June 8, 2017 Edition of the Bay Area Reporter

Sonoma County has Pride

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Pride at the Armory

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Since 1971, the newspaper of record for the San Francisco Bay Area LGBTQ community

Vol. 47 • No. 23 • June 8-14, 2017

Cheering on LifeCycle riders Rick Gerharter

Jo-Lynn Otto

People walked by a memorial for the Pulse nightclub victims at 18th and Castro streets June 12, 2016, shortly after news spread of the mass shooting.

South Bay community leaders kicked off Pride Month announcing an Equality March for Unity and Pride that will be held June 11.

Equality march Sun. in San Jose

Bay Area marks Pulse anniversary

by Heather Cassell

by Seth Hemmelgarn

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he South Bay is taking the lead in holding the Bay Area’s Equality March for Unity and Pride Sunday, June 11 in San Jose. The event is one of many satellite marches timed to coincide with the national equality march that will take place in Washington, D.C. Nearly 15 community and government leaders representing Silicon Valley’s LGBT and allied communities kicked off Pride Month June 1 announcing the march. The march is the only one happening in the Bay Area, organizers said. A solidarity march in San Francisco was canceled due to an unrelated event happening at the city’s Civic Center, confirmed gay activist Kelly Rivera Hart and Sister Chola de Dah of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. Oakland isn’t on the list of participating cities on the Equality March for Unity and Pride’s website. Organizers said that buses will be available from San Francisco and Oakland to transport people to San Jose.

A return to its roots

At last week’s news conference, community leaders called for people to return to community activism to defend the rights gained by LGBTs since the Stonewall riots in 1969, and more recently, during the Obama administration. “We gather here today to announce that Pride Month must go back to its roots,” said Bryan Aubineau, chief branding officer at Project More Foundation, one of the organizations producing the march in Silicon Valley. “We must come together in solidarity, inclusive of all backgrounds, sexual orientation, and gender identities in defense of our rights. We will fight to continue to be able to live comfortably, safely, and to be able to live our lives open and genuinely on June 11.” Gabrielle Antolovich, president of the Billy DeFrank LGBT Community Center, was critical of President Donald Trump’s administration. “The new administration is almost like an embodiment of a backlash,” Antolovich told the Bay Area Reporter following the news See page 14 >>

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Rick Gerharter

or 20 years LeNore Cymes and Irene Kelly have been cheering on the participants in what is now called the AIDS/ LifeCycle as they leave from the Cow Palace on the ride to Los Angeles Sunday, June 4.

Participants numbered 2,200 this year and $15,160,771 was raised for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the Los Angeles LGBT Center. The ride ends in southern California June 10.

vents are planned around the Bay Area to honor the 49 people Omar Mateen fatally shot and the 53 people he wounded after he entered the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida June 12, 2016 and opened fire. Mateen, 29, was eventually killed in a shootout with police at the club, but he left behind scores of family members and friends of people who’d been celebrating the club’s Latin night. See page 15 >>

SF marks 20 years of equal benefits by Cynthia Laird

Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club at the time. They took their an Francisco officials celeproposal to the board’s out membrated the 20th anniversary bers, Katz, Tom Ammiano, and of the city’s groundbreakSusan Leal, who were successful ing Equal Benefits Ordinance at seeing it passed 10-0 (then-suamid a call for new strategies to pervisor Tom Hsieh was absent for protect transgender employees. the vote, according to the board’s Speakers on a panel hailed the November 4, 1996 minutes.) historic nature of the law, which “It was amazing how the comrequired companies doing busimunity came together,” Sheehy ness with San Francisco to offer said, crediting former city Human the same benefits to domestic Rights Commission staff member partners that they offered to Cynthia Goldstein with developstraight married workers. And ing guidelines for enforcing the they talked about how it was not ordinance so that it “had teeth.” easy getting a domestic partner With President Donald Trump benefits law approved when Jane Philomen Cleland in the White House, Sheehy said marriage equality was a blip on City Administrator Naomi Kelly, left, talked about San Francisco’s that LGBT advocates have to get activists’ radar and many com- Equal Benefits Ordinance with former City Attorney Louise Renne, creative. He said he wants to work Supervisor Jeff Sheehy, AT&T California President Ken McNeely, panies were hesitant to back it. with the city administrator to “At the time, we’d just fin- and Port of San Francisco Commissioner Leslie Katz. make sure trans people are includished a bruising fight to get doed in equal benefits policies, and mestic partner rights,” lesbian that companies have “meaningful of then-deputy city attorney Dennis Aftergut. former supervisor Leslie Katz explained during non-discrimination policies on the books.” “Back in those days, no one thought we the June 1 program in City Hall. would win,” former City Attorney Louise Katz, now a Port of San Francisco commisRenne said, adding that Aftergut was out of the ‘United Against United’ sioner, recalled that United Airlines, in particuIn addition to the legal fight, Sheehy discountry and couldn’t attend the program. “It lar, was “very concerned,” as it “offered a slew of cussed the importance of activists’ involvement was a team effort.” benefits to their employees’ spouses.” Gay District 8 Supervisor Jeff Sheehy, who or- during the “United Against United” boycott that In fact, it was United and the Air Transport he organized. One memorable action included ganized the event, was one of the three activists Association that waged a yearslong court fight who came up with the idea for the ordinance. the late rainbow flag creator Gilbert Baker and over the ordinance. Ultimately, the case was He, attorney Geoff Kors, and city attorney inSee page 14 >> won by the city, in large part due to the legal skill vestigator Carol Stuart were all members of the

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•

•

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Buildup of an acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious medical emergency. Symptoms of lactic acidosis include feeling very weak or tired, unusual muscle pain, trouble breathing, stomach pain with nausea or vomiting, feeling cold (especially in your arms and legs), feeling dizzy or lightheaded, and/or a fast or irregular heartbeat. Serious liver problems. The liver may become large and fatty. Symptoms of liver problems include your skin or the white part of your eyes turning yellow (jaundice); dark “tea-colored” urine; light-colored bowel movements (stools); loss of appetite; nausea; and/or pain, aching, or tenderness on the right side of your stomach area. You may be more likely to get lactic acidosis or serious liver problems if you are female, very overweight, or have been taking DESCOVY for a long time. In some cases, lactic acidosis and serious liver problems have led to death. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any symptoms of these conditions. Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. DESCOVY is not approved to treat HBV. If you have both HIV-1 and HBV and stop taking DESCOVY, your HBV may suddenly get worse. Do not stop taking DESCOVY without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to monitor your health.

•

Changes in body fat, which can happen in people taking HIV-1 medicines.

•

Changes in your immune system. Your immune system may get stronger and begin to fight infections. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any new symptoms after you start taking DESCOVY.

•

Kidney problems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare provider should do blood and urine tests to check your kidneys. Your healthcare provider may tell you to stop taking DESCOVY if you develop new or worse kidney problems.

•

Bone problems, such as bone pain, softening, or thinning, which may lead to fractures. Your healthcare provider may do tests to check your bones.

The most common side effect of DESCOVY is nausea. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effects that bother you or don’t go away. What should I tell my healthcare provider before taking DESCOVY? •

All your health problems. Be sure to tell your healthcare provider if you have or have had any kidney, bone, or liver problems, including hepatitis virus infection.

•

All the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Other medicines may affect how DESCOVY works. Keep a list of all your medicines and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist. Ask your healthcare provider if it is safe to take DESCOVY with all of your other medicines.

•

If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if DESCOVY can harm your unborn baby. Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant while taking DESCOVY.

•

If you are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed. HIV-1 can be passed to the baby in breast milk.

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Ask your healthcare provider if an HIV-1 treatment that contains DESCOVY® is right for you.

IMPORTANT FACTS (des-KOH-vee)

This is only a brief summary of important information about DESCOVY® and does not replace talking to your healthcare provider about your condition and your treatment.

MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT DESCOVY

POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF DESCOVY

DESCOVY may cause serious side effects, including:

DESCOVY can cause serious side effects, including:

• Buildup of lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious medical emergency that can lead to death. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these symptoms: feeling very weak or tired, unusual muscle pain, trouble breathing, stomach pain with nausea or vomiting, feeling cold (especially in your arms and legs), feeling dizzy or lightheaded, and/or a fast or irregular heartbeat.

• Those in the “Most Important Information About DESCOVY” section.

• Severe liver problems, which in some cases can lead to death. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these symptoms: your skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow (jaundice); dark “tea-colored” urine; loss of appetite; light-colored bowel movements (stools); nausea; and/or pain, aching, or tenderness on the right side of your stomach area. • Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. DESCOVY is not approved to treat HBV. If you have both HIV-1 and HBV, your HBV may suddenly get worse if you stop taking DESCOVY. Do not stop taking DESCOVY without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to check your health regularly for several months. You may be more likely to get lactic acidosis or severe liver problems if you are female, very overweight, or have been taking DESCOVY or a similar medicine for a long time.

ABOUT DESCOVY • DESCOVY is a prescription medicine that is used together with other HIV-1 medicines to treat HIV-1 in people 12 years of age and older. DESCOVY is not for use to help reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 infection. • DESCOVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS. Ask your healthcare provider about how to prevent passing HIV-1 to others.

• Changes in body fat. • Changes in your immune system. • New or worse kidney problems, including kidney failure. • Bone problems. The most common side effect of DESCOVY is nausea. These are not all the possible side effects of DESCOVY. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any new symptoms while taking DESCOVY. Your healthcare provider will need to do tests to monitor your health before and during treatment with DESCOVY.

BEFORE TAKING DESCOVY Tell your healthcare provider if you: • Have or had any kidney, bone, or liver problems, including hepatitis infection. • Have any other medical condition. • Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. • Are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed if you have HIV-1 because of the risk of passing HIV-1 to your baby. Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take: • Keep a list that includes all prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements, and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist. • Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist about medicines that should not be taken with DESCOVY.

HOW TO TAKE DESCOVY

GET MORE INFORMATION

• DESCOVY is a one pill, once a day HIV-1 medicine that is taken with other HIV-1 medicines.

• This is only a brief summary of important information about DESCOVY. Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist to learn more.

• Take DESCOVY with or without food.

• Go to DESCOVY.com or call 1-800-GILEAD-5 • If you need help paying for your medicine, visit DESCOVY.com for program information.

DESCOVY, the DESCOVY Logo, GILEAD, the GILEAD Logo, and LOVE WHAT’S INSIDE are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies. All other marks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners. © 2016 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. DVYC0021 11/16

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Community News>>

June 8-14, 2017 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 5

Manslaughter charges filed in Ghost Ship fire by Seth Hemmelgarn

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wo men have each been charged with 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter in the December 2016 fire at Oakland’s Ghost Ship warehouse that killed three dozen people. Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley announced the charges against Derick Ion Almena, 37, and Max Harris, 27, at a news conference Monday, June 5, just hours after they were arrested. The men “knowingly created a fire trap with inadequate means of escape, then filled that area with human beings,” said O’Malley. According to probable cause statements, Almena was the lease holder on the warehouse and Harris acted as the “creative director,” collected rent from tenants, and performed other duties. Both men lived in the building, located at 1305 31st Avenue. “With disregard to the risk,” Almena and Harris “deceived” police and other officials, allowing people to live at the site and holding unpermitted events there, said O’Malley. They blocked one exit, leaving only one way to get out of the building, which had “no fire suppression or lighted pathways,” she said.

Additionally, O’Malley said, they “very purposefully” crammed the site with “highly flammable” materials. The building reportedly was filled with pianos, rugs, artwork, and other objects. The December 2 blaze at the warehouse started as people gathered for an electronic music concert. O’Malley said that there was a “nearly impossible labyrinth of the defendants’ making to get out of that building.” Each man faces 39 years in prison if convicted of the charges. Attorneys for Almena, including well-known defense attorney J. Tony Serra, said in a statement that they’ll “vigorously defend” him. “We believe that these charges represent no less than a miscarriage of justice, and we are confident that this attempt to make a scapegoat out of our client will fail,” the attorneys stated. Information on Harris’ attorney wasn’t immediately available. Almena was arrested in Lake County, said O’Malley. He’s in custody in Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, California on $1,080,000 bail. His arraignment was set for Thursday morning.

Harris, who O’Malley said was arrested in Los Angeles County, remained there in custody as of Monday on $1,080,000 bail. The Alameda County Coroner’s Bureau has determined that all 36 people who were killed in the fire died from smoke inhalation. At least three of the victims were transgender people. In addition to those who were killed, O’Malley said that one man remains hospitalized with “serious respiratory injuries.” Although electrical wiring in the building has reportedly been suspected as what started the blaze, Theresa Drenick, a spokeswoman for O’Malley, said, “The evidence was largely consumed in the fire itself. The cause of the fire will remain undetermined.” However, Drenick said, “That fact will not hamper” prosecutors’ ability to proceed. Families of some of the victims filed civil lawsuits in connection with the incident earlier this year. Records indicate several government agencies had failed to address problems at the warehouse despite years of reports to police and others. In a statement, Oakland Mayor

Courtesy Lake County Sheriff’s office

Derick Ion Almena

Libby Schaaf praised the charges filed by O’Malley “because they send a clear message: you won’t get away with making a profit by cramming people into dangerous spaces or failing to maintain safe living conditions. ... We will never forget the victims who died in the tragic Ghost Ship fire. We can’t bring loved ones back, but we can honor them by seeking justice.” Gehno Aviance, who knew some of the victims, told the Bay Area

Jane Philomen Cleland

Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley

Reporter in a Facebook message, “As much as I would like to say that I am happy” about the arrests, “I feel the tragedy at the Ghost Ship is a symptom of a larger problem in the Bay Area and our country. The problem being a lack of affordable housing, especially for struggling artists.” O’Malley said artists “deserve to live and work in a space that is safe.”t

Parade grand marshals and more at Pride Brunch

®

by Alex Madison

99KEEP

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undreds of people will gather in a couple weeks for Gary Virginia and Donna Sachet’s annual Pride Brunch, a unique event that raises funds for the Positive Resource Center and is expected to sell out. The Pride Brunch started 19 years ago at the old Stars Restaurant on Redwood Alley near San Francisco’s City Hall. It raised about $1,000. Today, thanks to co-creators Virginia and Sachet, the event has evolved into a spectacular fundraiser that raises nearly $40,000 for PRC. This year’s brunch is especially important in that the money raised will also help clients of the AIDS Emergency Fund, which merged with PRC in 2016. PRC also merged with Baker Places, which provides residential treatment services for those with substance abuse, mental health, and HIV/AIDS issues. The brunch – Saturday, June 24 at the Hotel Whitcomb – will bring together more than 300 people, including the community grand marshals of the 47th San Francisco LGBT Pride parade, politicians, celebrities, and community members. “It’s a beautiful mosaic of the community under one roof,” said Brett Andrews, CEO of PRC, who will be honored at the event with the San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration Committee’s Heritage of Pride 10 Years of Service Award. “Although we’ve all had an interesting journey, we find ourselves here and the common denominator is: we made it.” The rainbow-colored carpet will be rolled out for the brunch, transforming the hotel ballroom into an explosion of LGBTQ pride. The eventful three-hour fundraiser will feature an all-you-can-eat buffet, live music from the Dixieland Dykes +3, a silent and live auction, and an open bar sponsored by Barefoot Winery and Tito’s Handmade Vodka. Guests expected to be on hand include Mayor Ed Lee, gay former state senator and now mayoral candidate Mark Leno, members of the

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The Pride Brunch features comments by San Francisco Pride grand marshals and usually sells out.

Imperial Council of San Francisco, and the Castro Lions Club. One of the highlights will be the grand marshals sharing their stories. This year’s community grand marshals include Chris Carnes, a local activist and fundraiser; Danielle Castro, a trans community advocate; Amy Sueyoshi, a leading scholar in queer Asian-American history; Alex U. Inn, a drag king and activist; Marcy Adelman, Ph.D., a pioneer in the field of lesbian and gay aging; and the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, the organizational grand marshal. “The honorees really speak from their heart about what the honor means to them,” Virginia said. “It makes me want to cry of thinking of the stories shared.” Sachet, who’s also the Bay Area Reporter’s society columnist, talked about memories of past brunches, such as the year that gay actor Sir Ian McKellen told his story and how he humorously showed off his tattoos at the request of an audience member, and the time transgender teenager Jewlyes Gutierrez from Hercules, California, spoke about standing up to bullying. “There are waves of emotions that go on. People are happy, crying, and relating their past to a particular speaker,” Sachet said. The brunch, although a fun and moving event, is of great importance

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A locally owned and operated franchise. Lic# 974194 to PRC, which has been around for nearly three decades and serves www.MrRooter-SFO.com almost 5,000 people a year. The OPEN 2-4 money raised at the brunch enables the agency to continue to provide SAT/SUN services such as access to life-saving OPEN 2-4 OPEN SUNDAY OPEN disability benefits, employment, and 2-4PM SAT/SUN OPEN 2-4 a baseline of financial and health SUNDAY care security for its clients. SAT/SUN 12-4PM OPEN 2-4 “These funds are so important OPEN SUNDAY with the continuation of shrinking 2-4PM SAT/SUN government funds and contracts, Sophisticated SF Architectural View especially for HIV,” Andrews said. Sophisticated SF Architectural View “It’s important in allowing us to maintain the high level of quality of Sophisticated SF Architectural View our services.” Sophisticated SF Architectural View PRC helped save Virginia’s life back in the late 1990s, when he was REIMAGINED diagnosed as HIV-positive. After a REIMAGINED REIMAGINED, visit to AIDS Benefits Counselors, REIMAGINED which later merged to form PRC, REIMAGINED, REIMAGINED Virginia said he walked onto CastroThis Edwardian has been newly built from the ground up. The residence blends soaring ceilings, custom lighting, oak floors and impeccable Resident Homeowner Lan This Edwardian has been newly builtsolid residence ground up. The The Street feeling the weight of the world from the ground up. residence Resident Homeowner Landlor This Edwardian hasceilings, been newly builtlighting, from the ground up. The residence indoor/outdoor, view living tocustom orchestrate a unique, modern living experiblends impeccable floors and soaring solid oak floors and impeccable lifted from his shoulders. Because of soaring ceilings, custom lighting, solid oak floors and Resident Iimpeccable Homeowner I Landlor Off-Market Specialist ence.blends Spacious Chef’s kitchen merges with open-concept living and This Edwardian has been newly built from the ground up. The residence indoor/outdoor, experimodern livingdining view living to orchestrate a unique, modern living experiOff-Market Specialist PRC, Virginia could continue livingthat flows indoor/outdoor, view living tocustom orchestrate awith unique, modern living experisoaring ceilings, lighting, solidopen-concept oak floors and impeccable toblends the deck and to kitchen the sprawling yard. A second grand Family ence. Spacious Chef’s merges living and dining dining Off-Market Specialist Chef’s kitchen merges with The open-concept living dining indoor/outdoor, view living to orchestrate aupper unique, modern living experiin SF. thatSpacious flows toSuite the deck and tothis the sprawling yard. A second grand Family Roomence. and Guest complete level. level is and comprised Family that flows to the deck and to kitchen the sprawling yard.open-concept A second grand Spacious Chef’s merges with living Family and dining Seamlessly representing buyers, se Roomence. and Guest Suite this level. The level comprised “I dedicated my life to paying backof 3 Bedrooms (master southern deck), 2 baths &islaundry. comprised 360° views ofcomplete thewith Bay & City form thisupper masterfully rebuilt that Guest flows toSuite theen-suite deck and to the sprawling yard. A second grand Family Room and complete this level. The upper level is comprised Seamlessly representing buyers, of 3 Room Bedrooms laundry. 2 baths & Seamlessly representing buyers, sellersse 360° views of the Bay & City form this masterfully rebuilt (master en-suite with southern deck), 2 baths & laundry. features a large, legal spacious, studio guest home. Solar, those two organizations,” he said. 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Open concept, (2014),Huge luxuryyard, masterpiece! 5+investors BD|4.5 upscale finishes, And that he and Sachet did. t in the Castro San Fra 3-zone parks, walk to shuttles, Lower level features a large, legal spacious, studio guest home. Solar, investors in the Castro & San&Francisc heating and 2-car garage. A+ location, flat walk to shuttles, parks, (2014), luxury masterpiece! 5+ BD|4.5 BA, upscale finishes, elevator. Huge yard, decks &flat view roof deck. Open concept, 3-zone heating and 2-car garage. A+ walk to shuttles, parks, schools, restaurants, shops and cafés oflocation, Noe & Eureka Valley elevator. Huge yard, decks & investors view roof deck. Open concept, view living, dining & kitchen! 2-car pkg. Located in Russian Hill, in the Castro & San Francisc 3-zone heating and 2-car garage. location, walk toValley! shuttles, parks, Hill, schools, elevator. Huge decks & view roof deck. 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<< Open Forum

6 • BAY AREA REPORTER • June 8-14, 2017

Volume 47, Number 23 June 8-14, 2017 www.ebar.com PUBLISHER Michael M. Yamashita Thomas E. Horn, Publisher Emeritus (2013) Publisher (2003 – 2013) Bob Ross, Founder (1971 – 2003) NEWS EDITOR Cynthia Laird ARTS EDITOR Roberto Friedman BARTAB EDITOR & EVENTS LISTINGS EDITOR Jim Provenzano ASSISTANT EDITORS Matthew S. Bajko • Seth Hemmelgarn CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Ray Aguilera • Tavo Amador • Race Bannon Erin Blackwell • Roger Brigham Brian Bromberger • Victoria A. Brownworth Brent Calderwood • Philip Campbell Heather Cassell • Belo Cipriani Richard Dodds • Michael Flanagan Jim Gladstone • David Guarino Liz Highleyman • Brandon Judell • John F. Karr Lisa Keen • Matthew Kennedy • Joshua Klipp David Lamble • Max Leger Michael McDonagh • David-Elijah Nahmod Michael Nugent • Paul Parish • Sean Piverger Lois Pearlman Tim Pfaff • Jim Piechota Bob Roehr •Donna Sachet • Adam Sandel Khaled Sayed • Jason Serinus • Gregg Shapiro Gwendolyn Smith • Sari Staver • Jim Stewart Sean Timberlake • Andre Torrez • Ronn Vigh Charlie Wagner • Ed Walsh Cornelius Washington • Sura Wood ART DIRECTION Max Leger PRODUCTION/DESIGN Ernesto Sopprani PHOTOGRAPHERS Jane Philomen Cleland • FBFE Rick Gerharter • Gareth Gooch Jose Guzman-Colon • Rudy K. Lawidjaja Georg Lester • Dan Lloyd • Jo-Lynn Otto Rich Stadtmiller • Steven Underhil Dallis Willard • Bill Wilson ILLUSTRATORS & CARTOONISTS Paul Berge • Christine Smith ADVERTISING/ADMINISTRATION Colleen Small Bogitini VICE PRESIDENT OF ADVERTISING Scott Wazlowski – 415.829.8937 NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE Rivendell Media – 212.242.6863

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Trump’s Pride pettiness

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resident Donald Trump’s decision not to issue an LGBT proclamation to kick off Pride Month is not surprising. It’s just the latest example of his pettiness and prejudice and one more piece of evidence that he is no friend of our community. We probably took for granted President Barack Obama issuing a Pride proclamation on the first of every June, but in truth, no other Republican president ever issued one. We didn’t expect Trump to announce one, and this deliberate oversight should silence Trump apologists and those who think that his daughter, Ivanka, is the “moderating” voice in the administration who can guide him on LGBT issues. She just lost a big battle last week when the president announced that the United States was withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement, which was at the top of her agenda. What is far more important than Trump going silent on Pride is the fact that we don’t need his validation. And coming from him, such a proclamation would be insincere, given the various anti-LGBT initiatives he and his administration have promoted. We wouldn’t want an affirming Pride message from a president whose education secretary doesn’t believe in equal restroom access for trans students, for example. Trump’s refusal to issue a proclamation has not had an effect at various federal departments – at least not yet. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson issued a Pride statement this week. The Department of Defense announced it is celebrating LGBT Pride Month “to recognize DoD’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender service members and civilians,” according to a news release. Its annual celebration is scheduled for Monday, June 12. That date, of course, is a sad one, as it’s also the first anniversary of the horrific mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. We will join others who will pause in memory of the 49 mostly gay Latino victims who were killed and the dozens more who were injured while they were enjoying Latin

night at the popular club. In the 12 months since that dark day, we have seen no progress on gun safety. What we have seen is a race to the bottom and the disappearance of civil political discourse – on guns and everything else. Last year candidate Trump exploited the Pulse attack to call for suspending immigration “from areas of the world where there is a proven history of terrorism against the United States, Europe or allies.” He went after the Pulse shooter, Omar Mateen, falsely claiming Mateen was born in Afghanistan when in fact he was a U.S. citizen, born in New York. After he became president, Trump tried to institute a travel ban, but federal judges blocked it. This week, he took to Twitter and seemed to undermine his attorneys’ efforts to persuade the U.S. Supreme Court to reinstate his second travel ban, which was also blocked by the courts. “That’s right, we need a TRAVEL BAN for certain DANGEROUS countries, not some politically correct term that won’t help us protect our people,” Trump tweeted Monday. But regardless of what the Supreme Court does, his travel ban wouldn’t have applied to homegrown terrorists like Mateen. What Trump’s proposed travel ban has done is unite LGBT and immigrant communities – and others – to resist the administration’s heavyhanded attempt to curtail freedom. Our community includes many immigrants, who often

