June 16, 2022 edition of the Bay Area Reporter

LGBTQ SF supe candidates

Dance fest in San Diego

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Sandra Bernhard

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www.ebar.com

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

Vol. 52 • No. 24 • June 16-22, 2022

Rick Gerharter

AIDS quilt draws thousands to SF’s Golden Gate Park Courtesy Panda Dulce via KQED

Panda Dulce, left, posed for a selfie with a security guard in uniform the day homophobic slurs were hurled at them during a Drag Queen Story Hour at San Lorenzo Library on June 11.

Proud Boys hijack drag storytime

by Eric Burkett

by Cynthia Laird

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Police search Wiener’s SF home, offices after death threat

by Eric Burkett

W

h i l e death threats aren’t anything new to gay state Senator Scott Wiener, they took a decidedly chilling turn June 12 when he received Courtesy Sen.’s office an email telling him bombs had been State Senator placed in his home Scott Wiener and office.

“We placed bombs in his office and his house,” the email read. “You bastards all deserve to die.”

Police, using bomb-sniffing dogs, searched the senator’s house and offices in San Francisco and Sacramento Sunday morning but turned up nothing.

Both the San Francisco Police Department and California Highway Patrol are investigatSee page 2 >>

Man’s story highlights issues for older LGBTQs

by Adam Echelman

through colorful life stories with layers of his own commentary interspersed with the occasional tangent. He wakes up before dawn and walks at least five miles a day, always carrying a baseball cap, a pair of sunglasses, a sleek backpack, and a curious collection of flashlights. He pays $1,800 in monthly rent, but his Social Security only provides him $1,692 a month. In two months, his savings will run dry.

“I have 15 flashlights, but I have no preparedness for this,” he said about his financial situation and smiles as he pulls out a slim flashlight from his pocket.

In 1980, Alperen was the first out gay police officer in Provincetown, Massachusetts, one of only two out gay police officers in the entire state.

His ability to talk to anyone, the “gift of gab” as he likes to say, was an asset that made him many friends and gained him respect among locals and officers alike. Living between Boston and Provincetown in the 1980s, he kept a list of all his friends who had died of HIV/AIDS. “At 15, I threw the list away,” he said between heavy, gasping breaths. “I have no idea why I didn’t die.”

That feeling is so common it’s called “survivor’s guilt,” explained Vince Crisostomo, 61, the director of aging services with the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. His clinic works with hundreds of gay, bi, and trans men across the city, many of See page 11 >>

I

n April, Martin Alperen had a breakdown. It wasn’t the first time that his bipolar disorder had caused him to lose a job or spiral into depression, but it was the first time he had tried to navigate his mental health with Medicare. He had recently turned 65 and had switched to a new Medicare insurance plan provided through Brand New Day and Hill Physicians Medical Group. Now, his providers said there was no psychiatrist nearby. If he wanted help, they explained, he could admit himself into a psychiatric ward or try using a tele-health service.

What he really needed was a simple intervention, a psychiatrist who could meet with him in person and update the medication he’s been taking for the past three years.

“I was terrified,” he told the Bay Area Reporter.

“I did not want to become another homeless mentally ill person on the streets of San Francisco.”

Alperen isn’t alone. A survey of 500 people from the city’s LGBTQ Aging Research Partnership and Health Management Associates found that mental health counseling was the highest unmet medical need among LGBTQ adults 50 years and older. For many, the COVID pandemic fueled fears and post-traumatic stress from the early years of the HIV/AIDS crisis. These seniors reported that they were unsure where or how to access mental health services or felt that the sys-

Adam Echelman

Martin Alperen, 65, is struggling to navigate his mental health medication with his new Medicare plan. He walks at least five miles a day with his dog, Marley. One of his favorite destinations is Dolores Park.

tem was too complicated to navigate.

“If this can happen to me, a good complainer, imagine what could happen to other people,” Alperen wrote in an email. He is short and talks quickly with an accent that fuses Boston and Brooklyn. He’s always on the move, running

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aiting their turn to read names of some of those lost to AIDS, filmmaker Dante Alencastre and his co-producer, John Johnston, appreciated the somber atmosphere. A few feet away on the

deficiency, the name AIDS was first known by, at the height of homophobia that permeated the disease. Now 61, Alencastre and Johnston, 69, both gay men, were up from Los Angeles for a screening of their documentary, “AIDS Diva: The Legacy of Connie Norman,” as part of the National Queer Arts Festival.

See page 10 >>

ARTS

ids attending a drag queen story hour at the San Lorenzo public library in the East Bay were confronted by right-wing protesters June 11, as alleged members of the Proud Boys barged in and harassed drag queen Panda Dulce as she was reading to the children.

grass were some of the nearly 3,000 panels of the AIDS Memorial Quilt that were on display last weekend in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park.

“I’ve never done this before,” Alencastre told the Bay Area Reporter. “I was 21 when I heard about GRID in New York City.”

He was referring to gay-related immune

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<< Community News

2 • Bay Area Reporter • June 16-22, 2022

SF supervisors OK new homeless policy

by Eric Burkett

S

an Francisco supervisors unanimously adopted legislation that will offer all people experiencing homelessness in the city a safe place to sleep.

A Place for All, the ordinance by gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, was two years in the making. At the supervisors June 7 meeting, board members did make some changes before voting 11-0 for the ordinance.

The original proposal, introduced back in 2020, failed to make it out of the Board of Supervisors Budget and Finance Committee, which instead supported safe sleeping sites, or sanctioned outdoor camping spaces. This newer version includes a broader array of options while placing less emphasis on, but not doing away with, congregate housing such as shelters.

This time around, when the proposed ordinance went through the Public Safety and Neighborhood Services committee last month, (https://www.ebar.com/news/latest_news/315569) it picked up a few amendments that Mandelman felt took away from the original intent of the legislation. Enough so, he was left wondering whether even he would support the proposal.

Eventually, he came around.

“There were some amendments proposed that would have fundamentally undermined the legislation, but the amendments that were actually made did not,” he told the Bay Area Reporter via text a few hours after the board passed the ordinance. “At worst, they muddied up the intent of the legislation and complicated imple-

<<

Wiener

From page 1

ing the threat, Officer Kathryn Winters, public information officer for

mentation, but it’s still, as I said, a step forward.”

Specifically, one amendment added

by District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar watered down the emphasis on immediate shelter with a stronger emphasis on permanent supportive housing.

The ordinance requires the San Francisco Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing to prepare a strategy for implementation

by December 31, including estimates for how many people might accept offered shelter, how much that would cost, and the total annual cost of the program once it was put into effect.

The city agency is led by bisexual Executive Director Shireen McSpadden, who grew up in San Francisco and previously led the city’s Department of Disability and Aging Services.

To increase transparency about shelter availability, the ordinance will require the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing to maintain a dashboard on its website displaying the total number of shelters citywide, broken down by shelter type, number of shelter units, and occupancy rate, according to a news release from Mandelman’s office.

It also directs the director of real estate to identify locations throughout the city that might be appropriate for use as shelters – such as the small cabins in use at 33 Gough Street and safe sleeping sites – and then submit those findings along with the homeless department’s implementation plan.

Notably, too, while the ordinance was passed unanimously, it wasn’t passed enthusiastically among all the supervisors. (It will need a second and SFPD, told the Bay Area Reporter.

“This is an ongoing investigation which is being handled by the California Highway Patrol and the San Francisco Police Department Special Inves-

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final vote at the board’s June 14 meeting.)

During the board meeting, District 9 Supervisor Hillary Ronen was the first to really voice her misgivings about the legislation, noting that issues such as homelessness aren’t just a San Francisco issue and would be better dealt with on a regional basis, just as District 1 Supervisor Connie Chan later pointed out, the nine counties of the Bay Area came together in lockstep to handle COVID-19.

“I’m voting for it,” she told her fellow board members, but, she added, “I believe it will do nothing.”

Chan was slightly more enthusiastic but largely because of the amendments that had been added.

“We’re voting on asking [DHSH] to have a plan and do their job,” she said, referring to the homelessness de-

partment. “I think that with Melgar’s amendments and suggestions, we give pretty good parameters. I also agree with Ronen that this really is a regional issue and it’s got to have a regional approach.”

Chan said she, too, would vote “reluctantly” for the ordinance.

Melgar encouraged everyone to support the measure stating, “I think it’s a pretty significant shift in policy. It is not something we’ve done before.”

Melgar also noted that her amendments, particularly one placing permanent supportive housing as one of the priorities of the ordinance, had caused problems for the measure.

But the ordinance now includes people living in their cars, she said.

“We need shelter beds for transitional age youth, we need cabin homes, we need places for people to

park safely,” Melgar said. “We need a bunch of different alternatives. But we need a plan.”

And then, she acknowledged Mandelman for all the work he had put into the legislation.

“I thank you for carrying this boulder uphill for the past two years,” she said.

District 5 Supervisor Dean Preston had his own misgivings, but they were mostly about the priorities of Mayor London Breed.

“We just got a budget from the mayor that zeros out housing,” said Preston, referring to Breed’s balanced budget proposal she released June 1. His constituents, he added, “are begging for these things. ... We can’t get the administration to purchase a damn $5 million building to house people in our district.”

Eventually, all 11 supervisors voted for the ordinance. Mandelman, a pragmatist to the end, was just happy it had passed.

“Yeah, I didn’t love all of the amendments, but even with them, I think the legislation moves San Francisco meaningfully toward being a shelter-for-all city,” he told the B.A.R. after the meeting. “Now we need to see what the administration comes up with in terms of a proposed budget and implementation plan. This is a step in the right direction but just a step.”

From this point, he said, his plan was to follow up with DSHS to ensure the plan they come up with “meets the intent of the legislation and, in the meantime, continue to push for more shelter and more effective and consistent encampment resolutions.” t

tigations Division, and we work with agencies such as the CHP in response to incidents such as this,” Winters said.

While he’s received threats before, Wiener, a San Francisco Democrat, said this one was different.

“It’s scary, and definitely a first,” Wiener told the San Francisco Chronicle Sunday afternoon. “I couldn’t go home for a few hours until the bombsniffing dogs left.”

Wiener told the B.A.R. that incidents like this happen because of his work on behalf of LGBTQ people.

“I’ve been getting death threats for years as a result of our work to advance the civil rights of LGBTQ people and people living with HIV,” Wiener wrote in an email. “I’m not going to stop doing that work no matter what threats people make. This is just another example of the growing attacks we’re seeing on LGBTQ people around the country – including this past weekend in Idaho and San Lorenzo. These attacks are a direct result of the hateful,

anti-LGBTQ political rhetoric coming from right-wing politicians and activists. Words have consequences.”

The day before, in Idaho, police officers arrested 31 people who are believed to be affiliated with the white nationalist group Patriot Front, after they were seen gathering near a Pride parade in the northern city of Coeur d’Alene, CNN reported.

The group was armed with “shields, shin guards and other riot gear with them,” along with papers “similar to an operations plan that a police or military group would put together for an event,” CNN continued.

The arrests were for conspiracy to riot, which is a misdemeanor. The suspects came from 11 different states.

Also on Saturday in the Alameda County city of San Lorenzo, five alleged members of the right-wing extremist group Proud Boys interrupted a drag queen story hour in the local library, which was being hosted by drag queen Panda Dulce. The intruders

called Dulce a pedophile among other slurs, and “totally freaked out the kids,” she posted on her Instagram account.

There were no arrests made in that incident although the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office is investigating.

In May, San Francisco-based queer youth organization LYRIC received the second of two bomb threats made against the group in less than a month. That threat was delivered via telephone, and consisted of a recording of a man quoting Leviticus 18:22, the notorious biblical passage that states, “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.” The line is typically quoted by fundamentalist Christians as a warning to LGBTQ people. A second call followed afterward, with a man’s voice stating, “This time it’s for real. You all are going to burn.” That was followed with 15-20 hang up calls.

Staff and youth evacuated the building while police searched the facility. No bombs were found. t

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Small cabins like these at 33 Gough Street could be expanded under a proposed ordinance by San Francisco Supervisor Rafael Mandelman

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<< Open Forum

4 • Bay Area Reporter • June 16-22, 2022

Volume 52, Number 24 June 16-22, 2022 www.ebar.com

PUBLISHER Michael M. Yamashita Thomas E. Horn, Publisher Emeritus (2013) Publisher (2003 – 2013) Bob Ross, Founder (1971 – 2003) NEWS EDITOR Cynthia Laird ARTS & NIGHTLIFE EDITOR Jim Provenzano ASSISTANT EDITORS Matthew S. Bajko • Eric Burkett CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Tavo Amador • Christopher J. Beale Brian Bromberger • Victoria A. Brownworth Philip Campbell • Heather Cassell Adam Echelman •John Ferrannini Michael Flanagan •Jim Gladstone Liz Highleyman • Brandon Judell • Lisa Keen Matthew Kennedy • David Lamble David-Elijah Nahmod • Paul Parish Tim Pfaff • Jim Piechota • Gregg Shapiro Gwendolyn Smith • Charlie Wagner Ed Walsh • Cornelius Washington • Sura Wood

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A national PrEP plan is needed T

he Federal AIDS Policy Project Coalition and Prep4All have sent a letter, signed by 100 organizations, urging the House and Senate appropriations committees to approve $400 million to fund a national PrEP program within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While this is far short of the $9.8 billion over 10 years that President Joe Biden called for in the Fiscal Year 2023 budget, it’s a meaningful start and something that HIV/AIDS advocates believe can be accomplished this year.

A markup in Congress is scheduled for June 23, and we urge the appropriations committees to approve this funding allocation.

Carl Schmid, executive director of the HIV and Hepatitis Policy Initiative in Washington, D.C., told us that a national PrEP program would lessen disparities among Black and Brown people that have been ongoing since the advent of PrEP nearly 10 years ago. As most readers know, PrEP, when taken as prescribed, is extremely effective in preventing HIV transmission. It’s now available as both a daily oral pill as well as a longer-acting injectable. “Expanding PrEP use is essential in our nation’s work to end the HIV epidemic,” the letter states.

The funding would allow the CDC’s Division of HIV Prevention to provide grants to health clinics and other centers for the purchase of medications, cover costs of labs, and fund essential support services such as counseling, linkage, and adherence service, the letter stated.

Schmid said that funding to cover lab services and to ramp up participating doctors is critical in part because not all of the organizations are community health centers.

There’s another thing this funding would help address just by getting more people on PrEP: stigma.

“There’s still so much stigma,” Schmid explained, “especially in the South.”

The topic of stigma was front and center at the moving exhibit of the AIDS Memorial Quilt in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park last weekend. As we reported this week, several speakers talked about the quilt as a valuable educational tool that helps reduce stigma by being able to talk openly about the disease and how it has affected people. Seeing the names of thousands of people who have died of the disease is a major reason the quilt exists – not only so that people won’t be forgotten but also that others can become aware

Cynthia Laird

People walk along pathways as they look at the AIDS Memorial Quilt in Golden Gate Park June 11.

of the many HIV services and treatments that are now available despite the lack of a cure or vaccine. People across the country, whether they are LGBTQ, same-gender-loving, or straight allies, have all been affected by HIV/ AIDS over the last 41 years. To reduce stigma, we must not be afraid to talk about the disease and we must encourage people to get tested and get on treatment if they test positive. For HIV-negative people, however, PrEP is a major breakthrough that can save many lives.

For the national PrEP plan, Schmid said the CDC is in the best position to swiftly provide the grants, particularly in underserved parts of the country. According to the Federal AIDS Policy Project Coalition and PrEP4All, it’s estimated that only 25% of people who could benefit from PrEP have received a prescription. “PrEP use is highest among white people, at 66% of those who could benefit from receiving PrEP, yet only 9% of Black people and 16% of Hispanic/Latino people who could benefit from PrEP in the United States,” the letter stated, referring to CDC data. Schmid said that a category of “other,” at 9.3%, includes Native Americans and Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. There isn’t a breakdown for transgender people.

Schmid said the coalition has been pushing for a national PrEP program because there isn’t anything on the prevention side like the federal Ryan White CARE Act that gives

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grants to various jurisdictions in the U.S. to provide services to people living with HIV/ AIDS. “We came to the realization that we’re not going to get $9.8 billion,” Schmid said, pointing out that under the federal budgeting process known as mandating a similar cut to some other program will be required, which will not happen this year. “We’ve said that this year we all agreed on the appropriations proposal to go through the CDC,” he added. Because this $400 million would be discretionary spending, there would not be cuts required under the mandating process.

Both the National HIV/AIDS Strategy and the federal Ending the HIV Epidemic Initiative rely on PrEP expansion as a key element for ending the HIV epidemic by 2030, as does San Francisco’s Getting to Zero and similar programs in other cities.

