June 19, 2014 Edition of the Bay Area Reporter

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Frameline opens

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Obama expected to issue LGBT workers order

Vol. 44 • No. 25 • June 19-25, 2014

Sidewalk project reaches halfway mark

by Lisa Keen

I

n a sudden but not necessarily unexpected gesture, the White House indicated this week Lydia Gonzales that President Barack President Obama has “directed Barack Obama his staff ” to prepare an executive order to prohibit federal contractors from discriminating against employees on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

The White House official could not say how soon Obama intends to sign the executive order. But the news, issued Monday, June 16, comes during Pride Month and less than two weeks before the White House hosts its annual reception in celebration of Pride Month. And it came just one day before the president is scheduled to be at an LGBT-related fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee in New York.

It also comes as much of the nation’s attention is riveted to an escalating civil war in Iraq that threatens to provoke U.S. military response and to an “urgent humanitarian” crisis in which more than 1,000 unaccompanied minors are crossing the border from Mexico into the U.S. every day.

Word that Obama plans to sign a federal contractor executive order to protect LGBT employees spread lightning fast.

The Human Rights Campaign called the news the “culmination of six years of advocacy by the members and supporters of the Human Rights Campaign, LGBT and civil rights leaders, and allies on Capitol Hill.”

The Williams Institute, an LGBT think tank at UCLA, issued a statement Monday saying that 14 million more workers would be protected under Obama’s executive order.

“The executive order will help reduce the numbers of American workers who can be harassed or fired based on their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity,” Williams Institute Executive Director Brad Sears said in the statement. “Williams Institute research has documented pervasive and persistent patterns of workplace discrimination in all 50 states, however, our analysis indicates that state and local non-discrimination laws protect only a portion of the American workforce.”

Lee Badgett, a distinguished scholar at the Williams Institute, added that discrimination against LGBT people is “disturbingly common.”

See page 14 >>

A couple walks down the new sidewalks on Castro Street; the sidewalk widening project is at its midpoint and work is suspended for Pride activities, with construction set to resume June 30.

Rick Gerharter

by Matthew S. Bajko

T

he project to expand sidewalks in the city’s gay Castro district reached the halfway mark this week, and San Francisco planners remain hopeful the work will be completed by early October.

Officials had built in a self-imposed deadline of June 17 for construction to wrap on the first phase of the streetscape improve-

ments so as not to interfere with the Frameline LGBT International Film Festival, which opens Thursday night, June 19, and takes over the Castro Theatre for 10 days, or Pride festivities next weekend in the Castro.

Crews from Ghilotti Brothers, the Marinbased contractor that won the bid for the $4 million project, had largely wrapped up their work by Tuesday, June 17. After cleaning the streets and sidewalks Wednesday morning,

the company planned to vacate the area by mid-afternoon.

Fencing around the newly poured sidewalk extensions along the 400 and 500 blocks of Castro Street came down in early June to provide pedestrian access to the widened pathways. Crews also leveled the street and poured temporary pavement along the two blocks for vehicle access.

See page 13 >>

Cordileone defends marriage march speech

by Chuck Colbert

troversy and urging them to contact the archdiocese. an Francisco Archbishop Organizers told a local TV staSalvatore J. Cordileone, tion that they were well received by who is scheduled to speak people heading into church. at Thursday’s March for MarPublic officials who are signatoriage in Washington, D.C., is deries to the June 10 open letter to Corfending his decision to address dileone include California Lieutenthe rally, a gathering his critics ant Governor Gavin Newsom; gay charge is anti-gay. state legislators Senator Mark Leno “The March for Marriage is (D-San Francisco) and Assemblynot ‘anti-LGBT’ (as some have men Tom Ammiano (D-San Frandescribed it); it is not anti-anycisco) and Rich Gordon (D-Menlo one or anti-anything,” CordilePark); San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee one said in a letter released June and gay city Treasurer Jose Cisneros, 16 as a media advisory through along with gay Supervisors David the archdiocesan communicaBill Wilson Campos and Scott Wiener, among tions department. nearly 100 other people.

Bill Baird, a member of the national board of Dignity USA, stands “Rather, it is a pro-marriage “We respect freedom of religion outside the San Francisco Archdiocese Tuesday, June 17 as gay rights march. The latter does not imply and understand that you oppose advocates delivered 30,000 petitions to Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordthe former,” the archbishop said. ileone, urging him not to participate in Thursday’s March for Marriage. civil marriage for same-sex cou“Rather, it affirms the great good ples,” the signers wrote in the letof bringing the two halves of huter, which notes that some invited The Southern Poverty Law Center has in fact manity together so that a man march speakers are not in accord designated Family Research Council as a hate and a woman may bond with each other and with the Catechism of the Catholic Church, group. with any children who come from their union.” “which states that lesbian and gay people ‘must On Tuesday, local Catholic and faith com- be accepted with respect, compassion, and senCordileone’s letter is in response to state and munity leaders delivered about 30,000 petitions sitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in local officials, as well as religious leaders and heads of secular organizations, who have called to the San Francisco Archdiocese, urging Cord- their regard should be avoided.’” on him not to attend the march sponsored by ileone to cancel his speaking engagement.

One such speaker is the Reverend Harry R. Last weekend, local members of the grass- Jackson Jr., an African American preacher and the National Organization for Marriage and the Family Research Council, which they say are roots group Equally Blessed handed out fliers Pentecostal bishop, who serves as senior pastor at in front of LGBT-friendly Catholic churches in among “the nation’s most virulently anti-LGBT See page 14 >> San Francisco, alerting parishioners to the conorganizations.”

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<< Community News

t Castro health center on track; 10K run re-launched 2 • Bay area reporter • June 19-25, 2014

by Seth Hemmelgarn

S

an Francisco’s largest HIV/ AIDS-related nonprofit is continuing to build a gay men’s health and wellness center in the Castro neighborhood as it also aims to relaunch one of its fundraising events.

Once the three-story space at 474 Castro Street is completed, the San Francisco AIDS Foundation will merge its Magnet health center; the Stonewall Project, which provides drug counseling programs; and the Stop AIDS Project, which focuses on HIV prevention, into the new location.

In September, the nonprofit will hold its Big Gay 10K, which last occurred in 2012. The AIDS foundation, which last year had a budget of about $24 million, had been the lead agency for the annual San Francisco AIDS Walk for years, but lost that event to Project Inform, another nonprofit, starting this year. The switch left SFAF with a funding gap of about $750,000.

In an interview this week, AIDS foundation CEO Neil Giuliano didn’t have an exact opening date for the health center.

“We’re still saying late this year, early next year,” said Giuliano.

The fundraising goal is still $10 million, which will go toward physical construction of the facility and expanding programs. Giuliano wouldn’t say how much of that money has been raised.

“We’re still in the quiet phase of the campaign,” he said, but those involved are “incredibly pleased with progress so far.” Corporate and private donors and others “are really stepping up in big ways to support the project,” he added.

The quiet phase will end “likely by the end of this year,” said Giuliano. That means “there’s a potential” for the public fundraising campaign to begin as the center is opening “but we don’t have any specific dates” for when the second

Rick Gerharter

Work continues on the San Francisco AIDS Foundation’s new facility on Castro Street.

phase of fundraising will start.

Giuliano couldn’t say what the largest donation has been.

“We don’t have approval from donors to release that kind of information yet,” he said.

He also said there’s no “formal name” for the center yet, “but we are under way with a branding process to determine what that will be.” He added, “It’s only June. We have lots of time to complete that process in a professional way and make sure it goes well.”

He said his organization has all the permits it needs for major construction and tenant improvements.

“I think we’re in pretty good shape in that regard,” said Giuliano.

“Now it’s just full steam ahead to get the work done.”

The AIDS foundation has been updating its blog about the new center at www.474castro.org. Giuliano said work has included redoing plumbing and installing stronger foundations.

“It’s a very old building so there’s a lot that had to be brought up to code, but we’re on track,” he said.

“It’s pretty much on schedule.”

But Giuliano said, “More important than the physical design

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of the building is the design of the client experience.” Part of the work involves “going through all the different scenarios of clients and what clients’ needs are, so it’s a very seamless transition for our clients when we’re in the new facility.”

Gay Supervisor Scott Wiener, whose District 8 includes the Castro, is a longtime supporter of SFAF’s plans for the building.

“To have a health center for our community with that breadth of services is going to be very, very positive,” said Wiener.

“Magnet has been a tremendous

success, so much so that it takes a while to get an appointment,” and putting that clinic into a larger space will allow it to “flourish,” he said. Combining Magnet with the other programs “in one community health care space will make all of them more successful.”

Wiener said, “My perception is fundraising has been strong.” He contributed to the AIDS/LifeCycle, but he hasn’t made a donation specifically toward the health center. He said he plans to do so.

The LifeCycle, which concluded June 7, is the annual bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles that benefits the AIDS foundation and the Los Angeles LGBT Center.

This year’s ride raised “well over $15 million, which is a new record for the AIDS/LifeCycle,” said Giuliano.

Big Gay 10K

The AIDS foundation will produce the Big Gay 10K run and walk to fight AIDS September 6 in Golden Gate Park.

The group had been the primary beneficiary of the annual AIDS Walk San Francisco for more than 20 years. But MZA Events, which produces the AIDS Walk, announced in 2012 that it was switching to another nonprofit, Project Inform, beginning with this year’s walk, which is set for July 20.

The move left the AIDS foundation with a budget gap of $750,000.

After the nonprofit cut grants to partners, the deficit decreased to $500,000.

Giuliano said, “We will more than make that up with what we raise from the Big Gay 10K and increased performance from other platforms,” including individual giving, the Santa Skivvies run, and the nonprofit’s annual dinner.

The 10K run isn’t meant to compete with the AIDS Walk, he said.

“It’s a very different model,” he said, describing it as a “fun, very spirited, costumed big gay walk and run.”

He added, “We were supposed to have [the 10K event] last year,” but the city “canceled our permit” in favor of an America’s Cup yacht race event.

About 1,000 people are expected to participate in the event. The goal is to raise more than the last 10K in 2012, which brought in “just over $66,000,” according to SFAF spokesman Ryan McKeel.

Giuliano estimated the 10K event, which is being planned mainly by volunteers, would cost “15 cents on the dollar.”

“You don’t have to be gay” to participate, he added. “You just have to be fabulous.”

For more information, visit www. biggay10k.com.t

Vote soon on condoms in porn bill

by David-Elijah Nahmod

T

he state Senate is expected to vote on a bill next week that would require condom use for commercially filmed sexual acts in California.

Not surprisingly, some local porn companies are against the bill, even as there have been reported cases of porn actors testing positive for HIV. Assembly Bill 1576, which would require mandatory condom use on all porn sets, passed the state Assembly on a 48-13 vote May 27. The bill is now in the state Senate, where it’s scheduled to be heard June 25.

AB 1576 was authored by Assemblyman Isadore Hall III (D-Los Angeles). A similar bill by Hall did not make it out of the Legislature last year.

There have been several HIV scares in the adult film industry over the years, with performers who were believed to be negative turning out to be positive. As the Bay Area Reporter reported last year, three porn actors tested positive for HIV in the fall of 2013. Two of them worked with San Francisco-based Kink.com – the actress known as Cameron Bay and the actor known as Rod Daily, who was in a relationship with Bay. Another person also tested positive for HIV but didn’t publicly come forward.

This has resulted in industry shutdowns while other performers were tested. Condom use has long been an industry standard among gay porn producers, although some studios have generated controversy by marketing “bareback” (condom free) films.

According to Hall, the Los Angeles Department of Public Health reports that adult film performers are seven times more likely to become exposed to sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV. There were five cases of HIV transmission through adult film performance in 2013.

Before condom use became the norm in gay porn, hundreds of 1970s and 1980s gay performers succumbed to AIDS-related complications.

In 2012, voters in Los Angeles County passed the Safer Sex in the Adult Film Industry Act that re-

Assemblyman Isadore Hall III

quires condoms in all vaginal and anal sex scenes filmed in Los Angeles. It passed with nearly 60 percent of the vote.

Now Hall wants a similar measure statewide.

“The passage of AB 1576 was a strong reaffirmation of the California Legislature’s commitment to protect workers in the state, regardless of the type of work performed,” Hall said in a statement following the Assembly vote. “For too long the adult film industry has thrived on a business model which exploits its workers and puts profit over safety.

A minimum level of safety in the workplace should not have to be negotiated.”

Hall’s spokesman Terry Schanz told the Bay Area Reporter that a number of studios continue to enjoy financial success after mandating condom use in all scenes on their own. Wicked Pictures has employed the practice since 1998. Iconic gay porn studio Falcon uses condoms on set, then digitally removes the condom image via computer. San Francisco-based Raging Stallion Studios are also using condoms, according to Schanz.

Not everyone in the industry is pleased about AB 1576, including producers who already use condoms in all scenes.

“What a performer does sexually should be up to the performer, not the government,” Tim Valenti, president of San Francisco-based Naked

Sword Productions, said in a post on Facebook. “As gay men, we know how important our privacy is, and we know how HIV has been used to whip up fear among gay men. Under the law, even a monogamous gay couple using a webcam from their own home could be prosecuted for not using a condom.”

Kink.com, which had performers test positive for HIV, is also against the bill.

“This is about performer choice,” Michael Stabile of Kink.com told the B.A.R. “A bottom should absolutely have the right to ask for a condom. In fact, it’s imperative. Everything a performer consents to do with his or her body should be determined by that performer, not by a studio or government. That means partners should talk about their status to make an informed decision, that any performer should be able to request a condom at any time for any reason. That’s why performers are fighting this bill, it removes performers from the equation.”

Stabile said that Kink.com uses condoms in all its scenes, and allows performers to choose if they want their scene partners tested.

Los Angeles-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation supports the bill. It was also a major sponsor of the LA condom law.

“When I was in my youth I worked in a factory and was doing piecework,” AHF President Michael Weinstein said in an email. “I would have preferred not to wear goggles and gloves. I was required to do so by law.

“People can do whatever they choose in their personal lives but when they are employed and they receive money, they are covered by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration,” he added. “Lastly, very many performers have told me that when they asked to use condoms, they didn’t get work. The primary people testifying on behalf of this legislation are performers.”

The San Francisco AIDS Foundation is not taking a position on AB 1576, according to spokesman Ryan McKeel.

Gay porn performers reached for comment did not respond by press time.t

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4 • Bay Area Reporter • June 19-25, 2014

Volume 44, Number 25 June 19-25, 2014 www.ebar.com PUBLISHER Michael M. Yamashita Thomas E. Horn, Publisher Emeritus (2013) Publisher (2003 – 2013) Bob Ross, Founder (1971 – 2003) NEWS EDITOR Cynthia Laird ARTS EDITOR Roberto Friedman ASSISTANT EDITORS Matthew S. Bajko Seth Hemmelgarn Jim Provenzano CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Dan Aiello • Tavo Amador Erin Blackwell • Roger Brigham Brian Bromberger • Victoria A. Brownworth Philip Campbell • Heather Cassell Chuck Colbert • Richard Dodds David Guarino • Peter Hernandez Liz Highleyman • Brandon Judell • John F. Karr Lisa Keen • Matthew Kennedy • David Lamble Michael McAllister • Michael McDonagh David-Elijah Nahmod • Elliot Owen Paul Parish • Sean Piverger • Lois Pearlman Tim Pfaff • Jim Piechota • Bob Roehr Donna Sachet • Adam Sandel Khaled Sayed • Jason Serinus • Gregg Shapiro Gwendolyn Smith • Jim Stewart Ed Walsh • Sura Wood ART DIRECTION Jay Cribas PRODUCTION/DESIGN Max Leger PHOTOGRAPHERS Jane Philomen Cleland Rick Gerharter • Lydia Gonzales Rudy K. Lawidjaja • Steven Underhill Bill Wilson ILLUSTRATORS & CARTOONISTS Paul Berge Christine Smith ADVERTISING/ADMINISTRATION Colleen Small VICE PRESIDENT OF ADVERTISING Scott Wazlowski – 415.359.2612 NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE Rivendell Media – 212.242.6863

LEGAL COUNSEL Paul H. Melbostad, Esq.

<< Open Forum

t Mr. Mayor, make those appointments S

an Francisco Pride weekend is almost here – the rainbow flag was raised at City Hall this week – but you wouldn’t know it from the way Mayor Ed Lee has dragged his feet on the proposal to name one of the terminals at San Francisco International Airport after slain supervisor Harvey Milk.

As we reported last month on the eve of Harvey Milk Day, Lee has five slots to fill on the advisory committee tasked with recommending which of the four SFO terminals should be named after Milk. The Board of Supervisors has four picks, and filled those positions months ago. Yet for unexplained reasons, the mayor has not chosen his appointees, meaning no panel exists that can act on the matter or even hold a meeting. At this point, of course, it’s too late for Pride 2014 and likely too late for the November 27 anniversary of Milk and Mayor George Moscone’s assassinations. And because we know how long it takes to get something done by the city’s bureaucracy, we’ll be lucky if there’s a decision in time to install signage for next year’s Milk Day. That’s a shame. How cool would it have been for folks flying into SFO in a couple weeks to disembark at Harvey Milk Terminal?

The idea for recognizing Milk at SFO started in January 2013 when gay Supervisor David Campos shocked the city with his grand plan to name the entire airport after the gay rights leader. Unfortunately for Campos, he didn’t take the necessary time to brief key stakeholders and others before going to the San Francisco Chronicle, which broke the story amid much consternation, even within the LGBT community. Most people appreciate a heads up on major issues but most leaders didn’t know about it until they read it in the paper.

After Campos could not muster a crucial sixth vote at the Board of Supervisors to place an amendment to the city’s charter, which refers to San Francisco Airport, on the ballot for voters’ approval, he cut a deal with Lee. The mayor was never keen on the idea of designating SFO after Milk, but he worked with Campos to broker a deal establishing the Airport Facilities Naming Advisory Committee. It not only would be tasked with suggesting either the airport’s international terminal or one of its three domestic terminals be named in Milk’s honor, it could also decide to recommend names for the other three terminals. The supervisors and the mayor would have final ap-

T 225 Bush Street, Suite 1700 San Francisco, CA 94104 415.861.5019 www.ebar.com A division of BAR Media, Inc. © 2014 President: Michael M. Yamashita Chairman: Thomas E. Horn VP and CFO: Patrick G. Brown Secretary: Todd A. Vogt

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Rick Gerharter

San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee

the mayor has completed his budget proposal.

The city doesn’t have to worry about another America’s Cup, and negotiations with Muni drivers are at a standstill. Now is a good time to find five people willing to serve on what will be an important panel.

We urge Mayor Lee to move quickly. If it were up to us, we’d pick the international terminal for Milk, so we recommend that the committee – when it’s finally up and running – seriously consider the suggestion.t

Why the military should be at SF Pride

by Matthew Reece

Bay Area Reporter

proval over the committee’s recommendations.

But without action by the mayor, the whole project is at a standstill.

We’re not even sure the mayor knows he has committee slots to fill. When we asked him about the panel last month, he initially appeared not to realize that the committee had yet to meet. After we pointed out to Lee that he had not announced his selections, the mayor said that his office “had started putting our folks on it” and would announce the appointments “very soon.”

For his part, Campos, who is in a tight Assembly race against Board of Supervisors President David Chiu, could be more aggressive in urging the mayor to take action. But he seems content to sit back and watch the process unfold. “We’re waiting for him to appoint his people,” Campos told us. “The Board of Supervisors can’t force him to do anything. The deal we struck was to create a committee; we did our part and we are waiting for him to do his part.”

Instead of waiting, Campos should be proactive, issuing regular news releases calling on the mayor to quickly make his appointments and keep his end of the bargain.

We know there are more pressing issues at City Hall than committee appointments. But

o every LGBT veteran; to every LGBT soldier, airman, sailor, and marine currently serving; to every member of the LGBT community who fought for the repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell”; to the dozens of people who welcomed the California National Guard and the California State Military Reserve to San Francisco Pride last year; to those who tearfully proclaimed that they never thought they would see the day when the U.S. military would participate in a Pride event: Please know that the California National Guard and the California State Military Reserve will be absent from SF Pride this year, not by choice, but by decree.

As a member of the LGBT community and an advocate for equality, I have fought for years against prejudice, ignorance, and discrimination. That is why it is so disappointing that these same words can be used to describe the anti-military bias that resulted in the decision to ban the armed forces from participating in San Francisco Pride 2014. Citing the “ongoing institutional practices of discrimination against transgender people,” the San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration Committee board of directors used a broad brush of ignorance and intolerance to disenfranchise millions of LGBT veterans who have served honorably and heroically in the U.S. military.

It’s important to remember that those who serve in uniform don’t make the laws that govern the armed forces, their civilian leaders do.

Soldiers follow orders. Sometimes they follow orders with which they don’t personally agree.

The bottom line is that since the birth of this country, members of the LGBT community have stepped forward to serve regardless of their personal opinions of the laws and regula-

tions governing the military. We took an oath.

The oath is clear. It is the same oath if you are gay, straight, or other. That is something that everyone should respect and support.

The California Military Department (a state agency that includes the California National Guard and the California State Military Reserve) celebrated the repeal of DADT by setting out to lead the nation in outreach to the LGBT community. Because California is looked at by the rest of the country as a leader on issues of social change, the California Military Department was determined to lead the nation in the integration of LGBT men and women into its ranks.

The California National Guard was the first in the nation to reinstate a soldier who had been discharged under DADT. The California National Guard was the first military organization to participate in a Pride event when in 2013 the adjutant general of the California National Guard and a dozen openly gay soldiers traveled the Los Angeles Pride parade route with gay thenAssembly Speaker John A. Perez (D-Los Angeles). The California State Military Reserve, a state military organization that is not affiliated with the Department of Defense, will be the first military organization in the nation to recruit an openly transgender soldier, Captain Sage Fox. This historic event will demonstrate that transgender men and women can successfully serve in a military unit, something already done in 13 of our allied nations.

The leaders of the California Military Department understand that our force is better when the ranks reflect the diversity of our state. Participating in Pride events, as part of a larger effort to integrate LGBT men and

women, sends a strong message to members of our organization, both gay and straight, that the California Military Department supports diversity and does not tolerate discrimination. The department must continue attending events like SF Pride to maintain an organizational climate that gives LGBT men and women the confidence to serve without compromising who we are, and gives us the confidence to know that we have the same chance to succeed as our peers.

Supporting the military’s efforts to advance diversity and equality following the repeal of DADT is an important responsibility of the LGBT community. As an LGBT advocate, I recognize that the policy banning transgender men and women from serving openly is one of the final legacies of a military that has sometimes struggled with integration and acceptance. But let us not forget that our military has also been at the forefront of social change, leading the way for racial and cultural integration across the nation.

If you are visiting San Francisco for this year’s event, we regret that we will not be able to celebrate with you in person, but we hope to see you at the many other Pride celebrations throughout the state that have welcomed our participation. If you are a San Franciscan, we will be at the Castro Street Fair October 5 and would love to meet you.

Happy Pride!t Staff Sergeant Matthew Reece is a recruiter in the California State Military Reserve, and coordinates the LGBT outreach efforts of the organization.

t

Letters >>

June 19-25, 2014 • Bay Area Reporter • 5

Disheartened by Israeli support of Frameline

As a queer educator I am glad that Frameline supports LGBTQI youth through its distribution of videos to local gay-straight alliances. However, I am disheartened that Frameline’s concern for youth does not extend to the Palestinian youth who have suffered greatly under the military occupation and the Apartheid Wall constructed by Israel.

In fact, Frameline continues to insist on taking money from the Israeli Consulate, promoting a government that continues to violate the human rights of Palestinians by destroying their homes, starving the people, and building settlements in occupied territories in violation of international law.

So while we, as adult LGBTQI people, want to create a safer space for LGBTQI youth around the world, we should also recognize that the Palestinian struggle is a liberation struggle against the colonial superpower, Israel, supported by billions of U.S dollars.

Frameline, as representing LGBTQI liberation, should not be accepting financial support from a government that oppresses all Palestinian people, including LGBTQI Palestinians. In the name of justice for all people, Frameline could join in the growing international boycott-divestment movement and reject the funding from the Israeli Consulate.

Carla Schick Oakland, California

Let’s get the parties started T

Rick Gerharter

he newly renamed Grass Roots Gay Rights Foundation revealed the posters for the three dances it is sponsoring this year, one more than previous years, during a kick-off party Sunday, June 15 at BeatBox. From left, Reach is on June 29

after the Pride parade, Real Bad XXVI takes place September 21 following the Folsom Street Fair, and Recovery on October 5 follows the Castro Street Fair. For ticket information, visit www.grgrwest.org.

Help out with D8 ‘clean team’ compiled by Cynthia Laird

J

ust in time for San Francisco Pride Week, city officials are seeking volunteers for this weekend’s “Clean Team and Giant Sweep” event in District 8, which includes the Castro. And while the gayborhood’s main thoroughfare is undergoing construction for the sidewalk widening project, there are plenty of other areas in the Castro and beyond that need spiffing up.

The cleanup takes place Saturday, June 21 from 9 a.m. to noon.

Volunteers should meet at Everett Middle School, 450 Church Street. Jimmer Cassiol, with the community programs team at the San Francisco Department of Public Works, said after a few opening remarks at the school, volunteers will spread out to 12 project sites throughout District 8, which includes the Castro, Noe Valley, Eureka Valley, Glen Park, Dolores Heights, Upper Market, and other neighborhoods.

DPW officials said that work could include participating in landscaping and gardening projects, painting over graffiti, and cleaning up litter in the neighborhood. Participants should wear closed-toe shoes and sunscreen.

For more information, visit www. sfdpw.org/volunteer or call (415) 641-2600. Advance sign up is appreciated and can be done by contacting volunteer@sfdpw.org.

In addition to the cleanup day in District 8, Cassiol said that a Gigantic 3 Recycling event will also take place June 21, from 8 a.m. to noon.

People can drop off bulky items for landfill, recycling, or composting.

Interested people should call Recology at (415) 330-1300 to set up an appointment for drop-off. In District 8 the drop off will be on Diamond Street between 28th and 29th streets. Other drop off areas that day will be in District 2 (Marina Green, east parking lot); District 3 (Portsmouth Square), and District 5 (outside Rosa Parks Elementary School).

Pre-Pride self-defense class

Castro Community on Patrol is

also getting into the Pride spirit and will hold a pre-Pride self-defense seminar Saturday, June 21 from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. at Metropolitan Community Church-San Francisco, 150 Eureka Street.

The seminar will be led by Ken Craig, who is a grand master-ranked martial artist with more than 25 years of combined martial arts experience. Craig is also one of the founding members of CCOP and is currently vice chair.

Topics to be covered include: self-defense versus defending yourself; street “smatrz” and awareness; pre-planning and preparing; recognizing and avoiding trouble; the importance of the “Lizard brain” (you’ll find out at the workshop); becoming a sheep dog, de-escalating situations; and simple physical defensive techniques if all else fails.

The seminar is open to anyone 18 years of age or older and is designed to be low-impact, fun, and easily accessible. Participants should dress comfortably.

A $25 donation is requested but no one will be turned away for lack of funds. Proceeds benefit MCC-SF. Space is limited and pre-registration is strongly recommended. To sign up, visit www.mccsf.org/events/ street-wise-self-defense.

Dolores Park Works fundraiser

Dolores Park Works, a nonprofit park advocacy and service organization that supports Dolores Park, will be holding its Summer Celebration fundraiser Saturday, June 21 from 3 to 6 p.m. at 18 Reasons, 3674 18th Street.

Robert Brust with Dolores Park Works said that money raised will help with the park’s volunteer cleanups, the organization’s “Respect the Park” campaign, and advocacy for a safe, clean, and fun Dolores Park.

Special guests for the event include gay District 8 Supervisor Scott Wiener and Phil Ginsburg, general manager of the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department. The party will feature small bites, beverages, and desserts.

Tickets for the event are $35 for basic entry and $100 for VIP, which includes invitations to special events throughout the year, a gift bag, and recognition at the park party and on Dolores Park Works’ website.

To purchase tickets, visit http://tinyurl.com/nf9b3rq. For more information about Dolores Park Works, visit www.doloresparkworks.org.

GAPA pre-Pride party

The Gay Asian Pacific Alliance will be holding its pre-Pride party Wednesday, June 15 at 9 p.m. at Elixir, 3200 16th Street in San Francisco.

Organizers said that GAPA members will be guest bartending at the Elixir bar in the Mission district and invite people to join them as they kick off Pride and the summer season. Drinks will be served by GAPA board members and a portion of the tips they receive will benefit GAPA’s upcoming programs.

The party is actually three events in one: a Pride kickoff celebration, awareness campaign, and benefit.

GAPA is a long-standing Bay Area organization for gay and bi Asian and Pacific Islander men.

For more information, visit the “GAPA Pre-Pride Community Party” on Facebook.

Olson and Boies at Commonwealth Club

Powerhouse lawyers Theodore Olson and David Boies will appear at the Commonwealth Club Thursday, June 26 and will talk about their involvement in the federal Proposition 8 case and their new book, Redeeming the Dream, in which they discuss the case that nearly one year ago threw out California’s same-sex marriage ban.

The duo will be introduced by Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom and take part in a conversation with gay actor and activist George Takei.

It was Newsom’s decision in February 2004 ordering county clerks to issue marriage licenses to samesex couples that ultimately led to Prop 8 being placed on the ballot and approved by voters in November 2008.

See page 14 >>

<< Politics

6 • Bay Area Reporter • June 19-25, 2014

t

Gay CA controller candidate hangs on to second place

by Matthew S. Bajko

Meanwhile, Republican Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin continues to hold on to first place in her bid for the relatively unknown controller position. Under California’s open primary system, the candidates with the top two vote totals, regardless of party affiliation, advance to the general election in November.

The Yee and Perez campaigns have remained largely quiet over the last two weeks.

In an email to supporters the afternoon of June 4, Perez sounded confident that he would survive the primary.

“In the coming days, counties will be counting late absentee ballots and we are confident that they will continue to strengthen our position to win in November,” wrote Perez.

In her last email to supporters, Yee wrote on June 6, “I remain

A

gay candidate for California controller saw his hold on second place widen this week, according to unofficial returns Wednesday morning.