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arrive in the U.S. because they’ve been persecuted for their sexual orientation or gender identity in their home countries. They want the ability to live freely, but now have to confront the reality of a president who opposes them if they come from Mexico (“Build that wall”) or certain Muslimmajority countries (the subject of the travel ban). We can express our solidarity and resistance this Sunday, June 11, at the Equality March for Unity and Pride in Washington, D.C. or the numerous satellite marches that are taking place around the country, including San Jose. Last summer during the Republican convention, just a few weeks after the Pulse shooting, Trump promised to “protect our LGBTQ citizens from the violence and oppression of a hateful foreign ideology, believe me. And I have to say as a Republican, it is so nice to hear you cheering for what I just said.” Those in the convention hall may have been cheering, but it wasn’t because they suddenly became friends of our community; it was more likely because they cheered everything Trump said, whether they personally agreed with him or not. Trump has not protected us, or anyone else for that matter. Instead, his policies are based on the rhetoric of fear of the “other” (nonwhite). His supporters love it when Trump bashes the media and criticizes foreign countries. It’s unfortunate that he is embarrassing the U.S. on the world stage and using the mass shooting of mostly LGBT people to justify the need for more guns and tougher immigration laws. On Thursday (June 8), according to the Washington Blade, Trump will speak to a conference of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, a group that consists of anti-LGBT religious leaders. (This also happens to be the same day that former FBI director James Comey, whom Trump fired, is to testify before a Senate committee. No distraction there.) We’re not angry that Trump didn’t issue a Pride proclamation. We’re angry that his administration is careening our country off a cliff, and about 40 percent of citizens in approval surveys are content to watch the wreckage from the sidelines.t

Why I stand with immigrants

by Bruce Mirken

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er name is Maria Contreras. She’s a U.S. citizen, having emigrated legally from the Philippines over a decade ago. In February, on the way home from visiting friends in Mexico, she was detained and questioned at the airport for some two hours – for no apparent reason other than having brown skin and a name that sounds Hispanic. Though she was eventually allowed to go home, Contreras described it as one of the most humiliating experiences she’s ever had. I heard about this because I work with her son, Conrad Contreras, on the communications team at the Greenlining Institute in Oakland, where he is our resident whiz on all things digital. Like most of the increasing abuse being heaped on immigrants, documented and otherwise, Maria Contreras’ story never made the news. But episodes like this are being repeated every day. As LGBTQ Americans, we must raise our voices against the outrages being perpetrated by our government against immigrants. People who come to America to live, work, raise families, and simply try to have a better life than seemed possible in their home countries – like my grandparents over a century ago – have built this country and always will. For those of you thinking, “But ‘illegal immigrants’ broke the law!” (Are you out there, Gays for Trump?), a bit of perspective: First, the United States of America was founded by immigrants who came here without permission. True, Native American tribes didn’t have formal immigration laws, but they had no idea they would need them. And while the Wampanoag tribe was not initially hostile to the newcomers at Plymouth Rock, it never even occurred to the white settlers to ask the native peoples for permission – not then, and not when they proceeded to steal the rest of the continent from them over the next two and a half centuries. For the first century of its existence – the period when the U.S. went from being a scraggly little collection of colonies to a continentstraddling powerhouse – our country had essentially no limits on immigration. And our

Bruce Mirken, left, stands with Conrad Contreras.

first significant immigration restriction, passed in 1882, was explicitly racist: the Chinese Exclusion Act, which opened with, “Whereas in the opinion of the government of the United States the coming of Chinese laborers to this country endangers the good order of certain localities within the territory thereof ...” Not until 1917 did we start imposing broader immigration limits based on nationality, an effort that reached full flower in the 1920s. Those laws, too, were powered by bigotry: Supposedly “objective” intelligence tests in the early 20th century produced “scientific” results that mirrored society’s prejudices, with light-skinned northern Europeans shown to be most intelligent, eastern and southern Europeans trailing, and African-Americans at the very bottom. One study labeled 82 percent of Russian immigrants (for the record, that would include my grandparents on my father’s side) as “morons,” with Hungarians, Italians, and Jews also ranking high on the moron scale. At the time, Princeton University researcher Carl C. Brigham wrote confidently, “The intellectual superiority of our Nordic group over the Alpine, Mediterranean, and Negro groups has been demonstrated.” That was preposterous, of course, and later

scholars demolished what we now see as laughably obvious cultural bias in those tests. Our immigration laws were built on a foundation of prejudice. While we’re on the subject of lawbreaking, we might also remember that LGBTQ Americans have been criminals for most of this country’s existence. “Sodomy” was a felony in every state until 1961. California’s sodomy law lasted until 1975 and such laws were upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1986, a decision the court didn’t reverse until 2003. Other common state and local laws made it illegal to wear clothing not conforming to one’s biological gender or even to operate a business where homosexuals gathered. These laws, we should note, were all criminal statutes. Laws forbidding unauthorized immigration are civil laws – the legal equivalent of a traffic ticket. So let’s not get all high and mighty over lawbreaking. In plain truth, majorities have always used laws to oppress and marginalize unpopular minorities. In the recent past that meant us. Today it’s unauthorized immigrants and Muslims, but in truth, none of us can be free until we’re all free. As the late Nelson Mandela put it, “For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” Now more than ever we must live up to the implicit challenge in Mandela’s words, to live in ways that enhance not just our own freedoms, but the freedoms of those all around us – especially the unpopular and marginalized. I’m proud to say that at the Greenlining Institute we’re doing as much as we can on that front, including assembling a weekly roundup of actions, events, and resources called the #ResistReport that we publish on our blog every Thursday. Please join us. t Bruce Mirken is media relations director at the Greenlining Institute, a policy, research, organizing, and leadership development organization working for racial and economic justice. For information, visit www.greenlining.org.

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Politics>>

June 8-14, 2017 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 7

SF LGBT history projects advance by Matthew S. Bajko

City historic preservation planners would also like to officially landmark both Mona’s and the Black Cat sites. But there is no timeline for when those applications would move forward.

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trio of projects aimed at honoring and preserving LGBT history in San Francisco’s Tenderloin and North Beach neighborhoods, as well as at the city’s airport, advanced this week. The Board of Supervisors Land Use and Transportation Committee unanimously endorsed two of the initiatives at its meeting Monday, June 5, and the full board is expected to approve them later this month. Winning the panel’s support was the effort to establish the Compton’s Transgender Cultural District in a section of the Tenderloin and the plan to install sidewalk markers at the site of several historic LGBT businesses that once operated in North Beach. A total of 13 street plaques commemorating historical businesses in what is known as the Top of Broadway Community Benefit District are to be installed in the area. Three would honor now shuttered LGBT nightlife spots that once called the city’s Italian enclave centered on Broadway and Columbus Avenue home. One would be placed at 12 Adler and the adjoining 529 Broadway, where two lesbian bars had operated in the 1950s. The proprietor for both, Eleanor “Tommy” Vasu, was the first known lesbian to legally own a bar in San Francisco, according to the resolution authored by District 3 Supervisor Aaron Peskin, who represents North Beach. Amid a citywide crackdown on gay bars, Vasu was forced to close the bars in 1954, notes Peskin’s resolution. Another plaque would be installed at 440 Broadway, where Mona’s Club 440 had operated and was known as “Where Girls Will Be Boys,” notes the resolution. Started by Mona Sargent and her husband, Jimmie, the bar is credited as being the first openly lesbian bar in the nation, having first opened in 1936 in a different location. Women dressed as men would entertain the crowd at Mona’s, whose popularity spiked during World War II. In 1948 the bar was renamed as Ann’s 440 Club and was where the careers of comedian Lenny Bruce and singer Johnny

Transgender historic district moves forward

Rick Gerharter

The site of the former Finocchio’s, 506 Broadway, would have a plaque installed commemorating its significance to the LGBT community.

Mathis began. A plaque would also be installed at 506 Broadway Street, which between 1936 and 1999 had been home to the legendary Finocchio’s female impersonators cabaret. (The business’s neon sign is now part of the GLBT Historical Society’s archives.) In 2014 the CBD received a $30,000 Community Challenge Grant from the city for the project, estimated to cost close to $50,000. It intends to pay for the plaques and gift them to the city. It would be the city Arts Commission’s purview to approve the designs for the historical markers. The board resolution instructs San Francisco Public Works to approve their installation. A privately paid for sidewalk plaque was installed in front of 710 Montgomery Street in 2008 to commemorate its being home of the Black Cat Cafe, the gay bar where bartender Jose Sarria rose to fame for his drag performances. It closed in 1963 after three decades in business. More recently the owners of 24 Union Street have sought to designate it as a city landmark for once housing the Paper Doll, believed to be San Francisco’s first restaurant to cater to the gay community. City officials are expected to vote on their request in the fall.

The Compton’s district would be the first of its kind in the country to recognize the historical significance of a neighborhood to the transgender community, as the Bay Area Reporter has previously reported. It takes its name from that of Gene Compton’s Cafeteria, which had operated at 101 Taylor Street. The long defunct 24-hour eatery was a hangout for transgender and queer residents and sex workers in the Tenderloin. In August 1966 the diner’s LGBT patrons rioted against police harassment. The boundaries of the Compton’s district would be the north side of Market Street between Taylor Street and Jones Street, to the south side of Ellis Street between Mason Street and Taylor Street, and the north side of Ellis Street between Taylor Street and Jones Street. Since first being proposed last year, the district would now also include the 6th Street corridor (on both sides) between Market Street and Howard Street. The idea for the district grew out of the fight to preserve the buildings at 950-974 Market Street, where several gay bars and a shoe store once operated and helped facilitate gay and transgender prostitution and hustling in the area. LGBT activists had appealed plans to demolish the buildings in order to build a hotel, apartments, storefronts, and nonprofit space at the site. They dropped their objections after developer Group I agreed to allow local historians to document the site before it is torn down and to pay $300,000 to the city toward several transgender-focused initiatives. As outlined in the deal, the planning department is to use one-third of the money to support the creation of the Compton’s district. According to the resolution set to be approved by the board, and authored by District 6 Supervisor Jane Kim, who represents the Tenderloin, the plan for creating the Compton’s district is to be included in the larger LGBTQ Cultural Heritage Strategy See page 14 >>

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San Mateo LGBT center opens

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large crowd turned out Thursday, June 1 for the ribbon-cutting formally opening the San Mateo County Pride Center. Peninsula officials who participated in the ceremony included, from left, Louise Rogers, health system chief, San Mateo County; Sara Larios Mitchell, CEO, StarVista; Steve Kaplan, director of behavioral health and recovery services, San Mateo County; Lisa Putkey, program director, San Mateo

Jo-Lynn Otto

County Pride Center; Dave Pine, San Mateo County Board of Supervisors; Cheryl Angeles, San Mateo Area Chamber of Commerce; and Jei Africa, director, San Mateo County Office of Diversity and Equity. The center is located at 1021 South El Camino Real. For more information, visit http://sanmateopride.org/.

<< Business News

t Business group starts program for young LGBTs 8 • BAY AREA REPORTER • June 8-14, 2017

by Matthew S. Bajko

“It blew my mind. It didn’t occur to 2014 by the Human Rights Campaign me people at that level cared, especially Foundation found that the majority of ut and Equal Workplace Adwith the political climate and everyLGBT employees (53 percent) nationvocates has long trained senior thing that is happening,” recalled Brawide were closeted on the job. business executives on how to foster ceros, one of three global chairs of the “It is not uncommon for people to a more welcoming environment at Intuit Pride Network. “My input as an start their careers closeted. They don’t their businesses for LGBT employees. IT analyst is low on the totem pole.” want to be discriminated against,” Now the San Francisco-based nonHer direct manager has made it a noted Rubin. “In 28 states you can be profit is turning its focus on the next priority to hire a diverse team around fired for being gay.” generation of LGBT business leaders. the country, noted Braceros. It is an exWith millennials, in particular, there At its summit last year it added a ample of leadership she tries to emulate. is a tendency not to feel a need to come young professionals track for the first “It was really cool to see at the very out of the closet, added Rubin. Many time and had 700 people under the top someone from JP Morgan Chase, work for companies that have adopted age of 30 attend. It will be expanda big banking conglomerate, how they pro-LGBT workplace protections and Rick Gerharter ing the track of sessions offered at the are trying to advocate for change, and policies and are increasingly taking 2017 summit being held in October in Intuit IT analyst Abigail me on the bottom of the totem pole public stances against proposed laws at Braceros is one of the three Philadelphia. also paving the way,” she said. “No matthe state level that discriminate against “This year we are having special global chairs of the company’s ter where you are in your career, you the LGBT community. networking sessions and mentor- Pride network. can drive the change you want to see.” “We want to understand what is ing opportunities. There will be a lot Forty people had applied for the going on so we can encourage people we talked about at summit,” said Oakmore built in,” said Rachel Rubin, young professionals class, designed to start their careers being out,” she said. land resident Abigail Braceros, 32, an Out and Equal’s chief operating for people in the first 15 years of their Due to the positive feedback about in-house IT analyst at Intuit. “It officer. career. In addition to attending their the spring training, Out and Equal was great exposure to a lot of It also created a new own sessions, the young professionals will again be recruiting young profesexecutives and folks later in young professionals class had an opportunity to meet and minsionals to attend its executive forum their career arc and hearing at its Out and Equal Exgle with top executives from a number in 2018. Those interested will be able about their journeys being ecutive Forum, a multiof Fortune 500 companies. to apply starting in December. gay, lesbian, bisexual, or day training held annuMore! murals “A lot of the people in the origitransgender in the corporate ally for LGBT business nal executive class at some point will world.” leaders. The program retire. We need to build this pipeline Braceros, a lesbian launched at the 10th of upcoming LGBT leaders who can and a first generation forum held this spring continue to be advocates within their Filipino-American, has in San Francisco, where company,” said Rubin. worked for Intuit for more 22 people under the age The organization has also been than three years in its San Francisco of 40 were welcomed into the 2017 alarmed by reports that despite the gains office. One of the more striking exinaugural class. the LGBT community has made in reVALENCIA CYCLERY PROUDLY SUPPORTS periences she had at the forum was “For folks who attended the summit cent decades, there is still a pervasive talking to a small group of older, white in October, the executive forum was an belief that coming out at work could VALENCIA CYCLERY PROUDLY SUPPORTS male senior executives about how toOpen Project Hand a nonprofit organization opportunity to deep dive into the stuff hamper one’sis career. A study released in foster a more diverse workplace.

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that provides love to seniors and Project Openmeals Hand with is a nonprofit organization critically ill. meals Every day, prepare 2,500 VALENCIA CYCLERY the that provides with we love to seniors and nutritious meals and provide 200 bags of healthy Courtesy Facebook 20th ANNUAL BENEFIT SALE the critically ill. Every day, SALE we prepare 2,500 VALENCIA CYCLERY 21ST ANNUAL BENEFIT Juanita More! stands in front of groceries to help sustain our clients as they nutritious provide 200 bags of healthy 20th ANNUAL BENEFIT SALE Project Hand aa nonprofit organization ProjectOpen Openmeals Hand isisand nonprofit organization a mural at the Powerhouse. that meals with love to isolation, seniors and and the battle serious illnesses, or the health thatprovides provides meals with love to seniors VALENCIA C YCLERY PROUDLY SUPPORTS groceries today, help sustain our nuclients as they critically ill. Every they 2,5002,500 the critically ill. Every day, prepare we prepare challenges ofand old age. We serve San Francisco tritious meals and provide 200 bags of healthy nutritious meals provide 200 bags of healthy battle serious illnesses, isolation, or the VALENCIA C YCLERY PROUDLY SUPPORTS groceries dothealth SF gayborhoods clients as as they they groceries toto help help sustain sustain their our clients and Alameda Counties, engaging more than 125 battle or health In conjunction with her annual battleserious serious illnesses, illnesses, isolation, or the the health San Francisco challenges of oldisolation, age. We serve challenges old They serve San Francisco Pride party fundraiser, drag queen challengesofofevery oldage. age. Weto serve San Francisco volunteers day nourish our community. Project Open Hand is a nonprofit and Counties, engaging and Alameda Counties, engaging andAlameda Alameda Counties, engagingmore morethan than 125 125more than Juanita125 More! teamed artists with the organization that provides meals with volunteers our community. community. volunteersevery every day day to to nourish nourish our

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the Polk Gulch neighborhood at Lush Lounge, 1221 Polk Street, San Francisco-based illustrator and graphic designer Serge Gay Jr. painted his mural on a wall fronting Fern Street. It features More! wrapped in rainbowcolored ribbons holding her French bulldog Jackson More. Both sport matching white ruffled collars, while a queen bee sits on More!’s nose, which gay Curbed SF editor Brock Keeling called “a literal stroke of brilliance. Lovely.” At South of Market gay bar Powerhouse, 1347 Folsom Street, San

Francisco transplant Elliott C Nathan created a letter stencil mural to the right of the entrance that spells out “Loads of Love.” Inside the individual letters of the first and last words are different scenes or homages to LGBT symbols. For instance, the L in “Loads” features a white dove, Sutro Tower, and the rainbow flag, while the O sports the transgender flag, the D is painted as the leather flag, and the S is the bear flag adorned with a white jock strap. Inside the O of “Love” Jackson More sits on a hillside by the Golden Gate Bridge. At Castro clothing store Unionmade, 493 Sanchez Street, MexicanAmerican artist J. Manuel Carmona, who lives in Mexico City, painted a mural on the wall fronting 18th Street that features More! bracketed by the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay Bridge with a fluttering rainbow flag behind her. The mural doubles as the poster art for More!’s party the Sunday of Pride, which this year will raise funds for The Q Foundation, formerly the AIDS Housing Alliance/San Francisco, and the LGBT Asylum Project. “It was a crazy idea, who do I think I am to have three murals done by Pride,” said More!, who began working on the project shortly after her Pride party last June. “I want San Francisco to look pretty. I want to turn the corner and see pretty stuff.” This year there is also the JM! Pride Window Project running through June in which a number of clothing stores in San Francisco are displaying gowns worn by More! and created by celebrated couturier Mr. David. The displays can be found in Union Square at Saks Fifth Avenue and Hero Shop; in Hayes Valley at Modern Appealing Clothing; and in the Castro at Sui Generis Consignment. George Pet Shop in Pacific Heights has mounted a window display honoring More!’s pooch. Unionmade, Sui Generis, and Powerhouse are all selling tickets to More!’s Pride party, now in its 12th year. Tickets cost $40 and are cash only. The event takes place from noon to 10 p.m. Sunday, June 25 at event space 620 Jones in the Tenderloin. Visit http://juanitamore.com for more information about the murals, party, and additional locations to purchase tickets.

A bouquet of pride

A Concord-based floral delivery service is offering rainbow-hued roses for Pride Month, but expect to pay a pretty penny for the painted petals. To achieve the multi-colored palette for its Love roses, Roseshire injects dyes into the stem of the flowers, which are naturally white, as they See page 15 >>

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Rick Gerharter

Honor Walk plaque unveiled

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store. Soon to be installed on the block of Market Street between Noe and Castro streets are plaques honoring 24 LGBT people including Iranian singer, actor, and writer Fereydoun Farrokhzad (pictured).

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<< Community News

10 • BAY AREA REPORTER • June 8-14, 2017

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Kitschy pair of briefs inspires film, book project by Matthew S. Bajko

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ean Anderson had just seen Michelangelo’s David statue at the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence, Italy and was browsing through the vendor booths outside the museum when a certain souvenir item caught his eye. It was a cheap pair of briefs bearing the marble manhood from the famous artwork. “I had to have this pair of underwear,” Anderson recalled thinking during his 2004 vacation. “I brought it home and never really touched it for a long time.” Years later, during a photo shoot Jeffrey Braverman with Jeffrey Braverman, who splits A man dons a pair of briefs based on Michelangelo’s David statue in his time between homes in San FranJeffrey Braverman’s new book. cisco and the Russian River resort area, Anderson dug out the kitschy skivvies from his closet and sug“They looked 3-D in a way. Mitheir tales of confronting their pergested he pose in them. chelangelo’s 2-D iconic penis became sonal demons into a self-published “We got the underwear and it an illusion,” said Braverman, who to 55-page book that he is releasing in all went downhill from there, or it this day keeps the underwear in his conjunction with the film. “They became a photo story and a movie camera bag in case he encounters a used whatever power they had within from there, I guess,” said Anderson, subject he wants to photograph. themselves to overcome oppressive 53, who lives in Sonoma County. Anderson said he liked “the cheeksituations.” Their photo shoot inspired iness” of the photos and “the fun in He has also launched a website – Braverman to photograph numerbeing able to have a pair of underhttp://www.YourGoliath.com – and ous older gay and transgender wear on and still be able to display a social media campaign using the men wearing the underwear. And an artful pair of genitals at the same hashtag #YourGoliath to inspire it sparked him to make a short film time.” people to publicly confront their that delves into the biblical legUsing Michelangelo’s iconic statue inner demons. On the site people end of David and Goliath. Called of the giant slayer as a jumping off are encouraged to write about their “David, In Brief,” the 16-minute point, Braverman explores in his personal struggles. movie will have its premiere June film how the famous underdog story Fellow photographer Arthur Tress, 18 at Frameline, the San Fran- Best resonates in particular with gay and 76, who is gay and lives in San FranWedding Photographer cisco International LGBTQ Film transgender As thereaders Old Testacisco, posed for Braverman as a pool as votedmen. by BAR Festival. ment tale goes, the young David boy adorned in the David briefs. For Braverman, 51, initially had disused stones and a sling to defeat Gohis Goliath tale, Tress described the missed the idea of having Anderson liath, a towering Philistine warrior, guilt he felt at avoiding the Vietnam wear the briefs as too comical but to become the second king of the War draft due to student deferments. soon relented. After developing the Israelites. He pointed to Braverman’s “rapblack and white photos from the “Every David will have their port with people and sensitivity” in session, he found they had a trompe Goliath,” said Braverman, who has explaining how he is able to convince l’oeil effect. also collected the men’s images and his subjects to don a gag garment and expose closely held secrets. “It is how he was able to get these complete strangers essentially to put on the shorts and reveal themselves in an intimate way,” said Tress. “He is a very sympathetic person.”

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The multi-faceted David project has allowed Braverman to address his own struggle with growing older in a society and a community, in this case of gay men, that idolizes youthful and muscled bodies similar to the one Michelangelo etched into stone centuries ago. “You gravitate toward yourself a lot and echo that in your art,” said Braverman, who for years was involved with a woman until he came out as gay in his 40s. “I just found there is this prejudice and belief young is beautiful, that supermodel bodies are considered the mark of perfection, like Michelangelo’s David.” Anderson also came out as gay late in life, which he talks about in the book as being his Goliath. He was married to a woman and raised a daughter, who is now in her late 20s, and only two years ago officially and publicly came out. Because he was closeted when he posed for Braverman, his identity is hidden in the photo from their session that appears in the book and on the website. “I love what Jeff has done, not just about the shorts or posing in them, but of turning it into the ‘What’s your Goliath?’ piece,” said Anderson. “We all have a version of that story someplace. It manifests itself in dozens and dozens of situations we are all facing on a daily basis. Some of them are bigger than others based on your own, what your perspective is.” Braverman’s family moved to San Francisco shortly after he was born in Modesto, and within two years had relocated to Marin. His parents later divorced when he was 10, and he lived with his mother in Marin, where he graduated from high school. On weekends he would visit his father in the city. He started his professional career as a photographer freelancing for major magazines like Newsweek and Esquire. Nine years ago he turned his focus to directing and producing

videos for clients, whether it be filming TV commercials, shooting music videos, or working for a winery. A number of years ago he started working on a documentary called “(UN)CUT” that looked at the political fight to ban circumcision in San Francisco. But unable to find a working storyline and lacking the funds to finish the film, Braverman shelved it with hopes of returning to it later. Thus “David, In Brief” is his debut as a film director. He had submitted a rough cut of the short to Frameline last year, but it was rejected, so he resubmitted the finished film this year. “I was very honored by being selected into Frameline,” said Braverman, who five years ago met his partner, Ross Camp, a software company employee. “I am from here, so to be able to screen my short with friends and family is a big honor for me.” Having seen Michelangelo’s David when he visited Florence at the age of 18, Braverman would like to return there someday. “I would love to screen the film in Florence, that would be an amazing experience,” said Braverman. “We can all relate to David in our own way.” t The film will screen at Frameline as part of the shorts program called Homegrown: Local Shorts at 9 p.m. Sunday, June 18 and again at 9:15 p.m. Thursday, June 22. Both screenings will be at the Victoria Theater, located at 2961 16th Street in the Mission. To buy tickets, visit http://www. frameline.org. Braverman is also hosting a pop-up photography exhibition and book release party from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, June 23 at the Art Saves Lives Studio and Gallery, 518A Castro Street. For more information about his short film, visit http://www.DavidInBrief.com.

Resistance is in the air at Sonoma Pride by Charlie Wagner

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n exuberant crowd of 1,000-plus Sonoma Pride celebrants flocked to Guerneville for the 30th annual 415 event last weekend. 370 This year, Sonoma County Pride 7152 organizers focused on current events. WEDDINGS, HEADSHOTS, PORTRAITS “Our rights are in jeopardy bestevenunderhill.com · stevenunderhillphotos@gmail.com cause of a changed and polarized political climate that has people from 6/6/17 9:19 AM all walks of life concerned about basic civil rights,” said Pride President JD Donavan. The Pride board selected three people as grand marshals: Greg Sarris, a gay man who’s an author, educator, and chairman of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria; Aydian Dowling, a trans man and activist; and Sonoma County Supervisor Lynda Hopkins, a straight ally. Pride included a new event this year: a Solidarity Rally that was held Saturday afternoon to support the national Equality March for Unity and Pride that takes place June 11 in Washington, D.C. Held at the Guerneville Lodge, the rally’s theme was “Rise up! Resist!” and featured a diverse set of speakers from throughout the county. The rally was conceived and organized by massage therapist Cheryl Kabanuck, 62, and KRCB staffer Gary Carnivale, 56, who were alarmed by President Donald Trump’s election and encouraged by the Women’s March in Santa Rosa earlier this year.