Schmid praised Congressmember Barbara Lee (D-Oakland), who is one of the main proponents of the national PrEP plan the coalition is advocating for. Vice President Kamala Harris had carried a PrEP bill when she was the junior senator from California, Schmid said. Now, Senator Tina Smith (D-Minnesota) has taken it over, he said. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), who has done so much for HIV/AIDS over her tenure, should get on board with this request.

We’d like to see the appropriations committees advance this $400 million funding request. It’s long past time to develop a seamless process so that anyone who needs PrEP can easily get it.t

Substance abuse, suicide on rise in CA

by Marcel Gemme

Bay Area Reporter

t

ubstance use disorder and suicide are on the rise in California. We often see the two mental health issues co-occurring, each with potentially deadly outcomes. The link between substance abuse and suicide hasn’t always been known and still isn’t completely understood. But we can now say with certainty that substance misuse significantly increases the risk of suicide.

It is not hard to imagine why this connection exists. People who become addicted to drugs often see no way out and become desperate. Similarly, people who are suicidal may use substances to self-medicate or even to commit the act and intentionally overdose.

Other evidence also makes this connection obvious. When we examine alcohol, we find that 22% of deaths by suicide in the U.S. involve alcohol intoxication. And opioids, the drug responsible for the current epidemic, are involved in at least 20% of American suicide deaths.

California traditionally has a low annual rate of suicide deaths. But with the drug epidemic growing feverishly amid the COVID-19 pandemic, things began to change.

Fentanyl, (https://www.theguardian.com/usnews/2021/jun/14/us-opioid-crisis-californiafentanyl-deaths) the deadly synthetic opioid making headlines across the country, has begun showing up more and more in California, including San Francisco.

And with this wave of opioid addiction has come higher rates of mental health issues, suicide, and drug overdoses.

California saw more than 10,000 reported drug overdose

Courtesy Addicted.org

Marcel Gemme

deaths from 2020 to 2021. That’s more than an 18% jump from the previous year, when totals were already elevated. This spike was linked to the stress and isolation of the COVID pandemic and its effect on our day-to-day lives.

The stress of the pandemic led many people to self-medicate, often with addictive substances, to cope. Overdose rates skyrocketed nationally, leading to the deadliest year for addiction America has ever seen.

And while drug overdose rates were skyrocketing, so were rates of mental health issues. Physicians reported dramatic increases in emergency department visits for all mental health emergencies, including suspected suicide attempts. And these increases were in addition to already unprecedented rates from before the pandemic.

For example, between 2018 and 2019, 4.5% of adults in California reported having serious thoughts of suicide within the previous year.

Also, more than 15% of adolescents in California reported experiencing a major depressive episode the year before the pandemic began, which was more than twice that rate of adults in the state at that time. And we know that since then, things have not improved.

Furthermore, these public health problems significantly impact California’s LGBTQ community, representing close to 5% of the state’s population.

Statistically, LGBTQ individuals often enter treatment with more severe substance use disorders. In addition, suicide rates are two to six times higher. According to the Trevor Project, a West Hollywood-based nonprofit that works with LGBTQ young people, LGBTQ and questioning students are more than four times as likely to attempt suicide compared to their straight and cisgender peers.

One of the reasons alcohol and drug abuse significantly affects suicide rates, as reported

by Addicted.org, (https://www.addicted.org/) is its effect on the mind. Drug use changes how the brain functions and reduces inhibitions, making people more prone to behave impulsively or emotionally. For example, acute alcohol intoxication is present in about 30%-40% of suicide attempts. Completed suicides have been found in 7% to 8% of people with alcohol use disorder, with rates seven to 20 times higher than in the general population.

According to the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration within the Department of Health and Human Services, while multiple factors influence suicidal behaviors, substance use is a significant See page 9 >>

t

Politics >>

June 16-22, 2022 • Bay Area Reporter • 5

Out candidates vying for three SF supervisor seats

by Matthew S. Bajko

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415.356.2260 kirk@yankeeclippertravel.com Dorsey, Jane Philomen Cleland; Mandelman, Mahogany, Engardio courtesy the candidates

Supervisors Rafael Mandelman, left, is seeking reelection, while Supervisor Matt Dorsey will face voters for the first time and is challenged by Honey Mahogany. New District 4 resident Joel Engardio is trying for the fourth time to be elected supervisor.

by its print deadline Wednesday. A William Jackson also qualified for the race, though the city’s elections department page for candidates didn’t list any contact info for him.

Mandelman told the B.A.R. he isn’t familiar with Stoia but looked forward to learning more about her as they campaign for the seat representing the city’s LGBTQ Castro district and Noe Valley, Glen Park, Diamond Heights, Duboce Triangle, Twin Peaks, and Cole Valley neighborhoods.

“I don’t know much about her but I look forward to learning more and I’m happy for the opportunity to spend some time over the next few months to talk about the work I have been doing and hope to continue,” texted Mandelman.

Due to his appointment last month as the new District 6 supervisor, Matt Dorsey doubled gay representation on the board. Dorsey, the second known supervisor to be living with HIV, is now seeking a full four-year term in November representing South of Market, Treasure Island, and Mission Bay. See page 8 >>

Letters >> Sick of cops treated as the enemy

On Saturday, June 11, authorities in Idaho arrested 31 alleged white nationalists who were reportedly planning a riot near a Coeur D’Alene Pride event. The police chief said they received a complaint from a local resident and stopped a U-Haul truck 10 minutes later that was filled with men. Police recovered at least one smoke grenade and an “operations plan” as well as shields and shin guards, all of which made their intentions clear. “They came to riot downtown,” said the chief.

I’m glad these hateful disgusting jerks were arrested.

However, I also think it is important to remind all of those San Franciscans it should not be a progressive value to “hate” and “fear” cops. For example, we just went through a controversy (https://www.ebar.com/news/ news/316123) over whether San Francisco Police Department personnel would be allowed to march in uniform in the San Francisco Pride parade. Those progressives should recognize that the cops also protect gays and lesbians. I’m sick of cops being treated like the enemy.

Joe Barrett Oakland, California

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Did You Overspend During the Holidays?

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T

hree of the five races in November for even-numbered seats on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors have drawn well-known LGBTQ community leaders. Should out candidates be victorious in all of them then the city will see the largest number of LGBTQ supervisors in a decade.

In 2012, two gay men and the city’s first bisexual supervisor served on the board that year. But Christina Olague, who had been appointed to fill a vacancy, lost her bid that fall for a full term as the District 5 supervisor.

After David Campos termed off the board at the start of 2017, a trio of gay men representing District 8 maintained out leadership on the board. The current incumbent, Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, is seeking reelection this year.

Lawyer Kate Stoia, who lives in Noe Valley, also qualified for the contest on the November 8 ballot.

The mother of a public high school student impacted by the school closures due to COVID, Stoia was among the many parents who decried how long it took for the public schools to reopen.

She did not return the Bay Area Reporter’s request for comment

Did You Overspend During the Holidays?

Thank you to everyone who participated in the 27th annual pink triangle, which now sparkles day and night for all of Pride Month. It is a highly visible yet mute reminder of inhumanity. Volunteers are needed to help take the display down at noon Friday, July 1, and Saturday, July 2, and will receive a pink triangle T-shirt.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the June 1 ceremony. These include House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco); San Francisco Mayor London Breed, who spoke and then pushed the pink triangular button to light the display; 40-time “Jeopardy!” champion Amy Schneider, a trans woman who told the history of the pink triangle and a bit of her story; and Ukraine Consul General Dmytro Kushneruk, who told the plight of LGBTQs living within Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine.

Donna Sachet and Sister Roma added wit, sparkle and humor. Political and community leaders who were there included gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco); San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu; and gay Supervisors Rafael Mandelman (District 8) and Matt Dorsey (D6). Thanks to SF Pride board President Carolyn Wysinger and interim Executive Director Suzanne Ford for speaking and introducing the grand marshals in attendance. Thank you to Mike Wong and the San Francisco Lesbian/ Gay Freedom Band (the city’s official marching band) for performing along with the spectacular musical theater star Leanne Borghesi, who dazzled the attendees.

Thanks to Ben Davis, founder and CEO of the nonprofit Illuminate; Patricia Suflita Wilson, who produced the pink LED torch procession; David Hatfield for his many efforts; and Tony Mann and crew for installing, running, and maintaining the lighting.

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Burning Man’s Velvet Cabal, a collection of LGBTQ camps at the desert event, helped with engineering, inCall 415.829.8937 cluding Ollie Newth, Josh Kehl, and James Ward. Thank you to Neal Strickberger for the giant Klieg searchlights advertising@ebar.com that panned the sky over San Francisco after the ceremony and for the after-party with Burning Man DJs atop Twin Peaks.

There were over 130 volunteers who helped install the 1.8 miles of sparkling pink streamers and the pink sailcloth outline, set up the ceremony staging and decor, and those who protect the display as site ambassadors. Thank you to Robin Abad Ocubillo for the volunteer sign-up web portal. Thank you to longtime volunteer Debra Walker, Bill Wilson, and Garaje Gooch for the amazing photos, and Doug Smith and Nick Schiarizzi for the videography. Thank you to my husband, Hossein Carney, and my sisters Colleen Hodgkins and Shannon Gorden – I couldn’t still be producing this project for the 27th time without those three.

For the torch procession, thanks to the Dykes on Bikes, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, and Cheer SF for participating. Thank you to all of the 50 torchbearers who carried the message of the pink triangle from Mayor Libby Schaaf at Oakland City Hall to Breed and Pelosi atop Twin Peaks. Thanks to Sri Guttikonda and Josh Zubikoff of the Looking Up Arts Foundation who designed and made the torches.

When you plan your life celebration and lasting remembrance in All of this costs money, so thank you to fiscal sponadvance, you can design every detail of your own unique memorial sors Illuminate, SF Pride, the Bob Ross Foundation (via and provide your loved ones with true peace of mind. Planning ahead When your celebration lasting Thomas E. Horn for the T-shirts), the Sisters, Hodgkins protectsyou your plan loved ones fromlife unnecessary stress and and financial burden, Jewelers, Brian Gerritsen, and Eye Gotcha Optometric’s When you remembrance plan your celebration and lasting in allowing themlife to focus what will matter at design that remembrance time—you. in on advance, youmost can every Gregg Higushi. Thank you to Wells Fargo for contributadvance, you canofdesign every detail of your ownand unique memorial detail own memorial provide Contact usyour today about theunique beautiful ways to create a lasting legacy ing to SF Pride. atyour theloved San Francisco Columbarium. and provide loved ones with true peace mind.

Planning ahead Thanks to Pelosi’s staff Dan Bernal, Selina Sun, Kory your ones with true peace ofof mind.

Planning Powell-McCoy, Joy Lee, and many more from her SF protects and your loved ones from unnecessary stress and financial ahead protectsProudly yourserving loved onesCommunity. from unnecessary burden, the LGBT D.C. offices and, of course, the U.S. Capitol Police. allowing them focus on whatburden, will matter most them at thattotime—you. stresstoand financial allowing Thank you to the San Francisco mayor’s office, including Martha Cohen for lighting City Hall in pink June 1 focus on what will matter most at that time—you. and 30. Thank you to Mandelman’s office staff andContact the us today about the beautiful ways to create a lasting legacy Department of Real Estate for their ongoing support; SF at the San Contact FranciscousColumbarium. today about the beautiful ways to create Public Works for clearing the hillside of poison oak; Jimmer Cassiol for directing graffiti removal; Rec and Park a lasting legacy at the San Francisco Columbarium. rangers, and San Francisco Police Department officers at One Loraine Ct. | San Francisco | 415-771-0717 Proudly serving our Community.

Park Station for watching over the display. Thank you to SanFranciscoColumbarium.com Katie Hickox for establishing the pink triangle website Proudly serving the LGBT Community.

FD 1306 / COA 660 (https://www.thepinktriangle.com/) in 1999 and keeping it up, even after moving to England.

The pink triangle is a reminder and warning of what can happen when hatred and bigotry become law. It is there each year as a giant inyour-face educational tool to teach where discrimination can lead and commemorates one of the darkest chapters in human history, the Holocaust.

PlanningAhead Ahead isisSimple Planning Simple The benefits are immense.

Planning Ahead is Simple The benefits are immense.

The benefits are immense.

Patrick Carney, Co-Founder The Pink Triangle San Francisco

One Loraine Ct. | San Francisco | 415-771-0717

SanFranciscoColumbarium.com FD 1306 / COA 660

<< Commentary

6 • Bay Area Reporter • June 16-22, 2022

Predators, prey, and Pride

by Gwendolyn Ann Smith

S

purred on by a Twitter account known for its provocative nature, @libsoftiktok, a cadre of alleged Proud Boys members stormed into the San Lorenzo library in the East Bay June 11. Their target was a “Drag Queen Story Hour” event hosted by local drag artist Panda Dulce.

About 10 or so of the group marched in, calling the host and others homophobic and transphobic slurs. One of the men was reported by KRON 4 as wearing a T-shirt showing an assault rifle with the slogan, “Kill Your Local Pedophile.”

Dulce was escorted away by security, and local sheriff’s deputies deescalated the situation.

The harassment in San Lorenzo, plus the arrest the same day of 31 alleged members of the white nationalist group Patriot Front in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho intent on reportedly starting a riot at the city’s Pride event, point to a new, more violent anti-LGBTQ movement in the United States.

While a clear escalation, it is also very much in line with the rise in “Don’t Say Gay” laws, aimed at squelching lessons on LGBTQ history in public schools, as well as the countless attacks on transgender people in 2022.

The actions are probably best typified by the words of another who was present in Coeur d’Alene and part of

Christine Smith

a separate protest of the Pride event.

“The drag queen thing, they’re preying on our children and that’s my target,” said Tom Meyer, who was reported by Idaho Statesman as being part of a group holding signs and singing hymns as a counter protest against the Pride event. “What they’re doing is they are grooming children for pedophilia, in my belief.”

These events fit a pattern that has been growing for months, of equating LGBTQ people – particularly transgender people and drag queens – as being “groomers” preying on young children. The whole notion seems to tie back into 1970s-era false notions of recruitment of – and sexual activity with – children by LGBTQ people.

I have recently been reading the latest book by Julia Serano, who is probably best known for her treatise on sexism and femininity, “Whipping

Girl.” Her latest, “Sexed Up,” is an even deeper dive, focusing on how society portrays sexuality.

One of the key points she covers is a view of sex as “predator” versus “prey.”

Allow me to quote Serano: “While our existence imposes no harm upon others, many people nevertheless view and treat LGBTQIA+ people as though we constitute a threat. What we threaten, in their minds, is the notion of perfect ‘opposite sexes’ and the sanctity of the Predator/Prey script.”

I’ve also discussed several times – in this very column – about people who are not trans being unable to quite understand why someone would transition, and who tend to assume it’s being done for either a deceptive purpose, or for a fetishistic one. This is where the “every bad person dresses as the opposite sex to land a job” movie trope comes from. It’s also where the belief that trans people are out to “trick” someone into having sex with them manifests.

This also sounds a lot like what the aforementioned Meyer is alluding to.

If you view sex as having a predator and their prey, and if you think that LGBTQ people are inherently sexual and deceptive, then you will assume us interacting with, well anyone, is set-

ting up that predator/prey dichotomy.

I mentioned that these recent developments are an escalation of months of actions. We’ve seen LGBTQ and, in particular, transgender people being treated as groomers, usually contorting the term far from its initial meanings, which have to do with child exploitation and sex trafficking. It’s not just drag queens reading stories to kids at the library that are being cast as somehow pedophilic - even providing access to support and resources for young, largely trans masculine people is being treated as “grooming.” This is where Texas’ attempts to treat parents who support their trans children as abusers come from, as well as other states’ moves to criminalize trans-affirming medical care.

I think this is going to get worse, too.

We’ve seen these moves against transgender people and others ramp up at light speed this year, and every move begets a bigger one.

With protests against drag queen story hours as well as attempts to bar children access to even kid-friendly drag shows, there is a clear path to criminalize any trans presentation in public.

Anti-LGBTQ factions do not rec-

t

ognize a single point of light between drag presentation and trans people, and if you can’t understand how they’ll turn this into preventing trans people from having custody of their own kids, as well as being in places where children may be present, then you’re not seeing the big picture.

Their goal is the eradication of LGBTQ people as a whole, and they will use any avenue to do so. If they can whip up a 1970s Anita Bryant-era “gays recruit” frenzy to foment violence against us, they’ll apparently be happy to do so.

That these actions in Coeur d’Alene and San Lorenzo occurred on the day before the sixth anniversary of the Pulse nightclub massacre in Orlando, Florida should remind us all how fragile our community is right now.

What’s next is going to be up to us. This Pride Month, we need to be more vigilant than ever, because complacency is not going to serve us – not with those standing against us so willing to resort to violence.