In recent days the results in the close contest have seesawed between gay Assemblyman John A. Perez (DLos Angeles) and Betty Yee, a Democrat who represents the Bay Area and northern California on the state Board of Equalization.

Since placing second on the night of the June 3 primary, Republican candidate David Evans is now lagging behind in fourth place. Evans lives in California City in Kern County and is the vice present and chief financial officer of Boardwalk Motor Car Group in Redwood City.

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Yee for Controller campaign

Courtesy Swearengin for Controller campaign

John A. Perez has widened his lead for the second spot in the state controller’s race.

As of Wednesday, candidate Betty Yee is in third place in the controller’s race.

Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin is in first place in the race for state controller.

strong and optimistic.”

Perez, the first out LGBT person elected to the powerful Assembly speaker post, which he resigned from last month, would like to be the first out candidate to win a statewide seat.

If he does, he would be only the second known LGBT person to hold one of the state’s eight constitutional offices. The first is believed to be Tony Miller, a gay man and Democratic lawyer who was appointed to the vacant secretary of state position in 1994.

Miller, however, lost his bid for a full term, and in 1998, he again came up short in his bid for lieutenant governor.

As of press time Wednesday afternoon Perez’s total vote count stood at 859,226 votes, giving him a 1,688-vote lead for second place over Yee. He also had inched up to 21.8 percent of the vote, ending the 21.7 percent statistical dead heat he and Yee had been in for days.

Yee remained stuck in third with 857,538 votes, and Evans trailed in fourth place with 830,289 votes.

Swearengin had a comfortable hold on first place with 980,744 votes.

County election officials have until Friday, July 4 to send their final counts to the Secretary of State’s office. The state agency must complete its review of the county results by the following Friday, July 11.

residents will be seniors soon.

“There is no money right now.

There are no funds to take care of people who are aging,” said Sheehy.

“It makes political sense. The group least likely to vote for this is older folks uncomfortable with legal cannabis. Why not give them a stake in moving that forward?”

It is likely that California voters will be asked to decriminalize cannabis use at the ballot box in 2016.

Usage of marijuana for medical reasons has been legal in the Golden State since voters approved Proposition 215, the Compassionate Use Act, in 1996.

The B.A.R. spoke with Sheehy after he addressed the Assembly Committee on Aging and Long-Term Care, which convened a special hearing focused solely on LGBT senior issues Tuesday, June 10. He was invited to address lawmakers in his role as the patient advocate and member of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine Board of Directors.

In his comments during the hearing Sheehy suggested one way to ensure doctors in California have the training they need to treat LGBT patients would be to require cultural competency as a part of their getting licensed to practice medicine.

“They should have to take course work and pass it,” said Sheehy.

As the B.A.R.’s online Political Notes column reported Monday, June 16, the Assembly aging committee plans to issue a report on the needs of the state’s seniors this November.

joked Yamada, who is termed out of her Assembly seat this year and may run for higher office someday. “Yeah, but I believe in kicking ass.”

During his testimony Tez Anderson, who had been invited to address the Assembly committee, was unapologetic about using a swear word in the name of his group.

“Despite my relatively aggressive sounding name with kick ass, it really has something to do with describing a symptom of something that no one is addressing,” he said. “I saw a need and we are filling it. It would be nice to have money to do that sometime; for now we are doing well on our own with grassroots [support].”t

Advocate: Tie pot legalization to seniors

Speaking to the Bay Area Reporter about his testimony before a state Assembly committee on aging, a well-known AIDS advocate suggested proponents of legalizing marijuana in California should tie their proposal to funding senior services.

More specifically, Jeff Sheehy, a gay man who advised former San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom on HIV policy, said the state should designate tax money gained from legal pot sales toward addressing the needs of seniors, whether LGBT or straight.

Based on demographic trends, he noted that one-in-five California

Web Extra: For more queer political news, be sure to check http:// www.ebar.com Monday mornings at noon for Political Notes, the notebook’s online companion.

This week’s column reported on the CA Assembly hearing on LGBT aging.

Keep abreast of the latest LGBT political news by following the Political Notebook on Twitter @ http://twitter.com/politicalnotes.

Got a tip on LGBT politics? Call Matthew S. Bajko at (415) 8615019 or e-mail m.bajko@ebar.com.

CA lawmaker embraces AIDS group’s name

Assemblywoman Mariko Yamada (D-Davis), presiding over the hearing last week on LGBT aging issues, brought some levity to the proceeding when she introduced the co-founder of the San Franciscobased group Let’s Kick ASS. “That is the acronym for AIDS Survivor Syndrome. I must say that is the acronym in case this will ever be captured for opposition research,”

Correction The June 12 article “Few challenge Wiener for D8 seat” misidentified one of the candidates running for the District 10 supervisor seat. He is well-known progressive Tony Kelly.

Also, after the Bay Area Reporter went to press last Wednesday, the elections department posted the official candidate list showing that DeBray Carpenter had been disqualified as a candidate. With the field down to five candidates, the District 10 race now has the same number of candidates as the District 8 race.

The online version of the article has been updated.

Pride flying at City Hall

Take a tour at www.19sandybeach.com, and then call me for more information.

S

an Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, center, raises the rainbow flag at City Hall Tuesday, June 17, signaling the start of Pride activities ahead of the June 29 parade. At left is George Ridgely, executive director of the San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration Committee. Other notables attended the flag-raising ceremony, including many of this year’s parade grand marshals and LGBT political leaders.

Skip Dodge, REALTOR® 707-315-5595 realtor@skipdodge.com BRE #01926954

PRIDEFULLY REPRESENTING BENICIA, NAPA AND VALLEJO

Jane Philomen Cleland

t

National News>>

June 19-25, 2014 • Bay area reporter • 7

Activists to CDC: Step up HIV prevention

We

savored

Budapest,

Paris,

Prague,

by Liz Highleyman

T

he AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power, the Treatment Action Group, and local Atlanta advocates met with officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week and unveiled the Atlanta Principles, a set of demands calling for stepped-up HIV prevention, including antiretroviral treatment as prevention and pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP. “It’s time to hit the reset button on our HIV prevention efforts and the CDC must make rapid change to confront an epidemic that is out of control in certain populations,” David Evans of Project Inform told the Bay Area Reporter. “Most of what is being sought through the principles is common sense. We must use and promote the new tools that we have, such as treatment as prevention and PrEP, to reverse upward trends.”

At a June 10 press conference, and in a banner drop the next day at CDC’s campus in northeast Atlanta, activists accused CDC Director Tom Frieden of being “missing in action” as new HIV infections increase in vulnerable groups.

While the overall U.S. HIV incidence rate has remained stable at about 50,000 new infections per year over the past decade, the number is rising in heavily affected populations such as young gay men of color and transgender women. One of the hotspots is the southeast, in the CDC’s backyard.

“There are more means of preventing HIV than there have ever been, and yet in a single year the young black gay men of Atlanta become infected with HIV at a rate of 12 percent,” said Jim Eigo of ACT

home

and coming to The

Sequoias.

Cathy Metzger

Teri Wilder, left, listens as Dazon Dixon Diallo, center, speaks about the Atlanta Principles at an Atlanta news conference called by AIDS activists. At right is Jeremiah Johnson.

UP/New York. “This is a rate higher than any we find in any wealthy nation. Atlanta is the home of the CDC. Someone has been fiddling while Atlanta burns.”

New biomedical tools in the HIV prevention toolbox are highly effective. Recent studies have shown that the chances of infection dropped by more than 90 percent when HIV-positive partners in mixedstatus heterosexual couples started combination antiretroviral therapy promptly, and the risk may approach zero if positive partners maintain an undetectable viral load.

Truvada PrEP for HIV-negative people also offers greater than 90 percent protection if used every day, while post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) can stop HIV from establishing itself in the body if taken within 72 hours after exposure.

But available data suggest that

PrEP is not being widely used outside of hubs like San Francisco, where the Department of Public Health set up one of the first PrEP demonstration projects at City Clinic and local providers have a relatively high level of awareness.

“Without real leadership and promotion from U.S. public health officials, these prevention methods will remain underutilized,” advocates told the media. “Without a concerted effort to address the HIV prevention needs of marginalized communities affected by high levels of homelessness, job insecurity, and HIV-related stigma, it will not be feasible or safe for individuals to access the resources they need to protect themselves.”

In an email, the CDC responded to the recent news conference.

See page 13 >>

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Join us to hear how HIV-positive patients have taken the courageous first step in their treatment journey.

Meet a Couch Coach

Hear from an Expert

Join the Conversation

A Couch Coach will be providing information and advice. Hear an honest story, be inspired.

A local healthcare professional will be providing information on TIVICAY, a prescription HIV-1 medicine.

You will have the chance to ask questions.

We encourage you to talk to your doctor about HIV and your treatment—and to see if TIVICAY may be right for you.

All presenters are paid spokespersons of ViiV Healthcare.

What is TIVICAY? TIVICAY is a prescription HIV medicine that is used with other antiretroviral medicines to treat Human Immunodeficiency Virus-1 (HIV-1) in adults and children 12 years of age and older and weighing at least 88 pounds. HIV-1 is the virus that causes Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). It is not known if TIVICAY is safe and effective in children younger than 12 years or who weigh less than 88 pounds.

TIVICAY does not cure HIV-1 infection or AIDS. You must stay on continuous HIV-1 therapy to control the HIV-1 infection and decrease HIV-related illnesses.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION Who should not take TIVICAY? • Do not take TIVICAY if you take dofetilide because of a life-threatening interaction.

What are the most serious side effects of TIVICAY? • Allergic reactions. Stop taking TIVICAY and get medical help right away if you have: ° A rash with any of these symptoms: fever; general ill feeling; extreme tiredness; muscle or joint aches; blisters or sores in your mouth; blisters or peeling of your skin; redness or swelling in your eyes; swelling of your mouth, face, lips or tongue; problems breathing. ° Any of the following signs or symptoms of liver problems: yellowing of your skin or whites of your eyes; dark or tea-colored urine; pale-colored stools (bowel movements); nausea or vomiting; loss of appetite; pain, aching, or tenderness on your right side below the ribs.

• Changes in liver tests. People with a history of hepatitis B or C virus may have an increased risk of developing new or worsening changes in certain liver tests during treatment with TIVICAY. Your healthcare provider

may do tests to check your liver function before and during treatment with TIVICAY. • Changes in body fat can happen in people who take HIV-1 medicines, including increased amount of fat in the upper back and neck (“buffalo hump”), breast, and around the middle of your body. Loss of fat from the legs, arms, and face may also happen. The exact cause and long-term health effects of these problems are not known.

• Changes in your immune system can happen when you start taking HIV-1 medicines. Your immune system may get stronger and begin to fight infections that have been hidden in your body for a long time. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you start having new symptoms after starting your HIV-1 medicine.

What are the other possible side effects of TIVICAY? • The most common side effects of TIVICAY include trouble sleeping and headache.

Tell your healthcare provider about any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away.

These are not all the possible side effects of TIVICAY. Important Safety Information continued on next page.

A speaker program about HIV treatment

YOU’RE INVITED TO A SPECIAL HIV EVENT We’re bringing people together to talk honestly about HIV. Save the date: Thurs., July 10 LGBT Community Center 1800 Market Street, San Francisco, CA Registration: 6:00 pm Program start: 6:30 pm

RSVP by calling 1-855-653-7430 Walk-ins are welcome but registration is encouraged.

Food will be provided

What should I tell my healthcare provider before I take TIVICAY? Before taking TIVICAY, tell your healthcare provider if you: • have ever had an allergic reaction to TIVICAY • have or had liver problems, including hepatitis B or C • have any other medical condition • are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if TIVICAY will harm your unborn baby • are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed if you take TIVICAY. You should not breastfeed if you have HIV-1 because of the risk of passing HIV-1 to your baby. It is not known if TIVICAY passes into your breast milk. Talk to your healthcare provider about the best way to feed your baby.

Tell your healthcare provider about all prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements you take.

TIVICAY and other medicines may affect each other, causing side effects.

TIVICAY may affect the way other medicines work, and other medicines may affect how TIVICAY works.

Especially tell your healthcare provider if you take: • other HIV-1 medicines including: efavirenz (SUSTIVA®), etravirine (INTELENCE®), fosamprenavir (LEXIVA®)/ritonavir (NORVIR®), nevirapine (VIRAMUNE®), or tipranavir (APTIVUS®)/ritonavir (NORVIR).

• antacids or laxatives that contain aluminum, magnesium or calcium, sucralfate (CARAFATE®), iron or calcium supplements, or buffered medicines. TIVICAY should be taken at least 2 hours before or 6 hours after you take these medicines.

• anti-seizure medicines: oxcarbazepine (TRILEPTAL®), phenytoin (DILANTIN®, DILANTIN®-125, PHENYTEK®), phenobarbital (LUMINAL®), carbamazepine (CARBATROL®, EQUETRO®, TEGRETOL®, TEGRETOL®-XR, TERIL®, EPITOL®) • St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum) • a medicine that contains metformin • rifampin (RIFATER®, RIFAMATE®, RIMACTANE®, RIFADIN®) You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Please see Patient Information for TIVICAY on the next pages and discuss it with your healthcare provider. ©2014 ViiV Healthcare group of companies. All rights reserved. Printed in USA. DGV179R0 March 2014

PATIENT INFORMATION TIVICAY® (TIV-eh-kay) (dolutegravir) Tablets Read this Patient Information before you start taking TIVICAY and each time you get a refill. There may be new information. This information does not take the place of talking with your healthcare provider about your medical condition or treatment.

What is TIVICAY? TIVICAY is a prescription HIV medicine that is used with other antiretroviral medicines to treat Human Immunodeficiency Virus-1 (HIV-1) infections in adults and children 12 years of age and older and weighing at least 88 pounds.

HIV-1 is the virus that causes Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).

It is not known if TIVICAY is safe and effective in children under 12 years of age or who weigh less than 88 pounds.

When used with other HIV-1 medicines to treat HIV-1 infection, TIVICAY may help: • Reduce the amount of HIV-1 in your blood. This is called “viral load.”

• Increase the number of white blood cells called CD4+ (T) cells in your blood, which help fight off other infections.

• Reduce the amount of HIV-1 and increase the CD4+ (T) cells in your blood which may help improve your immune system. This may reduce your risk of death or getting infections that can happen when your immune system is weak (opportunistic infections).

TIVICAY does not cure HIV-1 infection or AIDS. You must stay on continuous HIV-1 therapy to control HIV-1 infection and decrease HIV-related illnesses.

Avoid doing things that can spread HIV-1 infection to others.

• Do not share or re-use needles or other injection equipment.

• Do not share personal items that can have blood or body fluids on them, like toothbrushes and razor blades.

• Do not have any kind of sex without protection. Always practice safe sex by using a latex or polyurethane condom to lower the chance of sexual contact with any body fluids such as semen, vaginal secretions, or blood.

Ask your healthcare provider if you have any questions about how to prevent passing HIV to other people.

Who should not take TIVICAY? Do not take TIVICAY if you take dofetilide. Taking TIVICAY and dofetilide can cause side effects that may be life-threatening.

What should I tell my healthcare provider before taking TIVICAY? Before you take TIVICAY, tell your healthcare provider if you: • have ever had an allergic reaction to TIVICAY • have or had liver problems, including hepatitis B or C infection • have any other medical condition • are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if TIVICAY will harm your unborn baby.

Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant while taking TIVICAY. Pregnancy Registry. There is a pregnancy registry for women who take antiviral medicines during pregnancy. The purpose of the registry is to collect information about the health of you and your baby. Talk to your healthcare provider about how you can take part in this registry.

• are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed if you take TIVICAY. • You should not breastfeed if you have HIV-1 because of the risk of passing HIV-1 to your baby.

• It is not known if TIVICAY passes into your breast milk.

• Talk to your healthcare provider about the best way to feed your baby.

Tell your healthcare provider about the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, or herbal supplements.

TIVICAY and other medicines may affect each other causing side effects. TIVICAY may affect the way other medicines work, and other medicines may affect how TIVICAY works.

Especially tell your healthcare provider if you take: • other HIV-1 medicines including: efavirenz (SUSTIVA®), etravirine (INTELENCE®), fosamprenavir (LEXIVA®)/ritonavir (NORVIR®), nevirapine (VIRAMUNE®), or tipranavir (APTIVUS®)/ritonavir (NORVIR).

• antacids or laxatives that contain aluminum, magnesium or calcium, sucralfate (CARAFATE®), iron or calcium supplements, or buffered medicines. TIVICAY should be taken at least 2 hours before or 6 hours after you take these medicines.

• anti-seizure medicines: • oxcarbazepine (TRILEPTAL®) • phenytoin (DILANTIN®, DILANTIN®-125, PHENYTEK®) • phenobarbital (LUMINAL®) • carbamazepine (CARBATROL®, EQUETRO®, TEGRETOL®, TEGRETOL®-XR, TERIL®, EPITOL®) • St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum) • a medicine that contains metformin • rifampin (RIFATER®, RIFAMATE®, RIMACTANE®, RIFADIN®) Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist if you are not sure if your medicine is one that is listed above.

Know the medicines you take. Keep a list of them to show your healthcare provider and pharmacist when you get a new medicine.

How should I take TIVICAY? • Take TIVICAY exactly as your healthcare provider tells you.

• Do not change your dose or stop taking TIVICAY without talking with your healthcare provider.

• Stay under the care of a healthcare provider while taking TIVICAY. • You can take TIVICAY with or without food.

• If you miss a dose of TIVICAY, take it as soon as you remember. If it is within 4 hours of your next dose, skip the missed dose and take the next dose at your regular time. Do not take 2 doses at the same time. If you are not sure about your dosing, call your healthcare provider.

• If you take too much TIVICAY, call your healthcare provider or go to the nearest hospital emergency room right away.

• Do not run out of TIVICAY. The virus in your blood may become resistant to other HIV-1 medicines if TIVICAY is stopped for even a short time. When your supply starts to run low, get more from your healthcare provider or pharmacy.

What are the possible side effects of TIVICAY? TIVICAY may cause serious side effects, including: • Allergic reactions. Call your healthcare provider right away if you develop a rash with TIVICAY. Stop taking TIVICAY and get medical help right away if you: • develop a rash with any of the following signs or symptoms ° fever ° generally ill feeling ° extreme tiredness ° muscle or joint aches ° blisters or sores in mouth ° blisters or peeling of the skin ° redness or swelling of the eyes ° swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue ° problems breathing • develop any of the following signs or symptoms of liver problems: ° yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes ° dark or tea-colored urine ° pale-colored stools or bowel movements ° nausea or vomiting ° loss of appetite ° pain, aching, or tenderness on the right side below the ribs • Changes in liver tests. People with a history of hepatitis B or C virus may have an increased risk of developing new or worsening changes in certain liver tests during treatment with TIVICAY. Your healthcare provider may do tests to check your liver function before and during treatment with TIVICAY. • Changes in body fat can happen in people who take HIV-1 medicines. These changes may include increased amount of fat in the upper back and neck (“buffalo hump”), breast, and around the middle of your body (trunk). Loss of fat from the legs, arms, and face may also happen. The exact cause and long-term health effects of these problems are not known.

• Changes in your immune system (Immune Reconstitution Syndrome) can happen when you start taking HIV-1 medicines. Your immune system may get stronger and begin to fight infections that have been hidden in your body for a long time. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you start having new symptoms after starting your HIV-1 medicine.

The most common side effects of TIVICAY include: • trouble sleeping • headache Tell your healthcare provider about any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away.

These are not all the possible side effects of TIVICAY. For more information, ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist.

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

How should I store TIVICAY? • Store TIVICAY at room temperature between 68°F to 77°F (20°C to 25°C).

Keep TIVICAY and all medicines out of the reach of children.

General information about TIVICAY Medicines are sometimes prescribed for purposes other than those listed in a Patient Information leaflet. Do not use TIVICAY for a condition for which it was not prescribed. Do not give TIVICAY to other people, even if they have the same symptoms you have. It may harm them.

You can ask your pharmacist or healthcare provider for information about TIVICAY that is written for health professionals.

For more information call 1-877-844-8872 or go to www.TIVICAY.com.

What are the ingredients in TIVICAY? Active ingredient: dolutegravir sodium Inactive ingredients: d-mannitol, microcrystalline cellulose, povidone K29/32, sodium starch glycolate, and sodium stearyl fumarate. The tablet film-coating contains the inactive ingredients iron oxide yellow, macrogol/PEG, polyvinyl alcohol-part hydrolyzed, talc, and titanium dioxide.

This Patient Information has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Manufactured for:

ViiV Healthcare Research Triangle Park, NC 27709 by:

GlaxoSmithKline Research Triangle Park, NC 27709 August 2013 TVC:1PIL ©2013, ViiV Healthcare. All rights reserved.

TIVICAY and LEXIVA are registered trademarks of ViiV Healthcare.

The brands listed are trademarks of their respective owners and are not trademarks of ViiV Healthcare.

The makers of these brands are not affiliated with and do not endorse ViiV Healthcare or its products.

t

Community News>>

June 19-25, 2014 • Bay Area Reporter • 11

Gay Asian Christians seek greater acceptance

by Matthew S. Bajko

O

ften invisible in their Christian churches, LGBT Asian Americans are increasingly speaking out in order to be seen and heard.

The Network on Religion and Justice for Asian and Pacific Islander Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer People, based in San Francisco, is working with faith leaders to foster a more welcoming environment for LGBT API worshipers at their churches.

“Asian churches are not just places of worship. With immigrant communities they are our community centers,” said Lauren Quock, 31, a queer woman who is the network’s coordinator.

They also play a vital role in the lives of API LGBT seniors. As the Bay Area Reporter noted in a story in April, faith communities are an especially important source for social support among Asian American LGBT seniors in San Francisco.

Yet, to date, the network lists on its website just six Bay Area congregations as affirming of LGBT APIs. “It is small. That shows the severity of the issue and how little LGBT issues are talked about,” said Quock,

who grew up attending the Presbyterian Church in Chinatown.

If they are, it is often from an anti-gay perspective, even in the liberal Bay Area.

In April 2004 a largely Chinese Christian crowd rallied against same-sex marriage in the Sunset in reaction to then San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom’s decision to allow for gay nuptials that winter.

Back in 2008 Asian churches were targeted by the proponents of California’s ban against same-sex marriage known as Proposition 8. Their role was highlighted during the federal trial in 2010 over the anti-gay ballot measure.

A key witness was Hak-Shing William Tam, one of the official Prop 8 ballot proponents. He incorrectly warned in letters to Asian voters their churches could be sued if their pastors refused to marry samesex couples.

“Prop 8 and other campaigns like it targeted Asian communities because they know Asian pastors are well connected and can mobilize a lot of people,” said Quock, who stopped attending her church due to its participation in the 2004 rally.

She now identifies as a recovering

Rick Gerharter

Lauren Quock, left, and Mathew Chacko talked about the Network on Religion and Justice in the sanctuary of the Episcopal Church of the Incarnation.

Christian and has yet to find a new church to call home.

“My church family growing up and the people who knew me, it is irreplaceable,” said Quock. “I lost those connections and it has been difficult to replace it. The Network on Religion and Justice has replaced that in my life.”

One of the network-identified

churches, the Episcopal Church of the Incarnation located in San Francisco’s Sunset neighborhood, is holding an event this weekend to foster conversation among API Christians, both LGBT and straight, about how to be more welcoming and supportive of LGBT worshipers.

“I think part of it is, just in gen-

eral, there is a cultural silence in API families, not just the church,” said Mathew Chacko, 50, who volunteers as the music director at the Episcopal Church of the Incarnation. “My family never talked about it, and that just translates into the church.”

Growing up Chacko’s family life was centered on the Church of South India, which is part of the Anglican Communion. Born in India, his parents moved to Kuwait for work when Chacko was 1-yearold.

In 1985 he came to America for graduate school at UC Santa Cruz, where he earned an advanced degree in computer science. It was there that Chacko came out as gay.

“After I came out I didn’t go to church at all. It was hard to reconcile my two identities because they were so diametrically opposed,” recalled Chacko, who lived in San Jose until 1992. “It wasn’t until I moved to San Francisco that I started going to church again on a regular basis.”

He was drawn to the Episcopal Church by its music and more open-minded policies toward LGBT people.

See page 13 >>

New HIV film aims at young people of color been so lucky, Lee pointed out. But things are changing.

“I’m very grateful for the time I was born in,” Lee said, adding, “I’m gay and brown,” and had he come of age during the height of the epidemic, “I’ve no idea how my life would have turned out.”

VanStark cited many issues that are near and dear to his heart. In addition to youth and people of color, he explained his support for

Jane Philomen Cleland

Actor Kris Albert Lee

by David-Elijah Nahmod

“If you start the meds right away, you can live a normal life expectancy,” he said. “That was not the case when I first tested positive.”

VanStark told the Bay Area Reporter that he had a recent HIV scare, but fortunately tested negative.

“I could feel the stigma against people who have HIV,” he said.

“I’m not comparing my experience to anyone who’s HIV-positive, but it really had a change on the way I view the world.”

VanStark described the film as a short drama about a young gay man who finds out that he might be HIV-positive.

“The story follows Jeremiah on his journey toward accepting that possibility,” VanStark said. “We’re shooting it in July and we’re going to enter it into as many film festivals as possible. The film will run around 15 minutes, which will make it easier for festival screenings.”

Kris Albert Lee, 30, is making his acting debut as Jeremiah after answering a call for actors that VanStark placed on Craigslist. He explained why he wanted to be part of HIV Positive.

“For the HIV awareness,” he said.

“I thought it would be cool to do something to give back to the community. HIV rates among young people of color are among the highest of new infections. Maybe with this film we can reach out and educate.”

Lee has been out since he was 17, and has been supported by his family. Many LGBT youth in the Filipino community he comes from haven’t

A

young queer man is hoping to raise funds to complete a new film about HIV and young people of color.

Angel VanStark is the person behind the project. A few years ago he was a homeless teenager, one of many who came to the LGBT Community Center in search of support and a community.

These days VanStark, 21, has a good job at eBay, and was appointed by gay District 8 Supervisor Scott Wiener to the San Francisco Youth Commission.

VanStark has co-hosted forums on youth issues at the LGBT center, and is a strong advocate for the transgender community. He’s now launched an Indiegogo campaign to fund HIV Positive, a short film he’s writing and directing that will focus on HIV issues pertaining to youth of color.

The project already has the support of Let’s Kick ASS, which stands for AIDS Survivors Syndrome, a grassroots group for long-term HIV survivors. Let’s Kick ASS co-founder Tez Anderson appears in the promotional video that’s posted at Van Stark’s Indiegogo page.

As the video begins, it’s pointed out that youth aged 13-24 accounted for an estimated 26 percent of new HIV infections in 2010. More than half of HIV infected youth do not know that they’re infected. Speaking on camera, Anderson says that getting an HIV diagnosis today is a very different experience than it was years ago.

films he produces.

“These kinds of projects are great ways for me to learn about the different communities within San Francisco and a good way to exercise my activism muscle.”

So far, the campaign has raised only $25 of its $12,000 goal. The deadline is July 4.

To learn more, or make a contribution, visit http://www.indiegogo. com/projects/hiv-positive.t

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Courtesy Kris Albert Lee

Angel VanStark

transgender people.

“I don’t identify as male or female,” he said. “I change according to whatever mood I’m in, but I still have a lot of male privilege. I have a lot of transgender friends. It hurts me to see that there’s so much violence against the trans community. No one should be persecuted or subjected to violence because of who they are.”

VanStark is hopeful that HIV Positive will be the first of many

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12 • Bay area reporter • June 19-25, 2014

Track athlete clears hurdles

by Roger Brigham

R

eggie Snowden knows a good bit about clearing obstacles. Not only does that serve him well in track and field, where he competes in the triple and long jumps as well as hurdles, it prepared him well when he was in high school back in Portsmouth, New Hampshire and a classmate outed him.

“I was outed in high school in a really negative way,” Snowden, 49, remembered. “It wasn’t so great. One thing I had to fall back on was I was undefeated in the 110-meter hurdles for a couple of years before. I thought, ‘I may be gay, but I’m the best at what I’m doing.’ I did have people who supported me. Most 2_0414 of my straight friends who I knew then were supportive, and there were some gay people in school theater who were supportive, but they didn’t understand athletics. But I just didn’t know any other gay athletes until a few years later when I was at Chico State.”

After being an All American in high school, Snowden continued to train in California.

“My struggle when I was younger in

the 1980s was, ‘Who do we look up to?’

We didn’t even know Martina Navratilova was gay back then. I didn’t really know anybody until Greg Louganis came out, I was not aware of [former NFL player] David Kopay growing up in New England. I didn’t get to meet him until he was our emcee at the Pride Run awhile back.”

But the world of inclusive, lifelong sports participation really opened up for him after he moved to San Francisco in 1992, and discovered the 1994 Gay Games in New York City.

“I absolutely loved the whole event,” Snowden said of his Gay Games IV experience. “The number one thing was that the international support was so great. I was 29 and had just gotten to San Francisco. Once I got to New York and met the other athletes who shared the same goal of being out and proud and competing – well, it’s been so nice to connect every four years since and see who’s still running and who’s stopped running but continues to support the sport.”

Snowden will be one of about 30 athletes from San Francisco Frontrunners and San Francisco Track

and Field Club who will compete in August in Akron at Gay Games 9.

Opening ceremonies and a majority of the sports will be in Cleveland, but several sports, including track, golf, and softball, will be held in Akron. They may not get the hype the Cleveland events get, but the venues are nothing to sneeze at, whether it’s the world-class Firestone Country Club for the golf tournament or the pro-level Firestone Stadium for the softball championships.

Track and field will be held at the Lee R. Jackson Track and Field Complex at the University of Akron – one of the few local universities that won’t have its track facilities tied up by fall football practice at the time. The track has eight lanes of Rekortan surface.

“I’ve heard great things about the facility,” Snowden said. “One of the International Frontrunners delegates, Wayne Morgan of Australia, walked the grounds a few months ago and said the facility is beautiful.”

