After previous denials to the Bay Area Reporter, Another Planet Entertainment has confirmed that it does have plans for the nail salon and coffee shop spaces that may be vacant when the businesses leases expire at the end of June.
As the B.A.R previously reported, the Castro Coffee Company, at 427 Castro Street, and Castro Nail Salon, at 431 Castro Street, flank the theater, which is currently closed due to ongoing renovations. The theater has been owned by the Nasser family for generations but, since 2022, it has been managed by Bay Area concert promoter Another Planet Entertainment, which is spearheading a massive renovation and restoration project.
Now, as the renovations are ongoing, the two storefront businesses may have to leave by June.
“These businesses are essential,” Ken Khoury previously told the B.A.R. “You take these businesses out, this part of the 400 block would be totally dead. Is this what the city wants? You’re taking a thriving business that serves the community for so long and just basically throwing it out. … I have five employees with dependents. How can I turn my back on them, and tell them to go away?”
APE still disavows involvement, and a spokesperson told the B.A.R. for a May 7 story that it has no plans to use the spaces if they become vacant.
Until, that is, APE’s CEO told the San Francisco Chronicle exactly that over the weekend, saying it needs the spaces to expand the box office.
The spokesperson had stated that the plans may change going forward.
“We always said that might change,” APE spokesperson David Perry stated May 17. “Right now, the plan is to hopefully use those spaces for expanded box office facilities and possibly expanded restroom facilities. We hope the building’s owner and the tenants in question come to an equitable solution.”
Brothers Ken Khoury who owns the Castro Coffee Co., and Riyad Khoury, who owns the Castro Nail Salon, had alleged APE had plans for the theater and was involved in negotiations.
Perry also stated the theater is slated to be open in early 2026. As the B.A.R. previously reported, the timetable had been pushed back from a June 2025 opening due to PG&E issues which have now been resolved.
See page 8 >>
Lee era begins in Oakland
Barbara Lee, right, was joined by retired East Bay Municipal Utility District board member Bill Patterson during her swearing in ceremony as Oakland’s 52nd mayor Tuesday, May 20, in the council chambers at City Hall. Lee, a former longtime congressmember, won a special election April 15 to complete the term of recalled mayor Sheng Thao. She offered a message of hope during her remarks, but also noted the city’s budget woes.
California officials ax funds for queer women’s health
by Matthew S. Bajko
A“As your mayor, my job is to lead our city out of a budget crisis and into a period of financial stability,” she said. “We can only do this together if we have a strong, vibrant downtown, thriving small businesses in every Oakland neighborhood that preserve the character of our great city and contribute toward our vitality, and a city that welcomes investment.”
Also on Tuesday, Charlene Wang, a lesbian, was sworn in to her District 2 council seat. Wang won the special election to finish the term of Nikki Fortunato Bas, who was elected to the Alameda County Board of Supervisors last November.
s state officials grapple with a looming budget deficit, California health officials have reportedly axed a fund specifically established for queer women’s health programs. It has sparked outrage from one of the largest providers of such services, while one gay legislative leader has suggested the decision may not be final. In what advocates hailed at the time as a national first, California lawmakers six years ago established a $17.5 million Lesbian, Bisexual, and Queer Women’s Health Equity Fund. As the Bay Area Reporter had noted, the money was included in the state’s 2019-2020 $214.8 billion budget, which was the first to be signed by Governor Gavin Newsom.
Noem won’t commit to checking if detained gay makeup artist is alive
by John Ferrannini
The Secretary of Homeland Security is refusing to confirm if a gay makeup artist who was extrajudicially removed from the United States is still alive. Secretary Kristi Noem declined to answer questions about the status of Andry Jose Hernández Romero during a testy congressional hearing May 14.
Gay California Congressmember Robert Garcia (D-Long Beach) grilled Noem over the case of Hernández Romero at the hearing. In March, Hernández Romero was removed by the Trump administration from the U.S. to a notorious prison in El Salvador with more than 200 other migrants.
2017 Media Kit 0 a
The Los Angeles Blade covers Los Angeles and California news, politics, opinion, arts and entertainment and features national and international coverage from the Blade’s award-winning reporting team. Be part of this exciting publication serving LGBT Los Angeles from the team behind the Washington Blade, the nation’s first LGBT newspaper. From the freeway to the Beltway we’ve got you covered.
Meanwhile, Hernández Romero’s attorneys visited San Francisco as his federal case continues.
Garcia – who recently went to El Salvador in an attempt to get answers about Hernández Romero, but was denied access – asked Noem for “proof of life of Andry.” Separately, Garcia did ask the U.S. ambassador to El Salvador to make an inquiry, which he agreed to do.
“He has had no access to lawyers or family since he has been taken over a month now,” Garcia said. “His mother just wants to know if he is alive.”
See page 2 >>
refused to answer questions about the status of detained migrant Andry Jose Hernández Romero during a congressional hearing May 14.
After Garcia reiterated the question, Noem responded, “I don’t know the specifics of this individual case. This individual is in El Salvador and
the appeal would be best made to the president and to the government of El Salvador on this.”
See page 7 >>
Harvey Milk Revisited
Another Planet Entertainment now says it does need the spaces adjacent to the Castro Theatre that may push out two small businesses.
Scott Wazlowski
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, left,
Noem, from DHS website; Hernández Romero, courtesy Immigrant Defenders Law Center
Jane Philomen Cleland Governor Gavin Newsom last week announced cuts to the state budget.
Bill Wilson
Saint Francis Foundation awards $1.3M in grants
compiled by Cynthia Laird
The Saint Francis Foundation has awarded $1.32 million in community grants to local nonprofits. The independent community foundation stated that the new funding brings St. Francis’ community grants total to $8.8 million to date.
“Our community partners are on the front lines in removing barriers to care, assessing social determinants of health, and improving patient access and outcomes,” stated Kate Smith, president of the Saint Francis Foundation. “With the current political climate resulting in reductions to vital health care services, our community partners have sprung into action to identify gaps in maintaining their essential programming. Through the generosity and insights of our dedicated donors, the foundation is in a unique position to help offset the impact of these federal actions.”
Those actions by the Trump administration target gender-affirming care and an executive order stating there are only two genders, male and female. Additionally, the administration has scrapped diversity, equity, and inclusion policies at federal agencies, and made drastic cuts to medical research and health care funding.
Smith stated to the Bay Area Reporter that the grant checks will be issued in full in June. In a phone call, she noted the funds are “above and beyond” what the foundation previously gave to the organizations.
One of the recipients is the San Francisco Community Health Cen-
ter, which will receive $325,000, the release stated. The federally qualified health center has already seen some federal cuts, CEO Lance Toma, a gay man, previously told the B.A.R. Additionally, the center joined with the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and other nonprofits in suing the Trump administration over President Donald Trump’s executive orders targeting DEI initiatives.
According to the Saint Francis Foundation, the grant funds will be used for street medicine and traumainformed care. The health center’s street medicine model improves quality and health outcomes for more than 200 unhoused Tenderloin residents
by delivering low-barrier, traumainformed care where they live.
“Our long-standing partnership with Saint Francis Foundation has fostered innovation and inspiration as we strive to address the health and wellness of the Tenderloin community,” stated Lance Toma, a gay man who is CEO of the San Francisco Community Health Center. “We worked on a collaboration with their emergency department and our street medicine program, which is demonstrating incredible outcomes for individuals who are struggling with substance use and homelessness.
“At this particular moment when federal funding is at significant risk,
especially for marginalized communities, this award from Saint Francis Foundation will help us to defend against federal cuts to ensure we persist in our efforts to provide comprehensive care for the most vulnerable in the Tenderloin,” Toma added.
Another grant recipient is Larkin Street Youth Services, which will also receive $325,000. The funds will be used to help homeless youth and a comprehensive shelter program that operates more than 500 beds across 16-plus sites, according to the release. Additionally, the grant will aid the center’s workforce development and education programs.
In a statement, Larkin Street officials stated they were honored to receive the grant funds.
“Thank you to Saint Francis Foundation for standing with us and uplifting our work. We’re proud to be in partnership with an organization that leads with heart and ac tion,” Larkin Street Youth Services stated.
support is a cornerstone of its trans program.
“Support from the Saint Francis Foundation is instrumental for our Maitri Affirmation Center program,” Armentrout wrote in an email. “Because of their belief in our mission, we now offer a safe and affirming space for more than 20 people each year who come to San Francisco for gender-affirming surgeries, extending Maitri’s legacy of compassionate care to this vulnerable population. This crucial partnership not only secures the essential care our TGI family deserves but also sends a powerful message of solidarity and support for LGBTQ+ healthcare amidst current political challenges.”
Maitri Compassionate Care, which provides residential care for people in need of hospice or 24-hour care, will receive $225,000 from the Saint Francis Foundation. The funds will be used to provide services for lowincome transgender patients, the release stated.
Michael Armentrout, a gay man who is CEO of Maitri, told the B.A.R. that the Saint Francis Foundation’s
Lyon-Martin Community Health Services will receive $150,000 for an expansion of LGBTQ+ services, the foundation’s release stated, including Lyon-Martin moving into its new 17,000 square foot facility. Lyon-Martin officials did not respond to a request for comment.
Other nonprofits receiving grants are Hyde Street Community Services, which will get $225,000 for intense case management. Curry Senior Center received an additional $150,000 and Sequoia Living received $25,000 for a pilot program with the Institute on Aging to study isolation and aging.
The Los Angeles LGBT Center had said it marked the first time a state had designated funding solely for the health needs of LBTQ women. Programs to be funded had to serve cisgender and transgender women who identify as lesbian, bisexual, or queer, while those providing certain services for transgender men also could apply to the fund overseen by the California Department of Public Health.
“The LBTQ Health Equity Initiative (LBTQ Initiative) will address welldocumented but largely unaddressed health inequities that result from a range of challenges including deeply rooted systemic anti-LBTQ bias, lack of culturally responsive care, and an alarming lack of medical services and research tailored to lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer women as well as transgender men, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming persons,” noted the state agency in its request for proposals for the funds issued four years ago.
A major beneficiary of the funding
had been the LA center’s Audre Lorde Health Program for lesbian and bisexual women. In 2022, in coalition with five community partners, the LA center received $1.9 million to expand the program and hire on additional staff.
Earlier this month at an emergency meeting state officials convened May 10 with grantees of the LBTQ fund, the service providers learned that their contracts would be terminated six months early, on June 30, the LA center disclosed this week. It also announced that the state health agency was shuttering its Office of Health Equity that had been established to oversee programs for LBTQ women, trans men, and nonbinary people.
In a statement released May 19, gay LA center CEO Joe Hollendoner blasted the decision to halt the “lifeaffirming services” and thus strip away care from individuals who are most in need of it.
“This reversal is not just a budget adjustment – it is a betrayal of queer and trans Californians,” stated Hollendoner.
He called on Newsom and legislators in Sacramento “to reverse this
harmful decision” and to renew the “critical” $17 million for the LBTQ fund in the 2025-2026 state budget.
“Let’s be clear: balancing the state budget on the backs of vulnerable queer communities is a moral failure,” stated Hollendoner. “In cutting this funding, Governor Newsom has chosen to sacrifice the health and dignity of those already navigating intersecting barriers of misogyny, racism, transphobia, and xenophobia – including undocumented LGBTQ+ people. These cuts, along with the pausing of enrollment for adult undocumented Californians, are a clear attack on our healthcare system and the people who depend on it.”
With the state needing to address a projected $7.5 billion shortfall in its budget, and bracing for even larger cuts that could be required due to the negative fiscal impacts spawned by the policies and decisions made by the Trump White House and Congressional Republicans, Newsom is proposing a Medi-Cal enrollment freeze for undocumented individuals ages 19 and older as one way to shore up the state’s finances. In releasing his
May revise budget last week, Newsom proposed a total of $12 billion in cuts in order to also add $4.5 billion to the state’s discretionary reserve as part of a $226.4 billion General Fund spending plan, as the California Budget & Policy Center noted.