We need to stand together, arm in arm, and let them know that we will not stand for it. We are not predators, nor will we be their prey. t Gwen Smith highly recommends “Sexed Up” by Julia Serano. You’ll find her at www.gwensmith.com

Clayton to hold inaugural Pride parade compiled by Cynthia Laird

C

layton, a small town in the heart of Contra Costa County, will hold its inaugural Pride parade Saturday, June 25, starting at 10 a.m. on Main Street.

The event will be hosted by Clayton Pride and emceed by former mayor C.W. Wolfe.

Founded in 1857, the city of Clayton is the East Bay county’s best-kept secret, a news release stated. Nestled at the base of Mt. Diablo, Clayton is a great place to work, live, and play for those who like small-town living, officials stated. Money magazine recently recognized the city as “one of the 100 best places to live in the U.S.,” the release noted.

Several local businesses are sponsoring the parade, including the Pioneer newspaper, Chick Boss, and Safe At Home Inspection Services. The Rainbow Community Center of Contra Costa County in Concord is also

a sponsor, according to the release.

The parade will feature live musical performances, drag queens, city and county leaders, and hundreds of other participants.

“Supporting the Clayton Pride parade is completely consistent with who we are as a city and our motto of ‘Do the Right Thing,’ which includes the pillar of inclusion,” Mayor Peter Cloven stated.

Vice Mayor Holly Tillman, an ally and the first Black woman elected to the City Council, is also excited for the event. “It’s important for LGBTQ+ youth and families to know they’re welcome in Clayton, and I’m proud to serve on the Clayton Pride committee embodying diversity,” she stated.

Clayton Pride is an organization that works to create a city where lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, and asexual plus people thrive as healthy and equal members of society, the release

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stated. It works to advocate for respect, equity, and justice, as well as to build a culturally rich community for LGBTQQIA+ people and allies.

“We are proud to support Clayton’s first Pride parade and especially of the incredible team of community members planning an engaging and affirming celebration for our community,” stated Kiku Johnson, a trans man of color who is executive director of the Rainbow Community Center.

Johnson noted that in-person Pride events have largely been on hiatus the last two years due to the COVID pandemic. “Visibility and representation matters,” he stated.

For more information on the parade, visit www.claytonpride.com/.

Castro cleanup planned

Ahead of Pride weekend, several groups have organized the Castro Pride Sweep Community Clean Up for Saturday, June 18, starting at 10 a.m.

“We hope to see you there as well as we put in the extra effort to get the Castro sparkling for Pride visitors,” organizers stated in a news release.

People should meet at Jane Warner Plaza at Castro, 17th, and Market streets. Participating groups include San Francisco Public Works, Duboce Triangle Neighborhood Association, Eureka Valley Neighborhood Association, the Castro/ Upper Market Community Benefit District, and the Castro Merchants Association.

Public works and the CBD will provide supplies. Anyone can participate. The areas of focus will be Castro Street, 18th Street, 19th Street, and Market Street from Castro Street to Church Street, the release stated. People can stay as long as they are able.

Volunteer registration and information is at https://bit.ly/3QhH4v6.

Pride marriages at SF City Hall

San Francisco city officials are opening up marriage ceremony appointments for Friday, June 24, the start of Pride weekend.

City Administrator Carmen Chu’s

Courtesy Terri Denslow

The Grove in Clayton features the Progress Pride flag near a sculpture.

office and the county clerk’s office have arranged for the additional ceremony slots, which are expected to fill quickly. A news release stated that this is the first time the clerk’s office has held a special Pride event since the start of the COVID pandemic more than two years ago. There will be photo booths and décor set up in the North Light Court for couples and their wedding parties to enjoy.

Couples will also receive souvenir Pride marriage certificates.

The clerk’s office played a role in the historic actions city government took in fighting for marriage equality, dating back to February 2004 when then-mayor Gavin Newsom ordered officials to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. While those were later voided by the California Supreme Court, same-sex marriage returned to the city for several months in 2008, prior to the passage of Proposition 8, the statewide marriage ban. A federal trial in 2010 determined Prop 8 was unconstitutional and the U.S. Supreme Court in 2013 confirmed that decision, paving the way for the return of same-sex marriage in the Golden State two years before the justices legalized it nationwide in 2015’s Obergefell v. Hodges decision.

Reservations for the special Pride marriage ceremonies can be made

at https://bit.ly/2WkxDP7. New appointments for June 24 will become available Friday, June 17, at 10 a.m. The fee for a marriage ceremony is $95.

For general information and complete requirements for marriage ceremonies, go to https://bit.ly/3NQTus5 or call 311.

SFO experiential series launches Pride-themed activation

San Francisco International Airport has launched “SFO Celebrates: Pride,” the latest activation of its “SFO Celebrates” program, an experiential series that brings the city’s neighborhoods and cultural events directly to airport guests. This month, the series brings the energy of San Francisco’s Castro Street neighborhood and Pride celebration to airport travelers, complete with a life-sized replica of the famous Castro Theatre marquee sign for photos, and entertainers including BeBe Sweetbriar, an award-winning San Francisco drag chanteuse.

Timed to celebrate LGBTQ Pride Month, “SFO Celebrates: Pride” will take place in the post-security area of Harvey Milk Terminal 1, with live entertainment from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays. Travelers can snap photos with the iconic Castro Theatre backdrop, enjoy live music, meet the Wag Brigade team of certified stress relief animals, and more.

See page 11 >>

t

Community News>>

June 16-22, 2022 • Bay Area Reporter • 7

Chalk art protest recalls SF’s ‘Karen’ incident

by Eric Burkett

J

ames Juanillo, surrounded by boxes of chalk and standing on the chalk outline of a large calendar drawn on the sidewalk beneath him June 9, is hanging around outside the large Victorian he shares with several friends. Juanillo is throwing a chalk art protest, a notably more chill event than had occurred there before, two years ago to the day.

Neighbors in the Pacific Heights neighborhood where Juanillo lives had been stopping by throughout the afternoon, helping him fill in the days of the calendar with chalkdrawn pictures of hearts, flowers, messages of love, and a reminder to passersby to vote in November. The low-key protest was a commemoration of the day Juanillo had his first encounter with one of the more vexing trends sweeping the country.

Juanillo, people may remember, attracted the ire of a neighborhood “Karen,” that salty breed of concerned white citizen committed to interfering with the activities of people of color, no matter what they might be doing. In Juanillo’s case, it was writing – in chalk – “Black Lives Matter” on the low, black retaining wall along the sidewalk bordering the property of the house where he lives. Juanillo, a gay Gen-X Filipino American, caught the whole incident on video. This was only a couple of weeks after police in Minneapolis murdered George Floyd, a Black man they had in custody after he allegedly passed a counterfeit $20 bill.

Needless to say, the video went viral.

The video captured Lisa Alexander, who lived nearby, and her partner, Robert Larkins, on June 9, 2020, questioning Juanillo about his actions, implying he didn’t belong there by telling him at one point, “We actually do know the person who lives here.” By that time, Juanillo had lived in the house for 18 years, he told the Bay Area Reporter.

At Juanillo’s encouragement, Alexander called the cops who, a little later, drove by and, recognizing Juanillo, waved hello and drove on. They never even got out of their vehicle, Juanillo said.

The incident, the video of which eventually drew millions of viewers, proved profoundly embarrassing for both Alexander and Larkins, who lost his job with investment firm Raymond James as a result.

Other companies cut ties with LaFace, the beauty product company of which Alexander was CEO (Alexander took the company’s web and social media presence down shortly afterward). Juanillo, on the other hand, was interviewed by numerous news outlets, and even ended up doing a guest appearance on the talk show “Dr. Phil.”

Alexander issued an apology through CBS News a short time later.

“I want to apologize directly to Mr. Juanillo,” Alexander wrote.

“There are not enough words to describe how truly sorry I am for being disrespectful to him last Tuesday when I made the decision to question him about what he was doing in front of his home. I should have minded my own business. The last 48 hours has taught me that my actions were those of someone who is not aware of the damage caused by being ignorant and naive to racial inequalities.

“When I watch the video I am shocked and sad that I behaved the way I did,” she continued. “It was disrespectful to Mr. Juanillo and I am deeply sorry for that. I did not realize at the time that my actions were racist and have learned a painful lesson. I am taking a hard look at the meaning behind white privilege

Eric Burkett

James Juanillo, right, and his friend James Gosnell stood on the sidewalk where Juanillo hosted a chalk art protest in Pacific Heights June 9.

and am committed to growing from this experience.”

The B.A.R. was unable to reach Alexander, and Larkins did not respond to a request for comment.

Flash forward two years and Juanillo, who said that moment on the sidewalk in front of his house “absolutely” changed his life, marked the anniversary with a chalk art protest.

“I mean, like do I regret that day?

Not at all,” he told the B.A.R. “All right, it changed my life. And in so many positive ways that that out-

Eric Burkett

A message drawn in chalk on the sidewalk by James Juanillo’s neighbors in Pacific Heights June 9.

weighed the unexpected sacrifice of what I considered a really welloiled life. You know, before that actually happened, my life was on autopilot.”

Juanillo, though born in the Philippines, grew up in San Francisco.

He came out in San Francisco. Happily married with plenty of friends and family, and running a successful dog-walking business, Juanillo said he hadn’t realized – until that moment with Alexander – “how fragile that privilege was and how easily it could be questioned.”

Suddenly, he realized he was in a position to see both sides of the fence, he said, “to be that ground person between the black and the white of America. That I was in a unique position to bridge a gap, the racial divide, even.”

That event also inspired the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to later that year pass the Caution Against Racial and Exploitative

Non-Emergencies Act – or CAREN – which criminalized making phone calls to 911 of the sort Larkins and Alexander made to police when they confronted Juanillo, and gives victims the right to sue their harassers. The legislation passed unanimously.

Juanillo marvels at the fact that people are still reacting to the video.

“It still angers people,” he said.

“It’s an experience that people are going through, these microaggressions that are hard to capture on video tape but that people of color are experiencing multiple times a day in all the arenas of their lives.”

The experience hasn’t left him embittered or resentful. It was, he said, a reminder that while we’re all capable of being bullies, we’re also all capable of being benefactors.

“And so I believe that choice, if Americans are made aware that that is the choice we are making, that Americans want to be good, that we want to be a better nation than we really are and that we might need kind and gentle reminders from our neighbors. That that’s not only possible but that it should be traditional. Right?”t

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<< Obituaries

8 • Bay Area Reporter • June 16-22, 2022

Gina Moscone, widow of slain SF mayor, dies

by Cynthia Laird

G

ina Moscone, the widow of slain San Francisco mayor George Moscone, has died, according to Governor Gavin Newsom’s office. She was 91.

Ms. Moscone died of cancer.

It was November 27, 1978 that disgruntled ex-supervisor Dan White assassinated Moscone and gay supervisor Harvey Milk in their City Hall offices.

In later years, Ms. Moscone sometimes attended the annual candlelight vigil for Milk and Moscone that the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club organized.

Newsom, a former mayor and supervisor in San Francisco, issued a statement June 7 on Ms. Moscone’s passing.

“Jennifer and I are saddened to hear of the passing of Gina Moscone.

San Francisco will long remember her as a charming, gracious first lady and a trustee on the War Memorial Board, a person who gave so much to the city she grew up in and loved so much,” Newsom stated. “Those who knew her will also remember her as a loving

<<

Political Notebook

From page 5

As the B.A.R. has previously reported, challenging him are two Black transgender leaders. Longtime Tenderloin resident Ms. Billie Cooper moved last fall into the same housing complex where Dorsey lives after a water leak damaged her former apartment.

Queer San Francisco Democratic Party Chair Honey Mahogany, who had served as chief of staff for former District 6 supervisor Matt Haney, now a state assemblymember, is also vying to become the first Black transgender supervisor in California. She would also be the first nonbinary and first drag queen supervisor to serve in San Francisco.

Cynthia Laird

War Memorial Trustees Gina Moscone, center, and Thomas E. Horn, right, congratulated incoming War Memorial managing director John Caldon, left, after he was unanimously appointed to the position on May 9, 2019.

mother who doted on her children, all while remaining a fixture in civic life in San Francisco even after the passing of her beloved husband, George. Our

hearts are with the Moscone family today as they grieve their mother.”

Ms. Moscone served for many years on the War Memorial Board, which

Also running for the District 6 seat is Black labor leader Cherelle Jackson, who co-chairs the Service Employees International Union Local 1021 Workers with Disabilities Committee.

Competing against District 4 Supervisor Gordon Mar, who is seeking a second term, is gay former journalist Joel Engardio. This is Engardio’s fourth bid to join the board, as he previously had mounted unsuccessful campaigns to be elected the District 7 supervisor.

“I am following in the footsteps of Harvey Milk; fourth time is the charm,” said Engardio, referring to the fact that it took the late gay supervisor Milk four tries in the 1970s to become the first gay person elected to office in San Francisco and California.

(Milk ran once for state Assembly and three times for supervisor.)

Due to the redistricting process this year, Engardio found his residence in the Lakeside district near Stern Grove moved out of the West of Twin Peaks district and into Mar’s predominately Sunset-based district. Over the weekend he announced that gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) had endorsed him in the race.

“I am making lemonade out of lemons,” Engardio told the B.A.R. this week. “I was kicked out of my beloved District 7. Life is strange.”

Engardio leads the group Stop Crime SF, which helped mobilize against the wave of anti-Asian attacks in recent years, and was involved in the successful recall campaigns against three of the city’s school board members and District Attorney Chesa Boudin. Engardio is married to Lionel Hsu, who emigrated from Taiwan and is a software engineer.

Also running against Mar is Leanna Louie, who co-founded the United Peace Collaborative in March 2020 to help clean up and safely patrol the city’s Chinatown.

For nearly five years she had coowned and managed the Mission district restaurant Melody Cafe.

Like Engardio, Louie was a vocal backer of recalling Boudin and helped defeat the ballot measure aimed at making it harder to recall the city’s elected officials. They are both expected to campaign on the fact that Mar didn’t support either of the recalls this year while strong majorities of voters in his district backed both.

Mar last Friday, June 10, filed for reelection at City Hall surrounded by his family, Chinese community leaders, and Sunset neighborhood leaders. He is touting his support during his first term of the district’s first two affordable housing projects aimed at teachers and working families, as well as a safety plan for the Sunset.

“I officially filed for reelection to-

WILLIAM ALAN STERN January 17, 1957 – April 4, 2022

William Alan Stern, age 65, passed peacefully on April 4, 2022, in his San Francisco home.

Born on January 17th, 1957, Bill was raised in Bolton, CT. He attended Bolton High School and went on to the University of Connecticut and studied abroad at the University of Paris, Sorbonne, France. He received his master’s degree in the History of Art and Architecture from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He then spent two summer terms at Trinity College, Oxford, England, and later went on to receive his Ph.D. in Art History at the University of California, Santa Barbara. While attending classes there, he taught undergraduate courses in Art History, served a two-year term as Graduate Student President and founded and edited a publication titled Thresholds: Viewing Culture. After successfully completing his education, he moved to San Francisco.

Throughout his life, Bill adored theater, poetry, literature, fine art, films and photography. He was an accomplished pianist and guitarist.

Bill always had a guitar close at hand and was still writing and recording new songs until his passing. He also loved exploring new places and cultures and traveled extensively.

Bill received his certification in Swedish & Deep tissue massage in order to support many others in the HIV+ and AIDS community with restorative touch. In 2000, his compassion and drive for giving back compelled him to found his own non-profit organization, Positive Being. This is an inspiring organization whose primary goal is to bring together the power of touch, empathy and community through massage, retreats and educational workshops.

Bill was preceded in death by his father, William Frederick, and is survived by his mother, Victoria, brother, Timothy and wife Barbara, his sister Allison and husband Michael, nephew Nick and his partner Lani, nephew Dan and his wife Brittney, as well as beloved aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.

In lieu of flowers, we are asking anyone who would like to donate to please give to either Positive Being or Shanti Project https://positivebeingsf.org/pages/donor.html https://www.shanti.org/donate/

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oversees the management of the War Memorial Opera House, the War Memorial Veterans Building, Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall, and other nearby landmarks. Thomas E. Horn, a gay man and former publisher of the Bay Area Reporter who serves on the board, said he would miss his good friend.

“Gina was a dear friend for more than 40 years,” Horn wrote in an email. “We would go to the opera or ballet and then go to the gay bars on Polk Street. She was full of life. Always happy. Ever vivacious. I will miss her dearly, both as a War Memorial colleague and a best friend.”

Gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) paid tribute to Ms. Moscone on Twitter.

“Gina Moscone was a great San Franciscan & fantastic human being,” Wiener wrote. “Her passing is a major loss for our community. Rest In Peace, Mrs. Moscone.”

Senator Dianne Feinstein (DCalifornia) issued a statement June 8 mourning the loss of her friend.

“I was so saddened to hear of Gina Moscone’s passing. Gina persevered through so much heartbreak with the assassination of her beloved husband and the turmoil that riled her hometown,” Feinstein stated.

