell St. 395-8595. www.harrydenton.com

Ottmar Liebert @ Live at the Rrazz Grammy-nominated guitarist performs. $42.50-$45. 8pm. Also Mar 8, 9pm. Mar 9, 7pm & 9:30pm. Mar 10, 7pm. 1000 Van Ness Ave. (800) 380-3095. www.liveattherrazz.com

Robot Nightlife @ Cal. Academy of Sciences The fascinating museum’s weekly nightlife event showcases robots! Music, cash bar, DJed music and entertainment. $10-$12.

21+. 6pm-10pm. 55 Music Concourse Drive, Golden Gate Park. www.calacademy.org

Wed 6 Black Power, Flower Power @ Harvey Milk Photo Center Dual exhibit of photos by Pirkle Jones and Ruth-Marian Baruch, documenting the 1960s dual social revolutions ( Black Panthers, 1968; Haight-Ashbury, 1967) that began in San Francisco. Thru Mar. 23.

50 Scott St. 554-9522. www.harveymilkphotocenter.org

Candlelight Flow Yoga @ LGBT Center David Clark leads various yoga poses and practices, plus meditation and breathing exercises. Bring your own mat and water bottle, etc. $10. 7pm-8:30pm. 1800 Market St. www.4dbliss.com

Conversation 6 @ SF Arts Commission Gallery SF-based Jason Hanasik and Amsterdam artist Berndnaut Smilde’s dual installation about home, dislocation and impermanence. Thru April 27. Main gallery, 401 Van Ness, Veterans Bldg. Hours Wed-Sat 12pm5pm. www.sfartscommission.org

Ali Liebegott at Sister Spit. Thu 7.

Lydia Daniller

Sister Spit @ California College of the Arts The acclaimed writer/performer collective hosts a reading, with host Michelle Tea, Ali Liebegott, TextaQueen, Tamara LlosaSandor, Daniel LeVesque and DavEnd. 7pm.

Timken Hall, 1111 8th St. www.radarproductions.org

To submit event listings, email jim@ebar.com. For more bar and nightlife events, go to www.bartabsf.com

<< Society

26 • Bay Area Reporter • February 28-March 6, 2013

Monarch butterflies

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by Donna Sachet

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ongratulations, newly elected Emperor Drew Cutler and Empress Patty McGroin! After a zesty campaign of three weeks, they emerged the winners from public voting and now embark on a full year of fundraising, organizing, traveling, and event-hosting. Drew won an astounding majority of votes, and less than 200 votes separated Patty from candidate Danielle Logan, who won the loyalty of many friends and supporters. These new monarchs are full of fresh ideas and unbridled energy, so watch for great things this year from the Imperial Court of San Francisco!

The weekend began for us at the screening of Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel at the Castro Theatre, swathed in red carpet for the occasion. We were greeted at the door by Janine Shiota and Kenshi, both dressed in the signature red of the film’s subject, and Lindsay Slowhands, with remarkable hair, make-up, and gown to look like the subject. The wine reception upstairs was jammed with excited viewers, including hosts Mark Rhoades and Joy Venturini Bianchi, Peter Coyote, Wilkes Bashford, Richard Sablatura, Ari Kalfayan, Mark Calvano, Joel Goodrich, and Beth Townsend And what a film! Vreeland, ground-breaking magazine editor, fashion stylist, and iconic trend-setter, shares in her own words a life of 86 years lived audaciously, richly, and unapologetically.

Many friends, family, and admirers, like Calvin Klein, Richard Avedon, Diane Von Furstenberg, and Carolina Herrera, reflect on her social impact and long-lasting cultural influence. Her droll witticisms, like “The best thing about London, of course, is Paris,” brought the house down!

The rest of the weekend belonged to the Imperial Court, starting with Thursday’s traditional reception and show, saluting the Emperors & Empresses from five, 10, 15, etc. years ago, at Marlena’s. Attending were Emperor Steven Rascher celebrating his 25th anniversary, Emperor Fred Lewis & Empress Alexis Miranda (15th), Emperor Michael Parsons & Empress Snatch (10th), and Emperor John Weber & Empress Cher A Little. The next day, Empress I of San Francisco and the Founder of the International Court System Jose Sarria hosted a campy high tea at Twin Peaks, where scores of Empresses wore outlandish hats as Jose shared memories and imparted advice. Later that night, the Imperial Court’s Out of Town Show hosted performers from over 20 cities across the continent as they displayed their talents in the Grand Ballroom at Hotel Whitcomb. With Emperor John Weber and this efficient columnist co-emceeing, the evening went briskly, leaving time for all to explore the city and invade welcoming watering holes all over town.

