January 23, 2020 Edition of the Bay Area Reporter by Bay Area Reporter

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A man has started a petition to change the name of Isis Street to Harvey Milk Street.

Petition revives calls for LGBT street names

by John Ferrannini

petition to rename a South of Market street after Harvey Milk has reignited the issue of honoring LGBT leaders with street names in San Francisco. Last week, a change.org petition was created that asks Mayor London Breed and the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to change the name of Isis Street, a small side street in the South of Market neighborhood, to Harvey Milk Street. As of Tuesday, it had garnered 45 signatures toward a goal of 100. The first such proposal to rename a street after Milk failed to gather steam back in 1999. Milk was the first openly gay man elected to office in San Francisco and California when he won a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977. He was assassinated 11 months later. But now the creator of the petition – David Collins, 59, a straight ally who owns property on Isis Street – said he would be open to renaming the street after someone else, after members of the LGBT community indicated in Facebook discussions after the Bay Area Reporter’s initial January 15 article online that a street in SOMA should be named for a member of the leather community, or that Milk should be honored with a different street. “Maybe instead of Isis Street, it could be something that has a patriotic connotation like Veterans Street,” Collins said in a January 17 interview with the B.A.R., adding that he may rework his efforts to reflect that. “The most compelling thing is to take the Isis name off. “The LGBT community is in a better position to name Harvey Milk street, and I would support that,” he added. Terry Beswick, the executive director of the GLBT Historical Society, wrote on Facebook that he would support renaming Market Street for Milk. The 1999 proposal would have renamed a section of Market Street for Milk. Gerard Koskovich, also of the GLBT Historical Society, suggested renaming Isis Street for Michel Foucault, the French philosopher who frequented the SOMA LGBT scene and died of complications from AIDS in 1984. At least two San Francisco supervisors expressed their support for the idea after the initial petition was launched. District 6 Supervisor Matt Haney (Isis Street is in his district) wrote to the Bay Area Reporter via text message, “I love it.” “I’m definitely for more streets named after See page 12 >>

ome February Jane Cordova will move out of a shelter for LGBT adults in San Francisco’s Mission district for her own room in a Chinatown apartment. The scalloped windows in her bedroom will look out onto the city’s famed cable car line, which stops mere feet away. Cordova, 60, a transgender woman, is the first resident selected for the Trans Home SF on Washington Street, the city’s first transitional housing program for transgender and gender-nonconforming adults. The program aims to provide apartments for 12 individuals age 25 and older who will be able to live rent-free for a year as they receive support in landing a job, enrolling in school, and saving money to move into their own apartments. Tuesday afternoon Cordova saw her new temporary home for the first time and quickly got to work cleaning the windows in her bedroom and the baluster railing atop the stairs. The second-floor railroad flat has been divided into four bedrooms with a living area, kitchen, and one and a half bathrooms. “I think it is great. I love the location,”

Rick Gerharter

Jane Cordova cleans the windowsill in her new room at the Trans Home SF apartment, which overlooks the cable car route.

said Cordova, who grew up in Mexico and moved to San Francisco in the early 1990s. Stuck in the country’s immigration system, Cordova has struggled to find employment and affordable housing. A volunteer with the nonprofit El/La Para Trans Latinas, she is training to be a chef and hopes to be hired by a local restaurant

one day. “I like to cook,” said Cordova, who plans to oversee breakfast and dinner for her new housemates as she will serve as the resident manager. “I am the mother of the house.” City officials and community leadSee page 12 >>

Newsom asked to pardon Bayard Rustin by Cynthia Laird

right this terrible injustice and allow Mr. Rustin to take his rightful place in the history of our nation.”

he LGBTQ and Black caucuses of the state Legislature have asked Governor Gavin Newsom to posthumously pardon gay civil rights leader Bayard Rustin. According to a draft of the January 21 letter sent to Newsom, gay state Senator Scott Wiener and African American Assemblywoman Shirley Weber wrote that Rustin’s 1953 arrest in Pasadena, California on vagrancy charges led to Rustin spending 50 days in Los Angeles County Jail. He was also ordered to register as a sex offender. Rustin, who died in 1987 at age 75, was part of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s inner circle during the civil rights movement. He was one of the key organizers of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, and he “was integral in various other nonviolent movements, boycotts, and protests to end racial discrimination,” the letter states. Both Democrats, Wiener, of San Francisco, and Weber, of San Diego, are the chairs of the Legislative LGBTQ and Black caucuses, respectively, in the Capitol. They wrote in their letter that Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey has informed them that she supports the pardon request. “Despite Mr. Rustin’s heroic contributions to the civil rights movement, he fell victim to California’s homophobic criminal justice system,” Wiener and Weber wrote. In an email Wednesday morning, Lacey confirmed she’s joining with the two caucuses in the

Courtesy Britannica

Two state lawmakers have asked Governor Gavin Newsom to posthumously pardon gay civil rights activist Bayard Rustin.

effort to posthumously pardon Rustin. “Mr. Bayard Rustin was one of the most significant civil rights leaders of our times, whose great accomplishments, unfortunately, were restricted by a 1953 conviction in Los Angeles County for activities between consenting adults that should never have been criminalized in the first place,” Lacey wrote. “I am joining with the Legislative LGBTQ Caucus and the California Legislative Black Caucus in asking Governor Newsom to

In a statement, Newsom said he would consider the request. “History is clear. In California and across the country, sodomy laws were used as legal tools of oppression,” Newsom said in an emailed comment from his office. “They were used to stigmatize and punish LGBTQ individuals and communities and warn others what harm could await them for living authentically. I thank those who are advocating for Mr. Bayard Rustin’s pardon. I will be closely considering their request and the corresponding case.” Rustin’s surviving partner, Walter Naegle, also supports the pardon request. “Although Bayard passed away in 1987, such a pardon would be a symbolic gesture recognizing a violation of the concept of equal justice under the law,” he said in a release issued by Wiener’s office Tuesday following a news conference. “During the 1950s, gay men were victimized by laws that were not equally applied to heterosexuals. The rampart homophobia of our society led to stigmatization of gay men, often resulting in the loss of employment, damage to familial relationships and sometimes even suicides. I give my full support for the efforts of Senator Scott Weiner, the LGBTQ and Black Caucuses in asking Governor Newsom to pardon my late partner Bayard Rustin.”

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<< Community News

2 • Bay Area Reporter • January 23-29, 2020

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Castro pop-up ordered to cease operations within 15 days by John Ferrannini

social club that opened in the Castro earlier this month has been ordered to stop operating within 15 days of January 16 by the city planning department, according to a copy of the order obtained by the Bay Area Reporter. The move comes after a complaint was filed against the club – Socialhaus – with the planning department January 9. Socialhaus, which quietly opened January 8, bills itself as “your city’s living room,” according to its website. The idea is that people can come and make conversation with strangers, or join them for games and team-building activities. The space, however, is currently designated retail space and not general entertainment space, according to a copy of the January 16 order. After 15 days, “administrative penalties of up to $250 per day will also be assessed to the responsible party for each day the violation continues thereafter,” according to a copy of the order. Socialhaus founder and owner Coco Liu has yet to respond to a request for comment about the order. After an initial free visit, Socialhaus visitors can access the space for a monthly fee. There are three membership options ranging from $49 to $159 per month, according to the Socialhaus website. Liu, the founder of Socialhaus, had told the B.A.R. that the 463 Castro Street location, which had been set to open as a Flying Falafel eatery, would also become an “express” outlet of the falafel restaurant. Flying Falafel, founded and owned by pansexual man Assaf Pashut, had applied for the space to be used as a restaurant. A description in the January 9 complaint that was the basis for the planning department order stated, “Property permitted as Limited Restaurant but is operating as General Entertainment, private social club that is not open to the General Public. Attendance to facility requires a membership.” Pashut wrote in an email to the B.A.R. late January 17 that the city should have done more investigation “before issuing such a hasty, destructive notice.” “Had they reached out to us, they would have easily determined that the Flying Falafel, like any restaurant in California, is well within its rights to have private events at its facility, es-

John Ferrannini

The Socialhaus pop-up planned to also become a Flying Falafel Express outlet.

pecially if those events are communal by nature and strengthen the relationship between small business and the community,” Pashut wrote. “Processes like the one we’re witnessing today are killing new businesses and harming local neighborhoods,” he added. “I love San Francisco but this is shameful.” Liu, a straight ally, was unsure as of January 15 when food service would begin. She also disputed the complaint, which alleged Socialhaus is a private club not open to the general public. “I don’t believe it (the complaint) is accurate,” Liu said. “We are a restaurant in many ways.” Under the plan, food from the Flying Falafel location at 211 Sutter Street in San Francisco would be at the Socialhaus Flying Falafel Express for people to buy, Liu said. Customers would not have to become Socialhaus members first. “The idea is it will be sold to the general public and whoever buys falafel can hang out at the space,” Liu said. “The Socialhaus culture is a very open-minded, inclusive space for people to feel comfortable talking to a stranger at the space. They can meet strangers over falafel, and once they buy it (they) can talk to people in the space. “The membership fee is an alternative for people who want to come in and talk to people but don’t necessarily want to buy a falafel every single time,” she added. The 463 Castro location was a longtime retail space for locally-owned clothing stores: All-American Boy for

decades and more recently Outfit. As the B.A.R. reported October 9, following Outfit’s closure Pashut indicated his intention to open up a fourth location of his Bay Area eatery there. But the owner of Gyro Xpress at 499 Castro Street filed a request for discretionary review by the planning commission to prevent Flying Falafel from opening. “The Castro district is losing its key retail spaces,” Cem Bulutoglu of Gyro Xpress wrote in the request. “There are three falafel shops on the 400 block of Castro.” As the B.A.R. reported several weeks later, the planning department declined to take discretionary review of the property, clearing the way for Pashut’s restaurant to open. But the property was still designated retail space as of January 16, according to the order. For a time last fall, a pop-up branch of Indigo Vintage Cooperative operated in the space through the Castro Street Fair October 6. Pashut indicated at the time his intention to have another pop-up business operate in the space before it was converted into a restaurant. It was in October or November 2019 when Pashut met Liu, who said that she founded Socialhaus last year. Socialhaus was previously a pop-up business most recently located on Valencia Street in the Mission district before moving to the Castro. “I wanted to build a third place outside home and work where people can just hang out. Nowadays, people meet and often don’t follow up on a consistent basis,” Liu said. “[Pashut] stumbled upon our pop-up and attended a couple of them. He enjoyed the experience coming to our pop-up. “He had the space and was going through the process of trying to open this spot when we met. He was thinking of what he could do with the space, instead of building out a whole Flying Falafel, he was thinking about what he could build to bring good vibes to the community,” she added. In addition to Sutter Street, Flying Falafel restaurants are located at 1051 Market Street in San Francisco and 2114 Shattuck Avenue in Berkeley. The only express outlet would be the one in the Castro. Planning department officials have not returned requests for comment as of press time. t

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<< Open Forum

4 • Bay Area Reporter • January 23-29, 2020

Volume 50, Number 04 January 23-29, 2020 www.ebar.com PUBLISHER Michael M. Yamashita Thomas E. Horn, Publisher Emeritus (2013) Publisher (2003 – 2013) Bob Ross, Founder (1971 – 2003) NEWS EDITOR Cynthia Laird ARTS EDITOR Roberto Friedman BARTAB EDITOR & EVENTS LISTINGS EDITOR Jim Provenzano ASSISTANT EDITORS Matthew S. Bajko • John Ferrannini CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Ray Aguilera • Tavo Amador • Race Bannon Roger Brigham • Brian Bromberger Victoria A. Brownworth • Philip Campbell Heather Cassell • Belo Cipriani • Dan Renzi Michael Flanagan • Jim Gladstone David Guarino • Liz Highleyman Brandon Judell • John F. Karr • Lisa Keen Matthew Kennedy • Joshua Klipp David Lamble • Max Leger David-Elijah Nahmod • Paul Parish Lois Pearlman • Tim Pfaff • Jim Piechota Bob Roehr • Gregg Shapiro • Gwendolyn Smith Sari Staver • Tony Taylor • Charlie Wagner Ed Walsh • Cornelius Washington • Sura Wood ART DIRECTION Max Leger PRODUCTION/DESIGN Ernesto Sopprani PHOTOGRAPHERS Jane Philomen Cleland • FBFE Rick Gerharter • Gareth Gooch Jose Guzman-Colon • Rudy K. Lawidjaja Georg Lester • Dan Lloyd • Jo-Lynn Otto Rich Stadtmiller • Kelly Sullivan • Fred Rowe Steven Underhil • Bill Wilson ILLUSTRATORS & CARTOONISTS Paul Berge • Christine Smith ADVERTISING/ADMINISTRATION Colleen Small Bogitini VICE PRESIDENT OF ADVERTISING Scott Wazlowski – 415.829.8937 NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE Rivendell Media – 212.242.6863

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Reelect Wiener to CA Senate

alifornia turned a deeper shade of blue in the last decade, due especially to achievements for LGBTQ rights. Among those, former Governor Jerry Brown signed historic legislation like the Fair, Accurate, Inclusive, and Respectful Education Act in 2011, which was written by gay former state Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) and requires public schools to teach about the contributions of queer people and those with disabilities. When Leno was termed out of the Senate in 2016, he was succeeded by another gay Democratic man: former San Francisco supervisor Scott Wiener. During his first term, Wiener continued to be a progressive voice in that chamber, and authored numerous pieces of major legislation not only benefitting the LGBTQ community, but more broadly the state. He is a tenacious, hard-working, and driven legislator. If one of his bills is tabled or held over for a year, he will reintroduce it. If a constituent experiences a problem with a state agency, and Wiener believes it is based on homophobia, he will demand answers. Governors Brown and Gavin Newsom have signed many of Wiener’s important bills into law. He is the current chair of the Legislative LGBTQ Caucus, and in that role has advocated for the community. This week, he and Assemblywoman Shirley Weber (D-San Diego), chair of the Assembly Black Caucus, wrote a letter to Newsom asking that he posthumously pardon gay, African American civil rights activist Bayard Rustin. Wiener is now up for reelection and voters have a choice. While there are two other out candidates running against him – a queer Democratic socialist Native American woman to his left and a Republican trans woman to his right – Wiener is the strongest candidate. Wiener is simply an excellent state senator and we recommend him for a second term so he can continue delivering for us – and for the people of California.

Transgender issues

From his earliest days in the Legislature, Wiener made trans issues a priority and has maintained his steadfast support. He jointly authored a bill with lesbian Senate President Pro Tempore Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) that Brown signed to create a third, nonbinary marker on government IDs. Known as the Gender Recognition Act of 2017, SB 179 also eliminates obstacles for transgender and nonbinary individuals seeking a state ID. This year, Wiener is again attempting to pass SB 132, the Transgender Respect, Agency and Dignity Act, which addresses issues that trans inmates experience in state prison. As we reported, the legislation, which Wiener first introduced in 2018 only to see it fail to advance out of the committee review process that year, will house incarcerated transgender people in California prisons based on their gender identity, unless doing so puts their safety at risk. Currently, transgender female inmates are housed in men’s prisons, while transgender male inmates are housed in female prisons; also included in the bill would be a requirement that transgender inmates be referred to by their preferred pronouns, gender, and name. During an editorial board meeting in December, Wiener said that he had visited with inmates, both transgender and cisgender, to listen to their concerns about his legislation with the intent of fine-tuning it in preparation for another legislative review. Despite estimates that it will result in “potentially major” costs for the state’s prison system, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is supportive of the bill and has worked closely with Wiener on its language. The inmates Wiener visited mostly expressed support, including trans female inmates who want to transfer to women’s prisons, and cis female inmates seemingly OK with being housed with trans female inmates, as long as potential safety concerns are addressed. This bill will be life-changing for trans inmates, who are often an afterthought to many policymakers. Not to Wiener. “I’ve been delivering for the trans community for decades,” he told us.

Criminal justice

Wiener, a lawyer who once served as a deputy city attorney in the San Francisco City Attorney’s office, is committed to criminal justice reform, particularly as it relates to the LGBTQ community. One of his most significant pieces of legislation was SB 239, co-authored with gay Assemblyman Todd Gloria (D-San Diego); signed

Rick Gerharter

State Senator Scott Wiener talks at his reelection kickoff as San Francisco Mayor London Breed looks on.

by Brown in 2017, it modernized the state’s HIV criminalization laws adopted during the height of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s. The law requires proof that transmission of HIV did occur in order for a person to be prosecuted for intentionally transmitting the virus to a sex partner. “Fundamentally, the heart of this bill is that being sick is a health issue not a criminal issue and treating people with a health condition as criminals doesn’t make them healthy, doesn’t reduce the spread of infectious diseases, it just pushes people into the shadows and makes matters worse,” Wiener said at the time. This year, Wiener is trying to pass SB 145, LGBTQ Young People Nondiscrimination in the Sex Offender Registry. It would grant judges discretion to decide if a person be required to register as a sex offender if that person is within 10 years of age of a consensual sexual partner between the age of 14 and 17 and engages in oral or anal intercourse with the younger person. Under current law, anyone found guilty would automatically be added to the state’s sex offender registry. The bill aims to include a “Romeo-Juliet” clause for gay and lesbian teenagers so they are treated similarly to their heterosexual peers. For example, adolescents would not risk being listed on the state’s sex offender registry if they are both under 18. While an 18-year-old who has sex with a 17-year-old or younger partner could still be prosecuted for statutory rape, under Wiener’s bill, they might not need to register as a sex offender if convicted. Last year the bill stalled in the Assembly Appropriations Committee after the chair, Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego), expressed some concerns about the impacts of the bill on the youngest youth it covers and held it in her committee. Wiener told us that he is now working with Gonzalez to address her concerns.