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Supporters of Food for Thought (AIDS Food Bank of Sonoma County) marched in the June 4 Sonoma County Pride parade.

“We joined forces with the Pride committee,” Carnivale said, “to add a rally to show that LGBTQ people stand in solidarity with women’s issues, immigrant rights, voting rights, and other causes impacted by Trump’s election.” The cost was completely underwritten by the Letter People, a 2-yearold Sonoma County activist group that started as a business-networking group but now is working to increase local LGBTQ visibility. Greg Miraglia, one of the hosts and producers of Outbeat Radio, a longtime weekly LGBT show on KRCB, was the emcee for the rally. “This is not a time to wait and see what happens,” he told the crowd. “The president and his administration

are already working to undo the gains we’ve realized over the last eight years.” Over the next four hours, Miraglia introduced 15 speakers representing a diverse set of LGBTQ and allied political and nonprofit organizations, plus several elected officials. Hopkins was the first speaker. Her district includes Guerneville and a large portion of West Sonoma County. She operates organic Foggy River Farms in Healdsburg with her husband, Emmett, whose grandparents acquired the land in the 1950s. Hopkins showcased her “Resist” shirt as she admitted it was “something of a curse to be elected on the same night as Donald Trump.” She See page 15 >>

AN OPEN LETTER TO SAN FRANCISCO SUPERVISORS Dear President Breed and Supervisors, We write to you out of concern over the city of San Francisco’s tobacco ordinance, which is now under consideration by the board of supervisors. The measure includes a key provision that will make it much tougher for city residents to quit the unquestionably dangerous habit of smoking. When debating new regulations, such as this proposal aimed at protecting youth from smoking, the unintended consequences must always be considered. In this case, categorizing e-cigarettes and other vapor products as tobacco products, and thus restricting flavor variety, will effectually discourage smokers from switching to much safer alternatives. Other countries now lead the United States in progressive tobacco-harm reduction policies. For instance, Great Britain’s main health agency, Public Health England, confirms what myriad studies have shown: vaping is at least 95 percent safer than smoking traditional cigarettes. Vaping is now promoted by their public health agencies as an effective smoking cessation tool. We’re not asking that vaping be left unregulated. We simply wish the new ordinance recognizes the important differences between the products. Towards this end, we call on the supervisors to classify e-cigarettes and other vapor products separate from tobacco products. No one claims that vaping is totally safe, but it is a much safer alternative to cigarettes and the most successful form of “harm reduction” on the market. San Francisco has traditionally been a beacon of progressivism when it comes to efforts to minimize the harm of certain risky behaviors. Minimizing harm—rather than insisting on an unachievable goal of abstinence—is the essence of the successful harm-reduction approach. For instance, San Francisco public policy advocates understand promoting “safe sex” is more effective at battling transmitted diseases than abstinence-only programs - and is leading the charge in allowing safe injection facilities to evolve to protect drug users from overdose and death. Yet when it comes to tobacco-related products, the progressive city of San Francisco is about to go backwards in time. Effectively prohibiting the sale of vaping liquids will only encourage smokers to grab a pack of cigarettes—which will still be legally sold in the city if the ordinance passes—rather than choose a safer alternative that increasingly is used a means to stop smoking. This policy endangers public health. Policies that reflect the reduced harm of e-cigarettes can significantly reduce the enormous burden of disease that is attributed to smoking. This includes policies that allow flavors to be available for current smokers who consider flavor variety an attractive feature of e-cigarettes. These impacts would be particularly high among groups with above-average smoking rates, such as LGBT people and Medicaid recipients and those who overwhelmingly use flavored tobacco such as African Americans. We appreciate efforts by San Francisco supervisors to address the dangers of cigarette smoking. But we ask that in their zeal to do so, they don’t inadvertently exacerbate a public-health problem by failing to make a crucial distinction between smoking and vaping. Thank you. Carrie Wade Director of Harm Reduction Policy, R Street Institute Steven Greenhut Western Region Director, R Street Institute Damon Jacobs New York Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist, Associate Fellow, R Street Institute Gregory T. Angelo President, Log Cabin Republicans

Jennifer Berger-Coleman Direct of Community Outreach, Consumer Advocates for Smoke-free Alternatives Association Alex Clark Chief Executive Officer, Consumer Advocates for Smoke-free Alternatives Association Benjamin Blumberg Director of Harm Reduction Outreach and Policy, Public Health United Jorge Vieto Jr. Health Advocate

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12 • BAY AREA REPORTER • June 8-14, 2017

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Fresh Meat fest offers antidote to Trump

by David-Elijah Nahmod

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ean Dorsey has been a trailblazer in the dance world. What sets his company, Sean Dorsey Dance, apart is the fact that Dorsey, who choreographs and performs with his dancers, is a transgender man. “Contemporary dance and ballet alike have a long and continuing history of completely excluding trans bodies and stories,” Dorsey told the Bay Area Reporter. The success of Sean Dorsey Dance flies in the face of that tradition. “As a transgender and queer choreographer/dancer, I want to give LGBTQ audiences the gift of seeing themselves onstage,” he said. Audiences will get to see that during the upcoming Fresh Meat Festival, June 15-17 at Z Space in San Francisco. Like many LGBTQ people, Dorsey, artistic director of the festival, was deeply affected when Donald Trump unexpectedly ascended to the presidency. Trump has surrounded himself with a who’s who of anti-gay politicians, most notably Vice President Mike Pence, a supporter of conversion therapy. Just last week, many LGBT people were offended when Trump declined

Courtesy Fresh Meat Productions

Actor Rotimi Agbabiaka is one of the performers in this month’s Fresh Meat Festival.

to issue a Pride proclamation, which President Barack Obama had done for all eight years of his presidency. Dorsey calls Fresh Meat an “antidote to Trump.” “This nation is being ‘governed’ by a racist, anti-immigrant, anti-LGBTQ, anti-science, anti-Muslim, anti-intellectual, anti-earth, anti-world peace administration,” Dorsey said. “The Fresh Meat Festival is about elevating the voices of trans and queer artists, especially LGBTQ artists of color. The

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performances we present are beautiful, powerful, timely, radical.” And though Sean Dorsey Dance is one of the festival performers, Dorsey was quick to note that he’s more of a curator for the Fresh Meat Festival – many different performances will be seen and heard, such as actor Rotimi Agbabiaka. “There are 13 different artists over three nights,” he said. “Audiences will get to see: opera, hip-hop, vogue dance, bachata, bomba, contemporary dance, theater, spoken word, folkpunk music, R&B, Americana music and standup-storytelling. There is truly something for everyone.” Dorsey spoke highly of the performers, most of whom are already well-known in their own right. “It’s really an exceptional lineup this year,” he said. “We’ve got jawdropping vogue by House Of Energi; brilliant standup-storytelling by Devi Peacock; same-sex ballroom champions Robbie Tristan and Ernesto Palma; national queer bachata champions Jahaira Fajardo and Angelica Medina; genius singer-songwriters StormMiguel Florez and Shawna Virago; and fierce hip-hop by Embodiment Project.”t For ticket information, visit http:// freshmeatproductions.org/.

Volunteers needed to install pink triangle compiled by Cynthia Laird

T Caring for someone with Alzheimer’s isn’t easy. Reaching us is.

he annual installation of a giant pink triangle atop Twin peaks is set for Pride weekend, and organizers are putting out the call for volunteers. “It really does take a village to make this huge pink triangle happen year after year,” project co-founder Patrick Carney said in a news release. “This is a community-building project.” The pink triangle, now a symbol of LGBT pride, was once used by the Nazis in concentration camps to identify, shame, and persecute homosexual prisoners. Gays were forced to wear the pink triangle on their pockets in the camps as a way to set them apart from other prisoners. This year marks the 22nd annual San Francisco installation, Carney noted. Pink tarps stretch nearly 200 feet across to form the triangle, which is visible from the

Courtesy Patrick Carney

Patrick Carney, second from right, stands with volunteers as they outline the pink triangle installation.

East Bay and other areas if there’s no fog. There are three opportunities for people to help. First is creating the outline of the triangle Friday, June 23 from 1:30 to 5 p.m. On Saturday, June 24, the

installation takes place from 7 to 10 a.m. Coffee, pastries, and fashionable pink triangle T-shirts are provided for all volunteers, Carney said. See page 14 >>

Green gets life in prison by Seth Hemmelgarn

M If you care for someone with Alzheimer’s disease, memory loss or dementia, you are not alone. We’re here day or night — whenever you need us — offering reliable information and support. Free 24/7 Helpline: 800.272.3900 LGBT Dementia Care Network: alz.org/norcal

ichael Sione Green, 27, will likely spend the rest of his life in prison after a judge sentenced him this week in the murder of a lesbian and the attempted murder of her friend near San Francisco’s gay Club OMG nightclub in November 2013. “This is a tragedy all around,” San Francisco Superior Court Judge Loretta Giorgi told Green at his sentencing Tuesday. Melquiesha Warren, 23, “is dead, and for all intents and purposes, your life is over, too,” said Giorgi. Amanda Buckley, Warren’s mother, cried as she told Green, who looked down at the table in front of him, “She doesn’t deserve to be dead.” “I feel sorry for your kids, because

they have to grow up That alone brought the without a father,” Buckley sentence to at least 82 added, but “I don’t foryears, and she added adgive you. I don’t.” ditional years for other In August, a jury concounts. victed Green of shooting As he prepared for Warren after a minor deputies to escort him collision in a parking lot out of the courtroom, near Club OMG. Jurors Green looked back at his also convicted Green of family members seated Courtesy SFPD trying to murder a friend in the gallery. Michael Sione of Warren’s, who’d been “We love you, Mike,” Green celebrating her girlfriend’s one person said. birthday, along with nuOutside the courtroom, merous other charges. Buckley said she’s “very satisfied Giorgi sentenced Green to 25 with the sentence.” years to life for Warren’s murder “I do feel sorry for his parents,” and another 25 years to life for she said, but “justice was served using a semi-automatic firearm. She today.” also gave him seven years to life for Members of Green’s family dethe attempted murder of Warren’s clined to comment. t friend, plus 25 years to life on another firearm-related enhancement.

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<< Community News

14 • BAY AREA REPORTER • June 8-14, 2017

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Equal benefits

From page 1

others donning purple Tinky Winky costumes and picketing outside the United ticket office downtown. (The late televangelist Jerry Falwell had said that Tinky Winky, one of the Teletubbies on the then-popular PBS series, was gay.) “Tinky Winkys were handcuffed on TV,” Sheehy said, recalling the visuals of them being loaded into a paddy wagon. (The protesters were driven around the corner and released.) Ken McNeely, a gay man who’s president of AT&T California, said

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News Briefs

From page 12

A commemoration ceremony will follow the installation at 10:30, which is expected to include various city officials, Pride parade grand marshals, and other dignitaries. The San Francisco Lesbian/ Gay Freedom Band will perform, along with musical theater star Leann Borghesi. Finally, people are needed to take down the triangle Sunday, June 25. The work begins at 4:30 p.m. and continues until 8. Carney said that dinner at a Thai restaurant will be provided. Carney explained that this shift is the hardest to fill, and said that if people can pitch in for an hour it would be helpful. Those planning to volunteer should bring a hammer and gloves. They should wear closed-toe shoes, long pants, and sunscreen. For more information, including directions to the site, visit www.thepinktriangle.com.

GLBT History Museum unveils new look

The GLBT History Museum in the Castro reopens Thursday (June 8) after being closed for a few days for some remodeling work. As reported earlier this year, the museum, which is overseen by

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Equality march

From page 1

conference. She was referring to Trump’s attempts to ban Muslim travel to the United States and his pledge to repeal the Affordable Car Act, as well as multiple states pushing so-called religious freedom legislation legalizing discrimination. “It’s everything all at once and that is very devastating,” she said, pointing out that the center has become a meeting place for all communities that were once working independently. The coalition building harkens back to the late supervisor Harvey Milk’s message about unity. “So, one of the things that we keep doing is having discussions about the intersectionality of all the issues,” Antolovich added.

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Political Notebook

From page 7

the planning department is working to complete by early 2018. The resolution also authorizes the planning department to form an advisory committee for the Compton’s district, as it has done for the citywide strategy. That larger plan is looking at a variety of ways to preserve and celebrate LGBT historical sites and businesses throughout the city. One proposal calls for establishing an LGBT Cultural Heritage District in western South of Market, which has long been home to bars and businesses catering to a leather crowd as well as gay dance clubs.

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his company was one of the early supporters of the ordinance. “When AT&T got involved in equal benefits it was a lonely place in the corporate world,” he said, adding that the company had 10 years earlier created its LGBT resource group. But AT&T was not based in San Francisco, and in fact had employees in all 50 states. “It was a big decision, but it was an easy decision,” he said. In 1996, AT&T became the largest corporation to offer equal benefits. Kors, now a Palm Springs city councilman, wrote in an email that he’s gratified by the success of the

Equal Benefits Ordinance. “At the time, very few businesses or nonprofits provided domestic partner benefits and only Kaiser offered domestic partner health care,” Kors wrote. Catholic Charities was one of those nonprofits that contracted with the city. Katz said that employees could designate an “adult member of household” to receive the benefits, as a way to comply with the law. In an interview, Stuart recalled the 1989 and 1990 fights over domestic partner registries in San Francisco. Voters rejected one in 1989, then the next year then-supervisor Harry

Britt, a gay man, put a measure on the ballot that was approved by voters. “The religious right challenged it and put a ‘no’ initiative on the ballot in 1991 and we won that,” Stuart said. The Equal Benefits Ordinance has had a lasting legacy. City Administrator Naomi Kelly said that in 1997 when the law was first passed, 500 companies in the country offered domestic partner benefits. Today, Kelly said that more than 8,000 businesses offer domestic partner benefits, all 50 states have companies that are compliant with San Francisco’s law, and 19 jurisdictions

in seven states followed San Francisco’s lead. Kors said that when he was executive director at Equality California, the first law he worked on was one to provide equal benefits statewide – “the first and only statewide law of its kind in the nation,” he said. “I am now working on expanding these laws to include transgender health care, which [former state Senator] Mark Leno and EQCA passed for California and I recently drafted and passed in Palm Springs,” added Kors. t

the GLBT Historical Society, announced plans for a redesigned facade, reception area, and new signage. According to a Facebook post, new video screens were installed that will cover the entire wall opposite the museum windows. The space was also repainted, along with other changes. Officials invited community members to stop by and see the new look. The museum, located at 4127 18th Street, is open Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. For more information, visit www.glbthistory.org. Admission is free for historical society members, $5 for non-members, and $3 for students with valid ID.

“The Revival: Women and the Word” at 4 p.m., followed by “Snapshot: Queer POC Porn” at 7. An after-party will take place from 9 p.m. to midnight at Asiento, 2730 21st Street. The cost for that is $10-$25. The festival’s closing film Sunday will be “Tenacious for Love”, which screens at 6 p.m. All movies are free, but registration is required. To sign up, visit https://qwocmap.z2systems. com/np/clients/qwocmap/event. jsp?event=4&.

com/e/screening-of-when-we-risewednesday-june-14th-thursdayjune-15th-530-to-930-pm-bothnights-registration-34039422830.

Pick-up locations and times are available at the registration site. Guests must RSVP at (415) 7504141 or https://www.eventbrite. com/e/lgbtq-senior-prom-june17th-from-4-until-7-pm-tickets-34209343066.

Queer women of color film fest screens in SF

Queer LifeSpace, an LGBTQcentered therapy center, is co-sponsoring the Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project’s film festival June 9-11 at Brava Theater Center, 2781 24th Street in San Francisco. Opening night will feature “Beloved Community,” about queer black, Latinx, and Vietnamese women. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.; the film shows an hour later. Saturday’s program will include

IOA to show ‘When We Rise’

The Institute on Aging will host a free, two-evening screening of “When We Rise” June 14-15. First aired on ABC earlier this year, the miniseries chronicles the history of the gay rights movement, focusing on several San Francisco activists, including Cleve Jones, whose memoir of the same name partly inspired the program. The screening takes place from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 14, and at the same time the following night. The screenings will be held in IOA’s Weinberg Auditorium at the IOA’s senior campus, 3575 Geary Boulevard. Only 100 seats are available each night. RSVP is required and can be made at https://www.eventbrite.

LGBTQ senior prom

The aforementioned IOA will hold its second LGBTQ Senior Prom as part of its Pride celebration Saturday, June 17 from 4 to 7 p.m. in the Weinberg Auditorium at the IOA’s senior campus, 3575 Geary Boulevard in San Francisco. The free event will feature a live band, performances from wellknown local LGBTQ artists, line dancing, and dance music from every generation. “For many of our older LGBTQ clients, senior prom was a fraught event,” IOA Executive Director Tom Briody said in a news release. “They couldn’t take whom they really wanted to their senior prom, or even wear what they really wanted – or if they did, they faced serious risk of shaming, harassment, and even physical assault. Through the LGBTQ Senior Prom, we want to celebrate and honor our LGBTQ elders, offer them a chance to reclaim lost opportunities, and help create some happier memories for the future.” Refreshments and non-alcoholic beverages will be provided. Free shuttle transportation is available from several locations around the city that will take people to the prom and bring them back.

The center has also been a central location for planning and preparing for Sunday’s march. The march is a grassroots effort backed by individual donors, inkind donations from community organizations, and sales of equality march merchandise, organizers said. The event cost $18,000 to produce, according to Aubineau. “It’s really important to have a strong visual of support for the LGBTQ community,” said Maribel Martinez, a queer two-spirit woman who is director of the Santa Clara County Office of LGBTQ Affairs. She invoked the LGBT community’s history of rising up against and resisting discrimination and prejudice from the Stonewall Riots to the massacre at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida last year.

“I think for many, it’s an opportunity to come together and have that message of equality be visualized,” she said at the news conference. Martinez expressed her gratitude that the county’s LGBT community is supported by its elected officials and people in general. “When it comes to the LGBT community there is no better place to be than here in Santa Clara County,” said Santa Clara County Supervisor Dave Cortese, a straight ally. “We want to keep it that way.” Nathan Svoboda, president of Project More Foundation, agreed. “We are a progressive LGBTQ community here,” he said. “We want to make sure that we are seen and given opportunities to speak and be represented, have a voice that is heard and seen.”

Everyone is welcome

Milk SFO panel holds second meeting

Advisory Committee indicated it would recommend the city name the airport’s first of four terminals and the access road in honor of Milk, as the B.A.R. reported at the time. That sentiment only strengthened at its second meeting June 7, where the panel heard from airport staff about the redesign of Terminal 1, which is currently undergoing a $2.4 billion remodel that will be unveiled in stages through 2024, starting with a new entrance building in late 2019 or early 2020. The naming of a Milk terminal grew out of a compromise struck in 2013 between gay former Supervisor David Campos and Mayor Ed Lee. Campos initially proposed renaming SFO in honor of Milk,

but after his idea was met with lukewarm support, he reached an agreement with Lee to only name a terminal in honor of the gay icon and form a naming committee to recommend which one. It wasn’t until this year that Lee named his five appointees to the panel, allowing it to begin meeting. It has three months to vote on a Milk terminal and can opt to remain meeting for an additional 15 months in order to recommend names for the other three terminals and additional airport facilities. The panel plans to hold its next meeting in late June or mid-July, at which it is expected to approve its Milk terminal naming recommendation. t

Wednesday morning the advisory panel tasked with picking which terminal at San Francisco International Airport should be named after the late Supervisor Harvey Milk met for the second time. The members continue to eye the under renovation Terminal 1 as the most appropriate choice. They also favor naming the airport’s access road after Milk, who was the first openly gay elected official in San Francisco. He was assassinated in November 1978 less than a year into his first term. At its first meeting in April, the nine-person Airport Facilities Naming

Organizers said that everyone is welcome to participate in Sunday’s march. “We want to make sure the Bay Area feels welcome,” said Svoboda. “We are hosting, but we want to make sure all the Bay Area communities of LGBTQ and allies are welcome and feel like they have a place to come to that day and have their voices heard.” At the rally, marchers will be able to learn about what their community leaders and elected officials are doing to protect their rights as well as meet with representatives of community organizations and countywide agencies that provide services to the South Bay’s LGBT community, organizers said. “I think it’s an event that will make people think,” said Antolovich.t

SFGH foundation seeking artist submissions for ‘Hearts’

The San Francisco General Hospital Foundation has announced that it is seeking artist submissions for the 2018 “Hearts in San Francisco” project. The series will include six large hearts, six table-top hearts, and an all-new concept consisting of 24 mini heart sculptures. The mini hearts will be designed by eight artists in the theme “A Tribute to San Francisco: Past, Present, and Future.” Donors and art enthusiasts will have the option of purchasing one mini heart individually or as a set of three. The hearts will be auctioned in February at the annual Heroes and Hearts luncheon, with proceeds benefiting the life-enhancing programs and initiatives at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. t The deadline for artist submissions is Tuesday, August 1. For artwork guidelines, official regulations, and artist applications, visit https://sfghf.org/events/create-a-heart/.

The march kicks off at 11 a.m. at San Jose City Hall, , 200 E. Santa Clara Street, and proceeds down 4th Street to the rally at Cesar E. Chavez Plaza. The rally ends at 3 p.m. For more information, visit https://domoreproject.org. Free shuttle buses are available from San Francisco and Oakland to San Jose. Space is limited. Registration is required. The shuttles will depart from the San Francisco LGBT Community Center, 1800 Market Street, and Oakland from the MacArthur BART station. Buses leave from their respective locations at 9 a.m. and return from Plaza de Cesar E. Chavez in San Jose at 4 p.m. To register, contact Alex U. Inn at themommasboyz@gmail.com, or visit www. equalitymarchsj.org.

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 election of a transgender man and bisexual woman as chairs of the CA Democratic Party’s LGBT Caucus. 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) 8298836 or e-mail m.bajko@ebar.com.

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Community News>>

Sonoma Pride

From page 10

emphasized that, “an attack on the LGBTQI community is an attack on my family, and the same is true of attacks on the immigrant community or Muslim Americans.” “LGBT rights are human rights,” she added, “and we can’t stand still while the clock is rolled back 50 years.” She also talked passionately about her particular concern for the dangers of suicide among trans youth. Sonoma County District Attorney Jill Ravitch, a lesbian, discussed increasing incidents of hate speech and said, “When there is hateful speech directed at us, we need to explain who we are and not walk away.” Bismark Ernesto, 19, was the youngest speaker and is an undocumented trans AfroLatinx youth who’s the lead organizer for the North Bay Immigrant Youth Union in Santa Rosa. “We heard from our teachers that we should just keep our head down,” Ernesto explained, “but we are not here just to survive but to thrive.” Ernesto also pointed out that

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Pulse anniversary

From page 1

A vigil will be held Monday, June 12 in the Castro. Called “Honor Them with Action,” the event takes place from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Castro and 18th streets. Organizers said there would be no formal program or speakers, but that community members are invited to gather “in remembrance, but also with renewed commitment to take action, both individually and collectively, to help end anti-LGBTQ bias and bigotry in our community, our country, and around the world.” Also in San Francisco, dozens of artists have found a way to remember the 49 people who died by creating portraits of them. Drag queen Juanita More! and artist Kirk Maxson invited people to make the images for an exhibit at the Fort Mason General’s Residence, 1 Fort Mason. The Monday event, which is being promoted as a celebration, will include performances, music, and drinks. (For more, see the story in BARtab.) “The shooting at Pulse Nightclub hit me hard because I had spent years in the 1990s lip-synching in drag at clubs” in San Francisco, particularly at the former Trannyshack drag show at the Stud bar, Maxson said. “After seeing all the names and faces of the people that passed that night at Pulse” on TV several days later, Maxson added, “I created a 14-foot sculpture made of aluminum flowers that spelled out the word Pulse. I wanted to honor and pay respect to those that were killed in the most disrespectful way. And I was impressed with all the other people who felt the same way and were sharing their art on social media. A year later I wanted to do my part to honor those that had fallen at Pulse and to give the opportunity for other artist to participate.” The money raised from portrait sales will go to the Q Foundation and the LGBT Asylum Project.

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Business Briefs

From page 8

grow. Each stem is shipped with its own water tube to ensure maximum freshness. The company works with sustainable growers in southern California and monitors “every step of our roses’ journey and do not permit our roses to be handled outside of our supervision,” according to its website. It offers different colored roses, several themed to Disney films, all of which arrive in specially designed boxes. Roseshire ships its bouquets

President Barack Obama deported more undocumented immigrants than previous presidents and lamented that the situation has been dire for some time. In a more optimistic tone, Mandi Camille Hauwert discussed using her distinction as San Quentin’s first transgender officer to improve the treatment of trans-identified people by law enforcement. But Hauwert insisted, “The Trump administration is a threat to our entire community.”