‘Deeply alarmed’
In a May 20 statement regarding the proposed axing of the Office of Health Equity and the funds for LBTQ health services, the California LGBTQ Health and Human Services Network said it was “deeply alarmed” about the dual decisions. It also called the proposal “devastating,” noting that the equity office has been “an instrumental partner” of its work for years.
“The unfortunate reality is that we saw these cuts on the horizon. They come at a time when LGBTQ+ research is being defunded, genderaffirming care is under attack, and access to life-saving services like mental health care is shrinking,” stated Dannie Ceseña, the LGBTQ network’s first Two-Spirit and Native director. “These decisions hit
the LGBTQ+ community first - and leave long-lasting impacts. Combined with proposed Medicaid cuts, this leaves many without alternatives to turn to, especially in rural communities. For many community-based organizations, this funding is a lifeline.”
Ceseña added that the defunding of the health equity office is “a deep betrayal of trust.” They reiterated the LA center’s call on Newsom and the state Legislature to reconsider cutting access to life-saving services for LGBTQ+ Californians across the state.
“If these decisions move forward, the consequences to our health will be real, measurable, and longlasting,” stated Ceseña. “This is no longer a question of if these cuts will hurt - it’s when. Other communities will be left behind and forgotten when essential resources are stripped away. California should be leading the nation — not cutting the very programs that expand access to care and save lives for LGBTQ+ people.”
Maitri CEO Michael Armentrout, left, and Lance Toma, CEO of the San Francisco Community Health Center, saw their agencies receive grants from the Saint Francis Foundation.
Armentrout, Eric Burkett; Toma, from Facebook
B.A.R. wins CA journalism awards Community News>>
by Cynthia Laird
In arts, news, and opinion, the Bay Area Reporter continues its awardworthy coverage. The longtime LGBTQ publication again received recognition in the annual California Journalism Awards from the California News Publishers Association.
The competition with news publications from around the Golden State was for articles published in 2024.
In the news section, the paper won a first place award, Division 5, in editorial comment for “Shame on the US Postal Service,” which took the federal agency to task for rejecting a postage stamp honoring Matthew Shepard, the gay Wyoming college student who was beaten to death in a horrific anti-gay hate crime in 1998.
The paper also received a second place award, division 5, in editorial comment for “Archbishop needs to follow pope’s directive,” about San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone’s active efforts to go against a decision by the late Pope Francis to allow Catholic priests to bless same-sex couples.
health at SF event.” The feature looked at the impact of social media on Olympic skier Gus Kenworthy’s mental health as he gave a talk at the dinner portion of the SoFi Child Mind Institute Golf Invitational at the Olympic Club last summer.
Arts contributor Jim Gladstone won first place in the arts and entertainment category, Division 5, for “‘Baldwin and Buckley at Cambridge’ in Berkeley,” about a play about the late gay writer and civil rights activist James Baldwin.
Arts and nightlife editor Jim Provenzano took fourth place in the same category for “Richard Hunt, the gay Muppeteer: ‘Funny Boy,’ Jessica Max Stein’s biography, reveals his vibrant brief life,” about the biography of Hunt.
In film and TV writing/reporting, Division 5, arts contributor Tim Pfaff took first place for “‘Leonardo da Vinci’ – Documenting the supreme Renaissance Man” about the Ken Burns documentary about the gay polymath.
last year received its first major U.S. museum retrospective at the de Young in San Francisco.
In music writing/reporting, Division 5, contributor Michael Flanagan won first place for “Finding David Bowie’s queer roots,” about the late musician introducing alternative sexuality to his audiences that was examined in two books about Bowie’s association with the London gay scene.
In the same category, Pfaff received third place for “Charles Ives at 150: Jeremy Denk plays the piano works” about the modernist composer and new recordings of his work by gay pianist Denk.
In the religion and faith writing category, Division 5, Ferrannini received first place for “Queer young adults say coming out deepened their faith,” about young people affiliated with Beloved
In the local election 2024 category, Division 5, assistant editor John Ferrannini won first place for “SF mayoral forum in queer district lacks LGBTQ questions” about the major candidates in last year’s mayor’s race.
Arise, a Seattle-based nonprofit that seeks to empower religious LGBTQ youth from all faiths and denominations.
Assistant editor Matthew S. Bajko took fifth place in the sports feature category, Division 5, for his article, “Gay Olympian Kenworthy promotes mental
In second place in the same category was contributor Brian Bromberger’s piece, “‘The True Story of Tamara de Lempicka and The Art of Survival’ – Documentary explores a beautiful scandalous artistic life” about the documentary of de Lempicka, the lauded bisexual Art Deco painter whose work
B.A.R. publisher Michael Yamashita, a gay man, praised the staff and contributors. “I’m very proud of our editors and writers and gratified that they were recognized by their peers for their accomplishments,” Yamashita stated. “It’s great that so many of our arts and culture writers did well, given the quality of entrants from all over the state.”
Added Provenzano, “I’m thrilled to see so many of my contributing writers win these deserved awards. From da Vinci to de Lempicka to David Bowie to James Baldwin, the diversity of our arts coverage continues to shine.” t
2 Mission district nonprofits embroiled in legal fight
by John Ferrannini
Two San Francisco nonprofits are embroiled in a legal battle with a trial tentatively set for September. The outcome could affect housing for people living with HIV/AIDS.
Dolores Street Community Services, or DSCS, now Mission Action, filed suit April 2, 2024 against the Marty’s Place Affordable Housing Corporation, or MPAH. A trial date of September 8 has been set for the courtroom of San Francisco Superior Court Judge Christine Van Aken.
Mission Action accuses Marty’s Place of breach of contract in a rental agreement at 1165 Treat Avenue in its civil complaint.
“A present and actual controversy exists between DSCS and MPAH regarding the rights, duties, and obligations of DSCS and MPAH in the lease,” the complaint states. “DSCS contends it is the lessor under the Lease and MPAH is the lessee. DSCS also contends that failure to pay rents due under the lease constitutes default, allowing for the removal of MPAH as manager of the property. As a result, an actual and judiciable controversy exists between DSCS and MPAH
concerning the rights, duties, and obligations arising out of the lease regarding the continued operations of the property.”
As the Bay Area Reporter reported in December, Marty’s Place was founded in the 1990s by the Reverend Richard Purcell, a Roman Catholic Franciscan friar who intended it as a safe haven for people living with AIDS.
It was named for his late brother, Marty, who died of AIDS. In 2011, it
came under the aegis of what was then known as Dolores Street Community Services.
“What this is is an attempt to take the building by dislodging Marty’s Place,” Michael Rouppet, a gay man who is president of the MPAH board of directors, told the B.A.R. “We have been trying to hold discussions but they are not responding.”
MPAH had originally been leasing the building from the San Francisco
Community Land Trust. In 2021, the lessor was changed to Martys Place, LLC, a subsidiary of DSCS/Mission Action. According to Rouppet, the idea was for DSCS/Mission Action to help MPAH become independent. (That name does not have an apostrophe.)
According to the defendant’s attorney Douglas Robbins, this means that in the most technical sense, “the party who sued us is not technically the landlord.”
However, the chief officer of Martys Place, LLC is Laura Valdez, the executive director of DSCS/Mission Action.
Rouppet lives at the site with one other person. They had been holding off on accepting new residents due to the legal situation, but recently reversed course.
Paul Aguilar, a longtime gay AIDS activist, is the other person living at the site. He said two potential candidates for the space, which can house six people, were interviewed when he returned from a trip to Washington, D.C. for AIDSWatch 2025.
Aguilar stated May 20 they are still “interviewing applicants.”
Valdez, on the other hand, alleges that in 2021 and 2022, MPAH didn’t pay timely rent or late fees.
“We have pretty much a vacant
house at Marty’s Place operating as a private residence,” Valdez said in a phone call with the B.A.R. “This is very questionable behavior on their part.”
Rouppet and Aguilar allege that though they’ve been trying to resolve any issues outside of court – they claim the rent allegations are flatly false – this is actually a war of legal attrition on DSCS/Mission Action’s part in an attempt to evict them.
“My theory is by doing this lawsuit – the contract ends in 2030 – they can sell the building,” Aguilar said.
As the B.A.R. recently reported, Aguilar is seeking the advice of an attorney after the Social Security Administration alleges it overpaid him by over $200,000.
Kevin Ortiz, who is on the board of MPAH, has called for an investigation of DSCS/Mission Action, which he accuses of potentially wanting to use the house to access federal funds.
Mission Action currently provides housing on the site of the former Mission Inn in the Outer Mission neighborhood for transitional-aged youth.
The U.S. Postal Service was criticized and the late David Bowie’s exposure to the London gay scene was examined in Bay Area Reporter pieces that won California Journalism Awards.
From the B.A.R.
Michael Rouppet, left, president of the Marty’s Place board, talked to supporters outside the house during a December action.
John Ferrannini
Volume 55, Number 21
May 22-28, 2025 www.ebar.com
PUBLISHER
Michael M. Yamashita
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Publisher (2003 – 2013)
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Jim Provenzano
ASSISTANT EDITORS
Matthew S. Bajko • John Ferrannini
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Christopher J. Beale • Robert Brokl
Brian Bromberger • Victoria A. Brownworth
Philip Campbell • Heather Cassell
Michael Flanagan •Jim Gladstone
Liz Highleyman • Brandon Judell • Lisa Keen
Philip Mayard • Laura Moreno
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J.L. Odom • Paul Parish Tim Pfaff
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Ed Walsh • Cornelius Washington • Sura Wood
ART DIRECTION
Max Leger
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The Hope speech
by Harvey Milk
My name is Harvey Milk and I’m here to recruit you.
I’ve been saying this one for years. It’s a political joke. I can’t help it – I’ve got to tell it. I’ve never been able to talk to this many political people before, so if I tell you nothing else you may be able to go home laughing a bit.
This ocean liner was going across the ocean and it sank. And there was one little piece of wood floating and three people swam to it and they realized only one person could hold on to it. So they had a little debate about which was the person. It so happened that the three people were the Pope, the President, and [Chicago] Mayor Daley. The Pope said he was titular head of one of the greatest religions of the world and he was spiritual adviser to many, many millions and he went on and pontificated and they thought it was a good argument. Then the President said he was leader of the largest and most powerful nation of the world. What takes place in this country affects the whole world and they thought that was a good argument. And Mayor Daley said he was mayor of the backbone of the United States and what took place in Chicago affected the world, and what took place in the archdiocese of Chicago affected Catholicism. And they thought that was a good argument. So they did it the democratic way and voted. And Daley won, seven to two.
About six months ago, Anita Bryant in her speaking to God said that the drought in California was because of the gay people. On November 9, the day after I got elected, it started to rain. On the day I got sworn in, we walked to City Hall and it was kinda nice, and as soon as I said the word “I do,” it started to rain again. It’s been raining since then and the people of San Francisco figure the only way to stop it is to do a recall petition. That’s the local joke. So much for that. Why are we here? Why are gay people here? And what’s happening? What’s happening to me is the antithesis of what you read about in the papers and what you hear about on the radio. You hear about and read about this movement to the right. That we must band together and fight back this movement to the right. And I’m here to go ahead and say that what you hear and read is what they want you to think because it’s not happening. The major media in this country has talked about the movement to the right so the legislators think that there is indeed a movement to the right and that the Congress and the legislators and the city councils will start to move to the right the way the major media want them. So they keep on talking about this move to the right.