Snowden injured his right knee in a biking accident recently and expects to be rehabbing it for the next few weeks. Not so lucky is one of the members of the local relay team who will miss the trip because of injury. But the “pick up” aspect

ternational submissions and receiving a coveted slot in the festival’s line-up is no small feat.

Award-winning black, queer masculine-of-center filmmaker Cheryl Dunye has done it over a half-dozen times, her well-known pieces being The Watermelon Woman in 1996, a “mockumentary” starring Dunye as

herself; Stranger Inside in 2001, a story about an incarcerated black lesbian; The Owls in 2010, a film about the accidental murder of a young queer woman; and Mommy Is Coming in 2012, a risque lesbian rom-com.

This year, Black Is Blue is making a highly anticipated debut. Dunye’s short chronicles the complex identity-related feelings of Black, a black transman working as a security guard in Oakland, after he runs into an ex-lover. In just 21-minutes, Dunye is able to leverage one character study to explore experiences that many transmen of color regularly undergo.

“As prestigious and popular trans dialogues are emerging,” Dunye said, “there’s a message coming across – which rings true for every marginalized community – it’s not just about what we’re lacking or how we’re physically different, it’s about emotional experiences. This film represents the shift in that conversation. We’re not talking about Black’s physical transition, but more about his emotional landscape. It’s about how multiple identities function, being black, trans, and masculine, and what’s running through your head as you have your inside and outside to deal with as well as memories from past identities.”

Starring noteworthy actor Kingston Farady, 32, a queer black transman, defense-side investigator, and trans advocate, Black Is Blue premieres Friday, June 20 at 7 p.m. at the Roxie Theatre (3117 16th St., San Francisco) as part of “Realness and Revelations,” an 85-minute collection of shorts featuring queer and trans people of color, and again on Thurs-

of competition at the games is one of the things that distinguishes the event from more elite competitions.

“It’s always nice, a fun social event,” he said.

Not always so nice and fun are the behind-the-scene politics that have plagued the Gay Games world since Montreal split the movement in 2003 and created the rival World Outgames, sanctioned by the fledgling Gay and Lesbian International Sports Association. Snowden is a diehard Gay Games devotee, but serves as a delegate for IFR to GLISA and is one of those who hope the divide between GLISA and the Federation of Gay Games can be resolved.

“My whole goal is to try to bridge the gap between GLISA and the federation,” Snowden said. “After attending a few of the GLISA events that were very poorly run, and Antwerp (Outgames) last year, it just became clear the delegates really wanted to see one quadrennial event. It’s the athletes that are struggling. It seems like GLISA faults the federation in not having cultural and conference aspects. Everything I’ve learned about the federation is that it’s all about participation. GLISA is having their growing pains. It’s a lot to organize. I think they came

t

Courtesy Reggie Snowden

Track athlete Reggie Snowden

close a few years ago to agreement, but they couldn’t get it done. GLISA wanted to change the name of the Gay Games. It’s just silly infighting.”

The steps toward a unified event are expected to be on the agenda on Sunday, June 22, when GLISA holds its 2014 Delegate Congress in Toronto. Snowden will join the meeting by teleconference.

“The last meeting in Antwerp, things heated with a lot of ignorance,” he said.

The Gay Games track and field events will be held August 11-15.

For information about SFTFC, visit www.sftrackandfield.com. For information on San Francisco Frontrunners, visit www.sffr.org. For information on Gay Games 9, visit www.gg9cle.com.t

Dunye film explores transman’s identity

by Elliot Owen

I

t’s a well-known fact that the world’s best queer cinema is screened at the annual San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival, a 38-year-old event produced by LGBT media arts nonprofit Frameline. That said, having a film selected from nearly 800 in-

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Black is Blue star Kingston Farady

day, June 26 (7 p.m.), also at the Roxie as part of “In The City of Shy Hunters,” an 82-minute collection of shorts centered on the stories of transmen.

Black Is Blue is the first narrative of its kind. The film’s debut comes at a particularly poignant time, adding to the burgeoning wave of trans visibility led by Orange Is The New Black actress Laverne Cox and New York Times bestselling author Janet Mock, powerhouses that have quickly become queer community sweethearts, and the general public’s reference point for language around transgender identity.

But up until now, Farady pointed out, representations of transmen within popular culture have received significantly less limelight and been limited to white and Asian-Pacific Islander-identified transmen – never black.

“I’m excited to see transwomen of color receive the attention they deserve because it does trickle down to all trans people,” Farady said.

“Due to patriarchy and the constant attack on femininity, there’s an ur-

Obituaries >> Thomas D. Benson February 11, 1947 – May 12, 2014

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Thomas D. Benson passed away peacefully Monday May 12, 2014 after a short illness. He was 67.

Tom is preceded in death by his partner, Ken E. Yinger, who died in March 1992, and his parents, David Benson and Mary (Hughston). He is survived by his sister Mary Pupene of New Orleans.

He is also survived by many cousins and longtime friends.

Tom was born February 11, 1947 in Spartanburg, South Carolina. He graduated from Vanderbilt University, and received a master’s in English literature

from Duke University.

Tom was discharged from the U.S. Navy as a conscientious objector in 1971, and after finishing school, settled in San Francisco in 1974.

Tom worked in trust banking for over 18 years, and another 22 years in private practice as a private fiduciary and conservator.

Tom loved to cook and feed people, and was an active volunteer at the Sonoma County Food Bank, St. Martin DePorres House, and his church, St. Gregory’s of Nyssa, where he helped launch the food pantry.

He had been a longtime volunteer at Shanti.

Tom asked that his ashes be scattered where his partner Ken’s ashes had been, to finally join him again.

gency there that doesn’t necessarily exist for transmen. Not to erase attacks on transmen, but transwomen are murdered at a higher rate than any other person in the country.

They need to be in front leading the movement. Then there’s the flipside of wanting to see my brothers at the table at some point, too. People still believe someone like me or Black doesn’t exist. Black Is Blue is about building a consciousness around black transmen, filling the void and stepping into that space.”

As Dunye detailed it, the seed of Black Is Blue was planted a year ago as she was meeting more queer and trans-identified people of color in Oakland. She wrote the script leaving room for Black’s character development, an intentional decision meant to provide collaboration space for her and whoever would eventually step into the role.

“When I put the call out to find a lead I was given Kingston’s information,” Dunye said. “I knew when we first sat down the character would be shaped by his experiences. I talked to a few other people about the role but Kingston came along and that was it. He exudes a sense of dimension, a sort of a royalty; it’s wonderful.”

Initially, Farady had reservations about joining the project which, he said, had nothing to do with Dunye, and everything to do with his own awareness around the misrepresentation and exploitation of trans people.

But he wanted to hear from Dunye first before making a decision.

“I knew her prior pieces of work,” Farady said. “I love the way she holds complexity and creates pieces that allow the audience to be curious. A story centered around a black transman in Oakland was compelling to me. Also, Cheryl wanted to focus not on the physical aspects of transition, but the ways someone emotionally and socially transitions.

After three or four full conversations, I knew the film was something I could do with her.”

There’s also something to be said, Farady added, about Dunye’s intentional decision to cast a black transman to play a black transman.

“When I see characters with certain identities,” Farady said, “whether it’s race, gender, or even sexual orientation, played by people that aren’t that identity, it feels like See page 14 >>

t <<

Community News>>

Sidewalk project

From page 1

“This is just our first phase,” said John Dennis, a designer with the city’s Department of Public Works who is acting as the project manager.

“We are really looking forward to finishing but are glad we reached this milestone.”

Reaction so far to the improved look of the heart of San Francisco’s gayborhood has been largely positive.

“They are done. They are outta here,” marveled Andrea Aiello, executive director of the Castro/Upper Market Community Benefit District, as she inspected the work done to date Tuesday morning. “We are really excited. I can’t wait until everything is done.”

Bay Area Reporter society columnist Donna Sachet called the new sidewalks the “Champs-Élysées of the Castro.”

“It’s so large, I had to walk right in the middle of the sidewalk,” she said Tuesday morning.

Castro merchants, who had seen their business take a hit after work commenced in March, are anxious to see the project be finished. While some have complained about the fluctuating timeline for the work, they have been pleased with the changes so far.

“I am very impressed,” said Dan

<<

CDC

From page 7

“CDC shares the community’s enthusiasm for moving HIV prevention efforts forward and addressing urgent concerns about the state of HIV among gay and bisexual men,” said Kenneth Castro, acting director of the CDC’s Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention. “These are issues that are priorities for us and we are engaged in a wide range of prevention initiatives to address these topics.”

As previously reported, the CDC issued guidelines last month stating that people at “substantial risk” for HIV should consider Truvada PrEP. In addition to young gay and bisexual men, other groups that should be targeted for intensified prevention efforts include women, sex workers, and trans men, activists said. In addition, needle exchange and other harm reduction efforts for people who inject drugs should be continued and expanded.

<<

Gay Asian Christians

From page 11

“My family is more evangelical.

The Episcopal Church is more liberal,” said Chacko, who works in the technology field.

His husband, the Reverend Darren Miner, whom he met 22 years ago, is an associate pastor at the Episcopal Church of the Incarnation. Seven years ago Miner, 54, and Chacko joined the small parish of 80 members, split 60 percent Caucasian and 40 percent API. “In San Francisco we may take it for granted, but there isn’t a conscious outreach to API LGBT Christians,” said Chacko. “When I ran into the Network on Religion and Justice, I thought it was a great place for me to be with in order to meet other API LGBT folks in a faithbased environment.”

The organization helped finance the film In God’s House about API LGBT Christians and their struggle to find acceptance in the church. It screened at the 2007 Frameline International LGBT Film Festival.

“When the movie came out only one person in the film was willing

Glazer, owner of Hot Cookie. “We were a little slower than normal. But we are very optimistic this will bring in new business.”

Longtime Castro business owner and leader Patrick Batt added, “I think people are going to be very happy once they are done.”

Over the last three months “a lot of people just avoided the neighborhood” due to the sidewalk work, said Batt. “Once the word gets out it is possible to walk again in the Castro, I think people will start to come back.”

The Castro CBD has launched a new ad campaign to promote the business district during Pride, and the city created a poster for merchants to hang in their windows explaining what work remains to be completed.

Batt faulted city planners and the contractor for not starting work in January as they had promised, leading to only a portion of the new sidewalks to be installed prior to Pride.

“If they had started in January as they promised, they probably would have gotten everything done by July,” said Batt, who co-owns Castro Street coffeehouse Eureka and operates the adult bookstore Auto Erotica on 18th Street.

Workers will return the morning of Monday, June 30 to start on the project’s second phase. They will begin ripping out the remaining old “Ending the HIV epidemic in America and in the world will not happen without the robust and dedicated inclusion of women’s and girls’ prevention, treatment, care, and protection of human rights,” stressed SisterLove President Dazon Dixon Diallo.

Atlanta Principles

The new Atlanta Principles follow in the tradition of the Denver Principles, which heralded the selfempowerment of people living with AIDS in 1983. The manifesto offers steps to improve HIV prevention, including education materials that deal frankly with sex, comprehensive sex education in schools, and information campaigns for the general public to de-stigmatize HIV and dispel misinformation about its transmission.

The 1987 Helms Amendment, which prohibited federal funds being used to promote homosexuality, led to CDC guidelines that banned funding for materials that explicitly to share her experience being queer, Asian and a person of faith,” recalled Quock.

The network and Chacko’s church have teamed up to present the film this Saturday, June 21.

Following the screening will be a discussion exploring the themes broached in the movie.

Even though his church is a member of Oasis, a network of LGBT-friendly Episcopal churches, Chacko said the film event will mark the first time LGBT issues have been discussed since he and his husband joined.

“I think the film is a great opportunity to have a discussion around this topic. Maybe more so in the API community but just in general,” he said. “We want to do it in a nonthreatening way.”

The film screening begins at 5 p.m. Saturday, June 21 at the Episcopal Church of the Incarnation, 1750 29th Avenue between Noriega and Moraga. The free event is open to the public and will end with a special Pride Taize service.

For more information or to RSVP, visit the church’s website at http://www.incarnationsf.org.t

ebar.com

June 19-25, 2014 • Bay area reporter • 13

sidewalks flush against the buildings in order to pour new pavement and level out the pathway.

“I call that area Pandora’s box,” said Bob Yerion, Ghilotti’s general superintendent, due to the various old pipes for utilities the contractor will have to navigate.

During the first phase of work, Yerion said crews successfully crossed 300 different utility pipes and only hit one unmarked water line.

“We had a great crew,” he said.

By late July or August crews will

be replacing a major water pipe that runs the length of Castro Street. The work will entail digging a trench along the roadway on the eastern side; once installed the two blocks will be repaved with more permanent materials. The roadway on 18th Street between Collingwood and Hartford will also be repaved.

Sixty-three street trees, mostly Columnar gingkos with a handful of King palms, will be planted in the coming months. New pedestrian light poles, history facts about the neighborhood, and plaques hon-

oring LGBT luminaries will be installed during the second phase.

“It’s very exciting to see the ‘frame’ for the Rainbow Honor Walk take shape,” said David Perry, a local publicist and Castro resident who championed the LGBT history project. “In several places, we can see the actual depressions which soon will house the large bronze tributes to LGBT heroes and heroines. It’s been worth the wait, so waiting a bit longer is perfectly fine with us.”

The city will also be replacing the streetlights and poles that hold up the electrical wires for Muni buses later this summer. A new crosswalk configuration at the Market and Castro intersection and repaving of Jane Warner Plaza will also occur in the second phase.

One of the last elements to be installed will be rainbow-colored crosswalks at the intersection of Castro and 18th streets.

City planners told the B.A.R. this week they expect to have the remaining work done in time for the Castro Street Fair, which will be held Sunday, October 5.

“I think it is definitely doable,” said Ashley Hall, a resident engineer with DPW who has been working closely with the contractor on shepherding the project. “This was the really challenging part, getting the sidewalks in.”t

discuss sex or drug use.

“In silencing itself and its partners, CDC has abandoned its mandate to keep the nation healthy,” according to the principles. “CDC has an ethical responsibility to promote the health of its constituents and their rights as individuals, even when this proves inconvenient, controversial, unpopular, or difficult.”

Advocates said that more needs to be done in public schools.

“Teachers and administration staff must be accountable for creating safer spaces to talk about sex, harm reduction, and HIV/AIDS

on a regular basis,” Alan Guttirez, a case manager at the Lavender Youth Recreation and Information Center, told the B.A.R. “Parents and school staff must accept that middle and high school students have varied sexual desires for people of all genders.”

In addition, advocates recommend that CDC conduct seminars and workshops to train medical providers about PrEP and PEP, expand testing beyond traditional points of care, collect more sensitive epidemiological data about key populations, and use the Affordable

Care Act to plug gaps in the HIV continuum of care.

“Community members have been subjected to a huge amount of HIV-related research over the past 30 years,” according to the principles. “Now that this research has shown just how crucial treatment as prevention, PEP, and PrEP could be for lowering the number of new infections, this knowledge must be translated quickly into policies and programs that could help relieve our communities of the massive burden of disease into the foreseeable future.”t

Matthew S. Bajko

Castro Merchants want people to know the neighborhood is open for business as the first phase of the multimillion-dollar sidewalk widening project has been completed.

Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

14 • Bay Area Reporter • June 19-25, 2014

<<

Obama

From page 1

Christy Mallory, senior counsel at the institute, noted that the executive order “brings the federal government a step closer to non-discrimination policies already enacted by many of the top 50 federal contractors and Fortune 500 companies.”

The White House announcement this week comes after months of mixed signals. On January 31, John Podesta, the former chief of staff to President Clinton who had just joined the Obama White House as counselor to the president, said an executive order was “under consideration at the White House – we’re looking at that.”

But then White House press secretary Jay Carney, on that same day, said he didn’t have any updates on “a hypothetical executive order for LGBT non-discrimination” and added that it’s “the wrong approach.”

He said the president thought the Employment Non-Discrimination

<<

Cordileone

From page 1

Hope Christian Church in Beltsville, Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C. He is also founder and president of the High Impact Leadership Coalition, which exists to “to protect the moral compass of America.”

During Glenn Beck’s August 2012 Under God Indivisible Conference, for example, Jackson said, “Folks who cannot reproduce want to recruit your kids,” according to a Human Rights Campaign news release.

Earlier that same year, he said, gay activists “want to impose their will on the culture; and if you cannot reproduce you may try to recruit, and what I mean by that is what is going on is an attempt to reshape, refashion the mind, hearts, and desires of the next generation.”

He added, during a May 2012 American Family Association radio program, “Nothing But Truth,” that “Many Christians are sitting back and we aren’t speaking out, but the reality is just like the times of Hitler,” according to HRC’s opposition research.

HRC is the nation’s largest LGBT civil rights advocacy group and political lobbying organization.

In addition to Cordileone, other scheduled marriage march speakers include former Arkansas Governor and Fox News host Mike Huckabee and former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, both Republicans.

Another sponsor of the June 19 March for Marriage is Concerned Women for America.

Catholic LGBT advocates speak out

Meanwhile, in separate correspondence, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), who is Catholic and a strong advocate for the LGBT and HIV/AIDS communities, also wrote to Cordileone, “In friendship, respect, and candor,” saying, “I hope that you will not associate the revered office of Archbishop of San Francisco and

<<

News Briefs

From page 5

In 2009 Olson and Boies filed a case in federal court arguing that the same-sex marriage ban was unconstitutional. The U.S. Supreme Court threw out Prop 8 on a technicality last year and same-sex marriages resumed in the Golden State.

Olson, a Republican, is a partner at Gibson, Dunn, and Crutcher. Boies, a Democrat, is chairman of Boies,

<<

Dunye film

From page 12

a parody to me. Without even saying it, Cheryl’s choice to cast a black transman to play a black transman expresses that she knows black transmen are worthy. Not only is

Act is “the right way to go here.”

Senator Barbara Boxer (D-California) praised the announcement.

“I am very pleased that the White House will be taking action to protect federal contractors from discrimination,” Boxer said in a statement. “Workers should be judged on their qualifications and the job they do – not whom they love. The Senate has already passed the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, and it is past time for the House to act to end discrimination in the workplace.”

ENDA, which passed the Senate last year, is stalled in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, where Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has indicated no plans to bring it for a floor vote.

LGBT rights groups hailed the White House’s announcement.

“We are elated at the news that the president has directed his staff to begin drafting a presidential executive order to protect LGBT individuals from discrimination by employers who work with the federal govern-

ment,” said Kate Kendell, executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights. “In 32 states LGBT people still have no protections against job loss and adverse actions at work based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.”

The American Civil Liberties Union also praised the development.

“This is a historic announcement,” said gay ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero. “President Obama’s commitment to LGBT equality will be one of his lasting legacies.”

Romero added that for more than 70 years, presidents of both political parties have used executive orders to eradicate taxpayer-funded discrimination in the workplace.

“Issuing this executive order will build upon a tradition that dates back to President Roosevelt’s 1941 order conditioning defense contracts on an agreement not to discriminate based on race, creed, color, or national origin,” Romero noted.t

your personal values with the participants’ venom masquerading as virtue on Thursday.”

Pelosi also said that she looked forward “to continuing our dialogue in the city of Saint Francis, in the spirit of Pope Francis: ‘If someone is gay and is searching for the Lord and has good will, then who am I to judge him?’”

Cordileone, who serves as chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage, has emerged as a major national leader in opposing same-sex marriage. During the Proposition 8 campaign six years ago when he was bishop of Oakland, he helped to raise $1.5 million for the ballot question that rolled back marriage equality gains granted by the California Supreme Court.

(The U.S. Supreme Court last June threw out Prop 8 on a technicality and same-sex marriage is now legal again in the Golden State.)

At the time, Cordileone said on a Catholic radio program, “The ultimate attack of the Evil One is the attack on marriage.”

For all the letter writing, everyone seems in agreement on the need for mutual respect and continued dialogue.

For his part, Cordileone’s letter affirmed church teaching on the “intrinsic human dignity of all people, irrespective of their stage and condition in life.”

And yet, he added, “[E]ven when truths that it is my duty to uphold and teach are unpopular, including especially the truth about marriage as the conjugal union of husband and wife. That is what I will be doing on June 19.”

Near the end of his letter, the archbishop wrote, “Please do not make judgments based on stereotypes, media images, and comments taken out of context.”

“When all is said and done, then, there is only one thing that I would ask of you more than anything else:

before you judge us, get to know us,” Cordileone wrote.

Schiller, and Flexner LLP. Olson decided to take the Prop 8 case after being approached by Chad Griffin, then of the American Foundation for Equal Rights and now the president of the Human Rights Campaign. Olson recruited Boies to serve as co-counsel.

The two men famously argued on opposite sides in the 2000 Bush v. Gore case, after which the Supreme Court handed the disputed presidential election to George W. Bush.

The Commonwealth Club pro-

gram takes place in the grand ballroom at the Fairmont Hotel, 950 Mason Street. Check-in begins at 5:15 p.m., followed by the program at 6 and book signing at 7. The cost is $25 for non-members, $15 for members, and $10 for students (with valid ID). Premium, which includes priority seating and a copy of the book, is $60 for non-members and $45 for members.

For tickets or more information, visit www.commonwealthclub.org.t

this film about non-erasure, Cheryl is backing that up by filling the lead role with someone from the community.”

Shot exclusively in Oakland, festivalgoers can expect to experience the film’s provocative storyline set afront skillful cinematography that

captures Oakland’s charming familiarity, urban grit, juxtaposing socioeconomic environments, and natural landscapes.t

LGBTs and allies respond to the archbishop

That closing line prompted a response from Fred Sainz, HRC’s vice president for communications, who said, “So, how highly ironic is this last sentence?”

Gary Buseck, interim executive director for Boston-based Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders, a legal advocacy organization, offered his thoughts.

“While the archbishop’s letter is disappointing on one level for repeating some rusty canards, it also offers what appears to be a genuine invitation to personal dialogue, which is very positive and should be accepted,” said Buseck. “We agree that conversation is always worthwhile.”

In a similar vein, Francis DeBernardo, executive director of the Maryland-based New Ways Ministry, a proLGBT Catholic organization, said, “Archbishop Cordileone’s response is disappointing because there is no assurance from him that he will speak for the human dignity and equality of LGBT people at the NOM rally.”

Moreover, DeBernardo continued, “[The archbishop] needs to be clear to distance himself from the unjust and untrue language that NOM and Family Research Council have used in regard to LGBT people and the prospect of marriage equality.”

For her part, Sister Jeannine Gramick, said, “I’m pleased that Archbishop Cordileone is willing to meet personally with any of the signers as dialogue can be the beginning of transformation.”

“We will take him up on his offer,” added Gramick, executive coordinator for the National Coalition of American Nuns.

While Buseck, DeBernardo, and Gramick were among the signatories on the open letter to Cordileone, Sainz was not, although HRC Religion and Faith program director Sharon Groves did sign on.t

To purchase tickets, visit www. ticketing.frameline.org/festival/ film/detail.aspx?id=3292&FID=51.

t

Legal Notices>> FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035851600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: WELEARN CENTER, 2650A BALBOA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SUMI LEVY. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/2214. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/22/14.

MAY 29, JUNE 5, 12, 19, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035852200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BIEN BIEN, 255 STEINER ST, #602, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed EMILY DULLA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/23/14.

The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/23/14.

MAY 29, JUNE 5, 12, 19, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035823100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SAYDE MARK DESIGNS, 1112 DE HARO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed HEATHER FORBES. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/11/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/07/14.

MAY 29, JUNE 5, 12, 19, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035838600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LOGOPEDA; PASSION COACHING FOR MEN, 550 FELL ST, #15, SAN FRANCISCO, CA, 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ALINA GABRIELA MIHAI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/15/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/15/14.

MAY 29, JUNE 5, 12, 19, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035867100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: DANIEL DESIGNS, 3626 GEARY BLVD #202, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed THANH D. VONG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/02/2014. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/02/2014.

JUN 05, 12, 19, 26, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035856200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GOLDEN GATE ENVIRONMENTAL, 1980 SUTTER ST #217, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed NANCY LEE CRANE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/1994. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/27/2014.

JUN 05, 12, 19, 26, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035863800

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-14-550346

In the matter of the application of: RAYMOND BRENNAN, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner RAYMOND BRENNAN, is requesting that the name RAYMOND BRENNAN be changed to RAYMOND DAVILA. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514 on the 24th of July 2014 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

MAY 29, JUNE 5, 12, 19, 2014 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-14-550351

In the matter of the application of: HEATHER TEETER ROCKER, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner HEATHER TEETER ROCKER, is requesting that the name HEATHER TEETER ROCKER, be changed to PEMA TEETER ROCKER. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514 on the 29th of July 2014 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

MAY 29, JUNE 5, 12, 19, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035838500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MISSION BRASSERIE, 2146 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed BONNE CHANCE HOSPITALITY LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/15/2014

JUN 05, 12, 19, 26, 2014 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-034554900

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: AMERICAN TRUTH COMMISSION LLC, 2141 FILBERT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business was conducted by a limited liability company and signed

by AMERICAN TRUTH COMMISSION LLC (CA). The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/27/2012.

JUN 05, 12, 19, 26, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035880100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FOGGY PIXEL, 2019 20TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed NICOLAY POSTARNAKEVICH. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/09/14.

JUNE 12, 19, 26, JULY 03, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035883000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BAY AREA STRENGTH AND NUTRITION, 150 LOMBARD ST #4, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ANDREW BABKES. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/12/2014. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/30/2014.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SHEBA INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL AND TRANSLATION CENTER, 1700 CALIFORNIA ST #475, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ISMAEL MANSOOR. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/10/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/10/14.

JUN 05, 12, 19, 26, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035858400

JUNE 12, 19, 26, JULY 03, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035878800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MICHAEL JONES ARCHITECTURE, 326 EUREKA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MICHAEL J. JONES. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/28/2014. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/28/2014.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: WAGATHON, 2741 CLAY ST #2, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed HELENA ZILBERSTEIN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/09/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/09/14.

JUN 05, 12, 19, 26, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035861200

JUNE 12, 19, 26, JULY 03, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035870500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CITIZEN FOX, 2205 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed SMARTHUNGRY LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/29/2014.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ELEVATE ENSEMBLE, 1374A FULTON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed CHAD TYLER GOODMAN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/04/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/04/14.

JUN 05, 12, 19, 26, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035837100

JUNE 12, 19, 26, JULY 03, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035870400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: RICHMOND REPUBLIC, 642 CLEMENT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed AED LOCAL, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/14/2014.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE BARE FOX, 1275 COLUMBUS AVE # K, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed TAMAR YACOUBIAN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/04/14.

JUN 05, 12, 19, 26, 2014

JUNE 12, 19, 26, JULY 03, 2014

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Read more online at www.ebar.com

Legal Notices>> FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035876200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ELT-PRO, INC., 355 28TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed ELTPRO, INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/06/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/06/14.

JUNE 12, 19, 26, JULY 03, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035870800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: URCHIN, 584 VALENCIA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed LDHS, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/04/14.

JUNE 12, 19, 26, JULY 03, 2014 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-035340000 The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: YUMMY HUT, 4543 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business was conducted by a general partnership and signed by SIMEI CHEN & XIN QUAN HE. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/30/13.

JUNE 12, 19, 26, JULY 03, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035890900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: RPROAUTO, 2831 CESAR CHAVEZ, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ENER DERYA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/13/14.

JUNE 19, 26, JULY 03, 10, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035888900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SEWER RESCUE, 790 PACHECO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed KIMMY CHUNG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/12/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/12/14.

JUNE 19, 26, JULY 03, 10, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035892800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HEALTHY BEGINNINGS PSYCHOTHERAPY WITH IFEYINWA NZEREM, 538 HAYES ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed IFEYINWA NZEREM. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/16/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/16/14.

JUNE 19, 26, JULY 03, 10, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035889100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MAZU MEDICINE, 1604 #B UNION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LOU FRISELDELYN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/01/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/13/14.

JUNE 19, 26, JULY 03, 10, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035881800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FRANCISCO DRY CLEANER, 420 FRANCISCO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SANDY L. ZHAO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/10/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/10/14.

JUNE 19, 26, JULY 03, 10, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035866300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BEEP’S BURGERS, 1051 OCEAN AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SAMANTHA YEN WONG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/01/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/02/14.

June 19-25, 2014 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 15

Classifieds The

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035832800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LIQUID HAPPINESS BARTENDING SERVICE, 735 DARTMOUTH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134-1809. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed JERREMI D. CLARK & CAMILLE A. FISHER. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/12/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/12/14.

MACINTOSH HELP

JUNE 12, 19, 26, JULY 03, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035876500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: COUNTY ROAD ASSOCIATES, 1412 VAN NESS AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109.

This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed MARILYN WOLPER; ROLAND LAMPERT; MALKAH W. CAROTHERS; JULIE WOLPER BRENNER; ANDREA WOLPER; EDWARD FERNANDEZ; SUSAN FERNANDEZ; SAMUEL W. FERNANDEZ; & GORDON T. FERNANDEZ. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/06/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/06/14.

JUNE 12, 19, 26, JULY 03, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035881400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: RK DESIGN, 207 GIRARD ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed KAI RUDOLPH. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/10/14.

JUNE 19, 26, JULY 03, 10, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035892700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ILASH EXTENSION, 3715 ATLAS AVE, OAKLAND, CA 94619. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed X XIULAN TANG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/16/14.

JUNE 19, 26, JULY 03, 10, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035877200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CB2, 34 ELLIS ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed EUROMARKET DESIGNS INC (IL). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/06/14.

JUNE 19, 26, JULY 03, 10, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035877100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CRATE & BARREL, 55 STOCKTON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed EUROMARKET DESIGNS INC (IL). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/06/14.

JUNE 19, 26, JULY 03, 10, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035880900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NATOMA CABANA, 90 NATOMA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed ALCYONE, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/10/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/10/14.

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JUNE 19, 26, JULY 03, 10, 2014 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-035849300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PERFECT HEALTH CENTER, 2443 LOMBARD ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123.

This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed TIEN LIN CHOU. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/13/10. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/21/14.