All this was a mere precursor to the main event: Saturday’s 48th annual Imperial Coronation at the Galleria Design Center. Hundreds of well-wishers, wearing elaborate gowns and heavily accessorized formal wear, flooded in from near and far for Babylon by the Bay. The immense crowns, ornate tiaras, and other bold jewelry would make the Crowned Heads of Europe jealous! Entertainment included command performances by Empress Witti Reparte of New York, Princess Goldie and the Bohemian Bretheran, and Empresses Fabrique of Long Beach and Sybil McRay Halston of

Steven Underhill

Newly elected Empress Patty McGroin worked the Castro district for votes during the Imperial Court campaign.

Steven Underhill

Golden Oscars appeared on the runway at the Academy of Friends party last Sunday night at Terra Gallery.

Orange County. After many formal presentations and ceremonies, Emperor Bradley Roberts & Empress Sissy St. Clair ended their reign and the new monarchs were crowned with great fanfare.

To finish out the weekend, many from the night before joined the annual Sunday morning pilgrimage to Woodlawn Cemetery in Colma, where Emperor Joshua Norton himself is buried. His “wid-

ow” Jose Sarria led the group in one of the most unusual and memorable events of the year, including a multi-flagged color guard, the SF Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band, singers, comedians, 21-gun salute, and spiritual invocations, all co-emceed

by SF City Treasurer Jose Cisneros and this writer. It must be seen to be believed!

Also on Saturday night, we surreptitiously escaped the Galleria and popped over to EqualityCalifornia’s Gala at the Fairmont Hotel See page 30 >>

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Karrnal >>

February 28-March 6, 2013 • Bay Area Reporter • 27

from a rear to a rear. And always, it seems, in rhythm with the gutbucket roadhouse guitar music by Keith Kurtis. It sure worked fine on the lower chakras of my music appreciation.

Slam-bang has never been so relentless, the electricity never higher. This raises the bar for sex as performance art; as played here, it is an Olympic sport demanding great virtuosity, excessive energy, and the sheen of dedicated practice. Remember “I wanna fuck you like an animal?” It’s right here, folks, and lascivious as all get-out.

Yet, while possessed by their fuck

Woody Fox and Angelo Marconi in a sizzling screen grab from Naked Sword’s Grindhouse.

Grind quarters

by John F. Karr

A

lthough a most dreadful siege of flu had my balls hanging down to my knees, watching Naked Sword’s Grindhouse tightened things up like never before. And that’s such a potent pull quote I can’t wait to see it in Naked Sword’s ads.

Grindhouse is two hours long, with three regular-length scenes that hit me as Good, Yow! and Good preceding a 40-minute stunner finale. The whole movie is easily recommendable. And that powerful finale, it’s a Must See. Grindhouse is a triple-play for Mr. Pam, who directed and videographed the movie from her own screenplay. Her script is intelligently thought-out, and provides some fresh situations in which the sex can occur. She’s got Adam Killian and Trenton Ducati meeting up in prison. Once released, Ducati’s become the owner of a grindhouse that resembles the Nob Hill because it is the Nob Hill.

There are goings-on all over the porn palace, with none taking the easy, standard-porn route of clientele getting it on behind the screen.

That’s been done. It’s the running

of the business that roots then propels the goings-on.

The first scene is a curtain-raiser that cleaves closest to porn convention, with an unusually breezy Seth Knight becoming an employee by yielding to the owner’s desire. The kid’s got the sweetest of boy-holes.

As Trenton slips in two fingers, he asks, “Ya like it?” Seth cuts to the chase, replying, “Just slide your dick in.” After Seth shoots, Trenton licks up his load and lets it slither from his mouth into Seth’s. Then, to reach his own climax, Trenton keeps fucking the kid, who is so excited he shoots a second load.

The business of running a grindhouse is a grind for Ducati, especially when a shady character played by Angelo Marconi shows up for a payoff.

Trenton mollifies him with the diversion of go-go dude Woody Fox. Imagine a sexier Edward Norton, and that’s Fox: a 23-year-old, lean and handsome Australian with a deep voice, great cock, and a wildly insinuating sexuality. The foreplay he settles on Marconi is sensational, and the fuck he slams in blasts out a deeply rooted orgasm.