So let’s look at 1977 and see if there was indeed a move to the right. In 1977, gay people had their rights taken away from them in Miami. But you must remember that in the week before Miami and the week after that, the word homosexual or gay appeared in every single newspaper in this nation in articles both pro and con. In every radio station, in every TV station and every household. For the first time in the history of the world, ev erybody was talking about it, good or bad. Unless you have dialogue, unless you open the walls of dialogue, you can never reach to change people’s opinion. In those two weeks, more good and bad, but more about the word homosexual and gay was written than probably in the history of mankind. Once you have dialogue starting, you know you can break down prejudice. In 1977 we saw a dialogue start. In 1977, we saw a gay person elected in San Francisco. In 1977 we saw the state of Mississippi decriminalize marijuana. In 1977, we saw the convention of conventions in Houston. And I want to know where the movement to the right is happening.
the last in but the minorities? Jarvis-Gann is a racist issue. We must address that issue. We must not talk away from it. We must not allow them to talk about the money it’s going to save, because look at who’s going to save the money and who’s going to get hurt.
We also have another issue that we’ve started in some of the north counties and I hope in some of the south counties it continues. In San Francisco elections we’re asking – at least we hope to ask – that the U.S. government put pressure on the closing of the South African consulate. That must happen. There is a major difference between an embassy in Washington which is a diplomatic bureau, and a consulate in major cities. A consulate is there for one reason only – to promote business, economic gains, tourism, investment. And every time you have business going to South Africa, you’re promoting a regime that’s offensive. In the city of San Francisco, if everyone of 51 percent of that city were to go to South Africa, they would be treated as second-class citizens. That is an offense to the people of San Francisco and I hope all my colleagues up there will take every step we can to close down that consulate and hope that people in other parts of the state follow us in that lead. The battles must be started some place and [California Democratic Council] is the greatest place to start the battles. I know we are pressed for time so I’m going to cover just one more little point. That is to understand why it is important that gay people run for office and that gay people get elected. I know there are many people in this room who are running for central committee who are gay. I encourage you. There’s a major reason why. If my non-gay friends and supporters in this room understand it, they’ll probably understand why I’ve run so often before I finally made it. Y’see right now, there’s a controversy going on in this convention about the gay governor. Is he speaking out enough? Is he strong enough for gay rights? And there is controversy and for us to say it is not would be foolish. Some people are satisfied and some people are not.
You see there is a major difference – and it remains a vital difference – between a friend and a gay person, a friend in office and a gay person in office. Gay people have been slandered nationwide. We’ve been tarred and we’ve been brushed with the picture of pornography. In Dade County, we were accused of child molestation. It’s not enough anymore just to have friends represent us. No matter how good that friend may be.
must give people the chance to judge us by our leaders and legislators. A gay person in office can set a tone, can command respect not only from the larger community, but from the young people in our own community who need both examples and hope.
The first gay people we elect must be strong. They must not be content to sit in the back of the bus. They must not be content to accept pablum. They must be above wheeling and dealing. They must be – for the good of all of us – independent, unbought. The anger and the frustrations that some of us feel is because we are misunderstood, and friends can’t feel the anger and frustration. They can sense it in us, but they can’t feel it. Because a friend has never gone through what is known as coming out. I will never forget what it was like coming out and having nobody to look up toward. I remember the lack of hope – and our friends can’t fulfill it.
What that is is a record of what happened last year. What we must do is make sure that 1978 continues the movement that is really happening that the media don’t want you to know about. That is the movement to the left. It’s up to [California Democratic Council] to put the pressures on Sacramento – but to break down the walls and the barriers so the movement to the left continues and progress continues in the nation. We have before us coming up several issues we must speak out on. Probably the most important issue outside the Briggs – which we will come to – but we do know what will take place this June. We know there’s an issue on the ballot called Jarvis-Gann. We hear the taxpayers talk about it on both sides. But what you don’t hear is that it’s probably the most racist issue on the ballot in a long time. In the city and county of San Francisco, if it passes and we indeed have to lay off people, who will they be? The last in, and the first in, and who are
The black community made up its mind to that a long time ago. That the myths against blacks can only be dispelled by electing black leaders, so the black community could be judged by the leaders and not by the myths or black criminals. The Spanish community must not be judged by Latin criminals or myths. The Asian community must not be judged by Asian criminals or myths. The Italian community must not be judged by the mafia, myths. And the time has come when the gay community must not be judged by our criminals and myths.
Like every other group, we must be judged by our leaders and by those who are themselves gay, those who are visible. For invisible, we remain in limbo – a myth, a person with no parents, no brothers, no sisters, no friends who are straight, no important positions in employment. A tenth of the nation supposedly composed of stereotypes and would-be seducers of children – and no offense meant to the stereotypes. But today, the black community is not judged by its friends, but by its black legislators and leaders. And we
I can’t forget the looks on faces of people who’ve lost hope. Be they gay, be they seniors, be they blacks looking for an almost-impossible job, be they Latins trying to explain their problems and aspirations in a tongue that’s foreign to them. I personally will never forget that people are more important than buildings. I use the word “I” because I’m proud. I stand here tonight in front of my gay sisters, brothers and friends because I’m proud of you. I think it’s time that we have many legislators who are gay and proud of that fact and do not have to remain in the closet. I think that a gay person, up-front, will not walk away from a responsibility and be afraid of being tossed out of office. After Dade County, I walked among the angry and the frustrated night after night and I looked at their faces. And in San Francisco, three days before Gay Pride Day, a person was killed just because he was gay. And that night, I walked among the sad and the frustrated at City Hall in San Francisco and later that night as they lit candles on Castro Street and stood in silence, reaching out for some symbolic thing that would give them hope. These were strong people, whose faces I knew from the shop, the streets, meetings and people who I never saw before but I knew. They were strong, but even they needed hope. And the young gay people in the Altoona, Pennsylvanias, and the Richmond, Minnesotas, who are coming out and hear Anita Bryant on television and her story. The only thing they have to look forward to is hope. And you have to give them hope. Hope for a better world, hope for a better tomorrow, hope for a better place to come to if the pressures at home are too great. Hope that all will be all right. Without hope, not only gays, but the blacks, the seniors, the handicapped, the us’es, the us’es will give up. And if you help elect to the central committee and other offices, more gay people, that gives a green light to all who feel disenfranchised, a green light to move forward. It means hope to a nation that has given up, because if a gay person makes it, the doors are open to everyone.
So if there is a message I have to give, it is that I’ve found one overriding thing about my personal election, it’s the fact that if a gay person can be elected, it’s a green light. And you and you and you, you have to give people hope. Thank you very much. t
Harvey Milk delivered this speech at the March 10, 1978 meeting of the gay caucus of the California Democratic Council in San Diego. From Historyisaweapon.com.
Frank Robinson, left, one of Harvey Milk’s closest friends, and Milk talked in the Castro Camera Shop in 1976.
Daniel Nicoletta
On this Harvey Milk Day, revisiting one of his B.A.R. columns
by Matthew S. Bajko
Thursday is the 15th annual Harvey Milk Day, a day of special significance observed in California on the birthday of the late gay civil rights leader. Were he still alive, Milk would be celebrating his 95th birthday.
Sadly, he and then-mayor George Moscone were assassinated inside San Francisco City Hall on the morning of November 27, 1978 by disgruntled former supervisor Dan White. Just the year prior, Milk’s election to a seat on the Board of Supervisors made him the first openly LGBTQ person to hold public office in the city and the state of California.
Before he began representing the burgeoning LGBTQ Castro district and surrounding neighborhoods, Milk was a political columnist for the Bay Area Reporter. He filed 102 columns dubbed “Milk Forum” under his byline between October 2, 1974 and November 22, 1978, using it to harangue politicos, business leaders, and others on a host of issues.
Milk also mentions the late Texas governor John Bowden Connally Jr., whom disgraced GOP President Richard Nixon reportedly wanted to name as his vice president following the briberyrelated resignation of Vice President Spiro Agnew in 1973. But Connally had his own political baggage, as noted by The Texas Politics Project in its bio of the politician at texaspolitics.utexas.edu/ archive/html/exec/governors/25. html, leading Nixon to instead appoint Ford to the vacancy.
There is also mention of the scandal that surrounded Clarence M. Kelley, thendirector of the FBI who admitted to accepting window drapery valances and a small cabinet from senior bureau officials for use in his home and reimbursed the government about $335 for labor and materials, as the New York Times noted in his obit.
Ford kept him in the powerful post, but Carter pledged to oust Kelley should he be elected president and was able to name his replacement when Kelley retired early in 1978.
With this week’s B.A.R. issue coinciding with May 22 this year, it seems appropriate to reflect back on Milk’s missives for the paper. While he may best be known today for his mantras about providing people hope and having LGBTQ people come out of the closet, Milk opined on a whole host of matters that remain germane to today’s political conversation.
Case in point, his column that ran in the September 16, 1976 issue, in which Milk spared little in attacking the Republican occupant of the White House at the time, President Gerald Ford. His critiques of the late GOP politician are eerily applicable to the country’s current Republican leader, President Donald Trump
In honor of this year’s special day of recognition for Milk, the Political Notebook is re-running his column from 49 years ago. The original can be seen via the California Digital Newspaper Collection housed at UC Riverside via the link (just one example for why the resource is of value and needs to be maintained, as the B.A.R. recently editorialized amid a state funding cut imperiling its future accessibility.)
A bit of context regarding Milk’s column; it was published almost two months prior to Ford’s defeat in that November’s presidential election to Democratic former Georgia governor Jimmy Carter. It refers to the late GOP Georgia congressmember Howard Hollis “Bo” Callaway, who resigned in March 1976 as Ford’s campaign manager amid accusations that he used his position as secretary of the army in the Nixon administration to win government approvals for the expansion of a Colorado ski resort he owned, charges for which he was later cleared of, as the Washington Post reported.
Milk Forum by Harvey Milk
Ford’s ‘Certain’ Friends
One of the things that is most disturbing to me is the way the major media tend to overlook what is taking place until it becomes impossible to ignore. They were that way on Black rights, on Viet Nam, on Nixon. Right now they are still playing President Ford up as Mr. Good Guy. He isn’t! And unless the people are told just what is what, we could get stuck with another Nixon. Even Glub Dole sounds like Agnew.
The President of the United States is supposed to be our leader. He is supposed to set the example. And so we find people of all ages and from all backgrounds using the president as an example. Let’s look at just a few bits of what Ford is like.
First, before he had settled into office, he issued the well-known pardon of Nixon – a crook of the worst level. We will probably never find out what kind of deals were made on that one. After Ford decided that he wanted to run for a full term himself, he appointed as his campaign manager Bo Callaway. Callaway lost his position over a small conflict of interest situation. Callaway is now involved in yet another apparent conflict. He originally protested his “innocence” in the first case. Now, after he was forced out of his position on that case, we once again hear how “innocent” he is. The same tune is being played by the same people.
And we have Ford relying on the former governor of Texas, John Connley [sic]. Once again, it is quite interesting, to say the least, that a person was convicted of giving Connley ille-
gal money but Connley was acquitted of taking the funds! Now Connley is playing a major role in Ford’s campaign.
These are the types of people and the types of actions that Ford has already displayed as president. If he is elected – he would not be able to run for another term – he can let caution ride in the wind – we probably will see more of the same and maybe an acceleration of these types of people hanging around the White House trying to get their hands full.
We have always been told that there is a lot of corruption in politics. With Nixon, much came to light. So why get upset about a little more? Well, we now have the head of the FBI on the take! Oh, it was a small amount; but it was on the take!
If the president allows the head of the FBI to steal from the public, that is giving a green light to all government leaders that a little dishonesty is okay.
In short, the next time you are mugged or your home or car is broken into, you can thank the president for his leadership. How can you tell a teenager or a person that cannot get work that it is wrong to steal when the leader of our nation tells the head of the FBI that it is okay to steal?