Housing

Perhaps no issue riles up Wiener’s opponents more than housing, but they often do not offer any realistic alternatives or comprehensive plan to address our housing crisis. Wiener this year amended his controversial SB 50, which would raise height limits around transit lines and allow denser development in high-income areas. Changes he recently announced give cities more flexibility to circumvent some of SB 50’s provisions if they come up with their own schemes to increase housing, as the San Francisco Chronicle reported; this makes sense as the housing crisis is a statewide problem that impacts everyone but whose solutions must be tailored to the local situation to be successful. We’ve written before about the crucial need for a regional approach to housing – below-market, affordable, subsidized, and market-rate – and SB 50 is a step in that direction. Last week, Atkins gave a major push to the legislation when she used her prerogative as Senate president to move SB 50 to her rules committee, rather than remain on its current track to the appropriations committee, where the chair is against it. This maneuver will give Wiener additional time to tweak the bill and it could head directly to the Senate floor for a vote, the Chronicle noted. Cities like San Francisco depend on market rate development to help fund construction of affordable housing. BART has embarked on a program whereby it’s seeking housing development on its property near train stations. Now is the time for the state to have a law like SB 50 that will increase density and allow more housing to

be built. San Francisco supervisors last year rejected a housing complex over concerns that it would cast a shadow over a South of Market park. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times has reported that shade is a valuable community asset now that average climate temperatures are rising, especially in lower income neighborhoods where it is scarce. We need housing, at all income levels, throughout the state – with shade and without.

Constituent services

Wiener’s tenure has been marked by huge accomplishments but he’s also fought for us in smaller, yet meaningful ways. When a gay constituent of Wiener’s wanted a vanity license plate for his motorcycle that indicated he was a leather daddy, the Department of Motor Vehicles last year rejected it. Wiener fired off a letter castigating the agency for its refusal to approve the plate, writing that the agency had homophobic notions about leather daddies. But after meeting with the former acting head, who presented Wiener with a list of other approved vanity license plates with the “LTHR DDY” configuration, Wiener said he was satisfied with DMV’s decision. The constituent got the last laugh when his subsequent request for a vanity plate reading “DEPRAVT” was approved. As we reported, it was lifted straight from the rejection letter the DMV had sent him explaining it could not approve the “LTHR DDY” license plate because it can be read “as a term of lust or depravity.” Wiener is unfailingly present at community events, fundraisers, and rallies for myriad causes. He is a leader on wider issues like net neutrality and holding Pacific Gas & Electric Co. accountable in the wake of devastating wildfires. He is a vocal opponent of President Donald Trump and his racist, corrupt administration. Last week, Wiener introduced legislation to establish a statewide plan for ending HIV/ AIDS, hepatitis C, and sexually transmitted infections. In 2019 he co-authored the law, signed by Newsom, making a maximum two-month supply of PrEP available without a prescription at pharmacies. That goes into effect July 1. The new proposed statewide plan — which California does not have — would correct the current state of affairs. “There is not a unified, coherent strategy” to end those epidemics, Wiener told us. He said he would secure funding in this year’s budget and envisions a “dramatic PrEP expansion” as part of the plan. Wiener, who takes PrEP himself, is clearly aware of the disparities when it comes to PrEP access, including for communities of color, rural areas, and the trans community. The purpose of the statewide plan, he said, is to “force the state to deal with these issues.” Wiener’s opponents in the March 3 primary simply do not have the breadth of experience or command of the legislative process that he has. He will – and has repeatedly – taken on tough issues that at times we thought would be hugely controversial, such as HIV decriminalization. Because of his keen understanding of the process, and the fact that he does his research and works with other legislators, many of his bills become law. “Over and over, I’ve passed hard, controversial legislation,” he said. “I know how to build coalitions and even got Republican votes.” Reelecting Wiener to the state Senate is essential to the future of LGBTQ and progressive issues in San Francisco, the wider Bay Area region, and the state. We endorse him in the March 3 primary. t

Politics >>

January 23-29, 2020 • Bay Area Reporter • 5

South Bay candidate aims to be CA’s 1st bisexual legislator

by Matthew S. Bajko

candidates who ran for San Jose city council seats. “From those campaigns I learned to really value a grassroots approach and a direct voter approach. Too much now Assembly races focus on retail politics, with a lot of ads and direct mail buys,” said Lee. “What it comes down to is voters really care about personalized engagement and candidates getting to know them and listen to them. That is the type of grass root campaign I am running now for Assembly.” To learn more about Lee, visit his campaign website at http://www.votealexlee.com/. t

oters in an Assembly district that straddles Alameda and Santa Clara counties could elect the first bisexual member of the Legislature this year. Legislative policy adviser Alex Lee, 24, is one of eight Democrats along with one Republican running for the open Assembly District 25 seat, as Assemblyman Kansen Chu (D-San Jose) is running for a Santa Clara County supervisor seat. The district covers portions of North San Jose, Milpitas, Santa Clara, Fremont, and Newark and is seen as a safe Democratic seat. “What is going to be interesting is it is truly an open primary, so the strongest candidate on their own accord will emerge,” Lee told the Bay Area Reporter in a recent phone interview. With so many Democrats in the race, none were able to secure the state Democratic Party’s endorsement last fall, though Lee was among the top vote-getters. Also running are elected school leaders Jim Canova, Anne Kepner and Anna E. Song; Milpitas City Council members Carmen Montano and Anthony Phan; former Fremont planning commissioner and stem cell research advocate Roman Reed; and political newcomer Natasha Gupta. “It is certainly a challenge with so many voices crowding the race. The campaign that takes the time to speak to people in the district will end up with the most votes,” said Lee, who has knocked on more than 60,000 doors in the district. “Everyone has to work hard to get their name out there.” He told the B.A.R. that rather than seeing two Democrats survive the March 3 primary, he anticipates one of them will compete against the lone Republican in the race, businessman Bob Brunton. “My district is still in the middle politically wise. It has a lot of conservative unaffiliated voters and Republicans,” said Lee, who has raised more than $30,000 toward a goal of $75,000 in the primary race. Lee and his younger brother grew up in the Berryessa district of San Jose and Milpitas, as their parents divorced when they were young and the siblings shuttled between their homes in the two cities. After graduating from Milpitas High School, Lee earned a B.A. in political science and communication from UC Davis in 2017. He worked for state Senator Henry Stern (D-Canoga Park) for two years after college and then became a field representative for gay Assemblyman Evan Low (D-Campbell), whom he had interned with while at UC Davis. In order to focus fulltime on his campaign, Lee quit his job on Low’s staff late last year. Should Lee win the Assembly seat at the age of 25, he will eclipse Low’s

Courtesy Lee for Assembly campaign

Assembly candidate Alex Lee

being the youngest Asian American elected to the state Assembly at age 31. Rather than older voters being turned off by his being in his early 20s, Lee told the B.A.R. that many people in their 70s and 80s that he has met have told him they think it is time for a younger legislator to represent them. “Older people will say to me, ‘Yeah, my generation’s time is up, it is your guys’ time.’ People have been surprisingly very positive over all,” said Lee. While he acknowledges his age may be a factor for some voters, Lee is banking on his growing up in the district to demonstrate he is knowledgeable about the needs of its residents. “When the incumbent decided to step down, a lot of people were saying I should give it a shot and should run,” said Lee. “With my legislative experience and hometown knowledge too, I can bring really strong legislative knowledge to Sacramento and great advocacy for my district.” Lee’s family is Cantonese Chinese; his parents emigrated from Hong Kong to the South Bay. His father is a semiretired engineer and his mom is a nurse at Valley Medical Center. The family still has relatives in Hong Kong, thus the recent unrest and protests against the Chinese government’s control of the former British territory “resonates with me,” said Lee. The Assembly district’s population is predominately Asian American, which Lee sees as giving him an edge in the race. He is proficient in both Cantonese and Mandarin, and his campaign materials are in both English and Chinese. When the B.A.R. contacted him in late December to confirm he identifies as bisexual, Lee hadn’t promoted that he was a member of the LGBT community on his campaign website. He had also flown under the radar of many LGBT Democratic leaders who were unaware of his being an out candidate until recently.

“My identity being Asian I am more conscious about than my LGBT side for some reason,” said Lee. It wasn’t until he spoke to the B.A.R. by phone earlier this month that he learned there has never been a bisexual member of the Legislative LGBTQ Caucus in the state Legislature. Since being interviewed, Lee updated his biography on his campaign website to note that he “currently lives in his hometown openly as a member of the LGBTQ community.” His partner of several months is nonbinary but prefers to remain behind the scenes as Lee campaigns for the Assembly seat. While he is out to family and friends, Lee said due to his cultural upbringing he struggles with how to talk about his sexual orientation on the campaign trail in an authentic way. “Growing up and still to this day it is not very socially acceptable to be LGBT in my community and to some degree in my own family. It is something I haven’t figured out how to message organically yet,” said Lee. “It is not something I publicly talk about but I should.” Lee will be asking both Equality California, the statewide LGBT advocacy group, and the LGBTQ Victory Fund, which works to elect LGBT people across the country, for their endorsements of his Assembly campaign. The South Bay’s LGBT political group BAYMEC, the Bay Area Municipal Elections Committee, endorsed Kepner in the race; she serves on the West Valley-Mission Community College Board of Trustees and lives in Santa Clara with her husband and their children. Lee has endorsements from a number of groups for young Democrats and the Silicon Valley Democratic Socialists of America. He took part in a candidate training held by the AAPI Victory Fund, which aims to elect more Asian American and Pacific Islanders to public office. And he served as a campaign manager for two

Political Notes, the notebook’s online companion, will return Monday, January 27. Keep abreast of the latest LGBT political news by following the Political Notebook on Twitter @ http://twitter.com/politicalnotes. Got a tip on LGBT politics? Call Matthew S. Bajko at (415) 829-8836 or e-mail m.bajko@ebar.com. Untitled-5 1

12/20/19 10:09 AM

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Letters >> Wiener and body rights

I read with great interest the following rhetorical question, posed by state Senator Scott Wiener, in your article titled “CA bill protecting intersex infants dies in committee,” [January 16]: “If having a medically unnecessary procedure on your body, wouldn’t you want to have some input into that decision as opposed to having other people make those decisions?” As he now seeks a second term in the California State Senate, Wiener answers that question with a resounding “yes.” How quickly time, and perhaps, hypocrisy, cloud Wiener’s memory. It wasn’t too many years ago when a proposed San Francisco initiative on other “irreversible surgical choices,” i.e., the widespread removal of infant male foreskins without the male infant’s consent,

appeared in a San Francisco election. Then-Supervisor Wiener leapt to the forefront of the effort to prevent voting on this proposal, even to the point of persuading the state Legislature to prohibit such municipal legislation in the future. Why, except for hypocrisy and electoral politics, are the interests in the bodily integrity of intersex newborns more important than the interests in the bodily integrity of every male infant born in this state? Although many surgically altered males rationalize and accept the loss of their foreskins, many do not. The same may also be true of intersex newborns. Why do you treat them so differently, Senator Wiener? Roger W. Green San Francisco

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<< Pride 2020

6 • Bay Area Reporter • January 23-29, 2020

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s preparations ramp up for the 50th annual San Francisco Pride parade, members of the LGBT community are questioning the role of Bay Area-headquartered tech corporations in the festivities celebrating LGBT people and culture. Members of the San Francisco Pride nonprofit organization voted January 15 to ban Google and its affiliates, including YouTube, from the parade, as well as the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office. The vote would have to be approved by the Pride board of directors to become binding. The Pride board’s next scheduled meeting is February 5. Only seven of the 326 members of Pride voted to ban Google and its affiliates from the parade, according to Pride interim executive director Fred Lopez. “We understand the concern one group has raised about some of Pride’s corporate sponsors, and we take their concerns seriously,” Lopez wrote in an email to the Bay Area Reporter January 17. “As we get ready to celebrate our 50th annual Parade and Celebration, our goal remains the same as it was for our first – to be as inclusive as possible and reflect the diversity of our communities.” Separately, the past president and founder of Sonoma County Pride wrote to San Francisco Pride officials last month stating that Facebook should be prohibited from participating in the parade. Tyler Breisacher, a gay man and former software engineer with Google who left in April 2018 over Google’s corporate sponsorship of the Conservative Political Action Conference, said he first became concerned about Google’s participation in Pride after a controversy between YouTube and gay video-producer Carlos Maza. Last spring, Maza announced he was being harassed by another YouTube content producer, conservative comedian Steven Crowder. Crowder called Maza a “lispy queer,” among other epithets. Maza said Crowder’s fans doxxed and harassed him. Crowder defended himself, saying that he was doing comedy. After an investigation, YouTube determined that Crowder had not violated its policies. “While we found language that was clearly hurtful, the videos as posted don’t violate our policies,” YouTube stated at the time. “As an open platform, it’s crucial for us to allow every-

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Rick Gerharter

People protested the appearance of Google in the 2019 San Francisco Pride parade.

one – from creators to journalists to late-night TV hosts – to express their opinions w/in the scope of our policies. Opinions can be deeply offensive, but if they don’t violate our policies, they’ll remain on our site.” Breisacher said he agrees with Maza that YouTube policies against harassment should have been applied in this case and shortly thereafter joined Pride as a general member to advocate for Google’s removal from San Francisco Pride. “I was upset and I said ‘let’s go to a Pride meeting and see what we can do about this,’” Breisacher said in a phone interview with the Bay Area Reporter January 16. “It matters what SF Pride does because other places look to us. Here and (in) New York are the most visible ones.” Breisacher is being joined in his efforts by Laurence Berland, another former Google employee who had been fired, according to his Twitter bio. The San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration Committee Inc., the nonprofit that oversees the parade and festival, is made up of members who elect a board of directors. The board makes the final decisions and will have to approve or reject the amendment Breisacher and Berland advocated for. It was that amendment that members approved January 15. San Francisco Pride had considered preventing Google’s participation in 2019, but ultimately decided against it. “We appreciate the engagement of community members who reached out to San Francisco Pride with their concerns about Google,” a June 26, 2019 news release stated. “Google has been a considerate partner of SF Pride for a number of years, and has historically been a strong ally to LGBTQ+ communities.” YouTube’s hate speech policies were changed in June 2019, following the Maza affair, and its harassment policies were changed last month. Claiming that LGBTQ+ people are mentally ill is no longer allowed on the video platform, a Google spokesperson confirmed to the B.A.R. When asked January 17 how Pride should recoup the money – as corporate sponsorships help cover the cost to hold the event, which also funnels tens of thousands of dollars each year to local LGBT nonprofits and athletic teams – that would be lost from losing Google and its affiliates as sponsors, Breisacher and his associate, Maxie Bee, sent an emailed statement to the B.A.R. “You don’t need to maximize your spending power to do that, and you arguably hurt your mission – and your budget – if you take money from bad allies,” the statement reads. “Even just including bad allies can have a negative effect on the community and the event’s operating costs, without even taking them as sponsors of the event itself.” The statement continues: “Maybe the city of San Francisco would be willing to expand their grants to make

up the difference. Maybe Google will actually get its act together and be the ally they want us to believe they are, and they’ll be invited back!” District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, a gay man and lone LGBT person on the Board of Supervisors, told the B.A.R. that he wants to “respect” the Pride committee’s process and believes it is up to the event’s organizers to decide if corporations should participate in the parade or not. “This is really up to the Pride committee and I will respect their decision,” said Mandelman. But he noted that, “Many queer people are very proud of the place where they work, and we have a lot of queer people working in tech. I am sure they would be quite disappointed if they couldn’t participate in the Pride parade.”

Facebook

Regarding Facebook, Chuck Ramsey, a gay man who is the past president and founder of Sonoma County Pride, wrote in a recent email to Pride officials and the B.A.R. that he thinks Facebook should be banned in light of what he said was a lack of enforcement of its community standards. Ramsey said January 2 that he reported a user’s comment about the LGBT Pride flag being “evil” just like the Confederate flag. While Facebook has a policy against “self-admission to intolerance on the basis of” a number of protected characteristics, such as race, religion or sexual orientation, the comment was not removed, noted Ramsey. “I am more concerned about Facebook’s position at this point than I am about the original commenter’s post,” Ramsey wrote in the email. “I also do not think it is appropriate to have a Facebook contingent marching in SF Pride’s parade if this is the best they can do for our community.” Lopez wrote to the B.A.R. January 10 that “we appreciate Mr. Ramsey for bringing this to our attention and we will be in touch with him directly soon.” As of January 17, Ramsey told the B.A.R. that Lopez had not gotten in touch with him. While Breisacher did not say if Facebook should also be prohibited from Pride, he said it was something to investigate. “With Facebook, they have plenty to point to – the real names policy, Cambridge Analytica,” Breisacher said. “There is plenty to talk about there.” Breisacher was referring to two controversies in Facebook’s recent past. Cambridge Analytica, a political consulting firm assisting in the 2016 Republican presidential campaign of Donald Trump, harvested the personal information of tens of millions of Facebook users without their knowledge and used it for political purposes. The names policy led to a September 17, 2014 meeting with LGBT activists, including Sister Roma of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. Drag See page 12 >>

Election 2020 >>

January 23-29, 2020 • Bay Area Reporter • 7

Bloomberg brings White House bid to Oakland by Cynthia Laird

ormer New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg brought his presidential campaign to the East Bay January 17, and while he didn’t pick up an endorsement from Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, he did excite a small crowd that met at Everett & Jones Barbecue. Schaaf had supported California’s junior senator, Kamala Harris, in the Democratic presidential race, but she suspended her campaign December 3. Another former Harris supporter, gay state Senator Scott Wiener (DSan Francisco), announced January 17 that he’s backing Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren. In Oakland, Schaaf and Bloomberg met at a bagel shop before heading on a short walk. “I just took a tour of Oakland with your mayor and she’s doing a spectacular job,” he told the crowd at the restaurant near Jack London Square. Bloomberg, a billionaire, entered the crowded Democratic field in late November and is employing a strategy whereby he is skipping the four early-voting states: Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada, to focus on states like California that vote on March 3, Super Tuesday. He has already spent millions of dollars on television ads in those states. “California has been a leader on so many issues, and Oakland has been at the forefront,” Bloomberg said. He said his was a campaign of “sanity and inclusion,” unlike the current occupant of the Oval Office. “I’m running to defeat Donald Trump,” he said as the crowd applauded. He said that he intends to build an America for blacks, Latinos, immigrants, gays, lesbians, and transgender people, among others. “The America I know puts working together ahead of standing apart,” he said. Bloomberg touted his experience running the country’s largest city for 12 years. He said he expanded access to health care and raised teachers’ salaries 40%, which saw students’ graduation rates improve by the same percentage. He did not mention his past support of the controversial “stop and frisk” policy implemented in New York City whereby police stopped millions of black and Latino men back when he was mayor. He did apologize for supporting the practice, at a black church in New York shortly before he formally entered the race. Bloomberg reminded the Oakland audience that he was elected mayor weeks after 9/11. “The city was in tatters,” he said. “But what happened was people came together.” Some of those in the audience said they were impressed with the former mayor. Ken Richard, a gay man who lives in Walnut Creek, said he’s supportive of Bloomberg. “I want to see what happens on March 3, if he picks up any delegates – then I’m all in,” Richard told the Bay Area Reporter. “The main reason why I support him is he’s the only one, in my opinion, who can defeat Trump.” Richard added that conservative friends and a family member have told him they would support Bloomberg if he became the Democratic nominee. “I think Bloomberg is a purple candidate,” Richard said, referring to someone who can bridge Democrats and Republicans. In fact, Bloomberg spoke about working across the aisle, and said he’d have no problem doing that. “I have a record of working with Republicans,” he said, adding that he has been criticized for it. “You’ve got to work with Republicans to pass legislation.”

