May 27, 2021 edition of the Bay Area Reporter, America's highest circulation LGBTQ newspaper

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Vol. 51 • No. 21 • May 27-June 2, 2021

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Karyn Skultety, Ph.D., greeted Pridegoers on the Openhouse motorized cable car during the 2019 San Francisco Pride parade.

Artists Juan Manuel Carmona, left, and Simón Malvaez work on their new mural on the side of the San Francisco LGBT Community Center.

Skultety bows out at LGBTQ seniors nonprofit

by Matthew S. Bajko

A

fter more than four years with Openhouse, Karyn Skultety, Ph.D., is bowing out as executive director of the nonprofit provider of LGBTQ senior services in San Francisco. During her time with the agency she has doubled its staffing and overseen the opening of its new offices and affordable housing development on Laguna Street.

Ahead of her last day on May 31, Skultety received a going-away present of sorts from city leaders who chose Openhouse and its partner Mercy Housing to design and construct a new affordable housing project that is welcoming to LGBTQ seniors. Located at 1939 Market Street, the city-owned site is a block away from the 119-unit development the two agencies built on Laguna Street that houses a majority of LGBTQ older adults.

Skultety, 45, a bisexual married mom, had announced in January that she intended to step down from her leadership post this spring in order to move to Denver to be closer to her family and help care for her aging parents. She and her wife moved their two children there last month, while Skultety returned to San Francisco to finish her work with Openhouse.

The agency toasted Skultety with a virtual celebration Wednesday, May 26, during which it christened the balcony at its still-to-be-opened community center in her honor. As of Tuesday, the nonprofit was shy roughly $16,000 of reaching a fundraising goal of $100,000 through the event.

Officially to be known as the Dr. Karyn Skultety Balcony, it already has earned the nickname of “the bow tie balcony” due to Skultety’s sartorial neckwear. (She owns close to 40 bow ties.) Overlooking Laguna Street, the space is meant for community gatherings and celebrations.

“I am so excited to have a symbol on this building for her, as she was such a part of opening it up,” said Tim Sweeney, 67, a gay man whose two years as co-chair of Openhouse’s board of directors will end July 1.

“She created so much inclusion and dignity and services for our LGBTQ seniors.

See page 10 >>

Norm Lynde

Sylvester mural livens up SOMA

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isco star Sylvester is remembered in a new mural on the side of queer nightclub Oasis, 298 11th Street, in San Francisco’s South of Market district.

During a dedication ceremony May 24, Oasis owner D’Arcy Drollinger thanked people for helping save the club over the last year due to the COVID pandemic. The South of Market LGBTQ Cultural District partnered with Oasis and artist Josh Katz on the mural. “I wanted

to create a mural dedicated to San Francisco’s vibrant queer history, and that could uplift folks after an incredibly challenging year,” Katz stated. “Sylvester is so loved in this city, I knew painting his portrait would remind us of the good times we’ve had, and those that are sure to come again soon.” Sylvester James, a gay man who died of AIDS complications in 1988, lived in San Francisco and was known for his hits in the 1970s and 1980s.

SF LGBT center mural highlights ‘Queeroes’

by John Ferrannini

T

wo queer San Francisco artists have finished work on a new mural on the side of the San Francisco LGBT Community Center just in time for the start of Pride Month in June.

As the Bay Area Reporter previously reported, the center chose the two artists to replace a honey bear mural by fnnch, a straight artist, that had been defaced after he was criticized over describing himself as an “immigrant” to San Francisco See page 10 >>

SF taps Openhouse, Mercy for new housing aimed at LGBTQ seniors

by Matthew S. Bajko

S

an Francisco officials have selected the two agencies that built the city’s first affordable senior housing aimed at LGBTQ older adults to design and construct a new development nearby in the upper Market Street corridor.

The Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development has chosen affordable housing developer Mercy Housing and Openhouse, a nonprofit provider of LGBTQ senior services in San Francisco, for the affordable senior housing slated to be built at 1939 Market Street. The city acquired the triangular 7,840 square foot lot at Market and Duboce Avenue last year for $12 million from the Sheet Metal Workers Local 104.