“As a first lady of San Francisco, Gina dedicated herself to the city, serving for more than four decades as a trustee on the War Memorial Board.

I often would join Gina for lunch and talk about the city both of us grew up in, and she was a fixture at former mayor events,” she continued.

“My heart goes out to Gina’s children and grandchildren. Please know that your mother was greatly loved and brightened so many lives,” Feinstein stated.

The Moscones had four children.

One of their sons, Jonathan, is a gay man whom Newsom recently appointed director of the California Arts Council, as the B.A.R. previously reported.

The other children are Rebecca, Jennifer, and Christopher. t

day with Cecilia, Lian and a beautiful group of friends and community activists,” noted Mar, referring to his wife and daughter, in an Instagram post. “Thanks to everyone who’s been on the journey with us over the past four years. Let’s do this!”

Also seeking reelection this year are District 2 Supervisor Catherine Stefani, who represents the Marina, and Board President Shamann Walton, who represents District 10 covering the Potrero, Dogpatch and Bayview neighborhoods. Both are expected to easily win their races come the fall, as no one filed to run against Stefani, while Walton is facing one opponent, Brain Sam Adam.

Stefani, meanwhile, is seen as a potential appointee to replace Boudin as DA. Mayor London Breed is expected to name her pick in July, and if she goes with Stefani, then she would also appoint her successor on the board.

Walton, in a recent email to his supporters, noted, “I ran for the Board of Supervisors because I wanted everyone to have a voice in City Hall, regardless of their status or privilege. I’m proud that over the last four years I took on tough issues and made a real impact in the lives of all San Franciscans.”

to a second four-year term.

Under the new redistricted boundaries adopted in March for the board’s nine seats, District 8 now has partial jurisdiction over BART’s Embarcadero, Montgomery Street, Powell Street, and Glen Park stations and full oversight of the Balboa Park station. It wraps around the city’s northern and western neighborhoods to cover North Beach; Chinatown; the Marina, Richmond and Sunset districts, Ingleside, and Balboa Park.

Joining Supervisors Stefani, Mar, Walton, Myrna Melgar (District 7), and Hillary Ronen (District 9) in early endorsing Li is District 5 Supervisor Dean Preston. Li unveiled a full list of endorsers on her campaign website Monday at www. janiceforbart.com/ She is hosting a campaign kickoff at 6 p.m. Monday, June 20, at the Richmond Republic Draught House located at 642 Clement Street in San Francisco.

Majority of SF supes back Li for BART board

A majority of the San Francisco supervisors is supporting BART board member Janice Li’s reelection to her District 8 seat in November. The first queer woman of color and the first Asian American woman on the regional transit agency’s board, Li is the only Asian member of one of the country’s three elected transit boards.

She officially kicked off her campaign Monday, June 13, as the B.A.R.’s online Political Notes column was first to report.

Currently serving as the oversight body’s vice president, Li is poised to become board president in 2023 should she win reelection

Alice club unveils Pride breakfast guests

After a two-year hiatus due to the COVID pandemic disrupting the city’s Pride festivities, the Alice B. Toklas LGBTQ Democratic Club is bringing back its breakfast fundraiser prior to the start of the Pride parade. This year’s event will be the club’s 25th Pride Breakfast.

Among this year’s invited speakers will be Tony Hoang, executive director of statewide LGBTQ advocacy organization Equality California, and Planned Parenthood California President Jodi Hicks. Gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) will be one of the keynote speakers for the first time.

“Senator Wiener was already on our short list for his body of legislative accomplishments for our community, but yesterday reminded us of all of this work for our community despite the relentless attacks and near-constant death See page 9 >>

Obituaries >> Douglas (Doug) Anderson 1955 – 2022

Douglas (Doug) Anderson (19552022) died peacefully June 1, 2022, a patient at Stanford University Medical Center, Palo Alto, while being followed by Palliative Care. Doug was one of the longestsurviving patients of the Positive Care Clinic there. Over the past few years he began suffering with ambulatory

issues, osteoarthritis, bone loss, and eventually could not walk and was confined to a wheelchair.

Doug was born in Minneapolis and, after graduating high school, attended St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. In 1977 he earned a double major in English literature and political science, graduating with honors.

He began his career working in the transportation, logistics and trucking industry. On vacation in 1996 in the Bay Area after brief stints in Moss Landing, California; Atlanta; and Iowa, Doug met his friend and partner, Tom, and never left. He enjoyed

conversing with friends, was very well-opinionated, and stood for social equality and freedom of thought and religion.

There will be a memorial service honoring Mr. Anderson Sunday, July 17, at 1 p.m. at Lutheran Church of the Cross, 1744 University Avenue in Berkeley. All friends and relatives are invited. Please e-mail Tom with questions or for last minute changes to: hazmatom@comcast.net All bereavement gifts should be donated to the Positive Care Clinic at Stanford University

Pride 2022 >>

t Woman launches queer arts festival in San Diego

June 16-22, 2022 • Bay Area Reporter • 9

by Heather Cassell

S

an Diego will see an inaugural queer arts festival this month. A queer San Francisco Bay Area native is the visionary behind the event.

Former Vallejo resident Desiree Cuizon, a 36-year-old Filipina woman, is co-director of the City in Motion’s Queer Mvmt Fest , scheduled for June 24-27.

The art festival will wrap up June’s Pride Month and kick off San Diego’s month of Pride events, said Cuizon, who is a lead artist with Disco Riot [LINK: https://discoriot. org/], the festival’s sponsor organization. San Diego Pride is July 9-17.

Cuizon and fellow Dance Riot lead artist Trystan Merrick, a queer nonbinary ballet dancer, are bringing more than 25 queer artists, many of whom are Black, Indigenous, and people of color, from New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego to perform and host educational classes at the four-day virtual and in-person festival that will feature dance performances, panel discussions, and workshops.

“These artists are boldly confronting their intersectionalities through their movement art and I am in awe,” said Cuizon, calling the artists “incredibly brave to perform, create, and be vulnerable” for their performances.

The Queer Mvmt Fest team also includes Disco Riot artistic director Zaquia Mahler Salinas, operations manager Gloria Lanuza, lighting supervisor Taylor Olson, and panel moderator Gibran Guido.

The event will, in addition, host a screening competition of films from around the world.

The film competition features different films, some of which will be seen at FilmOut, San Diego’s LGBTQ film festival held in the fall, Cuizon said. The Queer Mvmt Fes-

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Political Notebook

From page 8

threats, so Iowayna (Peña) and I made the decision to invite him almost immediately,” Alice cochair Gary McCoy told the B.A.R., referring to the bomb threat made against Wiener and his staff Sunday, June 12.

Wiener, a former co-chair of the club, has made brief remarks or introductions at previous breakfasts, but this is the first time he has been asked to deliver a keynote address. He told the B.A.R. he was “deeply honored” by the invite.

“Alice is my home club – I’ve been a members for nearly 25 years, served on the board for nearly a decade, and served as

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Guest Opinion

From page 4

factor linked to many suicides and suicide attempts.

Inversely, suicide is one of the leading causes of death among people who misuse alcohol and drugs.

So, where we see high rates of substance abuse or drug overdoses, we often find similarly high suicide and suicidal ideation rates.

Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S., claiming more lives each year than motor vehicle crashes. It is the second leading cause of death for Americans ages 18 to 45, right below fentanyl poisoning, which jumped to the top of the list in 2021. Addiction and suicide are undeniable public health concerns for every state, including California.

The link between substance abuse and suicide is no longer a theory or a vague connection. The data is clear, showing what we all believed

Courtesy Doug McMinimy

San Francisco Bay Area native and queer dancer Desiree Cuizon is the visionary and co-director of San Diego’s new Queer Mvmt Fest set for June 24-27.

tival received more than 300 films and interest from more than 50 artists from Southern California and several from San Francisco and New York for this year’s inaugural festival, Cuizon said.

The organizers anticipate about 600 people coming out for the inperson festival.

Cuizon, who went to college in San Diego 16 years ago and never left, envisioned producing a queer dance space at San Diego Pride four years ago. In 2018, Disco Riot was just launching. She joined the diverse collective promoting movement-based art. club co-chair,” wrote Wiener in a texted reply. “As we confront the rising tide of homophobia and transphobia – and the violence associated with these vile hatreds – Pride this year takes on even more significance than usual for our community. I’m looking forward to a fun and meaningful Pride and to recommitting to the hard work ahead.”

The breakfast begins “promptly at 8 a.m.” Sunday, June 26, noted the club leaders, and will take place at the Hyatt Regency Embarcadero. Tickets can be purchased online at https://www.alicebtoklas.org/pride-breakfast-2022 t

was true. Both the person reaching for drugs and the person who no longer wants to live are struggling mentally and emotionally. They want to escape the pain and feel they have no other solution.

Solutions exist in the form of treatment. There’s no more time to waste. We’ve been quick to tackle viruses like COVID, often at the expense of our mental health. But mental health, which includes substance abuse and suicide, must become a priority at least on par with the physical health of society. And it must happen soon. t Marcel Gemme, the founder and CEO of Addicted.org, is a drug and alcohol treatment specialist who has been helping people struggling with substance abuse for over 20 years. His primary focus is threefold: education, prevention, and rehabilitation.

Cuizon thought of the dance festival due to a desire to have a space for queer dancers like herself at Pride. After joining the collective, she saw her friends in the Bay Area and New York producing dance and art festivals during their respective Pride celebrations. She looked at what San Diego Pride offered and found not much in the way of queer arts outside of live music.

“I really want a place where me and my queer dancing friends can go and have our own festival,” said Cuizon.

San Diego Pride disagreed with Cuizon’s assessment of its festival

entertainment offerings. In an email statement to the Bay Area Reporter, San Diego Pride Executive Director Fernando Lopéz, who is nonbinary, said, “The San Diego Pride Festival is a beautiful large-scale LGBTQ event that combines art and advocacy that has brought our community together year after year since the 1970s. The weekend showcases LGBTQ artists, photographers, drag queens, DJs, dancers, musicians, poets, authors, and playwrights.”

They pointed out the Our Prism area, which highlights a juried art show, artisan booths, LGBTQ history with Lambda Archives of San Diego, and Lit Cafe in partnership with San Diego Public Library, among creative events for children and families.

“LGBTQ arts and culture has been at the core of who we are as an organization,” Lopéz stated, adding that supporting the city’s LGBTQ community’s cultural events helps fund more than 40 year-round arts, education, and advocacy programs.

The dancers told the B.A.R. they are excited about the festival, seeing other queer dancers’ works, and being with other queer dancers like themselves.

“I’m really looking forward to returning,” and seeing other performances at the festival and meeting other artists, said James Gilmer, 29, who declined to state his sexual orientation, a dancer with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater for three seasons in New York.

Los Angeles-based professional ballet dancer and choreographer Tylor Bradshaw, a 26-year-old bisexual man, couldn’t agree more.

“I’m really excited to just be able to give something to my community to share, to learn from others,” Bradshaw said.

Added Gilmer, “I am so excited to

be a part of it.” Gilmer is a modern dancer who also does modern jazz and some contemporary ballet.

Gilmer, a Pittsburgh native, will dance a solo piece called, “Untitled for You,” choreographed by Antonio Brown.

He performed the piece one time in his hometown last year.

“I’m really looking forward to revisiting it,” Gilmer said about improving upon the dance.

This will be the first time Gilmer will return to San Diego since he last visited the city three years ago, he said. Gilmer called San Francisco home from 2017 to 2019 before he returned to the East Coast.

Bradshaw will perform “Libra,” a dance he choreographed that explores relationships and breakups.

The festival is produced by Disco Riot with the support of partners Visionary Dance Theatre, Balletcenter Studios, and Art Produce.

The festival is funded by grants from the California Humanities ($10,000) and the California Arts Council ($18,000). The festival also received in-kind donations provided by the Art Produce, BalletCenter Studio, Diversionary Theatre, Mingei International Museum at Balboa Park, and Visionary Dance Theatre, which provides the performance spaces.

Many of the performance spaces are reopening after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID pandemic.

Others have had renovations or are completely new.

Registration for Queer Mvmt Fest is now open. The event is free to the public. Space is limited. Registration is required and can be done at https://discoriot.org/queermvmnt2022/. t

Meals with Love

will keep us together!

Since 1985, Project Open Hand has supported and served Meals with Love and Meals that Heal to the LGBTQ+ community.

We provide medically-tailored nutrition to our clients who are living with HIV/AIDS, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, trauma, and kidney disease.

We are proud to support our community and celebrate Pride Month.

Scan code or visit openhand.org/events to see how you can join us!

<< From the Cover

10 • Bay Area Reporter • June 16-22, 2022

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AIDS quilt

From page 1

Alencastre said that Norman had worked at the old Trocadero Transfer in San Francisco before moving to Southern California in the late 1980s where she became a fierce member of ACT UP/LA. She described herself as a “post-operative transsexual woman who is HIV-positive.” Norman died in 1996.

“It feels like for many years many just wanted to move on” from AIDS, Johnston remarked, holding the list of names they would read. “I feel like these people are gold.”

The names of the famous – disco star Sylvester, actor Rick Hudson – were read along with the many more who were not – Tommy Liddell and Joseph Obiedo. Others were only identified by a first name or a nickname – Michael S., “Little” David, “Dirty David.” But together these thousands of names represent part of the toll AIDS has had for more than 40 years.

The National AIDS Memorial Grove, which took over stewardship of the quilt in 2019, oversaw the June 11-12 quilt display, which was the largest ever in San Francisco and the biggest anywhere in more than a decade. It was supposed to have taken place in April 2020 to coincide with Golden Gate Park’s 150th birthday but the COVID pandemic derailed those plans. Now, two years later, the event marked the 35th anniversary of when the first panels were stitched.

Kevin Herglotz, a gay man and chief operating officer for the grove, told the B.A.R. that tens of thousands of people visited the park’s Robin Williams Meadow to see the quilt panels.

“Our initial estimates are between 20,000-25,000,” he wrote in an email.

“It was truly inspiring.”

John Cunningham, CEO of the AIDS grove, almost didn’t make it for the opening ceremony Saturday morning. He said that he had recently battled COVID and just started testing negative the day before.

The quilt’s three co-founders, Cleve Jones and Mike Smith, both gay men, and Gert McMullin, an ally, stood together on stage just before

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Proud Boys

From page 1

“So who brought the tranny?” they yelled, according to KQED. They also called her “it” and a “pedophile.”

Dulce said she was shaken by the experience.

“I didn’t know if they were armed. I was only acutely aware of the fact that neither myself nor any of the other librarians were,” she told KQED, which also quoted Dulce saying on her Instagram account the men “totally freaked out the kids. They got right in our faces. They jeered. They attempted to escalate to violence.”

Alameda County Sheriff ’s deputies responded quickly to the Saturday afternoon incident.

While no one was injured and no arrests were made, the Alameda County district attorney is presently searching through the penal code addressing incidents like this to determine what actions they might be able to take, sheriff ’s office public information officer Lieutenant Ray Kelly told the Bay Area Reporter.

Officers escorted Dulce to a safe part of the building, where they waited until the protesters dispersed. Once everything was clear, the story hour continued. A request to Dulce for comment was not immediately returned.

The Proud Boys, a right-wing extremist group, had not really been on the Alameda County Sheriff ’s radar in recent years said Kelly, not since incidents in 2017 when right-wing extremists descended on Berkeley, sparking vi-

Rick Gerharter

Filmmaker Dante Alencastre and his co-producer, John Johnston, read names of people memorialized in the panels of the AIDS Memorial Quilt June 11.

the unfolding of the panels. Jones gave fiery remarks and noted that the late comedian Williams was an early supporter of the quilt, so it was only fitting to have the display in the meadow named in his honor following his 2014 death by suicide.

“When we started this my heart was full of anger, hate, and despair,” Jones said, because at that time the federal government was doing nothing to combat HIV/AIDS, “churches kicked us out” and institutions that could help “utterly failed” because it was a “gay disease.” Add racism to the homophobia, he said, and disparities that existed back in the 1980s continue today.

“There are 40 million dead and 40 million more living with the disease,” Jones said.

“Lessons? Did we learn them? I don’t think we did,” he added, pointing to disparities in accessing tests and vaccines for the COVID pandemic today.

But “all that hate,” Jones continued, eventually transformed into something more healing with the quilt.

“It was love, encouragement, and hope,” he said, “and the power of the movement that the quilt represents.”

Smith said that it was 35 years ago that he and Jones held the first meeting – six people showed up, including McMullin, who came with some panels she’d stitched.

“Nearly half of the panels are from mothers, from every state, for their

dead sons,” Smith told the audience.

“We receive hundreds of panels every year and we lead with compassion and love.”

He noted that as he was speaking, hundreds of advocates for gun safety were taking part in March for Our Lives events in numerous cities across the country. “We stand in solidarity with an end to gun violence,” he said.