Jane Philomen Cleland

Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg took a walking tour of Oakland with Mayor Libby Schaaf January 17.

Prior to Bloomberg speaking, Lafayette attorney Jason Bezis, a straight ally, told the B.A.R. that so far, he’s undecided on a candidate. His main concern with Bloomberg was whether as president, he would continue the Trump policies regarding Israel. In 2017, Trump announced that the U.S. would recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and planned the relocation of the U.S. embassy to that city. In an email to the B.A.R. after the event, Bezis said he had a chance to ask Bloomberg about Israel and that the former mayor said he’s in line with

Untitled-1 1

Trump’s position and would not move the U.S. embassy out of Jerusalem. “I am a moderate Democrat,” Bezis wrote. “... this is a deal-breaker for me. ... Mr. Bloomberg is off my list.” The campaign did not respond to a request for comment. Alec Maghami, another straight ally, said he’s been a Bloomberg supporter “forever.” He works in finance, as the former mayor did, and previously lived in New York City. Bloomberg founded the privately held financial, software, data, and media company that bears his name and is based in Midtown Manhattan.

Dustin Gabele, a straight ally, said he hadn’t heard much about the Bloomberg campaign but when he learned of the Oakland event, he decided to check it out. “I like how he presents himself,” Gabele said. “He has a sense for right and wrong.” The night before Bloomberg appeared in Oakland, Politico reported that several people attended a small event with him in San Francisco. Among those present was Leslie Katz, a lesbian and former San Francisco supervisor. She had previously supported Harris. Katz has not endorsed another candidate for president, but told the B.A.R. she’s checking out others in the race. “Whichever Democrat wins the nomination – and the presidency – they will have a solid group of potential cabinet members to choose from,” she wrote in an email. “Each candidate brings a strength to different areas and will be of help to our next president.”

Wiener backs Warren

In presidential endorsement news, Wiener tweeted Friday morning that he’s decided to back Warren.

“Elizabeth Warren is an extraordinary ally to the LGBTQ+ community,” he said in a statement. “She’s also willing to tackle the toughest problems we face, including our housing and homelessness crises. Senator Warren isn’t afraid to challenge the status quo, and she’ll be a visionary leader for our country. I’m proud to stand with and endorse her.” In a statement, Warren announced Wiener as one of her new endorsers, noting he’s chair of the California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus. Also endorsing her was gay Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board Commissioner James Chang. “I’m grateful to have earned the support of state Senator Wiener, who has been on the frontlines of the fight for LGBTQ+ equality for years, along with such an inspiring group of dedicated local leaders,” stated Warren. “Together, we’ll build a grassroots movement to make our government and our economy work for everyone.” Other LGBT leaders in the Golden State that are backing Warren include lesbians Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl and Oakland City Council President Rebecca Kaplan, and gay San Diego City Councilman Chris Ward. t

1/22/20 11:57 AM

<< Community News

8 • Bay Area Reporter • January 23-29, 2020

Trans district art installation opens by John Ferrannini

he first Compton’s Transgender Cultural District art exhibition opened this month, and organizers hope it’s just the beginning. The exhibition, “PLURALS,” will remain open through late February. Aria Sa’id, a transgender woman who is the executive director of the district, said that the January 10 opening at Pentacle Coffee was “truly amazing.” “We had about 60 people come out to see the exhibition and support the artists and the transgender district,” she said. “PLURALS” is a transgender and queer art show featuring the work of New York City-based artist KC Crow Maddux and Oakland-based artist Joel Gregory. It is being curated by Oakland-based editor Ellis Martin. Last year, Gregory and Martin collaborated on the production of a book, “We Both Laughed In Pleasure: The Selected Diaries of Lou Sullivan,” Gregory said. Sullivan was a San Franciscobased gay, transgender activist who died from complications of AIDS in 1991. As the Bay Area Reporter previously reported, (https://www.ebar. com/news/news//282804), Martin was one of two editors who curated entries from Sullivan’s diary. “Ellis was one of the two editors,” Gregory, 33, said. “I was publisher

Rick Gerharter

Artist KC Crow Maddux installed his art for “PLURALS” at the Oros Gallery at Pentacle Coffee January 8.

and designer.” Seeing Gregory work as a graphic designer made Martin interested in what the pair could do together. “Joel did the graphic design and I was super interested in the project,” Martin, 26, said. After the end of that collaboration, Martin reached out to Maddux to join Gregory on the “PLURALS” project. Maddux, who is from the Midwest and lives in Brooklyn, said it is his first show on the West Coast. “I’m excited that Ellis invited me,” Maddux, 39, said. The introduction to the “PLURALS” show, written by Martin, said

that “Maddux works against linear, white, cis, hetero, patriarchal, capitalist structures.” When asked how this applies to the show, Maddux said that the shapes he is using aren’t circumscribed by the very specific Western standards people are used to. “So much art is in a square or a rectangle because it’s easier to be commodified,” Maddux said. Maddux uses the wall as his canvas, not confining himself to a frame. On the other hand, Gregory took photos from the now-defunct Craigslist personals as their inspiration.

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“I had been visiting that site cruising for a long time, thinking about different art projects that could be done” Gregory said. Craigslist personals shut down in 2018 after a federal law signed by President Donald Trump targeted sex trafficking and sex work. “It was an important queer space for people who were closeted,” Gregory said. “It’s a way of memorializing that; a way of reminding the viewers that it was an important space and we need spaces like that for a healthy social body.” Maddux and Gregory collaborated remotely and in person on visual placement, but their works in the show are separate and they met in person for the first time last week. Founded in 2017, Compton’s Transgender Cultural District is the first legally recognized transgender district in the world. It’s named after the first known uprising of trans and queer people in the U.S., the Compton’s Cafeteria riots of 1966 that took place at the now-shuttered diner in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood. The cultural district encompasses six blocks in the southeastern Tenderloin and crosses over Market Street to include two blocks of Sixth Street, one of which is home to Pentacle Coffee. Bobby Valentino Sanchez, who identifies as queer, is the owner of

Pentacle Coffee. “I think it’s really great,” Sanchez said of the exhibit. “It’s a great opportunity to have a beautiful show in the gallery and work with the cultural district.” The cultural district’s mission is to create an urban environment that fosters the rich history, cultural legacy, and empowerment of transgender people. Sa’id said that having the exhibition is in line with the mission of the cultural district. “The art exhibition is one of the many efforts we are leading this year to showcase the brevity of transgender, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming art and culture and specifically, our perspective in the human experience,” Sa’id wrote in an email to the B.A.R. January 12. “As one of our guiding values of our mission is to promote the cultural heritage of transgender people in the Tenderloin and around the world, I think this was a natural next step in our effort.” “PLURALS” will remain on exhibit through February 28 at Pentacle Coffee, 64 Sixth Street, in the South of Market neighborhood. The coffee shop is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. t

Kid’s Friends step up efforts to return deported gay man to SF

Fitness/Commuter by John Ferrannini

riends of a gay San Francisco man who a federal judge says was erroneously deported by United States

Immigration and Customs Enforcement presented a petition to the local office of Senator Dianne Feinstein January 21 to urge his safe return to the country.

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The petition, which at press time collected 28,145 signatures, asks the federal government to comply with a court order to bring Omar Yaide back to the U.S. to have his asylum hearing adjudicated. “Oumar Yaide has a right to escape LGBTQ persecution and return to his San Francisco community,” the petition states. “[The Department of Homeland Security] must follow the federal order to ensure Oumar a safe return to the U.S.” Yaide’s friends had raised $14,000 for him following his August arrest. Four of them showed up to deliver the petition to Feinstein’s San Francisco office at 1 Post Street, along with Edwin Carmona-Cruz, a spokesman for Yaide’s attorney, Sean McMahon. Carmona-Cruz told the Bay Area Reporter that District 9 Supervisor Hillary Ronen – who represents the district Yaide resided in – will be in-

John Ferrannini

Edwin Carmona-Cruz, right, who represents Oumar Yaide’s attorney, delivers a petition to Philip Abarquez, a staff assistant to U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, Tuesday in San Francisco.

troducing a resolution at the Board of Supervisors January 28 meeting asking DHS to return Yaide to the U.S. Ronen’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Carmona-Cruz told the B.A.R. that the board will vote on the resolution

February 4, before which there will be a rally at City Hall in support of Yaide. Philip Abarquez, a staff assistant at Feinstein’s office, received the petition. See page 11 >>

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Jane Philomen Cleland

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Community News>>

January 23-29, 2020 • Bay Area Reporter • 9

Trans housing subsidy program set to launch by John Ferrannini

fter months of preparation, including hiring and training new staff, St. James Infirmary is ready to launch San Francisco’s first rental subsidy for transgender people, agency leaders said. Our Trans Home SF and its partners will hold an orientation session for interested people next week, said Toni Newman, a transgender woman who is executive director of St. James, which also provides services for sex workers and others. “This event will provide community members with additional information on the program and support people through the application process,” Newman said in a news release. The other nonprofit involved is Larkin Street Youth Services. St. James Infirmary will provide case management for each person receiving assistance and the funds will be distributed through Larkin Street. Addressing the homeless issue, which disproportionately affects trans people, has been a priority for Mayor London Breed, who last year announced that St. James Infirmary and Larkin Street Youth Services

Courtesy Toni Newman

Toni Newman

were awarded two-year contracts for the subsidy program. St. James will receive $490,000 annually while Larkin Street will receive $660,000. The total budget request of $2 million also includes $300,000 for trans housing stability case management for two years. After remarks from elected officials, including Breed and District 6 Supervisor Matt Haney, participants at the January 29 orientation will be introduced to newly hired staff and will be enrolled with the program, according to the release. The push for subsidies was prompted by the Our Trans Home SF campaign. The program is be-

ing called the Our Trans Home SF initiative. People will be allowed to use subsidies to move out of single-roomoccupancy hotel units into their own apartments, according to Matthew Paden, the housing case manager at St. James for the initiative. “In order to receive any assistance, each individual needs to come to the office for an intake and meet with a member from the TGNC housing team,” Paden wrote in an email to the B.A.R., referring to transgender and gender-nonconforming people. “Requirements for the subsidy program are based on income and the ability of the participant to locate housing on their own and other factors. “If they qualify, then yes, someone who is currently in an SRO and is looking for other permanent housing, could qualify for our housing program. Being in an SRO does not disqualify someone from being accepted into the subsidy program,” Paden added. Paden is one of three employees who were hired with the allocated money to oversee the subsidies. The others are housing navigators Camdyn Carter and Jessy Santos. Paden said all three identify as members of

the LGBTQ community. People seeking assistance can fill out the applications at St. James, and then go to Larkin for the subsidy, Newman said last October. People do not have to attend the upcoming workshop to receive subsidies, Paden said. The amount of subsidies will be determined on a case-by-case basis. “We do not have a set number, since our funding is being provided from a grant from the mayor’s office,” Paden said. The B.A.R. reported last year that the subsidy program is expected to help at least 55 households. Paden added that Kayla Moore, who identifies as a woman of trans experience, will be speaking at the orientation. Moore, who lives in an SRO in the Tenderloin, is seeking an apartment of her own. It would be her first time getting a subsidy. “A friend of mine introduced me to St. James Infirmary and that’s how I met Matthew [Paden],” Moore told the B.A.R. Moore said she is already looking for new places to live. “It’s been really great,” Moore said. “I’m very grateful for the opportunity. I’m trying to make ends meet.”

In a related matter, the B.A.R. reported January 9 St. James will be opening the first transitional housing soon. (See story, page 1.) The agency (https://www.ebar.com/ news/news/286534) has leased two flats in a building where it plans to house eight individuals and hopes to lease an additional apartment in the coming months. “We are currently working to get participants access to housing through the subsidy program and are preparing to launch our transitional home in February 2020,” Paden said. The transitional housing is separate from the rental subsidies, Paden said. “However, once participants have graduated from the transitional program the idea will be to then move them into the housing scholarship/subsidy program,” he added. At the end of two years the program will be evaluated, according to a 2019 memo from the Office of Transgender Initiatives. The subsidy orientation takes place Wednesday, January 29, from noon to 2 p.m. at the Koret Auditorium of the San Francisco Main Public Library, 100 Larkin Street. t

Golden Gate Park birthday events begin compiled by Cynthia Laird

People can nominate themselves or someone in the community. Nominations must be received by January 31. Finalists will be invited to participate in an interview in early February. To complete the nomination form, go to https://bit.ly/30rdj1g.

an Francisco’s Golden Gate Park celebrates its 150th birthday this year and events to commemorate the occasion are starting. The San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department said that the anniversary will kick off with a tree planting Tuesday, January 28, from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the John McLaren Rhododendron Dell in the park. (Along John F. Kennedy Drive; enter the park at Eighth Avenue and Fulton Street.) The formal program begins at 11. Mayor London Breed will be there, along with community groups, cultural partners, and volunteers as 150 trees are planted in the park. For volunteer sign-up and additional details, go to https://bit. ly/2FZ5Wot. Last week, city officials gave final approval to the planned Ferris wheel that will be installed in the park’s music concourse between the de Young Museum and the California Academy of Sciences. The observation wheel is expected to be installed by March, with 12-minute rides costing $18, or $12 for seniors and children under 13. (Rides will be free during the April 4 community day celebrating the opening of the park.) City officials required that it be dismantled after a year.

City job fair

In other Rec and Park news, the agency announced that a city job fair will be held Saturday, January 25, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the County Fair Building, 1199 Ninth Avenue (at Lincoln Boulevard). Employers expected to be on hand include Rec and Park, the Department of Human Resources, San Francisco International Airport (city and noncity airport jobs), the sheriff’s department, controller’s office, police department, fire department, public library, Muni, public health, public utilities commission, human service’s Jobs Now, the San Francisco Unified School District, and local community organizations. Job training and programming resources will be available through groups such as Self Help for the Elderly, the school district, and City College

CCOP to receive award

Castro Community on Patrol will

receive the Outstanding Neighborhood Watch Award when the Neighborhood Empowerment Network holds its 12th annual event Wednesday, January 29, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. in the Rotunda at San Francisco City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place. Mayor London Breed will be on hand. The awards recognize community safety groups, city workers, and

youth leaders. Greg Carey, chief of patrol for CCOP, a volunteer safety group, wrote in an email that the organization is excited to be honored. “We were pleasantly surprised when informed of this award,” he wrote. “It’s the first time NEN has See page 13 >>

Courtesy Skystar

A rendering of the observation wheel approved for Golden Gate Park for its 150th birthday celebration.

of San Francisco. Assistance will be available for the city’s application system. For more information, contact rpd_recruitment@sfgov.org or (415) 831-2726.

Nominations sought for Turman award

The foundation arm of Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom, the local LGBT bar association, is now accepting nominations for its first Julius Turman Award. Turman, a gay man, was an attorney and former member of the San Francisco Police Commission. He died in 2018 at the age of 52. In an email to supporters, BALIF law student representatives Ava Agree, Josiah Pal, and Virginia Millacci wrote that the organization is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. The BALIF Foundation established the Turman award as part of that effort, and one will be granted to a law student each year who has shown outstanding commitment to advocacy for LGBTQ individuals. The recipient must be a current member of BALIF, enrolled at a Bay Area law school, identify somewhere on the LGBTQ+ spectrum, and must be available to receive the award at the BALIF gala March 6. The awardee will receive a stipend of up to $1,500 to be used in support of attending Lavender Law or another appropriate conference or purpose as identified by the recipient and the award committee. Additional benefits at Lavender Law may be offered.

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<< Obituaries

10 • Bay Area Reporter • January 23-29, 2020

Roz Joseph, known for photographing drag queens, dies by Gerard Koskovich

oz Joseph, a San Francisco fineart photographer whose work in the mid-1970s documented the local drag scene, died December 25 at her Russian Hill home in San Francisco. She was 93. The cause was atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, her family said. Ms. Joseph’s images captured the pageantry and creativity of the Imperial Court, Polk Street Halloween parties, the Castro Street Fair, and the Gay Freedom Day Parade (as it was known then) from 1973 to 1978. The photographs received limited exposure at the time – but were rediscovered and attracted national attention when they were the subject of a one-artist show at the GLBT Historical Society Museum in 2015-2016. The exhibition, “Reigning Queens: The Lost Photos of Roz Joseph,” curated by historian Joey Plaster, notably earned a glowing notice in New York magazine, where queer cultural critic Hugh Ryan wrote, “The liberating rush of pride, as embodied by the gorgeous queens of the Imperial Court, delighted Joseph. Although she was straight, she was soon a staple at drag balls, bars, and pub-

Gerard Koskovich.