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11 days of stories that don’t always get told Photo by Barak Shrama

Of all the many things we do to support Pride, one of our very favorites is Frameline: the San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival. It’s a wonderful way to promote understanding and acceptance of the LGBT community, and we look forward to it every year. Wells Fargo is proud to sponsor the festival, and honored to participate in Pride all month long.

Frameline and Wells Fargo — supporting the Bay Area’s own

wellsfargo.com © 2014 Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. All rights reserved. Member FDIC. ECG-1198576

1198576 Bay Area Reporter Program Ad.indd 1

6/13/14 12:42 PM

Friedkin shots

25

Kumu Hina

22

Out &About

Frameline docs

21

O&A

20

The

Vol. 44 • No. 25 • June 19-25, 2014

www.ebar.com/arts

Around the world in LGBT films

by David Lamble

T

his year’s San Francisco International LGBT Festival (June 19-29) is especially rich in international features. From a grief-stricken British man attempting to provide for his dead lover’s prickly mom to a disco-smitten German lad finding his dad attempting to assist his love life, Frameline 38 has something to challenge all preconceptions in this year of the World Cup. See page 25 >>

Scene from director Alan Brown’s Five Dances.

Frameline

Lesbian films flower at Frameline

by Erin Blackwell

W

here are the dykes at this year’s Frameline? Front-and-center opening night in Ben Cotner and Ryan White’s The Case Against 8, a 109-minute documentary about that marriage thing some people are into. Legal minds will thrill to wannabe newlyweds Kris Perry and Sandy Stier’s courtroom battles and media tussles, Thurs., June 19, at 7 p.m. Be there or be elsewhere.

Lesbian plaintiffs Kris Perry and Sandy Stier (left) in Ben Cotner and Ryan White’s The Case Against 8.

See page 27 >>

{ SECOND OF TWO SECTIONS }

designing home jews and midcentury modernism On view through October 6, 2014 The Contemporary Jewish Museum | Plan your visit at thecjm.org

Frameline

<< Out There

18 • BAY AREA REPORTER • June 19-25, 2014

Symphony finales

by Roberto Friedman

L

ast week the San Francisco Symphony invited Out There & our #1, Pepi, to their launch party celebrating the Symphony’s newest recording, West Side Story.

Music director Michael Tilson Thomas, actor Cheyenne Jackson and other members of the cast celebrated the album’s global release in the top-floor Aviary at Twitter headquarters.

While Jackson (Tony) sang “Maria,” Alexandra Silber (Maria) sang “I Feel Pretty,” and Jessica Vosk (Anita) sang a few lines of “A Boy Like That” a cappella, the WSS song that most plays in our head is “Somewhere.” We’ve always felt that in its lyric, “There’s a place for us,”

Sondheim and Bernstein were indicating their confidence in a future that includes not only interracial romance, but same-sex equality as well.

The Symphony wraps up its season with the finale to their threeweek Benjamin Britten centenary celebration. On June 26, 27 & 29, MTT leads a semi-staged production of Britten’s opera Peter Grimes, led by two Adler Fellow alums, Stuart Skelton and Elza van den Heever. On June 28, a special concert of Britten’s Four Sea Interludes features video art by Tal Rosner co-commissioned by four orchestras: SFS, New World, LA Phil and Philadelphia. Rosner dedicates each interlude to one of the commissioning cities, using

t

footage of bridges and underpasses from that city as subjects for the visuals. Rosner’s work accompanied composer Thomas Ades’ Polaris in 2011, and will return next season to go with Ades’ In Seven Days.

All of this is enticing stuff. It’s no wonder that the SFS and MTT just earned a 2013-14 Award for Adventurous Programming from the American Society of Composers and Publishers (ASCAP). Bring it on!

Men in furs

Author Bill Benemann wrote to us: “I was delighted to see your mention of Peter Stark’s new book Astoria in your column [OT, 6/12].

The men that Stark is describing were the ‘free trappers,’ men who were not working for any particular fur-trading company, but were free to sell their pelts to the highest bidder. Stark and I must have been

Rui Dias-Aidos

New World Symphony performs Britten’s Four Sea Interludes, with video art by Tal Rosner: the visuals are coming to Davies Hall.

working from the same primary sources, as what you quote closely follows what I say on pages 70-71 of my 2012 book Men in Eden: William Drummond Stewart and Same Sex Desire in the Rocky Mountain Fur Trade (University of Nebraska Press).

“There are so very few of us working to uncover early LGBT American history that any time one of us gets a shout-out, or someone acknowledges that our history didn’t start with Stonewall, it’s a reason to celebrate.” Agreed: let’s party!t

Impressive impressions

by Adam Sandel

A

year ago, Christina Bianco was a hard-working actress and singer plugging away in OffBroadway and regional theatres. On August 11, 2013, a YouTube video of her singing Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart” as 19 different pop divas, from Britney Spears to Julie Andrews, catapulted her to international stardom.

The video, at youtube.com/ watch?v=C3DlDPeurRw, has long since passed 6 million hits, and has generated stories on Bianco on ABC News and NPR, plus spots on The Ellen Show, The Queen Latifah Show, Fox-TV, and the UK’s Paul O’Grady Show, where she performed “Total Eclipse of the Heart”

for Bonnie Tyler herself. Bianco will now bring her Diva Moments cabaret act to San Francisco, performing at Feinstein’s on Thurs. & Fri., June 19 & 20.

Born and raised 45 minutes from New York City in the town of Suffern (made famous by Sex and the City’s “suffering in Suffern” jokes), Bianco discovered her knack for impersonations almost by accident.

“As a child, I would sing along with the radio, TV and movies, unconsciously imitating the style and tone of the singers,” she says. “After college, I realized I could do mimicking as a true art-form.”

Her first and favorite idols to impersonate were Celine Dion and Judy Garland. “Celine’s diction and Judy’s mannerisms are so much fun

to work with,” she says. A few years back, Bianco concluded a cabaret performance as Celine Dion singing “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going,” and friends and family urged her to pursue her knack for mimicry.

Bianco admits that perfecting her impressions is no overnight process.

“I start with the audio. I like to immerse myself in a singer, listening to a whole album or albums to get a broad sense of their voice and look for vocal quirks. Then I watch video to get their mannerisms. The final step is to see if I can take the artist away from their own songs.”

Choosing a song to best showcase her vast array of impressions is a process in itself. “It has to be a song See page 20 >>

YouTube sensation Christina Bianco: ‘I like to immerse myself.’

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Theatre>>

June 19-25, 2014 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 19

Imperial threats

by Richard Dodds

W

hen the Royal Shakespeare Company presented a new adaptation of The Orphan of Zhao two years ago, it was the opener in a season billed as “the greatest classics you’ve never seen.” In the case of Orphan, at least, there was truth behind this clever pitch. The earliest version of the play was first presented in China in the 13th century (its origin story goes back a thousand years before that), and it became the first Chinese play to be translated into a European language. That was in 1731, and in short order, multiple French, Italian, and English playwrights were reworking the material to satisfy the vogue for all things chinoiserie.

British journalist-playwright James Fenton sifted through these many versions to relight what is, at its core, a very compelling and morally complex tale. ACT is presenting the U.S. debut of Fenton’s Orphan, and while it is clear he has shaped

the material for contemporary audiences, the adaptation maintains a vivid connection to Chinese storytelling techniques. That’s also pretty much what the London critics concluded, but they had to start their reviews referring to a loud debate about the near-total absence of Asian actors in the UK cast.

In The Guardian, Michael Billington acknowledged “the plight of east Asian actors” before getting on with his favorable review. In ACT’s production, where Asian actors far outnumber their Caucasian counterparts, there is no immediate need here to delve into plights. The play, it seems to me, simply works better with Asian actors. Beyond appearance, there is something almost ineffable in cadence, manner, and rhythms that the Asians in this production connect with that is more elusive for the non-Asians. Setting aside ethnic discussions, this cast also happens to be filled with terrific performers.

In the forefront is BD Wong, who

submerses himself in a role far different from his breakout Broadway debut in M. Butterfly. Here he exudes a much subtler but still potent charisma, playing the role of a humble country doctor whose decisions change a nation. With the imperial threat of the slaughter of all first-born male children, he circumvents that edict by taking in a targeted infant prince and allowing his own son to be put to death. The path laid out for the boy has only one destination: revenge.

The object of that revenge will be one of the emperor’s most powerful lieutenants. It’s amazing, he tells us in a direct address, how frustrating those two little words “one of” can be. Stan Egi creates a compellingly malignant and strategically seductive character who plans to wrest ultimate power for himself. The two colleagues he outmaneuvers are also sharply defined in the performances

by Orville Mendoza as a battle-hardened soldier and Sab Shimono as a wise elder who goes into self-exile.

Daisuke Tsuji appealingly plays the title character as a rambunctious lad who becomes a man when he learns of his heritage. This is pretty much a man’s world, but there are emotionally connected performances from Marie-France Arcilla and Julyana Soekistyo as mothers who must surrender their sons.

On Daniel Ostling’s multi-tiered set that suggests scaffolding made from bamboo, director Carey Perloff builds and maintains the dramatic pace of what becomes at times a political thriller, while acknowledging Chinese storytelling techniques even if a few efforts at stylized exposition misfire. This unspecific era of past China is further cued by Linda Cho’s simpleto-elaborate costumes, a musical accompaniment both familiar and alien, and edgy but surprisingly melodic new songs by Byron Au Young.

By the time the final curtain has descended on The Orphan of Zhao, the good guys have won. But one of the first acts of the new regime is a

Kevin Berne

BD Wong plays a country doctor who is threatened when he tries to enter the imperial palace in ACT’s production of The Orphan of Zhao.

grisly reminder of past atrocities.

The world changes and still manages to remain the same.t The Orphan of Zhao will run at ACT through June 29. Tickets are $20-$120. Call 749-2228 or go to www.act-sf.org.

Unforgettable Verdi

by Jason Victor Serinus

D

“

on’t miss the matador!” So exclaimed my former student at Osher Lifelong Learning, UC Berkeley, after seeing the dress rehearsal of San Francisco Opera’s current run of Verdi’s unforgettable masterpiece La Traviata.

As if anyone with blood in their veins could possibly miss the stellar attributes of tall, slim, handsome Timo Nuñez, a Santa Barbara-based dancer who has also appeared in the feature film Rent and HBO’s Carlos Santana Live in Concert. I almost had to wave my hand in front of my husband’s face to snap him out of his reverie.

The reverie continued nonetheless, this time because of the music.

From the opening strains of conductor Nicola Luisotti’s prelude, the luminous strings of the wonderful San Francisco Opera Orchestra created sighing arches of tears. Even when the upper strings skipped to the gaiety of the Act III party scene, the yearning of the lower strings made clear that a terrible tragedy was about to unfold.

On opening night, the orchestra, Laurie Feldman’s direction, and a score that puts virtually every Broadway show from Les Miserables on to shame, were the most consistently illuminating aspects of SFO’s 32nd La Traviata in 90 years.

Certainly the high point wasn’t John Copley’s lovely but traditional production, which made its sixth appearance since its 1987 unveiling.

As Violetta Valéry, the consumption-ridden courtesan (played by Greta Garbo in George Cukor’s movie Camille), soprano Nicole Cabell gave a deeply felt and intelligently nuanced performance.

Every phrase, including the opening of her coloratura showpiece “Ah, fors’è lui, Sempre libera” (“Ah, perhaps he is the one, Always free”), was expressed with awareness. With her voice most beautiful in softer passages – her tender opening to the duet “Dite alla giovine sì bella e pura” (“Tell the young girl, so beautiful and pure”) was exquisite – Cabell seemed like the Violetta of one’s dreams, save for one thing.

As moving as Cabell’s singing was, it lacked the tears and sighs that bring an audience to its feet. It’s the quality that has most distinguished the great Violettas of recorded history, including Claudia Muzio (SFO’s first Violetta), Rosa Ponselle, Magda Olivero, and Maria Callas. As much as the audience appreciated Cabell, they knew that something was missing.

By the time you read this, tenor

Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera

Nicole Cabell (Violetta) and Saimir Pirgu (Alfredo) in San Francisco Opera’s La Traviata.

Saimir Pirgu’s stint as Violetta’s lover, Alfredo Germont, will have passed. In his place arrives Stephen Costello, who sang marvelously in the SFO premiere of gay composer Jake Heggie’s latest opera, MobyDick. Whether Costello has the mettle for a romantic Verdi lead has yet to be determined, but the fact that for the final four performances that commence July 5, he’ll sing to the Violetta of his wife, soprano Ailyn Pérez, gives hope of major chemistry. Might we witness opera’s new “love couple” of the decade in full fire?

It’s a fire we won’t experience from baritone Vladimir Stoyanov, who plays Alfredo’s despicable father, Giorgio Germont. (Beautifully-voiced Quinn Kelsey takes over on July 5.)

Making his SFO debut, Stoyanov displayed a fine, solid voice that carries well. Alas, neither soft singing nor velvet tone was among his attributes.

As convincing as he may have been as a bully, especially when Feldman directed him to wave his cane around like a weapon and declare with certainty that God spoke through him, on opening night, his somewhat monochromatic, dynamically restricted vocalism almost drowned out Cabell in the duet. The gorgeous aria “Di Provenza il mar, il suol chi dal cor ti cancellò?” (“Who erased the sea, the land of Provence from your heart?”) could have been far more heartfelt.

Of the three Adler Fellows assuming minor roles, handsome gay baritone Hadleigh Adams (the Marquis), who was profiled in these pages two weeks ago, moved with far too much agility for an elderly man, and barely uttered a peep. Soprano Erin Johnson (Violetta’s maid, See page 20 >>

presents

Broadway...Our Way! June 25, 26, 27 8pm Nourse Theatre, San Francisco Tickets on Sale Now 415.392.4400 sfgmc.org Featuring Tony Award winner Laura Benanti The June 26th show will feature ASL Interpreted Performance.

For details boxoffice@sfgmc.org

Season 36 Sponsors: Dazzle Sponsor: Don Julio Tequila Additional Support: Barefoot Wine & Bubbly, San Francisco Hotel Tax Fund Grants for the Arts, Bay Times, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Bob Ross Foundation, Folsom Street Events

<< Film

20 • BAY AREA REPORTER • June 19-25, 2014

Documentarily yours

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by David Lamble

F

orget those expensive cable channels, and consult a Frameline 38 documentary for engaging stories and the occasional lesson to live by. From queer child-rearing practices to lessons on moving on after a gold-medal Olympic swimming career, to a harrowing ordeal at the hands of Christian missionaries in the Dominican Republic, the subjects of these nonfiction films have stories to tell as pithy and taboosmashing as anything on HBO or Showtime.

Alec Mapa: Baby Daddy In Andrea James’ intimate voyage into the life of queer Filipino-American standup comedian Alec Mapa, we witness a small domestic meltdown as Papa Mapa reads the paper and his husband supervises their spirited 9-year-old adopted AfricanAmerican son in the making of waffles. “I think the waffle iron just broke.”

James’ doc skirts Robert’s Rules of Order for LGBT standup comedy films with frequent peeks at the happy chaos within this threeperson, three-race household. The successful TV star (Ugly Betty, Desperate Housewives) employs a vivid if profane vocabulary to convey the stresses and strains of a Hollywood career when you’re also a same-sex couple trying to navigate the LA County child-adoption program. Mapa movingly and hilariously depicts the joys and anxieties he and doc-maker hubby Jamison Hebert endure bringing the child Zion into their lives. At a time when parenting is Topic A in many LGBT households, this mixed-genre doc is both funny and food for thought.

(Victoria, 6/22) Back on the Road: Greg Louganis Back in the perilous 90s, when I was working behind the counter of a LGBT bookstore (remember them?), our biggest celebrity book-signing events revolved around the memoirs of a de-frocked,

Frameline

Scene from director Andrea James’ Alec Mapa: Baby Daddy.

formerly closeted baseball umpire, and a gorgeous athlete who thrilled millions by his exploits off the diving board. Director Cheryl Furjanic illustrates the ironies of fame as experienced through the prism of the closet. While thrilling millions on TV with his breathtaking leaps from the Olympic diving board in 1984 & 88, Greg Louganis was privately dogged by rumors about his sexuality. As a result, Louganis failed to cop a Wheaties box or any of the other visible perks of fame.

This also meant that the softspoken diver had few obvious postOlympics career options. On top of this, Louganis was subjected to vicious media scrutiny after it was revealed that he was HIV+ at the time he was competing. The blood in the pool after he hit his head on a diving board lingered in media accounts as a kind of post-Games scarlet letter. Fortunately, Back on the Road also tells the heartwarming tale of Louganis’ return to the Olympics after narrowly avoiding losing his home in the mortgage meltdown crisis. The film’s perilous journey is offset by breathtaking shots of a beautiful, brave athlete executing his patented ballet-style leaps. (Castro, 6/25)

Frameline

Scene from director Mike Skiff’s Folsom Forever, part of the Frameline 38 film festival.

Kidnapped for Christ Why would any loving parent voluntarily ship their son or daughter off to a Caribbean island “paradise” with full knowledge that custodians there would subject their offspring to mental and emotional torture?

Director Kate Logan began this project with the idea that she would be exploring a Dominican Republic camp for “wayward” American teens. Instead she discovered a band of bright adolescents being subjected to fundamentalist-sponsored behavior-modification techniques for the purpose of “curing” the kids of their queer sexuality. Logan zeroes in on David, an articulate kid who was sent to be deprogrammed by his conservative parents. The film, produced by openly gay musician Lance Bass, exposes the tactics used by a huge, largely invisible network of Christian brainwashing schools.

(Roxie, 6/21) Folsom Forever I confess I’ve never once attended San Francisco’s

<<

Christina Bianco

From page 18

that everyone knows,” she says. “It needs to be a song with a lot of words to get each artist’s enunciation. The humor is in hearing the same phrase repeated by different singers.”

She has run through her impersonation repertoire with songs like “Wind Beneath My Wings,” “Natural Woman” and “Let it Go,” but none of those other artists get in the way when Bianco is singing in her own voice. “I’ve had the most experience singing as myself,” she says. “My shows are 50-50: singing as myself and the impressions.”

<<

legendary Folsom Street Fair. But Mike Skiff ’s 93-minute doc gave me several reasons to consider dropping by the next time around.

Juxtaposing colorful footage of leather men and women at play with an incisive history of their South of Market playground, Skiff explains how SoMa barely escaped a wellcoordinated attempt by 60s civic movers and shakers to bulldoze the district’s human-scale Victorians in exchange for a soul-crushing mix of skyscrapers and parking garages.

The fair, which turns 30 this year, has become the premier leather event in the world with a combination of events and booths to be found nowhere else, with an annual attendance approaching a half-million leather-clad tourists, ranking second only to the Pride events in the constellation of the city’s queerthemed attractions. (Victoria, 6/22) Campaign of Hate: Russia and Gay Propaganda Shortly after I finished watching Michael Lucas

and Scott Stern’s scary-good doc on the dangers facing LGBT people in Vladimir Putin’s Russia, I took a short nap. An hour later, I awoke with a jolt and a shiver – I had been dreaming about Putin.

In an especially chilling moment towards the end of Campaign of Hate, lesbian writer Masha Gessen (Putin: Man Without a Face) describes why she and her lover took their kids out of Putin’s Russia, noting, “In Russia, the authorities are quite open about what they’re about to do.” Gessen was referring to a Putin-era law making it a criminal offense to “propagandize” in favor of LGBT rights, or in effect to fight persecution of queer people in Russia. Some of Lucas’ subjects speak from their American asylum about why they no longer risk waiting for Putin’s fall from power. One of his subjects, a red-haired member of the Russian Parliament, gleefully describes his crusade to pass antiLGBT laws. (Victoria, 6/22)t

Bianco is still reeling from the sudden impact that the “Total Eclipse” YouTube video has had on her career. “When the video first hit, I had a few shows booked at the Hippodrome in London,” she says. “The shows sold out, and they added two more shows, which sold out. It was interesting to find out who the fans are, and where they’re from. Most of the fans knew me already, but a lot were kids who’d never seen a live concert. A lot of them are adults who appreciate the classic impressions, but the younger ones want to see Britney and the pop divas. And cultured gays have always been my target audience.”

Her social-media presence has exploded, with 300 Twitter followers ballooning to 15,000, and more than 104,000 YouTube subscribers, putting additional pressure on Bianco to deliver the goods. “Suddenly I have to keep coming up with new content for the YouTube followers,” she says.

But on June 19 & 20, San Francisco audiences will not need a computer to experience this diva – and the many other divas inside her.t Christina Bianco in Diva Moments, June 19-20 at 8 p.m., Feinstein’s at the Nikko, 222 Mason St., SF. Tickets ($35-$50): ticketweb.com or (866) 777-8932

La Traviata

From page 19

Annina), on the other hand, was ideal in both voice and appearance.

Mezzo-soprano Zanda Svede (Flora Bervoix) had a handicap many of us may wish we shared: she was so beautiful and animated in the opening scene that she almost upstaged Cabell. Nonetheless, her extremely plush, moderately-sized voice seems better suited to other roles.

The voice of veteran bass-baritone Dale Travis (Baron Douphol) has weakened, but is still effective.

Debut baritone Andrew Craig Brown (Doctor Grenvil) sang with striking beauty in the final act, and others were quite serviceable.

Dancers Fanny Ara and Devon LaRussa were excellent. And then there was their partner, Timo Nuñez, whose beauty, combined with that of Verdi’s music, affirmed that life is indeed worth living.t

Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera

Vladimir Stoyanov (Germont) in San Francisco Opera’s La Traviata.

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Fine Art>>

June 19-25, 2014 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 21

Gay liberation was in the air

by Sura Wood

A

lthough 40 years have passed, it’s easy to imagine photographer Anthony Friedkin at the age of 19, in 1969, embarking on a young man’s big adventure with a small, 35mm Leica M4 around his neck, open and curious about a world he didn’t know much about from first-hand experience: the lives of gays and lesbians in San Francisco and his native Los Angeles. He spent 18 months over a three-year period shooting and printing The Gay Essay, a self-initiated, career-defining project that put him on the map at an age when his peers were still in college. The 94 black & white prints, 68 of which are displayed in a new exhibition at the de Young Museum, are best viewed and appreciated as the intersection between a youthful artist’s odyssey and an historical point in time, 1969-73, when homosexual acts were illegal in almost every state, including California; the Stonewell rebellion had recently ignited; gay liberation was in the air; and images of a then-marginal, relatively unseen, often-maligned community were fresh, even shocking to mainstream audiences. “I wasn’t trying to be objective or do a photojournalism-driven set of photographs,” reflected Friedkin, in town last week for the show’s opening. “I wanted this body of work to be artistic and highly personal.”

Though you won’t find depth or compositional genius, there are certainly affecting pictures like “Couple, Los Angeles” (1970), a close-up of a pair of smooth-faced, interracial lovers who must have faced doublebarrel bigotry at that time, looking confidently into Friedkin’s lens; and “Jim, East Los Angeles” (1972), one of a half-dozen pictures of Jim Aguilar, a fragile, androgynous Chicano with the delicate features

Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

“Couple, Los Angeles” (1970), gelatin silver print by Anthony Friedkin.

Rick Gerharter

Anthony Friedkin at his show at the de Young Museum, The Gay Essay.

and serene expression of a Madonna, and large, masculine hands. Openly gay, Aguilar navigated the machismo and violent Mexican gangs of the barrio, whose daily threats paled in comparison to the brutal treatment doled out by his mother. “She used to beat him with a pet leash and call him queer,” recalls Friedkin.

Effusive and earnest, Friedkin (no relation to film director William Friedkin) gained the trust of his subjects, all of whom were out and willing to participate in mostly candid pictures. Even though he is not gay, one senses the photographer achieved access through an innate empathy, a lack of guile, and genuine interest; theatrical divas and street hustlers alike seem to feel down-home in front of his camera.

“People have a way of reading you very quickly when you have a camera in your hands,” he says. “I was 19,

The Gorgeous Opening Party Fri, June 20, 7–11 PM Asian Art Museum

but I had been photographing for a really long time, so I felt very comfortable with a camera and using it to express myself. I didn’t come in like Johnny Photojournalist.”

The exhibition, primarily focused on L.A., is loosely divided into sub-chapters: portraits of male prostitutes; the seamier side of Hollywood, where gay men and hustlers cruised at night and a zealous vice squad harassed them; drag queens/female impersonators, strutting their stuff on-stage and off; and a vibrant section on the San Francisco theatre scene. Friedkin came to the city, he says, to photograph Cockettes such as Pristine Condition, whose eyelashes are painted on Liza Minnelli-style, and who sports an extra sack of balls slung near the crotch in case a supplemental set was needed – you can never have too many. Then there’s

the unrepentant, un-self-conscious Divine (aka Harris Glenn Milstead) sitting in his dressing room, folds of fat rolling over the waistband of his underwear. Many portraits were shot with a wide-angle lens, affording an illusion of being in the frame with, for example, an African-American female impersonator primping in “Putting on Makeup, ‘C’est La Vie Club,’ North Hollywood” (1972).

What compelled a straight SoCal surfer, the son of a Hollywood director/screenwriter father and a former Broadway dancer, to choose this particular avenue of experience to immerse himself in is a topic on which Friedkin isn’t particularly illuminating, though it’s clear he has fielded the question before. “I genuinely cared about gay people and what they were subjected to, and was very sympathetic to the cause,” he

explains. “The sense of shame that gay people experienced, being told they were psychologically diseased or damaged goods, or that they were sinners because of their sexual identity, angered me and still angers me.”

He also stresses that his sexual orientation was neither relevant nor a barrier. As he’s quick to point out, “Some of the greatest civil-rights pictures were taken by white guys. If a gay person had done the essay, they would’ve done it differently, but so would anyone. An artist can transcend their history, using their imagination, talent and craft to get beyond it.”

Though Friedkin has produced series centering on surfing, Hollywood, Beverly Hills and New Orleans, and is currently photographing L.A. street art, The Gay Essay will likely be the work for which he’s best remembered.

“I’m thrilled to live with this family of people and be surrounded by them once again,” he says of the exhibition. “It brings back heartfelt memories and moments.”t Through January 11.

It’s time to shimmy and shine for our summer exhibition, Gorgeous. Take your fingers to the next level with TopCoat Nail Studio, who’ll adorn your nails with dazzling designs.

DJs Dr. Sleep, Robot Hustle (Honey Soundsystem), Natalie Nuxx and davO (Double Duchess) will keep our booties shakin’ while the fierce International Haus of Nu Benetton vogues all over the museum. Sip silky milk tea courtesy of Boba Guys. And of course, the galleries will be open. The afterparty will be at The Stud. Just $10.

$20 members, $25 general www.asianart.org #HelloGorgeous

This exhibition was organized by the Asian Art Museum in partnership with the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Presentation at the Asian Art Museum is made possible with the generous support of Prospect Creek Foundation, Fred Eychaner, Helen and Charles R. Schwab, Doris Fisher, The Bernard Osher Foundation, United Airlines, The Akiko Yamazaki and Jerry Yang Fund for Excellence in Exhibitions and Presentations, Jim Breyer, William Mathews Brooks, Eliza and Dean Cash, Sakurako and William Fisher, Fred M. Levin and Nancy Livingston, The Shenson Foundation, Hiro and Betty Jean Ogawa, Pacific Gas & Electric Company, Lucy Sun and Warren Felson, Jean and James E. Douglas, Jr., and an anonymous donor. Media sponsors: San Francisco Examiner, 7x7.

Asian Art Museum Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art & Culture

0951-14 GRIT & GLAMOUR ad batch_BAR_half_dft3.indd 1

200 Larkin Street San Francisco, CA 94102 www.asianart.org

6/5/14 6:37 PM

<< Out&About

22 • BAY AREA REPORTER • June 19-25, 2014

O&A

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Dan Hoyle @ The Marsh The award-winning solo performer premieres his new show, Each and Every Thing, a multi-character play about the search for real community in a hyperconnected world. $20-$50. Thu & Fri 8pm, Sat 8:30pm. Thru July 12. 1062 Valencia St. at 21st. 282-3055. www.themarsh.org

Out &About

Daylighting @ Ashby Stage, Berkeley Shotgun Players’ production of The Berkeley Stories Project, Dan Wolf’s play about a young East Bay woman whose day-long walk includes real-life stories from Berkeley residents. $20-$35. Wed-Sat 8pm. Thru June 22. 1901 Ashby Ave., Berkeley. (510) 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org

Devil Boys From Beyond @ New Conservatory Theatre Center

Thu 19

Mugwumpin

Pre-Pride Proud

by Jim Provenzano

J

une’s festival of fun continues at a steady pace. Enjoy the warm days, and cools night in galleries and cinemas, where our stories are told in unusual ways. Hear tales of groundbreaking civil rights struggles, or a batch of cheerful tunes. We’re gay, we’re “trending,” get used to it.

Thu 19 10,000 Maniacs @ Yoshi’s The popular alt/rock band returns. $45$69. 8pm (premier seating/meet & greet available). 1330 Fillmore St. 655-5600.

Also June 20 at Yoshi’s Oakland, 510 Embarcadeo West, (510) 238-9200. www.yoshis.com

David Barnett @ Hotel Triton The local gay artist exhibits his popular animal/pet portraits and landscapes at the stylish hotel lobby. Opening reception, June 19, 6pm8pm. Mezzanine, 342 Grant Ave. www.hoteltriton.com

Frameline 38 @ Various Cinemas The San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival opens at the Castro Theatre, with many features, shorts and documentaries screening at several Bay Area theatres.

Opening night June 19. www.frameline.org

Fresh Meat Festival @ Z Space The annual rousing festival of queer and transgender dance, music and performance this year includes hip hop, taiko, trapeze and modern dance from Jocquese Whitfield, Katastrophe (Brooklyn), Cohdi Harrell (New Mexico), Maikaze Daiko (with special guests Rachel Ebora and Kristy Oshiro), Shawna Virago, Las Bomberas de la Bahia (San Francisco & New York), Sean Dorsey Dance, Star Amerasu and more. Post-show parties each night with DJMiz Rowdy, photo booth, drinks and dancing. Also, scenes for Lana And Andy Wachowski’s new Netflix series Sense8 will be filmed during and after shows. $15-$25.