Sometime in late 2022 or early 2023 the union will be vacating the two-story building, which has been home to three other commercial tenants and includes a small parking lot. Construction on the 120-plus units – the exact amount of housing and design of the building still needs to be finalized and approved by city oversight bodies – could begin sometime in 2023, with completion of the project dependent on the availability of local funding and competitiveness for tax credit and bond financing, according to city officials.

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The city has announced Mercy Housing and Openhouse have been selected as the development team for affordable LGBTQ-welcoming senior housing at 1939 Market Street in the Castro.

<< From the Cover

2 • Bay Area Reporter • May 27-June 2, 2021

<<

LGBTQ seniors

From page 1

“We are trying right now to accelerate as much as possible,” Eric D. Shaw, a gay man named director of the mayoral housing office in April 2020, told the Bay Area Reporter when asked about the timeline for breaking ground on the project.

Openhouse and Mercy are copartners on the 119-units of LGBTQ-welcoming affordable senior housing split between the buildings at 55 and 95 Laguna Street.

The campus also includes Openhouse’s offices at 65 Laguna and a new community center it built out at 75 Laguna and hopes to open later this year.

Mercy oversaw construction of the housing units and provides property management for the buildings. Openhouse provides services and programming to the tenants as well as other LGBTQ older adults in the city. They will be responsible for providing the same things for the new development.

“We are obviously absolutely thrilled about having a third building,” said Karyn Skultety, Ph.D., who is stepping down May 31 as executive director of Openhouse. “To think about a future for San Francisco where we are building this kind of centralized place where a lot of LGBTQ seniors will be living in welcoming housing and taking advantage of the services and programming going on at the Openhouse Community Center at 75 Laguna should inspire our whole community that this will be going on.”

Openhouse board co-chair Tim Sweeney told the B.A.R. that the nonprofit decided to apply for the project with Mercy because affordable housing for seniors “is so desperately needed” in the city and because of its proximity to the Laguna Street campus.

Cynthia Laird

Openhouse’s 55 Laguna Street complex has reopened for staff, but services for clients continue to be offered remotely. It is a block away from the new senior housing project.

“It is literally across the street,” he noted. “Housing in San Francisco is at such a premium. We need it so badly, especially for our senior and aging population.”

A spokesperson for Mercy Housing did not respond to a request for comment by press time.

In a statement to the B.A.R. Mayor London Breed said, “We need more affordable housing across our entire city, including the Upper Market neighborhood.

1939 Market will build on the success we’ve had developing senior housing at 55 and 95 Laguna to bring more homes for those in need and I’m excited to keep pushing this project forward.”

Gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman told the B.A.R. moving the project forward has been one of his top priorities over the last 18 months, so it is “an exciting milestone” to have the development team selected ahead of Pride Month.

“Mercy Housing and Openhouse have the right experience building LGBTQ-welcoming affordable senior housing at 55 and 95 Laguna to get this next phase done,” stated Mandelman.

“With this building, they will have hopefully brought 250 LGBTQaffirming affordable senior units to a neighborhood from which far too many queer seniors have been displaced. The need for this type of housing is vast, but these buildings are a solid start.”

He thanked Breed and the mayoral housing office “for finding the resources and working closely with me and my office to bring more affordable housing to District 8.”

Shaw told the B.A.R. he does expect the Market Street project will be able to deliver a greater number of units than was built at the Laguna Street development. While the total price tag for the project

has yet to be determined, he said the goal is to see that the cost per housing unit is under $385,000.

“If you build more units, it makes the cost of construction go down,” he noted. “It makes us also more competitive for state funding.”

The city will be covering the cost for designing the building and engaging with the community on the architectural plans, in addition to providing a development loan between $10 and $30 million.

A third of the financing will come from investors, said Shaw, while another third will come from the state.

“State financing is crucial for this,” said Shaw, who expects the city will apply with the state sometime in mid-2022.

Although non-LGBTQ seniors will be able to enter the lottery for the below-market-rate units built at 1939 Market Street, it is expected

t

that the majority of residents will be LGBTQ seniors. Openhouse and Mercy, in partnership with the city, were able to attract majorities of LGBTQ seniors for the Laguna Street housing.