Photographer Roz Joseph at the opening of her “Reigning Queens” exhibition at the GLBT Historical Society Museum, October 22, 2015

lic events, and she became a friend and advocate for many of the men she photographed.” According to historian Don Romesburg, professor of women’s and gender studies at Sonoma State University, several galleries in California and Oregon showed the photographs in the 1970s. In the early 1980s, Ms. Joseph also hoped to publish a book bringing together the images, interviews

she had done with the drag queens she portrayed, and an introduction she had written. No publisher she approached would touch the subject, so she filed away the work for nearly three decades before meeting Romesburg and giving the materials to the historical society in 2010. Born Rosalind Malamud on June 30, 1926, in the Bronx, Ms. Joseph received a bachelor’s degree in education in 1947 from City College of New York, where she subsequently pursued postgraduate courses in art and photography. In 1948, she married advertising professional, nonprofit executive, and writer Elliott Joseph. The couple lived in Paris in 1950-1951, then returned to New York. In her hometown and during extensive travels in Europe, North Africa and elsewhere, Ms. Joseph found people and places to capture in black and white. Some of her images recall the great French photographer Henri Cartier Bresson, and all reflect her eye for composition, the built environment, and human stories. One of her shots received the 1963 Saturday Review Photo Prize. While continuing her work as a photographer, Ms. Joseph also developed

a career in higher education, ultimately serving as executive assistant to the chair of the CCNY Psychology Department. In 1970, Roz and Elliott Joseph moved to San Francisco, settling in a Russian Hill apartment with a spectacular view of the Golden Gate Bridge. Not long thereafter, Ms. Joseph changed her focus to color photography and turned her lens to documenting the city’s vibrant drag queens and colorful buildings. She dubbed the architectural work her “City Art” series – and it made her name, leading to museum and gallery shows, magazine publications, and ultimately a monograph, “Details: The Architect’s Art” (Chronicle Books, 1991). Ms. Joseph also continued her work as an administrator, advancing to the post of senior management assistant at the San Francisco Department of Social Services. Following her retirement from civil service in 1988, she devoted herself full-time to photography, with her images of buildings, landscapes and flowers appearing in calendars and on greeting cards. She and her husband also continued traveling widely into the 2000s. After Mr. Joseph’s death in 2014, she stayed closer to home,

supported by her nephews, her niece, and her friends. One of Ms. Joseph’s nephews, Rob Kellar, who lives in San Francisco, recalls her as “a very modern person who formed an adventurous and unusual couple with my uncle. They both pursued careers – with Roz doing it at a time when it wasn’t common for married women. And they had a very intellectual life, lots of intellectual friends, and loved meeting the younger generation.” Kellar added that Ms. Joseph also relied on “four or five close friends, especially in her later years, who were gay or lesbian.” In addition to Kellar, she is survived by four other nephews and one niece. According to Kellar, Ms. Joseph’s heirs have donated further photographs and files from her 1970s drag series to the GLBT Historical Society. Vintage prints of her architectural images are available from the Lost Art Salon in San Francisco. t Gerard Koskovich is a queer public historian, curator, and rare book-dealer based in San Francisco. He has curated exhibits at the GLBT Historical Society.

Gilead antitrust case gets 2022 start date by Liz Highleyman

trial date has been set for the antitrust lawsuit brought by advocates and people living with HIV against Gilead Sciences Inc., and its partner companies. At a January 16 hearing in San Francisco, U.S. District Judge Edward Chin set a trial date for early 2022, after asking questions related to Gilead’s request to dismiss the complaint. The class action lawsuit alleges that Gilead and it co-defendants – Bristol-Myers Squibb, Janssen (part of Johnson & Johnson), and Japan Tobacco – attempted to establish a monopoly in HIV treatment by agreeing to combine their antiretroviral medications into exclusive

coformulations. These single-pill combination regimens increase convenience and potentially improve adherence. Lead plaintiff and longtime advocate Peter Staley characterized the two-hour hearing, which several supporters attended, as “incredibly tense.” “Even though we got grilled by Judge Chen, I remain optimistic,” Staley told the Bay Area Reporter. “I can’t imagine he’ll allow a precedent to be set whereby pharma companies can use joint ventures to corrupt our country’s patent system by keeping generics off the market.” Gilead’s tenofovir disoproxil fumarate and emtricitabine are the common ingredients in the first generation of single-tablet regimens

for HIV treatment, as well as the widely used PrEP pill Truvada. Gilead’s updated tenofovir alafenamide and emtricitabine are included in several newer all-in-one coformulations and the recently approved PrEP pill Descovy.

The crux of last week’s hearing was whether the agreements were, as the defendants argued, an “ancillary” or necessary part of a joint business arrangement, preventing the parties from creating their own products that would directly com-

pete against those of the collaboration. The plaintiffs countered that the agreements went beyond what was necessary, aiming to stifle competition from generic alternatives See page 13 >>

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Oakland Women’s March draws crowd

sabella Oliveros, left, Carly Kohler, and Jasmine Harris were just a few of the estimated 5,000 people who took part in the Oakland Women’s March Saturday, January 18, at Frank Ogawa Plaza. Some brought placards that noted the number of missing black girls

around the country while others carried rainbow flags and supported LGBTQ rights. Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) spoke at the march, which also addressed the importance of people participating in the upcoming 2020 census.

Obituaries >> Gregory Harvey February 15, 1949 – January 9, 2020

t is sad to announce that Gregory Harvey of San Francisco passed away due to complications from multiple myeloma cancer

January 9, 2020. Greg was born February 15, 1949 in Dolton, Illinois to Kenneth and Faye Harvey. He attended John F. Kennedy High School in Chicago (class of 1968) and then went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois. In 1971, he moved to the San Francisco Bay Area where he spent his early years

in the East Bay and attended Laney College, where he learned drafting. Greg then went on to computer training and taught at various training firms. He later taught courses on spreadsheet and database management at Golden Gate University. His excellent teaching skills led Greg to write technical books for various publishers in the early days of the computer. He went on to become one of the first authors in the “For Dummies” series, for which he enjoyed creating material with his wit and easy way of communicating complicated things to the beginner. In 2004, Greg received his doctorate degree in humanities from the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco. He also studied to perfection his love of many instruments, his favorites be-

ing the flute and harp. Greg spent much time devoted to helping the community through volunteer work. Over the years, he was active with Maitri Compassionate Care, Zen Hospice Center, Hospice of Marin, and Sutter VNA Hospice. He is preceded in death by his parents and his first husband, Shane Gearing. He is survived by his brother Jerry Harvey (Joanne), of Crossville Tennessee; nieces, nephews, extended family and friends; and his husband, Christopher Aiken, of San Francisco, and their beloved Sheltie, Riley. Internment will be held Thursday, January 30, at 10 a.m. Interment at the San Francisco Columbarium. In lieu of flowers, please donate in his memory to the Multiple Myeloma Foundation at http://www.myeloma.org.

Sports >>

January 23-29, 2020 • Bay Area Reporter • 11

Go, Niners! by Roger Brigham

he San Francisco 49ers are headed to the Super Bowl in Miami after a blowout 37-20 NFC Championship win over the Green Bay Packers, powered by a mind-blowing fourtouchdown, 220-yard rushing performance by running back Raheem Mostert. Yes, the same Mostert who went undrafted and then was cut by seven different teams before winding up with the Niners. His 220 yards rushing were the second most ever in a championship game and set a franchise postseason record. The man whose club record he broke? That would be former San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who had 181 yards on six carries seven years ago against Green Bay. Kaepernick, by the way, although he is no longer with the team or in the league, threw just eight fewer pass attempts than current quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. A lot of the key blocks for Mostert were made by tight end George Kittle, who showed up at his postgame news conference wearing a T-shirt with a signed image of Garoppolo – shirtless. Which should make Patriots quarterback Tom Brady’s absence this Super Bowl a tad easier for some of you admirers out there. Guess Garoppolo isn’t as shy as Astros second baseman José Altuve about having his picture taken bare-chested. (It was reported last week in USA today that Altuve didn’t want teammates to rip his shirt off after a homerun, with his agent saying he was “shy.” But fans found plenty of shirtless images of the second baseman, leading to speculation that he may have been wearing a “wireless device” under his uniform as part of the Astros cheating scandal. Major League Baseball’s report said it found no evidence of wearable devices during its investigation.)

Courtesy AP

49ers tight end George Kittle wore a T-shirt featuring a shirtless image of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo at a postgame news conference.

Australian fires impact swim championships

Organizers of the 2020 International Gay and Lesbian Aquatics championships in Melbourne, Australia next month say they hope that the suffocating smoke from wildfires that have been destroying the Australian countryside for weeks will have drastically improved by the time the meet comes around – but are prepared to move the competition indoors if conditions warrant.

“We are very lucky in that the venue we have has indoor space available if we needed to make changes due to the air quality,” Alan Shepherd, co-president of Melbourne 2020, told the Bay Area Reporter. “As an international meet, we will take priority for bookings. Also the situation has changed in the last few days with a lot of well needed rain, which means hopefully, the crisis will be lessened before our event starts.”

The current Australian Open is one sports event that has not been so lucky, with some players declining to get on the tennis court and others experiencing shortness of breath during matches. But the poor air quality was not enough to stop the Melbourne Wranglers Wrestling Club from hosting its first-ever Wrestlers Pride Tournament against their Sydney rivals, the Harbour City Silverbacks. “Athlete registrations are going extremely well and exceeding our expectations,” Shepherd said of the upcoming swim meet. “We understand how far it is for North American teams to come, but have been amazed at the response.” Melbourne 2020 registrations had been scheduled to close last weekend but have since been extended through January 30. The tournament runs February 20-25. “Numbers were looking good for swimming and water polo, but we wanted to give some more time for diving and synchro,” Shepherd said. “Also our own local non-gay masters clubs are notoriously late registrants. While not quite reaching

the numbers that were in New York City, I can say it’s going to be a lot of fun. We will release final numbers once registration closes.” As of Monday, eight swimmers and six synchronized swimmers from San Francisco Tsunami had registered. “Preparations have been going well,” said Nick Niiro, SF Tsunami club president. “We typically focus on starts and finishes and different race elements.” Niiro said members have been concerned about the ongoing wildfire tragedy. “Event organizers have been promoting donating to a wildlife relief fund because a lot of wildlife has been badly affected,” he added. Shepherd said swimmers are being asked to donate to Wildlife Victoria, http://www.wildlifevictoria. org.au, which is working to fund shelters and care for fauna wounded or driven out of their homes by the heat and the fires. “Wildlife Victoria is the fund we have selected for this drive although there are many more, of course,” Shepherd said. t

Hookups =

Deported

From page 8

“The senator’s office is doing everything we can to ensure Oumar gets home safely,” he told Yaide’s friends, who emphasized that for a gay man in Chad, where homosexuality is illegal, it may be a matter of life or death. “Our hope is to have Senator Feinstein – as ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee – put pressure on the DHS and to show support for Oumar to be brought back home,” said Yaide’s friend, Haley Kay. Kay said she is planning a fundraiser for Yaide at El Rio, an LGBT bar in the Mission district, Friday, January 31, from 6 to 9 p.m. As the B.A.R. previously reported, Judge Charles Breyer of the U.S. District Court for Northern California, brother of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, ordered December 18 that Yaide, 32 (known in court documents as Abderman Yaide), has to be returned to the U.S. from Chad. Yaide was seeking asylum in the U.S., where he had been residing without legal permission since 2009, according to court documents. At the time of his arrest by ICE, Yaide was working at a restaurant and lived in the Mission, Kay said. He was held in Yuba County Jail (outside Sacramento), which contracts with ICE to hold people in the U.S. without legal permission. In November – before a motion to reopen Yaide’s asylum case on the grounds of his being gay could be heard – he was flown by ICE to Chad. A habeas corpus petition was filed,

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See page 13 >> Untitled-1 1

1/22/20 11:31 AM

<< Community News

12 • Bay Area Reporter • January 23-29, 2020

Street names

Gay Democratic Club). Milk’s name appears on Terminal 1 at San Francisco International Airport, the building that houses a Job Corps center on Treasure Island, an elementary school in the Castro, and an arts center in Duboce Triangle. Milk also has an F Market streetcar, a bust in City Hall, a United States Postal Service stamp (2014), and a state holiday of special significance on May 22, Milk’s birthday. The U.S. Navy announced last month that it began construction on a ship named for Milk.

fully for a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1961 and founded the Imperial Court system. That block, where the Eureka Valley/Harvey Milk Memorial Branch Library is located, was renamed for Sarria in 2006, when he was still alive. (Sarria died in 2013.) The city has also bestowed honorary street names that recognize LGBT community members, meaning that they do not impact the mailing addresses for businesses and residences on that block. The 100 block of Taylor Street was renamed Gene Compton’s Cafeteria Way after the business where a transgender-led uprising against police brutality occurred in 1966, three years before the more famous Stonewall riots in Manhattan. The 100 block of Turk Street was named Vicki Mar Lane, after trans performer Vicki Marlane, who died in 2011 at the age of 76 due to AIDSrelated complications. Marlane had hosted a popular drag revue show at gay bar Aunt Charlie’s Lounge, which is located at 133 Turk Street. She is the first transgender person to be honored with a street naming in San Francisco. In 2014, Lech Walesa Alley between Polk Street and Van Ness Avenue was renamed Dr. Tom Waddell Place, due in part, to the former Polish leader making homophobic comments. Waddell was the founder of the Gay Games. A block of Myrtle Street near City Hall is named for lesbian author Alice B. Toklas, who was born nearby. And Jack Kerouac Alley in North Beach honors the bisexual Beat Generation writer. t

“How would you like to be a disabled American veteran in your wheelchair on Isis Street?” he asked. Collins said that his proposal is primarily about getting the Isis name off the street while honoring Milk, saying his LGBT relatives and friends might not have come out if not for Milk. The gay leader, both in his political columns he wrote for the B.A.R. and in his campaign stump speeches, implored LGBT people to come out of the closet. “This isn’t about me,” Collins said. “If someone in the LGBT community wants to take the mantle, I don’t mind. But if it starts with me, it’s OK. I just want a more positive name for the street and neighborhood.” Collins feels that the location is appropriate because of the historic LGBT presence in the South of Market neighborhood. “We have the Eagle Plaza on one side and Folsom Street on the other side,” Collins said. “Harvey Milk would fit right in.” Robert Goldfarb, a gay man who serves as the president of the Leather and LGBTQ Cultural District board, wrote in an email to the B.A.R. January 16, he will see what people in the area think of the proposal. “Naturally, we are in favor of ways to honor Harvey Milk and we’re also interested in what the residents think of the change,” Goldfarb wrote. “Additionally, we believe that on other streets in the leather & LGBTQ district, there are many ways to commemorate leather leaders and the neighborhood’s rich history which would benefit everyone who visits, works, or lives in the district.” Collins said that he reached out to then-District 6 Supervisor Jane Kim “four or five years ago” about the possibility of a name-change for Isis

Street and she said she would support it if Collins got a petition started. But at the time he thought that ISIS would fade from people’s memories, and he was occupied with other things. “I thought ISIS would go away, but in the meantime it’s only gotten worse,” he said. Kim did not respond to a request for comment.

in consensual sexual behavior.” Rustin’s public LGBTQ activism came later in his life. The letter notes, however, that Rustin didn’t shy away from discussion about his sexual orientation, and those in his inner circle knew he was gay. The incident in Pasadena, though, embarrassed many of Rustin’s religious and political colleagues and led to his immediate removal from the Fellowship of Reconciliation, an interfaith peace organization, the letter states.

“Mr. Rustin lived during a period of time in our nation’s history where his identity was under constant assault,” the letter states. “Racial tensions were at a heightened state, segregation was in full effect, and Jim Crow laws were being enforced in various states throughout the country. This was also a time when homosexuality was criminalized, and LGBTQ people across the country were under a constant threat of violence and targeting. “Indeed, President Dwight D.

Eisenhower had just issued an executive order banning the employment of LGBTQ individuals in the federal government at the time of Mr. Rustin’s conviction,” states the letter. Wiener and Weber also noted that during the height of Rustin’s involvement with the civil rights movement, and in an effort to discredit that movement, his arrest in Pasadena was “pushed into the spotlight when Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina read Mr. Rustin’s entire Pasadena arrest

file into the Congressional Record,” according to their letter. That resulted in many civil rights leaders distancing themselves, at least publicly, from Rustin and his activism, the two lawmakers noted. “Mr. Rustin’s conviction and registered sex offender status haunted him for the rest of his life,” the letter to Newsom states, “and it continues to tarnish his name, despite his death 33 years ago. Indeed, California’s treatment of Mr. Rustin tarnishes our entire state.” t

ers will cut the ribbon for the new transitional housing for transgender and gender-nonconforming adults Thursday, January 23. The first eight residents moving into two of the building’s apartments should be settled in by mid-February. Another four residents could move in this summer, as the third apartment in the building should become available. The project is being funded through a $2.3 million allocation for the Our Trans Home SF initiative, which is also being used to provide rental subsidies to transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals. The Board of Supervisors and Mayor London Breed split the funds between the city budgets for the current fiscal year and the fiscal year ending on June 30, 2021. “Every day our trans community struggles to find affordable and inclusive housing. Despite presidenmt Donal Trump’s ongoing attacks San Francisco continues to have some

of the strongest non-discrimination protections, although our ongoing housing crisis continues to impact our diverse community,” stated Breed. “With one out of every two transgender San Franciscan having experienced homelessness, we knew we had to take bold steps to fix these inequities. I am honored to join the coalition to launch this first-of-itskind program because everyone deserves a safe place to call home.” The lead agencies overseeing the trans home program are Larkin Street Youth Services and St. James Infirmary, the health clinic for sexworkers and other individuals. St. James is responsible for the transitional housing program, selecting the residents and hiring a social worker and two housing navigators who will work with them on-site. “It is not fully ready but it will be by February,” said Toni Newman, St. James’ executive director and administrator of the new initiative, as she gave the Bay Area Reporter a sneak peek of the property Tuesday afternoon. It is roughly a 15-minute walk to St. James Infirmary’s offices in Polk

Gulch. The agency asked that the exact address for the housing not be disclosed to protect the privacy and safety of the residents. The property is owned by a gay man and his partner, whom Newman said wishes to remain anonymous. They offered the apartments to the city program for slightly less than market value, she said, estimating the rent per person averages out to between $1,500 to $1,600 a month. The landlords expect that the current tenant of the third-floor apartment in the building will not renew their lease this spring and have offered to rent it to the trans initiative. “This is nice. This is a nice home,” said Newman, who signed the leases for the first and second floor apartments last week. Clair Farley, director of the city’s Office of Transgender Initiatives and an adviser to Breed, learned about the apartments last fall, said Newman. The two women, who are both transgender, first toured the building in September and they immediately thought it would be the perfect location.