Congressmember Barbara Lee (DOakland) was to have attended the opening, but Cunningham said she was at the March for Our Lives march in Oakland. Lee, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) and the late Congressmember John Lewis (DGeorgia) were instrumental in working out the agreement for the AIDS grove to take over the quilt.

olent conflict with local left-wing and anti-fascist groups. Eleven people were injured and six hospitalized at that incident. Police arrested 21 people on a variety of charges, according to a report by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Kelly said investigators believe all five men in the San Lorenzo incident were locals.

Authorities will be keeping an eye open for potential future events, said Kelly.

“We’ll be at the library today,” he said in a telephone interview with the B.A.R., and, if requested, they will be present at future drag queen story hours, as well.

Saturday’s incident was roundly condemned in a statement by elected officials from throughout the East Bay including Oakland Vice Mayor Rebecca Kaplan, who is running for the District 3 seat on the Alameda County Board of Supervisors, which includes the unincorporated town of San Lorenzo.

“We, as out and proud LGBTQ+ and allied elected officials and community leaders are outraged about the senseless act of hate caused during the Drag Queen Story Hour at the San Lorenzo Public Library on June 11th,” read a statement from more than a dozen elected officials. “We call upon the Alameda County Sheriff ’s Office and district attorney to investigate and charge these acts of hate aimed at harming members of our community and our allies.

Additionally, we urge our nonLGBTQ+ allies in offices across the region and state to provide additional support to our com-

munity during these increasingly challenging times.

“We strongly condemn this act of hate aimed at harming members of our community and our allies,” the statement continued.

“We are living in a time where LGBTQ+ rights are under attack across several states in our nation, and sadly, even accepting and welcoming places like Alameda County are not exempt from this type of hate. Hate has no place in our community and must be met with decisive action.”

The incident caught authorities off guard, said Kelly, as they’ve not had to deal with incidents like this during Pride Month before.

“I didn’t see this one coming,” he told the B.A.R. “Pride time is not something we’ve been concerned about.”

GLAAD also condemned the San Lorenzo incident, as did the executive director of Drag Queen Story Hour.

“As many of the books that we read to children make perfectly clear: words and actions have consequences,” stated Jonathan Hamilt, the leader of Drag Queen Story Hour. “It is unfathomable that adults would terrorize children and our drag performers at story hours, and we are livid that conservative politicians and rightwing media are increasingly inciting violence, rather than working to end it. We remain committed to creating safe opportunities for children to learn about the diversity of the world around them and express their most fabulous selves.”

Sarah Kate Ellis, president and

Tackling stigma

Many speakers called for an end to AIDS stigma. Indeed, it is part of San Francisco’s Getting to Zero plan that seeks to drastically “reduce HIV transmission and HIV-related deaths in San Francisco by 90% before 2025,” according to its website, along with reducing stigma. Several other Bay Area jurisdictions and other U.S. cities have similar plans. The federal government has its End the HIV Epidemic Initiative, or EHE, which seeks to reduce HIV infections by 75% in five years and 90% in 10 years through the four pillars of diagnose, treat, prevent, and respond. The first phase started in

2021 and runs through 2025, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation website..

Phase one targets much of the Southern United States, and the quilt will help with that effort through a $2.4 million grant from Gilead Sciences Inc. to bring the quilt to the South to “touch and reach communities of color,” Cunningham said in his remarks.

Dan O’Day, the CEO of Gilead, said the Quilt Southern Initiative is expected to reach many people.

“The threads that are woven into each panel carry thousands of stories, which is why being in its presence has such a powerful impact,” O’Day said. “We want to tackle stigma and discrimination, and the quilt inspires action and reminds us of the cost of human life.”

Dafina Ward, a Black woman who’s executive director of the Southern AIDS Coalition, will partner on the project. She said the coalition hopes to build bridges to the South, particularly among Black and Brown, samegender-loving, and migrant communities.

“My heart is full of gratitude,” she said. “There will be liberation, there will be praise. We won’t end AIDS in this country until we end the epidemic in the South.”

White House sends officials

Harold Phillips, director of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy, and Admiral Rachel Levine, assistant director for health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, were in attendance.

“It’s a poignant yet somber event,” Levine, the first trans person to win Senate confirmation to an administration post, told the B.A.R. in a brief interview.

In her remarks, Levine recalled being at the forefront of the epidemic back in 1983 when she started a pediatric residency at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City. Babies suffering from opportunistic infections all died, she said, as did their mothers.

“It was heart wrenching to be a physician in New York City, and I’m sure in San Francisco,” she said, recalling those early years.

CEO of GLAAD, called the incident “reprehensible.”

“No child, family or person should ever be subjected to this inexcusable and hostile behavior,” she stated. “This rhetoric and incitement of violence against drag performers, LGBTQ people, and allies can be directly attributed to politicians and their enablers spreading misinformation and vile rhetoric and must stop immediately. Every reasonable person should demand their elected officials speak out against this incident and this rhetoric. We must hold lawmakers accountable to keeping all kids safe from real harm.”

Drag story hours under attack

Drag queen story hours have been under attack in other parts of the country, as well. In Texas, Republican state Representative Bryan Slaton announced plans to introduce legislation banning minors from attending drag performances.

That was spurred by an incident at an all-ages drag event in Dallas, when a group of protesters at the venue yelled homophobic threats and transphobic remarks at the children and parents present.

The lunchtime incident took place at Mr. Misster bar, noted for its drag brunches, reported the Houston Press.

“The organizers intended it as a family-friendly spin-off of their usual Drag Champagne Brunch, with modifications to make it all-age,” Houston Press reported.

“Kids interacted with the dancers

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She noted the “huge progress” today with PrEP, but “we’re not getting those medicines to people who need them most.”

Phillips, who is Black, spoke about an old friend of his who died of AIDS in 1991. “As a gay man living with HIV, the quilt meant so much to me, all in the face of deep sorrow and stigma,” he said. “I believe the quilt is a tremendous teaching tool.”

Gay state Senator Scott Wiener (DSan Francisco) told the B.A.R. that he was pleased to see the quilt back in San Francisco. (When it is not on display or loaned out to other entities, the quilt is housed in a 7,000 square foot warehouse near Oakland International Airport in San Leandro.)

“It’s a powerful reminder – HIV did this to us and is still with us. We must never forget people are still getting sick and dying,” he said. (On Sunday, Wiener’s San Francisco home and state offices in the city and Sacramento were search after he received a bomb threat. https://www.ebar.com/ index.php?id=316414) San Francisco Mayor London Breed highlighted the decrease in the city’s number of HIV cases – they fell to 166 in 2019, she said – but noted, like other speakers, that the rates for Blacks and Latinos continue to be disproportionately high. The number of HIV transmissions fell further, to 136 in 2020, the most recent figures available from the San Francisco Department of Public Health.

People who viewed the quilt panels reflected on the many names represented.

“It’s kind of overwhelming,” said a San Francisco woman who identified herself only as Mary. “I’d never seen it before.”

Another San Francisco woman, who identified herself only as Sue, echoed those comments.

“It’s hard to remember back to that time,” she said.

Back at the podium, Alencastre and Johnston read the list of names they were provided. Then they added one more.

“Connie Norman,” they said in unison. t

and performers, including handing them dollar bills.”

“The events of this past weekend were horrifying and show a disturbing trend in which perverted adults are obsessed with sexualizing young children,” said Slaton in a statement published in the Houston Press. “As a father of two young children, I would never take my children to a drag show, and I know Speaker Dade Phelan and the rest of my Republican colleagues wouldn’t either. Protecting our own children isn’t enough, and our responsibility as lawmakers extends to the sexualization that is happening across Texas.”

In a June 7 tweet responding to Slaton’s Bill, gay California state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) joked it had sparked an idea for his own bill “offering Drag Queen 101 as part of the K-12 curriculum. Attending Drag Queen Story Time will satisfy the requirement.”

Just days later on Sunday, June 12, Wiener received an email telling him bombs had been placed in his home and office. Police, using bomb-sniffing dogs, searched the senator’s house and offices in San Francisco and Sacramento Sunday morning but turned up nothing.

(See related story, page 1.)

In Idaho on Saturday, police officers arrested 31 people who are believed to be affiliated with the white nationalist group Patriot Front, after they were seen gathering near a Pride parade in the northern city of Coeur d’Alene, CNN reported. t

t <<

Community News>>

June 16-22, 2022 • Bay Area Reporter • 11

Older LGBTQs

From page 1

whom have been living with HIV since the 1980s and struggle with unresolved trauma, isolation, and ageism — not to mention the challenges in navigating the health care system. “I don’t think the country planned for us to live to these ages either,” he said. Crisostomo’s been living with HIV since 1987, when a doctor told him he had less than two years to live.

The mental health challenges for those who survived, both those with HIV and those without, are evolving as this generation reaches 65. Paul Aguilar, 58, is HIV-positive and recently received a referral from SFAF for a mental health provider, but after an initial assessment, the earliest appointment

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Courtesy Martin Alperen

Martin Alperen was the first out gay police officer in Provincetown, Massachusetts and one of just two out gay police officers in the state in 1980.

was in August or September.

“OK but my need is kind of now,” he reflected. Meeting with a licensed

News Briefs

From page 6

For more information about SFO Celebrates, visit www.flysfo.com/sfocelebrates.

Aguilar knows what might happen otherwise. He watched as his former partner struggled with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia before he passed away from a fentanyl-induced overdose at the age of 46.

Alperen used methamphetamine to cope with his mental health challenges, but by 2018, he was able to stop.

“My psychiatrist said it was because I got the right medication,” he said.

“My therapist said it was because I talked to him.”

In truth, he isn’t sure what allowed him to get better, but when his parttime job started to stress him out in February, he felt he needed medical help again. After failing to secure a new psychiatrist through his health care plan, he admitted himself into

the hospital in April. (His health insurance providers, Brand New Day and Hill Physicians Medical Group, did not respond to requests for comment).

Alperen knew the hospital wasn’t the right place for him – he wasn’t in danger of hurting himself – but he didn’t know where else to go. The UCSF emergency room physicians connected him with a social worker who offered to help him change his insurance plan so he could get a psychiatrist. After five months of phone calls and angry emails, he is optimistic that his new insurance company, which starts this month, will finally be able to offer him psychiatric support. t

sonnel, according to the release.

To sign up, organizations can visit https://cityofpetaluma.org/safe-space to receive a decal. The program aims to enroll 500 local groups by June 30.

features bronze boot prints that honor the people who left a lasting imprint on the city’s leather community during their lifetimes.

According to the newsletter, the leather-pride colored sidewalks have been repaired and the bootprint plaques have been polished. The improvements, which were overdue, the newsletter explained, were made possible by the cultural district and the SOMA West Community Benefit District.

orates the LGBTQ neighborhood’s struggle with the AIDS crisis. Over the years the mural has faded and it’s also been subjected to vandalism, most recently in January.

The funding effort was successful, with Cervantes securing most of the money and the crowd-funding effort netting about $4,000.

Lezak Shallat, communications director for Precita Eyes, wrote in a June 9 email to the B.A.R. that when news of the defacement came out, a woman walked into Precita Eyes’ offices and said she was a close friend of Hazel Betsey, who was one of the original artists, and that Betsey was “thrilled” to hear about the restoration project and wanted to get involved.

“But no one took the name of the friend, so we have no way of reaching Hazel to invite her to participate,” Shallat wrote.

Yano Rivera, the restoration lead, made a clever 22-second video, “Looking for Hazel,” to help find Betsey and uploaded it to YouTube. People can watch it at https://bit.ly/3mUW7xr t

Ringold Alley restored

Petaluma launches safe space program

The city of Petaluma and its police department have launched a safe space program that stands as a statement that hate of any kind is not tolerated.

According to a news release, the program provides a location for anyone who is the victim of a hate crime or feels threatened to enter and call the police for assistance immediately. Participating businesses, schools, places of worship, and nonprofits receive a free decal to display. The decal means that the participant allows victims to enter and remain at their premises until Petaluma police arrive; calls or assists victims in contacting 911 immediately to report hate crimes; and instructs all employees or volunteers to assist victims and/or witnesses in this protocol.

“As public safety servants our mission is to create a safe and inclusive

psychiatrist, a medical doctor who can prescribe medication, can take even longer.

Aguilar has been working with HIV Advocacy Network, a part of SFAF, to lobby Mayor London Breed to increase the budget for mental health services for people who have been living with HIV for years. In 2020, the network requested $500,000 only to see those dollars get whittled down. This year, the mayor once again disappointed HIV advocates when she allocated $3 million, fewer dollars in her budget than they had requested, as the B.A.R. previously reported.

The HIV Advocacy Network wants those dollars to support new licensed professionals and better coordination among providers who may help people quickly access the care they need.

Courtesy YouTube

Yano Rivera made a short video to find muralist Hazel Betsey.

community where everyone feels safe and welcome,” Petaluma police Chief Ken Savano stated. “This anti-hate program is another great example of the Petaluma community coming together in the name of community safety regardless of where you are from, what language you speak, what religion you believe in, or who you love.”

While the program highlights the LGBTQIA+ logo, it applies to anyone regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or age, the release stated. The program was developed with input from community members and all levels of police per-

The San Francisco Leather & LGBTQ Cultural District invites people to celebrate the recent enhancements to the Ringold Leather History Alley Saturday, June 18, from noon to 3 p.m.

The event will feature music, food, a tour of the historic site, and surprise entertainment, according to the cultural district’s newsletter. Historian Gayle Rubin will lead history walks down Ringold at 1 and 2 p.m., highlighting the people and organizations commemorated by the bronze boot prints and standing stones on the alley.

Located in the South of Market neighborhood, Ringold Alley, between Eighth and Ninth and Folsom and Harrison streets, was first dedicated as a leather history project in 2017, as the Bay Area Reporter previously reported. It

Precita Eyes looking for muralist

Precita Eyes Muralists, which is working to restore the “Hope for the World Cure” mural in the Castro, is looking for one of the original artists who may be interested in collaborating on the renovation project.

As the B.A.R. previously reported, gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman and Precita Eyes Muralists founding director Susan Cervantes launched a GoFundMe campaign in May to raise $55,000 to fully restore the mural, which was painted in 1998 and commem-

Legals >> ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-22-557129

In the matter of the application of RONALD EUGENE DUDLEY, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner RONALD EUGENE DUDLEY is requesting that the name RONALD EUGENE DUDLEY be changed to RONALD SHABAZZ. 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 28th of JUNE 2022 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

MAY 26, JUNE 02, 09, 16, 2022

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-22-557145

In the matter of the application of MARIA CRISTINA THOMPSON, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner MARIA CRISTINA THOMPSON is requesting that the name MARIA CRISTINA THOMPSON be changed to CRISTINA TOLENTINO SANCHEZ. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 30th of JUNE 2022 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

MAY 26, JUNE 02, 09, 16, 2022

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-22-557147

In the matter of the application of EVAN JOHNVINCENT GRANGE, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner EVAN JOHN-VINCENT GRANGE is requesting that the name EVAN JOHN-VINCENT GRANGE be changed to EVAN JVG TOLOSA. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 30th of JUNE 2022 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

MAY 26, JUNE 02, 09, 16, 2022

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-22-557146

In the matter of the application of DANIEL JOSEPH MERCED, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner DANIEL JOSEPH MERCED is requesting that the name DANIEL JOSEPH MERCED be changed to DANIEL JOSEPH CALABRO. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 30th of JUNE 2022 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

MAY 26, JUNE 02, 09, 16, 2022

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-22-557134

In the matter of the application of MICHAEL CORNELIUS PHELAN, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner MICHAEL CORNELIUS

PHELAN is requesting that the name MICHAEL CORNELIUS PHELAN be changed to CORNELIUS M. 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 28th of JUNE 2022 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

MAY 26, JUNE 02, 09, 16, 2022

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-22-557152 In the matter of the application of DEREK EDWARD LLOYD, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner DEREK EDWARD LLOYD is requesting that the name DEREK EDWARD LLOYD be changed to DEREK EDWARD. 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 21th of JULY 2022 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

MAY 26, JUNE 02, 09, 16, 2022

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-22-557153

on 05/24/22.

MAY 26, JUNE 02, 09, 16, 2022 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039716700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as KEARNY DENTAL ARTS AND AESTHETICS, 133 KEARNY ST #301, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103.

This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed BAYSAC DENTAL GROUP SAN FRANCISCO 133 KEARNY PC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/10/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/19/22.

MAY 26, JUNE 02, 09, 16, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039714200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as ON THE RUN MARKET, 4800 CALIFORNIA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed NADA MOUSA INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/01/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/13/22.

MAY 26, JUNE 02, 09, 16, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039703300

In the matter of the application of MALISA TRUONG, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner MALISA TRUONG is requesting that the name MALISA TRUONG be changed to MALISA EDWARD. 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 21th of JULY 2022 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as REALESTATEAGENTS.COM; TOPAGENTSRANKED, 425 BUSH ST #200, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108.