They are expected to be able to do so again for the Market Street project, especially with Openhouse being attached to the housing. The lottery to choose residents for the building will give preference for 25% to 40% of the units to older adults already living either in the city’s eighth supervisorial district or within a mile of the property. Another 10% of the units will be set aside for people living with HIV. “With Mercy’s support and partnership, and support from local electeds and the city, we already have a set of best practices that never discriminates against anyone for housing but also really makes clear why we are able to call these buildings LGBTQ welcoming and serve a majority LGBTQ senior population,” said Skultety.

Shaw told the B.A.R. he is confident of seeing mostly LGBTQ seniors move into the new building.

“Hopefully, we capture the LGBTQ people who live in the area who qualify for that housing,” he said. “We will be proactive in marketing to the LGBTQ senior community.”

With it situated in the middle of San Francisco and on the Market Street end of the Castro district near the LGBT Community Center, the new building is centralizing seniors in the life of the city and its LGBTQ neighborhood, noted Skultety.

“I always say seniors should be centralized in our life and in our fight for social justice. This is quite literally putting them in the center of the city,” Skultety told the B.A.R. “We are really building a physical manifestation of our mission. It is fucking really cool.”t

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<< Community News

4 • Bay Area Reporter • May 27-June 2, 2021

t

Future for Castro surveillance cameras fuzzy

by John Ferrannini

Bay Times cameras come under scrutiny

T

he future looks blurry for the proposed network of Castro district surveillance cameras, as neighborhood groups opposed to the plan await word from the Upper Market/ Castro Community Benefit District.

“We’re in a holding pattern,” Stephen Torres, a gay man who is an advisory board member of the Castro LGBTQ Cultural District, told the Bay Area Reporter. “We’re waiting to hear back from the CBD because nothing has happened since the town hall.”

Last month’s town hall on the topic, hosted by the CBD, was slammed as being one-sided in favor of the proposed camera network after the cultural district withdrew from the discussion due to the exclusion of its allies. The cameras would be installed with a $695,000 grant from tech mogul Chris Larsen, who was not present at the town hall and has not responded to requests for comment.

At the time, the B.A.R. reported that the only sure thing was that there’d be more discussions going forward. But according to Torres, speaking on behalf of opponents of the plan including the district and the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club, plans for a public discussion on the pros and cons of cameras have not materialized.

“So many of those who attended that town hall seemed to have a consensus it’d be in a public forum,” Torres said of future discussions. “We in the coalition [of those opposed to cameras] felt we needed to respect that, so that’s where we left it.”

The B.A.R. has contacted Andrea Aiello, a lesbian who is the executive director of the CBD, on multiple occasions to ask about the future of the proposal. Aiello responded, once, to inquiries stating in an email, “We can talk cameras when I have something to tell you ... OK?!”

Screengrab

The San Francisco Bay Times’ Castro Street Cam on May 25 shows a busy street scene.

The B.A.R. informed Aiello that even without comment it would be reporting an update about the cameras, and asked if she and camera opponents had set up a date to meet, or if this was not happening; what the next steps are before camera approval; and what her thoughts are about the criticism that the town hall was unbalanced.

The agenda for the most recent meeting of the district’s board (and the only since the April 27 town hall), which was held May 5, included nothing about the camera proposal. (The minutes are not yet posted.)

“Nothing has come out of the CBD,” Torres said. “I wish I could tell you more. I wish I knew more, quite frankly.”

Torres said that the cultural district and the CBD are collaborating effectively and profitably on other matters, such as last Saturday’s Harvey Milk Day celebrations in the Castro neighborhood.

Catie Arbona, a queer woman who is co-chair of the Alice B. Toklas LGBTQ Democratic Club, said that organiza-

tion will continue to advocate against the proposal. The club joined the Milk club and the cultural district with an oped in the San Francisco Examiner May 14 saying that the proposal to install a 125-camera network would turn the Castro “into a surveillance state.”