8pm. Thu-Sat. Thru June 21. www.freshmeatproductions.org www.zspace.org

Kevin Fisher-Paulsen @ Books Inc, Palo Alto The gay author of A Song For Lost Angels: How Daddy and Papa Fought to Save Their Family, reads from and discusses he and his partner’s struggle to keep two adopted sons. 7pm. 855 East Camino Real, #74, Palo Alto. www.booksinc.net

Mugwumpin @ Costume Shop The innovative eperimental theatre company celebrates ten years with several revivals; This Is All I Need and Super:Anti:Reluctant in repertory with the new Blockbuster Season, also later this summer. Preview. Opens June 20. Thru July 13; other shows thru August and Sept. $20-$40. 1117 Market St. www.mugwumpin.org

The Orphan of Zhao @ American Conservatory Theatre BD Wong stars in James Fenton’s new stage adaptation of the centuries-old Chinese legend of sacrifice and revenge when a young orphan discovers the truth of his heritage. $30-$130. Tue-Sat 8pm. Sat & Sun 2pm. Sun 7pm. Out with A.C.T. night June 18. Thru June 29. Geary Theatre, 405 Geary St. 749-2228. www.act-sf.org

Pansy @ New Conservatory Theatre Center Evan Johnson returns with his magical solo show about a young gay Peter-Pan-esque man who revels in the 1990s queer culture. $15-$20. Wed-Sat 8pm. Sun 2pm. Thru June 28. 25 Van Ness Ave. lower level.

861-8972. www.nctcsf.org

SF Documentary Film Fest @ Various Theaters 13th annual festival of films about an array of subjects. Thru June 19. Roxies Theatre, Brava Theatre and Oakland School of the Arts’ Marion E. Greene Theater. 552-5580. www.sfindie.com

Show Boat @ War Memorial Opera House San Francisco Opera’s beautiful production of Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II’s classic musical about people in the 1880s who live and work along the Mississippi River. $24-$379. Various times, June 19, 22, 26, July 1 & 2. 301 Van Ness Ave., 8643330. www.sfopera.com

Yerba Buena Gardens Festival @ Esplanade The months-long free performance series has commenced, with weekend outdoor dance, music and theatre concerts, on various days and evenings. June 19: Jenny Lind, 12:30pm. June 21: Marcus Cohen & The Congress, 1pm. June 26: SuriSuri MahaSuri, 12:30pm. Thru Oct. Mission St. at 3rd. 543-1718. www.ybgfestival.org

Fri 20 American Buffalo @ Aurora Theatre, Berkeley Aurora Theatre Company performs David Mamet’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 1977 drama about three desperate men who plot to steal a valuable coin collection. $35-$60. Tue 7pm. Wed-Sat 8pm. Sun 2pm & 7pm. 2081 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 843-4822. www.auroratheatre.org

The Bakla Show @ Bindlestiff Studio Third annual show of short plays and installations dealing with LGBT and queer youth issues in the Philipino community. $10-$20. Thu-Sat 8pm. 185 6th St. at Howard. Thru June 28. 255-0440. www.thebaklashow.wordpress.com

Buddy Thomas and Kenneth Elliot’s hilarious comedy is about an ace reporter who investigates a Florida colony of elders who are shacking up with alien beefcake guys. $25-$45. Wed-Sat 8pm. Sun 2pm.

Thru June 28. 25 Van Ness Ave. lower level.

861-8972. www.nctcsf.org

Femmes to the Front @ Gilman, Berkeley Local and visiting rock and punk women’s bands with a queer edge perform: Metal Mother, Moira Scar, Tyler Holmes, Dark Beach, Ancient Wing and Ancient Wing. DJs Dick Wolf and Jiggles. $8. All ages. 7:30pm. 924 Gilman St., Berkeley. www.924gilman.org

Gay Comedy Night @ Freight & Salvage, Berkeley Local favorites Marga Gomez, Micia Mosely and Sampson McCormick perform at the East Bay club. $18-$20. 8pm. 2020 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 644-2020. www.thefreight.org

Grit & Glamour @ Asian Art Museum Opening party for Gorgeous, the new exhibit about 2,000 years of unconventional visualizations of beauty (thru Sept 14), at the contemporary and historical museum; interactive runway performances by International Haus of Nu Benetton; DJs Dr. Sleep, Robot Hustle, Natalie Nuxx and davO. $10-$25. 7pm11pm. Reg admission $15. 200 Larkin St. www.asianart.org

The Homosexuals @ New Conservatory Theatre Center Bay Area debut of Chicago playwright Philip Dawkins’ comic drama about a young man meeting a new gay community. $25-$45. Wed-Sat 8pm. Sun 2pm. thru June 28. 25 Van Ness Ave. lower level.

861-8972. www.nctcsf.org

Macbeth @ Fort Point We Players’ innovative audience participation staging of the tragic “Scottish play” by William Shakespeare returns (after being abruptly closed for the government shut-down). Audience members walk through the historic building as the show takes place in all areas of the fort, including a snack and beverage break during the famous “banquet scene.” $30-$75. Thu-Sun 7pm. Thru June 29. Golden Gate National Recreation Area, 999 Marine Drive. 5470189. www.weplayers.org

Maestro @ Berkeley Repertory Theatre Hershey Felder, who wowed audiences with his recent Gershwin one-man show, returns as famed conductor-composer Leonard Bernstein in a solo and piano biographical play, in which he discusses and performs excerpts from the creator of West Side Story, Candide, On the Town and other works. $29-$87. Tue, Thu-Sat 8pm.

Wed & Sun 7pm. Sat & Sun 2pm. Extended thru July 3. Thrust Theatre, 2025 Addison St., Berkeley. www.berkeleyrep.org

Sat 21 God Fights the Plague

Thu 19 Ted Olsen and David Boies

The Objects @ ASC Projects

Feisty Old Jew @ The Marsh

Evie Leder’s photo and video installation that uses nude portraits of local gay artists to examine the human form. Thru June 29. 3150 18th St. www.facebook.com/ ascprojectssf

Charlie Veron’s new solo show about a fictional elder man who hitches a ride with surfer-hipsters, and rants about what he hates about the 21st century. $25-$100.

Sat & Sun 5pm. Extended thru July 13.

1062 Valencia St. 282-3055. www.themarsh.org

Pearls Over Shanghai @ The Hypnodrome Thrillpeddlers’ hilarious Cockettes revival returns, with new choreography, costumes, performers, and some of the original cast members. $30-$35. Thu-Sat 8pm.

Extended thru June 28. 575 10th St. (800) 838-3006. www.thrillpeddlers.com

Peter Chung @ Cadillac Hotel The local singer-songwriter-guitarist performs an afternoon concert. Free.

12:30pm. 380 Eddy St. 673-7223. www.cadillachotel.org

Smith/Wymore Disappearing Acts @ CounterPulse Innovative local dance company performs/ creates Number Zero (A Space Opera), a semi-improvised story work where the performers move in response to a computer interface. $20-$30. Fri & Sat 8pm. Sun 7pm. 1310 Mission St. at 9th. www.counterpulse.org

The Speakeasy @ Private Location Boxcar Theatre’s popular Prohibition-era interactive bar, gaming and performance show extends its sold-out run before closing to find a bigger venue. $65-$100.

Wed-Sat admissions times 7:30-9pm.

Thru June 21. Address given after ticket purchase. www.thespeakeasysf.com

Triassic Parq @ Eureka Theatre Ray of Light Theatre company’s production of the innovative musical about a female T-Rex who turns male, leaving the herd of singing dinosaurs to question their prehistoric gender identity. $25-$36. WedSat 8pm. Thru June 28. 250 Jackson St at Battery. www.rayoflighttheatre.com

La Traviata @ War Memorial Opera House

Exhibit of gay-themed paintings (“Great American Patriots”) and “Documents,” an unusual installation that uses anti-gay words. Reception 1pm-5pm. Thru Sept.

2327 Market St. www.pietronigro.com www.johnstontaxgroup.com/art

God Fights the Plague @ The Marsh 18-year-old playwright Dezi Gallegos (who made a splash at 14 with Prop 8 Love Stories) performs a solo show with multiple gay and straight characters of different faiths, each searching for God. $15-$100.

Sat 8:30pm. Sun 7pm. Thru Aug. 10. 1062 Valencia St. at 21st. 282-3055. www.themarsh.org

The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism With a Key to the Scriptures @ Berkeley Repertory The West Coast premiere of multiple award-winner Tony Kushner’s epic new play takes on politics, sex, and power in his expansive and brilliant way, by focusing on a Brooklyn Italian family (with a gay son and a lesbian daughter) whose patriarch decides to die. $55-$89. Tue, Thu-Sat 7:30pm. Wed & Sun 7pm. Thru June 29.

Roda Theatre, 2025 Addison St., Berkeley.

(510) 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org

Justin Vivian Bond @ Feinstein’s at the Nikko Our favorite former local now-New York sensation and “trans-genre” singer performs music from Mx’s albums Dendrophile and Silver Wells, plus songs from the film Short Bus and a few surprises; with pianist Lance Horne. $35-$50 ($20 food/drink minimum). 8pm.

Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. www.ticketweb.com

San Francisco Opera’s new production of Verdi’s classic opera stars Nicole Cabell, Simir Pirgu and Vladamir Stoyanov; in Italian with English supertitles. $24-$379.

June 20 (8pm), 25 (7:30pm), 29 (2 p.m.), July 5 (8pm; live simulcast at AT&T Park), 8 (7:30pm), 11 (8pm) and July 13 (2pm).

301 Van Ness Ave. 863-3330. www.sfopera.com

Third annual portrait invitational, this year, with a Contemporary Portraits of the Ancient Gods theme, including large paintings by more than a dozen artists.

Thru July 5. 403 Francisco St. 956-3303. www.moderneden.com

Women’s Solstice Celebration @ Lafayette

Queer Art Exhibits @ SOMArts Cultural Center

18th annual earth-loving celebration for womyn and girls. For location, times and info: (925) 787-9247. www.daughtersofthegoddess.com

Body, Body, Bodies, a group exhibit exploring perspectives on the human form.

Also Second Helpings, a group exhibit about “fat politics,” and The Most Sincere Gesture, an exhibit about intimacy by four New Orleans-based artists. Thru June 28.

Tue-Fri 12pm-7pm, Sat 12pm-5pm. 934 Brannan St. at 9th. www.somarts.org

Sat 21 Beach Blanket Babylon @ Club Fugazi The musical comedy revue celebrates its 40th year with an ever-changing lineup of political and pop culture icons, all in gigantic wigs. $25-$160. Beer/wine served; cash only; 21+, except where noted. 678 Beach Blanket Babylon Blvd (Green St.). 421-4222. www.beachblanketbabylon.com

The Farnsworth Invention @ Lucie Stern Theatre, Palo Alto Palo Alto Players perform acclaimed TV and movie writer-producer Aaron Sorkin’s compelling play about the inventor of the television. $23-$45. Thu-Sat 8pm. Sun 2:30pm. Thru June 29. 1305 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto. (650) 329-0891. www.paplayers.org Myra Levy

Frank Pietronigro @ Johnston Gallery

Olympus @ Modern Eden Gallery

Step Back @ North Beach Radar Productions hosts a queer cultural historical walking tour of North Beach, with professor and historian Nan Alamilla Boyd, author of Wide Open Town: A History of Queer San Francisco to 1965 ; with site-specific mini-shows by Lil Miss Hot Mess, Kat Marie Yoad, Maryam Rostami, Miss Rahni, Raquel Gutierrez, and Rhiannon Argo. 4pm-7pm. Meet at City Lights Books, 261 Columbus Ave. www.radarproductions.org

Will Durst @ Studio 55 Marin The wry, smart political comic performs his new show BoomerRanging: From LSD to OMG. $18-$22. 8pm. 1455A East Francisco Blvd., San Rafael. www.studio55marin.com

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Out&About>>

June 19-25, 2014 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 23

Sun 22 30: The early years of HIV/AIDS in New Zealand @ GLBT History Museum Screening of a film about the New Zealand exhibition about the history of AIDS in New Zealand, and a discussion with curator Gareth Watkins. 5pm-7pm. 4127 18th St. 621-1107. www.glbthistory.org

Anthony Friedkin: The Gay Essay @ de Young Museum Exhibit of photos, and an audio-visual installation, by the Los Angeles artist who focused on gay underground culture of the late 1960s and early 70s in SF and LA. Thru Jan. 11, 2015. Lines on the Horizon : Native American Art from the Weisel Family Collection, thru Jan. 4, 2015.

Free/$10. Tue-Sun 9:30am-5:15pm. Golden Gate Park, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive. www.deyoungmuseum.org

Tours and Exhibits @ The Old Mint New Sunday program offers tours and exhibits about San Francisco’s history.

Explore the fascinating building’s grand halls and vaults. $5-$10. Weekly, 1pm4pm. 88 5th St. 537-1105. www.SFhistory.org

Various Exhibits @ Oakland Museum Judy Chicago: A Butterfly for Oakland, a collection of slides and films of her 1974 Lake Merritt pyrotechnical installation; part of a nationwide group of exhibits celebrating the pioneering feminist artist’s 75th birthday; thru Nov. 30. Also, Vinyl: The Sound and Culture of Records, about the culture of collecting records, local indie labels; includes sound exhibits, talks, and colorful catalogs. Both thru July 27.

Also, Inspiration Points: Masterpieces of California (thru July 13), A Cinematic Study of Fog in San Francisco (thru June 29) and other exhibits. Free/$15. Reg. hours WedSat 11am-5pm (Fri til 9pm). 1000 Oak St., Oakland. (510) 318-8400. museumca.org

Wed 25 San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus

Tue 24 Chomp! @ Conservatory of Flowers They Came From the Swamp, a new floral exhibit of carnivorous plants, includes exhibits, docent talks, and a giant replica model so you can feel like a bug about to be eaten. Thru Oct. 19. Reg. hours, 10am4pm. Free-$7. Tue-Sun 10am-4:30pm. Thru Oct. 19. 100 JFK Drive, Golden Gate Park.

831-2090. www.conservatoryofflowers.org

Into the Woods @ San Francisco Playhouse Local production of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s acclaimed musical that takes an ‘after Happily Ever After’ look at fairy tales. Previews; opens June 28. $20$120. Tue-Thu 7pm. Fri & Sat 8pm. Also Sat 3pm & Sun 2pm. Thru Sept. 6. 450 Post St., 2nd floor of Kensington Park Hotel. 6779596. www.sfplayhouse.org

Kristin Damrow & Company @ The Garage The dance ensemble performs a new work, Behind Closed Doors. $10-$20. 8pm. Also June 26. 715 Bryant St. 715bryant.org

Not a Genuine Black Man @ Osher Studio, Berkeley Brian Copeland’s tenth anniversary run of his compelling autobiographical solo show gets restaged at Berkeley Repertory’s studio theatre. $14-$430. Wed 7pm. ThuSat 8pm. Extended thru June 28. Osher Studio, 2055 Center St., Berkeley. (510) 647-2949. berkeleyrep.org

San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus @ Nourse Theatre Dazzle: Broadway Out Way includes concert versions of songs from popular musicals The Book of Mormon, South Pacific, Kinky Boots, Phantom of the Opera and more; with guest soloist Laura Benanti. $25-$60. 8pm. Also June 25 & 26, 8pm. 275 Hayes St. 392-4400. sfgmc.org

Sony Holland @ Level III The acclaimed jazz vocalist performs with guitarist Jerry Holland. Weekly 5pm-8pm.

Also Thursdays & Fridays. JW Marriott, 515 Mason St. at Post. www.sonyholland.com

William Odiorne’s Paris @ Robert Tat Gallery Photo exhibit of the artist’s 1920s prints of the beautiful French capital. Tue-Sat 11am5:30pm (1st Thursdays til 7:30). Thru Aug. 23. 49 Geary St. #410. 781-1122. www. roberttat.com

Fri 20 Smith Wymore Diana Susan Kaljian

Mon 23 Biconic Flashpoints @ GLBT History Museum Four Decades of Bay Area Bisexual Politics, thru Aug. 15. Also, the new exhibit of fascinating historical items and how their legacies are still with us; includes queer youth, Harvey Milk, José Sarria, AIDS and gay bar ephemera and the lesbians of The Ladder. Reg. hours Mon-Sat 11am-7pm.

Sun 12pm-5pm. ($5/free for members).

4127 18th St. 621-1107. glbthistory.org

Chicks with Shticks @ SF Public Library The Kinsey Sicks and 20 Years of Dragapella Activism, a new exhibit about the musical ensemble; thru July 10. 100 Larkin St. www.sfpl.org

Designing Homes @ Contemporary Jewish Museum Jews and Midcentury Modernism, an exhibit of architectural, furniture, dinnerware, photos, and interior design in post-WWII. Also, Arthur Szyk and the Art of the Haggadah, an exhibit of 48 fascinating and richly detailed illustrations of Hebrew stories by the early 20th-century artist (thru June 29). Also, To Build & Be Built: Kibbutz History (thru July 1). 2pm5pm. Free (members)-$12. Fri-Tue 11am5pm, Thu 11am-8pm (closed Wed). 736 Mission St. 655-7800. www.thecjm.org

Javier Rocabaldo @ Public Barber Salon The Bay Area gay artist’s iconic Catholic icon-inspired paintings Nature for Sale blend money and endangered animals; on exhibit thru June. Reg hours 9am-9pm. 571 Geary St. 441-8599. publicbarbersalon.com

Meditation Group @ LGBT Center Weekly non-sectarian meditation group; part of the Let’s Kick ASS AIDS Survivor Syndrome support group. Tuesdays, 5pm, 1800 Market St. www.letskickASS.org www.sfcenter.org

Public Intimacy @ YBCA SF MOMA on the Go exhibit Public Intimacy: Art and Other Ordinary Acts in South Africa, a collection of photography, with artists Kemang Wa Lehulere, AthiPatra Ruga, Sello Pesa, and Vaughn Sadie, among others. Thru June 29. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission St. 3211307. www.sfmoma.org www.ybca.org

Wed 25 David Boies, Theodore Olson @ LGBT Center The two lawyers whose work forever changed LGBT rights for same-sex marriage in the Prop 8 trial discuss their work and their new book Redeeming the Dream: The Case for Marriage Equality. $35 includes a signed first edition book.

Sponsored by Books Inc. 7pm. Rainbow Room, 1800 Market St. www.booksinc.net www.sfcenter.org

Hillary Rodham Clinton @ Orpheum Theatre The two-time former First Lady, Senator and former Secretary of State gives a lecture about her years working with President Obama, as discussed in her book Hard Choices (one copy with ticket price) $95-$520. 7pm. 1192 Mrket St. at 8th.

(888) 746-1799. www.shnsf.com/online/keynote

Woods to Wildflowers @ SF Botanical Gardens See blooming floral displays, trees and exhibits. Also, daily walking tours and more, at outdoor exhibits of hundreds of species of native wildflowers in a centuryold grove of towering Coast Redwoods.

Free-$15. Daily. Golden Gate Park. 66121316. www.SFBotanicalGarden.org

Thu 26

ebar.com THE RICHMOND/ERMET AIDS FOUNDATION PRESENTS

Hella Gay Comedy @ Magnet The bawdy queer comedy show’s last event includes host Charlie Ballard, Zachary Toczynski, Ash Fisher, Kelly Doyle, Jesus Fuetes, Justin Lucas, Sampson McCormick and Karinda Dobbins. Free. 8pm. 4122 18th St. www.magnetsf.org

Magic Parlor @ Chancellor Hotel Whimsical Belle Epoque-style sketch and magic show that also includes historical San Francisco stories; hosted by Walt Anthony; optional pre-show light dinner and desserts. $40. Thu-Sat 8pm. 433 Powell St. SFMagicParlor.com

Matthew Kennedy @ Folio Books The gay author of Roadshow! The Fall of Film Musical in the 1960s reads from and discusses his book, and shows film clips. 7pm. 3957 24th St. 821-3477. matthewkennedybooks.com oliosf.com

featuring company members from the touring cast of the Tony Award winning show

Plus special guests DAVID BURNHAM, SHARON McNIGHT & SPENCER DAY

Wrong’s What I Do Best @ SF Art Institute Group exhibition of works that push the boundaries of social, political and personal fault lines. Tue 11am-7pm. Wed-Sat 11am6pm. Thru July 26. Walter and McBean Galleries, 800 Chestnut St. www.sfai.edu

To submit event listings, email jim@ebar.com. Deadline is each Thursday, a week before publication. For more bar and nightlife events, go to On the Tab in our BARtab section, online at www.ebar.com/bartab

M O N D AY, J U N E 3 0 , 7 : 3 0 P M CLUB FUGAZI Tickets: Call Beach Blanket Babylon

415.421.4222 www.helpisontheway.org SPONSORED BY:

<< TV

24 • BAY AREA REPORTER • June 19-25, 2014

Gay issues & politics on TV

by Victoria A. Brownworth

W

hen people ask why we are still writing for LGBT publications 45 years after Stonewall, we have myriad answers, but the first one is always: Because of TV. When we say TV, it doesn’t mean we don’t write about other LGBT issues. We do. “Serious” issues, political issues, news. We write for national gay and lesbian publications as well as for the mainstream press, but TV localizes issues like nothing else because of the millions it reaches, and because of the way popular culture influences how people think about what’s on the screen.

For example, Pres. Obama called Ryan Murphy a couple of days ago to tell him how much he liked The Normal Heart. The President watches TV. And likes TV. Just maybe, TV has helped with his “evolution” on marriage equality. According to Deadline’s Nellie Andreeva, the President called Murphy after watching the HBO movie based on Larry Kramer’s play, and asked what made Murphy take on the project.

Murphy, clearly moved by the call, told Andreeva, “The whole movie is about Larry trying to get the attention of Washington, and 30 years later, to get a call from the President is a full-circle moment.” (In 2012, Murphy hosted a $25,000 per person fundraiser for Obama.)

So when we say writing about TV is important, we mean the totality of the LGBT presence (or lack of same) on the tube. It’s not just about oh look, there’s a tertiary character who’s gay on my fave show. It’s about whether or not national and cable news report LGBT issues, whether we are portrayed fairly and honestly on network and cable, what percentage of LGBT characters are on networks and cable stations. And whether the

President is watching. Or other politicians who influence our lives.

The possible future president and former First Lady, senator and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is definitely watching. Also prepping for 2016 by getting the gaffes out of the way early. In her hour-long smackdown interview with ABC News anchor Diane Sawyer on June 9, the day before her new book Hard Choices hit the bookstores, Hillary hit a few rough patches. The tenor of the interview reminded us that Sawyer used to work for Richard Nixon back in the day. (Sawyer was administrative assistant to then-White House Press Sec. Ron Ziegler, then staff assistant for Nixon. She was suspected of being Deep Throat during Watergate.) The morning after the Sawyer interview, Hillary got to walk back a few comments that had set Republicans rubbing their hands in glee when she was interviewed by our fave lesbian morning-show host, Robin Roberts, who seemed far more inclined to be civil than Sawyer had been.

But Hillary had another tensionfilled interview with yet another female broadcaster on June 12, when NPR host Terry Gross pushed Hillary on whether her coming out for marriage equality wasn’t just a political move. (Gross’ show also airs on PBS.) Gross didn’t let the issue go, and Hillary got testy. Hillary came out publically for marriage equality in Feb. 2013, right after leaving her post as Secretary of State, in a fundraising video she made for HRC that was several months in the works. Gross noted Pres. Obama had come out for marriage equality a few months before Hillary.

“I have to say,” Hillary told Gross, “I think you are being very persistent, but you are playing with my words and playing with what is such an important issue.”

“I’m just trying to clarify so I understand,” Gross replied.

Clearly riled, Clinton said, “No, I don’t think you are trying to clarify. I think you’re trying to say I used to be opposed and now I’m in favor and I did it for political reasons, and that’s just flat wrong. So let me just state what I feel like you are implying, and repudiate it.”

Hillary added, “I have a strong record, I have a great commitment to this issue, and I am proud of what I’ve done and the progress we’re making.” Throughout her tenure as Sec. of State, Hillary Clinton was a strong supporter of LGBT rights on the global scale, often when other members of the Administration were silent. In Dec. 2011, Sec. Clinton gave a stunning speech that riled every Republican member of Congress, but earned her a standing ovation at the Palais de Nations in Geneva on International Human Rights Day. The speech addressed all the made-up crap LGBT people are used to hearing from the likes of the religious right and their friends in Congress. Clinton asserted, “Gay rights are human rights, and human rights are gay rights.” So that’s one of the reasons she’s testy with Sawyer, Gross, et al. In watching the news over the past week, it’s clear the claws are still out for the former Secretary, and the pundit class learned nothing about the role of sexism in media between 2008 and now. It’s gonna be a long two years. But anyone watching the Sawyer interview knows that was the beginning of the Hillary for President campaign, part deux.

Another gay political moment came when CNN’s Anderson Cooper took on the Texas legislature’s embracing of reparative therapy. In the segment of his show “Keeping Them Honest,” where he has previously taken on anti-gay bigots, most recently those objecting to last month’s public kiss between Michael Sam and his boyfriend, Cooper took on Texas legislator Bryan Hughes. It was masterful.

Hughes claimed there was “medical literature” supporting reparative therapy, but Cooper interrupted, reciting a litany of names rejecting the practice. “I could give you a list,” Cooper told Hughes. “The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Counseling Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association, the American School Counselors’ Association, the National Association of School Psychologists, National Association of Social Workers. They represent half-a-million mental health professionals, they all say being gay is not a mental disorder. It’s not something that needs to be cured.”

The Silver Fox produced a clip from last year where Exodus International head Alan Chambers told Cooper he now disavowed the practice of conversion therapy, and that he regretted ever supporting it. Smackdown.

One bit of gay news we thought would headline was Kathleen Wynne, a Liberal Democrat, trouncing the Conservative Tory candidate Tom Hudak in the Ontario election on June 12. We know, Canada, but it is still kind of a major nation. Star Trek icon, gay actor and activist George Takei sent out a tweet that soon went viral noting, “The Liberal Party in Ontario, Canada has swept to power, and with it their leader Kathleen Wynne will become the” (he had a photo of the triumphant Wynne, arms raised) “first gay person ever to be elected as Head of Government anywhere in the Commonwealth or the English-speaking world.”

Oh, and she’s the first woman to be elected there as well.

We thought since Toronto was the biggest city in Canada, Wynne’s win would make our news. No wonder Hillary’s testy.

Speaking of the confluence of news and TV, was it just us or was that last episode of Fox’s 24 on June 16, with the promo “We do not negotiate with terrorists,” yet another swipe at the Obama Administration for the release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl? Some of us have not forgotten how in its first incarnation this show provided endless support for the Bush-Cheney Administration’s torture policies.

Speaking of old wounds, Laverne Cox returned to Katie Couric’s show on June 10 to talk about Orange Is the New Black. Cox had been on Katie in January amid a furor. Couric had asked Cox whether she had had sexual reassignment surgery, which Cox had labeled offensive. This time around, Couric was conciliatory about last time, and Cox was gracious. Couric told Cox she “got a lot of flak” for asking about the “physical aspect” of transitioning. Couric said, “I learned that it’s very upsetting to the transgender community because they feel that people are too often fixated on this, and that your anatomy actually has very little to do with your gender identity.”

Cox told Couric she appreciated her “willingness to learn out in public.” Telling Couric she was “great” for having her on again and addressing the issue instead of ignoring it, Cox said the discourse meant that she and Couric could show how it was done, having “safe” conversations about trans issues in the public arena.

Teachable moments are required over and over again. We are loving the gay storyline on NBC’s new drama The Night Shift. The whole concept of returning army doctors now in an urban war zone appeals to us, since the wars are virtually ignored on the tube. But Brendan Fehr’s sexy closeted doc, Drew: oh yeah. When, at the end of a long and arduous night shift he’s worked with fellow doc Krista (Jeananne Goosen) and she leans in to kiss him, another reveal. He’s obviously unresponsive, and she basically says, “Well, it’s not like you’re gay,” and he gives her The Look. She’s startled, they have The Talk. Because being gay is always a series of coming outs, all the time. The show is uneven, but we like this storyline a lot.

We find NBC’s Hollywood Game Night not that thrilling, but we did catch a bit of the June 12 episode and laughed out loud at the exchanges between host Jane Lynch and guest player Tim Gunn. It was crazy good as the dapper fashionista and the “seven foot tall lesbian” (as she described herself) bantered about fashion. We so enjoy these little unexpected tidbits of gayness. If you want to watch, it’s on both NBC.com and Hulu.

We’re so excited some of our favorite shows are coming back. TNT’s pseudo-lesbian cop drama Rizzoli & Isles returned June 17 to TNT with a promo of the two handcuffed together. Be still our hearts. We still say these two should come out, but only time (and some lesbian writers: where are you, Joanna Johnson?) can take us there. TNT also brought Eric McCormack’s (Will & Grace) tour de force vehicle Perception back on June 17. These two shows are perfectly paired for a night of cop drama.

Coming up on June 22 is a new series on TNT, The Last Ship. This is a post-apocalyptic drama in a world ravaged by an AIDS-like pandemic that has decimated 80% of the world’s population. In this dangerous dystopia, the crew of a Naval ship has to find a cure to save the world from extinction. We have high hopes for this show, which stars several actors we like a lot. The lead is Eric Dane as Commander Tom Chandler.

Dane was Dr. Mark Sloan for years on Grey’s Anatomy until he became another victim of that awful plane crash that also took Lexie Grey and Arizona’s leg. Last Ship also stars the smokin’ Rhona Mitra (Boston Legal),

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Hillary Clinton promoting her new book, Hard Choices, last week.

whom we would watch in a cat food commercial.

The Last Ship is getting buzz in part because it got a special screening at the Newseum in Washington for Navy brass, and in part because the show’s executive produced by the amazing and notorious Michael Bay (Transformers), who is one of the top people making money for Hollywood. And, if Megan Fox and other stars who have worked with the mercurial director and producer have noted, a total bastard. So come for the dish, stay for the series. You know it’s going to be great.

We’re also sure The Strain is going to be great. Another epidemic, this one in New York City and looking a whole lot like vampires. Not the cuddly, de-fanged kind we’ve gotten used to since the Angel and Buffy days, but the truly terrible, keep-the-lights-onand-the-garlic-handy sort. The FX series is based on a trilogy by Guillermo del Toro, so you know there will be blood. Del Toro is the writer and director, and Carlton Cuse (Lost) is the showrunner. We can’t wait till this one debuts on July 13.