Parade

The Unity March and Pride parade capped off the weekend Sunday, June 4. Handmade floats and folks with elaborate costumes marched along Main Street. The parade was led by the grand marshals and featured emcee Angelique Rivera, the president of the Russian River Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. Rivera kept the commentary going fast and funny for about 90 minutes in front of a crowd she estimated as slightly over 1,000. Though much smaller than the San Francisco Pride parade, contingents included many local organizations and businesses, plus local chapters Also Monday in San Francisco, Contigo: A Queer, Latinx Fundraiser in Honor of Pulse Nightclub will be held from 9 p.m. to 2 am. at El Rio, 3158 Mission Street. There will be a sliding scale of $5 to $25. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. All proceeds will go to a local organization that’s to be determined and QLatinx, an Orlando-based group that’s “dedicated to the advancement and empowerment of Orlando’s LGBTQ+ Latinx community,” according to Contigo organizers. “This night is about celebrating our queerness, our brown and blackness, and the beautiful lives we lost at Pulse nightclub,” organizers said. The event will include music stylings by Brown Amy, Vin Sol, and others. In San Jose, gay Santa Clara County Supervisor Ken Yeager will be among the speakers at a Pulse anniversary event at the Billy DeFrank LGBTQ Community Center, 938 The Alameda. “We will also discuss what the county is doing to combat stigma of those who identify as LGBTQ, as well as those who are HIV-positive,” said Yeager in a recent newsletter. The event runs from 7 to 9 p.m. Visit www.defrankcenter.org for more information. Also online, the free LGBT Wellness Summit (http://lgbtwellnesssummit. com) is being offered through June 12. The summit, which started June 5, includes more than 30 speakers including Pulse survivors Terry De Carlo and Angel Colon. In a news release, summit cofounder Lori Morrison said, “Our experts at this event will provide support and clarity for you, your friends and your family members to create, repair and strengthen the important relationships in your life, including the one you have with yourself.” The online event will provide education on stigma, gender identity, and other topics.

June 8-14, 2017 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 15

of groups like PFLAG and the Indivisibles, a group that is opposed to Trump. The highlight of the afternoon celebration was a talk by Dowling, who was featured on the cover of Men’s Health magazine. Dowling, 29, spoke about his life and journey to “start matching his male outsidedness with his insidedness.” He talked about his self-harming behavior during early adolescence and the painful irony about having to “admit to gender identity disorder, listed in medical books as an illness, to get into therapy.” He also talked about the competition to appear as a model in Men’s Health and the significance of a trans man being selected for the first time after his candidacy received the most online votes. The Pride celebration continued with singers, drag king and drag queen performances, and music DJ’d by Lady Char. Since the site included access to the Russian River and the temperature had reached a balmy 85 degrees, people were jumping in the river throughout the afternoon. t

Officials remember victims

As organizers prepare for events in the Bay Area, some of California’s LGBT community leaders shared their thoughts on the Pulse anniversary. Gay San Francisco Supervisor Jeff Sheehy, whose District 8 includes the Castro, said in an email, “One year ago, a gunman walked into one of our safe spaces – Pulse nightclub in Orlando – and opened fire on the young people who gathered there. As we remember the victims and support survivors – many of whom were Latinx or trans – we must also recommit to doing everything we can to end senseless gun violence in our communities.” Rick Zbur, executive director of the LGBT lobbying group Equality California, stated, “One year ago, the worst mass shooting in U.S. history forced our community to confront the fact that the sickeningly repetitive cycle of American gun violence is itself an LGBTQ issue. In response, Equality California launched its #SafeAndEqual initiative to support stricter gun safety laws in California, resulting in the passage of six bills that give our state the nation’s strictest gun protections.” However, Zbur said, “progress has been far slower” nationally. He pointed to an incident in Orlando Monday in which John Robert Neumann Jr., 45, fatally shot five people before taking his own life. Gay Assemblyman Evan Low (DCampbell), who chairs the Legislative LGBT Caucus, said in an email, “The Pulse nightclub shooting was a devastating reminder of the hate and violence our community has endured for decades. Reflecting on the senseless attack one year later, I am struck by the determined resilience, strength and pride among my LGBT brothers and sisters as well as the compassion and support from our allies all across the political spectrum. In the face of hate, we continue to stand tall together and remember to not just be out but speak out.”t

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037593500

Cynthia Laird

Bay Area Reporter administrative assistant Colleen Small Bogitini arranges rainbow roses from Roseshire.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037604900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PROGRESSIVE PALATES, 17 SAN ANDREAS WAY, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94127. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed NICOLE COOPER. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/10/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/10/17.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MR INVITE, 828 TAYLOR ST #22, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed BRIAN HICKEY. 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 05/19/17.

MAY 18, 25, JUN 01, 08, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037577400

MAY 25, JUNE 01, 08, 15, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037580500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE CONFIDENT SPEAKER, 1740 BROADWAY #305, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed RICHARD R. BANNIN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/28/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/28/17.

MAY 18, 25, JUN 01, 08, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037597200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ESQUIRED LEGAL SEARCH, 2443 FILLMORE ST #3804769, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed EMMA RAIMI-ZLATIC. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/11/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/12/17.

MAY 18, 25, JUN 01, 08, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037594100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LALLY EVENTS, 3018 BAKER ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LALLY CLARK. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/01/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/11/17.

MAY 18, 25, JUN 01, 08, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037590600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HAIR BY ANTHONY SF, 1504 CHURCH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94131. This business is conducted by an individual and is signed ANTHONY SENADOS CUEVAS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/01/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/09/17.

MAY 18, 25, JUN 01, 08, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037581500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: POP UPS UNLIMITED, 1214 POLK ST #315, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DERRIK SOARES. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/02/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/03/17.

MAY 18, 25, JUN 01, 08, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037567600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: QUIETROCK VIDEO PRODUCTION, 2045 ASCOT DR #A, MORAGA, CA 94556. This business is conducted by a married couple, and is signed VALERIIA KHARLAMOVA & ALEKSEI KHARLAMOVA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/21/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/21/17.

MAY 18, 25, JUN 01, 08, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037591000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: RAB MOTORS, 1307 EVANS ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a joint venture, and is signed RAMONA L. ADDISON & CANDICE M. WILLIAMS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/01/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/09/17.

MAY 18, 25, JUN 01, 08, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037596500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HOTEL ZOE, 425 NORTH POINT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed CREEDENCE LESSEE 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 05/12/17.

MAY 18, 25, JUN 01, 08, 2017 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-17-553055

priority, overnight via FedEx and will do so for free on orders of more than a dozen sent to addresses in the continental U.S. A dozen Love roses, which vary in length from 17 inches to 25 inches, cost $110 plus shipping. To order, visit https://www.roseshire.com/.t Got a tip on LGBT business news? Call Matthew S. Bajko at (415) 8298836 or e-mail m.bajko@ebar.com.

Legal Notices>>

In the matter of the application of: ANTHONY O’NEAL LEWIS, 1180 HOWARD ST #510, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner ANTHONY O’NEAL LEWIS, is requesting that the name TRINAROSE SOJOURNER TRUTH LEWIS AKA TRINAROSE LEWIS AKA TRINA LEWIS AKA TRINAROSE S. LEWIS, be changed to TRINA ROSE LEWIS. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514, Room 514 on the 25th of July 2017 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

MAY 25, JUNE 01, 08, 15, 2017

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MILE HAWAIIAN BBQ, 91 6TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed BRIAN ZHAO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/02/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/02/17.

MAY 25, JUN 01, 08, 15, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037600000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: WENDY HEFFNER LMFT, 2282 UNION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed WENDY HEFFNER. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/17/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/17/17.

MAY 25, JUN 01, 08, 15, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037598300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: DOMAINPROPICKS, 268 BUSH ST #2511, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94104. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ALBERT CLARK. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/08/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/15/17.

MAY 25, JUN 01, 08, 15, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037604300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE UNDERGROUND SMOKE SHOP & GIFT, 875B O’FARRELL ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ADNAN S. RAMAHI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/29/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/19/17.

MAY 25, JUN 01, 08, 15, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037603900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: YMSF, 1905 PACIFIC AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed TIERSA NUREYEV & YVONNE MOUSER. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/15/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/19/17.

MAY 25, JUN 01, 08, 15, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037595600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: COMMUNITY, A WALGREENS PHARMACY #15296, 2262 MARKET ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed WALGREEN CO. (IL). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/23/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/11/17.

MAY 25, JUN 01, 08, 15, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037602600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: INTOACTIONS LLC, 1850 PAGE ST #2, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed INTOACTIONS LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/01/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/18/17.

MAY 25, JUN 01, 08, 15, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037612000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: AUNTIE AUBEE’S APOTHECARY AND SLOW JAMS, 75 VICKSBURG ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ELIZABETH SUMMERS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/24/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/25/17.

JUNE 01, 08, 15, 22, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037611300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MAYA RICO BY LUCHO, 2071 20TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed KELLY MARIA BARBIERI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/24/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/24/17.

JUNE 01, 08, 15, 22, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037610500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BAYWORKS PLUMBING, 43 RANDOLPH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94132. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed BORIS AUGUSTIN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/24/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/24/17.

JUNE 01, 08, 15, 22, 2017

<< Classifieds

16 • BAY AREA REPORTER • June 8-14, 2017

Classifieds>> FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037600700

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037608900

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037608200

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037613500

t

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037623700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: EYEBROW CARE, 3401 CESAR CHAVEZ ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed TARA THAPA & BISSU SAPKOTA CHHETRI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/17/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/17/17.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: POKE ORIGIN, 716 IRVING ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed TAKUYA INVESTMENT INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/23/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/23/17.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MCH DEVELOPMENT, 850 RANKIN ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed MCH DEVELOPMENT, 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 05/23/17.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: KARISSA BIESCHKE DESIGN, 106 PARNASSUS AVE #9, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed KARISSA NICOLE BIESCHKE. 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 05/25/17.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HAYES CLEANERS, 68 EVERGLADE DR, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94132. This business is conducted by a married couple, and is signed MANPING ZHOU & ZAITONG TANG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/01/02. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/02/17.

JUNE 01 08, 15, 22, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037615200

JUNE 01, 08, 15, 22, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037609000

JUNE 01, 08, 15, 22, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037604700

JUNE 08, 15, 22, 29, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037613100

JUNE 08, 15, 22, 29, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037616900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SIMPLYSHE, 149 NEW MONTGOMERY ST 4TH FL, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed MISSION PETS, INC (DE). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/01/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/26/17.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: POKE BOWL, 3251 20TH AVE #250A, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94132. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed POKE STONE INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/23/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/23/17.

JUNE 01, 08, 15, 22, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037607500

JUNE 01, 08, 15, 22, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037603100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: KOJA KITCHEN SF, 865 MARKET ST #FE10, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed SET KJ INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/22/17.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: DESIGN THEORY HARDWARE, 336 HAYES ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed CANAUSSIE INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/01/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/18/17.

JUNE 01, 08, 15, 22, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037608300

JUNE 01, 08, 15, 22, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037609300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BLACK SERUM, 310 VALENCIA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed BLACK SERUM LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/19/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/19/17.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SAN FRANCISCO BOOTBLACK; MS. SAN FRANCISCO BOOTBLACK, 10439 SW 42ND AVE, PORTLAND, OR 97219. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ELIZABETH SIBLEY. 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 05/25/17.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SAN FRANCISCO ART BOOK FAIR LLC, 1150 25TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed SAN FRANCISCO ART BOOK FAIR LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/24/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/30/17.

JUNE 01, 08, 15, 22, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037606400

JUNE 08, 15, 22, 29, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037611400

JUNE 08, 15, 22, 29, 2017 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-037415200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: A.G.D. GENERAL CONTRACTOR, 1509 DOLORES ST #1, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ANTONIO DAVIS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/22/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/22/17.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: J POWER ELECTRICAL, 742 KIRKWOOD AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed CARLOS JIMENEZ. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/25/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/25/17.

JUNE 08, 15, 22, 29, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037616000

JUNE 08, 15, 22, 29, 2017 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-037620900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HERNANDEZ ENGINEERING, 850 RANKIN ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed M. HERNANDEZ CONSTRUCTION, INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/08/09. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/23/17.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SCOTT STREET PROPERTIES, 230 SCOTT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by a married couple, and is signed ANGUS WHYTE & THOMAS GREXA PHILLIPS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/05/07. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/24/17.

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24

Priscilla time

Chorus men

ebar.com

Out &About

Surely he jests

22

O&A

20

Vol. 47 • No. 23 • June 8-14, 2017

Jenny Anderson

www.ebar.com/arts

Stardust in his eyes by Richard Dodds

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en Rimalower has had Patti issues for most of his life, from a harrowing childhood to an obsessed adolescence, and now to a career in which “Patti Issues” is a main claim to fame. The Patti, by the way, is Patti LuPone, and Rimalower will take audiences down the twisty memory lane of his particular Patti issues at Feinstein’s at the Nikko on June 9 and 10. See page 22 >>

Patti LuPone pays Ben Rimalower a backstage visit after one of his performances of “Patti Issues” in New York.

Ballet on both sides of the Bay

San Francisco Ballet School students in Helgi Tomasson’s “Meistens Mozart” for the 2017 Student Showcase.

by Paul Parish

Erik Tomasson

S

an Francisco is the major center for dance outside New York. Probably the most important reason we stay at that level is the outstanding quality of the company that bears its name. But maybe just as important is the quality of the School of the San Francisco Ballet, the oldest professional ballet academy in the country. It was founded in 1933 by Gaetano Merola, director of the newly founded San Francisco Opera, to provide dancers for their productions. At the same time, the school produced many graduates who could teach ballet and thus create the core of the audience. See page 28 >>

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Call Scott Wazlowski at (415) 829-8937 or email advertising@ebar.com for more information. Untitled-5 1

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5/31/17 11:11 AM

<< Out There

18 • Bay Area Reporter • June 8-14, 2017

Art adventurer

Best Wedding Photographer as voted by BAR readers

by Roberto Friedman

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2print-BBB_BAR_051117.pdf

1

4/24/17

9:14 AM

GBT Pride Month has kicked off with a great start. Last week Out There attended the CBS Bay Area LGBTQ Pride Reception at KPIXTV studios, a festive affair. The party happened also to be the last public function for retiring KPIX general manager Bruno Cohen, appropriate since Cohen was the station’s news director back during the early days of the AIDS epidemic, when his reporter Hank Plante was out in front of most local TV news coverage. Later in the week, we could be found in the stylish crowd for the 10th anniversary PG&E Pride party held at Bentley Reserve, invited there by man-about-town Mark Rhoades. Open bars, passed hors d’oeuvres, vogueing by dancer Jose Gutierez Xtravaganza: truly a swank soiree. OK, LGBT Pride Month: We’re off to the gay races.

Art dreams Steven_2x5.indd 1

5/26/17 9:15 AM

Gallerist, curator and museum director Walter Hopps was key to introducing the West Coast to 20th-century art. Now “The Dream Colony – A Life in Art,” edited by Deborah Treisman, lets Hopps tell his story in his own words, taken from interviews with Anne Doran, with an introduction by Ed Ruscha (Bloomsbury). Hopps’ Ferus Gallery in LA was the first to show Andy Warhol’s “Campbell’s Soup Cans.” He went on to lead the Pasadena Art Museum, the Corcoran Gallery in DC, and the Menil Collection in Houston. This memoir recounts his close relationships with artists such as Barnett Newman, Marcel Duchamp and Edward Kienholz, and his indispensible energies in bringing their cutting-edge work to the public. “Surprisingly, there’s a real tradition of art collecting in California,” Hopps said. Savvy Hollywood col-

lectors included George Gershwin, Charles Laughton, Billy Wilder, and Vincent Price. “In my own generation, Dennis Hopper was the first person in the film industry to get involved with the new abstract art, Frank Stella and others, particularly Pop Art.” Hopper lost most of his collection when he divorced his first wife, Brooke Hayward. Hopps also installed a show at the old National Collection of Fine Arts, which was located in the back of the Natural History Museum in the Smithsonian, behind a huge stuffed elephant. “When you left the show you had to look right at the asshole of the elephant.” Just like today’s national politics. There’s a Bay Area connection: Hopps’ family came from England, settling in Oakland during the Gold Rush. One relative created the stained-glass dome for the San Francisco department store City of Paris, which later became Neiman Marcus. Aesthetic curiosity was in his blood.

Swing art

Out There returned for a second time to see the exhibit “Stuart Davis: In Full Swing” at the de

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Young Museum, where it remains on view through Aug. 6. It’s a visual and artistic delight, in return as in first impression. Davis is one of those rare artists who are as important in art history, in terms of innovation and genius, as his work is immediately pleasing and absorbing to the eye. The early concentration he brought to common, commercially made objects such as spark plugs and razors presaged Pop Art by many years. His intuitive, harmoniously arranged “all-over” design across a canvas got there before Jackson Pollack found the same solution in abstract art. You see Davis taking the lessons of cubism and European modernism and making them all his own, and putting them in an American context. But then his paintings absolutely pop along the gallery wall. His brave use of colors reflects the Jazz Age aesthetic of being in the groove, of “It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing.” His use of design motifs and imagery through many series of paintings is almost musical. Even his signature becomes a design element early in his career. You see it skittering around the canvas, appearing in various rotations, in mirror image. The artwork around it reaches out and welcomes your gaze. Davis’ obvious delight in language, in signage and lettering, and numerals, too, helped usher in an aesthetic sensibility and an art world in which Pop Art, conceptualism and minimalism became possible. He truly was the most important American artist of the first half of the 20th century. Warhol was that of the second half; they rhyme with each other somehow. The traveling version of the exhibition at the de Young is edited down from the larger version of it that Out There saw at the National Gallery of Art last winter. There, it sprawled across galleries that echoed with the cadences of Duke Ellington, from a video about Davis that draws out his connections to jazz. The same video plays the SF show, muted in a room at the end of the gallery.t

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Courtesy Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

Stuart Davis (1892-1964), “Visa” (1951), oil on canvas, part of “Stuart Davis: In Full Swing.”

On the web

This week, find Out & About online at ebar.com.

Images: © AMNH/C. Chesek © AMNH 2014

A new, prehistoric exhibit | Now Open It’s amazing what a fossil can reveal. With massive, life-size models, an interactive flight simulator, real pterosaur fossils, and more—this new exhibit will leave a lasting impression. Fossilized forever, but only here for a limited time. Get tickets at calacademy.org Pterosaurs: Flight in the Age of Dinosaurs is organized by the American Museum of Natural History, New York (amnh.org)

27727-CAS-Pterosaurs-Scaph-Bay Area Reporter-9.75x16-06.01.17-FA.indd 1

6/1/17 2:38 PM

<< Music

20 • Bay Area Reporter • June 8-14, 2017

Anguished commitment & gorgeous tone by Philip Campbell

T

he San Francisco Opera’s summer season opened last week with a tepid and carefully staged revival of Giuseppe Verdi’s enduring classic “Rigoletto.” The goodlooking production, with striking designs by Michael Yeargan, is making a fifth appearance at the War Memorial Opera House after an absence of only five years. There

are still many good reasons to bring the old favorite back, and chief among them is the opportunity to hear fresh talent in roles steeped in performance tradition and usually associated with more famous singers of the past. Memories of Serbian baritone Željko Lucic in the last SFO incarnation may not be erased by Quinn Kelsey’s current assumption of the title role, but the alumnus

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of the 2002 Merola Opera Program brings a markedly different dimension to Verdi’s tortured character. The sheer power of his remarkably beautiful voice commands our attention and sympathy whenever he appears, and thankfully, that is most of the time. Fitted well in a modified costume (is Rigoletto’s physical deformity now considered outré?) and employing subtle histrionics, Kelsey’s anguished commitment and gorgeous tone meet the acting requirements, and he uses his relative youth to advantage. In the dark but colorfully effective lighting by Gary Marder, it is never hard to locate the central character onstage, and outgoing music director Nicola Luisotti frames Kelsey’s riveting performance (and everyone else’s) with customary support. There are several other Merolini in the cast, and it speaks well of the SFO’s admirable promotion of the successful program and its promising participants. New Zealander and Samoan-born tenor Pene Pati (Merola 2013) is a secondyear SFO Adler Fellow with another big assignment. His clear and pleasing Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera voice is a bit small for the War Memorial auditorium, Quinn Kelsey in the title role of Verdi’s “Rigoletto” for San Francisco Opera. and his acting is bland. His imposing physicality fits Sparafucile and his honky-tonk arley has given the nasty courtiers the part better, and director sister Maddelena, are convincingly some amusing stage business, and Rob Kearley (SFO debut) sensibly portrayed. Bass Andrea Silvestrelli they always sing exceptionally well. positions him downstage for all of and another Merola alum and reThe choristers supply a muchVerdi’s biggest hits. Pati’s turn with cent Adler Fellow, mezzo-soprano needed sense of menace to the “La donna e mobile” (you’re probZanda Švede, do the hapless heroine proceedings. ably humming it right now) perks in with chilling abandon. SilvesMaking her SFO debut, soprano the audience, and electricity fills the trelli’s cavernous voice is especially Nino Machaidze fully employs her air. If the young tenor is cautious well-suited, and Švede, looking impressive dramatic lyric colorawith his characterization, at least it uncharacteristically fresh-faced, still tura range to imbue Gilda, Rigois in keeping with the new director’s sounds appropriately ruthless. letto’s rather dimwitted daughter, tweaking. Auckland news sources have with more depth than common. Maestro Luisotti is the real star called the marriage of “chart-topWe always cut the poor girl some of the performance, and if there ping tenor” Pene Pati to soprano slack because, when she isn’t locked is any lack of dramatic power onAmina Edris (second-year SFO up in the house, she only gets to go stage, listeners can still revel in his Adler Fellow) a “fairy-tale wedding.” to church. It is another Verdian red-blooded and thoroughly idiThe talented couple got to share blow to organized religion, for that omatic approach. We never cease some more magic moments onstage is where she meets the licentious to be amazed by Ian Robertson’s in “Rigoletto.” Amina sang the role Duke. It would probably be imposSFO Chorus members, either. Keof the Countess Ceprano. It was sible to spoil the plot, but let’s just hard to pick her out in the murky say Gilda pays the price for her inlighting, but it added some charmnocence. Machaidze makes us care ing back-story to the enthusiastiand almost understand her blind cally received opening night. devotion. “Rigoletto” continues in summer Characters in the subplot, involving the business-minded assassin repertory through Sat., July 1.t

From a writer on ABC’s How to Get Away with Murder and HBO’s Looking “An extremely prolific talent” —HUFFINGTON POST Two young men. A battle rages in the distance. Game on.

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Nino Machaidze as Gilda, and Pene Pati as the Duke of Mantua, in Verdi’s “Rigoletto” for San Francisco Opera.

<< Theatre

22 • Bay Area Reporter • June 8-14, 2017

Way out in the Outback by Richard Dodds

I

t’s an undertaking both ambitious and audacious, and while the results are wildly uneven, Theatre Rhino has gotten “Priscilla Queen of the Desert” up on its feet – and its high heels – with such an enthusiastic embrace that affection easily flows back from the audience. The musical, based on the 1994 movie, must be one of the theater’s most expensive ventures, from a replica of the tricked-out tour bus nicknamed Priscilla to the large cast that is forever changing into such a bizarre bazaar of costumes that you might wonder if there isn’t a sweatshop operating in the Eureka Theatre’s basement. The original film was a lowbudget Australian production that gradually found a worldwide audience with its story of three depleted professional drag performers who team up for a final grand adventure. Aboard their festively festooned old bus, they leave queer-friendly Sydney for a gig at a casino resort on a route that takes them through dusty towns populated mainly with Outback rednecks. While at first he keeps it secret from his colleagues, tour organizer Tick has a personal agenda for making the trip. The musical mirrors the movie in important plot points, but an oddly stocked jukebox has been

<<

Patti Issues

From page 17

As a child in the San Fernando Valley, Rimalower began his Patti LuPone obsession when he bought the “Evita” cast album that was heard nonstop in a household in the process of imploding. As a teenager who’d regularly visited family in

raided for songs that are shoehorned into the story with varying degrees of logic. Theatre Rhino uses prerecorded musical accompaniment with a full-orchestra sound that can highlight weaknesses in the cast’s vocal abilities. In solos, the three leads can get by in their efforts, with sincerity often providing a compensating factor. When more of the cast is pulled in, usually in the big disco numbers, the fuller sound provides more leeway for any imprecision. John Fisher’s direction isn’t exactly tight, either, but within his trafficcop duties he provides David Wilson room for the performers to find the human- Rudy Guerrero, left, Charles Peoples III, and Darryl V. Jones play three drag ity in their roles. Rudy performers who set out on an adventure through the Australian outback in Guerrero plays Tick, the Theatre Rhino’s “Priscilla Queen of the Desert.” impetus for the on-theroad adventure, with an authentic Aussie accent the flirty and flitty Adam, the most and kindness as Bob, an auto meand commitment to his story’s outrageous of the trio. Much of the chanic in the middle of nowhere, deeper emotional components. As humor in the show falls to bitchy who fixes the broken-down bus and the senior member of the trio, a rewisecracks, and timing and delivery becomes enamored of the stately cently widowed transsexual, Darryl can be a problem all around. Bernadette. As Bob’s mail-order V. Jones brings a matronly gravitas Most of the other actors play mulwife, Crystal Liu scores big laughs to Bernadette, and delivers several tiple roles, and there are several who with her sweet-and-sour demeanor ballads in heartfelt fashion. A spry if stand out in their showcase parts. and a certain performance skill unpolished Charles Peoples III plays Cameron Weston exudes warmth honed in sex shows for tourists in

New York, his fantasy moved to the reality of being able to see LuPone as Norma Desmond in “Sunset Boulevard,” in which she was to recreate her London role. “I had been sitting there in calculus class drawing in my notebook pictures of Patti LuPone winning the Tony for ‘Sunset Boulevard,’ and then an Oscar for the movie of ‘Evita,’” he said. “When

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she got fired, I was devastated. And it gave me a sense of being protective over her.” As the years went by, he took it personally by what he saw as egregious miscasting of Bernadette Peters in Broadway revivals of “Annie Get Your Gun” and “Gypsy,” roles that Rimalower thought rightfully belonged to LuPone. “After ‘Anything Goes,’ I thought Patti should be carrying on the Ethel Merman mantle, and it just seemed so unfair.” But after Rimalower dropped out of UC Berkeley in favor of a theater internship that would take him to New York, he got the chance not only to work with LuPone on several projects, but to become friendly with her, hindered, perhaps from the stardust he couldn’t quite shake from his Valley Boy’s eyes. “I think she considers me a friend,” he said, “but to me, she’ll always be a goddess first, friend second. I mean, I’m thinking about Patti LuPone all the time.” Rimalower began performing “Patti Issues” at the Duplex nitery in Greenwich Village in 2012, and he regularly returns there to perform both “Patti Issues” and a second solo show, “Bad with Money,” in which he brings a comic, self-deprecating edge to his spending addictions, which have remained harder to corral than his drug and alcohol abuse. Bad checks, credit card fraud, and even prostitution in San Francisco while a student at Berkeley were among the ways he paid for what he couldn’t afford. But “Patti Issues,” a word play on “daddy issues,” has a wider trajectory and darker origins even as comedy remains the primary means of expression. “I’ve had a lot of issues, but I’ve always been cheerful and mostly been functional,” he said. “My childhood was very stressful, and I think that was my survival tactic.” Rimalower was born in New York, but his family moved to Los Angeles when he was 6. “My father wanted to come out of the closet away from his oppressive parents,” he said. “My mother thought they were moving for the sunshine.”