If anything, people at that level should be completely honest when it comes to stealing. To allow rip-offs to take place and then to talk about law and order is a bad joke. To rely on crooks for guardians is a president’s right. To allow crooks to get away with it just because they are part of your team is a president’s right. But the na tion suffers – you and I. It is giving the okay to everyone to go ahead and rip off whatever you can as long as you are on their team. It is telling everyone that stealing is okay.
I think we can be certain that Ford will not improve. If in a time just be fore an election he maintains that Nixon and FBI Chief Key [sic] can steal, then what will he be like if he is elected?
Ford is, by his nature of allowing these crooks to go free, a second-rate crook himself. No matter what may be said about Carter, he can’t be any worse. And after setting himself up as a friend of thieves, Ford has the gall to talk about law and order. He means his law and his order. If for no other reason than his allowing dishonesty (and there are other reasons), Ford should be tossed out of the White House. His leadership of those who steal from others has been established. We can no longer afford that kind of corruption - especially from a person who waves the American flag so much. His actions - and it is an established record – are sickening. We got rid of the last crook in the White House. The time has come to get rid of the current leader of crooks. t
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Harvey Milk
Anne Kronenberg drove Supervisor Harvey Milk in the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day parade in June 1978.
Daniel Nicoletta
Program aims to explore queer Christianity
by Brian Bromberger
Anew dinner and speaker series seeks to bring together intergenerational LGBTQ people and allies to explore Christianity and the intersection of queerness. The first meeting of Queer Faith: In Action was held earlier this month, with the second planned for June 29, which is Pride Sunday.
It is a project initiated by the LGBTQ+ community group within City Church SF, part of the Reformed Church in America (RCA).
The initial program, held May 4 at First Unitarian Universalist Church in San Francisco, explored queer Christian activism in the Castro during the 1980s and 1990s through stories of the faith community’s response to the AIDS epidemic. It was moderated by Michael Pappas, a gay man who’s executive director of the San Francisco Interfaith Council. One panelist was Father Donal Godfrey, a gay Irish Jesuit priest who is the chaplain at the University of San Francisco. Having served as a transitional deacon at Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in the Castro during the later years of the AIDS epidemic, he wrote a book that was published in 2007, “Gays and Grays: The Story of the Inclusion of the Gay Community at Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Parish in San Francisco.”
The second panelist was the Reverend Jim Mitulski, a gay man who is currently pastor at the Congregational Church of the Peninsula in Belmont. He served as senior pastor of Metropolitan Community ChurchSan Francisco in the Castro LGBTQ neighborhood for 15 years during the height of the AIDS crisis.
Around 60 people, mostly under 40, attended the event, which had been promoted to various queer Christian groups.
In an interview with organizer Andrew Tremblay, he said the idea for Queer Faith: In Action came to him around the time of the November 2024 election.
“There was a feeling of distress among so many of us as we grappled with the results and saw the continued alignment of power between the far-right, conservative politicians and the evangelical Christian church,” Tremblay, a gay man, told the Bay Area Reporter. “At City Church SF, the LGBTQ+ community had organized two series in 2023 and 2024 on queer theology and queering faith, both primarily for the congregation. We were countering the narrative of what it means to be Christian. As we consid-
ered what to do next, the thought occurred to host a series of conversations around the topic of putting queer faith into action.”
He continued, “We also wanted to make connections with other LGBTQ+ Christians in the SF Bay Area, uplifting voices of speakers and storytellers who could help expand our vision of what it means to be LGBTQ+ and Christian. We have a rich history of queer Christian activism in San Francisco, so it felt like a perfect opportunity to reflect on the work that has happened and is happening in our community. We want to give attendees of all ages and backgrounds an opportunity to glean wisdom from our history, increase connection, joy, solidarity, and build the foundation for collaboration on tangible actions.”
Thomas Igeme, a gay man who is a member of the Board of Elders at City Church SF and co-leader of the LGBTQ+ group, said, “Queerness is not something to be hidden or apologized for in faith spaces. It’s to build up community that not only resists despair, but becomes a source of courageous action. This feels like a particularly dark time, both for queer people and people of faith. Many of the values we’ve fought for – and hoped would be permanent – feel under threat. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed or disillusioned. But history reminds us that every time darkness has fallen, there have been people who chose to live out light. Against all odds, light has won. Not always in the ways or timelines we wanted – but in ways that made the struggle worth it.”
“It’s about helping each other remember that we’re not alone, and that we’ve been here before, about rediscovering the practical wisdom of movement builders – activists, theologians, artists, healers – who’ve lived
through worse and kept showing up anyway,” he added. “We want the series to inspire not only hope, but action, to help people shift their focus from what’s broken to how we might help mend it. We often talk at City Church about taking ‘the next most faithful step’ – and that step looks different for everyone. But whether it’s volunteering with a new organization, supporting queer youth, or simply having a hard conversation you were avoiding, it’s a step toward justice, love, and life.”
Igeme was asked why City Church SF attracts many young attendees.
“You don’t have to check part of yourself at the door – your sexuality, your politics, your questions, your trauma,” he said. “And you don’t have to believe everything we believe to belong. We’re Jesus-oriented, but also Holy Spirit-attuned and justiceoriented. I think young people today are looking for a place where they can wrestle, grow, and act. A place where faith and social justice aren’t in tension but intertwined.”
Loleita Vatikani, a lesbian who is the co-organizer of Queer Faith: In Action, noted that the colon in the title is necessary as it emphasizes the action part of queer faith. The series is made possible through Change the Story Program, https://www.storychanger. org/ which enables the social impact dreams of young activists through monetary grants and resource partnerships with faith communities. She said the series’ intention “was to bring people together to fill their stomachs and their souls.” She appreciates that City Church SF is a space that allows for faith, doubt, questions, and community.
The Reverend Emily McGinley, a straight ally, explained the relationship of City Church SF to the RCA denomination.
“There is no ‘denomination-wide policy’ on LGBTQ+ matters and the RCA’s constitution does not address the subject of marriage,” McGinley said. “Efforts to define marriage as between a man and a woman within the RCA’s constitution have failed. Today, there is a wide range of views on this topic within the RCA and, ultimately, it is up to smaller governing bodies to determine faithful understanding of LGBTQIA-related matters. City Church SF is part of a smaller governing body that affirms the full participation and inclusion of LGBTQIA folks at all levels of the church – whether partnered or not. Additionally, there is no rule that prevents a clergy person or congregation from officiating or celebrating a marriage service between two people of the same gender.”
According to Igeme, “City Church fully affirms queer marriage and queer leaders. We’ve chosen to stay in the RCA, not because we align with all its stances, but because we believe in widening the table, not walking away from it. We want to embody what a loving, inclusive, Jesus-centered church can be from within. We have queer folks leading worship, ministries, community groups, and more. We believe every identity – queer, trans, Black, disabled, neurodiverse—
brings a unique and vital perspective to our understanding of the gospel. We don’t just celebrate diversity. We need it to see more clearly who God is.”
The conversation As for the conversation itself, after giving their brief past history with the LGBTQ community, Mitulski and Godfrey talked about their respective AIDS ministries during the 1980s and 1990s. Godfrey became known as the openly gay priest in the Archdiocese of San Francisco. “I never really wanted to be that. I am a priest who happens to be gay, that’s how I see myself,” he said.
Mitulski had done some previous AIDS work when he was a minister at an MCC church in Greenwich Village in New York City.
“I loved that first we were gay, and then we looked at how our queerness fit into our faith, rather than the other way around,” he said. “My sole qualification for becoming the pastor in MCC-SF was they really wanted someone with AIDS experience, which I had and very few people did at that time. People were afraid to take that job because of its location.”
At the time, MCC-SF was located in the Castro, then an epicenter for HIV/ AIDS cases.
“What I loved about San Francisco was it immediately felt freer, lighter, gayer,” Mitulski said. “It was more gay freedom, not just gay pride, like in New York. It was also the most AIDSaffected neighborhood you could imagine. It felt like a terminal illness all the time and it was for many people. So, imagine what that was like on a daily basis, where for me, at 26, these were people my age, dying at just an alarming, incredible, unsustainable rate.”
Godfrey helped start a community for unhoused people infected with AIDS. He was also involved when Most Holy Redeemer revived a medieval tradition of non-stop 40 hours devotion in front of the Blessed Sacrament.
“It was all interfaith, since there were Druids coming from Marin who were blessing Mother Teresa of Calcutta’s sisters and nobody blinked an eye.” Godfrey said. “What gave me hope was people coming together. It inspired those sisters to set up the Third World’s first AIDS hospital. At MHR there was deep, deep pain, but also deep, deep joy.”
Mitulski helped lead a campaign against California Proposition 64 in 1986. Initiated by far-right politician Lyndon LaRouche, Prop 64 called for the mandatory quarantine of people with HIV. It was soundly defeated, 71% to 29%.
“I preached against it, saying they can’t enforce a law that we won’t submit to and it was so empowering,” Mitulski said. “There’s no virtue in acquiescing to oppressive structures or waiting for a more opportune time. If you see injustice, act on it. It’s still true today. There’s a direct lineage in gay liberation that goes from the civil rights movement to the woman’s movement/ feminism to LGBTQ equality.”
Mitulski believes people can still influence change.
“God did not bring us this far to leave us, to quote a gospel song, and we’ve got to put it to use,” he said. “I’m absolutely convinced that the immigrant, asylee, stands in the place today that gay people stood in American society during the 1980s. I’ll give you another example. In 1996, then-state attorney general Dan Lungren vigorously opposed Proposition 215, which legalized medical marijuana in California. He wanted to close down medical marijuana clubs, which were legal in San Francisco. Medical pot was essential for [people living with AIDS], helping them deal with pain and lack of appetite. Gay then-supervisor Tom Ammiano and then-director of the San Francisco Department of Public
Health, Dr. Mitchell Katz, came to me and said, ‘We think that if you give out marijuana from the MCC church, they won’t arrest you.’ And I said, ‘Can I get that in writing?’ They said no, but we did it from church every week.”
Godfrey said he finds hope in what City Church SF is doing in this series.
“I find hope in many different faith traditions, among people who don’t believe in anything,” he said. “I am inspired by a Jewish queer man, a friend of mine, who became close friends with Pope Francis, which inspired him toward radical acts of love going forward. To young queer people on campus, I let them know they’re loved as they are and they’re created the way they were meant to be and embrace that in whatever way it unfolds in their life.”
For Mitulski, San Francisco itself is hope. “It is a spiritual location, maybe because we’re out by the ocean or maybe because it’s always been a bohemian destination point. On Mt. Davidson, there’s a 70-foot concrete cross owned by the Council of Armenian-American organizations that’s allowed to stay there because of a lease with the city that gay people helped them acquire. One of our members, Alan Light, in 1995-96 decided we could turn it into the biggest piece of queer Christian art in the world with laser lights at Easter, so it became the rainbow cross. This was around the time protease drugs became available. We turned the top of Mt. Davidson into this queer Christian promise that death didn’t have the final word, because what was once a terminal disease became manageable.”
When asked what he would advise to young queer people of faith today who may feel scared, cynical, or alone, Mitulski said, “I would say what my Jesuit-trained mother told me when she found out I was gay. ‘Don’t let anybody ever tell you that God doesn’t love you.’ Take that freedom and translate it into action.”
Audience reaction
Reactions from attendees were laudatory. Thomas Lucas, a gay man who’s a member of Dignity SF, a group for LGBTQ Catholics, said, “The stories Jim and Donal recounted serve as a potent reminder that even as we face today’s attacks on the trans community and the heartbreaking treatment of immigrants, we draw strength from our history, to persevere, continue acting with love, and to keep striving for a world where everyone is treated with kindness and seen for who they are.”
