Mandelman seeks 2nd term
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Vol. 52 • No. 04 • January 27-February 2, 2022
City agencies rally to support beleaguered Tenderloin by John Ferrannini
Rick Gerharter
A fundraising campaign is underway to honor the late Ken Jones.
Fundraiser aims for bench to honor Ken Jones
by John Ferrannini
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caregiver for the late gay activist Ken Jones is raising $15,000 via an online fundraiser to have a bench installed and dedicated to him at the National AIDS Memorial Grove in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. The fundraiser has raised $3,710 toward its goal as of the afternoon of January 25. As the Bay Area Reporter reported last January, Jones was a Black man who was key to the desegregation of LGBTQ activism. Jones was a core volunteer at the Kaposi’s Sarcoma Research and Education Foundation, which became the San Francisco AIDS Foundation; created and managed the first hundred-mile AIDS Bike-a-Thon from San Francisco to the Russian River; was the first Black chair of the San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration Committee; brought visibility to disenfranchised groups as part of Pride’s outreach; and served on the citizen review board of the BART Police Department following the BART police killing of Oscar Grant. At the time of Jones’ death from cancer, Sanjai Moses – who Jones helped to raise – was taking care of him. Moses, who is queer, told the B.A.R. last week that the inspiration for a bench came from advice Jones’ friend and fellow gay activist Cleve Jones (no relation) told her during Ken Jones’ illness. “When Ken was really sick, Cleve was encouraging me to take a moment to catch my breath and take a moment of solitude and he said the grove was a great place to do that,” Moses said. “So it made sense to have a remembrance to Ken and his dedication to HIV activism there.” Cleve Jones told the B.A.R. that the bench would be a great way “to honor the dedication of service [Ken Jones] gave in the fight against HIV and AIDS.” Cleve Jones said that it has been a difficult year for him, having lost Ken Jones and gay singersongwriter Blackberri: both longtime friends. Blackberry died December 13. “Ken and I worked together a lot. He was one of the first people at the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. He also worked at the quilt, and we spent a lot of time together,” Cleve Jones said, referring to the AIDS Memorial Quilt that he cofounded. “Ken ended every conversation, every call, and every conversation with ‘peace and love.’ That’s what he was about.” The AIDS grove was first established in 1991. It became a national memorial by federal law in 1996. In 2019, the grove took over stewardship See page 6 >>
B
rian Basinger, a gay man who serves as the executive director of the Q Foundation, wants readers to know that his neighborhood – the Tenderloin – is the real heart of queer San Francisco. “The Castro’s a fad. Polk is a fad,” Basinger boldly declared in an interview with the Bay Area Reporter. “We’ve been a queer community in the Tenderloin for over 100 years. ... People don’t understand just how endemic LGBTQ people are to the Tenderloin, because so much of the other things going on eclipse that, and also how many cool LGBTQ folks and interesting LGBTQ folks are here. I’ve been such a booster for the Tenderloin for such a long time, because it’s lovely.” Indeed the Tenderloin – nestled between Union Square to the east and Civic Center on the west, and Market Street to the south and the slope of Nob Hill on the north – has long been one of the most diverse communities in the United States, which led to a tolerance for LGBTQ people before they could be visible elsewhere. In 1966, three years before the Stonewall riots in New York City launched the modern LGBTQ liberation movement, a riot at the Compton’s Cafeteria at Turk and Taylor streets was one of the first queer upris-
Basinger, Rick Gerharter; Sa’id, courtesy Facebook
Brian Basinger, left, and Aria Sa’id are two queer Tenderloin residents who generally praise the health-related actions the city has taken in recent weeks.
ings against police harassment and violence in American history. The Transgender District, the world’s first cultural district of its kind, has been anchored in the Tenderloin since 2017. Aria Sa’id, a trans woman who is the co-founder and executive director of the district, is also a Tenderloin resident. “We are the most diverse neighborhood in
San Francisco, and a lot of people forget we are the densest population-wise,” Sa’id told the B.A.R. “There are more children under 18 than any other neighborhood in San Francisco.” But both Basinger and Sa’id have noticed that although the neighborhood has always had a tough reputation, things have changed for the worse lately. See page 7 >>
Cultural district expresses concerns about new Castro Theatre plan by John Ferrannini
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ith the recent news of the management and programming changes at the Castro Theatre, the Castro LGBTQ Cultural District made a list of demands of the new management in a letter it published January 20. As the Bay Area Reporter reported January 19, it was announced that the co-producer of the Outside Lands music festival – Another Planet Entertainment – will be in charge of programming at the Castro Theatre after the hundred-year-old movie palace is renovated. Programming will be expanded to include live music, comedy, and community events in addition to films. Another Planet Entertainment CEO and co-founder Gregg Perloff said that he wants to maintain the theater’s role as a community space, but longtime neighborhood denizens and theater fans are very concerned about what they see as another example of gentrification in the Castro. For example, Marc Huestis, a gay man who has put on 55 shows at the theatre in the past 40 years, said he was “very sad.” “The way I and others were able to do events there – it was not cheap, but it was affordable,” Huestis recently told the B.A.R. “Castro is a place like no other. But the world
√ote by Feb. 15
Sari Staver
The Castro LGBTQ Cultural District has expressed concerns about management and programming changes announced for the Castro Theatre.
is changing – COVID certainly has facilitated changes like we’ve never seen. The theater as a repertoire house was no longer sustainable.” These concerns were echoed by a protest of over two-dozen people in front of the theater January 23 urging the continuation of repertory film programming. They were also outlined in the district’s letter.
“On behalf of the Castro LGBTQ Cultural District, congratulations on the commencement of your operation of the historic Castro Theatre,” the letter states. “That said, we are deeply concerned about the potential loss of regular film programming, sing-alongs, the Silent Film Festival, low-cost rentals accessible to specialty producers like Marc Huestis and Peaches Christ, and above all, the strong LGBTQ programming focus that has been a source of connection, education, and delight for many thousands over the decades.” The letter goes on to state, “We urge you to meet with our organization at your earliest opportunity.” It included a list of actions the district would like Another Planet Entertainment to take, such as sharing with the district the specifics of the renovation plans; hiring and supporting an event programmer “with deep and broad knowledge of the LGBTQ community, who will work closely with other LGBTQ community organizations on bookings, scheduling, and permits, including on diversity of LGBTQ programming;” and prioritizing LGBTQ community organizations’ existing calendar of annual events. See page 3 >>
B.A.R. election endorsements
Consolidated Special Municipal Election SF School Board Recalls Prop A – Measure to Recall Alison Collins Yes Prop B – Measure to Recall Gabriela López Yes Prop C – Measure to Recall Faauuga Moliga Yes
CA Assembly 17th District David Campos San Francisco Assessor-Recorder Joaquín Torres