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her homeland. Mary Kalita quickly creates an inviting character in a brief appearance as Tick’s sort-ofsecret wife who runs the resort in Alice Springs. AeJay Mitchell’s choreography is an eclectic and high-energy mix of styles, from hoedown stomping to a melange of disco-esque steps that the cast performs, if not in graceful unison, with a brass and bounce that rattles the floorboards. The scenery is minimal, except for the massive rotating bus that is an impressive feat in Gilbert Johnson’s set design. And then there are the costumes. Oh my, the costumes. Robert Horek is listed as costumier, but there are multiple additional credits for design and construction that will give you some idea of the uncategorizable phantasmagoria of apparel: headdresses by Glenn Krumbholz, Gumbys by Cindy Preiado, diva finale by Daisy Neske, and cupcakes by Larry Jean. Cupcakes? Well, someone did leave the cake out in the rain, and doesn’t that deserve a full-blown musical number with frosting and sprinkles on the top?t “Priscilla Queen of the Desert” will run at the Eureka Theatre through July 1. Tickets are $15$40. Call (800) 838-3006 or go to therhino.org.

were friendly-ish, and have reconnected at different points, but just not in a way that has lasted. To say I don’t care is disingenuous, but I’m resolved to it.” Rimalower has performed “Patti Issues” several times in the Bay Area, but his upcoming gig at Feinstein’s is the most upscale venue. He was represented at the old Plush Room with his production of “Leslie Kritzer Is Patti LuPone at Les Mouches,” with Kritzer offering a recreation of LuPone’s long-running Midnight cabaret show after Saturday performances in “Evita” in 1980. Lupone had given Rimalower a grainy video of one of the performances, and with LuPone’s blessing, he and Kritzer brought back to life the idiosyncratic performances, repertoire, arrangements, and patter – cocaine-fueled, Rimalower has no doubt – that became performance art in the Kritzer recreation. But when a deal was struck to record the new performance, LuPone “freaked out and put the kibosh on it,” Rimalower said. “Not that I deceived her, but she thought it was going to be a cute one-night-stand and not become so successful.” A lawsuit was mentioned, something noted in “Patti Issues,” but the story had a happened ending. “It seemed a crime that the Les Mouches thing would remain this secret legend,” he said. But working with audiotapes made during her Midnight performances, and cleaning them up with modern technology, Rimalower was able to produce a recording of the real thing. Gustavo Monroy “I believe Patti’s words to me were, ‘My voice, recordings of Ben Rimalower relates a traumatic me, make it happen.’” childhood and eventual salvation Between performances of through Patti LuPone in “Patti his solo shows, Rimalower also Issues,” coming to Feinstein’s at the works as an actor and a director. Nikko on June 9 & 10. But no matter what else comes, he doesn’t see himself tiring of his Patti show. “Are you kidding? I’ll After his parents divorced, and he be doing this in my grave.” He does was adopted at age 10 by his mothhave a general idea for a third solo er’s second husband, he was mostly show. “I think the title is going to be estranged from his father. But in a ‘Smoking Cock.’”t you-can’t-make-this-stuff-up coda, when LuPone finally got her chance to play “Gypsy” in 2008, Rimalower Tickets for “Patti Issues” are discovered that his father was sitting available at (866) 663-1063 or ticketfly.com. right behind him in the theater. “We It was not an easy transition for Rimalower’s father despite the new surroundings. Alcohol, drugs, suicide attempts, and even a bit of arson were part of the household drama. “I was so traumatized by my father as a child, and in a way I also related to him because I was like him,” Rimalower said. “I think the powerful sort of scary female figure, like the Wicked Witch in ‘The Wizard of Oz,’ or Joan Collins on ‘Dynasty,’ that’s who I was attracted to as a little boy. And Patti on the ‘Evita’ album and commercials really exemplified that for me. I felt she was my dragon, even though she had that scary quality that reminded me of my father, but with Patti I felt empowered by it.”

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<< Music

24 • Bay Area Reporter • June 8-14, 2017

Chorales for challenging times by Brian Bromberger

W

ith the continual barrage of bad news coming out of Washington, we need some uplift, solace, and hopefulness. So we’re fortunate that the San Francisco-based, Grammy-winning male ensemble chorus Chanticleer is providing a mostly exhilarating spring tonic in its new concert “Psalm,” featuring music of “transcendent prayers of thanksgiving and consolation, psalms of happiness and paeans of praise.” While half of the program centered on Chanticleer’s piece de resistance, Renaissance polyphony, the second part spotlighted contemporary religious songs, with the highlight the world premiere of Pulitzer Prize-winner (for 1987’s “The Flight Into Egypt”) John Harbison’s first composition for Chanticleer, a choral interpretation of Psalm 116. Fittingly, this all-sacred music program was performed at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, with its neomedieval blend of Romanesque and Gothic architectural elements. The concert opened with 16thcentury composer Orlando di Lasso’s elaborate motet setting of “Jubilate Deo,” the joyful Psalm 100, gloriously sung to melodic perfection. It was followed by early-15th-century

Jean Mouton’s “Missa Alleluya,” a mass setting of the Sanctus that was simultaneously austere and harmonious. The lush “Tu es Petrus,” a gorgeous rendition of St. Peter’s commissioning by Jesus to build his church, written by Tomas Luis de Victoria, Spain’s most famous Renaissance composer, was a triumph. An Anglican chant setting of Psalm 84, “How lovely are thy dwellings,” by the early-20th-century English organist-composer Percy Carter Buck, oscillates strength with serenity. But it was placed in-between the Renaissance masterpieces, interrupting their sublime exuberance with its stately monophonic reverence. The piece might have been more effective set separately, later in the program. Returning to Spanish church polyphony with the 16th-century Cristobal de Morales’ “Vidi aquam,” an Eastertide motet in an alternating chant style, had an emotional wallop to it. We then shifted to Renaissance England with Tudor composer Thomas Weelkes’ haunting spiritual madrigal “When David Heard,” portraying King David’s intense mourning over the loss of his son Absalom. The sense of grief that echoed in the voices was penetrating. The next rendition was late-16th-century Thomas Morley’s passionate motet

Lisa Kohler

The men of Chanticleer male ensemble chorus.

“Laboravi in gemitu meo,” a musical impression of the rivers of tears described in Psalm 6. It seemed fitting for progressives in the age of Trump. The great 16th-century Italian master Palestrina provided the wellknown motet “Sicut cervus,” based on Psalm 42, showing Chanticleer’s mastery of contrapuntal technique. Then there was a seemingly radical shift to 20th-century American gay composer Virgil Thomson’s elegant, sincere arrangement of Psalm 23 in the traditional American folk hymn “My Shepherd Will Supply My Need.” Along with the “Jubilate Deo,” this consummate recital was the zenith of the evening. But what should have been the peak of the concert, Harbison’s

“Psalm 116,” was in fact its nadir. Its discordant melody was off-putting considering the gorgeous harmonies that preceded and concluded it. At almost 15 minutes, it became an exercise in perseverance. Not that it was not magnificently sung in all its intricate counterpoint cacophony. No doubt it was a thrilling vocal challenge for Chanticleer, but it was also a challenge for the audience to endure. We can call it the Trump moment of the evening. The choir rebounded with 20thcentury French composer and pianist Francis Poulenc’s harmonic composition “Quatre petites prieres de St. Francois d’Assise,” honoring the delicate devotional language of four short prayers of St. Francis of

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Assisi, a comforting balm after the harsh Harbison. The night ended with four arrangements of American spiritual songs, including former Chanticleer music director Joseph Jennings’ masterful reinvention of the traditional African American spiritual “Steal Away,” and three beautiful folk hymns arranged by conductor Robert Shaw and his frequent collaborator Alice Parker, with their inspirational shapenote rhythms, including “Hark, I Hear the Harps Eternal,” “I Will Arise and Go to Jesus,” and “Saints Bound for Heaven.” One is hesitant to single out individual voices in such a seamless blend of tonal luxuriance, but baritone Matthew Knickman in “Hark,” bass-baritone Marques Jerrell Ruff in “Steal Away,” and countertenor Adam Ward in “My Shepherd” were all outstanding solos, reflecting the brilliant leadership of music director William Fred Scott. All in all, a thrilling hour-and-a-half with only one blunder. So replenish your soul with an evening of healing and restoration during these trying times.t Chanticleer, “Psalm,” Sat., June 10, St. Stephen’s Church, Belvedere, CA. Sun., June 11, St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, SF. chanticleer.org.

This charming man by Tim Pfaff

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ulius Eastman is making a comeback as a front-line composer-performer, perhaps in the nick of time. The multi-talented

proto-minimalist, as he is now usually categorized, was eclipsed by the vastly greater popularity of his successors Steve Reich, Terry Riley and Philip Glass, a triad of white men now enjoying their late-life,

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even-year-birthday celebrations with tribute concerts, box sets and repeating rings of the cash register. Falling into the company of composers who ended short lives and even shorter careers in poverty, if not neglect, Eastman died alone in a charity hospital in Buffalo, NY, in 1990, age 49. Only last month Philadelphia hosted a festival of Eastman’s music; new recordings including previously unreleased live performances by Eastman himself continue to appear; archives of film and nonmusical documents are swelling; and YouTube is awash with recordings by the composer and musicians since. This unlikely if welcome revival is anchored in an as-unlikely medium, a university-press book, “Gay Guerilla: Julius Eastman and His Music” (U. of Rochester Press), edited by Renee Levine Packer and Mary Jane Leach. The book is scholarly in appropriate ways: documentation is complete, even heavy in places; there are detailed musical analyses; there are appendices detailing life and works. But the 12 main essays, by musicians, historians and scholars with some to considerable direct knowledge of Eastman the man, together give a picture of him – charismatic performer, magnetic personality and emotional escape artist – that puts his work in a context larger and more representative than just his trail-blazing for the trio of successful white guys to come. It also lays bare the ways he was not unique. Drugs and alcohol, professional unreliability and sexual promiscuity took him down, reducing a blazing artistic phenomenon to a more ordinary cautionary tale. A prodigy whose gift was recognized from childhood, Eastman had the good fortune to work with the major musicians and composers of his time. His piano teacher at Curtis was Mieczyslaw Horszowski (who gave him a B), and he worked and made music alongside composerperformers as illustrious and different as John Cage, Pierre Boulez and Frederic Rzewski. “Gay Guerilla” presents a composer influenced equally by the free jazz of John Coltrane and Miles Davis (whose legendary collabora-

tion, “Kind of Blue,” is now often deemed “minimal”) and disco, a performer of vast talent and limited discipline, a singer whose powerful voice was both a “sepulchral” bass and a keening falsetto, and a man so charming that he had to drive friends off, and did. His last residence was in a public park in which the other homeless men were so taken with him they’d save his place for his erratic returns. George E. Lewis, in a telling Foreword, describes Eastman as possessed of a “Sisyphean loneliness.” The descriptor “outrageous” also appears. Eastman’s prolific public career spanned the late 1960s to the mid-80s, during which time being African-American and an out gay man were fraught, dangerous, sometimes illegal propositions in the larger culture, and disfavored in the new-music world in which he made his mark. He put both minority identities in the listening public’s face, and some concerts of his music came without programs because the names of the pieces could not be printed. There was “Evil N-----,” “Crazy N-----” and “Stay on It,” the last to be part of a projected suite Eastman called “the n----- series.” In 1978 there was “N----- Faggot,” and on the posthumous collection album “Unjust Malaise” (an anagram of his name), “Gay Guerilla.” Packer’s 70-page biography, the opening chapter, makes for jawdropping reading, marshaling the facts, providing context, and giving a clear-eyed portrait of the man and artist. She begins by introducing the idea of the “trickster,” an archetypal amoral force that somehow makes things happen; she sees it reflected in both life and works. Eastman the genius-clown, the joker, resurfaces throughout the collected essays. More than once the

tale is told of Eastman’s late-career performance, for always-needed money, as bass soloist in the Bach Christmas Oratorio, when, for his final aria, he walked balletically to his place on the stage and improvised an aria to Bach’s text. David Borden, who contributes a weighty chapter on “Evil N-----,” elsewhere provides rich anecdotes. When, during a car trip, Philip Glass’ music came on the radio, Borden says Eastman exclaimed, “What kind of music is that? It sounds French!” As a YouTube search will attest, Eastman’s “Stay on It” “has quickly rushed to the head of the pack in listener popularity sweepstakes,” according to Matthew Mendez, who provides a substantive chapter on it. It appeared, Mendez notes, in 1973, “the very year disco is generally accepted to have emerged into mainstream consciousness.” Dubbing it “avant-disco,” he adds, “Eastman was also comfortable setting [the piece] off as an ‘inside joke’ for a primarily gay listenership.” For all its permutations, in Eastman’s own time and since, there’s a truth in the quote Mendez uses as the title of his chapter: “That Piece Does Not Exist without Julius.”t

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Music>>

June 8-14, 2017 • Bay Area Reporter • 25

Band practice by Gregg Shapiro

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Haley Grant and Kaylee Jesperson), is as soothing as a milk bath. The harmonies are gorgeous (“Diamond Ring” and the difficult “Birds of a Feather”), and the pair is not afraid to crank it up a bit when necessary (the subtle country-rock of “Mouthful of Cigarettes.”)t

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hen someone asks you who your favorite gay band is, what do you usually answer? Culture Club? Indigo Girls? Queen, led by gay Freddie Mercury? Fanny? Judas Priest, led by gay leather-clad Rob Halford? R.E.M., led by gay Michael Stipe? The B-52’s? Smokey? Husker Du? Pet Shop Boys? The Murmurs? The Runaways? Erasure? These names only scratch the surface of musical groups featuring all or mostly out members. Here are a few more current LGBTQ bands well worth your time and attention. Led by the brilliant Stephin Merritt, a cross between Stephen Sondheim and David Sedaris, The Magnetic Fields have been making music as a band in various formations since the early 1990s. Merritt, who has talent to burn, has other bands including Future Bible Heroes, The Gothic Archies and The Sixths, has released solo recordings, and has composed film and theater scores. The triple-disc set 69 Love Songs, released in 1999, was one of the Fields’ most ambitious and well-received projects. Merritt describes the equally impressive new five-disc set 50 Song Memoir (Nonesuch) as his “autobiography in 50 songs,” one for each year of his life. Disc one covers 1966-75, disc two covers 1976-85, and so on through 2015. As delightfully gay as ever, songs such as “Judy Garland” (disc 1), “Why I Am Not a Teenager” (disc 2), “Me and Fred and Dave and Ted” (disc 3), “Lovers’ Lies” (disc 4) and “You Can Never Go Back to New York” (disc 5) are just a few of the welcome additions to The Magnetic Fields’ massive songbook. At first when you hear the amazing song “Living in the City,” the second track on The Navigator (ATO) by Hurray for the Riff Raff, you might think you were listening to a new Michelle Shocked album, minus the religious fanaticism and homophobia. But you’d be wrong. Hurray for the Riff Raff is the creation of one person, Alynda Segarra, working with guest artists, including Yva Las Vegas. This folkpunk concept-album is Woody Guthrie meets David Bowie, as pop as it is political. Thrilling and theatrical (“Pa’lante” sounds like an homage to Hedwig’s “Midnight Radio”), international and inspirational (“Rican Beach”) and undeniably powerful (“Hungry Ghost”), The Navigator will leave you cheering. Returning with its first album since 2013’s Tales of Us, Goldfrapp, featuring queer lead vocalist Alison Goldfrapp, delivers the shiny Silver Tree (Mute). The 10 tracks effortlessly incorporate the band’s musical styles. Goldfrapp’s danceclub heartbeat pulses through “Anymore,” “Everything Is Never Enough,” and to a lesser degree, “Systemagic.” Goldfrapp’s synth experimentation can be felt on “Moon in Your Mouth” and “Tigerman.” The band’s warm chill-out side is represented by “Beast That Never Was” and “Faux Suede Drifter.” About U (RCA) by queer female trio MUNA is a blast from the 1980s past, from the vocoder on “Winterbreak” to the irresistibly persuasive dance energy of “Crying on the Bathroom Floor,” “End of Desire,” “Around U,” “I Know a Place” and “Loudspeaker.” Songs such as “So Special” and “Promise” sound like 21st-century updates of underrated queer Canadian band The Parachute Club, of “Rise Up” fame. Born in the L.A.’s “queer punk underground,” French Vanilla is a feminist punk band that makes the best use of a saxophone and bass

line since Romeo Void, of “Never Say Never” fame. The band’s self-titled Danger Collective Records debut channels the 1980s through a 21stcentury lens and amplifier. French Vanilla pays homage to everyone’s favorite telekinetic in “Carrie,” and “Anti-Aging Global Warming” has an “accept-that-your-days-are-numbered mantra.” Hiraeth (theharmaleighs.com), the new six-song EP by queer “indie Americana” duo The Harmaleighs (creative and personal partners

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<< Film

26 • Bay Area Reporter • June 8-14, 2017

Before & after Pride at the Castro Theatre

Left: Bette Midler in the 1986 comedy “Ruthless People.” Right: Marilyn Monroe plays paddleball in “The Misfits.”

by David Lamble

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hile the Frameline LGBTQ Film Festival takes 11 days of the Castro Theatre’s June schedule, there’s a lot to be said for the other week of films sandwiched before and after Pride. “La La Land Sing Along” (2016) Despite losing the Best Picture Oscar, this vivid reinvention of the Hollywood musical is second to none in pure old-fashioned entertainment. For once no one will tell you to hush up if you want to try your vocal pipes up against the film’s earnest leads. Total running time: 150 mins. ($13 adults, $10 youth) (6/9) “Moana Sing Along” (2016) This Disney animation is a pure joy to watch, and even better when you can sing along to the lyrics and music of Ron Clements and John

Musker. (6/9-11) “Spaceballs” (1987) Leave it to comic genius Mel Brooks to find a way to spoof the “Star Wars” craze. Mel is joined by Bill Pullman, Rick Moranis (“Little Shop of Horrors”), Daphne Zuniga, and the scene-stealing John Candy (“Planes, Trains and Automobiles”). “Ruthless People” (1986) This lowbrow zinger has Danny DeVito plotting to off his nagging frau (Bette Midler). The directing team of Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker corrals a zany supporting cast: Judge Reinhold, Helen Slater and the debut of Bill Pullman. (both 6/10) “The Misfits” (1961) This classic was almost overshadowed in its own day by the off-screen fate of its stars: it was the final film for both Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe. Penned by Monroe’s playwright hubby Arthur Miller, “The Misfits” unfolds in

what was then the Nevada divorce capitol, Reno, and the surrounding desert, home to a vanishing herd of wild horses. Gable is the wild horse-breaker, Monroe a divorcee going through the mandatory six-week residency required to get a divorce decree in the days before no-fault. The two have amazing chemistry. Also featuring the supporting talents of Montgomery Clift and Thelma Ritter. “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” (1966) This three-hour special edition represents the beginning of that odd subgenre, the Spaghetti Western. Former TV Western star Clint Eastwood steps into his iconic role as the mysterious stranger dispensing a crude form of justice, while Eli Wallach and Lee Van Cleef stand in his way. (both 6/11) “Kong: Skull Island” (2017) The director of the 2013 off-beat teen comedy “The Kings of Summer” Jordan Vogt-Roberts returns with an equally oddball Vietnam-era drama. A group of explorers ventures into a previously uncharted Pacific isle that happens to be the ancestral home of a very large ape. With a veteran supporting cast: Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, John Goodman and John C. Reilly. “The Lost City of Z” (2016) A very butch Charlie Hunnam (the original British “Queer as Folk” kid) heads off into the Amazon jungle in search of a buried civilization. James Gray’s production also features Robert Pattinson and Sienna Miller. (both 6/13)

“Contempt” (1963) French New Waver Jean-Luc Godard had a great run before he lost the touch. This film about filmmaking finds the master in his element. A screenwriter (Michel Piccoli) has to juggle his loyalties between the pride and artistic demands of a European refugee director (Fritz Lang) and a big-shot American producer (Jack Palance). There’s fun to be had in this 60s classic’s in-joke humor. “The Big Knife” (1955) Robert Aldrich (“What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?”) gives us what we want to believe about the ruthless “Tinseltown jungle” at the end of the studio system. Based on a Clifford Odets play, the story focuses on the unraveling career of a fading star (Jack Palance) under the not-sotender mercies of studio chief Rod Steiger. (both 6/14) (Frameline 41, 6/15-25. See coverage beginning next issue.) “Logan Noir” (2017) Aussie star Hugh Jackman wraps his ongoing Wolverine character in this special B&W edition based on still another Marvel Comics franchise. Directed by James Margold and co-starring Sir Patrick Stewart, the film shows that the Western isn’t quite dead yet. “Mad Max: Fury Road – Black & Chrome Edition” (2015) The third installment in George Miller’s Down Under series has Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron duking it out across a very inhospitable landscape. (both 6/27) “East of Eden” (1955) This adaptation of John Steinbeck has James Dean fighting both his brother and dad over issues that still plague troubled families everywhere. This one sizzles due to director Elia Kazan’s ability to capture Steinbeck

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country around Salinas, and flesh the tale out with a first-class ensemble: Raymond Nassey, Julie Harris and Burl Ives. “The Outsiders” (1983) Francis Coppola found new reasons post-”Godfather” and “Apocalypse Now” for practicing his craft in this sublime treatment of S.E. Hinton’s seminal teen novel, 50 years old this year. Coppola discovered some amazing new faces: C. Thomas Howell, Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, Patrick Swayze, Diane Lane, Rob Lowe and Emilio Estevez. (both 6/28) “Strangers on a Train” (1951) Alfred Hitchcock pulled off two gems with homo underpinnings. This casual encounter on an East Coast passenger train finds a tennis star (gay actor Farley Granger) encountering a really annoying fan (Robert Walker). The pair bond over their respective desires to rid themselves of burdensome mates. Walker, who had a fine career before “Strangers,” is mostly remembered today for his crafty, needy psycho, who is so twisted that he very nearly drags another man down with him. Hitch makes great use of daughter Pat in a scene where Walker’s killer mimes strangling an older woman while staring directly at Pat Hitchcock’s character, who resembles the nowdead wife. “Rope” (1948) Hitch also uses Granger to good advantage in this chilling drama about college roommates who commit a murder for thrills, then hide the body in plain sight at a well-populated house party. James Stewart is the professor who realizes to his dismay that his theorizing has produced a body count. (both 6/29)t

Classic movie channel honors gays by David-Elijah Nahmod

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urner Classic Movies (TCM) celebrates Pride through June by recalling the lives and works of actors and filmmakers who dared to be openly gay during Hollywood’s Golden Age. Each Thursday in June, TCM presents “Gay Hollywood.” Host Dave Karger interviews gay film historian William Mann about the lives of LGBT people who managed to live authentic lives while making their mark in the cinema capital. The series will show films these trailblazers left behind. “Gay Hollywood” began on June 1 as Mann recalled the life of William Haines, 1930’s top boxoffice star. Also honored that night was openly gay filmmaker James

Whale, today best remembered for his horror films, including “Bride of Frankenstein” (1935) and “The Old Dark House” (1932), both filled with hard-to-miss gay subtext. Mann told the B.A.R. that TCM approached him about being part of the network’s Pride celebration. “I was thrilled to do so,” Mann said. “I’ve long been a huge fan of TCM, and the late [TCM host] Robert Osborne was very kind to me early in my career. So I was honored to be asked to join the TCM family. This is a great group of people who are committed to celebrating LGBT contributions to classic film.” Mann spoke about why so many LGBT people identify with the images they see in classic films. During the 1960s and 70s, it was not

unusual to hear gay men say, “[Bette, Joan, Judy or Marilyn] is the woman I want to be.” “I think gay men, lesbians and trans people, too, are drawn to the defiance of gender we see in many classic films,” Mann explained. “So much of classic Hollywood was done in code, since the Hays Code [the era’s censorship board] was in force from 1934 to the early 60s. Gay people are good at reading through the code, so we can see all the sexual innuendo, and the flouting of convention, even if, superficially, everyone’s playing by the rules.” Courtesy the subject There was an additional appeal to the era’s legendary ladies Left: Gay film historian William Mann. of the screen. Mann referred Right: 1930’s top box-office star William Haines was gay. to the “soul connection to gay men and these actresses. Davis, directing them, writing them, deand the two remained together until Crawford, Hepburn, Dietrich, signing them, costuming them, Haines’ 1973 death from cancer. The Garland, West hold all the power, producing them, publicizing them.” couple ran a successful interior deeven when the story purports that Mann urges viewers to keep their sign business and were also antique they don’t. Women holding power DVRs running after he and Karger dealers. William Haines Designs inspires anyone who is disempowgo off the air. “Karger and I talk remains in business today. ered, because it shows it can be done. about the first three films each night, Mann feels it’s important to reThese films are filled with magic, but the films continue until daymember Hollywood’s gay history, too, a sense of a world that’s shinier, break,” he said. “There are so many especially in the current political glossier, more color-coordinated, films we don’t get to talk about, from climate of the anti-gay Trump admore fair, more exciting than our [1930s lesbian director] Dorothy Arministration. own. That appeals to everyone, but zner, [gay director] Mitchell Leisen, “When we talk about gay Holin particular to gay people, whose [gay actor] George Nader, and many lywood, it’s important to show that worlds often weren’t those things.” others. But we do get to talk about LGBT contributions to American The first film shown as part Billy Haines and George Cukor, film go right back to the very beginof “Gay Hollywood” was “Just a James Whale, Montgomery Clift, ning,” he said. “To the silent days, Gigolo,” a 1931 romantic comedy Linda Hunt and others. It’s quite the to the first one-reelers shown in starring William Haines. As Karger eclectic group of movies, but that’s nickelodeons. People didn’t identify posed questions about Haines’ life what makes a series like this so fun. as LGBT then, there was no such and career, Mann spoke of the acIt also shows how wide-ranging the thing as being out or in the closet. tor’s refusal to live in the closet. This LGBT experience in classic film was, But gay, lesbian, bi and trans people was tolerated during the pre-Code from dramas to comedies, action were there, living their lives, formera, but once the censorship board ing relationships, sometimes being pictures to romances, mysteries to took control of the film industry, punished for those relationships, musicals.”t Haines was forced to choose besometimes not. Along the way they tween his career and his lover Jimwere making films: acting in them, mie Shields. Haines chose Shields, TCM’s June schedule is at tcm.com.