“If the CBD is unwilling to pay attention to the concerted community opposition that ours, Milk’s and the LGBTQ Cultural District’s op-ed represents, and doesn’t take steps to withdraw their proposal, then our club will continue to make that opposition known, in the press and in the neighborhood,” Arbona stated.

“This is an issue of real importance to our board and we’re ready for a long fight if necessary.”

For its part, Castro Merchants Association President Masood Samereie, a straight ally, had praise for the plan in a statement to the B.A.R. – but reiterated that the business group voted against endorsing the proposal until such time as “ business owners, residents, and community organizations” could find a compromise “that would work for everyone.”

“As we have stated in the past, Castro Merchants is interested in any effort that enhances the safety of our iconic neighborhood for business owners, consumers and residents,” Samereie stated. “The Castro Merchants board voted against moving the proposal originally presented by the CBD to our membership for a vote until a broader discussion could be had with business owners, residents and community organizations to see if there is a solution that would work for everyone.”

Samereie stated that at least the CBD is coming up with ideas.

“We do applaud the CBD for bringing forward concrete ideas and opportunities that have the potential to move the neighborhood forward,” Samereie stated.

“Whether or not the camera proposal is ultimately accepted by the community, it is imperative that every single resident, business, and neighborhood organization takes an active role in supporting a healthy and prosperous Castro.”

As the B.A.R. previously reported, the Castro Street Cam produced by the San Francisco Bay Times already provides a livestream of the neighborhood on YouTube.

Arbona stated that “we’re not fans” of that, either.

“While the goal of providing images of the rainbow flag to people who may be stuck at home or otherwise unable to visit the Castro in person is admirable, 24/7 access to views of sidewalks and bedroom windows is not something that should be available to anyone with an internet connection,” Arbona stated. “There are ways to unite distant members of our community without broadcasting private lives around the world.”

Torres struck a different tact regarding the Castro Street Cam. “We are trying to tackle one problem at a time,” Torres said. “What raised concerns with us are the extensive nature of [the proposed CBD] cameras. Those, through the Bay Times, are a different thing.”

Torres said that the biggest differences between the Bay Times’ cameras and the proposed CBD cameras are that the CBD camera system would be “extensive” and “without oversight.”

“I don’t know if the concern is so much over the CBD as much as what happens when the footage is turned over to AVS,” Torres said, referring to Applied Video Solutions, which would maintain the cameras. “[The Bay Times’ cameras] are nowhere near as advanced technology as these other cameras we are talking about, on which the facial recognition is quite advanced.”

The Bay Times did not respond to a request for comment. Co-publisher Betty Sullivan declined to comment for a story last year, saying she didn’t “want to be in your story.”t

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<< Open Forum

6 • Bay Area Reporter • May 27-June 2, 2021

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LGBTQ person needed for SF police panel N

ow that Petra DeJesus has left the San Francisco Police Commission, the Board of Supervisors, which selects the candidate for that seat, needs to ensure that an LGBTQ individual is chosen. With the departure of DeJesus, a lesbian who served for 16 years, the high-profile oversight commission no longer has any out members. (This is similar to the effort to replace an outgoing LGBTQ member of the San Francisco Historic Preservation Commission, which we previously opined on, except in that case, Mayor London Breed makes the nomination for the vacancy.) The police commission has long had LGBTQ representation, including Gwenn Craig; the late Wayne Friday, a former Bay Area Reporter political columnist; Theresa Sparks, who became the first trans person elected president of the body; Jim Hammer; David Campos; and the late Julius Turman.

The police commission has made strides in updating the San Francisco Police Department’s use of force policies, as DeJesus told us in a recent interview. After last year’s police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis (a former officer was convicted of murder in that case earlier this year), leaders in cities around the country began conversations about reforming their police departments; San Francisco was no different. Last fall, Mayor London Breed convened a steering committee to examine alternatives to police officers for responding to some 911 and 311 calls for assistance. She also proposed redirecting $120 million from SFPD to the Black community over the next two years, with some money already reallocated to programs that include services for transgender and Black LGBTQ individuals.