“This vital program will save lives and provide safe shelter as our community continues to face attacks from Washington and ongoing rollbacks of Obama era LGBTQ protections. We can make real progress to help end trans homelessness in our city,” stated Farley. The apartments, which have mirror floor plans, feature wood floors throughout and original moldings and other decorative details. In the second-floor flat, the right side front room has a covered over tile fireplace and mantel, while the back room features a built-in wall cabinet with glass-paneled doors. Each bedroom will have a locked door for the privacy of the residents. They will be asked to abide by a set of rules appropriated from the ones Larkin Street uses with its youth tenants. After three violations, the residents will be asked to leave, said Newman.

less herself in the late 1980s in New York when she began transitioning. “After that, new people will move in and hopefully after a year they will be ready to fly and go live on their own.” The pilot program will not only cover the residents’ housing costs but also supply the residents with food each week, provide passes for local transit systems, and set them up with savings accounts. Fifteen people have already applied for the program, and those who are not accepted will be placed on a waiting list and encouraged to apply for rental subsidies through the Our Trans Home program. Those moving into the Washington Street apartments will be expected to be actively looking for employment, working, or attending school. The on-site support staff will assist them in those goals as well as finding their own housing next winter when their 12 months are up. “They will have to be doing something. They can’t just be staying at home here,” stressed Newman. “This is for people who need a place to stay as they get on their feet. That is who we are trying to help.” t

nity for the harm that was done and promised to change how the policy is enforced.

criticized by progressive activists after evicting homeless women and their children who’d been occupying a vacant house in Oakland before dawn January 14. Police participation in Pride has been a thorny issue in its own right. Last year, police detained two demonstrators who blocked the parade route in protest of the police’s presence.

In Sacramento, uniformed police were initially disinvited from participation in that city’s 2019 Pride, but they were invited back after the police created an LGBTQ liaison and an LGBT community advocacy committee, according to the Sacramento Bee. Berland, Pride board President Carolyn Wysinger, the Alameda County Sheriff’s office, and Facebook

From page 1

our local LGBT heroes, and it’d be amazing to have a street named after Harvey Milk in West SOMA,” Haney wrote. “It’s a great location for that. I’ll check in with the community about it and next steps.” Gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, the lone LGBT member of the board, wrote to the B.A.R. that he supports having a street named for Milk, but would prefer it if such a street would be in the Castro neighborhood that Milk represented. “I’m a fan of naming everything we can after Harvey Milk! Naming a San Francisco street after Harvey certainly seems appropriate, though I’d obviously love for it to be in the neighborhood he represented on the Board of Supervisors,” wrote Mandelman, who now represents the Castro at City Hall. “I’m happy to have discussions about any possibilities with community members and friends and family of Harvey’s.” Isis Street is near the SF Eagle leather bar and the under-construction Eagle Plaza in the Leather and LGBTQ Cultural District. “Its name presumably had paid homage to ‘Isis,’ a goddess from the polytheistic pantheon of Egypt,” the petition states. “Unfortunately, Isis has taken on a new, maleficent meaning, referencing the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. “This petition will be presented to San Francisco Mayor London Breed and the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in hopes that they will take action and change this street name to Harvey Milk St.,” it reads. Collins spoke with the B.A.R. by phone early January 16. He owns a 10-unit building on Isis Street.

Rustin

From page 1

According to the letter, on January 21, 1953, Rustin was visiting Pasadena as part of a lecture tour on the topics of anti-colonial struggles in West Africa. Shortly after his speech, Rustin was arrested after being discovered having sex with two men in a parked car. Rustin was cited for vagrancy, which Wiener and Weber pointed out, was “a common charge against gay men for engaging

Trans housing

From page 1

SF Pride

From page 6

queens and members of the trans community were concerned that Facebook wouldn’t let them use names that best reflected their identities. After that meeting, Facebook decided not to change its policy but it did apologize to the LGBT commu-

Sheriff’s office

The January 15 amendment passed by Pride members, also asked for the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office to be removed from the parade, Breisacher said. The department was heavily

Past effort unsuccessful

San Francisco does not have a street named for the slain LGBT civil rights icon. San Diego had the first street named for Milk, in 2012. Salt Lake City named a street for Milk in 2016, followed by Portland, Oregon in 2018. Twenty-one years ago a proposal to rename a stretch of Market Street from Octavia Boulevard to Portola Drive – a main artery through the heart of the city’s LGBT Castro district – after Milk went nowhere. A resident and business owner of the Castro, Milk represented the neighborhood at City Hall for 11 months in 1978 until he was assassinated November 27 that year. That proposal from the Castro Citizens Congress, a neighborhood improvement group, needed 10,500 signatures to make the November 1999 ballot, according to a contemporaneous story in the San Francisco Examiner. It didn’t make it, according to the San Francisco Department of Elections website. But in the City by the Bay, and especially in the Castro neighborhood, Milk’s name is still omnipresent. The San Francisco Public Library branch in the Castro is named for Milk, as is the plaza above the Castro Muni station, and the LGBTQ Democratic club he founded after his 1976 election defeat (originally called the

Street names

Any request for a street renaming faces a lengthy process. It would need to be scheduled for a supervisors committee and voted on by the full board. Several street names in San Francisco have changed in recent decades to reflect the diversity of the city’s population. Most notably, there was a bitter fight in 1995 over Army Street. The Board of Supervisors voted to rename the street after Latino labor leader Cesar Chavez in 1995. But the name change came at a time of racial discord in California in the aftermath of the anti-immigrant Proposition 187, and many white residents wanted the name changed back to Army. A ballot proposition to remove Chavez’s name went down in defeat November 7, 1995 by 54%-45%, according to the elections department. In more recent years, there was considerably less controversy when Phelan Way was renamed in 2018 for Latina bisexual artist Frida Kahlo, and when a block of 16th Street was renamed 1 José Sarria Court, after the first openly gay candidate for public office in the United States. Sarria, a legendary drag queen, ran unsuccess-

One-year program

“This is a one-year program to help them get on their feet,” explained Newman, who was home-

officials have yet to respond to the B.A.R.’s requests for comment. The Pride board of directors is scheduled to meet February 5 at 7 p.m. at its office, located at 1663 Mission Street, Suite 560. t

International News>>

January 23-29, 2020 • Bay Area Reporter • 13

Bay Area trans man shakes up global dance scene by Heather Cassell

able doing before.” Being judged based on his body has made him more confident than ever before. “I thought that I was a fairly confident person going into all of this, but it’s really shown me the ways in which I think that stigma impacted me as a trans person that I had never noticed,” due to transphobia and homophobia, he said. Dancing also broke down the binary gender system as “skills” rather than gender for him, said Gutierrez-Mock, who likes to lead in competitions, but said he likes to follow when dancing socially. Gutierrez-Mock hopes his winning a dance competition will encourage other transgender people, especially Latinx folks, where dancing is a big part of the culture, to dance, whether competitively or not. “Dance has been very healing,” he said about his experience. “I hope that other trans people can see this and that dance can provide the same type of healing for them that it has for me.” t

Dancing was a way for him to take care of himself through that dark period. It was a place where he found ac-

ceptance, despite it being the “straightest thing I’ve ever done in my life since I came out,” he said. “I really turned to dance to do my selfcare and heal from all of the loss I was experiencing,” said Gutierrez-Mock. “Mostly what I’ve experienced has been an immense amount of support and an immense amount of acceptance from straight people,” he said. “It’s been overwhelmingly levels of acceptance. “I also think that competing as a dancer, people respect the amount of work, dedication, and effort that goes into this. People see that and other dancers respect that,” he added. Dancing transformed his life for the better. “It’s really changed a lot about how I view myself,” he said. “[It has] taught me about [being] present and how I want to live my life every day.” It also has taught him how to be in his body. “Dancing really forces me to be comfortable in my body in a way that I never had been before,” he said. “It forces me to feel OK with my body and to take up space with my body in ways that I previously did not feel comfort-

The San Francisco Department of Elections has announced it is recruit-

ing people interested in serving as poll workers for the March 3 primary election. Poll workers receive a stipend ranging from $180 to $240, depending on the assignment. “The department expects the 2020 elections to be among the largest in the city’s history,” director John Arntz said in a news release. “There is no better way to fully participate in these historically significant moments than supporting our community and being a poll worker.”

Each election, the department recruits more than 2,000 volunteers to assist voters at the polls. Those who served as poll workers before, as well as new people, receive training and materials to make sure they are prepared to help voters on Election Day. There are several ways people can apply. They can fill out an application at www.sfelections.org/pwa; call the department’s recruitment team at (415) 554-4395; or apply in

person at the elections department during business hours, located in Room 48 of City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place. In addition to poll workers, the department is currently hiring temporary employees to assist with numerous tasks to be completed prior to, during, and after the election. A listing of available positions is on the Department of Human Resources’ website at jobapscloud.com/sf. t

fore Breyer December 4 that the judge did not have the ability to hear the case asking that Yaide be returned so that the court could adjudicate his asylum claim because Yaide was no longer in ICE custody following his deportation. In his ruling, however, Breyer wrote that “Yaide has a constitutional right

to procedural due process.” “[Yaide] faces the loss of his right to have his motion to reopen adjudicated, torture, imprisonment, and death,” Breyer wrote. “For its part, the government identifies no hardship it will undergo.” The petition gained many signa-

tures through being posted on Daily Kos, a website popular with progressive activists. “To us it’s important to uplift the voices of immigrants, who continue to be deported, and especially LGBTQ immigrants,” said Ntebo Mokuena of Daily Kos.

Yaide is not yet back in the U.S., but it is hoped he will return soon, according to Carmona-Cruz. Feinstein was not at her San Francisco office at the time, as she’s sitting in the Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C. t

ten and that Gilead make a generic version of tenofovir alafenamide available sooner than the current patent expiration schedule, according to Staley. Gilead’s lead attorney, Christopher Curran, said that the agreements were “nothing unusual,” and that restraints are needed to prevent collaborators from “free riding” on the joint venture. He added that the government encourages such ancillary restraints because they support efficiency and encourage the creation of new products. Curran likened the agreements to lawyers agreeing not to compete against other attorneys in their own law firm. The plaintiffs’ lead attor-

ney, Mark Lemley, suggested they were more like members of the Bar Association of San Francisco colluding to set prices. The two sides also argued about whether there was an “overarching conspiracy” involving all the named companies. Lawyers for Japan Tobacco (which licensed its drug elvitegravir) and Johnson & Johnson claimed they were only peripherally involved. After the initial hearing last September, Gilead issued a statement reading in part, “Gilead believes this lawsuit and its antitrust allegations are without merit. ... The allegations against Gilead are misguided and do not accurately reflect antitrust

laws or Gilead’s history of innovative collaboration and competition in HIV medicines.” Gilead spokesperson Ryan McKeel told the B.A.R. after the latest hearing that the company had no further comment beyond the earlier statement. Chen is expected to make a decision about the motion to dismiss in one to three months, according to Staley. The judge set a trial date of February 28, 2022. In the meantime, he instructed the parties to move forward with providing relevant documents and taking other steps to prepare for a jury trial. t

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-19-555475

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038913800

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038912700

Bay Area transgender man is crediting his love of dance with helping him find acceptance, and in the process, winning competitive awards. Luis Gutierrez-Mock, 40, a queer biracial trans man of Chicano and white heritage, recently took home a gold medal with his dance partner, Ngoc Huynh, an ally, in the amateur bachata cabaret division of the World Latin Dance Cup. The 10th annual Latin dance competition was held in Medellin, Colombia December 6-13. “I felt like coming that far and winning the gold medal, it felt important for me to represent visually that I was trans,” Gutierrez-Mock said about the livestreamed competition and awards ceremony where he proudly held up the trans pride flag when the dance pair won. “It felt very important to me to have that visibility.” The pair aren’t romantically involved but share a love of dance. Gutierrez-Mock and Huynh met at Inlak’ech Dance Academy, a queer dance studio in Oakland. In 2019, they moved to Kathy Reyes Dance to learn choreography and train for the competition, he said. It was the first time the bachata, a

News Briefs

From page 9

honored Castro Patrol. We have trained over 400 volunteers since 2006 who have been able to provide various lengths of service to help improve the safety of the neighborhood.” Carey added that CCOP continues to have a core group of dedicated volunteers that serve a variety of functions and always welcomes new people.

Deported

From page 11

but by the time the court enjoined ICE, Yaide had already left U.S. airspace, according to court documents. The federal government argued be-

Gilead

From page 10

even after the medications’ patents expired. “Gilead claims these clauses are just ‘ancillary restraints’ – necessary for the partnerships to work. We think that’s bull,” Staley wrote in a Facebook update about the hearing. “[Gilead] used the agreements to keep combo pills with generic components off the market, raising antiretroviral combo pills to obscene prices and then sharing these inflated profits with its co-conspirators.” The plaintiffs have asked that the collaboration agreements be rewrit-

Takeshi Young/World Latin Dance Cup

Luis Gutierrez-Mock, left, holding the trans pride flag, and Ngoc Huynh, won the amateur bachata cabaret division at the World Latin Dance Cup in Medellin, Colombia in December.

style of dance that is originally from Dominican Republic, was introduced into the competition, which has more than 200 dance categories and more than 1,000 competitors from around the world. Bachata is a sensual dance that is heavily influenced by merengue, which is also from the Dominican Republic. It’s infused with a mixture of Cuban dances, like the son (pronounced like shone). The pair were the only competitors in the category, but they had to undergo scrutiny by a panel of judges and CCOP’s next training event is Tuesday, March 10. For more information, visit www.castropatrol.org. There is no cost to attend the NEN awards. Those interested in going should register at https://bit. ly/2uY3QTr.

Elections department looking for poll workers

fulfill a list of criteria in order to win, Gutierrez-Mock said. This was the second time the two competed in the competition. In 2018, Gutierrez-Mock became the firstever openly transgender person in the competition’s history as far as anyone knew, he was informed. He and Huynh placed 11th out of 14 couples, he said. The dance pair definitely plan on competing again next year, but they haven’t selected which category yet, he said. The Bay Area Reporter reached out to the World Latin Dance Cup for comment but didn’t receive a response by press time. Gutierrez-Mock works as an HIV prevention researcher at the Center of Excellence for Transgender Health at UCSF. He got into dancing following a “really terrible divorce,” from his ex-wife and a period of losing several friends who were murdered due to transphobic violence about three and a half years ago, he said.

Dance to healing

Got international LGBT news tips? Call or send them to Heather Cassell at WhatsApp: 415-517-7239, or Skype: heather.cassell, or oitwnews@gmail.com.

Liz Highleyman

Plaintiffs Brenda Goodrow and Peter Staley stood outside the courtroom after last week’s hearing.

Legal Notices>> ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-19-555481

In the matter of the application of: CORBIN JEFFREY SIPOS, 2460 VAN NESS AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner CORBIN JEFFREY SIPOS, is requesting that the name CORBIN JEFFREY SIPOS, be changed to CORBIN ELLIOT. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept.103, on the 6th of February 2020 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JAN 02, 09, 16, 23, 2020 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-19-555480

In the matter of the application of: EUGENE ANSON VAUGHAN AND JENNIFER LUAN, 815 30TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner EUGENE ANSON VAUGHAN AND JENNIFER LUAN, is requesting that the name DYLAN LUAN VAUGHAN, be changed to AYDEN LUAN VAUGHAN. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept.103N, Room 103N on the 6th of February 2020 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JAN 02, 09, 16, 23, 2020

In the matter of the application of: MARGARET MINKYUNG AHN, 25 RUSS ST #2, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner MARGARET MINKYUNG AHN, is requesting that the name MARGARET MINKYUNG AHN, be changed to SARAH JIWON deMARGARET AHN. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept.103N, Room 103N on the 4th of February 2020 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JAN 02, 09, 16, 23, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038912200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HAPPY CHILD CARE, 2649 YORBA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed XIAO-JUAN LI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/23/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/23/19

JAN 02, 09, 16, 23, 2020

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: JAO ELECTRIC INC, 326 POMELO AVE, LOS BANOS, CA 93635. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed JMO ELECTRIC INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/23/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/23/19.

JAN 02, 09, 16, 23, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038912400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PART & PARCEL, 649 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed 67 VENTURES, INC (DE). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/25/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/23/19.

JAN 02, 09, 16, 23, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038911800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CARMELINA’S TAQUERIA, 500 PARNASSUS AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94143. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed SUGAR JONES INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/02/02. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/23/19.

JAN 02, 09, 16, 23, 2020

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TACOREA, 620 BROADWAY, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed TACOREA NOBE LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/23/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/23/19.