Fox is just breaking out, with some Falcon and Raging Stallion scenes, but Grindhouse is the movie that

enthrones him.

Cashier Christian Wilde pats down drug dealer Tyler Alexander, and after finding Tyler’s rectum empty, fills it with cock. Tyler’s a hot stud with a fine body and a tat or two, whose streetwise look makes him apt casting. Wilde’s fuck is rough, causing some scenic cock-bobbing of Tyler’s weighty piece.

In the tour de force finale, Killian arrives with the intent of once again bedding his prison fuck-buddy, and connives to lure Ducati into the live sex act he’s performing on stage with Jake Genesis. None of the three guys has looked better, or performed so thrillingly. They’re incredible.

Adam and Trenton are at the top of their game, and as for Jake, well, he mesmerized me. His Marlboro Man face and physique, those golden-furred muscles, are an icon of masculinity. I gazed at him in wonder. He’s the scene’s most frequent bottom, with an out-ofthis-world look in his eyes that tells you how far into a sex zone he’s being bashed. His solidity becomes an anchoring rock.

Although the cocksucking and rimming are heart-stopping, let’s talk about flip-flopping. This scene has more flip than a short-order pancake cook. To paraphrase Stephen Sondheim, the guys career

Naked Sword

Triumphant triumvirate Adam Killian, Jake Genesis, and Trenton Ducati in Naked Sword’s Grindhouse.

frenzy, the guys show – what can I call it? – comradeship. You may get this sort of athletics from G4P boys, but you’ll never get this level of communication and connection.

The Nob Hill audience rightly yelling themselves hoarse, and the quick-cut editing of near-constant camera swipes that I usually deplore, add to the excitement. And when the attitude and tone of a movie are the same throughout, you have to thank the director.

This sort of thing isn’t happenstance. So, yay, Mr. Pam. www.NakedSword.com t

<< Books

28 • Bay Area Reporter • February 28-March 6, 2013

Popular preceptors

by Jim Piechota Who’s Yer Daddy? Gay Writers Celebrate Their Mentors and Forerunners edited by Jim Elledge and David Groff; Terrace Books, $26.95

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ho has been your greatest influence? That is the question at the heart of editors Jim Elledge and David Groff’s Who’s Yer Daddy?, a new anthology of memories from 39 gay authors on how their mentors reshaped and ultimately redefined who they’ve become. Both editors are distinguished poets and authors (Elledge is an English profes-

sor at Kennesaw State University in Georgia), and their book is actually an expansion of a surprisingly overattended literary panel discussion moderated by Elledge at a writers’ conference held in 2009. Four initial essays sprouted wings and grew to the nearly 40 offered in this book.

Many of these writers attribute influences from a vast gallery of iconic authors, of course. Esteemed poet Mark Doty credits Walt Whitman for his personal awakening by way of the author’s “remarkable affirmations of the flesh and of sexuality and even of same-sex love.” Author Dale Peck thanks Shirley Jackson (author of the classic The Lottery) for her contagious complexity and

Heart first

by Jim Piechota What Comes Around by Jameson Currier; Chelsea Station Editions, $16

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he search and seizure of love has been prime fodder for novels, movies, plays, and all manner of entertainment for eons. But securing love is another story altogether, and while finding a life partner can be a positive, life-altering event, the search itself can sap the vim and vitality from even the most resilient suitor.

This depletion is palpable when reading through the amorous misadventures of Jameson Currier’s persistent, love-starved, unnamed

narrator in his latest collection of 15 interconnected short stories, What Comes Around. In the opening piece, our boy is a fresh 15 years old, nervous, and at the mercy of a burgeoning desire for the Speedo-ed boys in his swim class.

From there, he blooms and matures into his own skin, becomes hyperactively sexual, yet grows up licking the wounds from a series of unfulfilling stabs at finding love, beginning with an awkward “indiscretion” in Atlantic City, and progressing to closeted men, suicidal men, personal ads, blind dates, and bad boys in general.

At times his journey to find Mr. Right is agonizing, sometimes sad, and sometimes erotically titillating. But every scene is writ-

for capitalizing on “the dark side of the imagination.” K.M. Soehnlein, Richard McCann and Jeff Mann appreciatively (and quite movingly) nod toward their own fathers as forerunners who greatly influenced the creative and talented men they’ve become. The curious eccentricities of artist Henry Darger put the spin on editor Elledge’s early observation of the artist’s “little girls with penises.”