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Fine Art>>

June 8-14, 2017 • Bay Area Reporter • 27

Emotionally charged creations Gamma One Conversions, courtesy of FAMSF

by Sura Wood

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allelujah, and better late than never, are among the responses one may have to “Revelations: Art from the African American South,” a truly outstanding, long overdue exhibition at the de Young Museum. The occasion for the show is FAMSF’s recent acquisition of 62 sculptures, paintings, drawings, ingenious, emotionally charged assemblages, quilts from Gee’s Bend, and prints based on them, by 22 Southern-born, late-19th and 20th century, African American artists. Though their voices are distinct, collectively their sensibilities have been profoundly shaped by a traumatic shared history: the African Diaspora, in which some 400,000 Africans were kidnapped and sold into bondage in the U.S. beginning in the early 1600s; American slavery, a moral travesty which ripped families apart, scarring its victims and their descendants; enforced segregation and terror in the Jim Crow South; and the civil rights movement. If there’s any doubt that racism persists, nooses were recently discovered in a gallery at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and on the grounds of the Hirshhorn Museum. Addressing race, class, gender and religion from a vantage point virtually absent from most museum collections, the exhibition is a muchneeded corrective that attempts to fill a gaping hole in the annals of contemporary American art, while reminding audiences of what they have been missing. It has been a long time since this many original, wrenching artworks have been gathered in one place. To put it in arthistorical terms: the show is pretty great. One caveat: the inclusion of a group of press photographs of the civil rights movement. As important as they are as documents of a critical era, their impact here pales

Stephen Pitkin/Pitkin Studio, Rockford, IL/Art Resource, NY, courtesy of FAMSF

Left: Purvis Young (1943-2010), “Talking to the System” (ca. 1975). Paint on board. Above: Mose Tolliver (1919-2006), “Rainy Sunshine, Cats and Dog, Drum Beater” (1967). Housepaint on wood.

in comparison to interpretive works in other media. Credit for the care and depth on offer is due in large part to the museums’ superb curator of American Art, Tim Anglin Burgard, who’s a cultural treasure in his own right. All of the works are supplemented by insightful, cogent text labels that enhance understanding and appreciation of artists many don’t know and should. Slaves had their fingers cut off if caught trying to read or write, let alone make art. Still they foraged for materials – a piece of wood here, some string or wire or strips of fabric salvaged there – asserting their existence by creating pictures of freedom, however remote the possibility of their achieving it. That testament to survival and the transcendent power of art is carried forward by the show’s artists, as is the brutal legacy of slavery. One of its most potent symbols, the slave ship, hits you in the solar plexus in Thornton

Dial Jr.’s visceral plywood sculpture “The Slave Ship” (1988), which depicts a horrific, bestial scene. The extraordinary piece could initially be mistaken for a hobbyist’s model if the vessel weren’t a floating hell staged with bloodied mast and bleached planks. On deck, cruel slave-traders, gaunt as wraiths, their mouths agape, lash one captive and throw a net over the head of another as an African woman is raped offshore. “Lost Cows,” a strange, largescale concoction by the artist’s late father, Thornton Dial, is a spectral cattle drive consisting of cow skeletons painted in white enamel. They look like a herd of dinosaur fossils, except for the pelvic bones with holes that refer to the hoods of Ku Klux Klansmen. A gallery of haunting root-andbranch sculptures includes works steeped in the mystical lore of the ancestors, the conjurers who warded off evil spirits with totems and

charms, and the woods themselves, which were sanctuaries for slaves. The gnarled branch lying across a pair of damaged rocking chairs, the smaller “female” one learning against its larger male partner in Lonnie Holley’s poignant “His and Her Hold the Root” (1994), harkens back to the elders, family trees and being uprooted and ripped from home ground. Ralph Griffin retrieved driftwood from a stream near his Georgia home for his extraordinary sculpture “Noah’s Ark” (1980). The Biblical craft, startling in its fluid beauty, seems to be moving across an unseen body of water, subtly echoing the slave ships that would later ferry his ancestors in chains to the Americas. Griffin’s primitive figures – “Panama Jack” (1984), a grisly apparition with a tilted, partially decapitated head under a straw hat, blood running down its neck, and scarecrow arms lifted slightly away from its body

like wings of a wounded bird; and the talismanic “John Getting Graduated” (1983), who’s painted with a protective blue coating called “haint” – are bewitching, as are works by Bessie Harvey. Harvey’s apocalyptic, beady-eyed, animistic creatures with pink lips and white teeth, like “Beast from Revelation” (1988), resembling a small tree stump with arms, operate in an alternate universe. Several of the rusted out, squareformat sculptures made of riveted crumpled tin by Alabama vernacular artist Ronald Lockett, relate to the cold, hard reality of HIV that took his life in 1998. The harshness of the industrial materials coupled with the raw intensity of the underlying emotion pack a punch in the earthencolored “Coming Out of the Haze” (1994), which links Lockett’s depression, following the shock of his diagnosis, with his surrogate, a wild stag; and “Fever Within” (1995), where the woman he believes infected him hovers, naked and cross-legged, her image limned in nails. Fellow Alabaman Joe Minter repurposed welded steel for “The Hanging Tree” (1996), an austere, bone-chilling rendering of the last stop for victims of lynching, and a memorial to the 326 African American men women and children and other nameless souls who were slaughtered, sometimes for entertainment, in the artist’s home state between 1877 and 1950. Dangling chains, symbolizing slavery, are suspended with metal nooses from rods representing tree limbs that served as makeshift gallows in southern towns. “The whole idea,” Minter says, “is to use what has been discarded, just as we as a people have been discarded, made invisible.” One hopes that this and other shows like it will help right that wrong.t Through April 1, 2018. famsf.org.

Murderous entertainment by Tavo Amador

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s recent well-publicized incidents attest, air travel can trigger violence. Even if the flight is smooth, the boarding process is often fraught with anxiety. Reading, specifically a good murder mystery, is the perfect antidote for unexpected problems. Angry impulses can be channeled into learning how the killer gets caught, and the long hours can be fruitfully spent with a good book. Donna Leon introduced Commissario Gino Brunetti in 1992’s Death at La Fenice, and readers around the globe have been grateful ever since. Her 26th Venice-set mystery Earthly Remains (Atlantic Monthly Press, $25) finds the usually rational Brunetti acting impulsively while investigating a wealthy, self-important man suspected of giving drugs to a young girl who died from them. Appalled by his behavior, Brunetti realizes he needs a break from work, from the corruption and enabling bureaucracy that’s as much a part of La Serenissima as the tourists, lagoons, and gondolas. His understanding, socialist, Henry James-loving wife Paola, daughter of a count, arranges for them to stay at the posh villa of a relative on the island of Saint Erasmo. When the villa’s caretaker disappears during a violent storm, Brunetti’s hopes of relaxing and reading his favorite Roman authors are also blown away. Leon masterfully weaves several plot threads and takes the reader through the labyrinth of Venetian life that has

nothing do with sipping a cappuccino on the Piazza San Marco. Parts of modern-day Athens are as far removed from the city’s classical heritage as Patagonia is, while other sections cannot escape the shadow of the Parthenon. Pol Koutsakis’ Athenian Blues (Bitter Lemon Press, $14.95) accepts Aristotle’s assertion that democracy, monarchy, and dictatorship can all be effective forms of government – one isn’t inherently better than the others. His protagonist, Stratos Gazis, is a professional killer for hire, but he only accepts commissions when he feels certain the intended victim deserves his/her fate. His latest potential assignment will test his judgment: a husband and wife each approach him to do away with the other. With the help of his three childhood friends – Drag, a cop; Teri, a stylish transgender hooker; and Maria, the love of his life, and of Drag’s – Gazis metes out justice in

his own way. Athens, its glorious past and often turbulent present, is very much a character in this story. Victorian London is Anne Perry’s world. She introduced Inspector Thomas Pitt in 1979’s The Cater Street Hangman, in which, while solving a murder, he fell in love with the well-born sister of the victim. She defied convention by marrying beneath her class. Charlotte’s social connections opened doors for Pitt that would otherwise have been closed. Together, they have made a superlative sleuthing team. Their latest, Murder on the Serpentine (Ballantine Books, $28), finds nowCommander of the Special Branch Pitt receiving a royal summons after the body of Sir John Halberd, an intimate of the queen, is found in the shallow water of Hyde Park’s Serpentine. He had been investigating someone who seemed to have undue influence on the Prince of Wales.

All evidence points to the murderer being an aristocrat, which means that Charlotte must help Thomas negotiate that rarified world while making sure nothing embarrassing to the royal family becomes public. Late19th century London, with its sharp contrasts of wealth and horrendous poverty, is superbly depicted. In 1938, a beautiful actress was murdered on the swank estate of a close friend of the Prince of Wales. An ex-convict was arrested and confessed to the killing. Case closed. Or so it seemed. Eleven years later, however, a rare, valuable jade necklace is unexpectedly found and raises doubts about who the actual killer was. Former Scotland Yard Detective John Madden is reluctantly persuaded to investigate in Rennie Airth’s fascinating The Death of Kings (Viking, $27). Madden is shrewd, sympathetic, and determined. Airth knows the period and manners and mores of the privileged classes well. Mark Pryor’s The Paris Librarian (Seventh Street Books, $15.95) is set in today’s magnificent French capital. Protagonist Hugo Marston’s friend Paul Rogers is found dead, ostensibly of natural causes, in a locked room at the American Library. Marston’s suspicions are nonetheless aroused. His investigation leads to recently donated letters of a 1940s American movie actress, Isabelle Severin, who may have aided the Resistance and may have killed an SS Officer. Does this information have anything to do with Rogers’ death, and if so, why? Soon, Marsden learns that solving

this decades-old crime isn’t likely to result in a happy Hollywood ending. Marsden is an engaging and appealing character, and the Paris settings will tempt many readers to return there or visit it for the first time. Jean-Luc Bannalec’s Death in Brittany (Minotaur Books, $15.99) is about murder away from the French capital. Cranky, coffeeaddicted Parisian Commissaire George Dupin is coerced into traveling west to the Breton coast to investigate a killing that took place in an idyllic village, a place where everyone knows everyone and trusts them. Of course, everyone also knows everyone’s business. Sometimes, that can be fatal. Bannalec understands this world, and Dupin’s intelligence, integrity, and keen sense of justice neatly balance his cantankerous demeanor. Nancy Tingley’s A Head in Cambodia (Swallow Press/Univ. of Ohio Press, $26.95) features Jenna Murphy, a museum curator. A magnificent stone head of an ancient Cambodian queen unexpectedly pops up at Jane’s museum. Has it been decapitated from an authentic statue, or is it a fake? When a second head is discovered, Jenna finds herself investigating more than the authenticity of priceless artifacts. She travels to Bangkok and Cambodia and meets collectors, many of whom think nothing of committing murder if it means adding a valuable treasure to their holdings. Jane applies her curatorial skills to living beings who are often nothing like the beautiful works of art they covet. Engaging and atmospheric.t

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28 • Bay Area Reporter • June 8-14, 2017

Food for thought by Jim Piechota

Notes on a Banana by David Leite; Dey Street Books, $26.99

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he bright, colorful, and informative foodie blog LeitesCulinaria.com won the coveted James Beard Award in 2006 and 2007 for content excellence, and its creator, David Leite, went on to publish his award-winning cookbook “The New Portuguese Table” to great acclaim. Though Leite’s ascent through the ranks of the culinary world is impressive, even more remarkable is his harrowing personal history as divulged in his justpublished debut memoir “Notes on a Banana,” chronicling his anxious

East side story

childhood in New England and his adult years living as an accomplished and ambitious gay man. With generous helpings of humor and brio, Leite (nicknamed “banana” by his mother) describes his Portuguese-American boyhood in the unglamorous, blue-collar enclave of Fall River, Massachusetts, as the son of two Azorean immigrants in the 1960s. Feeling different and unable to find his niche as a youngster, the author found joy in the kitchen and became happiest when involved in the cooking process and the table presentation of food. His later years would become clouded with extreme emotional highs and lows, including episodes of deep depression once Leite began to experience same-sex attractions,

a definite no-no within the Catholic confines of his family. Suppressing the titillation he felt when viewing Sears catalog male underwear models, he focused on school and awaited the day he could be on his own. That liberation took place during his collegiate life, where Leite enjoyed dalliances with men, yet promised himself he would continue dating a woman in the hopes that something would “click.” Abandoning college, he discovered the lure of Manhattan, where his determination to adopt a heteronormative lifestyle manifested in misinformed participation with the SoHo-based group “Aesthetic Realism,” a movement which once advertised itself as inspiring people to “change from homosexuality”

through its teachings, but now believes, according to its website’s declaration, in “completely equal civil rights for everyone.” Leite also rejoices in his nearly 25year relationship to “The One,” his loving longtime partner Alan, the man responsible for reinvigorating the author’s lifelong interest in the joys of gastronomy. As his memoir looks back at a past that has seen its share of gloomy days, the author can admit that a combination of his strict yet loving upbringing and those darkest moments have made him the success story he is today. Leite’s memoir is a true literary feast for the soul, presented with creative, honest prose, droll anecdotes, and all the savory trimmings of a happy ending.t

by Ernie Alderete

brushing their teeth, brushing their hair. This wastes precious airtime that could have been more usefully utilized on plot and character development. A re-edit into hour-long episodes would eliminate redundant title credits and let us focus on the interpersonal story line with less interruption. Although it’s described as a dark comedy, I see EastSiders more as a telenovela, I don’t see any noir aspect to it at all. EastSiders refers to the trendy Silver Lake area to the east of downtown Los Angeles. Not quite as gay as Liberty Avenue or the Castro, but definitely gayfriendly.

But a better name for the series would have been Kit Williams World. Kit Williams not only plays the leading character Cal, he writes, directs and produces the series. Take out Kit and you have nothing left. The sex gets boring fast. Kissing somebody is of course very exciting, but watching a couple kiss gets old pronto. Kissing is the main sexual activity in every episode. Despite its many flaws, EastSiders is entertaining, and worth checking out: 15 episodes over two seasons available now, a third season is pending funding. Available on Netflix, vudu.com, Amazon, YouTube and Logo.t

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Scene from EastSiders, which boasts a handsome cast.

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Ballet on the Bay

From page 17

In the Bay Area, fact is, ballet is a spectator sport. Any given night, at least half the audience can do ballet, and they come to the Opera House or other theaters as fans go to see the Giants or the A’s. Way down deep, they can play the game. The mirror neurons are firing, the old mind-body connections are reestablished, and the rest of the audience gets a contact high. For those who’ve never seen it before, the sight of 3,000 people at our Opera House going crazy over a staggeringly great performance may seem odd. For me at least, when I first saw a ballet performance (in London at Covent Garden), it struck me as marvelous that a crowd of people larger than my hometown in Mississippi could understand a ballet at a profound level and scream for 20 minutes, making the dancers come back out over and over again. But there was nothing odd about it. In Mississippi, everybody dances,

and they’re passionate about it. But nobody would think it was anything you could think about. You just do it. That’s when I became a critic: ballet is dance that has been thought about. Thoughts like this flooded the mind as the whole SF Ballet School went through their set figures in the opening ballet last Friday night, the third of their performances. From Levels 2-8, the kids all looked glowingly confident, well-prepared, and well-suited to the steps that Karen Gabay, former ballerina with San Jose Ballet, had set for them, to the first movement of Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony. Even the youngest kids had steps they could do with panache, to music that Wagner called “the apotheosis of the dance.” Gabay understands something profound about the art, which is not news; she was a very musical ballerina. The school roster boasts several great ballerinas: Sophiane Syvle, who is still performing and one of the finest classical dancers in the world, and the recently retired

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he strongest feature EastSiders has going for it is the handsome cast. They’re better-looking and more realistic characters than the cast of the more high-end Queer As Folk. The main character Cal is as handsome and effective as Brian Kinney in the better-known series. The main flaw with EastSiders is the short time frame, as little as nine minutes per episode. The episode is over almost before it began, not enough time to sink your teeth into it. There’s about five to 10 minutes in each episode of the guys kissing,

Tina LeBlanc, who ranks at that level. The stars of the pas de deux from “Don Quixote,” Wona Park and David Preciado, killed it with magnificent performances. Park has technique galore. Though she has yet to develop the temperament of a ballerina, all the basics are there. Throughout the evening, there were wonderful performances, in the contemporary work choreographed by Myles Thatcher for the company apprentices, the highest level of the school; and by the choreographic trainee Blake Johnston, whose dancers looked elegant at all times. Transitions were fluent no matter how difficult, and the dancers’ lines inscribed gorgeous figures as they melted from one position to the next. The dances aren’t John Hefti memorable, but the dancers were very impressive. Scott McMahan, Ramona Kelley, Domenico Luciano of Oakland Ballet Company The evening closed in Graham Lustig’s “Consort.” with Balanchine’s great ballet “Serenade,” origitheir glory days, in the 90s. dances, and though they have some nally choreographed for They’ve had a rough 20 years langueurs, the whole of each costudent dancers to teach them the since the earthquake devastated heres. His company managed the difference between stage perforOakland’s downtown. Many things hardest thing, to make you believe mance and schoolwork. It was the went wrong, little went right, but you’d seen dancers moving like fairfirst ballet he made for American they’re pulling themselves out of ies, with unbelievable lightness and dancers after emigrating here, and it the hole. The community is behind grace, flying through difficult comhas become immortal. The dancers them, they’ve finally got a full-time binations of steps at incredible vegave it their all and confirmed its artistic director who lives in Oaklocity, never taking a misstep. Their status as a classic. land, and they’ve got a ballerina, courage in all this, and their focus Meantime across the Bay, the Ramona Kelley, who grew up in in keeping their trajectories clean Oakland Ballet Company made a the East Bay. (Full disclosure: I’ve and clear, made the whole audience tremendous case for themselves as a known her since she was a child.) scream with admiration. Sometimes company with not only an impresKelley exceeded all expectations as a ballet is like a ball game: you feel sive past but also a claim on the the fair beloved in “Consort,” set to that everyone there is overjoyed. future. This group, which began a miscellany of Shakespeare’s sonOutstanding dancers that night its life as an East Bay offshoot of nets; and as Titania in “A Midsumwere Lydia McRae, Scott McMahon, the San Francisco Ballet, looks like mer Night’s Dream” she projected and Alicia Chang as the Athenian it may well make a comeback. The so powerfully she held the whole lovers, Felipe Leon (Puck), Coral current incarnation danced far bepiece together. Martin and all the fairies, Domenico yond themselves in their opening Oakland Ballet artistic director Luciano and Kelley as King and night last Thursday at Laney ColGraham Lustig made both these Queen of the Fairies.t lege Theater, the way they danced in

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Spencer Day

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Pulse: 1 year later

www.ebar.com V www.bartabsf.com

On the Tab Vol. 47 • No. 23 • June 8-14, 2017

Dancing at the Armory Singer Betty Who to perform in a ‘Jungle’ setting

by David-Elijah Nahmod

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arty promoter Audrey Joseph promises a big celebratory event when Pride at the Armory commences at the San Francisco Armory on June 24 at 9pm. Singer Betty Who will perform in a jungle-themed setting, which will include the participation of top DJs from around the world. Australia’s Paul Goodyear and the UK’s Wayne G, along with Pagano, Danny Verde and Seth Breezy, are among those who will be spinning dance tunes. See page 30 >>

Rich Stadtmiller

Betty Who will headline the June 24 Pride dance at The Armory.

Build it

Leather & kink gatherings in SF and Chicago

Int’l Mr. Leather/Int’l Mr. Bootblack 2017 winners (left to right): Joe King, Mr. Leather Europe 2016 (IML 2nd runner up); Pawlish aka Ryan Garner-Carpenter (IMBB winner); Ralph Bruneau, Mr. GNI Leather 2016 (IML winner); and Geoff Millard, Mr. SF Leather 2017 (IML 1st runner up).

by Race Bannon

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ne of the many pleasures that keeps me engaged in this wonderful leather and kink scene of ours is seeing our kinky kind coming together at the many events where we can socialize and connect. The landscape of our scene is shifting. Technology has enabled kinksters to connect directly while our traditional gathering spaces are dwindling in number. On the face of it, it’s disheartening that our past ways of communing have decreased. See page 32 >>

{ THIRD OF THREE SECTIONS }

Without pride, it’s just a parade. SPACE RESERVATIONS ARE NOW BEING ACCEPTED FOR OUR JUNE 22 SAN FRANCISCO PRIDE EDITION.

Call Scott Wazlowski at (415) 829-8937 or email advertising@ebar.com for more information. Untitled-5 1

Not every community can turn a simple stroll down Market Street into one

5/31/17 11:11 AM

Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

30 • Bay Area Reporter • June 8-14, 2017

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Armory

From page 29

“Pride has a significance for me each year,” Joseph said. “It’s a celebration of our fight for equality, liberty and justice. We can never forget where we came from and what we accomplished.” Joseph added that Pride at the Armory was, in her view, a celebration of the community. “The DJs and gogo boys are all from our community,” she said. “My crowd is special to me, so it’s not just singing and dancing. It’s an immersive experience.” Joseph said that she was very excited to have booked Australian native Betty Who to perform for Pride.

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“Betty is a great advocate for our community,” Joseph said, noting the singer’s history of performing at Pride festivals around the country. “Betty’s music is heartfelt with a great uptempo beat. She’s very uplifting. There’s something about her that’s very positive.” Betty Who’s numerous YouTube videos reveal a pop diva with a soaring voice. Who has so far released two albums: Take Me When You Go (2014) and The Valley (2017). After opening for Katy Perry in 2014 and Kylie Minogue in 2015, Who is currently headlining Party in the Valley, her own tour. She’s already enjoyed having three number one songs on the U.S. dance charts. Asked if she was concerned that Oliver Pavick

Gogo dancers onstage at a recent Armory dance event.

some community members might be offended by the Pride party’s jungle theme, Joseph said, “I did Prisoner of Love a few years ago. They said I was glorifying the prisons which were imprisoning trans people. I said: ‘How did you get that?’” At that 2014 event at The Armory, several dozen Gay Shame protestors projected images and picketed the 14th Street entrance to the sold out event, and a few attempted to shove themselves inside the venue, but were stopped by security staff. Mike Stabile, who manages the Armory, also addressed the past controversies regarding the Prisoner of Love party. “It was inspired by the Elvis Presley movie Jailhouse Rock,” he said. “The prison industrial complex is no laughing matter. It all got conflated.” Stabile also spoke about the future of the Armory. Many had wondered what would become of the building since porn studio Kink. com ceased producing content at

the Armory earlier this year. “We own the building,” Stabile said. “Over the past couple of years we’ve been renting it out as an event space. We started booking concerts and it became difficult to manage with Kink using half the space.” Stabile noted that many years ago The Armory was the “Madison Square Garden of the West.” First built in 1914, the Armory served as a sports venues from the 1920s into the 1940s. Now registered as a Class 2 historical landmark with the National Register of Historic Places, the Armory was used for spaceship interiors for the Star Wars movie The Empire Strikes Back. Kink.com operated out of the Armory for ten years beginning in 2007. With Pride at the Armory, Stabile hopes to bring back the glory days of the Armory. “San Francisco Pride is an international destination,” he said. “It brings people from every state and around the world.” Stabile also noted that the Armory

space was being used by independent filmmakers in addition to booking parties. Stabile hopes to book bigger and bigger names to perform at the Armory, which both he and Joseph promise is now a bigger and better venue than ever before. “I want to give people a chance to see all my upgrades,” Joseph said. “We have one of the most coveted sound systems in the world, new bathrooms and a floating dance floor. We’re going to present an amazing light show.” Joseph promises that Pride at the Armory will have revelers seeing the Armory in a whole new light. “We celebrate the community by giving more bang for your buck,” she said. “Come party with me. You’ll feel like you’re being taken care of.”t Jungle: Pride at the Armory, Saturday, June 24, 9pm-4am. $50-$150 (VIP tickets include access to the Upper Room, exclusive bars, gogo shows and more). 333 14th Street at Mission. www.prideatthearmory.com

We are the future of the LGBT community. “The world still has its challenges but things are getting better. From the way we first met on line to marriage equality to our daughter’s upcoming Quinceañera our life together is more fulfilling every day. We keep up with events and entertainment on EDGE, because that’s where we see our future at its brightest.” The people depicted here are models. Their image is being used for illustrative purposes only.