JAN 02, 09, 16, 23, 2020 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-19-555494 In the matter of the application of: CYNTHIA OLIVIA BURZYNSKA SMUZYNSKA, 579 BELVEDERE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner CYNTHIA OLIVIA BURZYNSKA SMUZYNSKA, is requesting that the name CYNTHIA OLIVIA BURZYNSKA SMUZYNSKA, be changed to CYNTHIA OLIVIA SMUZYNSKA. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Room 103N on the 11th of February 2020 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JAN 09, 16, 23, 30, 2020

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-19-555442

In the matter of the application of: TUA THI HUYNH, C/O NANCY A. FELLOM, CA 112522, LAW OFFICES OF FELLOM AND SOLORIO, 231 SANSOME ST, FLOOR 6, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94104, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner TUA THI HUYNH, is requesting that the name TUA THI HUYNH, be changed to PEONY HUYNH. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Room 103 on the 23rd of January 2020 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JAN 09, 16, 23, 30, 2020 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-20-555513 In the matter of the application of: CASEY JOSEPH SONDGEROTH, 4302 17TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner CASEY JOSEPH SONDGEROTH, is requesting that the name CASEY JOSEPH SONDGEROTH, be changed to CASEY JOSEPH RANDO. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103 on the 20th of February 2020 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JAN 09, 16, 23, 30, 2020

<< Legals

14 • Bay Area Reporter • January 23-29, 2020

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038922200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BISMARK AUTO BODY & PAINT, 1670 15TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed BISMARK A. LOAISIGA SANTAMARIA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/20/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/31/19.

JAN 09, 16, 23, 30, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038927200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: KANDA YOGA SCHOOL, 1426 FILLMORE ST #203, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ALISON SMITH. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/03/20.

JAN 09, 16, 23, 30, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038909000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: AMY DRY CLEAN SERVICE, 2551 25TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed AMY ZHI FEN LI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/18/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/18/19.

JAN 09, 16, 23, 30, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038930900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FRANCESCA’S FLOWERS AND GARDENS, 828 SAN DOMINGO DR, SANTA ROSA, CA 95404. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed FRANCESCA PEREZ. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/01/09. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/07/20.

JAN 09, 16, 23, 30, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038926500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BALBOA ICE CREAM, 1844 SAN JOSE AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MIGUEL A. PINEDA. 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 01/03/20.

JAN 09, 16, 23, 30, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038915000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SOMESHINE CO.; SLOWDRIP HQ; MORENOPROJECTS, 1743 46TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed GREG MORENO. 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 12/24/19.

JAN 09, 16, 23, 30, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038920200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TRUBAY, 677 CAROLINA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DONALD WICKLIFF. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/17/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/30/19.

JAN 09, 16, 23, 30, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038901300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BAYSIDE MUSIC, 1301 GATEVIEW AVE #C, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94130. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed BRENT ELBERG. 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 12/12/19.

JAN 09, 16, 23, 30, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038905900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ON-SITE ADVERTISING, 1592 UNION ST #167, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DIANE PERLMUTTER REYNOLDS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/23/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/16/19.

JAN 09, 16, 23, 30, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038921200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HOMECOMING CLEAN SF, 840 POST ST #214, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed TAWNY S. PETERSON. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/30/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/30/19.

JAN 09, 16, 23, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038912800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SUNSET BOULEVARD CHILD CARE; SH INTERNATIONAL, 3150 LAWTON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SANDY X. HONG CHENG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/05/00. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/23/19.

JAN 09, 16, 23, 30, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038921100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: JM EDUCATION & WELLNESS, 3628 23RD ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JENNY MORALES. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/30/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/30/19.

JAN 09, 16, 23, 30, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038919600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LIFTOPIA INSURANCE SOLUTIONS, 350 SANSOME ST #925, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94104. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed LIFTOPIA, 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 12/27/19.

JAN 09, 16, 23, 30, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038903300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: OPEN WIDE SAN FRANCISCO; OPEN WIDE; OPEN WIDE DENTAL, 1196 VALENCIA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed JANA SABO DDS INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/09/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/13/19.

JAN 09, 16, 23, 30, 2020

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038926200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: WELLNESS NAILS CARE, 405 ARGUELLO BLVD, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed TIFFANY DINH & GIAU MAI HUYNH. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/02/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/02/20.

JAN 09, 16, 23, 30, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038918700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CASTELLANOS TRANSPORT SERVICE LLC, 1788 19TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed CASTELLANOS TRANSPORTATION SERVICE LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/27/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/27/19.

JAN 09, 16, 23, 30, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038905500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BRUNELLO CUCINELLI, 116 GRANT AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed BRUNELLO CUCINELLI USA RETAIL LLC (NY). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/23/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/16/19.

JAN 09, 16, 23, 30, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038902800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MUST SEE, 995 MARKET ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed MUST SEE LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/10/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/13/19.

JAN 09, 16, 23, 30, 2020 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-20-555517 In the matter of the application of: MARIO MAYNIGO RABARA, 478 WARREN DR #617, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94131, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner MARIO MAYNIGO RABARA, is requesting that the name MARIO MAYNIGO RABARA, be changed to MICHAEL MARIO RABARA. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 20th of February 2020 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JAN 16, 23, 30, FEB 06, 2020 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-20-555518 In the matter of the application of: BRITTANY SUZANNE SHOOT, 621 STOCKTON ST #402, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner BRITTANY SUZANNE SHOOT, is requesting that the name BRITTANY SUZANNE SHOOT, be changed to BRITTA BERNICE SHOOT. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103, Rm. 103 on the 20th of February 2020 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JAN 16, 23, 30, FEB 06, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038911200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CALIFORNIA CUSTOM CONSTRUCTION, 1340 MARKET ST #200, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JOSEPH HOUSTON. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/31/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/20/19.

JAN 16, 23, 30, FEB 06, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038940700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NULA TRANSPORTATION, 1829 EL PARQUE CT #8, SAN MATEO, CA 94403. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LUIS A. IBARRA CANALES. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/13/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/13/20.

JAN 16, 23, 30, FEB 06, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038935100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: AM/ PM SECURITY SPECIALIST, 60 29TH ST #657, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ROBERT BELL SR. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/09/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/09/20.

JAN 16, 23, 30, FEB 06, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038940800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PEGGY TSUJIMOTO & ASSOCIATES, 1918 FUNSTON AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed PEGGY N. TSUJIMOTO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/13/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/13/20.

JAN 16, 23, 30, FEB 06, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038928300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FOUR SEASONS WASH N’ DRY, 700 7TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DUC NIM. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/03/20.

JAN 16, 23, 30, FEB 06, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038928200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ROSALBA’S DAYCARE, 3276 24TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ROSALBA MOTINO. 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 01/03/20.

JAN 16, 23, 30, FEB 06, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038926300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MELTING POINT, 1340 BRYANT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed TAMMY BICKEL. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/02/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/02/20.

JAN 16, 23, 30, FEB 06, 2020

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038941000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: RKR INVESTMENTS, 2633 OCEAN AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94132. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed ROQUE E. FERNANDES, RAYMOND HO & KEVIN RUSHTON. 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 01/13/20.

JAN 16, 23, 30, FEB 06, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038924400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE PATRIOT HOUSE, 2 EMBARCADERO CENTER, LEVEL 1, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed DEBRUN, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/19/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/02/20.

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-19-555462 In the matter of the application of: EREZ ZVI HALPRIN, C/O RYON NIXON #295150, 1550 BRYANT ST #750, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner EREZ ZVI HALPRIN, is requesting that the name EREZ ZVI HALPRIN, be changed to EREZ ZVI HALPERIN. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept.103N, Rm. 103N on the 3rd of March 2020 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JAN 23, 30 FEB 06, 13, 2020 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-19-555463

JAN 16, 23, 30, FEB 06, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038934400

In the matter of the application of: NADINE LIAT HALPRIN, C/O RYON NIXON #295150, 1550 BRYANT ST #750, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner NADINE LIAT HALPRIN, is requesting that the name NADINE LIAT HALPRIN, be changed to NADINE LIAT HALPERIN. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 3rd of March 2020at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JAN 16, 23, 30, FEB 06, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038935800

JAN 23, 30, FEB 06, 13, 2020 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-20-555537

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TRAVELNET, 2492 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed ALFA BROS INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/12/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/08/20.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GEARY BOULEVARD DENTAL, 5231 GEARY BLVD, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed HUNG HOA TRAN DDS, INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/09/20.

JAN 16, 23, 30, FEB 06, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038937700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: WILD CARD, 58 LIBERTY ST #7, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed PARR ASSOCIATES INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/14/96. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/09/20.

In the matter of the application of: SAMANTHA LISA JONES, 142 BEAUMONT AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner SAMANTHA LISA JONES, is requesting that the name SAMANTHA LISA JONES, be changed to SAMANTHA GERSHON JONES. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 25th of February 2020 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JAN 23, 30, FEB 06, 13, 2020

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038948700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LANDSCAPE MAINTENANCE HAULING, 1325 EVANS AVE #B, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JULIO E. MENDEZ. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/01/01. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/16/20.

JAN 23, 30, FEB 06, 13, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038948600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MICHAEL LUMOS PHOTOGRAPHY; MICHAEL J. LUMOS, 33 8TH ST #1236, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MICHAEL SUDDES. 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 01/16/20.

JAN 23, 30, FEB 06, 13, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038948800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GUMBO SOCIAL, 124 KIRKWOOD AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DONTAYE BALL. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/16/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/16/20.

JAN 23, 30, FEB 06, 13, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038943200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: EL CAPRICHO RESTAURANT, 2022 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed EL CAPRICHO RESTAURANT INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/14/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/14/20.

JAN 23, 30, FEB 06, 13, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038924000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SUPER MIRA, 1790 SUTTER ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed SUPER MIRA INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/02/20.

JAN 23, 30, FEB 06, 13, 2020

JAN 16, 23, 30, FEB 06, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038928900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: J & W HERBS, 718 PACIFIC AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed J & W HERBS INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/06/20.

NOTICE OF ENTRY OF JUDGMENT ON SISTER-STATE JUDGMENT Case No. RG18909704 Alameda County Superior Court 1225 Fallon St. Oakland, CA 94612 Rene C. Davidson Courthouse

JAN 16, 23, 30, FEB 06, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038924100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: 425 JUDAH STREET APTS, 425 JUDAH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by a trust, and is signed BASEM TOTAH & MAHA TOTAH. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/31/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/02/20.

JAN 16, 23, 30, FEB 06, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038924200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: 416 DUNCAN STREET APTS, 416 DUNCAN ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94131. This business is conducted by a trust, and is signed BASEM TOTAH & MAHA TOTAH. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/31/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/02/20.

JAN 16, 23, 30, FEB 06, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038909200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: YUBALANCE, 447 IRVING ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed YUBALANCE, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/15/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 12/19/19.

JAN 16, 23, 30, FEB 06, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038936000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BONITA TAQUERIA Y ROTISSERIE, 3600 16TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed SQUAT & GOBBLE CAFE LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/09/20.

JAN 16, 23, 30, FEB 06, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038925200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HIMALAYAN HANDMADE CRAFT, 2859 A MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed HOLLYWOOD BEAUTY THREADING LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/02/20.

JAN 16, 23, 30, FEB 06, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038925100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SRR FINANCIAL CONSULTING FIRM, 2859 A MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed HOLLYWOOD BEAUTY THREADING, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/02/20.

JAN 16, 23, 30, FEB 06, 2020 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-038277100

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: MELTING POINT, 1340 BRYANT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business was conducted by a general partnership and signed by TAMMY BICKEL & TYROME TRIPOLI. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/23/18.

JAN 16, 23, 30, FEB 06, 2020 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038937800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: JAMIE’S PLACE, 1380 9TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JAMIE’S KITCHEN LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/09/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/09/20.

JAN 23, 30, FEB 06, 13, 2020

Plaintiff: Tapestry on Central Condominium Association Defendant: Dean Arbit 1. TO JUDGMENT DEBTOR: Dean Arbit 2. YOU ARE NOTIFIED a. Upon application of the judgment creditor, a judgment against you has been entered in this court as follows: (1) Judgment creditor: Tapestry on Central Condominium Association (2) Amount of judgment entered in this court: $15,034.81 b. This judgment was entered based upon a sister-state judgment previously entered against you as follows: (1) Sister state: Arizona (2) Sister-state court: Encanto Justice Court, 620 W. Jackson, Phoenix, AZ 85003; transferred to Maricopa County Superior Court, 125 W. Washington, Phoenix, AZ 85003 (3) Judgment entered in sister state on: August 5, 2013 (4) Title of case and case number: Tapestry on Central Condominium Association v. Dean Arbit and Jane Doe Arbit, CC2012-127983; TJ2014-000891 3. A sister-state judgment has been entered against you in a California Court. Unless you file a motion to vacate the judgment in this court within 30 DAYS after service of this notice, this judgment will be final. This court may order that a writ of execution or other enforcement may issue. Your wages, money, and property could be taken without further warning from the court. If enforcement procedures have already been issued, the property levied on will not be distributed until 30 days after you are served with this notice. Date: June 18, 2018 by: S/Erica Romero, Deputy

NOTICE TO THE PERSON SERVED: You are served as an individual judgment debtor. B. Austin Baillio, Esq. (SBN 247535) Maxwell & Morgan, P.C. 4854 East Baseline Rd., Suite 104 Mesa, Arizona 85206 Telephone No: 480-833-1001 Attorney for: Tapestry on Central Condominium Association 1/2, 1/9, 1/16, 1/23/20 CNS-3326425# BAY AREA REPORTER

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Vol. 50 • No. 4 • January 23-29, 2020

www.ebar.com/arts “Handsome Drifter” (2015) by Ron Nagle. Ceramic, glaze, catalyzed polyurethane, and epoxy resin.

BAMPFA

Marc Olivier Le Blanc

San Francisco Opera Music Director Designate Eun Sun Kim.

SF Opera’s 2020-21 by Philip Campbell

first look at the San Francisco Opera’s 2020-21 season announcement is predictably exciting. There are some bold and baffling surprises, but the reasons are smart and balanced. A recent conversation with SFO General Director Matthew Shilvock helped explain choices and changes in the Company’s 98th season. See page 16

Subversive ceramics by Sura Wood

ischief is Ron Nagle’s middle name. The Bay area artist, musician and songwriter, who has the subversive mind-set of a cartoonist, a wicked sense of humor and the wiliness and rebel spirit of a Surrealist, has been producing luminously colorful miniature ceramic sculptures since the 1960s. Those boffo saturated colors, ranging from heart-racing, deeper-than-deep magentas to the fading glory of an evening sky reluctantly melting into twilight, owe something to the low-fire slip-casting techniques that have become his signature. See page 19 >>

by David Lamble

he 22nd edition of the San Francisco Independent Film Festival (SF IndieFest) is our local version of that great film launching pad, Sundance. It unspools at three venues: the Roxie (3117 16th St.), Victoria (2961 16th St.) and 518 Gallery (518 Valencia). IndieFest founder Jeff Ross gives good party, this year including “Big Lebowski Shadow Cast,” “Super Bowl LIV: Men in Tights” (watch the big game with some of our best local comics) and “Bad Art Gallery” (the best of the worst art to be found at our city’s thrift stores). The IndieFest 2020 Screenplay Competition is a free event where working writers hand out tips (518 Valencia, 2/1). Here are nine film capsules. See page 18 >>

SF IndieFest

Declarations of independence

Scene from Bay Area director Richard Wong’s “Come As You Are.”

{ SECOND OF THREE SECTIONS }

<< Out There

16 • Bay Area Reporter • January 23-29, 2020

Latin lesbian conductor takes podium by Roberto Friedman

usic director Jessica Bejarano, a lesbian Latina, is the founder and conductor of a new ensemble, the San Francisco Philharmonic. Their first concert comes up on Feb. 3 at the Wilsey Center in San Francisco. A tattooed powerhouse, Bejarano, 38, was formerly the music director and conductor of the San Francisco Civic Symphony, an allvolunteer community orchestra. She grew up Mexican American in East LA and says that music “saved my life.” A music educator and music director at University High School in SF, Bejarano promises that the SF Philharmonic will be of highest quality, reflect the glorious diversity of the Bay Area, and be accessible to all. She answered a few of our questions by email. Roberto Friedman: You’re an out lesbian, and you have led an orchestra that included San Francisco Symphony violinist Eliot Lev, the first

Since 1977

openly transgender member of a major American orchestra. Do you expect a range of sexual orientations and gender identifications in the SF Phil? Jessica Bejarano: Here in the Bay Area we get a great balance of the LGBTQ community whenever large groups of people come together, especially in the arts. As an out and proud lesbian of color, my identity invites a diversity of people to join me in these music endeavors. San Francisco Philharmonic just had our first rehearsal last night, and aside from the incredible music-making, I was humbled and impressed by the presence and diversity of people in the orchestra. You mention three performances already booked for the SFP. What are the venues you’re playing? The National LGBTQ Center for Performing Arts and the SFGMC were gracious in allowing us to use their new building as our rehearsal home [see next item]. Our first two performances (Feb. 3, April 11) will be at the beautiful Wilsey Center, and our third performance (June 3) will be at Herbst Theatre. We have incredible soloists and repertoire lined up for each performance. Do you have any favorite composers, periods or schools of music you intend to emphasize?

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SF Opera 2020-21

From page 15

A major replacement project for the War Memorial Opera House’s aging seats shortens the fall season and moves the summer series to spring. It also messes with SF Ballet’s programming, but the need is obvious, and in the tradition of the house, patrons come first. Better-designed seats also promise improved sight lines. Shilvock (a congenial Matthew to you and me) also cites patron feedback for the big format change opening night. Rather than wedging the first opera between hours of preand post-performance revelry, 2020’s opening trims down to an 80-minute concert featuring New Zealand tenor Pene Pati and coloratura soprano Albina Shagimuratova. After the glamorous Gala freefor-all Sept. 11, autumn begins in earnest Sept. 12-Oct. 1 with

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SFP

San Francisco Philharmonic Music Director and Founder Jessica Bejarano.