Mark Hibbert, a gay man who’s a regular at City Church SF and a recent transplant from Florida, was appreciative of the event. “As a newcomer to the area, I enjoyed being informed about the history of San Francisco’s queer involvement since the beginning of the AIDS epidemic, and how persons and groups of faith found ways to answer the needs of the community,” he said.
Michael Leslie, a gay man who’s coordinator of United in Spirit, which brings together queer religious groups to march as an interfaith contingent in the Pride parade, reflected, “It was sacred courage – Catholic and Protestant – that met the AIDS crisis headon. Their ministries were a shared resistance to fear. In a world where too much hatred is still justified in the name of religion, we need to make space for stories of faith that testify to love, justice, and liberation. The time to stand with them is not later – it’s now.” t
The next Queer Faith: In Action event will be on Sunday, June 29, but no speakers have been set. Tickets are on a sliding scale. Visit citychurchsf.org for more information. City Church SF’s LGBTQ group meets every other Wednesday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Locations vary. For more information, visit citychurchsf.org/lgbtq-group.
Father Donal Godfrey, left, and the Reverend Jim Mitulski, right, participated in a panel discussion moderated by Michael Pappas.
Brian Bromberger
t Community News>>
Noem, “You are breaking your oath.”
Responded Garcia, “You and the president [of the U.S.] have the ability to check if Andry is alive and is not being harmed. Would you commit to at least asking El Salvador if he is alive?”
Responded Noem, “This is a question that’s best asked to the president and government of El Salvador.”
Responded Garcia, “I think it is shameful that you won’t even request to see if this young man is alive. His family has no idea.”
As the B.A.R. has been reporting, Hernández Romero, 31, was featured on CBS News’ “60 Minutes” on April 6. He was one of 238 Venezuelan migrants flown to the Counter-Terrorism Confinement Center, or CECOT, in El Salvador after the White House made an agreement with Salvadorian President Nayib Bukele to house them there.
Human Rights Watch reports that the prison is the site of human rights abuses. Hernández Romero had been detained in a San Diego immigration jail since last year, when he crossed the U.S.-Mexico border to attend a pre-arranged asylum hearing in the Southern California city, the Daily Mail reported.
In the related case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was also extrajudicially removed from the U.S. by the Trump administration, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 9-0 that the government had to facilitate his return from El Salvador. It has not done so.
Earlier in the hearing, Garcia said to
<< News Briefs
Inaugural Chinatown Pride procession coming up
The GLBTQ+ Asian Pacific Alliance will lead the inaugural Chinatown Pride procession Saturday, May 24, at 6 p.m., starting at the Edge on the Square art hub at 800 Grant Street. The event helps close out Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month ahead of Pride Month starting June 1. The theme is “We Are Immortal.”
GAPA invites people to march with the contingent, which will feature GAPA royals and Rice Rockettes, according to an email announcement. The Pride procession will visit Chinatown’s queer landmarks, teaching dance moves at each stop before culminating in a run-
<< Mission nonprofits
From page 3
“It was supposed to be Dolores Street [Community Services] helping Marty’s Place so they could run the organization on their own capacity,” Ortiz said.
Valdez disagreed.
“No, we really do not have any intent; we do not receive any federal funding for any of our existing programs so I’m not sure where, again, this fabrication of this allegation is coming from,” Valdez
Responding late Tuesday night to the Bay Area Reporter’s request for comment on the reasoning behind the decision to end the LBTQ fund grant, a spokesperson for Newsom called the claims made by the LA center “misleading” since the funds detailed are expiring, one-time funds from the 2019 Budget Act.
Of the $17.5 million designated for queer women’s health activities, approximately $9.8 million went unspent, according to state officials.
“Governor Newsom stands with the LGBTQ+ community and has been a leader in the fight to legalize marriage equality, protect vulnerable youth, and expand transgender health care access and civil rights,” stated Elana Ross, Newsom’s deputy communications director, adding that “the budget continues other critical health and social safety nets for the LGBTQ+ community.”
“You are violating that amendment as we speak,” Garcia said, referring to the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees due process to any person in the country. “Your department is deporting people without due process. … Without due process there is nothing that [President] Donald Trump could, essentially, be stopped [in] grabbing people off the street.”
The Trump administration alleged that the migrants sent to CECOT are members of the Tren de Aragua gang. (CBS News could not find U.S. criminal records in 75% of the cases, when it broadcast the “60 Minutes” story.)
In Hernández Romero’s case, the government argued in court that crown tattoos he had were evidence of gang affiliation. Hernández Romero has a crown tattoo on each wrist, with the words “Mom” and “Dad.” His hometown Capacho, Venezuela is known for its celebration of Epiphany, the Catholic holy day when three wise men visited Jesus Christ.
Time magazine photographer Philip Holsinger told CBS News that he was at the prison site when the migrants arrived, and that he heard a young man say, “I’m not a gang member. I’m gay. I’m a stylist.” He was crying for his mother while he was slapped and had his head shaved, Holsinger said.
Hernández Romero left Venezuela in May 2024, citing his political views and homosexuality as reasons to seek asylum. Venezuela is run by a dictator,
way performance at the Portsmouth Square Pedestrian Bridge. The celebration continues until 10 p.m. with art activities, performances, and a silent disco at the Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco, 750 Kearny Street, third floor.
The procession is free to the public. Tickets to the silent disco, which is a fundraiser, are $20. For more information and tickets, go to cccsf.us/post/ chinatown-pride-2025
QTAPI solidarity march
The aforementioned San Francisco Community Health Center, GAPA, and other organizations will hold a march Tuesday, May 27, to uplift queer trans Asian and Pacific Islanders during AAPI Heritage Month.
The three-part event starts at 5 p.m.
said. “This is absolutely not an eviction lawsuit. … The purpose of this lawsuit is to terminate the lease agreement for Marty’s Place Affordable Housing Corporation to cease being the property manager. … They’ve just really not upheld any of the obligations of a property manager, so the lawsuit is to terminate that agreement.” Valdez said if DSCS/Mission Action is successful, “we’d be able to lease out the units, and play the same role we’ve been playing as a property manager for many
For example, the 2025 May Revision reappropriates $7.2 million from the Transgender Wellness and Equity Fund included in the 2022 Budget Act with availability through June 30, 2028. The funds are available to support existing programming, grant agreements, and contracts related to trans-inclusive health care for individuals who identify as transgender, gender nonconforming, or intersex.
But other one-time investments are also expiring this year in alignment with their initial timeline. In 2022, $5 million in grants was made available through June 30 this summer to local health jurisdictions and community-based organizations for capacity and training for LGBTQ+ foster youth; approximately $4.3 million remains unspent.
The state health department has yet to respond to the B.A.R.’s request for comment.
In response to a request for comment from the B.A.R., gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Fran-
Nicolás Maduro, whom the U.S. contends illegally claimed the presidency of the country after losing an election.
Cleve Jones, a longtime gay activist who co-founded the AIDS Memorial Quilt, helped lead a campaign with Nicole Murray Ramirez for Hernández Romero to be named an honorary grand marshal at Pride festivities across the U.S. At least one Pride event in Southern California agreed to do so.
Jones stated about Noem’s testimony, “This is what evil looks like. And his case is just a drop in an ocean of pain. But pain is the point, it seems.”
Habeas lawsuit ongoing
Hernández Romero is a plaintiff in a federal lawsuit against Trump for the extrajudicial removals. J.G.G., et al. v. Trump is currently before the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and Hernández Romero is one of 12 plaintiffs who’ve filed a habeas corpus claim.
As the B.A.R. previously reported, federal Judge James E. Boasberg is considering whether Hernández Romero and others are in the actual or constructive (that is, true in the eyes of the court) custody of the U.S., which would mean Article I’s right to habeas corpus – a long-standing legal principle to compel a court appearance and, thus, prevent unlawful detention – applies. He ruled that, “The court believes that some discovery could aid its analysis.”
Boasberg ruled that news reports, and statements from El Salvador’s
with a rally on the steps of San Francisco City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlet Place. That will be followed by a unity march to the health center’s Trans Thrive space at 1460 Pine Street. Starting at 6:30 p.m., there will be a town hall with food and refreshments at Trans Thrive.
Other organizations sponsoring the free event include the San Francisco Office of Transgender Initiatives, the Trans March, and the Lotus Project. For a full list of events taking place in light of both AAPI Heritage Month and the fifth anniversary of Queer and Trans API (QTAPI) Week in San Francisco, running May 24 to June 1, visit https://www. qtapisf.org/events.
SF Pride Band to bid farewell to artistic director
The San Francisco Pride Band will
decades at many properties.”
Asked to respond to Valdez’s statements, Robbins replied, “No. 1, they [DSCS/Mission Action] don’t own the property, so what Dolores Street happens to say is interesting, but not relevant.”
“On the substance, we have been making payments,” he continued. “We have been renting out the property, and for a short time discontinued renting the rooms because of this lawsuit. We felt it irresponsible to bring in new tenants. In
cisco), who chairs the Senate Budget Committee, indicated the decision to defund the LBTQ Health Equity Fund may be reversed by state lawmakers as they work up their own budget proposal. Lawmakers have until mid-June to do so, with the new fiscal year kicking in on July 1.
“The Governor’s budget proposal is not the final word on the state budget,” noted Wiener. “The Senate is working hard to protect our communities while meeting our constitutional obligation to balance the budget. Our budget proposal will be released in the coming weeks.”
In an emailed reply Tuesday to the B.A.R., Ceseña noted that the fund grantees were told that if the governor’s proposed budget is signed into law, all contracts would end on June 30, the last day of the current fiscal year. As for the research and data stemming from the funded programs, and if organizations could publish reports on the health disparities experienced by the community, Ceseña said they were told
ministry of foreign affairs, Bukele, and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, are enough to lend credence to the allegation that the detainees are being held at CECOT at the behest of the U.S. government, but “some questions nevertheless remain about the precise nature of the confinement,” and the petitioners’ attorneys, therefore, should be able to seek discovery to determine whether their clients are “being detained in the foreign state to deny [them] an opportunity to assert their rights in a United States tribunal.”
Since then, plaintiffs have made known what they would like to seek discovery for, such as evidence the detainees are being held in El Salvador at the behest of the U.S. government.
In a court filing May 14, the justice department – using a line of reasoning similar to Noem’s – stated its objections to discovery.
Petitioners’ “request for discovery is unwarranted. The evidence produced by Respondents established that the United States does not have custody over the CECOT class,” the filing states.
It continues that, “Petitioners ask this court to delve into the niceties of diplomatic negotiations,” and that that’s “unwarranted and inappropriate.”
Hernández Romero’s attorneys didn’t immediately return a request for comment by press time.
bid farewell to Pete Nowlen, its longesttenured artistic director, with a concert Sunday, June 8, at 3 p.m. at Herbst Theatre, 401 Van Ness Avenue.
“On a High Note” will see Nowlen direct his last concert for the Official Band of San Francisco, a news release noted. As the theme suggests, Nowlen is leaving the band “on a high note” as he moves on to enjoy retirement, the release stated.
The concert will feature a captivating program of pieces that are familiar and brand new, including a world premiere of “American Epic,” which was commissioned from composer Carlos McMillan Fuentes under the band’s Black, Indigenous, people of color composition program. This piece vividly paints a picture of the band through the decades, from its inception in 1978 – as the first openly LGBTQ+ musical organization
the last few months, we have begun the process and right now are trying to get new tenants, but it’s hard: people don’t want to live in a home where they’ll get evicted.”
Robbins said he expects the suit to settle. Asked about the prospects of a September trial, he said, “If the parties have not resolved, yeah, absolutely; but I have a decent expectation the parties will settle this.”
A spokesperson for Mission Action attorney Annalisa Zulueta requested
by the health equity office staff they needed to get legal advice about the matter since the data collected may be owned by the state entity.