Rigoberto Gonzalez credits John Rechy, Michael Nava, and four others with the development of his sexuality and his identity as a Latino gay man.

Thomas Glave’s eloquent gesture to a group of popular authors like Nadine Gordimer and James Baldwin is nothing short of brilliant and one of the true standouts in the collection.

But there are those for whom entertainers like Boy George and “Captain Kirk” were the driving forces behind

their creativity, drive, and lifelong resolve. Still others write of more personal references: a melodramatic best friend whose life was cut short by AIDS, or even a verbally abusive grandmother.

There are pages of great material included in this lively confessional, and the many iconic literary figures referenced throughout remind us of the great powers that have come before us, armed with the ability to mold who we are today, and of our own precious (and often untapped) potential to affect the outcome of those who are just beginning their own journeys into the vast and limitless unknown.t

ten with such beauty and poetic grace, it becomes an easy voyage to embrace, even though at times all the misfires and near-misses cut like a knife. Currier’s protagonist has a knack for observing the intricate details of bodies, clothes and feelings, from a man’s body hair to a too-large button-down shirt. Readers familiar with the author’s other novels and short stories know he has a history of framing his characters in lush descriptions, and this book is no exception.

The stories, written over a period of 25 years and most appearing elsewhere in gay erotica compilations and literary magazines, are told from the second-person perspective (“You begin the class by swimming laps,” “You imagine yourself with a different haircut.”) This narrative device will prove disorienting to some, and tends to create distance between the story and the reader.

Still, those who stick with it will be rewarded with crushing passages like this (after the narrator finds himself at odds once again with a reluctant companion): “And then you roll over and close your eyes, wondering if you could convince yourself you could be enough for Ross.”

Linking wit, heady sex, longing, and the agony of a hollow love life, Currier beautifully romanticizes the hope and the hunt for love, the rarest flower. t

t

Music >>

Hot soundtracks 2013

by Gregg Shapiro

S

oundtracks to TV shows continue to be stiff competition for movie soundtracks. Some TV shows incorporate the music as background, or to fill in the space between scenes. In the case of the NBC series Smash, the music is an even more essential component. The premise of the series is the behind-the-scenes look at the preparations for a new Broadway musical about Marilyn Monroe.

The songs from the musical (and the first two seasons of the series) can be found on Bombshell: The New Marilyn Musical from Smash (Columbia). Featuring smashing original music by queer Tony/ Grammy winners Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, and performances by regular cast members Katharine McPhee, Megan Hilty, Debra Messing, Christian Borle and Leslie Odom, Jr., as well as guest diva Bernadette Peters, Bombshell is explosive. Tunes such as the gorgeous “Hang the Moon” and the catchy “History Is Made at Night” have smash hit potential.

Same-sex marriage supporter/ straight ally Lena Dunham, the indie filmmaker (Tiny Furniture) turned cable series superstar, is the brains behind the brilliant series Girls on HBO. A series as daring as this deserves a soundtrack to equal its impact, and Girls - Volume 1: Music from the HBO Original Series (Fueled

by Ramen) comes close to filling the bill. Opening with Robyn’s “Dancing On My Own,” a perfect anthem for the show, the disc consists of tracks by of-the-moment acts such as Icona Pop, Lia

Ices, Fleet Foxes and Oh Land.

With exclusive tunes including “Sight of the Sun” by fun (featuring Dunham’s beau Jack Antonoff ) and Santigold’s delirium-inducing “Girls,” the soundtrack sounds like what you’d expect to hear on any of the castmembers’ iTunes playlist.

The hipster movie soundtrack title goes to Silver Linings Playbook: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Sony Classical), from its Danny Elfman opener “Silver Linings Titles” to selections by Eagles of Death Metal and Bob Dylan with Johnny Cash, this soundtrack scores.