Top: The crowd at the 2014 Pride dance at The Armory. Bottom: The impressive Drill Court at The Armory.

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Read more online at www.ebar.com

June 8-14, 2017 • Bay Area Reporter • 31

Spencer Day Singer-songwriter shares ‘Angel City’ at Feinstein’s

Spencer Day

by Jim Gladstone

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rowing up Mormon, MGM musicals were some of the only movies I was allowed to watch on TV,” says singer-songwriter Spencer Day, recalling his childhood in Utah and Arizona. “As a kid who was living in a very troubled family and must have known inside that I was gay, I loved that old-fashioned image of Los Angeles and Hollywood. It seemed to represent a world that was very far away from everything I knew. “When I was five years old, I would draw pictures of the Hollywood sign and hang them on the walls of my room,” remembers Day, who will play a pair of special shows to celebrate the upcoming release of his fifth album, the LA-centric Angel City, this Friday and Saturday at Feinstein’s at the Nikko. Eventually, Day made his way to LA, but before moving there in 2012, Day, now 38, spent seven years living in San Francisco and several more in New York. Here in the Bay Area, Day scratched together a living working odd jobs and playing piano bars. Eventually, he graduated on to his first major bookings, at nightclubs including The Plush Room and Bruno’s. An early break came in 2003, when he appeared on television’s Star Search. Lance Bass, then a judge on the program, praised Day’s ability to make an emotional connection with the audience. He went on to build a loyal fan base here, ultimately being invited to headline the San Francisco Jazz Festival and attracting the attention of record labels. In conjunction with the release of his first major label album, Vagabond (2009, Concord), Day made New York his home base throughout several busy years of national and international touring, fueled by the album’s radio single “Til You Come Back To Me.” Vagabond was a fixture on the Billboard jazz charts for 47 weeks, peaking at Number 11. But by 2012, Day’s New York period had run its course: his first serious relationship fell apart and he was diagnosed as having bipolar depression. Traumatic as they were, these crises, and the new level of introspection they generated in

Day, inspired the deeply personal, almost therapeutic songs featured on his next album, Mystery of You, which won him a new contract with the label. “It was a very weird time,” Day remembers, “because of what was going on in my life, but also for everyone trying to make a living as a musician. Nobody had figured out how to deal with digital distribution yet. Record companies were collapsing. I moved out to LA to stay closer to my label and work with them to promote myself.” Early on, Day’s relocation to West Hollywood seemed a good choice. “I got booked on The Late Show with Craig Ferguson, which got me some great exposure,” he says. But the LA scene curdled quickly for him. “The LA I’d imagined as a child was all about the glamour and color and beautiful weather. And it was tied to an idea about reaching the height of your creative goals. “But for me,” says Day –pinpointing a major difference between himself and many of his new acquaintances on the LA up-and-comers’ social circuit– “it was never about being famous. I love writing and recording and performing music, but I was never interested in being famous. “But everyone around you in LA says that’s what you should want; to walk red carpets and get people to notice you. For three years in Hollywood, I was trying to go to all the right parties, make the right connections, always schmoozing; it was exhausting. “I would go, because I thought I should. But I was never really clear on what was supposed to happen. I’d sometimes find myself standing around talking to people who I thought were really horrible, going to events where stars were going to be. The idea was that if you kept going, eventually, the photographers would start to think you were important enough to take your picture. So maybe you’d show up on Entertainment Tonight. “I was with all these people clawing away, lights flashing in their faces and I realized, this isn’t a party, this is work. It’s about maintaining or elevating your status. I was spending a lot of time at events that

didn’t feed my soul.” Soon enough, after he finished promoting The Mystery of You, an album borne of one set of disappointments, Day began the process of composing songs based on another. “I decided I’d do my version of a classic concept. An album about living in LA, signed to a record label, trying to work the fame machine. The Eagles have done it. Randy Newman. Joni Mitchell.” Not bad company to be in. “I wrote about these experiences at the Chateau Marmont, parties in the hills, struggles to believe in the best in people even when they’re disappointing you.” The result is Angel City, finally ready to be released only now, three years after Day left LA for San Diego. There’s been one interim album, Daybreak, but this one, like The Mystery of You, is a record that cuts to the bone. As with all of Day’s original work, Angel City –which he financed via IndieGogo after parting ways with Concord– is hard to describe in a nutshell. It’s got jazz elements, well suited to the breathiness of his vocal delivery, but also has touches of Burt Bacharach, Dusty Springfield and other artists a moody Mad Men vibe. There’s a smoky, mid-century modernism to Day’s work that calls to mind consummate sonic revivalists like K.D. Lang –who Day openly admires as both a musician and an out mainstream artist- and San Francisco’s own Chris Isaak. One major difference this goround is Angel City’s arrangements. “I’ve always tried to avoid having a horn section and any big band sound to try to be different than other so-called crooners, like Michael Buble,” Day explains. “But

this time, I said let’s just go with full, lush balls-to-the wall orchestration.” That he could afford that big sound is a tribute to Day’s remarkably loyal fans, who appreciate the very uniqueness of his music that has made ongoing radio play a challenge. “The money I was able to raise from my fans,” he says, gratefully, “gave me more of a production budget for this album than I had for any of my projects for record labels.” Day, who will have a horn section at his Feinstein’s shows, says that liv-

ing in San Diego has led to a growing interest in Mexican music, and that he’s already working on new compositions with a Latin brass element. Another town, another sound. And yet another chapter begins for Spencer Day.t Spencer Day performs at Feinstein’s at the Nikko, June 16, 8pm and June 17, 7pm. $45-$65 ($20 food/drink min.) Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. spencerday.com www.feinsteinsatthenikko.com

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Representing the “best of the best” in LGBT media, with over a million readers weekly in print and online. 212-242-6863 Representing the “best of the best” in LGBT media, with over a millioninfo@nationallgbtmediaassociation.com readers weekly in print and online. www.nationallgbtmediaassociation.com 212-242-6863 info@nationallgbtmediaassociation.com www.nationallgbtmediaassociation.com

Atlanta | Boston | Chicago | Dallas/ Ft Worth | Detroit | Los Angeles | Miami/ Ft Lauderdale | New York | Orlando/Tampa Bay | Philadelphia | San Francisco | Washington DC

Atlanta | Boston | Chicago | Dallas/ Ft Worth | Detroit | Los Angeles | Miami/ Ft Lauderdale | New York | Orlando/Tampa Bay | Philadelphia | San Francisco | Washington DC Untitled-3 1

6/6/17 2:19 PM

Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

32 • Bay Area Reporter • June 8-14, 2017

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Rich Stadtmiller

Jeff Wilcox (Mr. Los Angeles Leather 2017) struts his stuff at the Auditorium Theater event for IML

Rich Stadtmiller

Ralph Bruneau, Mr. GNI Leather 2016, enjoys his spotlight moment before later winning the IML contest.

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Leather

From page 29

Breeches and Leather Uniform Fanclub organization) in partnership with the SF Eagle to create an event that would draw such men to the bar. They succeeded, overwhelmingly. It was a massive success with everyone I talked to saying it was among the best times they’ve had in a bar in a long time. Sure, the iconic leather bar of yore is no longer around. That’s just the way it is. That era will never return and it’s folly to pine for those days. Reality is what it is. But that doesn’t mean we can’t resurrect some semblance of the same leather/gear erotic atmosphere those bars and clubs had. Tribe did just that and I hope they do more such events in the future.

It was again headquartered at the Congress Plaza Hotel with attendees overflowing into many of the surrounding hotels. The associated International Mr. Leather and International Mr. Bootblack (IMBB) competitions were held at a new venue, the stunningly beautiful Auditorium Theater located conveniently just across the street from the host hotel. My favorite part of the event socially is often the Leather Market. For the few days during IML the host hotel houses what I believe is the biggest kink shopping opportunity in the world. Leather and gear retailers from around the world set up shop in the hotel, and thousands of people shop there over the course of the four days they’re open for business. Lots of shopping takes place, of course; but the chance to wander the aisles, socialize and cruise adds to the allure of this oneof-a-kind experience. Through the five days of IML, there is so much to do that you can’t possibly do it all. Among the IML offerings are the contest and Leather Market, but in addition there are daily recovery meetings, various meet and greet gatherings for specific kinks and fetishes, San Francisco party, Leather Archives and Museum auction, receptions and cocktail socials, newly added educational sessions, and much more. The Bay Area fared quite well in the IML/IMBB competition this year, with our current Mr. San Francisco Leather, Geoff Millard, standing on the IML podium as first runner up, and Pawlish (aka Ryan Garner-Carpenter) who recently

Do not despair though. We kinksters are a clever bunch. As the ways we meet and connect change, we adapt. Instead of always having consistent venues where we can simply drop in and meet others like us in the flesh, we’re increasingly resorting to creating one-time or ongoing special events that draw us in. I’d like to talk about two such events specifically as examples, one being local and the other international in scope. As I look at these two events, as well as so many others, I’m reminded of the saying “build it and they will come” popularized in the movie Field of Dreams, and now a part of our cultural referential language. Chicago’s IML Creative leatherfolk and kinksters For a much bigger and more eshave realized that if we want to tablished event that attracts kinky sustain an active social culture, we gay men, none are bigger than the must create our own mechanisms International Mr. Leather (IML) for connecting. We can’t count on weekend held every Memorial Day existing institutions to necessarily weekend in Chicago. This was IML’s do it for us. 39th year and it continues to grow. The SF Eagle played host to an amazing local event that embodied the ‘build it and they will come’ mantra. The event, called Tribe, took place this past weekend. Lexx King was the inspiration and organizing center for this packed house of leathered and geared men in numbers I haven’t seen at a bar event in San Francisco for years. It was truly reminiscent of the leather bars of yesteryear, but with a modern take that made it entirely relevant today. Along with a crowd of hot, sexy men, there was great music, gogo men and BDSM performances to add to the already sizzling feeling in the bar. Rather than accept that leathermen and gear guys Jon Fulton won’t go out en masse anymore, Lexx decided to use Leathermen gathered at Tribe at the SF Eagle (left to right): Cito DeMoude, his connections as part of Jon Fulton, Kevin Helvie, Lexx King (the event organizer), Charles Abel-Lear, BLUF SF (the San Fran- Scott Abel-Lear, and Dave Schultz. cisco chapter of the men’s

Rich Stadtmiller

While IML weekend specifically caters to kinky gay men, a smattering of women attend. Few are more fashionable than our own Bay Area treasure, Midori.

moved to Ohio from the Bay Area winning IMBB. Geoff went into the competition extremely well prepared, and it showed at every step in the contest process. After the interview portion of the contest, in which he obviously did well, Geoff performed well in the first night of the stage portion of the contest with his pop question and the second night with his speech. Geoff did San Francisco proud. I asked Geoff what the experience was like for him. “IML was the most physically and mentally difficult thing I’ve done since I returned from Iraq, and it was worth every second of pain. It is not a contest but a crucible of fire that bonds you to your classmates. Think of basic training, only with love building you up rather than drill sergeants tearing you down.” Bravo, Geoff. Well done. Standing atop the IML podium was the contest’s winner, Ralph Bruneau, Mr. GNI Leather 2016. Ralph

nailed it the first night of the stage competition when he answered his pop question in spontaneous song. Ralph’s following evening’s speech and entire presentation throughout the weekend was stellar and his win was well deserved. I also know Ralph personally and can attest to him being a quality man who will represent the IML title with class. That Ralph is 63, and therefore the oldest man to ever win the IML title, makes me as another 63-year old leatherman quite happy, seeing my age bracket reflected in the current titleholder. I asked Ralph what he was proudest of as the winner of IML. “We’ve lost so many brilliant men of my generation to the plague,” he said. “I owe it to them, I owe it to myself, to live a life visible and with meaning.” Speaking of age, this year saw the oldest contestant in IML history at 73, Jon Brittain, Mr. Class Leather. Never believe you’re too old to do anything.

Rich Stadtmiller

A classic full-leather trio of men at this year’s IML.

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Read more online at www.ebar.com

June 8-14, 2017 • Bay Area Reporter • 33

Rich Stadtmiller

A pup and pal on the escalator at 2017’s IML. Rich Stadtmiller

International Ms. Leathers Sara Vibes (2011) and Aisia Jones (2017) at 2017’s IML.

Second runner up for IML was Joe King, Mr. Leather Europe 2016. The winner of IMBB, Pawlish, had this to say when I asked him what made him proud. “What I’m truly proudest of, even more than bringing home the title, is simply the experience of this year’s event,” said Pawlish. “There was such incredible effort to move IMBB and IML towards the idea of

‘one class’ and it was overwhelming. It was truly life-changing, without any cliché or hyperbole, and I’m so excited to nurture that growth over the next year.” The IMBB first runner-up was Rhys. It should be noted that the Bay Area was also represented by the masterful co-emcees for the contest, Lenny Broberg and Thib Guicherd-

Callin, and one of the IML judges, Lance Holman. It was announced that next year’s IML weekend will again be headquartered at the Congress Plaza Hotel. I think IML is one of those iconic events that every gay leatherman or kinkster should consider attending at least once. Check out their website and book your reservations soon. www.imrl.com.t Race Bannon is a local author, blogger and activist. You can reach him on his website, www.bannon.com

Leather Events,

June 9-24, 2017 Fri 9

Wed 14

Sober Kink Together @ Castro Country Club

Kink in the Golden Lasso @ Center for Sex and Culture

Officially a CMA meeting, but open to all Anonymous 12-step Fellowship members, 4058 18th St., 9:30pm. castrocountryclub.org

Gear Party @ 442 Natoma Gear play party (leather, rubber, harnesses, etc.) for gay men. 442 Natoma St., $15 (requires $5 membership), 10pm. www.442parties.com

Lick It @ Powerhouse No fancy dates. No unrealistic expectations. Just some good old down right dirty fun where Licking it is only the beginning. Come out and play at Lick It. 1347 Folsom St., $5, 10pm-2am. www.powerhousebar.com

Mon 12 Ride Mondays @ Eros A motorcycle rider and leathermen night at Eros, bring your helmet, AMA card, MC club card or club colors and get $3 off entry or massage. 2051 Market St. www.erossf.com

What do BDSM, LGBTQ, civil rights, polyamory, feminism, and personal development psychology all have in common? Wonder Woman! This one-hour presentation examines Wonder Woman’s subversive origins, the extraordinary story behind her creation, how she functions as hero for the LGBTQ and BDSM communities, and the threat she represents to the patriarchal status quo. 1349 Mission St., 7-8:30pm, $10. kinkinthegoldenlasso.eventbrite.com

Golden Shower and Naked Buddies @ Blow Buddies A men’s water sports and naked night. $15 with membership, 933 Harrison St., 8pm. www.blowbuddies.com

Fri 16 Sober Kink Together @ Castro Country Club See Fri 9

Gear Party @ 442 Natoma

v

See Fri 9

Sat 17

ACLC Cigar/Art Showing and Auction @ The Cave Downtown Cigar lounge and art show/ auction to benefit The Crucible, a nonprofit industrial arts school, presented by the Alameda County Leather Corps. 106 S. K St., Livermore, 6-10pm acleather.org

Sun 18 Bark! @ Renegades Bar Romp, play and socialize at this event for pups and Handlers. They’ll have mats out to pup out on. New to Pup play? Check out www. sfk9unit.org for an FAQ and mosh pit guidelines. 501 W. Taylor St., San Jose, 2-5pm. renegadesbar.com

Mon 19 Ride Mondays @ Eros See Mon 12

Fri 23 Sober Kink Together @ Castro Country Club See Fri 9

Gear Party @ 442 Natoma See Fri 9

Sat 24

2017/18 Royal Daddy and Royal Daddy’s boy Contest @ SF Eagle

“Black is the New Pink” GearUp Weekend PrePride Play Party @ SF Catalyst

Finale for this contest, benefitting Breast Cancer Emergency Fund. $15 beer/soda bust (included food), $7 food only. 398 12th St., 3-6pm. www.sf-eagle.com

Friendly erotic space where kinky men can socialize with, learn from and play with other men. 1060 Folsom St., $20, 8pm-12am. www.gearupweekend.com

Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

34 • Bay Area Reporter • June 8-14, 2017

Playmates or soul mates, you’ll find them on MegaMates

Pulse: one year later Juanita MORE! and Kirk Maxson remember the victims with love

Always FREE to listen and reply to ads!

San Francisco:

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or housing assistance for those most in need of calling our community home.” More also spoke a bit about what the evening’s performances would entail. “Kirk Maxson will speak about the artists we’ve included and their process,” she said. “I’ve asked members of my family to participate in the reading of the names. Additionally there will be a spoken word piece written by my son David Rojo and read by my daughter Dulce De Leche. Finally there will be a special performance by my mother Glamamore and myself followed by the opportunity to celebrate and honor the victims.” More spoke plaintively about the legacies of those who died at Pulse. “I would like to see them remembered for doing what they always did, going out meeting friends, making new ones,” she said. “The things we all take for granted in our community.” Asked what she’d like to see people take from the event, More said, “An event like this with this kind of circumstances is difficult to create. I hope that this artistic project brings the San Francisco community together to mourn and celebrate the vibrant lives of those we lost.” t

(415) 692-5774

www.megamates.com 18+

The Fort Mason Center For Art and Culture at 2 Marina Blvd. Tickets are $25. More information: https://fortmason.org/event/pulse/

photo

Frank Hernandez Escalante, Age 27: a portrait by Tino Rodriguez, one of 49 works of art exhibited at Pulse: Acts of Love and Kindness at Fort Mason.

by David-Elijah Nahmod

F

or many it’s difficult to believe that one year has passed since 49 LGBT people, mostly Latino, were massacred at Pulse, a LGBT nightclub in Orlando Florida. 53 others were wounded at Pulse on June 12, 2016. The incident now holds the record as the worst mass shooting in U.S. history. “I was in shock as the news starting coming in about the shootings,” drag icon Juanita More told Bay Area Reporter. “That shock turned into denial. I couldn’t believe it was happening and was unable to move or react. It was so paralyzing.” More felt like she had to do something to honor the lives that were lost. On Monday June 12 she and Kirk Maxson will host Pulse: Acts of Love and Kindness, an event focused on art and healing set in the unique General’s Residence on the Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture campus. The event will commence at 6pm and continue until 10pm. The evening will include music, drinks food and performances. Portraits of each of the individuals who died at Pulse will be on display. “My longtime friend Kirk suggested that we collaborate on this project together,” More said. “We reached out to our circle of artist friends and the response was overwhelming. We have 48 portraits available for purchase for $200 a piece. We will be gifting the 49th portrait to the brother of one of the Pulse patrons we lost.” More noted that some of the families and loved ones were aware of the event but that she didn’t know if any planned to attend. More also mentioned that proceeds from the portrait sales would benefit Q Foundation (until recently known as AIDS Housing Alliance) as well as the LGBT Asylum Project. Q Foundation provides rental subsidies to low-income LGBT people who suffer from chronic HIV

related health issues, LGBTs with other chronic disabilities, and low income Queer seniors. The LGBT Asylum Project offers pro-bono legal representation to LGBT asylum seekers fleeing persecution and seeking refuse in the United States. “It is in the spirit of San Francisco’s status as a sanctuary city that both the services of the Q Foundation and the LGBT Asylum Project are inextricably woven like a safety net,” More said. “Whether in the form of asylum from persecution

Juanita More!

Juan Ramon Guerrero, Age 22: portrait by Vergo Paraiso.

June 8-14, 2017 • Bay Area Reporter • 35

On the Tab

Sex and the City Live @ Oasis

June 8-15

Music night with local and touring bands. $8. 9:30pm. 398 12th St. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com

Is it summer?

Cubcake @ Lone Star Saloon

D’Arcy Drollinger, Sue Casa and crew return for the sixth year of the drag parody version of the hit HBO series. $25-$35. Thu 8pm. Fri & Sat 7pm. Thru July 1. 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

Thursday Night Live @ SF Eagle

Does this wig make me look bootylicious?

The accomplished crooner returns with his new cabaret concert, Where I’m Bound: Songs From America. $21$50. $20 food/drink min. 8pm. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. www.feinsteinsatthenikko.com

Ain’t Mama’s Drag @ Balancoire Weekly drag queen and drag king show hosted by Cruzin d’Loo. 8pm10pm. No cover. 2565 Mission St. www.balancoiresf.com

Beach Blanket Babylon @ Club Fugazi

The hands-on science museum’s adult cocktail parties include drinks and music, a lovely Bay view. June 8: Cinema Arts and Pairings, with drinks and nuts. $10-$15. 6:30-9:30pm. Embarcadero at Pier 15. www.exploratorium.edu

College Night @ Port Bar, Oakland Campus capers and drink specials w/ college ID. 9pm-2am. 2023 Broadway. (510) 823-2099. www.portbaroakland.com

Fight for a Better America @ The Edge

Stimulating festive and fun parties at the earth sciences museum return, with 21+ music, drinks, demos and exhibits. $12-$15. Weekly 6pm-9pm. 55 Music Concourse Drive, Golden Gate Park. www.calacademy.org/nightlife

Picante @ The Cafe Lulu and DJ Marco’s Latin night with sexy gogo guys. 9pm-2am. 2369 Market St. www.cafesf.com

Queer Karaoke @ Club OMG KJ Dana hosts the weekly singing night; unleash your inner American Idol ; first Thursdays are Costume Karaoke; 3rd is Kinky Karaoke 8pm. 43 6th St. www.clubomgsf.com

The Monster Show hosts a fundraiser for a new Super PAC focusing on electing LGBT people and restoring sanity to Washington. 10pm-1am. 4149 18th St. www.fightforbetter.org www.edgesf.com

Rice Rockettes @ Lookout

Fuego @ The Watergarden, San Jose

Enjoy hard rock and punk music from DJ Don Baird at the wonderfully divey SoMa bar. Also Fridays. 7pm-2am. 1369 Folsom St. 431-4695. www.hitws.com

Weekly DJed sex party with Latin videos and musics, free salsa bar, half-price lockers, at the famed South Bay bath house. 4pm-12am. 1010 The Alameda, San Jose. www.thewatergarden.com

Gayface @ El Rio Queer weekly night out at the popular Mission bar. 9pm-2am. 3158 Mission St. www.elriosf.com

Junk @ Powerhouse MrPam and Dulce de Leche cohost the weekly underwear strip night and contest, with sexy prizes. $5. 10pm2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

The Klipptones @ Top of the Mark The local jazz band performs weekly at the swanky hotel lounge bar. 7pm11pm. thru August. 999 California St. www.klipptones.com

Nice Jewish Boys @ Chow Keshet, the LGBT Jewish organization, hosts a dinner party (buy your own meals) at the popular restaurant. 7pm. 215 Church st. RSVP: www.keshetonline.org

Local and visiting Asian drag queens’ weekly show. $5. 10:30pm show. DJ Philip Grasso. 3600 16th St. www.lookoutsf.com

Rock Fag @ Hole in the Wall

Fri 9 Gogo hunks Andrew and Armin at iCandy @ The Café

The musical comedy revue celebrates its 43th year with an ever-changing lineup of political and pop culture icons, all in gigantic wigs, now with new ‘Summer of Love’ numbers. $25-$160. Beer/ wine served; cash only; 21+, except where noted. Wed-Fri 8pm. Sat 6pm & 9pm. Sun 2pm & 5pm. 678 Beach Blanket Babylon Blvd. (Green St.). 421-4222. www.beachblanketbabylon.com

DH Haute Toddy’s weekly electro-pop night with hotty gogos. $3. 9pm-2am (happy hour 4pm-9pm). 456 Castro St. www.QbarSF.com

iCandy @ The Cafe

Skate Night @ Church on 8 Wheels Groove on wheels at the former Sacred Heart Church-turned disco roller skate party space, hosted by John D. Miles, the “Godfather of Skate.” 7pm-11pm. Also Wed, Thu, 7pm-10pm. Sat afternoon sessions 1pm-2:30pm and 3pm-5:30pm. $10. Kids 12 and under $5. Skate rentals $5. 554 Fillmore St. at Fell. www.churchof8wheels.com

Uhaul @ Oasis The lively women’s dance party takes over the SoMa club, with DJsSilly Sly, Ms. Jackson and Ripley. $20. 10pm2am. 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

Vibe Fridays @ Club BnB, Oakland House music and cocktails, with DJs Shareef Raheim-Jihad and Ellis Lindsey. 9pm-2am. 2120 Broadway. (510) 759-7340. www.club-bnb.com

Video Gaymer Night @ SF Eagle Multiple screens around the bar for gaming; plus no cover, free coat check and drink specials. 8pm-2am. 398 12th St. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com

Latin Explosion/Club Papi @ Club 21, Oakland

Sat 10

The Latin dance night includes drag acts hosted by Lola and Dorys, with half a dozen gogo studs. $10-$20. 9pm-3am. 2111 Franklin St., Oakland. www.club21oakland.com

La Bota Loca @ Club 21, Oakland Latin, hip hop and Electro music night. 9pm-4am. 2111 Franklin St., Oakland. www.club21oakland.com

Bear Happy Hour @ Midnight Sun Hairy men and their pals enjoy 2-for-1 drinks and no cover. 4067 18th St. 861-4186. www.midnightsunsf.com

Ben Rimalower @ Feinstein’s at the Nikko The gay actor-writer performs his solo show Patti Issues, about growing up after his father came out, and becoming (deservedly) obsessed with musical theatre actor Patti Lupone. $17.50-$45. $20 food/ drink min. 8pm. June 10, 7pm. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. www.feinsteinsatthenikko.com/

Boy Division @ Cat Club The LGBT New Wave, Goth and 4ADstyle dance night includes DJs Xander, Tomas Diablo, Donimo and guests; multiple rooms and grooves. $8-$10. 9:30pm-3am. 1190 Folsom st. www.catclubsf.com Steven Underhill

After Dark @ Exploratorium

Nightlife @ California Academy of Sciences

The popular video bar ends each work week with hot gogo guys (starting at 9pm) and drink specials; also Saturday nights. 4067 18th St. 861-4186. www.midnightsunsf.com

Gus Presents’ weekly dance night, with DJ Deft, cute gogos and $2 beer (before 10pm). RuPaul’s Drag Race viewings at 8pm. 2369 Market St. www.cafesf.com

Fri 9

Thu 8

Happy Friday @ Midnight Sun

Hard Fridays @ Qbar

Disco guru DJ Bus Station John spins grooves at the intimate retro music night. $5. 10pm-2am. 133 Turk St. at Taylor. www.auntcharlieslounge.com

Sue Casa hosts Fight for a Better America edition of The Monster Show @ The Edge

Various DJs play house music, and a few hotties gogo dance at the new gay bar’s weekly event. 9pm-2am. 2023 Broadway. (510) 823-2099. www.portbaroakland.com Hot dancers grind it at the Castro bar with a dance floor and patio. 4146 18th St. www.toadhallbar.com

Tubesteak Connection @ Aunt Charlie’s Lounge

Thu 8

DTF Fridays @ Port Bar, Oakland

Gogo Fridays @ Toad Hall

Tom Reardon @ Feinstein’s at the Nikko

Is it shorts weather yet?