Is it important to bring Latinx composers into the mix? Sexual minorities? Yes, I love Tchaikovsky! I went to St. Petersburg, Russia in 2007 to study in the Mariinsky Theater, research Tchaikovsky and write my Masters thesis on him. I love the Classical and Romantic eras. Those three areas are my specialty. The San Francisco Philharmonic inaugural performance will close with Tchaikovsky’s epic Fourth Symphony! Yes, it is important to bring Latinx and minority composers into the mix. I’m already brainstorming programming for next season, and how to be as diverse and inclusive as possible. I want the San Francisco Philharmonic to be reflective of the diversity of our community, both as an orchestra and in the music that we champion. Info: www.sfphil.org. Beethoven’s glorious “Fidelio.” Music Director Designate Eun Sun Kim conducts a new SFO production from director Matthew Ozawa set in a government detention facility. Beethoven’s triumph of love and freedom asserts the overarching theme of the season: outsiders fighting back, for good or ill, against oppression. It also dovetails with Beethoven 250 celebrations. We haven’t waited long for the return of Verdi’s vengeful “Rigoletto” (Sept. 13-Oct. 4). Director Mark Lamos’ strong original production in Michael Yeargan’s luridly colorful set design was seen as recently as 2017. Revival director Jose Maria Condemi works with conductor Sir Mark Elder and baritone George Gagnidze in the title role to bring fresh insight to the classic tragedy, brimming with famous tunes. Gagnidze was nuanced and forceful as Gerard in SFO’s 2016 “Andrea Chenier.” His portrayal of Verdi’s tortured court jester has won international praise. Pene Pati reprises his lecherous Duke of Mantua from 2017, and Armenian soprano Nina Minasyan makes her American operatic debut as fatally naïve Gilda. The annual free “Opera in the Park” is pushed to October, but the event is more special than ever because fabulous soprano Sondra Radvanovsky is making a special trip to appear as headliner. Oct. 6-28: Mozart and Da Ponte’s “Cosi fan tutte” opens as the second installment in director Michael Cavanagh’s inventive Company trilogy started last season (to raves) with “The Marriage of Figaro.” The legendary triptych of operas will conclude with “Don Giovanni.” All three are set in the same American manor house during different eras. “Cosi” revisits the house as a country club in the mid-1930s. “Cosi fan tutte,” sometimes loosely translated as “They’re [women] all like that,” remains insightful and relevant. A sarcastic take on the war between men and women, it contains some of Mozart’s most beautiful vocal writing. As the quartet of young lovers embarking on an amusing but dangerous course of trickery, soprano Jennifer Davis makes her American

and CEO Mikkel Svane, along with $250,000 from the city of San The National LGBTQ Center for Francisco and $500,000 from the the Arts (170 Valencia St., SF) was state of California. The remaining hopping last Wed. night, Jan. 15, as $6 million will be raised through the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chothe generous support of individuals, rus launched the public phase of its foundations and businesses. capital campaign to support the arts “Creating a space for the National building as a thriving hub for comLGBTQ Center for the Arts and a munity music and arts groups. foundation for the San Francisco A reception featured remarks Gay Men’s Chorus will help ensure from Mayor London Breed, Calithese important organizations can fornia State Senator Scott Wiener, operate for generations to come,” Honorary Chair Sharon Stone, said Mayor Breed. “I am glad the SFGMC Artistic Director Dr. city was able to offer financial supTimothy Seelig, Campaign Chair port for this space so that SFGMC Edward Sell and SFGMC Execuhas a permanent home here in San tive Director Chris Verdugo. The Francisco and can continue inspirevening also featured performances ing people across our city, country, from members of the SFGMC, San and the world.” Francisco Bay Area Theatre ComWhat a long, strange trip it’s pany, Opera Parallèle, San Franbeen!t cisco Philharmonic, and Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, then docent-led tours of the rehearsal and office space in the rest of the building. The three-year, $15 million campaign will secure and refurbish the new building and create a longterm financial foundation for SFGMC with a permanent endowment. To date, more than $9 million has been raised, with leadership gifts of $5 million from Courtesy of Gensler founding Chorus member Terrence Chan, $1 million Artist’s rendering of the new National from the Chorus Board of LGBTQ Center for the Arts. Directors, and $1 million from Zendesk Founder debut, baritone John Chest (last season’s breakout “Billy Budd”) is back, Northern California native mezzo-soprano Irene Roberts returns after star turns in “The Tales of Hoffmann” and “Carmen,” and Canadian tenor Frederic Antoun makes his Company debut. Korean soprano Hera Hyesang Park debuts as wisecracking chambermaid Despina. Marvelous Italian bass Ferrucio Furlanetto sets the plot in motion as cynical Don Alfonso. Italian conductor and pianist Speranaza Scappucci was the subject of the documentary “Conducting a Revolution” in 2018. Danish composer Poul Ruder’s musicalization of Margaret Atwood’s horrific “The Handmaid’s Tale” is getting a West Coast premiere 20 years after first performances in Denmark. The new staging by Royal Danish Opera Artistic Director John Fulljames opens in Copenhagen before coming to the War Memorial Oct. 29-Nov. 22. Renewed interest in Atwood’s stillpertinent fable matches the success of the Hulu TV series. The visionary author is a household name, and the haunting sight of white-capped, red-robed women has become ubiquitous at women’s resistance events. “The Handmaid’s Tale” promises no walk in the park, but it is sure to become the season’s biggest talkingpoint. Company (and personal) favorite mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke takes the role of Offred in librettist Paul Bently’s English-language translation. Mezzo-soprano Michaela Martens (an unforgettable Klytemnestra in SFO’s “Elektra”) and former Adler Fellow Canadian soprano Sarah Cambidge join Cooke, with bass-baritone James Cresswell as her Commander. Danish conductor Thomas Sondergard makes his

Company debut. Another rapid-return production, Puccini’s “La Boheme” concludes the fall season, Nov. 15Dec. 6. The first time we observed director John Caird’s charming ingeniously designed staging (David Farley and Michael James Clark) we fell in love with the intimate concept and attractive, age-appropriate cast. Young tenor Michael Fabiano was the heartbreaking Rodolfo in 2014, a sensational performance that will be reprised when he returns to sing in tandem with Mexican tenor Arturo Chacun-Cruz (also back as Rodolfo from 2017). Both casts will be conducted by former SFO Music Director Nicola Luisotti. I admit they had me at Ciao, but there are more reasons to revisit the endearing production or take the plunge. Soprano Amina Edris is brilliantly cast as Musetta, and Italian soprano Maria Agresta makes her SFO debut as Mimi. The second cast features Armenian soprano Aurelia Florian as Mimi (a remarkable U.S. debut as Violetta in SFO’s “La Traviata”). American soprano Janai Brugger makes her SFO debut as Musetta. We’ll talk about spring concerts and operas as the dates get closer, but note: a variety of subscription bundles go on sale Jan. 22. Spring 2021 offerings include hilarious veteran Italian bass Maurizio Murano as Doctor Bartolo in “The Barber of Seville,” April 25-May 16, 2021; Alexander Zemlinsky’s shocking and sensual “Der Zwerg,” April 27-May 15, 2021; and a concert celebration of Verdi and Wagner starring sopranos Lianna Haroutounian and Irene Theorin, May 2, 6 & 8, 2021.t SFO box office: (415) 864-3330 and sfopera.com.

On the web

This week, find Brian Bromberger’s TV review “Forever Forster: PBS updates ‘Howards End’” and Tim Pfaff’s music review “Slings & arrows of an operatic ‘Hamlet’” and Jim Gladstone’s theatre review “Immigration & the agony of success” online at www.ebar.com.

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<< Film

18 • Bay Area Reporter • January 23-29, 2020

Global dark times: ‘Noir City’ begins by Tavo Amador

ddie Muller’s 18th Annual San Francisco Film Noir Festival, “Noir City: International II,” opens at the Castro Theatre on Jan. 24. The program features rarely seen movies from around the world. Argentina’s “The Beast Must Die” (“La Bestia Debe Morir”) (1952) is a taut thriller directed by Roman Vinoli Barreto. A nine-yearold boy is killed by a car. His widower father (Narciso Ibanez Menta) doesn’t believe it was an accident. He defies the authorities to investigate for himself. The danger increases as he gets closer to the truth. But that doesn’t stop him. With Laura Hidalgo and Guillermo Battaglia. Screenplay by Vinoli Barreto and Ibanez Menta from a novel by Cecil Day-Lewis (Daniel Day-Lewis’ father) writing as Nicholas Blake. Shot on location in Peron-era Buenos Aires. This is a new, fully restored print. Vinoli Barreto’s “The Black Vampire” (“El Vampiro Negro”) (1953) retells Fritz Lang’s unforgettable thriller about a male pedophile, “M” (1931), from a feminist perspective: mothers protect their children from a predator. These women are strong and fierce. With Olga Zubarry, Roberto Escalada, and Nathan Pinzon. Adapted by Vinoli Barreto and Alberto Echebehere, from Lang’s original story. Also shot in Buenos Aires, a year after Evita Peron’s death. Both films in Spanish with English subtitles. (1/24) As the following movies show, the French appreciated Hollywood’s Film Noir before their American counterparts did. In Julian Du-

vivier’s “Panic” (“Panique”) (1952), a maid is murdered in a small town. Planted evidence incites a lynch mob. A social outcast is framed. Will he be executed while the killer goes free? With the beautiful Vivian Romance and Michel Simon. Screenplay by Duvivier and Charles Spaak from a Georges Simenon novel. “Razzia” (“Razzia sur la chinouf”) (1955) stars legendary Jean Gabin as a gangster determined to make the French underground drug trade more profitable. He learned the ropes in America. He uses his tough guy reputation to run the business. But he’s being followed by the police. Will they believe that he’s really a French government agent, working secretly to expose racketeers? With Marcel Dalio, Lino Ventura, and future Oscar winner Lila Kedrova. Directed by Henri Decoin. Adapted by Decoin, Maurice Griffe, and Auguste Le Breton from his novel. As 1962’s “Finger Man” (“Le doulos”) proves, Jean-Pierre Melville

was a master of Noir. Sexy Jean Paul Belmondo is a petty thief without honor. He betrays other crooks but plans a major heist with a colleague he trusts. Should he? Melville adapted Pierre Lesous’ novel. Henri Verneuil’s “Any Number Can Win” (“Melodie en sous-sol”) (1962) features Gabin as a veteran criminal just released from prison plotting one last major heist. Assisting will be a former cellmate, the astonishingly beautiful Alain Delon, whose unreliability disrupts their plans. A very suspenseful film, set in Cannes. With Vivian Romance. Adapted by Albert Simonin and Michel Audiard, from a novel by Zekial Marko. All films in French with English subtitles. (1/25) “The Housemaid” (“Hanyo”) (1960) is a Korean noir/soap opera about what happens when a respectable family man inadvertently hires an unstable housemaid to help his wife with daily chores. She seduces him, then gets pregnant. Things be-

a! ed str ag he St rc lly e O Fu Liv ith w

come very complicated. Written and directed by Ki-young-Kim. With Jin Kyu Kim. “Black Hair” (“Geomeun meun”) (1964) is an unnerving film about the raping of a yakuza’s mistress by one of his henchmen. She’s scarred and abandoned, but despite these horrors, plots her revenge. Directed by Lee Man-hee. Written by Woojeong Han. With Jeong-suk Moon. Both films in Korean with English subtitles. (1/26) “Story of a Love Affair” (“Cronaca di un amore”) (1950) marked Michelangelo Antonioni’s directorial debut. Beautiful Paola (Lucia Bose) is married to a slimy, possessive factory owner (Ferdinando Sarmi) who’s obsessed with her past. The private eye he hires to investigate unknowingly reunites Paola with an old flame (Massimo Girotti). They conspire to end her marriage. But will eliminating her husband also kill their passion? From a story by Antonioni, who adapted it for the screen along with Daniela D’Anza, Silvio Giavinetti, Francesca Maselli, and Piero Tellini. “The Facts of Murder” (“Un maledetto imbroglio”) (1960) begins with a thief stealing valuable jewelry from an apartment. No one

STAGE DIRECTOR: Barbara Heroux

CONDUCTOR: Baker Peeples

Blue Shield of California Theater at YBCA, San Francisco February 1-2, 2020 tickets: 415-392-4400 Lesher Center for the Arts Walnut Creek February 8-9, 2020 tickets: 925-943-7469 Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts February 22-23, 2020 tickets: 650-903-6000

‘‘

’’

The always-brilliant Jennifer Ashworth in the title role sings marvelously. Janos Gereben, San Francisco Classical Voice

SF IndieFest

From page 15

“Come As You Are” Bay Area director Richard Wong offers an off-beat road trip involving three disabled guys who disobey their overprotective parents by sneaking off in a van to find a place where they can get laid. (Roxie, 1/30) “Big Fur” Dan Wayne’s doc is a truly wacky Canadian take on an artist who believes in the existence of Bigfoot. A film with a poignant heart that connects the dots between “Psycho” and “Blue Velvet.” The hero is world champion taxidermist Ken Walker, who fashions a life-sized female Bigfoot hoping that some hunter will pull the real deal out of a home freezer. Comes to us via 2020 Slamdance. (Roxie, 2/1, 4) “The First Angry Man” Jason Cohn’s doc flashes back to 1978, when a young Cal. Gov. Jerry Brown, who had rejected the priesthood in favor of his Dad’s calling (former Gov. Edmund G. Brown), electoral politics, finds himself under attack by a rumpled old white guy from Utah. Howard Jarvis was hopping mad that property taxes were going through the roof. Thus was born Prop 13, a ballot measure that severely cut taxes for millions of middle-class homeowners while slashing funds available for schools, cops and firefighters. It’s a compelling story about the ballot measure that became the “third rail” of California politics, a tax-cutting ideology that went national through the efforts of Republican presidents from Reagan to the Bushes, and fi-

is harmed. But the ensuing investigation creates unanticipated problems. Directed by and starring Pietro Germi, with Claudia Cardinale, Eleanora Rossi Drago, and Nino Castelnouvo. Written by Germi, Alfredo Gianetti and Ennio De Concini, from a novel by Carlo Emilio Gadda. Both films in Italian with English subtitles. (1/27) In “...And the Fifth Horseman Is Fear” (“...a paty jezdec je Strach”) (1965), a Jewish doctor risks his life to help a resistance fighter in Nazi-occupied Prague. Directed by Zybnek Brynych. Screenplay by Brynych, Milan Nejedly, Hana Belohradska, Ota Koval, and Ester Krombachova. With Miroslav Machasek. Fascinating location shots of Prague before tourists overran it. In Czech with English subtitles. The English-Czech “90 Degrees in the Shade” (“Tficet jedna ve stinu”) (1965) is also set in Prague. A government auditor discovers problems that have nothing to do with a grocery store’s bookkeeping. With Anne Heywood, James Booth, and Ann Todd. Directed by Jiri Weiss from a screenplay by David Mercer. Based on a story by Weiss and Jiri Mucha. In English. (1/28) “The Long Haul” (1957) stars Victor Mature as an American ex-GI driving trucks in England. But the business is run by the Mob, and he’s in danger. With Diana Dors, Britain’s answer to Marilyn Monroe. Directed and written by Ken Hughes from a novel by Mervyn Mills. In “Never Let Go” (1960), Peter Sellers sells stolen cars brought to his chop-shop by teenage hoods. When Richard Todd, a struggling cosmetics salesmen, reports his car missing, the police don’t respond fast enough for him. So he takes action himself. Sellers is surprisingly effective. Directed by John Guillermin. Screenplay by Alun Falconer from a story by Guillermin and Peter De Sarigny. (1/29)t nally Donald Trump. (Roxie, 2/2) “The Tony Alva Story” A revelatory look at the rise and fall of the founder of the American skateboarding movement, who at 62 finds himself headed for a big and possibly fatal descent. Plays with the short “The World is a Skatepark.” (Victoria, 1/31) “Porno” In Keloa Racela’s horror drama, a small-town cinema’s teen staff and 30something projectionist uncover a terrifying wing of the joint, a legacy of its lost history as a grindhouse. (Roxie, 2/2) “Mellow” Director Rikiya Imaizumi creates a parable about kids exploring their sexual identities in contemporary Japan. American premiere. (Roxie, 2/9) “Mother’s Little Helpers” A black comedy features the nowadult offspring of a dying, formerly hippie mom. (Roxie, 2/8, 10) “The Wave” In Gille Klabin’s feature, an insurance exec (Justin Long) enters his own twilight zone with the aid of a hallucinatory drug provided by a mysterious stranger (Tommy Flanagan). (Roxie, 2/1, 5) “The Great Rock N Roll Swindle” A rare revival of Julien Temple’s black-humor-infused portrait of the notorious 70s UK punk band The Sex Pistols. This is the real-life version of the characters portrayed in Alex Cox’s classic narrative “Sid & Nancy.” Spend a freaky 103 mins. with Johnny Rotten and the late Sid Vicious in this rare 35mm print. (Roxie, 2/7)t sfindiefest.com