Stevie Wonder’s “My Cherie Amour,” which features prominently in the storyline, can be found alongside new tracks by Alabama Shakes (the hip-shaker “Always Alright”), Jessie J (the showy Diane Warren composition “Silver Lining”) and Alt-J, not to mention a reimagining of “Goodnight Moon” by former Shivaree frontwoman Amanda Parsley &

the Elegant Too. A cool soundtrack of its day, Bye Bye Birdie: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Masterworks Broadway), from the 1963 movie starring Ann-Margret, Dick Van Dyke and Janet Leigh, is still hip for the way it worked rock-n-roll See page 29 >>

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Read more online at www.ebar.com

February 28-March 6, 2013 • Bay Area Reporter • 29

Positively palpable

by Victoria A. Brownworth

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ne of the best things about the TV season still referred to as “midseason” is that it lasts a really long time, from January through April – coincidentally or not, the nation’s most sedentary months. We get the big awards shows, including the biggest of all, the Grammys and the Oscars. We have to admit, we love the Oscars and never miss them. We also love that they are so queer-friendly, from the hosts – this year’s host Seth McFarlane is a huge marriage-equality supporter – to the guests. We know there are conservatives in Hollywood, but they never do a Kanye at the Oscars.

New shows continue to appear, re-appear, and in some cases, disappear (couldn’t NBC give Do No Harm more than two episodes on the most-viewed and toughest ratings night of the week, Thursday?).

Some intriguing shows debuted last week, and some new ones debut next week. We’re positively giddy at having new ways to avoid Real Life other than Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter.

What do we love this week? We love the CW’s new cult drama, Cult.

We love ABC’s new Sunday night thriller (just what we needed, another good show on Sunday!), Red Widow. We’re in like with ABC’s new conspiracy thriller Zero Hour, which is way more compelling than we thought it would be. We’re still in love with Smash, the queerest show not on Logo. We’re totally invested in The Following. We can’t help loving Walking Dead and Deception.

More on all of these later.

Here’s what we’re not liking: CBS’ new cop show Golden Boy, which slips into the Vegas slot, another show we don’t like. Both these shows have actors we have always liked, but we just can’t get into the shows.

We really like Chi McBride, but not enough to watch another episode of Golden Boy. This season’s Survivor is more irritating than usual. The Taste has only gotten worse from its opening. The Bachelor has to be the most cloying reality show ever on TV, and we never understand why these guys aren’t gay. But since they all purport to be straight, we would love to see a re-boot of this show where the women are all from various Real Housewives shows.

We’re really hating on Celebrity Apprentice, which debuted opposite the Oscars (really?). How can this show and Donald Trump still be around? We admit, we thought the promo was very clever. But not enough to watch this train wreck continue on its same destructive path with The Donald at the wheel.

How did this guy ever get so much money and power? CA isn’t even worth hate-watching.

Then there are the things we don’t exactly hate, but we’re really really tired of. Case in point: We were very unhappy when ABC cancelled All My Children and One Life to Live.

Both long-time soaps had strong queer and queer-friendly storylines and just good old daytime soap drama. Plus some superb actors from the New York theater world. Now

<<

Soundtracks

From page 28

into the traditional movie-musical format. Based on the Broadway musical of the same name, Birdie tells the story of Elvis-like rock-n-roller Conrad Birdie (Jesse Pearson) in the days before his military induction, and the effect that it had on his rabid fans, in-

both shows are coming back via Prospect Park, to be shown on Hulu and iTunes and promo’d to the hilt on ABC, which seems to forget it cancelled them in the first place – but kept the rights, so: all of the money, none of the cost. The deals have been inked with PP, all the fave characters are returning, and shooting starts in March for debut at the beginning of April.

Where things get dicey is with ABC’s other big soap, General Hospital, which has been in the process of bringing back some of the best characters of the last 15 years of the soap, including Laura of Luke-andLaura fame. GH has also brought back the vampires that were running the queerish but now-defunct spin-off, Port Charles.

It’s been thrilling for soap devotees.

But Prospect Park called, and they want their characters back.

Michael Easton, who played John McBain on OLTL prior to its demise, is now a central figure on GH. He went there after PC was cancelled. Then, when OLTL was cancelled, Easton and his character Det. McBain transitioned over to GH. Now OLTL wants him back. Except now he’s playing both McBain and Caleb, because GH has brought back the vampire thread. Are you getting all this? How could Prospect Park screw this up so badly when they had well over a year to work it out? We cannot envision a recast. PP says it will share the characters, but how?

We can’t bring ourselves to watch Days of Our Lives. We know there’s the Will/Sonny storyline, and we like those boys, we really do. They’re nice to look at, they are sexy and in love. But enough to suffer through Days? We think not. We hate almost all the characters except for the ones we couldn’t care less about. We’ve seen Will frequently lately, but always with his duplicitous mother Sami, and never with his boyfriend.