The pending loss of the LBTQ Health Equity Fund comes as numerous programs addressing the needs of the LGBTQ community are being targeted by both state and federal officials. As the B.A.R. first reported in January, California health officials ended a $3 million-plus contract for a stand-alone LGBTQ youth mental health initiative that state LGBTQ lawmakers had funded last year.
And after the Trump administration terminated their funding for programs specifically targeted at trans and nonbinary individuals, a number of LGBTQ nonprofits sued in federal court, including the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the San Francisco Community Health Center. Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund is representing the nonprofits, and its motion for a preliminary injunction in San Francis-
SF Pride event
The attorneys were in San Francisco for a SF Pride event at the Commonwealth Club, Tuesday, May 20. Suzanne Ford, a trans woman who is executive director of San Francisco Pride, told the B.A.R. on May 15 that SF Pride had reached out to the lawyers. As previously reported, SF Pride declined to honor Hernández Romero as a grand marshal.
“What I really want to be known is just because we don’t agree with someone’s tactics doesn’t mean I don’t care for Andry or queer immigrants in our community. We obviously do,” Ford said, referring to the effort to name Hernández Romero an honorary grand marshal.
Ford said SF Pride’s board is “almost half queer, immigrant-experienced people,” and she made her decisions in consultation with them. She said this event will also feature organizations that “have been working on this subject that obviously includes Andry but isn’t just about Andry. It’s about all queer immigrants in this community and in this country.”
These include the Black Migrant Project, the California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice, El/La Para TransLatinas, and the Asian Law Caucus. The event will be hosted by Michelle Meow.
SF Pride is also expected to discuss the case of Hernández Romero and other detained migrants as part of its Human Rights Summit during Pride week in June. t
in the world – to the present day, the release stated.
The bookend featured work on this concert will be George Gershwin’s famous “Rhapsody in Blue,” featuring Fuentes, who is a pianist.
The remainder of the diverse pieces were hand-chosen by Nowlen to round out a complete farewell concert that will entertain audience members of all ages, including “Chamak” (Reena Esmail), “To a Liberator” (George Fredrick McKay), “Tundra” (Nubia Jaime-Donjuan, conducted by Mike Wong), and “Monkey Business” (David Lovrien).
Tickets are open seating and $20 for general admission, or $15 for students and seniors. For tickets and more information, go to https://tinyurl. com/3sy4s78e. t
questions in advance of an interview.
The B.A.R. responded that it does not provide questions but stated that the topic would be about legal strategy and to respond to statements made by MPAH.
The spokesperson was told about the deadline for the story and replied, “I hope to let you know soon what they want to do.”
The paper received no response. t
co AIDS Foundation v. Trump will be heard at 2 p.m. Thursday, May 22, by District Judge Jon S. Tigar of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
The proceeding at the courthouse in downtown Oakland happens to be taking place on the annual observance of Harvey Milk Day, held each year on the birthday of the slain gay rights leader who was a San Francisco supervisor. It will be livestreamed online at https://cand.uscourts.gov/ judges/tigar-jon-s-jst/
“The defunding of LBTQ, reproductive rights, California Reducing Disparities Project, and LGBTQ Foster Youth Mental Health initiatives not only causes harm to community centers with the loss of jobs, but this could lead to self-harm and possible death for those who rely on the services provided by the grantees. Access to culturally affirming health care should never be on the chopping block,” argued Ceseña. t
Cby Philip Campbell
oinciding with what would have been Harvey Milk’s 95th birthday and adding a ‘Protest of Joy’ to the annual Pride Celebration, San Francisco’s Opera Parallèle stages the West Coast debut of “Harvey Milk Reimagined,” a new version of the radical opera originally composed by Stewart Wallace and librettist Michael Korie in the 1990s.
The refreshed and streamlined version, presented in collaboration with Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, will run May 31-June 7 at the Blue Shield of California Theater for four performances.
Composer Stewart Wallace recounted Milk’s history.
“Harvey Milk was the first openly gay official in the US, elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors,” he said. “He was murdered along with San Francisco Mayor George Moscone on November 27, 1978 by Dan White, a fellow City Supervisor. Their divisions and the resulting violence eerily prefigure our own times.”
Those are only the bare facts; the terrible consequences live on to this day. It is more important than ever to remember and educate new generations about Harvey Milk’s bold saga. San Franciscan’s living in those dark days cannot forget how the assassinations united the entire city in sorrow and sympathy. Public sentiment later coalesced in rage at the miscarriage of justice in the verdict of Dan White’s trial.
Forgetting the past condemns us to repeat it. We have been getting a painful reminder of that each day since last November. It is a worldwide human problem, but pockets of light survive and, oftentimes they burn brightest in the arts. Harvey’s courageous torch of hope must be
‘Harvey Milk Reimagined’
Opera Parallèle’s new version of opera about the slain gay supervisor’s life and legacy
passed on in every possible venue.
Conducting the 30-piece orchestra and cast for the revamped operatic narrative will be OP’s founder and Artistic & General Director, Nicole Paiement, with staging by Creative Director Brian Staufenbiel.
Composer Stewart Wallace and librettist Michael Korie’s opera was originally commissioned by former San Francisco Opera general
Revisited
The performance history of the work has been checkered and complicated for a variety of reasons, ranging from the HIV/AIDS and COVID-19 pandemics to artistic differences
by Jim Gladstone
Meet the spunky grandsons of “The Boys in the Band.”
“To My Girls,” JC Lee’s laugh-outloud crowd pleaser, now in its premiere West Coast production at the New Conservatory Theatre Center, feels like Mart Crowley’s black comic classic from 1968 fast-forwarded through Stonewall, AIDS, and Obama and transplanted from a shadowy Manhattan to sunlit Palm Springs.
Getting together for a weekend reunion in the desert are fatuous, flirty Curtis (Robert Rushin), simultaneously unabashed and insecure; analytical Leo (James Arthur M), protectively sequestered in a bubble of queer theory; and snappy little Castor (Louel Señores), the bitcheryarmored runt of the bunch.
Joining this Millennial troika is their heartbro-
ken pal Jeff (Maro Guevara); Omar (Samuel del Rosario), a dim-yet-deep hunk in pink undies; and the boys’ AirBnb landlord, Bernie (Tom Reardon, whose adorable swagger compensates for his glitchy Yiddish).
Like its overtly darker forefather, “To My Girls” takes place during a celebratory gathering of gay male friends. Jealousies and resentments bubble up from beneath the fellows’ fragile surfaces, but playwright Lee largely replaces Crowley’s sulfurous boil with the fruity fizz of a mimosa.
Sets appeal and sharp humor
The show’s mood is established immediately upon entering the Decker Theater, as audiences are invited into the cheerfully decorated rental home where the buddies’ weekend reunion will take place.
Designer Matt Owens’ set centers on a window-walled Mid-century Modern living room of
‘To My Girls’
among different production teams. At David Gockley’s suggestion, the authors turned to Opera Parallèle for a definitive edition that could be staged more easily and frequently. This is despite the fact that the company was among many local arts organizations to have substantial grants rescinded. Despite the loss of
ceiling soffit extends beyond the front of the stage, extending the show’s kiki into the crowd.
The zippy visuals (Kudos also to J. Conrad Frank’s props and costumes) are just a prelude to the citric spray of Lee’s writing:
One of the aging party boys points out that another is no longer a twink, but “a twas.”
Another quips, “My dad thinks ‘Wicked’ is set in Boston.”
A politically conservative gay guy earns the sobriquet “Sarah Huckabee Man-ders.”
OCD becomes a boast with a declaration that “Checklists are my kink!”
And, in a play where race-based privilege and marginalization simmer in the subtext, a burst of righteous laughter greets the line, “God grant us all the confidence of a mediocre white guy.”
That’s the show’s sublime moment: Lee both “goes there” and stays funny, simultaneously hitting a sweet spot and a bitter one.
Depth of character
Such perfect elisions of comedy and social critique are nearly impossible to achieve and unreasonable to expect. Through most of “To My Girls,” director Ben Villegas Randall and his cast successfully toggle back and forth between the two, with a higher proportion of time spent on the former.
The laughs are big and satisfying, and there’s sufficient connective tissue in the performances to keep the show from feeling too choppy, too preachy, or from tipping more than a couple of toes onto sit-com turf.
Neutra neutrals punctuated with pops of yellow, orange and green. Collaborating beautifully with lighting designer Justin A. Partier, Owens expands the dramatic space with fractional glimpses of a pool deck, driveway, and bedroom corridor. A
Even as they crack wise, Arthur M, Del Rosario, and Señores bring impressive emotional
director David Gockley when he held the same position at Houston Grand Opera. It was first staged at SFO in November 1996.
Michael Kelly as Harvey Milk in ‘Harvey Milk Reimagined’
Left to Right: Robert Rushin, James Arthur M. and Louel Señores in ‘To My Girls’ at New Conservatory Theatre Center
Bad behavior yields big laughs at NCTC
Lois Tema
Oasis Arts expands
by Finbar LaBelle
There are many reasons why you no longer see as many people out and about as you used to, especially when it comes to nightlife. San Francisco has always been an early-to-bed, early-torise kind of small city. This happens to be a quality that many locals love. Lately, however, the city’s pulse has slowed to a noticeable lull.
Whether it’s your favorite restaurant, Venu, or movie theatre, customer traffic is down. Considering rising costs, the city’s decline in population, and hits to arts funding nationwide, it makes sense that there are simply fewer people willing to go out and spend money.
Entertainment all across the Bay Area is confronted with this growing issue, and yet, to no surprise, the queer community has come up with creative ways to keep the crowds coming.
Three years ago, Oasis Arts recognized this exact issue and was born from the renowned Oasis nightclub and cabaret. At 560 4th Street, the nonprofit officially assumes programming responsibilities at the cherished SoMa staple.
Opening on New Year’s Day 2015, Oasis is an 8,000 square foot converted bathhouse that hosts DJs, themed parties, drag shows, and live theatre. The colorful and queer staff is highly ambitious and only hopes to expand their wheelhouse as time goes on.
However, as the artistic scene of Oasis thrives, there is the unfortunate reality of their financial struggles.
The producer
Speaking with The Bay Area Reporter, Oasis owner and operator, San Francisco icon and drag superstar D’Arcy Drollinger explained that even with the creation of the nonprofit, the venue continues to rely on their community ties and their enduring support. Constantly challenging Oasis to become more inclusive, supportive, and cutting-edge, Drollinger is also the Executive and Artistic Director of Oasis Arts, undertaking the nonprofit angle.
Of course, Drolliger is not without some noteworthy side hustles, such as the 12-year-long dance class Sexitude, and of course his role as director, producer, and costar of “The Golden Girls Live: The Christmas Episodes,” which is celebrating its 20th anniversary. It’s a not-to-miss Christmas attraction in drag at the Curran Theatre this holiday season.
Drollinger began the interview by stating, “Oasis Arts was created out of necessity,” emphasizing its role in maintaining the venue amidst hard times and, more importantly, keeping its vital work alive. But no matter the number of different approaches used, nothing takes away from the fact that times are tough. Drollinger emphasized that it will be a community effort to keep our queer spaces alive.
“We spend much of our resources at Oasis supporting the performers and caring for everyone behind the scenes,” said Drollinger. “On top of all of this, we try to balance all of this while keeping it affordable. And
SoMa nightclub merges with nonprofit to support queer entertainment
recently, the finances just don’t quite work out.”
Under Oasis Arts’ management, this two-pronged approach isn’t just about keeping the lights on at this iconic bar; it’s a clever strategy to ensure expansion.
Oasis shows that have gained popularity include the “Star Trek” episode parodies, as well as original satires like “Bitch Slap,” and the soldout annual runs of “The Rocky Horror Show.”