CBS is also going dystopian this summer, bringing back the critically acclaimed and compulsively watchable Under the Dome on June 30.

This show has everything a smalltown drama could want from murder and mayhem to magic to – no spoilers. Under the Dome (which features several gay characters) is based on a Stephen King novel, and King is writing and directing this season.

The show is executive produced by Stephen Spielberg.

Spielberg also executive produces CBS’ new sci-fi-ish drama Extant, starring Oscar winner Halle Berry.

This series pivots off an astronaut who comes home from a long trip into space only to discover she’s pregnant. Other cast members include Goran Visnijik, Camryn Manheim and Tessa Ferrer, who just left G’s A after playing Arizona’s lesbian affair for two seasons.

Meanwhile, ABC Family’s dark drama Pretty Little Liars is back for a new season, and the network has renewed it for a seventh season.

We’ve loved this show for four years: lesbians, mean girls, murder, blackmail, did we say lesbians? You name it, this show has it, because anything can happen in a small town. The new season of PLL started June 10. The network has added another series, Chasing Life, which follows PLL. The debut dovetails nicely with the nation’s #1 movie, The Fault in Our Stars. Because you can never have enough young women dying of cancer in a perky, quirky manner.

Speaking of dying in a quirky manner, since the season finale of FX’s brilliant Coen Bros. Fargo was June 17, you can now binge-watch the whole season while you wait for the new one.

Finally, as Pride Month draws to a close, be sure to tune into Fox’s Master Chef and play “spot the gays,” and we’ll compare notes. We count two for certain, but it could be four. To find the answers to these and other pressing queries involving TV, you know you really must stay tuned.t

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Film>>

June 19-25, 2014 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 25

Native Hawai’ian refugee

by Erin Blackwell

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o story of imperial conquest is pretty, but the corporateChristian overthrow of the legitimate royal family of Hawai’i is among the most tragic, recent, and relevant to our lives. Ever eaten a slice of Dole pineapple or a cube of C & H sugar? There are so many terrible stories of Euro-American colonization it’s hard to keep up, but usurping this natural and cultural paradise as the 50th state is a heartbreaking model of greedy governmental treachery. The Frameline film Kumu Hina, screening Sun., June 22, at 3:30 p.m., fills in some gaps.

Kumu means teacher, and Hinaleimoana (“woman encircling ocean”) was the name chosen by Colin Wong as his female identity when he came out as a mahu. That’s a word impossible to translate because it’s charged with native cultural significance we mainlanders have no equivalent for, although Divine Hermaphrodite comes close.

“People in the middle” is the expression used in the film, which traces a year in the life of Hina, cultural

warrior doing daily battle for the promulgation of traditional hula, chant, and her non-biological right to dress as a woman and marry a man. In her words: “A mahu is an individual that straddles somewhere in the middle of the male and female binary. It does not define their sexual preference or gender expression, because gender roles, gender expressions and sexual relationships have all been severely influenced by changing times. It is dynamic. It is like life.” She must mean the way I feel in the morning, deciding which flannel shirt to wear before I encounter the world and cringe inwardly when someone mistakes me for a man. A man is the last thing I want to be.

But then, so is a woman.

Perhaps you intuitively understand mahu. Perhaps you’ve seen it at the opera. Kumu Hina is all about opera Hawai’ian style, the traditional hula and chant reenacting the myths and history of the Hawai’ian people.

The film’s backbone is Hina’s labor of love imparting these ancient performing arts to kids and teens.

There’s something tragic about Hina. There’s a gravitas you don’t get

in Glee. She doesn’t teach show tunes or pop songs; her students dance and chant earth-rattling tributes to the volcano goddess Pele. They find their inner volcanoes by embodying rigorous traditional forms.

May the souls of the missionaries who suppressed the Hawai’ian religion burn forever in Hell. And that goes double for Dole. And throw in the British royal line.

Ho’onani, a tomboy in the sixth grade, is teacher’s pet. She not only gets to dance with the boys, she leads the chorus and is praised for her ku, or “male energy.” She looks a bit smug. I’m not sure all this indulgent praise isn’t going to her head, but she might need the experience of Hina’s unconditional love to call on in the years ahead. People can be so cruel to the ones in the middle. This sad truth is the film’s dark heart.

“It sucks to be a mahu sometimes,” Hina says during a fight with her new husband outside a parked Budget rental car beneath a beer billboard proclaiming “Enjoy the Moment” beside breeze-blown palm trees. They’re having what’s called a lover’s quarrel; the problem is Hema Kalu, 25, “can be an incredibly

Scene from directors Dean Hamer & Joe Wilson’s Kumu Hina, screening at the Frameline festival on Sun., June 22.

jealous Polynesian man sometimes.”

He doesn’t consider himself gay. He thinks “a normal married woman doesn’t get calls from guys.” Seems like Hina loves a challenge.

“My husband is a full-on bushman,” says Hina after we watch Hema and his pals roughly hog-tie a farm animal. “That’s part of the appeal.”

He’s also much younger, has a lovely falsetto, plays a mean ukulele, drinks kava and beer, and smokes more than is good for him. That’s hard to watch. This is not the Hawai’i of the tourist brochures. These are indigenous working-class people close to

the land, struggling to make it in the city of Honolulu. Hema lands a job as security guard at ’Iolani Palace, but phones Hina for help when he misses the bus to work. That makes Hina a full-time teacher.

And teaching gives her strength.

“In high school, I was teased and tormented for being too girlish,” she says. “I found refuge in being Hawai’ian. Being kanaka maoli [native]. My purpose in this lifetime is to pass on the true meaning of Aloha: Love, Honor, and Respect.

It’s a responsibility I take very seriously.”t

Short & snappy

by David Lamble

H

ighlights from the shorts programs in the first week of Frameline 38 follow.

Secrets & Toys Quentin Lee’s delicious short begins with some fiery bedroom chat about somebody’s mother between two African American women, resulting in perhaps the Festival’s best exchange about the ever-prickly topic of if and when to come out to the parental units.

“Dee, you promised!”

“I can’t.”

“It’s been two years, don’t you think she’s caught on by now?”

“Lesbians don’t exist for her unless they’re inside of independent films that she will probably never see unless they’re up for an Oscar.”

“You’re beautiful and strong. You can do this!”

“Baby, there are some things that are inappropriate to discuss with your mother.”

“I’m through with this shit!

Maybe it’s not your mother that’s uncomfortable with who you are!”

(Part of the Realness and Revelations

<<

Program, Roxie, 6/20) Places I Can Never Go Back To Craig Love strikes a rich chord in this wistful short narrated by a man remembering the geographical hot-spots from an affair that ended badly. The visuals are a highly personal slide-show accompanied by a still-lovesick guy.

“This is where we met. He was sitting here, and I was sitting here.

This is where I moved so he’d be more likely to notice me. He noticed me!”

Sinking into the seductive melancholy of Love’s 10-minute confessional, I recalled all the places I can never return to, especially a Texas restaurant, “Strictly Taboo.”

Ahogo-Ice Cream Alisa Goddess’ three-minute Russian short turns the memory of a sweet confection into a visual sugar rush.

Priest Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine imbeds us for seven shockingly intimate minutes with a queer Ugandan priest. (Part of The Gem People Program, Roxie, 6/22) Social Networks (Make Me Feel Sh*t Sometimes) Kate Moross captures the social-networking

Frameline

Scene from Quentin Lee’s short film Secrets & Toys.

blues with this snappy three-minute update of the old following-thebouncing-ball sing-along. “I’m just having a quiet drink feeling a little bit crap, then a cameraphone is in my face, I hate that fucking app!”

(On both The Gem People Program, Roxie, 6/22, and Get Animated, Roxie, 6/21)t

Frameline 38

From page 17

Five Dances (US) One of Frameline’s favorite directors, Alan Brown (Private Romeo, The Book of Love), returns with a low-key romance set in Manhattan’s moderndance subculture. Star Broadway dancer Ryan Steele is enchanting as a shy, aspiring boy dancer about to emerge from the closet. Chip, still freeing himself from the Kansasbound apron strings of an emotionally needy mom, finds himself sleeping on the couch of one of the company’s star female dancers while weighing whether to pursue one of its cutest aspiring male stars. Like the recently released, San Franciscosituated Test, Five Dances is sublimely on-point about both modern dance and love. (Victoria, 6/20) Helicopter Mom (US, Showcase) Director Salome Breziner has playful fun with the exploits of an over-thetop mom who’s trying desperately to decide the romantic fate of her son, who’s not yet decided if he’s gay. Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) is loud and proud of her auburn-haired sonny-boy Lloyd

Frameline

Scene from director Salome Breziner’s Helicopter Mom.

(Jason Dolley), who is often just plain embarrassed with mom. The flip-flop of roles, with son becoming the exasperated parent while searching for the right prom date, kicks off when Maggie and Lloyd find themselves fleeing a pissed-off Venice Beach motorcycle gang, climaxing when Maggie’s pick for Lloyd’s very gay prom date makes a disconcerting appearance. (Castro, 6/21)

Lilting (UK, World Centerpiece) Director Hong Khaou creates an unusual emotional triangle among a grieving Chinese mom, her dead gay son and her son’s determined lover.

Heartbroken and culturally adrift in middle-class England, Junn (PeiPei Cheng) resists the entreaties of Richard (the emotionally riveting Ben Whishaw) to help her overcome See page 26 >>

<< Film

26 • BAY AREA REPORTER • June 19-25, 2014

<<

Steven Underhill

PHOTOGRAPHY

415 370 7152

Frameline 38

From page 25

the accidental death of son Kai. Director Hong skillfully employs both flashbacks and the hazards of translation to convey universal truths about grief and one’s ability to move on by accepting help from a most unlikely source. (Castro, 6/25) Open Up to Me (Finland, World Showcase) Director Simo Halinen demonstrates just how profoundly the transitioning from male to female can shake up the worlds of virtually everyone around the person undergoing the change. Maarit (Leea Klemola) stumbles into an odd if illicit opportunity when the psychiatrist whose office she cleans decamps for a summer holiday.

Temporarily assuming the professional woman’s identity gives the MTF Maarit the chance to meet a handsome male soccer coach. From shrink to lover, Maarit’s ploy threatens to become more than merely home-wrecking in a story played against a heartbreaking Northern lights landscape. (Castro, 6/25) Winter Journey (Russia) I’m not sure if contemporary Russian filmmakers are among the world’s elite these days, but seldom do they turn out anything the least bit humdrum or conventional. Co-directors Sergei Taramaev and Luba Lvova have their boys, so bad for each other that it hurts, first become aware of each other on a simple city bus. Eric is a classically trained singer/pianist preparing for a big make-or-break audition. Lyokha is a loud, harddrinking pain-in-the-ass whom we first spy being booted off the bus.

These characters don’t so much meet as drift into each other’s lanes at high speed. They’re an accident in the works, but you can’t turn away. To top it off, there’s the music, the snow, and free-flowing vodka.

Or, as one of Eric’s older mentors puts it, “Remember: sleep, walks, Schubert!” (Victoria, 6/23) You and the Night (France) Director Yann Gonzalez’s hopelessly romantic concoction has all the food groups for a French-film treat: acclaim from Cannes to the pages

of Cahiers du Cinema, the screen debut by the son of Alain Delon, and a plot that swims in character archetypes: The Slut, The Stud, The Star and The Teen. Despite elements that could have dragged the proceedings down a pretentious rabbit-hole, this souffle rises, and is quite digestible.

At the heart of things is the lovely Niels Schneider, whom many will remember as the heartbreaker in the Quebec comedy Heartbeats. Here he’s the eye-patch-affecting flame to which a host of lovely moths of both genders are drawn. (Roxie, 6/23) Something Must Break (Sweden) Director Ester Martin Bergsmark showcases Stockholm in the summer as a backdrop for a vertigo-inducing love story between guys who are mostly bad news for each other until the clothes come off. Sebastian (Saga Becker) is an androgynous boy who’s searching for the courage to spring fully into his female side, Ellie.

Andreas (Iggy Malmborg) is smitten

by Ellie, but finds it uncomfortable to acknowledge Sebastian. Together they’re a brutal act combining bingedrinking, shoplifting and hard sex.

Do they have a future? The answers come wrapped in a highly explicit, erotic package. (Castro, 6/24) Bad Hair (Venezuela) Director Mariana Rondon finds much about life in contemporary Caracas that would surely have displeased the late Hugo Chavez. Junior, the story’s hair-obsessed 9-year-old, is desperate to straight his unruly mop in time for a school photo. Junior sees himself as a pop star in the making, while his dour, hard-working mom finds his flamboyance insufferably effeminate, and hates that he flirts with the hunky grocery-boy down the block. Hopping on and off busses, Junior seeks help wherever he can to become the butterfly that befits his destiny. (Roxie, 6/21) Holiday (Ecuador) Director Diego Araujo showcases the budding same-sex desires of a sensitive teen boy who spends a disorienting summer in the gravitational pull of an older working-class lad. The shy Juampi (Juan Manuel Arregui) falls hard for the motorcycle-riding, heavy-metal rock-loving Juano

t

(Diego Andres Paredes), but first he must distance himself from his boorish, bullying male cousins.

Set in 1999, just as Ecuador’s elite are rocked by the collapse of the country’s banking system, Araujo’s film demonstrates how much a boy can mature over the course of one tumultuous summer. (Castro, 6/19, second opening-night feature; 6/23) The Way He Looks (Brazil) This enchanting tale about schoolboys in love commences with two best friends lying lazily by a pool. Leo is bright, handsome and blind from birth; Giovana is Leo’s guide and school seatmate. Things get sticky when a new boy, the radiant, curlyhaired Gabriel, first becomes a classmate and then replaces Giovana as Leo’s best bud. A highlight is an incredibly erotic post-pool shower scene between the boys.

Director Daniel Ribeiro seamlessly charts the baby steps by which new alliances are formed among school chums, and how puberty can drastically up-end old bonds. This may be the first feature to trace with humor and compassion how hard it is to be gay, blind and in love with a boy you’ve never actually seen.

Giovana stifles her anger and protects Leo from an especially mean party prank – where classmates try to fool him into kissing a dog – but it’s hard to stick to a boy who spurns you for another boy. (Castro, 6/23) Around the Block (Australia) Director Sarah Spillane mixes Hamlet with racism and culture shock in an eloquent tale about a young American teacher’s bid to bring Shakespeare to a mixed-race inner-city school in the slums of Sydney. Dino Chalmers (Christina Ricci) is torn between pursuing a lesbian fling and mentoring a bright Aboriginal boy, Liam, whose dad’s in jail and whose brothers are succumbing to gang violence. Spillane neatly inserts the Bard’s wisdom into a modern drama about Australia’s volatile ethnic mix. Watch for a lovely cameo from Australian film legend Jack Thompson. (Castro, 6/24)t Info: frameline.org.

WEDDINGS, HEADSHOTS, PORTRAITS

stevenunderhill.com · stevenunderhillphotos@gmail.com

July 11 & 12

(Tribute To Mathew Shepard) & Midsummer Night’s Dream “Puck’s Story”

Marine’s Memorial Theater

Frameline

Scene from director Mariana Rondon’s Bad Hair.

Season VIP tickets for TWO

(includes Orchestra Seating and Pre-Reception Passes): $250 - Deadline July 1, 2014.

Order by phone: 415-368-3MDC TODAY!

July 11 & 12

(Tribute To Mathew Shepard) & Midsummer Night’s Dream “Puck’s Story”

Marine’s Memorial Theater

Season VIP tickets for TWO (includes Orchestra Seating and Pre-Reception Passes): $250 - Deadline July 1, 2014.

Order by phone: 415-368-3MDC TODAY!

Frameline

Scene from director Diego Araujo’s Holiday.

t

Music>>

June 19-25, 2014 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 27

Broadway babies

by David-Elijah Nahmod

T

he music of the night will fill the halls of the Nourse Theater on June 25, 26 and 27. You’ll be able to enjoy the sound of music when the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, led

by Dr. Tim Seelig, offers a singular sensation of classic songs from the Gay White Way. Dazzle: Broadway Our Way will find the Chorus’ 250 members joined on stage by Tony Award-winning Broadway diva Laura Benanti for a thrilling evening of classic numbers old and new.

It’s a glorious return for Benanti, who sang soprano in the Chorus’ production of the recently composed I Am Harvey Milk. That

choral/theater piece tells the story of Milk’s life through song. It stands as an emotionally riveting tribute to our city’s greatest gay hero. On June 5, the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus was named the winner in the Soundtrack/Cast Recording category at the 13th Independent Music Awards for its CD of I Am Harvey Milk.

“Benanti wandered through the plotline of I Am Harvey Milk,” Seelig recalled. “Sometimes as Harvey’s mom, or as an observer, among other roles. When she came to do Harvey, she had a prescribed role, and so didn’t get to do Broadway. I told her she had to come back, and she said OK.”

Benanti is an acclaimed performer. Besides her work on Broadway, she’s been seen nationally on Showtime’s Nurse Jackie and as the Baroness in NBC’s recent production of The Sound of Music. Seelig says that besides her impressive pipes, Benanti is a brilliant comic.

“Her banter with the audience is hysterical,” he said. “She gets to do what she wants to do. When she sings with us, we know what she’s going to sing. We don’t know what she’s going to say, so the audience will see another side of Laura they didn’t see last year.”

What will Benanti and the boys sing?

“When you have 300 gay men in

Courtesy SFGMC

San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus will do Broadway their way.

<<

Lesbian films

From page 17

At Frameline’s well-buffeted press conference a month ago, erstwhile Frameline co-director Jenni Olsen asked her favorite question, “How many films will be shown on film [rather than DVD]?” The answer was and is, Two. Easy to guess they are the two Sapphic classics, comedy Go Fish (1994) and tragedy Boys Don’t Cry (1999), dredged from the vaults to shame the current dearth at 11 a.m. matinees, June 25 & 26 respectively. I hope your boss understands.

Later on Thurs., June 26, at 3:30 p.m., a major accumulation of tribadistic talent will debate the ins-and-outs of feature filmmaking, moderated by director of Frameline programming Desiree Buford, who looks good in a tie. Admission is free to see her pry insights out of director/producer Rose Troche, writer/ actress Guinevere Turner, writer/director Kimberly Peirce, and writer/

director Desiree Akhavan about the age-old conundrums, which I paraphrase: Why don’t women who make short films go on to make features?

Are the challenges systemic, institutional? Who has the funding capital and power to green-light projects?

Which decision-makers drive film sales, acquisitions, distribution, and VOD? How do narrative and documentary challenges differ?

Talk about disturbing trends in Hollywood film and television in terms of the lack of opportunities for women filmmakers. Talk about Goddesszilla.

Just for the record, 22 women directed features in this year’s fest, against 53 men, and three transsomething. Shorts must be easier: 74 women vs. 80 men, still only four trans. And yet, there’s plenty to look at for sisters still desperately seeking images of yourselves onscreen. All films at the Castro Theatre, unless otherwise noted.

Appropriate Behavior, an

82-minute feature completed with a Frameline grant, dramatizes its Iranian-American bisexual director Desiree Akhavan’s coming-of-sexual-maturity, Fri., June 27, at 7 p.m.

Kumu Hina, a 77-minute documentary by Dean Hamer and Joe Wilson, also a Frameline grantee, paints a bittersweet portrait of what we might call an MTF, based on her monthly estrogen shots.

Hinaleimoana herself, however, identifies as a mahu, or traditional Hawai’ian hermaphrodite. Her minime is a chubby-cheeked tomboy she’s teaching to dance hula. Butches will relate, Sun., June 22, at 3:30 p.m.

Out in the Night, a 75-minute doc, another Frameline recipient, follows the fortunes of seven African-American lesbians branded a “Gang of Killer Lesbians” by the tabloids. Many of us have dreamt of such things! But of course, having to deal with cops and courts is never the fun you hope. Director Blair Doroshwalther sets the record queer on The New Jersey 4, Sat., June 28,

your chorus and you say that you’re doing a Broadway revue, the experts come out,” Seelig said. “We’ll be doing pieces or excerpts from 25 musicals. Classics like The Sound of Music and West Side Story, along with contemporary shows like Kinky Boots and The Book of Mormon.

We’re trying to put together a really good balance of songs. People will have expectations, so we hope no one will be disappointed. We’re going to have so much fun.”

Of course as with any Chorus show, there will be more going on than just signing. “There will be a

lot of dazzling costumes,” Seelig promises.

Many Chorus performances are benefits for a variety of causes, including, at times, the Chorus itself.

The Chorus will reap the rewards of Dazzle. “Somebody has to pay for those fabulous costumes!” said Seeling.t Dazzle: Broadway Our Way, San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus and Laura Benanti, Wed., Thur. & Fri., June 25, 26, 27, at 8 p.m., Nourse Theater, 275 Hayes St., SF. Ticket info: sfgmc.org or (415) 392-4400.

Star of stage and screen Laura Benanti will join the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus.

at 1:30 p.m.

The Foxy Merkins, an 82-minute comedy by my playwright pal Madeleine Olnek, promising the festival’s slyest laughs, comes to Frameline via Sundance. Not bad, Madeleine! I don’t think you’ll regret staying up late on Sun., June 22, 9:15 p.m.

Around the Block, a nice juicy 104-minute feature, stars Christina Ricci for some Hollywood tingle, as a teacher working in inner-city Sydney.

This might not actually be lesbionic content, but you still might be a contented lesbian watching a severely styled Ricci among the Aboriginees, Tues., June 24, 9:30 p.m.

Monika Treut is a Teutonic goddess still to be reckoned with, returning with Von Mädchen un Pferden (Of Girls and Horses), although I’d personally prefer Mädchen on Horseback, Fri., June 27, 9:15 p.m., at the Roxie.

In Regarding Susan Sontag, the intellectual darling is analyzed for 100 minutes by director Nancy Kates, Wed., June 25, at 7 p.m., at the Victoria.

Violette, be still my heart. My favorite not-classically-beautiful French actress, Emmanuelle Devos, known for her gutsy, quirky charisma, plays France’s most celebrated self-loathing lesbian. Violette Leduc was a writer who cleverly infiltrated the inner circle of Simone de Beauvoir, but alas, fell madly in love with the legendary same-sex tease. Violette is best known for her autobiography La Bâtarde (The Bastard), which you might find yourself reading if you go see this, Mon., June 23, at 9:15 p.m.

Violette Leduc: In Pursuit of Love, a 57-minute documentary by Esther Hoffenberg, provides intellectual and cultural context for the psychosexual flame-throwing of Martin Provost’s Violette. Where Americans see “mental illness,” Europeans often recognize genius.

Even the French have trouble with lesbians, though, and Violette, to her glory, was pretty impossible.

In a good way. Is it madness, or is it lesbianism? See for yourself at another one of those damnable 11 a.m. matinees, Tues., June 24.t

Frameline Frameline

Hinaleimoana Wong Kalu (right) in Dean Hamer and Joe Wilson’s documentary Kumu Hina.

Emmanuelle Devos plays Violette Leduc in director Martin Provost’s Violette.

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PERSONALS Vol. 44 • No. 25 • June 19-25, 2014

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Just. Be. V.

Justin Vivian Bond’s new show and solution to censorship

by Joshua Klipp

A

fter sold-out performances in New York and Paris, Justin Vivian Bond’s Love is Crazy comes to Feinstein’s at the Nikko June 21 and 22. With the Emmy Award winning composer Lance Horne on piano (Horne is also the show’s musical director), the show features original songs from Mx Bond’s albums, along with songs associated with v’s stage and film appearances, including John Cameron Mitchell’s Shortbus and the off-Broadway hit Bertolt Brecht’s A Man’s A Man. See page 3 >>

Justin Vivian Bond onstage.

Tim Hailand

The dance floor of a Masterbeat New Year’s Eve party in Los Angeles .

by Jim Provenzano

rty offends a vocal few pa t ui rc ci ed em th ilja s y’ Armor

Dancers at a Casinothemed WE Party.

A

Pride weekend event held at the Armory has some people upset over the “inappropriate theme” of a jail-themed circuit party; but despite complaints, the event’s almost sold out.

Producers of Prison of Love expect nearly 3,000 people to attend. The event is co-produced by WE Party, Kink. com, Club Universe, Masterbeat and Fresh SF. But a small group of opponents has asked for a boycott of the event and San Francisco’s LGBT Pride, even though it’s not an official Pride event.

A local version of the Los Angeles-based Masterbeat and the European WE Party events, the website’s promotional text on www.prideatthearmory.com asks participants that “whether you’re Sub, Dom, a wearer of leather, or simply curious, come celebrate and demystify alternative sexualities with Kink at an evening of BDSM-inspired entertainment that will be sure to thrill all.”

Featuring several DJs, multiple dancers (men, women and transgender performers at previous We Party events), along with gargantuan projection screens and lounge areas, the event will also include bondage and discipline demonstrations in the Victorian-themed Upper Room, as well as tours for VIP ticket holders.

See page 2 >>

Courtesy Masterbeat

Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

2 • BAY AREA REPORTER • June 19-25, 2014

<<

Pride & Prisons

From page 1

For months, the event’s information was available. But the debate about the prison theme started in late May on Jezebel.com by LGBTidentified editor Kat Kallahan, via the blog ROYGBIV. Kallahan called the party’s theme, “…well, like a really, really bad idea. Insensitive you might even say. Perhaps my favorite word of all: problematic.”

Kallahan added, “It seems to me that the organization has an obligation not to make light of the LGBT+ community’s issues with incarceration (and all of its attendant issues, such as prison rape).”

But does it? Which sexual fantasies are allowed and not allowed?

How responsible is a circuit party whose other themes have included gambling and the Apocalypse for informing their patrons about social issues?

One fan of the We Party events, Kamil Brodt, wrote in response, “Yes, the promoters have taken to some innuendo with “prison,” but it’s a fantasy theme - and it’s about love and fun. It’s a Dance party with DJs and shows. In no way does anyone with a half a brain see this is remotely close to demeaning to

EDITOR Jim Provenzano DESIGNERS Jay Cribas, Max Leger ADVERTISING SALES Scott Wazlowski 415-359-2612 CONTRIBUTORS Ray Aguilera, Race Bannon, Matt Baume, Heather Cassell, Coy Ellison, Michael Flanagan, Dr. Jack Fritscher, Peter Hernandez, John F. Karr, T. Scott King, Sal Meza, David Elijah-Nahmod, Adam Sandel, Donna Sachet, Jim Stewart, Ronn Vigh, Cornelius Washington PHOTOGRAPHY Biron, Wayne Bund, Marques Daniels, Don Eckert, Lydia Gonzales, Rick Gerharter, Jose Guzman-Colon, Georg Lester, Dan Lloyd, Jim Provenzano, Rich Stadtmiller, Monty Suwannukul, Steven Underhill BARtab is published by BAR Media, Inc. PUBLISHER/PRESIDENT Michael M. Yamashita CHAIRMAN Thomas E. Horn VP AND CFO Patrick G. Brown SECRETARY Todd A. Vogt BAR Media, Inc. 225 Bush Street, Suite 1700 San Francisco, CA 94104 (415) 861-5019 www.BARtabSF.com NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE Rivendell Media 212.242.6863 LEGAL COUNSEL Paul H. Melbostad Member National Gay Newspaper Guild Copyright © 2014, Bay Area Reporter, a division of BAR Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

LGBT people, or people who are incarcerated. WE Party does themes called Casino, Airlines, Cosmetics, and they aren’t getting silly blog posts from gambling addicts, airline crashes, PETA or people against cosmetic testing on animals, which is a close analogy to the big deal you’re trying to make about this party. You’re not going to get an almost sold-out party to change its fun-spirited theme.”

Opponents of the event seem to be small in numbers. The boycott organized by unnamed Tumblr members, has eleven followers on www.boycottsfpride.tumblr.com On it, posts call for the event’s organizers to address a number of statistics on incarceration and prison rape.

Using the hashtag #NotProud, a smattering of Twitter posts aimed at the party’s sponsors, and SF Pride, Inc., count the ways in which their “thoughtless prison theme” is problematic.

Gay Shame has jumped onto the bandwagon after an absence. That group of dissenters is known mostly for charging into the Pride parade to attack then-Mayor Gavin Newsom.

But why now, when many aspects of gay erotica and bar culture have a decades-long association with fetishizing incarceration? Perhaps it’s because the event is so big, and the symbolic nature of the Armory itself represents a large easy target.

Or perhaps the timing is bad, what with the U.S. currently having a vastly higher jailed population than dozens of other countries combined. But practitioners of bondage and SM events and videos who are producing the party say it’s a problem of not understanding the ways of their sexuality.

Despite the fact that the event has no official connection to Pride organizers or its board, opponents are aiming complainers that way.

They’re also taking issue with event producers. Ten-year Entertainment Commission member Audrey Joseph, a co-producer of the event, replied online that it was “too bad you can’t see the value in being a prisoner of love.” The few negative replies on her Twitter feed are the same few people also posting on the protest tumblr blog.

There, opponents note that a representative of Kink.com, which is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Armory building, tweeted under the event handle, @pridethearmory, that “I guess no one has ever been to Folsom, Black Party or Southern Decadence - too busy being politically correct.”

And a representative posting on Twitter as @PrideSF wrote, “The good news is that sexual diversity doesn’t need to be understood to be celebrated.”

The most replies critiquing the event are from a Jacki Shine, whose link to the boycott plans have received scant attention. But the bullet points are worth noting: “It’s well-known that mass incarceration disproportionately affects low-income people, people of color, and LGBT people. It’s well-known that for many decades, LGBT people have been and still are criminalized on the basis of their sexual and gender identities,” wrote Shine. “This is a real issue in our community.”

Shine’s list includes these points: LGBT teens comprise as much as 15% of the general population in juvenile justice facilities; among girls alone, 27% are lesbian or bisexual.

LGBT young people and adults face harsher penalties from the justice system. LGB people face higher rates of abuse and assault in prison The two two leading risk factors for prisoner rape are previous sexual abuse and being LGBT. Incarcerated homosexual and bisexual men are sexually assaulted at rates ten times higher than their heterosexual counterparts.