Having an LGBTQ member on the panel is critical for a number of reasons. While the

police department is far more inclusive than decades ago, recent incidents call attention to the need for a consistent and constant commitment to root out discrimination. Last June, during one of the protests after Floyd’s death, a nonbinary SFPD officer at Mission Station was sent home for insubordination for wearing earrings. It stemmed from the department having an outdated, transphobic dress code that was arbitrarily enforced. By December, the police commission had approved the department’s revised, gender-neutral grooming standards policy. The policy change had been in the works for awhile, Police Chief William Scott told us, but the COVID pandemic delayed focus group meetings with officers to discuss the changes.

In fact, just this week, Scott presented an update to the supervisors on the department’s Collaborative Reform Initiative, or CRI. One component, a racial equity action and inclusion plan, is currently underway in partnership with the San Francisco Human Rights Commission. “Phase I of the reforms – many of them already in progress – cover the full breadth of the department’s institutional and structural realms, spanning hiring and recruitment; retention and promotion; discipline and separation; leadership and management; professional development and mobility; and organizational culture,” a description of the plan on SFPD’s website states. “Another 10 action steps detailed in the report will be led by the San Francisco Police Commission, the police department’s civilian oversight and governing body.” These include having the commission regularly schedule discussions on racial equity issues and expand the ability of the panel to hear from diverse voices from a place of influence. (This latter goal has been started and is ongoing, the report states.)

Nonetheless, there have been discriminatory incidents in the SFPD against trans police officers, including one that resulted in a $150,000 settlement from the city because he was repeatedly misgendered. The police commission had to sign off on that settlement, along with the Board of Supervisors, part of which states that SFPD will attempt to redress systemic transphobia in the department.

DeJesus, who’s an attorney, brought an urgency to police reform that we hope her successor continues. While the commission narrowly voted 4-3 in 2017 to allow officers to carry tasers, DeJesus was opposed – and continues to be. The supervisors never allocated any money for the purchase of the equipment, so until that changes SFPD officers do not use them. We opposed Proposition H in 2018, which was an end run around the supervisors by the San Francisco Police Officers Association to get the voters to approve tasers. We still maintain our position that it’s the police commission’s job to set SFPD policy. In light of all the deaths associated with taser use in police encounters around the country, it’s probably better that they were never used here. Too many times they’re deployed with deadly consequences on people having a mental health crisis and they are often ineffective, in our opinion, as well as being cruel.

The Police Commission consists of seven members, three of whom are appointed by the supervisors. Anyone can apply for this vacancy, according to the city code, and the candidates go before the supervisors’ rules committee. The full board would then vote.

We would encourage qualified LGBTQ people, particularly trans people of color, to apply, and we urge the Board of Supervisors to give them a fair hearing. (The first and last trans person on the commission was Sparks.) Trans people have historically been victims of police harassment – even in San Francisco – and their lived experience would greatly benefit both the commission and SFPD. t

Stop signing up for ageism

by Karyn Skultety

A

s I prepare for my last day as the executive director of Openhouse on May 31, I am left speechless by the honor it has been to do this job. There will never be adequate words to say how deeply appreciative I am of the trust that the board of directors, staff, the community, and most importantly, the LGBTQ+ seniors of San Francisco and beyond have put in me.

I am grateful that I have the opportunity to say thank you to each of you who have supported the work of Openhouse in creating housing, services and community for LGBTQ+ seniors and for the ways you have allowed me to lead and follow your lead in making that mission come alive. And so, as I prepare for my last days in this role, I hope you will allow me one more opportunity to ask for your help as we continue to work toward an LGBTQ+ community that we can all thrive in at every age. As I have said many times and I will say many more – we cannot do it without you.

The first thing I would ask is that you stop signing up for ageism. What is ageism? It’s the idea that there is us and them ... and them is everyone older than you! It’s the idea that as “they” get older, people become less valuable to our communities than those who are younger and it’s OK to forget them or leave them behind. Unfortunately, ageism is alive and well in LGBTQ+ communities, including right here in San Francisco. I will never forget when a gay man in his 80s described for me the difference between how he felt “alive and seen” when attending Openhouse activities and then “slowly became invisible” as he walked down the street toward home. The greatest way we can fight this experience is by embracing our own aging. I recently declared myself to be 45 on my birthday – and we must each declare our age as simply a part of who we are instead of something to hide or use to “other” those around us. The fact is that aging, living well into your 70s or 80s, is a privilege and one that is not afforded everyone in our community.