The popular bear event, with DJ Spaz. $3. 9pm-2am. 1354 Harrison St. www.lonestarsf.com

Shot in the City

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On the Tab>>

Fri 9

Uhaul @ Oasis

Lick It @ Powerhouse Lance Holman’s kinky fun night features DJ Blackstone. $5. 10pm2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

Manimal @ Beaux Gogo-tastic dance night starts off your weekend. $5. 9pm-2am. 2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

Midnight Show @ Divas Weekly drag shows at the last transgender-friendly bar in the Polk; with hosts Victoria Secret, Alexis Miranda and several performers. Also Saturdays. $10. 11pm. 1081 Polk St. www.divassf.com

Red Hots Burlesque @ The Stud The saucy women’s burlesque show hosted by Dottie Lux will titillate and tantalize. $10-$20. 8pm-9:30pm. 399 9th St. Also Sunday brunch shows at PianoFight Theatre. 144 Taylor St. www.redhotsburlesque.com www.studsf.com

RuPaul’s Drag Race Viewings @ Various Bars Watch Season 9 of the popular drag competition show. 8pm at Oasis (cohosted by Honey Mahogany and Sister Roma), Beaux, Toad Hall, Midnight Sun, Port Bar Oakland and other venues. www.logotv.com

Bootie SF @ DNA Lounge Resident DJs and guests spin at the mash-up DJ dance party, with four rooms of different sounds and eight DJs. The Monster Drag Show hosted by Sue Casa. $10-$15 and up. 9:30pm3am. 375 11th St. www.bootiesf.com www.dnalounge.com

Bounce @ Lookout Dance music with a view at the Castro bar. 9pm-2am. 3600 16th St. www.lookoutsf.com

Club Rimshot @ Club BNB, Oakland Hip hop and Latin dance club. $5-$15. 9pm to 4am. 2120 Broadway. (510) 759-7340. www.club-bnb.com

House Party @ Powerhouse Mohammad spins grooves at the cruisy SoMa bar, which is transformed into a sofa & lava lamp man cave. $5. 10pm-2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

Lips and Lashes Brunch @ Lookout Weekly show with soul, funk and Motown grooves hosted by Carnie Asada, with DJs Becky Knox and Pumpkin Spice. The yummy brunch menu starts at 12pm, with the show at 1:30pm. 3600 16th St. www.lookoutsf.com

See page 36 >>

<< On the Tab

36 • Bay Area Reporter • June 8-14, 2017

Kent Taylor

Connie Champagne @ Oasis The acclaimed local singer revives her sweet and silly Judy Garland Pride concert of classic and unexpected pop and Broadway songs; accompanied by Tammy L Hall. $25-$35. 7:30pm. 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

Crop Top @ Oasis The new short shorts and cut-off t-shirts daytime party lets you enjoy the sun and cocktails on the rooftop. $8-$10. 2pm-7pm. 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

Dirt-T @ SF Eagle DJ Phil B spins classic Pleasuredomeera grooves at the leather bar’s T-dance. $5. 7pm-2am. 398 12th St. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com

Domingo De Escandal @ Club OMG

Sun 11

Connie Champagne @ Oasis

Weekly Latin night with drag shows hosted by Vicky Jimenez and DJ Carlitos. (Comedy Open Mic 5:30pm). 7pm-2am. 43 6th St. www.clubomgsf.com

Eli Conley @ The Back Room, Berkeley Queer Country West Coast presents a CD party for the singer-songwriter; The Secret Emchy Society opens. $15. 1:30pm. 1984 Bonita Ave., Berkeley. www.eliconley.com www.backroommusic.com

<<

On the Tab

From page 35

Mother @ Oasis Heklina hosts the fun drag show with weekly themes, and June 10, celbrates her 50th birthday! DJ MC2 spins dance grooves before and after the show. $10. 10pm-3am (11:30pm show). 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

Nitty Gritty @ Beaux Weekly dance night with nearly naked gogo guys & gals; DJs Chad Bays, Ms. Jackson, Becky Know and Jorge T. $4. 9pm-2am. 2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

Pound Puppy @ SF Eagle The cruisy cubs and bears night, includes a few canine hotties as well. Paul Goodyear and Jim Hopkins DJ, with resident Taco Tuesday. $10. 9pm-2am 398 12th St. at Harrison. sf-eagle.com

Roger Waters @ Oracle Arena

Sugar @ The Cafe Dance, drink, cruise at the Castro club. 9pm-2am. 2369 Market St. www.cafesf.com

Writers With Drinks @ Make Out Room Charlie Jane Anders hosts the literary liquor night, with Glen David Gold, Mark Oshiro, Robyn Bennis, Christina Ann Marie DiEdoardo and Denise Benavides. $5-$20. 7:30pm. 3225 22nd St. www.makeoutroom.com

Beer Bust @ SF Eagle

Jock @ The Lookout

The classic leather bar’s most popular Sunday daytime event in town draws the menfolk. Beer bust donations benefit local nonprofits. June 11 benefits OurTownSF.org, with BBQ, samosas, eggrolls and more food. $10. 3pm-6pm. Now also on Saturdays. 398 12th St. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com

San Mateo County Fair @ Country Fairgrounds

Big Top @ Beaux

Beer, bears, beats at the weekly fundriaser. June 11 benefits Bears of San Francisco. $15. 4pm-8pm. 1354 Harrison St. www.lonestarsf.com Enjoy an extra weekend night at the fun Castro nightclub, plus hot local DJs and sexy gogo guys and gals. $8. 9pm-2am. 2344 Market St. www.Beauxsf.com

Blessed @ Port Bar, Oakland Carnie Asada’s fun drag night with Carnie’s Angels – Mahlae Balenciaga and Au Jus, plus DJ Ion. 2023 Broadway. www.portbaroakland.com

Stoopid @ Powerhouse Jimmy Swear and Profundity’s game night, 5pm-9pm. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

Sunday Brunch @ Thee Parkside Bottomless Mimosas until 3pm at the fun rock-punk club. 1600 17th St. 2521330. www.theeparkside.com

Tonys Party @ Victoria Theatre Ray of Light Theatre company’s fun viewing party of the annual Tony Awards includes drinks (cash bar), sing-alongs, and a raffle for Hamilton and SF Ballet tickets, $500 Sephora goodie bag and more; forma/camp attire appreciated. $5. 4:30pm-8pm. 2961 16th St. rayoflighttheatre.com

Vanessa Bousay @ Martuni’s The drag chanteuse returns for a Pride and rainbow-themed “True Colors” concert at the intimate martini bar. $15. 7pm. 4 Valnecia St. www.vanessabousay.com

Mon 12 Epic Karaoke @ White Horse, Oakland Mondays and Tuesdays popular weekly sing-along night. No cover. 8:30pm-1am. 6551 Telegraph Ave, (510) 652-3820. www.whitehorsebar.com

Mica Sigourney and Tom Temprano cohost the wacky weekly game night at the cool Mission bar. 8pm. 3152 Mission St. www.virgilssf.com

Opulence @ Beaux Weekly dance night, with Jocques, DJs Tori, Twistmix and Andre. 9pm-2am. 2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

Piano Bar 101 @ Martuni’s Sing-along night with talented locals, and charming accompanist Joe Wicht. 9pm. 4 Valencia St. at Market.

Pulse: Acts of Love and Kindness @ Fort Mason Juanita More! and Kirk Maxson’s art fundraiser with 49 artists’ commissioned portraits of the 49 victims of the Orlando Pulse nightclub massacre. $25. 6pm-10pm. The General’s Residence, 2 Marina Blvd. https://fortmason.org/event/pulse/

Spanglish @ Club OMG Spanish and English drag shows and dance music with DJ Carlitos. $5-$10. 9pm-2am. 43 6th St. clubomgsf.com

Underwear Night @ 440 Strip down to your skivvies at the popular men’s night. 9pm-2am. 440 Castro St. 621-8732. www.the440.com

Sat 10

SONiA @ St. Cyprian’s Church

The Country-Western line-dancing two-stepping dance events celebrates 18 years! Free, including lessons for newbies. 5pm-10:30pm. 550 Barneveld Ave. www.sundancesaloon.org

Gaymer Meetup @ Brewcade The weekly LGBT video game enthusiast night includes big-screen games and signature beers, with a new remodeled layout, including an outdoor patio. No cover. 7pm-11pm. 2200 Market St. www.brewcadesf.com

Karaoke Night @ SF Eagle Sing along, with host Beth Bicoastal, prizes, local celeb judges, and $2 draft beer. 8pm-12am. 398 12th St. www.sf-eagle.com

Mister Sister @ Midnight Sun

Sat 10

No No Bingo @ Virgil’s Sea Room

Sundance Saloon @ Space 550

SONiA @ St. Cyprian’s Church

DJs Lucky, Paul, and Phengren Osward spin 60s soul 45s. $5-$10 ($5 off in semi-formal attire). 10pm-2am. 647 Valencia St. 552-7788. www.elbo.com

Sing along at the popular musical theatre night; also Wednesdays. 7pm2am. 2 for 1 cocktail, 5pm-closing. 4149 18th St. at Collingwood. www.edgesf.com

Same-sex partner tango dancing, including lessons for newbies, food and drinks. $5-$10. 3:30pm-6:30pm. 1970 Chestnut St, Berkeley. www.finnishhall.org

DJ Lady Char spins dance grooves; gogo studs, and drink specials, too. 9pm-2am. 2023 Broadway. (510) 8232099. www.portbaroakland.com

Soul Party @ Elbo Room

Donna Sachet often hosts the weekly fabulous brunch and drag show, now celebrating its tenth anniversary. $45. 11am, show at noon; 1:30pm, show at 2:30pm. 450 Powell St. in Union Square. 395-8595. www.starlightroomsf.com

Queer Tango @ Finnish Hall, Berkeley

Shake It Up @ Port Bar, Oakland

The award-winning (GLAAD and GLAMA) singer-folk song writer performs her political and hope-filled songs. $18-$22. _pm. 2097 Turk St. www.sflivearts.org

Musical Mondays @ The Edge

Enjoy the weekly jock-ular fun, with DJed dance music at sports team fundraisers. 12pm-1am. NY DJ Sharon White from 3pm-6pm. 3600 16th St. www.lookoutsf.com

Gareth Gooch

Saturgay @ Qbar

Sunday’s a Drag @ Starlight Room

GlamaZone @ The Cafe

Sun 11

Beer Bust @ Lone Star Saloon

Stanley Frank spins house dance remixes at the intimate Castro dance bar. $3. 9pm-2am (weekly beer bust 2pm-9pm). 456 Castro St. www.QbarSF.com

Weekly live music shows with various acts, along with brunch buffet, bottomless Mimosas, champagne and more, at the stylish nightclub and restaurant, with live entertainment and DJ Shawn P. $15-$20. 11am-3pm. After that, Femme T-Dance drag shows at 7pm, 10pm and 11pm. 2565 Mission St. at 21st. 920-0577. www.balancoiresf.com Pollo del Mar’s weekly drag show takes on different themes with a comic edge. 8:30-11:30pm. 2369 Market St. www.cafesf.com

The Pink Floyd cofounder performs hits from Animals, The Wall, Dark Side of the Moon, and other albums, with a large-scale politically-themed visual show. $84-$250. 8pm. 7000 Coliseum Way, Oakland. theoraclearena.com

Enjoy food, animal exhibits, livestock auctions, carnival rides, and more. Concert series (separate admission) includes War, Summer of Love cover bands (Hendrix, Joplin, etc.), the Family Stone and the Oakland Symphony, Tower of Power, Ohio Players and more. $6-$35. Thru June 18. 1346 Saratoga Drive, San Mateo. www.sanmateocountyfair.com

Femme Brunch @ Balancoire

t

Heklina’s 50th at Mother @ Oasis

RuPaul’s Drag Race review night, with Honey Mahogany, Dulce de Leche and Carnie Asada. No cover. 10pm. 4067 18th St. 861-4186. www.midnightsunsf.com

Mule Mondays @ Port Bar, Oakland Enjoy frosty Moscow Mule cocktails in a brassy mug, specials before 8pm. 2023 Broadway, Oakland. www.portbaroakland.com

Tue 13 Bandit @ Lone Star Saloon Weekly queer event with resident DJ Justime; electro, soul, funk, house. No cover. 9pm-1am. 1354 Harrison St. www.facebook.com/BanditPartySF www.lonestarsf.com

Cock Shot @ Beaux Shot specials and adult Bingo games, with DJs Chad Bays and Riley Patrick, at the new weekly night. No cover. 9pm-2am. 2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

Game Night @ Midnight Sun Video game fun, Wheel O’ Cocktails, and board games. 9pm-2am. 4067 18th St. 861-4186. www.midnightsunsf.com

Game Night @ SF Eagle Board games, card games and cheap beer. 4pm-2am. 398 12th St. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com

Hella Saucy @ Q Bar Queer dance party at the stylish intimate bar. 9pm-2am. 456 Castro St. www.QbarSF.com

t

On the Tab>>

High Fantasy @ Aunt Charlie’s Lounge Weekly drag and variety show, with live acts and lip-synching divas, plus DJed grooves. $5. Shows at 10:30pm & 12am. 133 Turk St. at Taylor. www.auntcharlieslounge.com

Hysteria @ Martuni’s Irene Tu and Jessica Sele cohost the comedy open mic night for women and queers. No cover. 6pm-8:30pm. 4 Valencia St.

Karaoke Night @ The Stud Sing Till It Hurts with hostess Sister Flora; 2 for 1 happy hour, no cover. 8pm-2am. 399 9th St. www.studsf.com

Naked Night @ Nob Hill Theatre Strip down with the strippers at the clothing-optional night. $20. 9pm. 729 Bush St. at Powell. 397-6758. www.thenobhilltheatre.com

Retro Night @ 440 Castro Jim Hopkins plays classic pop oldies, with vintage music videos. 9pm-2am. 44 Castro St. www.the440.com

Stag @ Powerhouse Cruisy night for single and couples looking for a third. $3 Jagermeister shots will get you in trouble, the fun kind. 10pm-2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

June 8-14, 2017 • Bay Area Reporter • 37

Trivia Night @ Hi Tops Play the trivia game at the popular new sports bar. 9pm. 2247 Market St. 551-2500. www.HiTopsSF.com

Trivia Night @ Port Bar, Oakland

Comedy Showcase @ SF Eagle

Sat 10

Kollin Holtz hosts the open mic comedy night. 5:30pm-8pm. 398 12th St. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com

Roger Waters @ Oracle Arena

Girl Scout @ Port Bar, Oakland

Cranny hosts a big gay trivia night at the new East Bay bar; drinks specials and prizes. 7:30pm. 2023 Broadway. www.portbaroakland.com

The weekly women’s happy hour and dance night with DJ Becky Knox. 6pm-10pm. 2023 Broadway. www. portbaroakland.com

Una Noche @ Club BnB, Oakland

Una Noche @ Club OMG

Vicky Jimenez’ drag show and contest; Latin music all night. 9pm-2am. 2120 Broadway. (510) 759-7340. www.club-bnb.com

Weekly Latin night with drag shows hosted by Vicky Jimenez. $5-$10. 9pm-2am. 43 6th St. www.clubomgsf.com

Underwear Night @ Club OMG

Weekly guided tour of bars. $10-$18. Meet at Harvey Milk Plaza, 7:45pm. Also morning historic tours on Mon, Wed, & Sat. www.wildsftours.com

LGBT Pub Crawl @ Castro

Weekly underwear night includes free clothes check, and drink specials. $4. 10pm-2am. Preceded by Open Mic Comedy, 7pm, no cover. 43 6th St. www.clubomgsf.com

Wed 14 Bondage-a-Gogo @ The Cat Club The weekly gay/straight/whatever fetish-themed kinky dance night. $7$10. 9:30pm-2:30am. 1190 Folsom St. www.bondage-a-go-go.com www.catclubsf.com

Miss Kitty’s Trivia Night @ Wild Side West

Bottoms Up Bingo @ Hi Tops Play board games and win offbeat prizes at the popular sports bar. 9pm. 2247 Market St. 551-2500. www.HiTopsSF.com

B.P.M. @ Club BnB, Oakland Olga T and Shugga Shay’s weekly queer women and men’s R&B hip hop and soul night, at the club’s new

location. No cover. 8pm-2am. 2120 Broadway, Oakland. www.bench-and-bar.com

Castro Karaoke @ Midnight Sun Sing out with host Bebe Sweetbriar; 2 for 1 well drinks. 8pm-2am. 4067 18th St. 861-4186. www.midnightsunsf.com

The weekly fun night at the Bernal Heights bar includes prizes, hosted by Kitty Tapata. No cover. 7pm-10pm. 424 Cortland St. 647-3099. www.wildsidewest.com

Movie Night @ SF Eagle Enjoy drinks and a flick, with trivia games and prizes. 8pm-2am. 398 12th St. www.sf-eagle.com

See page 38 >>

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38 • Bay Area Reporter • June 8-14, 2017

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My So-Called Night @ Beaux

Throwback Thursdays @ Qbar

Carnie Asada hosts a weekly ‘90s-themed video, dancin’, drinkin’ night, with VJs Jorge Terez. Get down with your funky bunch, and enjoy 90-cent drinks. ‘90s-themed attire and costume contest. No cover. 9pm-2am. 2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

Enjoy retro 80s soul, dance and pop classics with DJ Jorge Terez. No cover. 9pm-2am. 456 Castro St. QbarSF.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. 8292233. www.virgilssf.com

Thu 15

Space @ Port Bar, Oakland

Thump @ White Horse, Oakland

<<

On the Tab

Thu 15

Pan Dulce @ Beaux

Beer Bust @ Lone Star Saloon

From page 37

The hot weekly Latin dance night with sexy gogo guys, drag divas and more. $5 9pm-2am. 2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

Po Hoe @ Powerhouse Nikki Jizz offers cheap drinks and cheaper men. 10pm-2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

Queer Latinx Happy Hour @ Twin Peaks Tavern Gathering of queer Latin folks. 5pm.-8pm. Market St. at Castro.

Gang of Youths, Superet @ Bottom of the Hill Great Australian rock band, and the LA rock/pop trio, perform; Parkway opens. $10-$12. 8pm. 1233 17th St. www.gangofyouths.com

Wrangler Wednesdays @ Rainbow Cattle Company, Guerneville Wear your jeans and meet new folks at the Russian River gay bar. 16220 Main St., Guerneville. www.queersteer.com

Weeknight extra benefit, with DJs Krinsky and MetalBob playing hard rock, metal and more. 8pm-12am. 1354 Harrison St. www.lonestarsf.com

Comedy Returns @ El Rio 8th annual ‘Obligatory June Gay Comedy Night,’ with Tom Ammiano, Mimi Gonzalez, Julia Jackson, Nick Leonard, and host Lisa Geduldig. $7$20. 8pm. 3158 Mission St. www.elriosf.com

Craig Jessup @ Hotel Rex The vocalist perofrms a cabaret concert of songs by Rodgers & Hart, Gershwin and other classic composers, with piano and bass accompaniment. $30-$50. Cocktails and small plates available. 562 Sutter St. www.societycabaret.com

Gym Class @ Hi Tops Enjoy whiskey shots from jockstrapped hotties and sexy sports videos at the popular sports bar. 10pm-2am. 2247 Market St. 551-2500. www.HiTopsSF.com

Kick It @ DNA Lounge

DJs Bribee and Olga T play at the ‘Cosmic Force’ event at the 7th anniversary party for the Queer Gym. 2023 Broadway. www. portbaroakland.com

Thump @ White Horse, Oakland Weekly electro music night with DJ Matthew Baker and guests. 9pm-2am. 6551 Telegraph Ave, (510) 652-3820. www.whitehorsebar.com

Tubesteak Connection @ Aunt Charlie’s Lounge Disco guru DJ Bus Station John spins grooves at the intimate retro music night. $5. 10pm-2am. 133 Turk St. at Taylor. www.auntcharlieslounge.com Want your nightlife event listed? Email events@ebar.com, at least two weeks before your event. Event photos welcome.

Kandi Love, Northcore Collective and Plus Alliance’s weekly EDM, flow arts dance night, with DJs; glow drag encouraged. $5-$10. 9pm-2am. 375 11th St. www.dnalounge.com

Literary Pop @ Martuni’s Pop culture storytelling, this month with poet Sean Patrick Mulroy, comedian Dom Gelin, Wonder Dave and more. 7pm. 4 Valencia St.

Mary Go-Round @ Lookout Mercedez Munro and Holotta Tymes present saucy and unusual drag acts. $5. 10pm-2am. 3600 16th St. www.lookoutsf.com

The Monster Show @ The Edge The weekly drag show with host Sue Casa, DJ MC2, themed nights and hilarious fun. $5. 9pm-2am. 4149 18th St. at Collingwood. www.edgesf.com

Thu 15 Mimi Gonzalez at Comedy Returns @ El Rio

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Read more online at www.ebar.com

June 8-14, 2017 • Bay Area Reporter • 39

Shining Stars Steven Underhill Photos by

One Night Only @ Marines’ Memorial Theater

C

ast members from the San Francisco production of Hamilton wowed fans and patrons in their special benefit concert for the Richmond/Ermet Aid Foundation and Broadway Cares, held on June 5. With spot-on vocals, dance duets, and some powerful original songs as well, the concert also gave some chorus members and swing cast memebrs a moment in the spotlight. Live auction items included dinners with cast members, and a South African Safari tour. The next REAF event is the hot and sexy Broadway Bares SF II: Manustript at the DNA Lounge on June 18. www.reaf-sf.org More photo albums are on BARtab’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/lgbtsf.nightlife. See more of Steven Underhill’s photos at www.StevenUnderhill.com.

Read more online at www.ebar.com

April 27-May 3, 2017 • Bay Area Reporter • 39

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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

“This will be a show not to be missed.” Michael Tilson Thomas

MUSIC FOR A MODERN AGE A UNIQUELY THEATRICAL EVENT

FRI JUN 23 7:30PM SAT JUN 24 8PM SUN JUN 25 2PM

Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony perform a thrilling musical program framed by dynamic dancers and illuminating imagery in a one of a kind multi-sensory experience. Featuring the movers and shakers of the American contemporary classical music scene, this concert event is a must see spectacle. The June 25 concert benefits the Orchestra’s Pension Fund.

ALL TICKETS* JUST

Michael Tilson Thomas conductor San Francisco Symphony Measha Brueggergosman mezzo-soprano Ives From the Steeples and the Mountains Ives The Unanswered Question Michael Tilson Thomas Four Preludes on Playthings of the Wind (West Coast Premiere) Harrison Selections from Suite for Violin with American Gamelan Antheil A Jazz Symphony

Concerts at Davies Symphony Hall unless otherwise noted. Programs, artists, and prices subject to change. *Subject to availability Inaugural Partner

Official Airline

Box Office Hours Mon–Fri 10am–6pm, Sat noon–6pm, Sun 2 hours prior to concerts Walk Up Grove Street between Van Ness and Franklin