The federal definition of “rape”

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Courtesy Masterbeat

WE Party dancers at a recent event in New York City.

didn’t even include men or nonvaginal penetration until 2010.

Men assaulted in prison were not considered rape victims by the U.S. Department of Justice until 2010.

Incarcerated trans women in men’s prisons report rates of sexual assault nearly thirteen times greater than among groups of other people.

Addressing Complaints In response, Kink.com founder and CEO Peter Ackworth’s public letter, posted on the event’s Facebook page, addressed the complaints.

Ackworth wrote, “I feel empathy for those who are offended. I have enormous respect for the battles that are being fought against incarceration,” and as “someone who has long-since been deeply troubled by the minimum-sentencing rules and the war on drugs that were started under the Reagan Administration.”

Ackworth mentioned the diversity of his staff, and defended the event as a celebration. “I believe that if a group wants to organize a particular kind of party, they should be free to do so without shame,” he wrote.

“It was certainly never intended to ‘trivialize incarceration’ nor ‘normalize oppression,’ and I do not believe that a fantasy party could ever trivialize or normalize events in the larger world. I ask you to also consider the fact that sexual fantasy and BDSM have long been a tool used by those who have experienced real life trauma and oppression –including many members of the LGBTQ community– to reclaim the imagery and language of their experiences and alter the actual meanings of those words and images.”

Ackworth explained the extensive preparations for the type of BDSM sexuality depicted in the thousands of gay, straight, bisexual and transgender scenes taped under the more than 30 subgenres at Kink.com.

On the specific police and prison content, he wrote, “Though players may wear a uniform or use language that is traditionally representative of cultural authority, they do so with the understanding that this play queers that representation and alters its meaning. The wearing of uniforms and the use of the tools of authority as sexual props has long been a means through which some members of the queer community have protested and reclaimed the symbols of oppression. I ask you to consider the idea that the use of the prison industrial complex as a party theme does not trivialize the experiences of the oppressed, but trivializes the assumed authority of the oppressor.”

But Ackworth also wrote that he understands the complaints, saying that, “Pride is both a celebration of LGBTQ identities and historically a time when serious issues that affect queer communities are highlighted.

Had I thought that a prison fantasy party would detract from the very serious issue of the prison industrial complex in this country, I would have insisted on another theme.”

Courtesy Masterbeat

Crowd-pleasing gogo guys AND gals at a Masterbeat event in LA.

As a one-third investor in the event, Ackworth finished by offering to make some promotional phrasing changes where possible, although by now most of the planning is complete.

But that’s not enough for Anthony Julius Williams, a San Francisco queer performance artist who creates shows about social justice and sustainable communities.

Williams mentors young Black men in an educational program, which, he wrote, “is designed to ensure they wind up in college, not prison.”

“Few people who have ever experienced prison rape fantasize about it, and those who do generally need treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder,” said Williams. “The political tone-deafness of this party confirms stereotypes of white gay men as mindless sex addicts. A lot of people don’t think there’s anything hot about the facts that our country imprisons more of its own citizens than any other country in the world, that 70 percent of those prisoners are people of color, and that some 65,000 men get raped in prisons every year.”

Williams said that he doesn’t know “which scenario is more upsetting: that the promoters are cravenly exploiting the controversy for personal profit, or that they are so politically clueless that they didn’t think it would be controversial.”

He alleged that the event promoters aren’t doing any political education about the realities of mass incarceration and aren’t donating any of the profits to groups who do political education on the prison industrial complex, such as Critical Resistance and the TGI Justice Project.

“First, rich white people push us out of our neighborhoods, then they arrest us for the resulting homelessness, mental illness, drug abuse and violence, and then they jack off to it at a sex party,” wrote Williams.

“Welcome to white supremacy, San Francisco-style!”

But why is this event in particular being singled out? Jezebel writer Callahan’s argument against the event is somewhat inconsistent, given the blogger’s enthusiasm for Games of Thrones, a violent HBO series based on the bestselling books, where beheadings, murder,

gruesome torture, and incest are among the storylines. Thousands attended a recent Thrones-themed party, which included real armored battle participants. And yet no one protested that benefit’s violent themes.

Callahan also raves for the new season of the Netflix series Orange is the New Black. The web company’s CEO is a right-wing conservative, and the series brings a darkly comedic yet fictional aspect to life in women’s prisons. If the comparison seems off, consider the perspective of the events co-sponsor, Kink.com, where uniforms and bondage in and around jail cells can be reconsidered as sexual theatre.

Inside Kink To explore the issue more, I visited the Armory last week to talk with a few organizers, including Facilities Manager Andrew Harvill, and performer-director Sebastian Keys, who shared their perspectives.

Harvill said that the event originated with producer Audrey Joseph and Janine Shiota of Fresh SF. Then Kink and Masterbeat joined the party.

Of the Masterbeat events, Harvill said, “They have fully developed theatre shows, and tour around the world, so when we bought the license, we got the WE party theme, which is an entire show.”

Masterbeat and WE parties have been held since 1996 at Universal studios, Disney’s Epcot ShowPlace, Madrid, London, Paris, Bogota, Moscow, and many other cities. The company’s 2012 Los Angeles New Year’s night took on an Apocalypse theme. The company also has a record label and DJ management, but mostly focuses on its lavish parties.

“They’re known for very inclusive events, different from traditional gay men’s events,” said Harvill.

“There are lots of women and trans people, a diverse crowd, and lots of bling.”

Muscled gogo dancers and vast TV screens for multiple projections round off the main floor entertainment. Equipment’s been rented locally, and such large events, while not anything of this kind, have been held in the building since its See page 8 >>

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June 19-25, 2014 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 3

Justin Vivian Bond

smart people around the country, I came out as trans to my family and I made my performance debut in NYC at PS 122 all because of that show and now I sit on the board of PS 122! Kate Bornstein gave me life.

From page 1

We recently caught up via email with the busy Bond and asked about all things V, including v’s wade into the boiling “t-word” controversy.

Is there a distinction between V the artist and V the person?

Your readers don’t need to know those distinctions; only my close friends and family do.

Joshua Klipp: Justin, what brought you to San Francisco in 1987, and why did you leave?

Justin Vivian Bond: I moved to San Francisco because my girlfriend Nancy said that I should. She said, “Honey, New York is the father and San Fran is the mother and you need some motherin’, so get out here ASAP!” And I took her advice and never regretted it. I left San Francisco because I had dreams of being a star on Broadway and I knew if I wanted that to happen I would have to leave. I did and it did.

How did you evolve as an artist in San Francisco, and how have you evolved since?

I found my voice in San Francisco and I made a commitment to keep the importance of the political beliefs I developed while living here front and center in my work because in those days the voices of LGBTQ (those were the letters in those days) artists were being silenced and censored by the media and the government. Ironically, we’re now being asked to censor ourselves from within.

Justin Vivian Bond’s CD Dendrophile

What, if any, are your artistic limitations?

I limit my engagements to those for which I am paid.

What do you consider the greatest feedback you’ve ever received on your work?

The rave review in The New York Times on opening night of Kiki and Herb: Alive on Broadway wasn’t bad.

Do you ever get tired of having to explain your identity?

Ha! I would if my identity was as stagnant as the questions about it are.

How do you answer those questions?

Keep is sassy!

“Cake Face,” but I have no problem with “tranny.”

People that identify as male or female should not be called tranny because it’s an inaccurate word for them. I would never call a person tranny if they wish to operate and live within the gender binary system, and I don’t think anyone else should.

But the rest of us aren’t going to just disappear so that they can feel more comfortable. Censoring words is a conservative, fear-based, victimizing approach to problem solving and I don’t operate in that arena.

If you could fashion the resolution to this controversy in three sentences or less, what would it be?

Just. Be. Nice.t Justin Vivian Bond performs ‘Love is Crazy,’ Sat. June 21 and Sun. June 22, 7pm, Feinstein’s at Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason Street. www. hotelnikkosf.com/feinsteins.aspx Joshua Klipp is a writer and sings with his jazz band, The Klipptones.

What would you do if you weren’t an artist?

I’d be a statistic.

David Kimmelman

Justin Vivian Bond.

Personally, I’m a lot less angry and sad than I used to be because everyone I know isn’t dropping dead around me. As I get older that will probably come back though.

How is performing in San Francisco different from performing in other parts of the country?

Even more than in New York, I feel like I have a really intimate relationship with my San Francisco audience, because they shaped who I am during the most intense years of my young life as an artist.

How would you describe your new show, Love is Crazy?

Love is Crazy is a show about desire, passion, romance and the insanity that goes along with those things - some of my favorite topics.

Of all the art you’ve created – what impacted you the most and why? What impacted your audience(s) the most and why?

The show that had the most impact on me personally was Kate Bornstein’s Hidden: A Gender which premiered at Theater Rhinoceros in 1989. That show changed my life because it’s when I really became comfortable with my trans identity for the first time. I got to discuss really important issues with super-

How do you see “tranny” as different from or similar to other terms that have been used negatively toward historically persecuted minorities?

I came of age during the Queer Nation years of “queers bash back,” where we were throwing down the gauntlet and refusing to be seen as victims. In my opinion, no words used to accurately describe the people I love can be seen as negative. I don’t identify as male or female, therefore “tranny” is a word that can accurately be applied to me.

Is it the first word I would Justin Vivian Bond’s Lambda Literary choose for myself? No, I Award-winning memoir, Tango. might choose “Beauty” or

Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

4 • BAY AREA REPORTER • June 19-25, 2014

Homages and Pride Plans

by Donna Sachet

T

he Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation, about which you’ve often read in this column, announced its upcoming 20th season at a recent reception at Nespresso Boutique, 90 Grant Avenue, a virtual shrine to coffee. Sipping and chatting were Beth Schnitzer, Skye Paterson, Dan Joraanstad & Bob Hermann, John Leitner, Doug Waggener, Matthew Greathouse, Patrik Gallineaux, and Jennifer Sha Chan.

Representatives of each of this fall’s Help is on the Way’s beneficiaries gave brief remarks, including Brett Andrews of Positive Resource Center, Cesar Zepada of Abzyme Research Foundation, Bill Hirsh of AIDS Legal Referral Panel, and Eduardo Morales of AGUILAS. Joe Seiler & Ken Henderson have provided many extraordinary evenings of entertainment for nearly two decades, always raising money for local organizations to continue the fight against AIDS. On Sunday, Aug. 24, at the Palace of Fine Arts, many of the stars from earlier shows will be returning with a few new names as well, including Lucie Arnaz, Jason Brock, Carole Cook, Richard Chamberlain, David Engel, David Friedman, Florence Henderson, Laurence Luckinbill, Maureen McGovern, Alex Newell, Jeffrey Scott Parsons, Valarie Pettiford, Jake Simpson, Lisa Vroman, and Paula West. In addition, REAF announced that it will present an award named after their founders, Barbara Richmond and Peggy Ermet. We are amazed

and humbled to be that recipient.

Monday night’s Homage to La Cage spread music, laughter, and quite a few pink feathers throughout the Castro! Producer David Lassman (aka Chablis) successfully merged San Francisco society, like Honorary Chair Wilkes Bashford, Debra Strobin, and George Lucas, with creative forces in the LGBT Community, like Ben & Terry Penn, James Holloway & Greg Bjornstad, Jay Harcourt, and Ryan Mattson, and leadership of the Imperial Court, like John Weber, Patty McGroin, and Cockatielia, to create this extraordinary tribute to the music of Jerry Herman (who sent a personal message).

The night started with a pink carpet outside the Castro Theatre, where we interviewed guests as they arrived, including Keith & Gladys Bumps, Goldblatt, Russell Kassman, Joe Fairchild, Ken Henderson, Michael Pagan, Gary Virginia, Lu Conrad, Bradley Roberts, and Marlena. Inside, the lobby featured a display from Camp Sunburst, one of the beneficiaries, and the upstairs loge showcased memorabilia from the Imperial Court, the other beneficiary, soon to be the subject of David Lassman’s film documentary, 50 Years of Fabulous! The Story of the Imperial Court of San Francisco.

Pre-show wine from Bjornstad Vineyards and cocktails from Distillery No. 209 flowed freely. The show began with a splashy Jerry Herman production number by members of the court and brief films about the beneficiaries. Then it was

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415 370 7152

WEDDINGS, HEADSHOTS, PORTRAITS

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Steven Underhill

The cast of Homage to La Cage at The Castro Theatre.

time for the stars! With Alex Trybeck at the grand piano, Broadway legend Lee Roy Reams launched into a fastpaced set of Broadway songs and celebrity-laced stories, keeping the audience mesmerized.

Next was Davis Gaines, who has sung the lead role in Phantom of the Opera more than 2000 times, but proved more than worthy of other music as the Castro Theatre reverberated with his powerful voice and emotional delivery. Lee Roy joined Davis on stage for the finale, as did the dancers from the opening number and others, appropriately singing The Best of Times is Now from La Cage aux Folles. Back upstairs, the post-show reception bustled with Potliquors catered desserts, Barefoot Bubbly, and glowing reviews, as we mingled with Leah Garchik, Jan Wahl, Lois Lehrman, Karin Jaffie, Tom Tarn, Denis Franck, Lewis Sykes & Jim Connor, and many more. What a San Francisco night!

Saturday night found us at the 43rd annual Northern California Emmy Awards Gala at the Hilton Hotel to await the results of the nomination of the live television coverage of the Pride Parade. This being our first nomination, we didn’t know what to expect, but it was a fast-paced presentation of nearly 200 Emmys in a huge variety of categories.

We patiently waited with Clear Channel’s Val Klein and David Williams and our television coanchor Michelle Meow through a three-course dinner, wine, and Champagne. Finally, at nearly 11PM came our category, but we were trumped by a sports story about the 49ers.

Disappointed?

Of course.

Steven Underhill

Lee Roy Reams dons a feather boa as he sings in Homage to La Cage.

Disheartened? Never! As they say, it is indeed an honor to be nominated and we appreciate the professional recognition of our work each year.

We’re on again as the Parade begins on Sunday, June 29, until it ends.

For complete details of how to watch, go to www.sfpridelive.com.

The previous event forced us to miss the Imperial Council’s Mr. & Miss Gay Pageant on Saturday night at Hotel Whitcomb. Mr. Gay Rob Huddleston and Miss Gay Jezebel Patel completed their busy year with a Wizard of Oz-themed event; four contestants competed to win this year’s title. Our spies tell us that it was a tough competition with a spirited audience, but when all was said and done, the winners emerged: Mr. Gay San Francisco Tyler and Miss Gay San Francisco Kipper Snacks. They follow in a long line of title-holders, and we wish them a productive and enjoyable year.

And now for your long-awaited Guide to Pride Week, by no means a

complete list, but a variety of activities where we are bound to run into each other!

The San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus sings June 25, 26, & 27 at Nourse Theatre, 275 Hayes, with special guest star Laura Benanti in a Broadway revue called Dazzle.

And Frameline Film Festival runs throughout the week at the Castro, Roxie and other theatres.

Thursday, June 26, Kimpton Hotels and Trevor Project kick off Pride with a party at the Starlight Room of the Sir Francis Drake Hotel, 6PM-midnight.

Friday, June 27, Trans March leaves Dolores Park around 6PM and Academy of Friends’ Hornblower cruise leaves at 6PM sharp from Pier 3.

Saturday morning, June 28, we can always use more volunteers atop Twin Peaks for the Pink Triangle installation and ceremony starting at 7AM. Shortly thereafter, we co-host See page 5 >>

San Francisco’s 18+ Sex Club!

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Steven Underhill

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2051 Market St. at Church St. Info: 415-864-EROS (3767)

Nespresso staffer Erich Brewer (left to right), Donna Sachet, Stoli Guy Nicholas Bettinger and REAF’s Ken Henderson at the Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation’s 20th anniversary season announcement reception at Nespresso Boutique.

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June 19-25, 2014 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 5

Candace Roberts’ Eviction Blues

by David-Elijah Nahmod

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Candace Roberts

write my own music. I’m a singersongwriter-cabaret performer.” She said that she draws on a variety of musical genres in creating her own tunes.

On Wednesday, June 25, Roberts will appear at Gold Dust Lounge to host a launch party for “Not My City Anymore,” her new song and video which addresses the city’s escalating economic crisis. Through music and humor, Roberts illustrates how the city’s skyrocketing rents are forcing the artists, writers and musicians who gave San Francisco its heart to move elsewhere.

Ironically, the Gold Dust Lounge was itself a victim of the City’s escalating eviction crisis. The iconic nightspot, which recreates the rowdy

nights of San Francisco’s legendary Gold Rush and Barbary Coast eras, was evicted from its Powell Street location near Fisherman’s Wharf, a location it occupied since 1933. Like a Phoenix rising from the ashes, the Gold Dust Lounge reopened in February 2013 at 165 Jefferson, still in its iconic Fisherman’s Wharf neighborhood. The new Gold Dust bears a striking resemblance to the old, featuring the same lush red velvet seating, flaming red walls, and bulb-studded marquee, all designed to make patrons feel as though they’ve stopped in to order a whiskey in 1863.

Candace Roberts’ music video for “Not My City Anymore” finds the singer-songwriter dressed like an old-time saloon gal. The video was shot in the new Gold Dust, where

Roberts is surrounded by “Old San Francisco,” a bevy of iconic figures such as drag icon Trauma Flintstone as one of the saloon gals who represent the City’s past. Lesbian comic Marga Gomez is also on hand, hilarious in male drag as a real estate developer.

“She’s not my city anymore,” Roberts sings plaintively. “They tied my hands, forced me to watch, while she became what she is not...”

As the video continues, a handsome techie (John Dilley) and a group of developers push the old-timers out.

Dilley, Roberts says, is an acclaimed independent filmmaker. He is not a techie, she assures us.

Also seen as a bartender in the video is Blackberri, one of the most visible Black queer artists in the country, and a pioneer in gay music.

See Candace Roberts at the Gold Dust Lounge, 165 Jefferson St. Wednesday July 25, 7-8:30pm. www.golddustsf.com www.candaceroberts.com

Serving the Castro since 1981

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the 16th annual Pride Brunch with Gary Virginia at Hotel Whitcomb, 1231 Market, honoring the Grand Marshals of the Pride Parade and benefiting Positive Resource Center.

The rest of Saturday will be spent painting the Castro pink for Pink Saturday, finishing the night dancing at Pride at the Armory and at Beatbox’s third anniversary party with Matt Alber performing and Bebe Sweetbriar and this columnist hosting.

Back at Hotel Whitcomb that same night is the Sundance Saloon Country Western Dance from 7PM until midnight and again on Sun. from 6PM-11PM. Sunday, June 29, SF Pride Parade kicks off at 10:30AM with hundreds of contingents, thousands of spectators, and hundreds of thousands of proud smiles all around. Join the celebration in Civic Center afterwards, including phenomenal entertainment on the Main Stage and 23 community stages and the ticketed VIP Party in City Hall, newly revamped and sure to please.

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From page 4

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A fun local celebrity-filled selfie from the music video shoot for “Not My City Anymore”

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inger-songwriter Candace Roberts has been cat-sitting and couchsurfing, (or is it cat surfing?) for a few years now. Another statistic of San Francisco’ outrageously high rents, Roberts manages to stay in the city she loves by advertising her services on Craigslist as a cat sitter/housesitter.

“We do what we have to do to survive here,” Roberts said matter of factly. “But it’s not a sustainable situation. I can only do it for so long.”

But she wants to stay in the city that’s become her home, and so she moves from place to place, hanging her hat wherever she can so she can continue pursuing her love of music and performing here.

“I lived in a communal house,” Roberts said. “It was difficult to write and make noise as a musician. I was looking to live alone, and looked for a year in 2011. The cheapest place I found was $1500 a month for a studio.”

Though she lives by the seat of her pants, Roberts has managed to avoid actual homelessness, though she’s come close a few times. “I have a great network of friends, family, and I can still go back to my old place in the Mission to rehearse.”

Roberts has a background in children’s theater, and holds a Bachelor Degree in music from UC Santa Cruz. She’s been trained in classical and Latin music, musical theater and jazz.

“I never felt like any one thing fit,” she said. “I knew I wanted to

The video was directed by Danny Plotnick, who runs the UCSF Film and Video Department.

Many who worked on the video with Roberts will appear for the June 25 launch party at Gold Dust Lounge, which will serve as an awareness raising session for the city’s housing and economic issues, in addition to being a fun party.

Roberts and Erin McElroy are now working on a list of things people can do to help save the city. They encourage people to pledge not to move into units with an eviction history and to show up for protests.

Bodies are needed, Roberts said, and protests have managed to halt a few evictions.

Roberts’ video will be screened at the God Dust party, and she’ll perform the song live. “The event is to celebrate the cast and crew of Not My City Anymore, and also to celebrate Art Meets Activism.”

It will no doubt be a fun event, and a chance to get involved.

Roberts can regularly be seen around town performing at a variety of gigs, including at Martuni’s on the fourth Thursday of each month. She won’t be at Martuni’s in June due to the Gold Dust event.

Her next Martuni’s appearance will

by July 24.t

17TH ST

DJs Matt Alber will perform at Beatbox’s third anniversary, Saturday, June 28.

If you can get in, don’t miss Juanita More!’s legendary Pride Party at 620 Jones, Real Bad’s REACH T-Dance at City Nights, 715 Harrison, and Gus Bean’s Sanctuary at 1015 Folsom.

And if you have an ounce of strength left after Pride Week, on Monday, June 30, head over to Club Fugazi, 678 Beach Blanket Babylon Boulevard (Green Street),

where members of the touring cast of Once will offer their musical talents in a benefit for the Richmond/ Ermet AIDS Foundation. Rounding out the night will be additional performers David Burnham, Spencer Day, and local favorite Sharon McNight, currently appearing as Mrs. O’Brien in SF Opera’s summer production of Showboat through July 2.t

Celebs Brittany Jessica Ari Lauren Rose

Fierce, Fearless, Flawless.

We Are The Party

Steven Underhill

Flanked by Empress Misty Blue (left) and Emperor JP Soto (right), the new Mr. Gay SF Tyler Nelson and Miss Gay SF Kipper Snacks hold congratulatory bouquets at the Hotel Whitcomb. For more photos from this event, see Shooting Stars on page 11.

Supperclub • Factory • Mezzanine • Parliament Pre-Sale Tix & Info at www.edeninthebay.com

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6 • BAY AREA REPORTER • June 19-25, 2014

eON THE TAB f June 19–26

★

Gay Comedy with Micia Mosely, Marga Gomez and Sampson McCormick

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e see you shiver with antici…pride! I know what you thought I was going to write; at least I hope you do. If you don’t catch up on your gay camp, get your LGBTQQIetc infomercialism down, and get ready for the upswelling of extra-queer happenings this pre-Pride week.

10,000 Maniacs @ Yoshi's The popular alt/rock band returns. $45$69. 8pm (premier seating/meet & greet available). 1330 Fillmore St. 655-5600.

Also June 20 at Yoshi's Oakland, 510 Embarcadeo West, (510) 238-9200. www.yoshis.com

Christina Bianco @ Feinstein's at the Nikko

Pan Dulce @ The Cafe Amazingly hot Papi gogo guys, cheap drinks and fun DJed dance music. Free before 10pm. $5 til 2am. 2369 Market St. www.clubpapi.com www.cafesf.com

Pearls Over Shanghai @ The Hypnodrome Thrillpeddlers' hilarious Cockettes revival returns, with new choreography, costumes and cast members. $30-$35. Thu-Sat 8pm.

Thru May 31. 575 10th St. (800) 838-3006. www.thrillpeddlers.com

The YouTube sensation vocalist performs Diva Moments, songs performed as famous singers (Streisand, Celine, Judy). $35-$50. 8pm. Also June 20, 8pm. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. (866) 663-1063. www.ticketweb.com

Thursday Night Live @ SF Eagle

Circle Jerk @ Nob Hill Theatre

Tubesteak Connection @ Aunt Charlie's Lounge

Whacking good fun in the downstairs arcade playroom with porn stud Drew Sebastian. $10. 9pm. 729 Bush St. at Powell. 397-6758. www.thenobhilltheatre.com

Comedy Returns @ El Rio The "Obligatory June Gay Comedy Night" features LGBT comics Karinda Dobbins, Bob McIntyre, Bobby Golden, Irene Tu, and host Lisa Geduldig. $7-$20. 8pm. 3158 Mission St. (800) 838-3006. www.elriosf.com

La Femme @ Beaux Ladies' happy hour at the Castro nightclub, with drink specials, no cover, and women gogos. 4pm-9pm. 2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

The weekly live rock shows feature local and touring bands. 9pm-ish. 398 12th St. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com

Retro disco tunes and a fun diverse crowd, each Thursday; now in its tenth year! $4.

10pm-2am. 133 Turk St. at Taylor. www.auntcharlieslounge.com

Underwear Party @ Powerhouse Strip down to your skivvies at the weekly cruisy SoMa bar night. 10pm-2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhouse-sf.com

The Monster Show @ The Edge Cookie Dough's weekly drag show with gogo guys and hilarious fun. June 12: a Queen tribute! $5. 9pm-2am. 4149 18th St. at Collingwood. www.edgesf.com

Nap's Karaoke @ Virgil's Sea Room Sing out loud at the weekly least judgmental karaoke in town, hosted by the former owner of the bar. No cover. 9pm.

3152 Mission St. 829-2233. www.virgilssf.com

Nightlife @ California Academy of Sciences Themed event nights at the fascinating nature museum, with DJed dancing, cocktails, fish, frogs, food and fun. $10$12. 6pm-10pm, 55 Music Concourse Drive, Golden Gate Park. 379-8000. www.calacademy.org

Fedorable @ El Rio

Sat 21

Femmes to the Front @ Gilman, Berkeley

Beach Blanket Babylon @ Club Fugazi

Local and visiting rock and punk women's bands with a queer edge perform: Metal Mother, Moira Scar, Tyler Holmes, Dark Beach, and Ancient Wing. DJs Dick Wolf and Jiggles. $8. All ages. 7:30pm. 924 Gilman St., Berkeley. www.924gilman.org

The musical comedy revue celebrates its 40th year with an ever-changing lineup of political and pop culture icons, all in gigantic wigs. $25-$160. 678 Beach Blanket Babylon Blvd (Green St.). 4214222. www.beachblanketbabylon.com

Friday Night @ de Young Museum

Beatpig @ Powerhouse

Club Rimshot @ Bench and Bar, Oakland

Juanita More!, Walter Gomez and crew's monthly wild night at the cruisy bar. 10pm2am. 1347 Folsom St. powerhouse-sf.com

Weekly hip hop and R&B night. $8-$15.

9pm to 4am. 510 17th St. www.bench-and-bar.com

Nightlife events at the museum take on different themes. $20-$35. 6pm-8:30pm.

50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive. www.deyoung.famsf.org

Gay Comedy Night @ Freight & Salvage, Berkeley Local favorites Marga Gomez, Micia Mosely and Sampson McCormick perform at the East Bay club. $18-$20. 8pm. 2020 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 644-2020. www.thefreight.org

Grit & Glamour @ Asian Art Museum Opening party for Gorgeous, the new exhibit about 2,000 years of unconventional visualizations of beauty (thru Sept 14), at the contemporary and historical museum; interactive runway performances by Internationla Haus of Nu Benetton; DJs Dr. Sleep, Robot Hustle, Natalie Nuxx and davO. $10-$25. 7pm11pm. Reg admission $15. 200 Larkin St. www.asianart.org

Happy Friday @ Midnight Sun The popular video bar ends each week with gogo guys (starting at 9pm) and drink specials. Check out the new expanded front lounge, with a window view. 4067 18th St. 861-4186. www.midnightsunsf.com

Mon 23 Tamar Braxton

PRIDE2014 2014 Whether you listen to the Devil or the Angel on your shoulder this year... stay in touch with the latest latest in Pride event coverage, LGBT news and entertainment!

Hardbox @ Powerhouse Guest DJ Robin Simmons plays at manly night with gogo studs, MMA fight demos, sports gear fetish fun and sweating. 10pm2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhouse-sf.com

Hip Hop, Top 40, and sexy Latin music; gogo dancers, appetizers, and special guest DJs. No cover before 11pm and just $5 after all night. Dancing 9pm-3am.

Happy hour 4pm-8:30pm 2111 Franklin St. (510) 268-9425. www.club21oakland.com

Enjoy eight bars, more dance floors, and a smoking lounge at the largest gay Latin dance night in the Bay Area. Happy hour 4pm-8:30pm. Dancing 9pm-4am. 2111 Franklin St. (510) 268-9425. www.club21oakland.com

Lick It @ Powerhouse Lance Holman's 2nd Friday sexy party goes black light (so don't wear black clothes; only your lint will show up!). $5. 10pm1am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhouse-sf.com

Manimal @ Beaux Gogo-tastic night starts off your weekend.

9pm-2am. 2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

Gym Class @ Hi Tops

Veteran DJ Page Hodel (The Box, Q and many other events) presents a new weekly dance event, with soul, funk, hip-hop and house mixes. $10. 21+. 9pm-2am. 314 11th St. at Folsom. www.BeatboxSF.com

The amazing vocalist and classically trained pianist performs "The Gospel of Dolly," a Dolly Parton tribute concert with a back-up choir; with guest vocalist Klaus. $15-$20. 8pm. 1760 Market St. www.ourladyj.eventbrite.com

Latin Explosion @ Club 21, Oakland

Weekly event, with Latin music, half-off locker fees and Latin men, at the South Bay private men's bath house. $8-$39. Reg hours 24/7. 18+. 1010 The Alameda. (408) 275-1215. www.thewatergarden.com

Jukebox @ Beatbox

The two porn studs do a live sex show. $25. 8pm & 10pm. Also June 21. 729 Bush St. at Powell. 397-6758. www.thenobhilltheatre.com

VIP @ Club 21, Oakland

Fuego @ The Watergarden, San Jose

Enjoy cheap/free whiskey shots from jockstrapped hotties and sexy sports videos at the popular sports bar. 10pm-2am. 2247 Market St. 551-2500. www.HiTopsSF.com

Our Lady J, Veronica Klaus @ Rebel

Free weekly queer dance party, with gogos, prizes, old groovy tunes, cheap cocktails. 9pm-2am. 3158 Mission St. 2823325. www.elriosf.com

Fri 20

Thu 19

Drew Sebastian, Max Cameron @ Nob Hill Theatre

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Some Thing

Fri 20

Kimberly Rose Wendt at Bitchslap

Fri 20 Bad Girl Cocktail Hour @ The Lexington Club Every Friday night, bad girls can get $1 dollar margaritas between 9pm and 10pm. 3464 19th St. between Mission and Valencia. 863-2052. lexingtonclub.com

Mica Sigourney and pals' weekly offbeat drag performance night. May 30, a special Malificent-themed night. 10pm-2am. 399 9th St. www.studsf.com

The Speakeasy @ Private Location Boxcar Theatre's popular Prohibition-era interactive bar, gaming and performance show extends its sold-out run before closing to find a bigger venue. $65-$100.