Launching pad
Beyond its identity as a bar, Oasis serves as a launching pad for queer creatives. Oasis Arts empowers LGBTQ and BIPOC creators by providing resources, mentorship, and a platform to amplify marginalized voices, but they need your support. They have further expanded their support by providing studio spaces and resources. Oasis Arts supported four films last year and is currently hosting rehearsals for Opera Parallèle’s “Harvey Milk Reimagined,” the revised opera premiering at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts later this month.
Thankfully, you can help change the narrative of a struggling nightlife and get involved. A great opportunity is just around the corner with Oasis Arts’ old-fashioned 10-hour telethon. Call in and invest in the impact. Whatever way you do it, make sure to help be part of reaching Oasis Arts’ goal of $200,000. A mid-pandemic telethon held at Oasis in March 2021 surpassed its $250,000 goal.
The new telethon will take place on June 1 from 12pm to 10pm and will be live on Givebutter, Vimeo, and other streaming platforms. If you can’t make it to the phone, feel free to make a donation online anytime, as the campaign is already live at Oasis Arts’ Givebutter.
“With the telethon, we really wanted to hearken back to the Jerry Lewis Telethon,” said Drollinger, but of course, with drag queens picking up the phone.
With this distinctly queer approach, no one knows what may happen while
calling in to pledge. Plus, those who pledge a qualifying amount will be awarded prizes like exclusive tote bags.
Drollinger, the Citys first Drag Laureate, seemed hesitant to reveal any surprise guests but promised that the
telethon will be a “cavalcade of stars from all of the performers that have performed at Oasis over the years, plus live performances and video submissions from bigger celebrities to the Ru girls and local performers.”
As the interview drew to a close, much like in drag, beneath the fabulousness, a deeper “truth, drama, and honesty,” as Drollinger described it, resonated in his voice.
He concluded, “As an organization, all we really want to do is carve out the space for LGBTQ artists in the Bay Area. We not only want to make sure that they are able to exist and survive, but to thrive.”
Oasis Arts, now and hopefully for a long time to come, truly keeps the spirit alive.t
www.oasisartsinc.org
www.givebutter.com/EJpyg4
Filming for ‘Lady Champagne’
Left: ‘Star Trek Live!’ at Oasis Right: D’Arcy Drollinger in ‘The Rocky Horror Show’ at Oasis
‘Surviving Voices’ National
by Race Bannon
Stories have power. We tell stories so we’re seen and heard. We tell stories to pass down knowledge and history. We tell stories to heal. Projects that document those stories capture them for future generations.
In 2015, the National AIDS Memorial and the HIV Story Project launched a multi-year and multi-part AIDS oral history project titled “Surviving Voices,” focusing on different demographics and communities every year since then, to capture personal stories about the horrific AIDS epidemic and the ongoing struggle with HIV.
Numerous “Surviving Voices” documentary films have been released since its inception, and on June 5, to coincide with Long-Term Survivors Awareness Day, the National AIDS Memorial will premiere the tenth and biggest chapter of the series. This event will be at the Roxie Theatre,
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with a pre-screening reception and red-carpet arrival.
This “Lifetime and Long-Term Survivors” chapter will include stories of people who acquired HIV at birth or as young children, and those who acquired the virus before the availability of effective treatment in the mid-1990s. This most recent chapter adds to the already captured hundreds of stories from a widely diverse set of communities, each sharing their unique experience with, and response to, the AIDS crisis.
“Over the last decade, these profoundly compelling stories have been shared across the world receiving awards at numerous film festivals for both their content and design,” said National AIDS Memorial Chief Executive John Cunningham.
Challenges and resilience
HIV Long-Term Survivors Awareness Day was established in 2014 by Let’s Kick ASS - AIDS Survivor Syndrome, a nonprofit that honors and supports long-term HIV+ people and to raise awareness about their unique challenges and resilience. This year’s theme is Leading with Legacy. The June 5 premiere date was intentionally chosen to coincide with the same date in 1981 when the first official report was published about what would later be identified as the AIDS epidemic after five young gay men in Los Angeles got sick with a mysterious illness.
Surviving HIV can prompt a type of trauma. While parallels and analogies vary, some survivors and those who have supported them describe the worst of the AIDS epidemic similar to living through a horrific war. Seeing your friends and loved ones die day after day took its toll and guilt plagues many who endured those times and lived. That does not diminish the fact
that all people living with HIV today also have their own unique challenges and struggles.
“AIDS Survivor Syndrome is this thing of having hypervigilance, where you’re waiting for someone to hit you or you jump a lot,” said Tez Anderson, the Founder of Let’s Kick ASS - AIDS Survivor Syndrome. “It’s depression, anxiety, sleep disorder. It’s hopelessness, really, and a deep fear of ‘What am I gonna do? I’m going to live, but what does that mean? How does that look?’ And I didn’t want to call it PTSD because I really didn’t like the disorder part of PTS.”
Thriving
Before the advent of protease inhibitors, a breakthrough in the treatment of HIV, many people who acquired the virus considered it essentially a death sentence. Today, those on treatment can live full and healthy lives. Many who thought they were going to die
<< Harvey Milk From page 10
a $25,000 grant, the company aims to reintroduce older and younger listeners to Milk’s extraordinary life and legacy in a way that resonates with today’s social and political climate.
are now thriving.
With the help of committed financial and community partners and the skilled producing and directorial filmmaking abilities of Fockele, the “Surviving Voices” series has been repeatedly recognized for its powerful work in helping tell the true story of AIDS through the voices of survivors of the pandemic.
Through intimate personal stories of struggle, survival, resilience and perseverance, this series powerfully captures the journeys of individuals living with HIV/AIDS in raw, honest, and forthright conversations. It depicts their individual strength, power, hope, and resilience, the importance of community, spirit, self-respect, and the will to live with dignity and pride. It also depicts the vulnerabilities, shame, denial, stigma, and hopelessness they have experienced.
Artist DK Haas described
experiencing the worst years of the AIDS epidemic.
“We went through this horrible experience that was full of fear and uncertainty and loss and grief year after year,” he said. “And so, I think that does something to a person. I think it does something to your sense of safety in the world, your ability to bond with people. I think it creates a lot of memory and depression and isolation in people.”
The June 5 premiere will also include a screening of three of the documentary’s 22 filmed interviews. Following these screenings, a panel discussion will include five of the subjects in the film. Prior to the Roxie Theatre premiere, there will be a reception at 4:30pm at 518 Valencia Street.t
‘Surviving Voices,’ Roxie Theater June 5, 5:30pm, $12.50, 3117 16th St. www.aidsmemorial.org
Stewart Wallace affirmed that “There is not a single bar of music that is the same. I’ve stripped it to the studs and reanimated it. Formerly three acts and three hours long, it is now in two acts and clocks in at two hours; leaner, more direct, more visceral, with a focus on the mythic.”
Many smaller roles have been cut, but the most important remain, and OP has assembled a uniquely qualified cast. Baritone Michael Kelly makes his OP debut in the title role; tenor Christopher Oglesby, SF Opera Adler Fellow 2018-2019 (Dan White); tenor Henry Benson, the romantic lead in the opera version of “Fellow Travelers” (Scott Smith); bass Matt Boehler, a promising opera composer himself (George Moscone); mezzosoprano Catherine Cook, cherished SFO veteran and true San Francisco treat (Mama); and soprano Marnie Breckenridge, with an impressively varied international resume (Dianne Feinstein).
Other events
Opera Parallèle has announced a number of additional events coordinated with the show’s run. The activities invite audiences of all backgrounds to explore the themes of identity, activism, and social justice that remain central to Milk’s enduring impact.
‘Harvey Milk’s Legacy: A Night of Reflection & Song’ is an evening of live music, rarely seen video footage from KQED’s archives and interviews with Cleve Jones, Gwenn Craig and Honey Mahogany. The program includes a preview of “Harvey Milk Rei-
magined,” with excerpts performed by the OP cast. Scott Shafer (KQED’s Political Breakdown) also hosts a community discussion on Milk’s activism and political vision. Wednesday, May 21 at 7pm, at The Commons at KQED, 2601 Mariposa Street.
‘Harvey Milk Day: A Protest of Joy’ will be held Thursday, May 22 at 4:30pm at Jane Warner Plaza, corner of Castro and Market Streets. The main event features a rally with speeches, performances by the San Francisco Pride Band, the Sacred & Profane Chamber Chorus (premiering a new choral work based on Milk’s Freedom Day Speech) and, the cast of “Harvey Milk Reimagined.” The event host is Tina Valentin Aguirre, Director of the Castro LGBTQ+ Cultural District. A march to the Roxie Theater (16th and Valencia Streets) will follow where individuals may purchase tickets for the annual screening of the Oscar-winning documentary, “The Times of Harvey Milk.”
JCCSF Talks & Conversations: ‘Harvey Milk in Opera: Activism, Identity & Legacy’ Tuesday, June 3 at 1pm-2pm at the Jewish Community Center of
San Francisco, 3200 California Street.
A conversation with composer Stewart Wallace and opera dramaturg Kip Cranna will explore Milk’s life journey through the lens of opera, highlighting his Jewish identity and its influence on his thoughts for justice and equality. Free event; registration required. Any remembrance of Harvey Milk must include an appreciation of his many insightful and prophetic quotes, such as, “The fact is that more people have been slaughtered in the name of religion than for any other single reason. That, that my friends, is true perversion!” He also said, “If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door in the country,” and “Hope will never be silent.”
“Reimagining Harvey Milk” gives musical context to an extraordinary man’s compelling words of wisdom.t
‘Reimagining Harvey Milk,’ $66-$188, May 31, 7:30pm; June 1, 3pm; June 6, 7:30pm; June 7, 5pm, Blue Shield of California Theater, YBCA, 700 Howard St. www.operaparallele.org
Left to Right: Composer Stewart Wallace, creative director Brian Staufenbiel, conductor Nicole Paiement & singer Michael Kelly
Scott Wall
Participants in the documentary ‘Surviving Voices’
‘Egghead & Twinkie’
by David-Elijah Nahmod
The new film “Egghead & Twinkie” is about teenagers, yet it’s a film that viewers of all ages can enjoy. It’s a road movie, a coming out story, and the tale of a deep friendship between a straight guy and the lesbian he harbors feelings for.
Sabrina Jie-A-Fa heads the cast as Vivian Harris, a young lesbian who goes by the name Twinkie because she’s “yellow on the outside and white on the inside.” She’s an Asian girl who has been adopted by white parents who refuse to believe her when she comes out to them. Egghead (Louis Tomeo) is Twinkie’s straight best friend. When he tries to kiss her at a movie she comes out to him as well.
Egghead reluctantly accepts this.
Feeling a bit frustrated, Twinkie decides to take a few days off to drive to Texas to meet BD, her online crush. Twinkie tells Egghead that she
<< To My Girls
From page 10
translucence to their characters: Leo’s sense of abandonment presses up against his above-it-all demeanor; Omar’s slow-talking soulfulness enhances his studliness; and Castor’s psychic bruises radiate through his fiercest camp.
Happily ever after?
While Lee richly draws the relationships between his three central characters, he’s less successful in his efforts to fold in observations about gay generation gaps. Landlord Bernie, in his sixties, expresses a smidge of jokey, unreflective disdain for the visiting “youngsters,” and Omar, a Gen Z local, gives a scolding speech about the shortcomings of thirtysomethings.
Still, both of those underdeveloped bits feel well-intentioned
wants to visit an animation studio in Dallas, and he agrees to accompany her. They steal Twinkie’s father’s car and drive off.
The bulk of the film follows them
and easily forgiven.
It’s harder to come to terms with the show’s flashy lip sync finale (The fourth such crutchy conclusion to a queer-themed non-musical on local stages this year, following “Exotic Deadly: The MSG Play,” “Fat Ham,” and “Simple Mexican Pleasures”).