Which brings us to Bold & the Beautiful. Every day we think about transitioning over to Days because B&B has lost its way since Stephanie was killed off and Ridge left LA. Brooke is doing her best, but the writers refuse to help her. The only reason we haven’t jumped ship entirely is because Days is a far worse show, even on its best days, which don’t really exist. What do these shows have in common? Women getting pregnant, lying to their partners and using their pregnancies to manipulate the men in their lives.

Excuse us, but 1950 called, and they want their tropes back. Stop having so much unsafe sex and you won’t need a DNA test to discover who your baby daddy is because there won’t be a baby. Talk about setting a bad example for the kids!

So it’s good AMC and OLTL are returning and bringing some solidity of characterization, story, and queers who can’t use pregnancy to trap a partner. We are tired of the pseudo-incest roundabout on B&B, and the tortured storylines and bad hair on Days. Plus we’ve missed Susan Lucci almost as much as we miss Oprah.

It’s not just the soaps going gay on daytime. Katie, Dr. Phil, even The Doctors have been bringing gay to the day. Dr. Phil did the indepth interview with Manti Te’o’s fake girlfriend right after Katie did Manti Te’o. Katie has been focusing on queer issues as part of her “serious” shows.

On Feb. 19, music mogul Clive Davis chose Katie to reveal his bisexuality, and it was clearly a shocker for everyone. Davis, touting his new memoir The Man with the Golden Ears, said it was time to reveal the truth.

He insisted that he’s bi, even though he’s been in a “monogamous relationship with a man” for seven years, and was in another one with a doctor prior to this one. But he told Katie that he could imagine being with a woman again if this relationship ended. Davis said he wanted to quell the notion that bisexuals are fence-sitters and are really either gay or straight. You know what we think, but we don’t want to offend any true bisexuals out there.

But if you’re bisexual, seven years is a long time without sex with the other sex. Just saying, Mr. Davis.

Another queer guest to grace daytime last week was Jane Lynch, also on Katie. Lynch was her usual hilarious, acerbic self, and talked extensively about being queer and a model for queer kids because of her roles on Glee, The Glee Project and other shows. Lynch noted, “A kid can turn on Glee and see themselves reflected, because we have every kind of kid there is.” That’s the Glee we remember, too.

Katie said she thought there was a veritable “sea change in the attitudes toward LGBT people” and LGBT issues on the tube. “It’s palpable to me, and so positive,” Couric said. Lynch agreed that things had changed significantly in recent years, prompting her to be more open about her own lesbianism (she’s married, and she and her wife have a daughter). She said she came to the conclusion that there needed to be “role models for gay kids,” and said to herself, “Let it be me.” Lynch also said her best quality was her optimism, and said the three famous people she’d like to have dinner with were “Lincoln, Greta Garbo and Thomas Jefferson,” but that she wouldn’t mind sitting across from Katie’s “drop-dead hot body.”

cluding Kim (Ann-Margret) and her friends. Birdie also comments on the generation gap (“Kids,” featuring the late gay actor Paul Lynde, is a classic) and foretells the present-day cell phone/texting obsession (“The Telephone Hour”). If you’re in the mood for period camp, say hello to Bye Bye Birdie.

West of Memphis: Voices for Jus-

Fox-tv

Out lesbian Jane Lynch as Sue Sylvester on Glee.

TV Guide called Scandal one of “TV’s Best Dramas” in this week’s cover story. Which it is, but so underrated. Homeland gets all the attention while Scandal gets sniffed at.

Why? It couldn’t be that triumvirate of sexism, racism and homophobia, could it? Scandal is The West Wing for this era. But Scandal has what TWW never had: central characters of color and central queer characters. Our favorite line from the Feb. 21 episode? “You want me to be the first gay governor of North Carolina?”

Yeah, it’s that good. A queer storyline every week. Just like gay people are, you know, part of society. Scandal may not be written

by Aaron Sorkin, but we can’t have everything. Political intrigue, terrorism, torture, vile right-wingers

and people with integrity all juxtaposed with central gay male and of color characters. Yes! Also, we would note that the Feb. 14 episode had the most graphic sex scene we’ve ever seen on prime-time network TV as the President pushed Olivia up against a wall in a closet, she pulled down her stockings and panties, and he took her from behind. That’s groundbreaking. And alas, heterosexual, but still. The first season is on Netflix. The second season is unbelievably fabulous. All available at ABC.com.

Speaking of fabulous, Smash continues to get gayer and better (and the songs are all on iTunes). We cannot agree with the hate-watchers out there that the show lacks anything.