Wed-Sat admissions times 7:30-9pm.

Thru June 21. Address given after ticket purchase. www.thespeakeasysf.com

Themed Nights @ The Brig

Women's comedy night includes stand-up

by Carrie Avritt, Ash Fisher, Irene Tu, Kimberly Rose Wendt and host Eloisa Bravo. 8pm. 2007 16th St. 626-2626.

If you're looking for a new sexual adventure, check out this new space.

Weekend events take place Fridays through Mondays, and the intimate venue with a jail theme offers slings, tables and various spaces for erotic play. Sat-Mon, above PopSex960 at 962 Folsom St. at 6th St. www.BrigSF.com

Dancing Ghosts @ Cat Club

Trannyshack @ DNA Lounge

Bitchslap @ Il Pirata

Goth dance night plays their 8th annual 4AD tribute, with guest DJ John Fryer (This Mortal Coil) playing Cocteau Twins, Dead Can Dance and more in the lounge. DJs Sage and Panic in the front room (plus ticket giveaways for Peter Murphy's July 1 Regency Ballroom show). $5-$8. 1190 Folsom St. at 8th. www.sfcatclub.com

Latrice Royal guest-stars at the Beyoncé drag tribute night, with hostess Heklina, plus performers Fruitbomb, Chaka Corn, D'Arcy Drollinger, Mahlae Balenciaga and more. $15-$20. Show at 11:30pm. 375 11th St. www.trannyshack.com

Beer Bust @ Hole in the Wall Saloon Beer only $8 until you bust. 4pm-8pm.

1369 Folsom St. 431-4695. www.hitws.com

Bootie SF @ DNA Lounge The weekly mash-up dance night, with resident DJs Adrian & Mysterious D. No matter the theme, a mixed fun good time's assured. $8-$15. 9pm-3am. 21+. 375 11th St. at Harrison. www.BootieSF.com www.DNAlounge.com

La Bota Loca @ Club 21, Oakland DJed tunes, gogo hotties, drag shows, drink specials, all at Oakland's premiere Latin nightclub and weekly cowboy night. $10-$15. Dancing 9pm-4am. 2111 Franklin St. (510) 268-9425. www.club21oakland.com

Chaos @ Beatbox Nick Bertossi and Erik Withakey are the guest DJs at Tristan Jaxx's popular dance party. $10-$20. 10pm-3am. 314 11th St. www.BeatBoxSF.com

Code @ The Edge The monthly leather night in the Castro brings on the macho, with host Erich Lopez and hotty gogo studs. SOMA Guardians check your non-leather clothes. 9pm-2pm.

4149 18th. www.edgesf.com

Dragula @ Eagle Peaches Christ and Heklina cohost the horror-drag show with LA's Boulet Brothers, including a $300 prize drag pageant. 9pm-2am. 398 12th St. www.sf-eagle.com

Kink Salon @ Powerhouse Ms. SF Leather Val Langmuir hosts an erotic open mic show and art exhibition benefit for LeatherWalk 2014 and the St. James Infirmary. DJ Ditchboy, raffle tickets and drink specials. 6pm-9pm. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhouse-sf.com

ShangriLa @ The Endup.

The Kylie Minono Show and Clash of the Divas offer a dragtastic fun at this late night dance party; guest performers include Jezebel Patel, Au Jus, and Pearl Teese. $10-$25. 10pm-3am. 401 6th St. www.theendup.com

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On the Tab>>

Justin Vivian Bond @ Feinstein’s at the Nikko Our favorite former local now-New York sensation and “trans-genre” singer performs music from Mx’s albums Dendrophile and Silver Wells, plus songs from the film Short Bus and a few surprises; with pianist Lance Horne. $35-$50 ($20 food/drink minimum). 8pm.

Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. www.ticketweb.com

Stallion Saturdays @ Beaux The gogo-tastic night returns, with hunky dancers Michael Tempesta, Sticky Ricky and Jimmy Durano; lap dances upstairs in the lounge, hosted by Sister Roma. $4.

Free before 10pm. 9pm-2am. 2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

Summer Dance Party @ One Grove St. Footloose dance nonprofit's benefit show and dance/Pride party, with music by Stephanie Teel Band and Rasa Vitalia. $20-$50. 7pm-11pm. 1 Grove St. (800) 838-3006. www.ftloose.org

June 19-25, 2014 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 7

Beer Bust @ SF Eagle The classic leather bar's most popular Sunday daytime event in town draws the menfolk. 3pm-6pm. Now also on Saturdays! 398 12th St. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com

Fete de Kink @ Harlot Kink.com models and performers will meet and greet, plus show a little rope BDSM demo and participatory fun, at this polysexual gay-straight-whatever cocktail party; music by Ray.VS. $40-$50. Advance tix only. 8pm. 46 Minna St. at 2nd. www.fetedekink.com

Full of Grace @ Beaux Weekly night with hostess Grace Towers, different local and visiting DJs, and pop-up drag performances. No cover. 9pm-2am.

2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

GlamaZone @ The Cafe Pollo del Mar's weekly drag shows takes on different themes with a comic edge.

8:30-11:30pm. 2369 Market St. www.cafesf.com

Sunday's a Drag @ Starlight Room Donna Sachet hosts the weekly fabulous brunch and drag show. $45. 11am, show at noon; 1:30pm, show at 2:30pm. 450 Powell St. in Union Square. 395-8595. www.starlightroomsf.com

Mon 23 Drag Mondays @ The Café Mahlae Balenciaga and DJ Kidd Sysko's weekly drag and dance night. 9pm-1am.

2369 Market St. www.cafesf.com

Fri 20

Fetch @ Powerhouse Cruisy Pride edition of the alt/music night, with DJs John Cartwright and David Sternesky. $5. 10pm-2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhouse-sf.com

Mahogany Mondays @ Midnight Sun Honey Mahogany's weekly drag and musical talent show starts around 10pm, 4067 18th St. 861-4186. www.midnightsunsf.com

Monday Musicals @ The Edge The casts of local and visiting musicals often pop in to perform at the popular Castro bar's musical theatre night. 7pm2am. 2 for 1 cocktail, 5pm-closing. 18th St. at Collingwood. www.edgesf.com

Name That Beat @ Toad Hall BeBe Sweetbriar hosts a weekly musical trivia challenge and drag show. 8:3011:30pm. 4146 18th st. at Castro. www.toadhallbar.com

Femmes to the Front

Wed 25 Candace Roberts @ Gold Dust Lounge The local cabaret singer, who's song and music video "Not My City Anymore," which critiques classism and gentrification, performs live, along with a screening of the video and audience discussion. 7pm.

165 Jefferson St. 397-1695. www.CandaceRoberts.com www.golddustsf.com

Dream Queens Revue @ Aunt Charlie's Lounge Fabulicious drag show features Collette LeGrande, Ruby Slippers, Sophilya Leggz, Bobby Ashton, Sheena Rose, Kipper, and Joie de Vivre. 9:30-11:30pm. 133 Turk St. 441-2922. www.dreamqueensrevue.com

Piano Bar 101 @ Martuni's Sing-along night with talented locals, and charming accompanist Joe Wicht (aka Trauma Flintstone). 9pm. 4 Valencia St. at Market. www.dragatmartunis.com

Tamar Braxton @ Regency Ballroom Grammy-nominated passionate singersongwriter performs a concert of new songs and favorite hits. $27-$30. 8pm.

1300 Van Ness Ave. 673-5716. www.axs.com www.theregencyballroom.com

Tue 24 13 Licks @ Q Bar Weekly women's night at the stylish intimate bar. 9pm-2am. 456 Castro St. www.QbarSF.com

Block Party @ Midnight Sun Weekly screenings of music videos, concert footage, interviews and more, of popular pop stars. 9pm-2am. 4067 18th St. 8614186. www.midnightsunsf.com

Sun 22 Aiden James @ Hotel Utah The talented Philadelphia-based gay singer-songwriter returns for a live concert.

Dawn Thomas opens. $10. 8pm. 500 4th St. at Bryant. www.aidenjamesmusic.com www.hotelutah.com

Jock @ The Lookout The weekly jock-ular fun continues, with special sports team fundraisers. 3pm-7pm.

3600 16th St. www.lookoutsf.com

Thu 26 DJ Chelsea Starr at the Lexington’s Uhaul party

Mad Manhattans @ Starlight Room

The Monster Show @ The Edge

The new weekly event includes classic cocktails created by David Cruz, and inspired by the the show Mad Men, plus retro food classics like prawn cocktails and Oysters Rockefeller, all with a fantastic city view. 6pm-10pm. 21st, Sir Francis Drake Hotel. 450 Powell St. starlightroomsf.com

Cookie Dough's weekly drag show with gogo guys. 9pm-2am. 4149 18th St. at Collingwood. www.edgesf.com

Aiden James

Miss Kitty's Trivia Night @ Wild Side West The weekly fun night at the Bernal Heights bar includes prizes, hosted by Kitty Tapata.

No cover. 7pm-10pm. 424 Cortland St. 6473099. www.wildsidewest.com

Red Hots Burlesque @ El Rio

So You Think You Can Gogo? @ Toad Hall The weekly dancing competition for gogo wannabes. 9pm. cash prizes, $2 well drinks (2 for 1 happy hour til 9pm). Show at 9pm.

4146 18th St. www.toadhallbar.com

Sony Holland @ Level III

Liquid Brunch @ Beaux

Naked Night @ Nob Hill Theatre

The acclaimed jazz vocalist performs with guitarist Jerry Holland. Weekly 5pm-8pm.

Also Thursdays & Fridays. JW Marriott, 515 Mason St. at Post. www.sonyholland.com

No cover, no food, just drinks (Mimosas, Bloody Marys, etc.) and music. 2pm-9pm.

2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

Strip down at the strip joint. $20 includes refreshments. 8pm. 729 Bush St. at Powell.

397-6758. www.thenobhilltheatre.com

Start Out @ Local Edition

Salsa Sundays @ El Rio

Piano Bar @ Beaux

Salsa dancing for LGBT folks and friends, with live merengue and cumbia bands; tapas and donations that support local causes. 2nd & 4th Sundays. 3pm-8pm.

3158 Mission St. 282-3325. www.elriosf.com

Singer extraordinaire Jason Brock hosts the new weekly night, with your talented host and even you singing. 9pm-2am. 2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

The LGBT business networking group hosts a cocktail reception.

6pm-8pm. 691 Market St. www.startout.org

Sundance Saloon @ Space 550 The popular country western LGBT dance night; enjoy fun foot-stomping twostepping and line-dancing. $5. 5pm10:30pm with lessons from 5:30-7:15 pm.

Also Thursdays. 550 Barneveld Ave., and Tuesdays at Beatbox, $6. 6:30-11pm. 314 11th St. www.sundancesaloon.org

Weekly game night for board and electronic gamers at the warehouse multipurpose nightclub. 21+. 6pm-12am. 1425 Folsom St. www.showdownesports.com

Trivia Night @ Hi Tops Play the trivia game at the popular new sports bar. 9pm. 2247 Market St. 551-2500. www.HiTopsSF.com

The largest party series for women brings four days and nights of events. June 26: Kickoff party at Supperclub with DJs Lady Ryan and Fusion, live music by Oh Blimey, aerial acrobats and upscale attire; 657 Harrison St. 10pm-2am. June 27: White Party (white attire) with True Blood actress Jessica Clark, DJs Val G, Lady Ryan, Motive, Lezlee and more, at The Factory, 525 Harrison St. 9pm-3am. June 28, fifth anniversary party with DJed music, champagne toast and more. 9pm-3am at Mezzanine, 444 Jessie St. June 29: Pride party with DJs Lady Ryan, Lezlee and Dirty Rich Kidd, at Parliament, 811 Washington St., Oakland. www.edeninthebay.com

Sun 22

The weekly burlesque show of women dancers shaking their bonbons includes live music. $10. 9pm. 647 Valencia St. 5527788. www.elbo.com

Showdown @ Folsom Foundry

Eden @ Various Venues

Hella Gay Comedy @ Magnet

Women's burlesque show performs each Wed & Fri. Karaoke follows. $5-$10. 7pm.

3158 Mission St. 282-3325. www.elriosf.com

Ronn Vigh hosts the weekly LGBT and gay-friendly comedy night. One-drink or menu item minimum. 9pm. 500 Castro St. at 18th. 431-HARV. www.harveyssf.com

Ladies' happy hour at the Castro nightclub, with drink specials, no cover, and women gogos. 4pm-9pm. 2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

Enjoy cheap/free whiskey shots from jockstrapped hotties and sexy sports videos at the popular new sports bar. 10pm-2am.

2247 Market St. 551-2500. www.HiTopsSF.com

Bombshell Betty & Her Burlesqueteers @ Elbo Room

Funny Tuesdays @ Harvey's

La Femme @ Beaux

Gym Class @ Hi Tops

Pride Mass @ Beaux Enjoy an LGBT-inclusive religious service with Bishop Marc Andrus, then some Gospel drag at the afterparty. 7pm. 2344 MNarket St. www.beauxsf.com

Thu 26

The bawdy queer comedy show's last event includes host Charlie Ballard, Zachary Toczynski, Ash Fisher, Kelly Doyle, Jesus Fuetes, Justin Lucas, Sampson McCormick and Karinda Dobbins. Free. 8pm. 4122 18th St. www.magnetsf.org

Pan Dulce @ The Cafe Enjoy amazingly hot Papi gogo guys, cheap drinks and fun DJed dance music. Free before 10pm. $5 til 2am. 2369 Market St. www.clubpapi.com www.cafesf.com

TBT Pride @ Starlight Room Dot429 and Kimpton Hotels cohost a "Throwback Thursdays" retro-themed benefit for the Trevor Project, with a performance by '60s singer Lynda Kay. $30-$65. 6pm-12am. Sir Francis Drake Hotel, 450 Powell St. www.dot429.com/events

Uhaul Pride @ Lexington Club Pride kick-off party with a real Uhaul van, DJs Chelsea Starr and China G, plus wimmin gogos and cheap drinks; no cover.

9pm-2am. 3464 19th St. between Mission and Valencia. 863-2052. www.lexingtonclub.com

Want your nightlife event listed?

Email events@ebar.com, at least two weeks before your event.

Event photos welcome.

Trivia Night @ Harvey's BeBe Sweetbriar hosts a weekly night of trivia quizzes and fun and prizes; no cover. 8pm-1pm.

500 Castro St. 431-4278. www.harveyssf.com

Way Back @ Midnight Sun Weekly screenings of vintage music videos and retro drink prices. Check out the new expanded front window lounge.

9pm-2am. 4067 18th St. 8614186. www.midnightsunsf.com

Fri 20

Our Lady J

Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

8 • BAY AREA REPORTER • June 19-25, 2014

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Pride & Prisons

From page 2

completion in 1914. The Armory hosted boxing for decades, as well as car and trade shows, and the touring production of the play Black Watch.

Recent LGBT benefits include the County Fair events.

Harvill mentioned the roller derby nights and upcoming live concerts. He said the company hopes to sponsor more sports events like boxing, including the kind where the competitors keep their clothes on.

“We do a lot to keep the neighborhood safe,” said Harvill of the years since the Armory became a successful porn palace. “Just because we do adult films doesn’t mean we don’t care about our community.”

In the promo trailer for Prison of Love, Sebastian Keys dances under a disco ball in a jail cell.

Keys’ Kinks Depending on the visuals, costumes, projections and demonstrations, for sexual athlete Sebastian Keys, it’s all a form of performative erotica.

Keys said he understand the concerns. “Everyone has a sore spot, but we’re treating it like any BDSM practice. Yes, there are whips and chains, and people screaming at the top of their lungs. But it’s all consensual. Even if it’s derived from horrific events in the past, we’re taking our own spin on it, that the power goes to the one that’s receiving it. The submissive partner is really the one in power.”

Keys was clear to separate the reality from his work.

“A lot of people that I have talked to who don’t like the theme are unfamiliar with the BD/SM perspective,” he said. “There is no good that comes out of incarceration. But by doing the party, we’re trying to put a light on that, give that power back.

All the years of being oppressed; we’re taking that back. And what better time to do it than Pride, which grew out of oppression.”

Harvill offered his own perspective on understanding the issues.

Fresh out of college, he worked with a Christian social work ministry in federal prisons with men on Death Row in Georgia. “Other people involved in our productions have been in prison,” he said. “Actually, we do know what it’s like. I was pretty hurt when the protest started.”

So, despite their understanding, was it wrong to give the party a prison theme?

“Politically we’re not far removed from people who are taking issue with the theme,” Harvill said. “We recognize that the criminal justice system has issues and is not entirely fair. But we feel like, ‘We’re your allies. This is not a battle.’ We understand the point of view. But when you put things in a BDSM context, there’s a lot of roleplay here.”

Far from his missionary days, Harvill admitted that he’s “seen some stuff that’s pretty strange to the outside world” since he started working with Kink.com. “But it’s consensual. We hope this will be a party for everybody.”

Although not as extreme as Kink’s

more unusual videos, gay male and female SM erotica goes back decades, from images to films with prison settings, even before Tom of Finland and Betty Page. Gay bars and sex clubs called the Cell Block, The Brig, and other terms have been open (and closed) for decades.

“It’s so entrenched in gay male culture,” said Harvill. “Many of us have been arrested for various reasons. We’re able to make something like this into erotica or a fantasy.”

So, are opponents missing the context, the fictional nature of a created event? Prison of Love’s brief online trailer tries to visualize the dualnatured theme. Albeit a huge event, the trailer features just two men; Sebastian Keys strips out of an orange jumpsuit to lap-dance a stern Van Darkholme (Kink’s veteran directorproducer and Dom performer) as a glitter ball illuminates a prison cell.

Keys noted a specific moment at the end where he and Darkholme ‘break character,’ reminding the viewer that it’s not real.

“It’s something we do all the time with our scenes; show a moment and interview before and after when we’re out of character,” said Keys of the oft-repeated ‘consensual’ clarification. “We do that specifically to say, ‘Don’t take this stuff too seriously.

When playtime is over, it’s over.”

Keys, married to Kink performer Eden Alexander, has appeared in hundreds of scenes in various categories. He’s conducted bondage orgies in warehouses, shops, toilets and even on the street at the Folsom Street Fair. Keys has also been poked and prodded by men, women, transgender performers and a few odd-looking machines. For Keys, at Kink, ‘prison’ is just another scene.

“We do what I call ‘extravagant bondage,’” said Keys of the complicated array of ropes used in Kink’s various bondage categories. “There is corporal stuff, all consensual, and all our models are well aware of what will be administered to them. We have a checklist that every person knows what’s okay and what’s not okay.”

Separating bondage and abuse into a theatrical fiction isn’t the problem with opponents, it would seem. No one has started protests about the porn. It’s a party held on Pride weekend that’s getting the

Courtesy Masterbeat

Courtesy Kink.com

Night cop Connor Maguire (left) bound by Sebastian Keys in a Bound Gods video.

negative attention.

Complaints about the Armory event may seem single-minded when compared with BDSMthemed events at The Eagle and The Powerhouse, along with Folsom Street Fair, Up Your Alley, which regularly include bondage, uniform and other fetishes in their entertainment.

Anthony Julius Williams replied, “This is not about condemning the leather community or fetish sex in general; it’s anyone’s right to eroticize whatever they wish, really; what this is about is raising awareness about the prison industrial complex. There’s something really disturbing about eroticizing it when it is destroying communities of color as we speak. What’s next year’s party theme going to be? The Holocaust?”

Asked why this event and no other are getting such demands, Williams wrote, “Everyone and no one is ‘responsible’ for doing outreach on these issues. But I would like to see the promoters help to educate people about the political realities of mass incarceration rather than merely exploit them for profit. The cavalier way the event is being promoted creates the impression that the promoters are contemptuous of people of color and their daily struggles with issues like police brutality.”

So, is it cavalier to perform a bondage scene with police costumes, or a row of dancers stripping uniforms off, without worrying that people won’t see it for what it is, entertainment? For the event itself, most people will be on the dance floor. The only SM acts seen will be in the VIP rooms. And even then, there will be restrictions.

“We have dungeon masters who regulate the crowd,” said Keys.

“There could be some touching. But you don’t hand someone a paddle, because we don’t know that person.

Our models’ safety is very important to us. It doesn’t put anybody at risk.”

Downstairs on the main floor, a sort of sex-ploratorium will be on display for attendees to try out SM items. But as with the demos, it’s a no-penetration sex party, Keys explained. With ABC licenses, alcohol in the same room with sexuality are off-limits.

Commented Harvill, “But you don’t need that to enjoy it all.”

Although their idea of sexuality may be different than others, claiming it, especially on Pride, is important to practitioners.

“There was a point where we thought, ‘Is this too dark?’” said Harvill. “And the conclusion was to bring out the love aspects to it, and give credence to what we do here, BD/SM. And we’re proud of it.”t WE Party’s Prison of Love takes place Saturday, June 28, 9pm-4am at The Armory, 1800 Mission St. Tickets are $75 and up. The June 29 after-hours event (4am-10am) is called Beyond the Prison, to be held at City Nights, 715 Harrison St. tickets are $30. www.prideatthearmory.com www.masterbeat.com

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Read more online at www.ebar.com

June 19-25, 2014 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 9

Truly Bi Ty

by John F. Karr

Nob Hill Theatre

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GAY PRIDE KICK OFF DREW SEBASTIAN & MAX CAMERON www.thenobhilltheatre.com CIRCLE JERK WITH A

UNDERGROUND PLAYRO OM THU - JUNE 19 TH @ 9P M

DREW SABASTIAN MAX CAMERON TOGETHER ON MAIN STAGE JUNE 20TH & 21ST SHOWTIMES @ 8PM & 10 ALL SHOWS SEX SHOW PM S!

Ty Roderick; so good he gets his own feature.

Then, Step Four, he went for the real thing, and hit stardom making full-tilt sex films with guys.

For sure, he was strictly a top, bragging in his Twitter bio, “Unintentional heartbreaker, laying the pipe so damn good they pay me for it!!” (all exclamation marks his).

His butch and chill attitude bowled over gay boys, and he worked for a multitude of gay companies, while never giving up making str8 and trans porn (“Now that I get to explore my sexuality,” he said, “it’s turning out quite well.”).

Yet for this constant top, something was missing. So then (and this is the part that thrills so many gay

CockyBoys

Golden blond Max Ryder smooches Ty Roderick, in Ty Me Up, Ty Me Down.

CockyBoys

Ty Me Up, Ty Me Down

PORN

DREW SEBASTIASTNAR

boys), pow! With Step Five, former str8 boy gives it up.

In a Fleshbot posting, Branford Matthews lists, “The Top 20 Scenes Where Ty Roderick is a Big Nelly Bottom.” I take exception to the nelly part. Ty is always a super butch bottom. But he’s opened it wide for James Jamesson, Kevin Crows, Paddy O’Brian, Trenton Ducatti, and a whole lotta other dudes. And when there wasn’t anyone to top him, he did it himself—quite wildly wielding a dildo into his ass in Club Inferno’s Hole Busters 4.

A whole booster to his appearance led to five recent Raging Stallion movies in which he’s more savage than ever before—more hirsute and muscular, his physique more sharply cut. Yet these don’t totally eclipse the former Ty, making the new anthology of his scenes for CockyBoys, Ty Me Up, Ty Me Down, a fine way to remember the younger star. He’s still given to touting hetsex, but it seems a thing of the past as he revels in a world of gay sex.

There are five scenes in the two hours of Ty Me Up, Ty Me Down.

One is only okay (with young, rosycheeked and dewey-eyed Asher Hawk), while the others go from hot to overheated.

Ty says his favorite scene is the one with Max Carter. I enjoy this rail-thin, Nordic blond, and certainly appreciate his rosy cut cock, with its bulbed head and manicured spritz of translucent pubes. The highlight here is a rollicking RC. Here’s my favorite scene. The pliant fucking between Ty and Go Go Harder is a really swell, impassioned collaboration. And it’s launched by an erotic episode as former gogo boy Harder enticingly models his protuberant boner trapped within briefs and jocks. It’s a sizzling bulge parade.

In the next scene, JD Phoenix works at Go Go’s intensity, assuming unique positions in a handsome wood paneled room whose many mirrors provide unique views.

Finally, Max Ryder and Ty reveal themselves to us in an engaging conversation (Ty’s deep voice makes your balls tingle) before they get into some cosmetic and earnest sex. Max’ full head of glorious, wavy gold hair is a crown to his handsome, angular features.t

729 Bush @ Powell • Info Line: 415-781-9468 Sunday – Thursday: 11:30am – Midnight Friday – Saturday: 11:30am – 1:30am

Photo Credit: Club Inferno

here are lots of str8 guys who make gay porn, and there are some gay guys making str8 porn. In only rare cases are these guys actually bisexual. Most are buy-sexuals.

It’s the money, honey. But hey, if I could throw a football, I just might let some league pay me to do it.

Same goes for sex with a gal.

And there are guys for whom making gay porn is a comfortable entree into the gay, uh, lifestyle.

Guys like Ty Roderick. He’s gay, and str8, and, quite genuinely I think, bi.

So, attend the tale of horny Ty, who says he loves having sex with both men and women. But look at what he’s been pursuing and I think you’ll agree with me—he cums down harder for men.

Ty’s course toward coming out took many steps. He suppressed his bi-hood all the way through boyhood, marrying his high school girlfriend and fathering two kids.

Step Two. When hetero coupledom didn’t pan out, Ty enlisted, only to find himself pining for his “battle buddies” (especially when he was in the shower with them).

“But I was too nervous and scared to act,” he admits in a self-knowing monologue (delivered while jacking off) that I just watched.

Step Three accelerated Ty’s slide from girls toward gays. He dabbled in nude modeling circa 2010; made a gay movie for AmateurStraightGuys, a company name he must have found reassuring; and began dating a chick with a dick (that’s an industry expression, so call off the Word Police), which must have made him feel both comfortably close to str8, and comfortably close to a penis. He made his first movies with her—Bang My Tranny Ass, and Buddy Wood’s Shemale Pornstars (oops, I better take cover—there’s a forbidden word in there!).

And he made an awful lot of str8 flicks in which chicks who didn’t have dicks busted open his ass with their strap-ons. Ah, the sweet smell of homosexuality that lingers over pegging.

Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

10 • BAY AREA REPORTER • June 19-25, 2014

Personals

▼

The

People>>

Model/Escorts>>

WARNING HOT GUYS!

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For companionship only, it’s $300. Appointments are hour long. Will do half hours but only with purchase of a full one. 5’11, 175lbs. Blonde/Blue eyes.

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BRICK

Passionate, playful, into kissing, multiple hour sessions, wrestling and rough play, gear, underwear, muscle worship, role play, dom/ underling scenes and much more.

Available for vanilla or kink scenes.

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Massage>> HAIRY IRISH/ PORTUGUESE MASSEUR –

Erotic Relaxing Full Body Massage by hairy Irish/Portuguese guy.

(510) 912-8812 late nights ok.

MASSAGE WITH RELEASE 415-350-0968 SEXY ASIAN $60 JIM 269-5707 STRONG HANDS NEAR DOLORES PARK –

“DR. BLISS” IS IN! –

I love touching men and it shows! Massage is my art form.

415.706.6549 http://bodymagicsf.blogspot.com

6’3” 205# in-shape tattoo’d blond trim beard CMT masseur w/ strong hands & great technique near Dolores Park for 60/90/120mins.

Sensual, nude, excellent Swedish, Erotic, Prostate, Hypno massage for you $90-$200. Call Heron 415-706-9740 for info/appts.

See pics ebar.com classifieds.

To place your Personals ad, Call 415-861-5019 for more info & rates

Genuine easy going Latin guy Contact me for an unhurried memorable experience. Late night, early morning, short notice never a problem in/out.

Mike 415-779-6453 Mike94114@gmail.com

Frisco Steve SF native with a strong preference for older men.

Confident and naturally straight acting. Proud pleaser. Can also hold a conversation and love playing tour guide. If you’re from out of town, hit me up for an SF experience.

(415) 571-1839

Call 415.756.1242 Let me make you happy ANYTHING GOES 415-623-4360 5’9 170 blond anything from vanilla to kink/bdsm, dom/sub, what is your fantasy/ fantasies

Fun guy.

New to SF. Looking to have a good time dominating.

In calls, out calls email me at natepointo@ gmail.com

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Vers /

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No pnp.

Outcalls $180 (credit card OK)

Chris 415.633.6909

t

Read more online at www.ebar.com

Shooting Stars

June 19-25, 2014 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 11

photos by Steven Underhill T

he new Mr. and Miss Gay SF were crowned at Emerald City by the Bay, a festive event held June 14 at the Hotel Whitcomb. Tyler Nelson is the new Mister Gay SF, and Kipper Snacks won as well in the dual pageant presented by The Imperial Council of San Francisco, which included a rousing Wizard of Oz tribute act.

The Mr. and Miss. Gay San Francisco Pageant, a title owned by the Imperial Council of San Francisco, Inc., has served many purposes such as bridging community support and raising countless funds for charities since the titles’ inception in 1971. www.imperialcouncilsf.org See more event photo albums on BARtab’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/lgbtsf.nightlife and on www.StevenUnderhill.com See this and other issues in full page-view format at www.issuu.com/bayareareporter

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For headshots, portraits or to arrange your wedding photos

call (415) 370-7152 or visit www.StevenUnderhill.com or email stevenunderhillphotos@gmail.com

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