After several smart twists have turned the play into a black comic spectacle of backstabbing and selfloathing worthy of Edward Albee (namechecked in dialogue) or Mart Crowley, why does Lee insist on giving “To My Girls” a disingenuous happy ending?
Let’s face facts, boys: In some ways, it gets better; in others, the band plays on.t
‘To My Girls,’ through June 8. $35.50-$64. New Conservatory Theatre Center, 25 Van Ness Ave. www.nctcsf.org
on the road, with Jie-A-Fie and Tomeo making for a delightful pair. They’re at once funny, nerdy and sweet. Tomeo beautifully plays Egghead’s feeling of disappointment
when he finds out about BD, but he remains loyal to his friend. In the middle of the trip, Twinkie meets Jess (Asahi Hirano), a young bisexual Asian girl who works in a Chinese restaurant. The two girls bond, and it appears that there might be a romantic spark between them.
But Twinkie has to move on. She’s waited a long time to meet BD and she’s determined to see this through. When she arrives in Texas she goes to the club where BD is DJing, but she is unable to enter the club because she’s underage, so she contacts BD by phone. Her crush is less than happy to hear from her.
“Egghead and Twinkie” was produced on a micro-budget. According to the film’s website, it’s the first film to be successfully crowdfunded on TikTok. The film was shot over 45 days with many on the crew donating their time.
Sarah Kambe Holland, the writer/
director, paints a precise portrait of a deep friendship and of a young woman who’s determined to live her authentic truth. Though “Egghead and Twinkie” is a teen lesbian’s story, its themes are universal. Younger viewers will relate to Twinkie and older viewers will get a sense of Deja Vu as they recall their own first crushes. The film will even appeal to gay men. Who doesn’t recall the anguish of their first crush?
“Egghead and Twinkie” is now streaming on a variety of platforms. It’s a shame that it bypassed theaters. This wonderful film deserves to be seen on the big screen. However you see it, you’ll be in for a great time with some unforgettable characters.t
‘Egghead and Twinkie,’ CanBeDone Films, streaming at Apple TV, YouTube, Google Play and Fandango. www.eggheadandtwinkie.com
Sabrina Jie-A-Fa and Louis Tomeo in ‘Egghead and Twinkie’
CanBeDone Films
Left to Right: Louel Señores and Samuel del Rosario in ‘To My Girls’ at New Conservatory Theatre Center
Lois Tema
Orlando Ortega-Medina’s ‘Emerald Road’
by Laura Moreno
In the latest addition to what is shaping up to be a formidable body of work by Orlando Ortega-Medina, “Emerald Road: A Tale of Love, War, and Betrayal” is an unforgettably cinematic story, and a prequel to his acclaimed novel “The Fitful Sleep of Immigrants” (2013).
Set in El Salvador on the eve of its violent civil war in the 1980s, “Emerald Road” features Isaac Perez and his extraordinary Australian cattle dog. Young Isaac aspires to become an astrophysicist, maybe an astronaut, but for the moment describes himself as “the personal punching bag of my brother Neto.”
Just as his brother Neto bullies him again without cause, an earthquake hits and Issac sees his chance to escape. He runs off to the cathedral and soon locks eyes with a handsome altar boy who ultimately proves unable to return Isaac’s love. After Isaac is framed for the death of a soldier, the two of them overcome nearly insurmountable odds to flee for El Norte.
A dog named Ahbhu
By far the best thing about “Emerald Road” is the close bond between Isaac and the irresistible stray pup
Author Orlando Ortega-Medina
with “an uncanny ability to read people’s character” named Ahbhu (which means father).
Isaac saves the puppy’s life at the start of the novel, and then later the dog saves Isaac’s life. Full of compassion and caring for the dog, Isaac
nurses Ahbhu back to health. The unconditional love between them is tangible. A loyal and athletic canine, their bond is so intense that they can communicate telepathically.
It does not escape notice that the Australian cattle dog is also in a for-
eign land. The dog becomes his rock, his only constant friend as he makes the dangerous journey to California.
Despite his adult-sized problems, Isaac’s effervescent youth comes through at times, as when he meets the kind soul Diego and his father, Don
Federico, an indigenous shaman in Mexico City. Surprisingly, Diego can understand Ahbhu telepathically, too. This is one of several hints of magical realism included in the book.
This is the fourth novel written by Ortega-Medina. Like many Latin Americans, he is of Jewish extraction. Born in Los Angeles, he studied English Literature at UCLA before studying Law. Ortega-Medina practiced criminal defense in Los Angeles and San Francisco before moving to Montreal in 1999, where he and his partner were among the first same-sex couples to marry in 2005. Ortega-Medina currently resides in London and practices U.S. immigration law in addition to writing fiction.
The political is personal Especially today, immigration can be one of the most traumatic events a person can endure. Queer immigrants are often marginalized from every side, including from family. But no matter how chaotic their situation becomes as on their incredible journey Isaac meets people along the way who offer invaluable help, like queer advocate Suchi whose underground network helps gay migrants like Isaac.
“Isaac’s story is not just one of displacement or survival; it is also a tale of queer self-discovery, highlighting the emotional and physical toll that his identity as both a refugee and a queer man exacts on him. Through ‘Emerald Road,’ I aim to contribute to the growing body of fiction that centers on the often unheard and complex stories of queer immigrants,” writes Ortega-Medina in LGBTQ Reads.
“Emerald Road” is written in the tradition of groundbreaking queer books like Gloria Anzaldua’s “Borderlands” (1987), Ocean Vuong’s “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous” (2019), and Benjamin Alire Sáenz’s “Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe” (2012, feature film released in 2022).
In total, Ortega-Medina has vividly captured the feel of the expectant journey to the North. “Emerald Road,” as the name implies, is a road trip novel as fantastical and technicolor alive as “The Wizard of Oz.”
Although the plot is at times messy and the timeline of the story is not linear, it mirrors the chaos of Isaac Perez’s own life and the wider world they are trying to navigate. In the end, the author’s exploration of tensions between love and apathy, loyalty and betrayal in a time of war create a rich emotional landscape sensitive readers will very likely relish.t
‘Emerald Road’ by Orlando Ortega-Medina, Amble Press, $20.95. www.bywaterbooks.com www.orlandoortegamedina.com
‘The
Emperor of Gladness’
Ocean Vuong gets real in his new novel
by Tim Pfaff
Ocean Vuong’s new novel, “The Emperor of Gladness” (Penguin Press) is moving on a number of levels. It has characters you think about when you’re away from them. The writing is exemplary. New England both quaint and otherwise glows and glowers beyond its pages. But the most moving thing of all is that Vuong has written a big, juicy book.
Weighing in at a meaty 400 pages that sit nicely in the hand, “The Emperor of Gladness” is almost shocking in its embrace of what could be called a “traditional” narrative style. It has a plot you can follow. Except for the occasional, necessary flashback, that story is told front to back. The prose does not do tricks of its own or otherwise show off; it wants you to pay attention.
Regular readers of gay literary fiction might even be shocked by the conventions the novel follows. Characters’ words come within (double!) quotation marks. Paragraphing is standard. Sentences start and stop, with no contortions along the way and barely any verbal exhibitionism.
You could almost call it an ordinary novel, except that it’s anything but. It’s a ghost story without literal ghosts but rather fleeting remembrances of past persons, places, and things that spin through the present like dervishes. It is a story inhabited by members of the underclasses who bond against the implacable, likely menacing future, folks for whom things go on without improving. We’re at eye-level with all of them by the time this remarkable book has run its course.
The bridge
On first blush, the book’s title may sound suspiciously like a project abandoned by the early Edmund White. But from the start we’re told, almost in confidence, that Hai’s refugee family has brought them to Gladness, Connecticut. A geographical “armpit,” the town is not the kind of place that could support an emperor. It is populated instead by a family of “choice,” a crew of subaltern characters with no hope of a better life but one they together make livable.
At the end of the first short chapter, we are introduced to our protagonist, Hai, who is also the narrator of the story and the keeper of our point of view. A refugee from the horrors of the Vietnam War, we first find him “in the midnight of his childhood and a lifetime from first light.”
That is to say that he discovers himself on an unplanned appearance on a bridge in a driving rain, helplessly watching his leg go over the railing edge as he contemplates a watery death below.
He is literally called back to the world of the living (if rarely happily so) by the scream of Grazina, an 82-yearold, Lithuanian-born woman living in what amounts to a shack on the other side of the river. “Not now, not today,” she hollers. “Just get the hell down.”
You could say it’s implausible that the two would soon enough become housemates with highly individual ways of taking care of one another, except that it closely reflects a comparable, actual experience in Vuong’s own life. Their relationship becomes the novel’s principal driver.
Vuong has written elsewhere, also factually, about his struggle with addictive drugs. The matter that resurfaces here is Hai’s “management,” at Grazina’s request, of her “vitamins.” They are, of course, heavy medications for Grazina’s various mental illnesses.
Initially aghast at his host’s haphazard pharmacy, the “trough” of pills she feeds at, Hai goes quickly from horror at the size of the stash to an estimation of what the best of its contents might do for him, initiating his “sharing” of them.
Through a friend, Sony, Hai is brought into a company of fast-food workers at a place called HomeMarket, a grim kind of eatery run by marginal managers and staffed by psychologically compromised, seriously underpaid misfits whose chances of employment elsewhere are negligible. If gladness in the sense we usually mean it remains safely beyond their reach, or even hope, they find ways to fit with each other that makes their world, uninviting as it can be, ours.
The language
Vuong, who made his mark as a poet, made a previous venture into prose with 2019’s “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous.” (No one has better titles than Vuong.) A novel more in name than format, it investigated core Vuong themes but in a highly charged form soaked in poetic strophes.
Comparatively straight-laced formally, “The Emperor of Gladness” mines a deeper if quieter vein, creating
“I was supposed to be writing a novel six years ago, but I took ten years off to sulk.”
—Fran Lebowitz
a world that somehow distinguishes between hope and delusional thinking.
The poet in Vuong manifests in his close observation of the characters and their troubled world. Sometimes these details threaten to overwhelm the all-important story, but never for long. Vuong’s love of his subjects shortly becomes ours, and you sense his resolve to stick with them rather than spin beautiful verbal webs.
His mastery of the sentence enlivens the book throughout. None is more potent, and startling, than the novel’s first: “The hardest thing in the world is to live only once.”
There is nothing sentimental in any of this. The prose can become brutal to meet situations, nowhere more so than in Vuong’s depiction of the
bloody horrors of a pig butchery. But the writing is integrated and all of a piece.
Fairness to the reader demands some word of caution from me about the novel’s beginning. The language there is dense, the tone and place setting vivid but more evocative than descriptive. New England itself becomes a character, the cauldron in which this brew is stirred. It makes for a slow start, which resolves itself quickly. Some of my favorite one-of-a-kind novels –Malcom Lowry’s “Under the Volcano” and Alessandro Manzoni’s “The Betrothed” spring to mind– similarly begin with elaborate descriptions of their physical settings, hinting at what is to come and even its meaning.
Readers have famously found these passages off-putting, to the point that many have not ventured past them. That would be a misfortune here. Persevere like Vuong’s characters do, and you are met with a deeply rewarding story.t
Ocean Vuong will be in San Francisco at Calvary Presbyterian Church, 2515 Fillmore St. May 30, 7pm (www.eventbrite.com) and in Corte Madera May 31, 6pm at Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd. www.bookpassage.com
Ocean Vuong, “The Emperor of Gladness,” 402 pp., $30, Penguin Press www.penguinrandomhouse.com www.oceanvuong.com
Author Ocean Vuong
Giancarlo Valentine
PRIDE 2025
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