This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed REFERRALEXCHANGE, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/01/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/02/22.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039714700

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039716100

MAY 26, JUNE 02, 09, 16, 2022

The following person(s) is/are doing business as SHEARBLISS 360, 380 SANCHEZ ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ANDREW LUCIDO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/03/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/16/22.

MAY 26, JUNE 02, 09, 16, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039705600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as ACSA JANITORIAL SERVICES, 880 CAMPUS DR #301, DALY CITY, CA 94015. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed BENIGNA MUNOZ RUFINO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/03/22.

MAY 26, JUNE 02, 09, 16, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039720200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as GLOBAL BUILDERS CLUB, 76 FAIRFIELD WAY, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94127. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JONATHAN JUDE ACUNA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/01/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA

MAY 26, JUNE 02, 09, 16, 2022

The following person(s) is/are doing business as SOLOMON CONCIERGE SERVICE, 138 MARY TERESA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed 6 TWO 3 LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/17/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/18/22.

MAY 26, JUNE 02, 09, 16, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039713900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as TINEKE TRIGGS, 2152 UNION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed ARTISTIC DESIGNS FOR LIVING LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/13/22.

MAY 26, JUNE 02, 09, 16, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039718400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as SPHERES BAY AREA COMMUNITY IMPACT; SPHERES STAFFING SERVICES, 4342 3RD ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed SPHERES ENTERPRISES LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious

business name or names on 05/20/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/20/22.

MAY 26, JUNE 02, 09, 16, 2022

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-22-557160

In the matter of the application of MING-PO LAWRENCE LI, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner MING-PO LAWRENCE LI, is requesting that the name MING-PO LAWRENCE LI, be changed to LAWRENCE MING-PO LI. 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 7th of JULY 2022 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JUNE 02, 09, 16, 23, 2022

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-22-557169

In the matter of the application of HUY VU DANG PHAN, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner HUY VU DANG PHAN is requesting that the name HUY VU DANG PHAN be changed to HUYVU DANG PHAN. 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 26th of JULY 2022 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JUNE 02, 09, 16, 23, 2022

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-22-557162

In the matter of the application of PETER RALLOJAY WOODROW, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner PETER RALLOJAY WOODROW is requesting that the name PETER RALLOJAY WOODROW be changed to PETER RALLOJAY. 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 7th of JULY 2022 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JUNE 02, 09, 16, 23, 2022

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-22-557177

In the matter of the application of JEFFREY WALTER GUEMPEL, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner JEFFREY WALTER GUEMPEL is requesting that the name JEFFREY WALTER GUEMPEL be changed to JEFFREY WALTER BLAKE. 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 2nd of AUGUST 2022 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

In the matter of the application of ROBIN BLAKE WOOD, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner ROBIN BLAKE WOOD is requesting that the name ROBIN BLAKE WOOD be changed to ROBIN WILLIAM BLAKE. 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 2nd of AUGUST 2022 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JUNE 02, 09, 16, 23, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039721000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as BLUM D’MART, 1 MARKET PLAZA, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ANDREW POULOS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/24/22.

JUNE 02, 09, 16, 23, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039721600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as FRANKLIN MARKET, 1528 FRANKLIN ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed IBRAHIM ABDOSALEH ALDABASHI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/24/22.

JUNE 02, 09, 16, 23, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039725400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as DORCHESTER DOG TRAINING, 185 SAN CARLOS ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed RUI DIAS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/27/22.

JUNE 02, 09, 16, 23, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039725500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as EMERALD SPA, 441 STOCKTON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ALLAN NUTTALL. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/27/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/27/22.

JUNE 02, 09, 16, 23, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039711500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as JAMII YA NYUKI, 2550 FULTON ST #10, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SORAYA MATOS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/01/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/11/22.

JUNE 02, 09, 16, 23, 2022

JUNE 02, 09, 16, 23, 2022

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-22-557176

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039726000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as LOVING PHOTOGRAPHY, 271 MANGELS AVE, SAN

<< Legals

12 • Bay Area Reporter • June 16-22, 2022

FRANCISCO, CA 94131. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MICHAEL LONG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/29/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/31/22.

JUNE 02, 09, 16, 23, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039726100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as REVIVING TOUCH THERAPEUTIC MASSAGE, 1640 BUSH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed THANAWAN THUCHSUMRITH. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/31/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/31/22.

JUNE 02, 09, 16, 23, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039721800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as FESTA COFFEE; AFRICAN TRADE NETWORK, 1075 FILLMORE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed AFRICAN TRADE NETWORK (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/24/22.

The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/24/22.

JUNE 02, 09, 16, 23, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039708700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as BW & COMPANY, 56 SANTA FE AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed BWCO (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/06/22.

JUNE 02, 09, 16, 23, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039718900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as THIRD CULTURE BAKERY, 2701 8TH ST #101, BERKELEY, CA 94701. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed THIRD CULTURE FOOD GROUP (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/23/22.

JUNE 02, 09, 16, 23, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039719200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as O. CANTTOLAO SF, 266 ATHENS ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed O. CANTTOLAO SF CORP (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/23/22.

JUNE 02, 09, 16, 23, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039723300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as LOTUS NAIL SALON INC, 11 MAIDEN LANE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed LOTUS NAIL SALON INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/28/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/26/22.

JUNE 02, 09, 16, 23, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039721100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as DIVA INTERNATIONAL SALON, 1 MARKET ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105. This business is conducted by a married couple, and is signed ANDREW POULOS & DIVA POULOS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/21/99. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/24/22.

JUNE 02, 09, 16, 23, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039715900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as DOKKAEBIER, 1195 EVANS AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed HUNTERS POINT BREWERY LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/04/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/18/22.

JUNE 02, 09, 16, 23, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039717600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as SF NAIL BAR LLC, 2275 MARKET ST #B, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed SF NAIL BAR LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/05/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/19/22.

JUNE 02, 09, 16, 23, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039724600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as AKIRA JAPANESE RESTAURANT, 1634 BUSH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed AKIRA RESTAURANT (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/03/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/27/22.

JUNE 02, 09, 16, 23, 2022

STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-039514500

94108. This business was conducted by an individual and signed by PHUONG THI QUE TRAN. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/09/18.

registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/18/22.

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF HAYDEE MARIA HALE IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO: FILE PES-22-305383

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039727400

JUNE 02, 09, 16, 23, 2022

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of HAYDEE MARIA HALE. A Petition for Probate has been filed

by REX J. HALE in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco. The Petition for Probate requests that REX J. HALE be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. The petition requests the decedent’s will and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The will and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court. The petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority. A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: JUNE 27, 2022, 9:00 am, Dept. 204, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. If you object to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney. If you are a creditor or contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the latter of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined by section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law. You may examine the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk. Attorney for petitioner: PAUL H. MELBOSTAD (SBN#99951), GOLDSTEIN, GELLMAN, MELBOSTAD, HARRIS & MCSPARRAN LLP, 1388 SUTTER ST #1000, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109; Ph. (415) 673-5600.

JUNE 09, 16, 23, 2022

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-22-557179

In the matter of the application of ELIZABETH OSTERMAN BROWN AKA ELIZABETH OSTERMAN AKA ELIZABETH BROWN, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner ELIZABETH OSTERMAN BROWN AKA ELIZABETH OSTERMAN AKA ELIZABETH BROWN is requesting that the names ELIZABETH OSTERMAN BROWN AKA ELIZABETH OSTERMAN AKA ELIZABETH BROWN be changed to ELIZABETH SUZANNE OSTERMAN. 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 14th of JULY 2022 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JUNE 09, 16, 23, 30, 2022

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-22-557186

In the matter of the application of TING LI, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner TING LI, is requesting that the name TING LI, be changed to SOPHIA LI. 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 14th of JULY 2022 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JUNE 09, 16, 23, 30, 2022

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-22-557185

In the matter of the application of YOU JIN HA, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner YOU JIN HA is requesting that the name YOU JIN HA be changed to JENNIFER YOUJIN HA. 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 14th of JULY 2022 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JUNE 09, 16, 23, 30, 2022

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-22-557159

In the matter of the application of PAIGE MACINTYRE, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner PAIGE MACINTYRE is requesting that the name PAIGE LONDON MACINTYRE MCBRIDE be changed to STEFON DONELL MCBRIDE. 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 5th of JULY 2022 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JUNE 09, 16, 23, 30, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039728400

JUNE 02, 09, 16, 23, 2022

The following person(s) is/are doing business as INTEGRITY TELECOM SOLUTIONS, 301 EXECUTIVE PARK BLVD #502, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed PABLO MEMBRENO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/03/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/03/22.

STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-038325100

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039727500

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as SF NAIL BAR, 2275 MARKET ST #B, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business was conducted by an individual and signed by GIANG HUYNH. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/06/19.

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as MUGUBOKA RESTAURANT, 401 BALBOA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business was conducted by an individual and signed by KYE SOON LEE. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/25/18.

JUNE 02, 09, 16, 23, 2022

STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-038040200

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as LOTUS NAIL SALON, 11 MAIDEN LANE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA

JUNE 09, 16, 23, 30, 2022

The following person(s) is/are doing business as JH COMPANY, 1242 NORTHPOINT DR #A, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94130. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JESSE CHUNG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/02/22.

JUNE 09, 16, 23, 30, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039715700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as SYBARITE LUXURY REALTY, 891 BEACH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed PHIL CHEN. The

JUNE 09, 16, 23, 30, 2022

The following person(s) is/are doing business as DA HOT SPOT, 201 TURK ST #A, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed EMAN M. DIAB. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/02/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/02/22.

JUNE 09, 16, 23, 30, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039727800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as SHAPUR; SHAPUR MOZAFFARIAN; MOZAFFARIAN; SHAPUR MOZAFFARIAN FINE JEWELRY; MOZAFFARIAN FINE JEWELERS; ST. FRANCIS BOUTIQUE; PARTIEH; 155 POST ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108.

This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SHAPUR MOZAFFARIAN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/84.

The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/02/22.

JUNE 09, 16, 23, 30, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039727300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as BON BON SPA 2, 3636 CESAR CHAVEZ ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed DOMINIC CAY NGUYEN & THUYAI BUI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/02/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/02/22.

JUNE 09, 16, 23, 30, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039723500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as MARTELLLS LIQUOR & GROCERY, 5615 GEARY BLVD, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed MARTELLLS LIQUOR & GROCERY INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/17/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/26/22.

JUNE 09, 16, 23, 30, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039723900

and it appears from said application that petitioner MEREDITH RENE KURPIUS & JAMES WINSTON KURPIUS is requesting that the name NATALIE KURPIUS be changed to PEREGRINE FOREST KURPIUS. 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 9th of AUGUST 2022 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JUNE 16, 23, 30, JUL 07, 2022

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-22-557200

In the matter of the application of MEREDITH RENE KURPIUS, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner MEREDITH RENE KURPIUS is requesting that the name MEREDITH RENE KURPIUS be changed to MEREDITH BEATRICE BAUER. 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 9th of AUGUST 2022 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JUNE 16, 23, 30, JUL 07, 2022

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-22-557201

The following person(s) is/are doing business as NU NORML, 702 MOULTRIE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MARI ARREOLA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/02/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/02/22.

JUNE 16, 23, 30, JUL 07, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039733100

JUNE 16, 23, 30, JUL 07, 2022

The following person(s) is/are doing business as CNA ROADSIDE, 2513 HARRISON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed CARLOS RODAS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/01/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/07/22.

JUNE 16, 23, 30, JUL 07, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039731700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as PRIK HOM, 3226 GEARY BLVD, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed SUWAAN LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/01/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/01/22.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as HIDDEN STORY MEDIA, 4328 20TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed RICHARD HANEY ARMSTRONG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/07/22.

STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-039685100

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039735100

JUNE 09, 16, 23, 30, 2022

JUNE 16, 23, 30, JUL 07, 2022

JUNE 09, 16, 23, 30, 2022

The following person(s) is/are doing business as HEAVY HANDS JANITORIAL, 929 CONNECTICUT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed EDWARD G. ARGUETA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/09/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/10/22.

STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-039481600

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039737000

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as JOY NAIL SPA, 3636 CESAR CHAVEZ ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business was conducted by an individual and signed by DOMINIC CAY NGUYEN. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/11/22.

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as HALAL SPOT, 201A TURK ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102.

This business was conducted by an individual and signed by EMAN M. DIAB. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/10/21.

JUNE 09, 16, 23, 30, 2022

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-22-557195

In the matter of the application of KWOK YAM JUNG, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner KWOK YAM JUNG is requesting that the name KWOK YAM JUNG AKA CHARLEY YAM JUNG AKA CHARLES JUNG AKA CHARLEY KWOK JUNG be changed to CHARLEY KWOK-YAM JUNG. 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 21st of JULY 2022 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JUNE 16, 23, 30, JUL 07, 2022

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-22-557197

In the matter of the application of EVA NELL HOLSOME AKA EVA NELL FULLER AKA BARBARA ANN HOLSOME, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner EVA NELL HOLSOME AKA EVA NELL FULLER AKA BARBARA ANN HOLSOME is requesting that the name EVA NELL HOLSOME AKA EVA NELL FULLER AKA BARBARA ANN HOLSOME be changed to EVA NELL HOLSOME. 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 21st of JULY 2022 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

JUNE 16, 23, 30, JUL 07, 2022

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-22-557199

In the matter of the application of MEREDITH RENE KURPIUS & JAMES WINSTON KURPIUS, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court,

JUNE 16, 23, 30, JUL 07, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039732200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as UPFRONT SALES, 584 CASTRO ST #2081, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed FRANCO SALES LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/18/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/08/22.

JUNE 16, 23, 30, JUL 07, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039729700

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039727700

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039730000

JUNE 09, 16, 23, 30, 2022

The following person(s) is/are doing business as SF TAXI-CAB CO, 1340 25TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed SF TAXI TRANSPORTATION COMPANY INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/08/22.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039735900

JUNE 16, 23, 30, JUL 07, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039720800

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039727600

JUNE 16, 23, 30, JUL 07, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039732800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as NISI’S CRAFT BAKERY, 533 BROWNING ST, MILL VALLEY, CA 94941. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed PRETZEL LOGIC (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 06/07/22.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as ASIAN CAPITAL REALTY; ALLAN LEUNG CHAN REALTY; ALLAN LEUNG CHAN INSURANCE AND FINANCIAL SERVICES; 5264 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ALLAN LEUNG CHAN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/09/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/09/22.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as MUGUBOKA RESTAURANT, 401 BALBOA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by a married couple, and is signed JAE YOUNG BYUN & EUN HEE PARK. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/24/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/24/22.

MARKET INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/01/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/08/22.

In the matter of the application of DAVID HUANG, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appears from said application that petitioner DAVID HUANG is requesting that the name DAVID HUANG be changed to DA WEI HUANG. 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 21st of JULY 2022 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as URBANA SOMA, 122 10TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed URBAN FLOWERS, A CALIFORNIA CORPORATION (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/26/22.

JUNE 09, 16, 23, 30, 2022

t

JUNE 16, 23, 30, JUL 07, 2022

The following person(s) is/are doing business as PURPOSE VIBES, 15 TERRACE DR, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94127. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ANSLEY ECHOLS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/13/22.

JUNE 16, 23, 30, JUL 07, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039736400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as BROWS BY LISA, 5813 GEARY BLVD, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LISA LAM. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/01/19.

The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/13/22.

JUNE 16, 23, 30, JUL 07, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039733300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as HONDURAS KITCHEN, 5278 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed RAMON U MARTINEZ FLORES & OLVIN FLORES PONCE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/01/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/09/22.

JUNE 16, 23, 30, JUL 07, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039732000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as BLADE, 221 KEARNY ST #4, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed LUCKY TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION (DE). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/08/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/08/22.

JUNE 16, 23, 30, JUL 07, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039733000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as WALLY’S COMMUNITY MARKET, 453 O’FARRELL ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed XPRESS

JUNE 16, 23, 30, JUL 07, 2022

The following person(s) is/are doing business as DOWN THERE NATURALS, 1142 JACKSON ST #6, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed DOWN THERE NATURALS LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/25/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/10/22.

JUNE 16, 23, 30, JUL 07, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 589254

Fictitious Business Name(s): 1. BEAUTY BAY, 2. BEAUTY BAY LASHES, 2250 96TH AVE #203, OAKLAND, CA 94603 County of ALAMEDA Registrant(s): ROSA A. MARTINEZ PAVON. Business conducted by: an Individual The registrant began to transact business using the fictitious business name(s) listed above on NA. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct.

S/ ROSA A. MARTINEZ PAVON. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Alameda County on 05/20/2022.