Dance>>

January 23-29, 2020 • Bay Area Reporter • 19

San Francisco Ballet Gala opens with a bash by Paul Parish

hat a bash! The costumes in the audience for San Francisco Ballet’s Gala opening night last week were maybe more fantastic than those onstage: ladies uncommonly feminine (ruffled pink chiffon, red satin, with trains you could step on); the Kings, my dear – brocade frock coats, swallowtail; and the Queens – ODC dancer Christian Squires took the cake, IMHO, in a floor-length vanilla explosion, tres bouffante, with a torso cutout and gold lamé pasties – star-shaped cutouts, very tasteful. At a ball afterward, SFB principle dancer Benjamin Freemantle ruled in a crown of vine leaves: naked, creamy bust, rising from velvety black, sprayed-on tights, big as life. The show itself was an amuse bouche between the sold-out High Society dinners and the after-party, with patrons wall-to-wall at City Hall. They raised $3,000,000. Dancing: hip-hop DJ stage right, Pop Rocks live “wedding band” stage left. For me, this was a watershed: it’s been Pride and Joy (read: blues, R&B, Motown) for decades, but now it’s Queen. Last song is no longer “Shout!” but “The Time of My Life” – and before that, a lot of songs

where your only option, if you mannerisms. The Cutest Boy was wanted to dance, was to Pogo. Max Cauthorne, who scooped up The younger crowd isn’t into all the charm in August BournAfrican-American swing and onville’s classic “Jockey Dance.” rock and R&B, they like the 80s. The Rising-Above-It-All prize to So the party isn’t any fun Sofiane Sylve, for dancing in the ugliest white panties this side of anymore. But the show itself Kmart, in the usually estimable remains a major civic event. ArDavid Dawson’s “fresh take” on tistic Director Helgi Tomasson the “White Swan” pas de Deux always uses it as a non-verbal (Tchaikovsky), which managed manifesto. This is what we stand to erase the famous original for! Just as centuries ago, Louis without etching any new images XIV used state ballet as a way of of its own. I’m willing to see it rebuking his enemies and showagain, and in fact am eager to see ing the way of the future: the his “Anima/Animus”(Program Prince of Conti will bow to the 5) this coming March. It was a Sun King; i.e., there will be no wonderfully birdlike, fabulous more rebellion. ballet. Before the curtain, Tomasson said, “We’re all Americans Wona Park, our next ballerinow.” Icelandic by birth, he’s na, suffers from resembling Ms. Kuranaga so closely. I suspect been here for 35 seasons now. she has greater staying power. He understands ballet as showBoth photos: Erik Tomasson Star of the show was Yuan ing us how we live, who we are, Left: San Francisco Ballet dancers Sasha De Sola and Tiit Helimets in the Yuan Tan, in her 25th season what we value. Right now the finale from Balanchine’s “Diamonds.” Right: San Francisco Ballet dancer Wei issue is immigration. He led Wang in Gsovsky’s “Grand Pas Classique.” here, still a heroic dancer, magoff with the cadets’ march from nificent in her effects, in Yuri Balanchine’s “Stars and Stripes.” Possokhov’s heroic “The Bells” Since Nancy Pelosi has made (Rachmaninoff), showing his fact, comes from abroad. The dancmanship, and musicality. Everybody us all proud to be Americans, he mastery of the great Bolshoi style ers all get it: the best dance of the gets an A. The congeniality prize showed us just how good our “ordiin which he was bred. Vitor Luiz, evening was to Sousa’s great “Thungoes to Angelo Greco, supporting nary” dancers are: all corps de ballet her magnificent partner, leaves the derer” and “Gladiator” marches. the super-technician Misa Kuranaga dancers, and even their “star,” Lucas company now, going out in grand The evening’s dances ticked off in the Soviet-era “Corsaire” pas de Erni, is a corps dancer, who comes style, and at the curtain calls, he got deux, smiling through slight mishaps the boxes an Olympics judge might from Argentina. Most of SF Ballet, in a hero’s ovation.t of his own. She needs to lose the coy face: technique, style, artistry, show-

BAMPFA

“The Bad Clown” (2003) by Ron Nagle. Porcelain, glaze, china paint, and epoxy resin.

Ron Nagle

From page 15

The 80-year-old San Francisco native, the son of parents he has called “Fascists” and a mother who declared him talent-free, grew up in the Mission District and has a studio in Bernal Heights. When fame arrived, it came late. It wasn’t until 2013, when he was included in the Venice Biennale, that he gained the international recognition that had eluded him. “Handsome Drifter,” his first survey in 25 years, is now at BAMPFA. The show’s name was inspired by the psychopathic killer, masquerading as a preacher, played by Robert Mitchum in Charles Laughton’s 1955 film “The Night of the Hunter.” The malevolent character’s knuckles were tattooed with letters spelling out love and hate, emblematic of oppositional forces, such as abjection and beauty, that underlie Nagle’s work. The new show of 27 witty sculptures and 16 drawings and doodles, some sketched on lined notebook paper and destined for sculpture immortality, picks up where the last one left off. A masterful glazer partial to working in a series format, he pinches and molds clay, revolting, like his late mentor, the unconventional UC Berkeley art professor Peter Voulkos, against the confines of traditional pottery practices. He’s certainly no stranger to executing delicate, obsessively detailed work on tiny “canvases” that can be held in the palm of one’s hand, a holdover from his teens, when he made jewelry that took a cue from the Beats. The exhibition’s cool, all-white minimalist installation, designed by

Yves Behar, encloses artworks inside glass boxes and spotlights them from above, as if they were precious gems on display at Tiffany’s. Except these babies are intellectual incendiary devices and a tad warped, in the best possible way. The recessed exhibition cases ring the room and

also surround a blond wood ramp in the center of the gallery. Note: a companion brochure organizes the objects chronologically; the show does not. Nagle traffics in playful popculture references, from surfing and rock music to movies and hot rods, that can veer toward dark humor and the macabre. Though he cites eclectic influences such as ceramicist Kenneth Price, painters Giorgio Morandi, Josef Albers and Philip Guston, Japanese Momoyama ceramics and Abstract Expressionism’s “embrace of the imperfect,” it’s the punning, sometimes naughty titles that Nagle awards his creations that tell the devilish tale. Take “Urninerouble” (2015), a high-sheen, cracker-sized square slathered in a substance resembling melted American cheese that also drips over the sides of a small gray oval platform. (For Nagle, cheese is synonymous with success.) He worked almost exclusively

with ceramics until 2010, when he began incorporating polyurethane and resin, as he did in “Handsome Drifter” (2015), the mini-sculpture that gives the show its name. It’s a stunner, with a curved fan-shape the color of a scarlet Southern California sunset at its apex, and two reptilian cords attached to it, positioned like the hands of a clock. Red rivulets seep over the sky blue base, whose surface is “air-brushed” with pale violet through a process Nagle calls cross-fading. “The Ice Queen” (2005), a throwback to his salad days when he fashioned funky teacups, is a lopsided, hourglass-shaped drinking vessel with a pinkish glow and redand-black playing-card triangles fit for Alice in Wonderland’s Queen of Hearts. One can easily imagine her raising it and uttering a rousing “Off with their heads!” From the evocatively titled Snuff Bottles series comes the amusingly pornographic “Bad Clown” (2003), a pair of nu-

bile, baby-blue porcelain orbs, as translucent as glass, accented with a fat cherry strategically placed in the middle. Might it be some alien’s interpretation of an Ice Cream Sundae? Nagle can go visceral, a quality enhanced by his skillful layering of colors. Triggered by the sight of his father’s skin tags, the bilioustone “Beirut Canal” (2009), which resembles a billfold, is edged in magenta and pocked with indentations from the artist’s fingertips. “Fortgang” (2002) has the roughened, uneven texture of stucco or a sponge. Its hues are a mossy green eating around the base and multiple shades of tangerine, an homage to his Mission District childhood. A seashell throne crowns the rear, while a flaccid member, or perhaps a limp arm left behind by a departed starfish, lazes in the front. Go ahead: let your imagination run wild.t Through June 14. bampfa.org.

Arts Events

Nightlife Events

www.ebar.com

Shining Stars Vol. 50 • No. 4 • January 23-29, 2020

Wynonna Judd Gay super-fans discusss their Country music favorite by Colt McGraw

“I

’ve had the biggest gay following in country music... since 1980-something,” said Wynonna according to Country Music Television. Here’s a quick recap on Wynonna’s career, so far. In the early 1980s she and her mother Naomi (The Judds) were signed to RCA records and became one of the biggest acts in Country Music. In 1991, Naomi retired due to illness and Wynonna continued on with a record-breaking solo career. She’s made headlines and millions of fans worldwide by sharing her story of hope. See page 21 >>

The Edwardian Ball Gorey-inspired party celebrates 20 years of magic by David-Elijah Nahmod

Justin Katz and Mike Gaines, co-producers of The Edwardian Ball, at 2019’s event at The Regency Ballroom.

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Marco Sanchez

n January 24 and 25 the Edwardian Ball returns for its twentieth anniversary. The two-day extravaganza, which takes place at The Regency Ballroom, promises to be a fusion and a celebration of art, music, theater, fashion, technology, and of the creations of the late author and illustrator Edward Gorey (1925-2000), whose darkly humorous work still enchants and mesmerizes people. See page 22 >>

Music>>

Wynnona Judd onstage.

Wynonna Judd

From page 20

In an industry where entertainers gets labeled and put into a box, Wynonna has refused. She has raised the bar as a visionary over and over again with great success. Wynonna is famous for saying “Don’t ever let them tell you who you are,” and maybe this is the foundation of our adoration for her. This is my story and where my super-fan status began. My dad took me to Manteca, California to see The Judds during their farewell tour. This closely followed my parents’ divorce. Our family was fractured and ill-equipped to communicate. I didn’t know who Wynonna was, but I was instantly drawn to her. For all that I could figure, she understood me. She had the ability to express herself in a way I had never known possible. Her emotional vulnerability from a child’s perspective was striking in its familiarity. However, she was a grown 20-something and I was not yet a teenager. Nevertheless, we were both coping. I remember the stage lights dancing off her glittery mane of ’90s diva hair. The ground actually vibrated from her voice. It carried joy and pain into evening sky. It was the closest thing to magic I had ever experienced. My story continues; if Dad had enough money for gasoline, he’d pick my sister and I up from Sacra-

January 23-29, 2020 • Bay Area Reporter • 21

sale. I would ask the clerks in the stores to put my name and phone number on the promotional posters so that they could call me when they were done using them. I hung them in my bedroom alongside of framed horse sketches drawn by my aunt Punky. In 1997 I finally got to meet Wynonna for the first time. I waited outside of her tour bus after a Reno concert until the early hours of the morning. My aunt Cindy patiently waited with me. I had one of those disposable Kodak cameras and one picture left on the roll. Wynonna finally made a trip out to her bus escorted by an assistant. My aunt took a photo of Wynonna and I but forgot to use the flash. Wynonna asked her Colt McGraw assistant to give me one of her disposable cameras off of the tour bus. He did, and this time we took the picmento and drive us up to Penn Valture with the flash on! That ley on the weekends. I’m talking ten photo was my contribution to the acres, a long dusty driveway, beds set high school yearbook. up directly on the land (during the Now in my 30s, I look back at construction of a one-room cabin) those times and realize, I was nurand “Revelations,” Wynonna’s third turing my delicate spirit through solo album in the cassette player. We her music and her story during knew every word and note. When those very shaky years. Not only was we didn’t know what to say to each she a source of hope for me, but she other, we could at least sing to each was for many other gays all over the other. The music lifted us. world. Over the years I became fully ob“I love Wynonna for the emotion sessed and everyone knew it. In high and power in her voice. At any given school, when other kids were sewing time she can go from fragile to soaranarchy patches onto their JanSport ing”, says Kevin Cotton of Nashville, backpacks, I was laminating photos Tennessee. of Wynonna with strips of Scotch Michael Watters drives around Tape and literally stapling them to the state of Maine with a license mine. plate that reads ‘W Y N O N N A.’ I would comb the checkout lines He says, “My mom said, when I at the markets searching for Wynonwould hear her voice on the radio na on the cover of magazines. Mom or see her on TV, I was immediately bought me every one. Even the drawn to her.” National Enquirers and Star magaI love that Wynonna did not zines (Sorry, Wynonna). Before the chose to be a cutout, a promotional internet, this was how I could see tool. She chose to be a recognizable what she was up to. voice. She was so cool and so different. I She shared with Dan Rather, “I’d remember recognizing I was differrather fail on my own terms than ent, too. Even in elementary school succeed on somebody else’s.” I knew that I didn’t fit in with the What gay man or woman can’t other boys. I remember imagining relate to this? high school graduation as a finish Come witness and sing along with line. the woman that Rolling Stone called “I think people identify with me “the voice of her generation.t because I’ve always felt like I didn’t fit in,” said Wynonna to The AdvoWynonna & The Big Noise at The cate. Fillmore, 1805 Geary Blvd., ThursAs a kid I always got Wynonna’s day, February 6. 8pm. Tickets: newest CDs, the day they went on $36.50. www.thefillmore.com

Colt McGraw

Wynnona Judd with super-fan Colt McGraw.

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<< Ball

22 • Bay Area Reporter • January 23-29, 2020

Marco Sanchez

Ralph Boethling

Left: A male couple at last year’s Edwardian Ball. Right: Elegant and manly outfits at the Edwardian Ball.

Edwardian Ball

From page 20

The Ball is set in what the producers call a re-imagined Edwardian Era: the elegant years spanning 1901-1910 when King Edward VII ruled England. “The Edwardian Ball is an inexact experience in that it is a multi-faceted arts and music and circus and theater festival,” said co-producer Justin Katz. “The Edwardian Ball has grown in San Francisco over the past twenty years from its humble beginnings as a celebration of Edward Gorey’s work, who we consider our patron saint of the Ball.” From its earliest days, the Ball was framed around Gorey –he was their Edward– and that would give the Ball a playful context for people to give a recreated or re-imagined turn of the century world. The Edwardian era, Katz feels, is a fun way to frame Gorey’s name to a more accessible level.

“I think that the Edwardian Era in its own time and context represented a real opening of art and culture,” said Katz. “There was a sincere reaching for a diversity in art and culture in the world, and that was reflected in fine art, in music, in theater, and in fashion where influences outside of the Edwardian England that is referenced in this time period were allowed to mix and mingle and cross-pollinate and create a new creative landscape.”

World of wonder

The opening night of the Ball will be what Katz and his co-producer Mike Gaines call a World’s Fair. “The World’s Fair harkens back to an era of burgeoning interest in art, science, technology, and all the things that the thought collective of the world and the creative collective had to offer,” Katz said. “So when we have our Fair, we aim to create an expo that features those elements, art, science, history and technology

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into an interactive night of installations and wonders.” Then, on Saturday, the expo is cleared away for a night of ballroom dance and the featured Gorey work of the year. This year’s Gorey story is ‘The Lost Lions.’ It will explore the wild jungles of the world, “in elegant step with the birds and the beasts of the Edwardian landscape,” as the event’s press release states. “Both nights people dress in a wide variety of costume and character,” said Katz. “And that brings up one of our most frequent questions: What do I wear? Whether you’re coming Friday or Saturday to the World’s Fair or to the Ball, we invite you to dress in a way that brings you into the participation, that brings you into a world of imagination and fun, and so we do not have a dress code. You’re going to look on the floor and see a doubtful guest from a Gorey book waltzing with a duchess, perhaps like a Dickens era orphan, and an alligator having tea.” The live performances, live music, circus performances and fine arts happen over the course of both nights. “What’s wonderful about the Regency Ballroom is that, for those who have not been, it’s thirty ballrooms, plus a variety of hallways and elevators and alcoves,” said Katz. “And we fill absolutely every inch, every nook and cranny of this beautiful Masonic building with art, performance, installations and surprises, and the rest of it is filled in with the amazing participants.”

Gaily forward

Katz pointed out that since the Ball was created, members of the LGBT community have been active participants and creators of the event. He described the environment of the Ball as “inclusive and warm.” Juliano Wade, one of the performers at the Ball, is a gay man who moved to San Francisco from Columbia because he found it easier to be gay and to be a performer here. Wade is with Vau de Vire Society, a performance group that will be part of the entertainment at the Ball. He promises that the Society will be delivering a “sexy” show!

Above: Dave Golden Middle/Below: Marco Sanchez

Above: Aerialist Juliano Wade. Middle: Gorey-esque women at the 2019 Edwardian Ball. Below: Festive participants at The Edwardian Ball.

“For the Edwardian Ball, we always do corsets and a very dark kind of style,” Wade said. Vau de Vire will be performing Gorey’s ‘The Lost Lion.’ “We are going to have a jungle,” Wade explained. “We are going to have aerialists, and big birds flying around the venue and we’ll be wearing tiny, sexy outfits, so that’s kind of cool.” The Ball has a definite appeal to

an LGBT audience, Wade feels. “Gays always like sexy things,” he said. “Vau de Vire likes to do our performances in very sexy outfits while being dark and wild, so I feel that this would attract a gay audience of all ages. We have beautiful girls doing amazing acts and we have handsome guys doing beautiful tricks in the air.” And if you’re on the fence about attending, Katz invites you to peruse the videos, galleries and resources at their website. “We provide a lot of information for those who are curious,” he said. “What is this about, who was Edward, what is the era, what to wear, how to get there; so we’ve taken time over the years to try to provide a good starting point for people to study up. We don’t have any requirements, or dress codes or rules to show up. We just ask that you show up with an open mind and with a willingness to participate and try things out. Put on a fun hat or a jacket or something that makes you feel special and show up and be willing to give it a try.”t The Edwardian Ball, Friday & Saturday January 24 & 25 at The Regency Ballroom, 1300 Van Ness Ave. $25-$250. www.edwardianball.com

Arts/Nightlife Events>>

January 23-29, 2020 • Bay Area Reporter • 23

Arts Events Nightlife Events Jan. 23-30, 2020

Gooch

Jan. 23-30, 2020

Live music acts, drag galore and a few porn stars here and there; nightlife awaits.

Musicals, films, gay panel discussions, politically charged dramas and hilarious comedy are in the mix of arts events this week.

Sun 26

Sat 25

Marga Gomez @ Marin Center Showcase Theater

Polyglamorous @ F8

For complete listings, visit ebar.com/events

Shining Stars Steven Underhill Photos by

Moby Dick Bar M

oby Dick, the longtime Castro district’s favored bar for casual gatherings, pinball and pool, is also notable for its beautiful aquarium above the bar. 4049 18th St., 12pm-2am daily. Enjoy their saucy beefcake-filled posts at www.facebook. com/MobyDickBar/ See plenty more photos on BARtab’s Facebook page, facebook.com/lgbtsf.nightlife. See more of Steven Underhill’s photos at StevenUnderhill.com.

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