We would note about that small but vocal phalanx that their complaints often have an undertone of homophobia: the show is “too gay.”

Yes it is indeed too gay, that’s why we like it. Because almost every show on the tube is “too straight,” which is not a complaint we see anywhere.

Some may consider The New Normal too gay, we just consider it too irritating. We hate seeing the gay boys rubbing Goldie’s stomach like she’s their pet instead of their human surrogate carrying their child. These guys really do not like women, yet are surrounded by them. It feels a little stereotypical to us. Ratings for TNN have dropped precipitously in recent weeks. When the February sweeps stats went out on Feb. 22, it was not good news for NBC. After a very promising beginning during November sweeps with top shows like Revolution that netted NBC the top slot, now NBC has dropped to #5, with even Univision, which NBC owns, surpassing it. Yikes.

One NBC show that continues to pull viewers even after all these years is Law & Order: SVU. The past few episodes have been taut and have addressed intriguing elements of queer life, sometimes problematically. The Feb. 27 episode is “ripped

from the headlines” on the Rihanna/ Chris Brown ongoing WTF. In this one, Brown ends up where many feel he belongs after how he’s treated Rihanna, Robin Roberts and Frank Ocean. Check it out at NBC.com.

Speaking of Rihanna, the TV tabloids and the actual news have been all over her pseudo-lesbian photo shoot for V magazine featuring the singer in black lace and leather slithering it up with supermodel Kate Moss. If you haven’t seen the video, check it out. It’s just another reminder of how much TV loves pretty lesbians (especially the fake ones). Where is the video shoot of two straight guys who look hot kissing and tonguing each other? Let’s take the cop who’s constantly naked on Golden Boy and pair him up with one of the hot straight guys on The Voice (which is back this week!) and see what happens. Not quite so palpable, maybe.

Is it just us, or are the best dramas on the tube right now incredibly violent? The debut of Cult was amazingly good. Nevertheless, like Walking Dead, The Following, Red Widow (which debuts on March 3) and the upcoming NBC drama Hannibal (a prequel to Silence of the Lambs), Cult is incredibly violent.

Yet oh-so-engaging. We’re not sure what to make of this, given how we feel about violence in Real Life.

Finally, some queer news folks got major attention this week. Rachel Maddow hosted Hubris about the Iraq War on MSNBC and blew everyone away. Meanwhile, Anderson Cooper has been tagged for GLAAD’s major award. (We were surprised it was going to someone gay instead of straight, too!) We really are getting to be everywhere, aren’t we? Maybe that’s why the rumor that the Pope was blackmailed into leaving by a secret gay group is gaining traction with the Italian TV media. So for these tidbits, that palpability factor and all that exciting violence on the tube, you really must stay tuned. t

tice (Legacy) is the soundtrack to the doc about the miscarriage of justice surrounding the so-called West Memphis Three (including writer/activist Damien Echols).

This soundtrack features the voices of performers known for their political consciousness, including Henry Rollins, Natalies Maines (of Dixie Chicks fame), Eddie Vedder, Patti Smith and Lucinda

Wiliams. As a stand-alone recording, West of Memphis: Voices for Justice is powerful, and when paired with the film, it is a volatile combination.

It’s hard to imagine a composer more suited to creating the score for Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln than John Williams. After all, Williams knew Lincoln – that’s a joke, he’s only 81! The multi-Oscar-winning

composer’s scores, for films such as Jaws, Star Wars, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Schindler’s List and the Harry Potter movies, are the stuff of legends. The stunning Lincoln: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Sony Classical), performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, easily joins the ranks of Williams’ best work. t

Drama queens

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30 • BAY ay AREA rea REPORTER eporter • February February 28-March 28-March6,6,2013 2013

<<

Pre-Code films

From page 17

over 20 years.

“From the time sound came in, in 1929,” he writes, “Hollywood producers, directors, and writers seized the opportunity to expand the horizons of film content. Frank adult dialogue combined with a reckless disregard for complacency gave us pictures replicating the realities of the Depression: rampant gangsterism, sexual repression, prostitution, the works. The heroine of the typical Warner Bros or Fox picture was a prostitute, drug addict, or unwed mother.

Gangsters were depicted as noble heroes, and occasionally got away with murder.”

What strikes the modern viewer about these films – alongside their easy, wisecracking joie de vivre – is their innocence, sincerity, sentimentality, acute social perspective, and sheer, unbridled energy.