JUNE 16, 23, 30, JUL 07, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE 291145

The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: BEAUTY QUEEN, 425 GRAND AVE, SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94080 County of SAN MATEO. Registrant(s): JIA LI YANG. This business is conducted by an Individual.

The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on N/A. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct, S/ JIA LI YANG. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of San Mateo County on 05/19/2022.

Mark Church, County Clerk HENRY SALGADO, Deputy Filing with Changes

JUNE 16, 23, 30, JUL 07, 2022

STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-034156500

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as SF TAXI-CAB CO, 2575 MARIN ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business was conducted by an individual and signed by IGOR KOPETMAN. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/24/12.

JUNE 16, 23, 30, JUL 07, 2022

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by Jim Gladstone

W

ay back before the turn of the century, in 1998, Sandra Bernhard mounted her one-woman Broadway show “I’m Still Here…Damn It!,” On one hand that title reflected the sort of spotlight-addicted celebrity that the queer actress-singer-raconteuse –who will appear at Feinstein’s at the Nikko next Thursday through Saturday– has always half-been and half-satirized.

On the other hand, that title encapsulated the frustration of an angry, compassionate queer woman who, after nearly two decades of comedic banshee-cries against misogyny, homophobia, Hollywood self-absorption and unbridled capitalism, realized that her screeds had become no less urgent.

Now, yet another quarter century down the road, while she may be more recognized her for her tart TV roles on “Roseanne” and, recently, as Nurse Jackie in “Pose,” the spitfire standup Bernhard is still here.

And damn it, while one wishes one could fondly consider her schtick “retro” or “old school,” its doesn’t just remain of the moment: With the imminent overturn of Roe vs. Wade, the red-state red-meat political theater of “Don’t Say Gay,” and the trumped up mischaracterizations of critical race theory, it’s become urgently so.

“There’s no nostalgia to my performing or my life,” said Bernhard, 68, in an interview with the Bay Area Reporter last week. “I know that there are people who have been coming out to see me forever and that it might be attached to memories of their past, but that has nothing to do with how I feel when I write my material or when I walk on stage.

Sandra Bernhard

plays Feinstein’s for Pride

“I’m moving ahead. I’m never out of the present. And I never will be. Because there’s always somebody lurking, ready to pull the rug out from marginalized communities. Women, queer people, people of color.”

Asked whether crafting and performing a finely honed version of her personal rage on stage is exhausting, Bernhard said, “Of course it is. We all get depleted sometimes. But honey, I enjoy a good life with my friends and my girlfriend and my daughter.”

Bernhard and writer/producer Sara Switzer, who have been partners for nearly 30 years, coparented Cicely Yasin Bernhard, who turns 24 next month.

“She has excellent taste,” says Bernhard, when asked whether her daughter shares her mother’s fascination with popular culture. “She’s gotten me into some things I hadn’t really known about, like “Broad City.” She was into that before it was hip.

She’s not queer, but she’s up on everything nextlevel queer in her generation. She’s very plugged in and very respectful.”

As her daughter was growing up, Bernhard said that in addition to contemporary media, she exposed Cicely to pop culture that she’d enjoyed in her own younger years. Tellingly, Bernhard singles out a sly touchstone of 20th-century women’s empowerment: “She grew up watching ‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show.’ She started out with everything that I once loved and branched off from there,” said Bernhard, noting her daughter’s fondness Nick Kroll and John Mulaney’s “Oh, Hello!” and “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”

Bernhard, who memorably appeared as a talk show host’s stalker in Martin Scorcese’s 1984 “King of Comedy” has, in recent years, spent much of her time hosting a talk show of her own, “Sandyland” –a live weekday hour of free-form

‘Nelly & Nadine’

Frameline46’s serious cinema

by Brian Bromberger

F

rameline’s full return to theaters has presented challenges to its staff. Frameline is also cognizant of its function to counter queer negative backlash in light of all the homo/ transphobic laws emerging in states this year.

Here are some of the best films.

When the first frames of “Black As U R” flicker on screen, deja vu memories of Marlon Rigg’s classic “Tongues Untied” immediately surfaced, since both films begin with dance movements.

Untitled-24 1

“Black” can be seen as an updating of themes first explored in “Tongues” with the depressing realization that little has changed in almost 35 years.

“Black” is concerned more with homo/transphobia within the Black community.

Writer/director Micheal Rice devastatingly shows the lack of progress by pointing to a young black trans woman who was beaten by a mob within days and just ten miles where George Floyd was murdered, yet there was almost no media interest.

Rice asks how African-Americans having known society’s cruelty can re-enact it against their own must vulnerable community members, reflect-

ing on his own experiences of growing up Black, Christian, and gay in the South.

Rice’s message of loving yourself unapologetically and without fear seems an antidote to the poisonous anti-LGBTQ legislation enacted this year. Gripping, horrifying, and inspirational all at once, congratulations to Rice for creating one of the best queer documentaries of the year and an absolute triumph for Frameline46.

A Holocaust love story is at the center of “Nelly & Nadine,” a winning documentary about Nelly Moussset-Vos and Nadine Hwang. Nelly, an accomplished opera singer but also a spy, and

musings, interviews and music– on the Sirius XM radio channel curated by her friend Andy Cohen.

“The immediacy of it is great,” said Bernhard, “Because I can comment on whatever is happening in the culture so quickly. When I’m working on putting together my stage act, I always have to be aware of the lag time between when I write something and when the performance will be.

“I love that live-ness of radio. That’s why I have no interest in podcasts. I can have glitches and trip all over myself. I think that makes for the best reflection of life and the best art. I love those beautiful glitches.”t Sandra Bernhard in “Bern It Down”, June 23 through 25. Feinstein’s at the Nikko. $140. 222 Mason St. 886-663-1063. www.feinsteinssf.com

Nadine Hwang, daughter of a Chinese diplomat, who were arrested for helping people fleeing the Nazis. They meet in Ravensbruck concentration camp as political prisoners and fall in love. Nelly is transferred to Mautthausen camp. It will take almost two years before they are reunited and decide to move to Venezuela where they will live the rest of their lives together as a secret couple.

This beautiful, harrowing story is re-created by Sylvie, Nelly’s granddaughter, who pieces the clues together from a box left to her containing photographs, Super 8 footage, audio recordings, and diaries. It’s one of the jewels of this year’s festival.

How to have sex during lockdown is the theme of Brazil’s “Follow the Protocol.” If you’ve ever complained why gay films don’t feature average men rather than gorgeous studs, this movie is for you as it stars stocky bear Francisco. Bored by his daily routines such as attempting to practice Yoga and watering his plants, after being dumped by his long-time online partner on Zoom, horny Francisco is determined to have sex following all safe protocols from national and international authorities. He even convinces an old boyfriend to visit and have sex.

While we realize the film is a satire on isolation and Francisco’s fears are purposely exaggerated, his paranoia, hypochondria, clinical depression (medication for which he’s trying to figure out the correct dosage), and control freak disposition with endless talking, make him unlikable. Points for determination, it might appeal to the leather/kink crowd.

A fun blast from the past, the English documentary “Blitzed” looks back at the story of the 80s Blitz kids, a generation of outrageous teenagers, working class and art school kids (all inspired by the gender bending David Bowie) who formed See page 14 >>

6/8/22 10:35 AM

<< Film

14 • Bay Area Repor ter • June 16-22, 2022

‘Benediction’ of Sassoon

by Brian Bromberger

T

erence Davies would also be on anyone’s list of the foremost gay writer/directors. With the gay English poet Siegfried Sassoon as the subject of “Benediction,” his ninth film, he’s found a worthy rebel castigating British classicism and sexual mores. He has also created one of the year’s best queer films.

Sassoon (1886-1967), (Jack Lowden) fought on the Western Front in the First World War and was decorated with the Military Cross for his courage. Returning to convalesce in Britain and horrified by the preventable huge sacrifices of life, he wrote his “Soldier’s Declaration of 1917” to his commanding officer, highlighting the suffering of British troops, stating his refusal to perform any more military duties. He admitted, “I am making this statement as an act of willful defiance of military authority because I believe that the war is being deliberately prolonged by those who have the power to end it.”

The letter caused a huge stir in Parliament and in the British press. Sassoon could have been court-martialed and shot for desertion, but a skittish government, not wanting to execute a war hero and prominent family connections, instead led him to being officially diagnosed with “shell shock.” He was summarily sent to Craiglockhart, a war hospital near Edinburgh, Scotland.

At Craiglockhart, he encounters a sympathetic gay doctor W. H.R. Rivers (Ben Daniels) to whom he confesses his predisposition for “the love that dares not speak its name.” More significantly, he meets poet Wilfred Owen (Matthew Tennyson). They become friends and then romantic partners, though

Jack Lowden as a young Siegfried Sassoon in ‘Benediction’

there is debate whether their union was ever sexually consummated. Regardless, they encourage each other in their work. Owen recovers and is sent back to France where he was killed in battle in 1918, just days before the war ended.

Sassoon is acclaimed as an extraordinary poet and in the post-war years figures as one of Waugh’s Bright Young Things, becoming a popular party guest among England’s aristocracy, a star for awhile in London’s literary circles and theater world. But he soon realizes he’s out of fashion with the era’s frivolity.

He has affairs with Robbie Ross (Simon Russell Beale, nominated for a Tony Award this year for “The Lehmann Trilogy”), a friend of Oscar Wilde, the composer and cruel matinee idol Ivor Novello (Jeremy Irvine) with the immortal backstabbing line, “If you want fidelity, Siegfried, buy a pet,” actor/ director Glen Byam Shaw (Tom Blyth), and famed narcissistic dilettante/au-

FIERCE THINGS

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BEGIN@

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Frameline

From page 13

a subculture that would define the look, sound, style, and attitude of the 1980s. Amid the labor strikes, racism, and homophobia rampant in 1979 London, they formed the Blitz Dance Club which became the Soho equivalent of Studio 54, though much more fashion conscious.

A portrait of Lebanon’s Slave to Sirens, the first all-female thrash metal band in the Middle East, the documentary “Sirens” focuses on Lillas and Shery, co-founders and guitarists, who wrestle with keeping the band together. Lilas is falling in love with a young Syrian woman, complicating her friendship with Shery.

After being discovered in a major music magazine, the band gets invited to play at the UK’s Glastonbury, the world’s largest music festival, but they are not the rip-roaring success they hoped they would be. The film is an unexpected charmer showcasing the struggles of being feminists and queer in an unforgiving conservative culture.

Patricia Highsmith (1921-1995) was the author of “Carol,” the first lesbian story with a happy ending, and her life is illuminated in the documentary “Loving Highsmith.”

Based on her diaries and notebooks (which were found after her death in a laundry closet), read by Gwendoline

Christie (“Game of Thrones”), it features interviews with family and surviving former gossipy girlfriends.

Highsmith had to lead a double life and hide her sexuality from her family and the public. She even tried to change her sexual orientation by means of conversion psychoanalysis because she wanted to marry a man.

She later led a wild lesbian underground life in New York, even chasing a married woman to England.

Although her books “Strangers on a Train” and “The Talented Mr. Ripley” (with some parallels between the author and her famous literary character) brought her fame and fortune, she resented being pigeonholed as a crime novelist. This elegant intimate doc forces us to reevaluate Highsmith and see how her sexuality impacted her artistry, rendering her a bit less enigmatic; one of the peaks of the festival.

He’s a San Franciscan one-of-a-kind indomitable treasure who is receiving his due in the documentary “Impresario” (also the name of his memoir), concerning the antics of Marc Huestis.

Starting off as a drag artist, he joined the counter-cultural theater collective Angels of Light. He became the driving force behind the gay film festival in San Francisco as the co-founder of Frameline.

As a filmmaker he created two early queer signposts, “Chuck Solomon: Coming of Age,” one of the

t

thor Stephen Tennant (Calam Lynch).

As did many other gay men of his era, Sassoon seeks conformity and marries Hester Gatty (Kate Phillips, later Gemma Jones), who knows about his homosexuality and nominally accepts it. They produce a son George (Richard Golding). The older, unhappy Sassoon is played by Peter Capaldi and throughout the film the younger Sassoon will morph into the older Sassoon, part of Davies’ technique of conflating past, present, and future, to keep memory alive.

Davies’ poetic atmospheric style is able to replicate Sassoon’s psychological and emotional turmoil through sounds and luminous visual images, so viewers can feel it within themselves.

“Benediction” is a biopic, but certainly not the kind Hollywood would ever produce, which moves linearly from one event to the next, while Davies sashays from one emotional moment to another. Sassoon is the cautionary tragic angry figure looking for answers in the wrong places, unwilling to seek within himself the salvation he never quite found.

Benediction is the blessing at the end of a public worship service. With Davies’ Catholic background, the title is surely not a coincidence. Let’s hope “Benediction” the film is not a closing prayer or final moment in Davies’ career. One gets the sense even at age 76, he has more to offer. “Benediction” is a cinematic blessing and a substantial masterwork in the Davies’ canon.t www.benedictionmovie.com

Read the full review on www.ebar.com first features to address AIDS and the sex-positive documentary “Sex Is…” (1993). He produced camp film and performance extravaganzas (“celebrations”) and benefits at the Castro Theater, honoring Hollywood legends (Tony Curtis, Patty Duke, Kim Novak among others).

Photographer Dan Nicoletta and director Rob Epstein join other friends to celebrate an iconic nonconformist, who embodies post-Stonewall history in his small but tough frame. This is a minor but delightful homage to a life that probably could only have happened in San Francisco.

On the plus side, there are no murders or suicides in the gay Muslim Dutch narrative “El-Houb.” Karim (Fahd Larhzaoui) is a successful Moroccan-Dutch businessman who is having sex with his new Ghanaian boyfriend, when his father barges into his apartment and sees the two men in flagrante delicto. Karim rushes to his parents to come out to them but they order him out of their home. He locks himself in their closet and won’t come out (get the pun) until they agree to talk to him. “El-Houb” can sometimes feel stagey but overall works fine.

Theater becomes salvation in the trans narrative “When Men Were Men.” Kieran (Izzi Rojas) is juggling two lives. In Dublin as part of an acting troupe, his fellow thespians perceive him as a cis man. But at home in a small town, an hour outside of Dublin, he is bullied and forced to play the part of a girl Kay, because his religious mother won’t accept his gender identity. This dysfunctional family has survived a tragic loss. Kieran wants a life in the theater because he feels only there can he be himself. Overall, this auspicious debut reveals new possibilities for trans drama.t Tickets: www.frameline.org

Read the full reviews on www.ebar.com Look for more Frameline coverage in last week and next week’s issues.

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<< TV & Music

16 • Bay Area Repor ter • June 16-22, 2022

Pride viewing

by Victoria A. Brownworth

We can’t say enough about the power of this series at this point in historical time. The stories are our stories, the pain and survivalist messaging is fundamental to our own experience right now, and the players feel pitch perfect.

New Orleans, where we used to live, is the latest setting for “Queer as Folk” and that also resonates, since nowhere in America is resilience and survival better understood. This is a such a deeply moving, sweet, sexy, painful, amazing series. Watch.

L

et’s call it, “Saving Democracy,” a limited series. The January 6 Committee Hearings certainly have all the drama of a hit summer true crime/ thriller series. The prime-time opener was mesmerizingly powerful and incalculably disturbing. Everything we thought we knew about January 6 truly did pale by comparison to what was revealed.

This is the most provocative story of our time. Don’t miss it. Stream the hearings on demand at ABC, PBS, MSNBC and CNN. Pride may be an imperiled experience, given the way the GOP is trying to legislate LGBTQ folks out of existence with hundreds of anti-gay/antitrans bills in every state legislature.

More than a half-century after Stonewall, with record numbers of queer and trans people coming out, we are still having to fight the very same fights as our queercestors and transestors to establish our rights to full citizenship and to safety in our own lives.

With that in mind, Happy Pride! Here’s some affirming and engaging Pride programming that is well worth your time.

Soul of a Nation

There was a real cultural disconnect when “Pride: To Be Seen - A Soul of a

Personals

t

Pride TidBits

Cast members from the new ‘Queer as Folk’ on Peacock

‘Brat Loves Judy’

Nation Presentation” debuted on ABC immediately following the first January 6 hearing. Yet at the same time it was soothing to be brought deep into our own community and its comforting embrace after the violence and fear generated by the hearing.

Hosting was British actress and model Cara Delevingne, who identifies as bisexual and genderfluid.

Delevingne, who came out publicly at 22 in 2015, spoke about her own experience of coming to terms with her sexual ori-

as Folk” is what we need now. It speaks to the violence of our time and the ways in which we find resilience to survive and move forward.

The first episode of “Queer as Folk” features a mass shooting at a gay nightclub. In this era of mass shootings, and with the sixth anniversary of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando this week, this episode and the story arc that comes from it has particular resonance for LGBTQ viewers.

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entation, which included depression.