They’re not as disenfranchised as Noir. They lack the despairing cynicism of Tarantino. The social fabric is torn but not yet shredded.

The production values, scripts, acting and direction are top-drawer.

Opening the festival March 1 is Blood Money (1933), starring theater great Judith Anderson, aka Mrs. Danvers in Hitchcock’s Rebecca, as a glam brothel madam who loses her bail bondsman lover to a depraved high-society heiress. This fast-paced action flick portrays L.A. in all its seedy glory, from a hula at the Brentwood estate of a Dole Pineapple executive to Blossom Seely’s vamping “San Francisco Bay” at a speakeasy.

There’s not much fog in Fog Over Frisco (1934), a lurid tale

<<

On the Town

From page 26

for a brief moment in the company of Queen Mother of the Americas Nicole the Great and Emperor Just Jack of New York, who were both nonplussed when the uniformed doorman greeted this columnist by name. Well, we do get around!

Inside, we were warmly received

by Stuart Milk, Roger Doughty, Christopher Vasquez, Leslie Katz, Steve Adams, Jimmer Cassiol, and dinner co-chair Bevan Dufty.

Our weekend ended at the glamorous Academy of Friends Oscar party, this year at Terra Gallery and featuring a more intimate setting, with two floors, spacious windows, comfortable seating areas, various tasting stations, large-screen video monitors, and lots of Ketel One and Smirnoff vodka and Barefoot bubbly. We hobnobbed with How-

Roxie Theater

Bela Lugosi in Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932): gangsters were depicted in pre-Code films as noble.

of financial fraud and roadsters with rumble seats, but its extensive location shots take in the Bay, Pacific Heights, and a climactic chase along Market Street. Not to

ard Edelman, Matthew Denckla, Kile Ozier, Gary Virginia, Harrison Arias, Joseph Kowal, Michael Montoya & Kevin Shanahan, Kaushik Roy, Lenny Broberg, Tommy Taylor, Mario Diaz, Alec Hughes & Gavin Hamilton, Beth Feingold, Kevin Kosik, Bill Hirsh, Jim McBride, and the new Emperor & Empress, among many others. At the end of the telecast, Daft-Nee Gesuntheit performed and emceed the live entertainment, featuring Pandora Boxx & Latrice Royale of RuPaul’s Drag Race. Not sure who won what Oscar, but everyone at that party was a winner!

Next up: SF Ballet’s NiteOut this Friday, featuring the world premiere of From Foreign Lands, Leather Alliance Weekend with Queen Cougar’s Roast on Friday and the Mr. SF Leather Contest on Saturday, and the first Nitey Awards at the Castro Theatre on Mon., March 4! t

mention a young, lithe, peroxideblonde Bette Davis moving at warp speed in an unmannered portrayal of a corrupt child of the 1%. (Plays March 7 with:)

Heat Lightning (1934), a lyrical portrayal of two sisters who run a gas station in the middle of the desert. Long-limbed Aline MacMahon, famous for her deft deadpan

▼ t

comedy, plays a grease monkey in overalls, disillusioned by love.

Soulful Ann Dvorak is her kid sister, yearning for romance while waiting tables. When two gangsters on the lam meet two Reno divorcees with car trouble, this languid comedy of manners ends with a murderous twist.

Be sure to look for Lyle Talbot in the above-mentioned double bill.

He is remarkable for the longevity of his career as a portrayer of ordinariness. This Average Joe character actor found his niche on early TV, playing the mild-mannered next-door neighbor of Ozzie and Harriet. He also descended to the heights of notoriety in Edward D. Wood’s films Glen or Glenda (1953) and Plan 9 from Outer Space (1956).

Everything in the festival is worth seeing at least once, from Marlene Dietrich’s exotic, quixotic Shanghai Express (1933) March 3, to the obvious delights of the March 2 triple bill of horror: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931) starring Frederic March, Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932) with Bela Lugosi, and Black Moon (1934) with Fay Wray.

So if these films are so great, why ain’t we never seen none of ’em?

“Almost overnight these films all but vanished,” says Lavine. “Most pre-Code films were omitted from the huge packages of classic films sold to television stations in the 50s and 60s. So it’s very refreshing to be able to excavate these jewels and present them in a way that reminds us a little bit about ourselves, as well as the industry that created them.” t Hollywood Before the Code: Deeper, Darker, Nastier! Fri.-Thurs., March 1-7, Roxie Theater, 3117 16th St.

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