The special, now streaming on Hulu, was quite powerful with a focus on trans and queer people and LGBTQ people of color. ABC has a slate of gay and lesbian anchors and reporters, all of whom are also people of color and they were on display here.

Reporter Gio Benitez interviewed White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who made history last month as the first Black and the first openly gay WHPS. Jean-Pierre and Benitez shared their experiences of coming out in immigrant families and how hard the process with their families has been.

Robin Roberts interviewed a Black pastor who is an LGBTQ ally and who has created a welcoming space for LGBTQ people to stay in the church.

There was a great segment on drag which of course highlighted the queen of queens, RuPaul Charles and their famous quote, “You’re born naked, the rest is drag.”

Watch as Da Brat brings her romance with Judy Dupart to center stage on “Brat Loves Judy,” on WE TV’s ALLBLK streaming service. Season 2 of the hit reality show is now streaming. This lesbian couple is absolutely fabulous and so much fun in action.

Hulu says “Pride Never Stops,” and as part of the service’s commitment to Pride programming, they will launch the ABC News docu-series “Mormon No More” on June 24. The series follows two married Mormon moms who fall in love and leave the faith.t

For more viewing options, read the full column on www.ebar.com.

Queer as Folk Redux

Russell Davies 1999 British series “Queer as Folk” became, along with “The L Word,” one of the first all-queer TV series in the U.S. Debuting on Showtime in 2000, the series ran for five seasons.

Peacock’s latest iteration of “Queer

Reporter Gio Benitez interviewed White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on ABC’s ‘Pride: To Be Seen - A Soul of a Nation Presentation’

Sounds of Pride, part 2

Jon Fuller

by Gregg Shapiro

S

Professional headshots / profile pics Weddings / Events

StevenUnderhill 415 370 7152 • StevenUnderhill.com

ample more sounds of the rainbow with our second Pride series on LGBT musicians.

Gay singer/songwriter Jon Fuller makes a lasting impression with “Stepping Stone,” from his third album “When Did You Get So Damned Scared.” A touching, alternately humorous and dramatic, number about first gay love, Fuller fills the listener’s ears with all the feels. It’s one of the best songs you’ll hear on the subject.

Fuller also doesn’t shy away from getting political on the songs “Not In My Name,” “Burn It Down,” and “Gonna Have Fun Today.” Fuller is a welcome voice in the LGBTQ+ music scene.

Genderqueer artist Diane Coffee (aka Shaun Fleming) serves up their fourth full-length album “With People” (Polyvinyl). If you didn’t know any better, you might think album opener “Corrina from Colina,” had been discovered in a fault that had been locked

Carlie Hanson

since the early 1980s. The song effortlessly conjures the pop mindset of the period. But by “Bullied,” the second song, containing the lyrics “I was attractive, I was kind of queer/ Who better to tempt my schoolyard domineer?,” we know we’re listening at a time when such subject matter is addressed. Also of note are the shapeshifting “Our Love/The Run,” the deceptively dark “Shark” (which returns to the schoolyard), the queer “politics” of “Forever You and I,” and the unexpected folk of “What Good Is It Now.” The 12 selections on lesbian singer/ songwriter Sean Della Croce’s subtly radiant debut album “Illuminations” (Pasadena), shine a generous light on her artistry. The Nashville native proudly represents contemporary Americana with a touch of folk on the songs “Rebecca Henry,” “Catharine Street,” “Lille,” and “End All Be All.” Della Croce is also at home turning up the twang as does on “Then, Now,” “Break In the Rain,” and “Weak Days.”

Kid Moxie

Drawing on influences ranging from Tegan and Sara to Billie Eilish and Avril Lavigne, queer singer/songwriter Carlie Hanson grabs us by the collar and doesn’t let go with her debut fulllength album “Tough Boy” (Warner Records). Easily the most commercially-produced-sounding album in this column, Hanson has a knack for co-writing catchy numbers made all the more enticing because of the lyrical content of songs such as “Nice To Know Ya,” “Fuck Your Labels,” “Girls In Line For the Bathroom,” and “Gucci Knife.”

“Better Than Electric” (Pasadena) is the fifth full-length studio album by queer musician Kid Moxie (aka Elena Charbila). Created while in lockdown in L.A. during the pandemic, the songs sound like a dream of nostalgia and longing for community.

“At The End of the Night” is pure ‘80s adrenaline,” while “Unbroken” has a NIN vibe. The dance tracks, including “Miss Robot,” “Black Flower,” and “Lost In Time,” are Kid Moxie’s strong suit.t

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<< Art & Books

18 • Bay Area Repor ter • June 16-22, 2022

Chloe Sherman’s ‘Renegades’

t

Su Evers

Queer Jewish photographer Chloe Sherman reviews prints of her photos of lesbian life in San Francisco’s 1990s.

Courtesy of Chloe Sherman

Hole in the Wall” (San Francisco, 1999)

by Heather Cassell

S

an Francisco has always been a place where people are free to explore and find themselves. The 1990s was no exception, yet it was exceptional as queer fine art photographer Chloe Sherman demonstrates in her new exhibit “Renegade San Francisco: the 1990s,” opening June 17.

“San Francisco, through the decades, has been the wild and crazy end-of-the-rainbow place to arrive, whoever you are,” said Sherman, 53, who considered that she came home when she arrived in San Francisco from Portland, Oregon in 1991.

“It just felt like it was my home,” she said. “It was a very obvious place to arrive and stay.”

Rent was cheap and the city welcomed artists, outcasts, queers, and rebels. Basically, anyone who came to San Francisco could survive, live, create, and become who they wanted to be. Sherman was there capturing the attitude and spirit of the city’s lesbian scene in the 1990s with her camera.

“The ’90s, in particular, was an incredible, kind of radical and pivotal time in the city,” Sherman said. “I knew it was an exciting time, and looking back at these photos, I can confirm that it was a unique and revolutionary era.”

That revolutionary time will be on display in a rare exhibit of 36 archival pigment prints, when her exhibit

Monday 8am

(last seating 9:45pm)

Tuesday 8am

(last seating 9:45pm)

opens June 17 at the Schlomer Haus Gallery. It’s Sherman’s first solo show.

The exhibit will feature the iconic “Kindred Spirits,” among many photos never seen publicly before.

Lesbian imagery

“Kindred Spirits” is an image of two shaved-headed Jewish queer women – Uhlmann, left, and Ogren, right – wearing yarmulkes and staring intensely into each other’s eyes. The photo appeared in the 1996 awardwinning coffee table photo book, “Nothing But the Girl: The Blatant Lesbian Image: A Portfolio and Exploration of Lesbian Erotic Photography,” and on the cover of Uhlmann and Ogren’s 1996 short film, “Bad Jews in My Kitchen.”

Sherman, who self-describes as “culturally Jewish,” Olgren, and Uhlmann plan to recreate the iconic photo, they said. Olgren was unavailable to comment for this article.

Nearly 200 people Sherman photographed in the 1990s are traveling from all over North America to San Francisco for the opening. Brandon Romer, who owns Schlomer Haus Gallery with his husband, Steffan Schlarb, called Sherman’s work “evocative.”

Romer and Schlarb opened the gallery in October 2021, and discovered Sherman after she started posting the photos on Instagram earlier this year.

Sherman began her journey back

to the ’90s after someone tagged her online on a digital copy of “Kindred Spirits,” identifying her as the photographer, she said. She did not realize the photo took on a life of its own for nearly 30 years.

When the ’90s ended, Sherman started a family and career and filed her 20s and the era away. The tag was a catalyst for Sherman who began reviewing and transforming her work from the 35-millimeter film for the digital age.

Sherman’s documentary-style photography “really highlights and elevates the ’90s queer scene in San Francisco. It’s so evocative, it’s beautiful,” said Romer. Her images capture

“a time and place [in San Francisco] that doesn’t quite exist anymore,” he continued, which “makes her work nostalgic and poignant, but also joyful and beautiful.”

Finding voices

Many of the people Sherman photographed are excited about the exhibit. Speaking with the Bay Area Reporter, many recalled the period as a time of coming into themselves and finding their voices.

Sherman “captured something that really could have just fallen off the map,” said Silas Howard, 54, a queer transmasculine film and television director, who is one of the people she photographed.

Howard said he came into his creativity and political voice during the ’90s.

“It formed me,” he said recalling the music, art, and the era teaching him to not wait for permission to act to make

change. “If you want something done, because you’re not represented anywhere, it’s on you to do it.”

At the same time, “We weren’t taking photos ourselves. We weren’t documenting ourselves,” he said, grateful for Sherman. “It was very much about the present moment.”

Sherman recalled her subjects being “collectively creative, supportive, proud, and defiant. People were rejecting cultural norms and, together, embracing a new lifestyle.”t Chloe Sherman’s “Renegades San Francisco: the 1990s” opens on June 17 with a reception, 5pm-9p.m, at Schlomer Haus Gallery, 2128 Market St. Open through July 23. schlomerhaus.com chloeshermanphotography.com

Read the full article on www.ebar.com.

Both photos: Courtesy of Chloe Sherman

Left: Chloe Sherman’s iconic photo “Kindred Spirits (San Francisco 1994)” will be on display as one of 36 other works. Right: Tribe 8 lead guitarist and backup vocalist Leslie Mah, left, sitting on Elitrea Fry Jimenez’s, right, the band’s roadie, lap at the Lexington Club in San Francisco.

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crolling Facebook, I see snapshots posted by a friend and recognize Essex Hemphill immediately. Hemphill, a Black gay poet featured in the

films “Looking for Langston” and “Tongues Untied,” is aglow, his charisma leaps from illuminated pixels.

The image, posted by my colleague, the literary publicist Michele Karlsberg, is simultaneously staged and sponta-

neous. Staged because Michele clearly said to some passerby as she shoved her camera into their hands, ‘Here, would you take a quick picture of us?’ She then See page 19 >>

t

Books >>

June 16-22, 2022 • Bay Area Repor ter • 19

Summer books round-up, part 2

by Jim Piechota

I

n our continuing Summer Books series, here are even more queer books coming to both physical and digital bookstores this summer. We list some exciting suspense novels, several books for younger readers, a graphic pictorial story for all ages printed in vibrant pink, and a few select nonfiction and memoir titles to broaden perspectives on the impact of being Queer in the world today.

Happy Pride Reading!

FICTION

God’s Children Are Little Broken Things

by Arinze Ifeakandu $16.95 (A Public Space) Dazzling debut story collections like this one are a rare occasion and should be applauded. Within each of these nine stories, Ifeakandu deeply and evocatively probes the clandestine, perilous same-sex relationship dynamics and the true nature of being queer in Nigeria.

Among them, readers will find a gay male couple whose partnership is put to the test when one, an aspiring singer, gets his big break into stardom; a “roommate” situation that is much more than it seems, especially when one leaves; and a struggling business owner who begins a sexual affair with a wealthy man as familial suspicions mount and certain disaster awaits. Pain, desire, and secret love intermingle and the explosive result slams down like an emotional sledgehammer. This is an unforgettable, impeccable glimpse into how queerness is navigated in West Africa.

Rainbow Rainbow

by Lydia Conklin $26 (Catapult)

<<

OutWrite

From page 18

rushed to Essex’s side while Blackberri, the man on the left, put his arm around Essex, and they all smiled for the impromptu photographer.

Although the conference nametags are a bit difficult to read in the image, I recognize the OutWrite 92 logo with a hand holding an exclamation point which doubles as a pen.

OutWrite was a conference organized first by OUT/LOOK magazine in San Francisco and later by Gay Community News in Boston. The conferences were held annually between 1990 and 1999. This OutWrite was the first held in Boston.

Over 2000 people attended, welcomed with opening plenary speeches

by Mariana Romo-Carmona and Dorothy Allison and a closing plenary featuring Melvin Dixon and Allan Gurganus.

With my colleague Elena Gross, I have been busy preserving LGBTQ literary history through the new book, “OutWrite: The Speeches that Shaped LGBTQ Literary Culture.” Elena Gross and I argue in our introduction

Award-winning author Conklin’s character driven collection of ten stories revolve around the desire for connection and how that yearning can be hilarious, heartbreaking, and devastating, sometimes all at once.

The opener “Laramie Time” follows a lesbian couple who begin planning to expand their family with a child, but trust and manipulation issues hijack the entire process.

The female sex addict headlining the story “A Fearless Moral Inventory” has been sexually sober for a month, but all that changes once a street fair entices her and a whirlwind of possibilities follows suit. Rainbows are plentiful throughout the collection and that just adds to the allure of Conklin’s majestic command of language and literary form.

Compassionate and truly human, each tale intertwines the nature of queerness and pansexuality with the terrors of anxiety, disappointment, and longing. While these characters all seek the tenderness, emotional validity, and catharsis of true acceptance, their methods of self-preservation trump everything else. Conklin’s immense storytelling acumen is on incredible display here within every tale and on every page. Don’t miss this one.

Gods of Want

by K-Ming Chang $27 (One World) On the heels of her 2020 debut novel, “Bestiary,” comes Chang’s distinguished volume of 16 short stories balanced precariously between old world and new world themes and how they intersect and influence each other. The stories, separated into three sections, “Mothers,” “Myths,” and “Moths,” read in a progressive, interwoven format to the collection that these gatherings shaped LGBTQ literary culture and remain relevant to today’s literary communities.

While we write about the history of the conferences and compile some of the significant speeches from the conference, three snapshots from Michele capture something more intimate about what the conferences meant, and about what it means to build LGBTQ communities of care.

“OutWrite: The Speeches that Shaped LGBTQ Literary Culture” celebrates these histories and reminds us to find a way to continue to hold on to each out, to our words, to our stories, to our bodies.t A book event for ‘OutWrite: The Speeches that Shaped LGBTQ Literary Culture’ with co-editors Elena Gross and Julie Enszer, and writers Jewelle Gomez and Marvin K. White, will take place at the Museum of the African Diaspora, June 23, 6:30pm. 685 Mission St. at 3rd. www.moadsf.org

Read the full essay on www.ebar.com.

and feature a chorus of mischievous dead-cousin poltergeists out to disrupt the marital bliss of an unnamed narrator; a grief-stricken woman obsessed with the accumulated belongings of her hoarder grandmother; and a verbally abused woman at the mercy of the aunt who raised her. As a queer woman of color, Chang, a Lambda Literary Award finalist, and National Book Foundation 5 under 35 honoree, injects her stories with passion, bloody reality, and the linguistic poetry shared by a Taiwanese immigrant community living and loving in America.

the author’s struggle from a young age to fit in inside the classroom, on the playing field, at home, or…anywhere, but with time and maturity, he finally achieves self-acceptance and happiness in perceiving his differences as unique and his queerness as something to celebrate loudly and colorfully, and not just on Grindr. Humorous, lighthearted, but with a message every reader can relate to, Ebensperger has produced a magnificently bright fuchsia cheerleader to all of us who “ever had the feeling that even if you wanted to, you’d never blend in”.

GRAPHIC MEMOIR

NON-FICTION

Gay Giant

by Gabriel Ebensperger $19.99 (Street Noise) Translated from the Spanish, Ebensperger’s self-drawn debut is a splashy pink portrait chronicling his comingof-age journey growing up gay in Santiago, Chile. Valiantly dedicated to “all the people who have felt bizarre, damaged, or strange”, the book illuminates

How You Get Famous: Ten Years of Drag Madness in Brooklyn by Nicole Pasulka, $27.99 (Simon & Schuster) According to this debut stunner from New York journalist Pasulka, the drag queen scene in Brooklyn was unmatched in both talent and performance moxie and “is at once amateurish and world-class, and in this way, it

serves as a microcosm of the art form”.

The borough also spawned talent that would effortlessly soar high enough to transcend future decades, as is the case with numerous “super queens” she spotlights in endearing and scrutinizing profiles. Among them is Aja, an adopted, nonbinary gendered artist who became a force in the drag, hip hop, and reality television worlds and Merrie Cherry who, despite suffering a stroke, went on to capture hearts and stages as drag royalty; and creative visual artist, drag persona, and producer Sasha Velour. With name-dropping and melodrama galore, this immersive drag history lesson is one Drag Race fans won’t want to miss.t

Read more reviews of books

by Andrew Joseph White, Mark Salzwedel, Carlos Allende, Raquel Gutiérrez, and a list of the 2022 Lambda Literary Award winners, on www.ebar.com.

So Happy Together!

MARIN COUNTY

FAIR June 30 - July 4, 2022

OUT AT THE FAIR! Be proud and join the crowd for Out at the Fair on July 3rd!

Sport your pride colors all day at the Fair, join The Stud for a live drag show on the Community Stage and DJ sets throughout the day, ride the rides, participate in a group photo at 5pm the Giant Ferris Wheel, and stay for Digable Planets on the Island Stage followed by fireworks over the Lagoon.

FREE CONCERTS • CARNIVAL RIDES • FIREWORKS Visit MarinFair.org for more details!