Let us remember all in our community who we have lost well before earning the title of senior – from the millions who died in the AIDS crisis to the many transgender members of our community (especially women of color) who

Saul Bromberger

Openhouse Executive Director Karyn Skultety, Ph.D., marched with the agency’s contingent in the 2019 San Francisco Pride parade.

are dying far too young today.

Next, I ask that you not only think about your own aging, but think about the ways that our community is better, stronger, richer and more powerful when seniors are a part of it.

Far too often, people look at organizations that work with seniors and think of them as addressing needs for individual people as they age. While it is true that organizations like Openhouse and many others aim to ensure that each senior has the housing, services, and resources they need, the impact of this work is not just individual, it is community-wide. When we ensure seniors have what they need, it means they are staying active in our communities and in our ongoing work in the fight for social justice. It means that our communities are not just powered by the brilliance of our youth, they are powered by the resilience of the generations who came before them. It means that across generations, we are handing down and passing up lessons on how we continue the fight for our collective freedom and we are building a community fueled by authentic intergenerational power.

If you can truly believe that aging is not about someone else, but about you too, you

will start to change. If you can truly believe that communities are better and more powerful when they are fueled by LGBTQ+ people of all generations, then you will go out of your way to seek connections and relationships with seniors. You will not accept the way our current aging systems of care operate and you will fight for change. You will go out of your way to thank the seniors in your life for the privileges you enjoy today. You will remember that even the most amazing senior organizations (like Openhouse) can become another closet unless people of all ages open the door and come in.

I am so appreciative of you joining me on the journey at Openhouse the last four-plus years and I leave knowing that we continue this work together.

We are ALL building the community that we will grow old in – so let us build it with pride, respect, joy, authenticity, and deep love.

Thank you for the tremendous honor and opportunity to serve our community.

All my love and big hugs. t Karyn Skultety, Ph.D., is the outgoing executive director of Openhouse.

t

Politics >>

May 27-June 2, 2021 • Bay Area Reporter • 7

Rick Gerharter

SFO’s Milk terminal open for summer travel

M

ore airline departure gates opened in Harvey Milk Terminal 1 at San Francisco International Airport this week, in advance of the start of the summer travel season. During a media preview May 19,

artist Emily Fromm stood in front of her ceramic mural, “Four Corners” in Harvey Milk Terminal 1, which depicts four neighborhood corners in San Francisco.

Bay Area cities prepare to celebrate Pride Month

by Matthew S. Bajko

V

arious Bay Area cities will be kicking off Pride Month next week with flag raising ceremonies the morning of June 1. Other municipalities will follow suit on subsequent days of the month.

Due to the ongoing COVID pandemic, some of the gatherings will be done without a large public presence or none at all but will be livestreamed.

Some cities are inviting LGBTQ community members and others but will be imposing safety protocols like mask wearing and social distancing.

The city of Alameda in the East Bay already put up Progress Pride flags by the College of Alameda campus. It is part of the Peralta Community College District, whose board adopted a Pride Month proclamation Tuesday night.

“The flags along Webster Street were placed by the city of Alameda but we’re glad they are there,” stated Mark Johnson, executive director of the college district’s Department of Marketing, Communication & Public Relations.

“The Peralta Colleges are enthusiastic about LGBTQ Pride Month.”

One of the first cities to hoist a Pride flag next Tuesday in support of its LGBTQ residents will be the South Bay city of Morgan Hill. Gay City Councilman Rene Spring will be on hand for the 9 a.m. ceremony at Morgan Hill City Hall, located at 17575 Peak Avenue.

The outdoor-only event is requiring people wear masks and remain a good distance apart from other attendees.

The city will be raising the Progress Pride flag, designed by Daniel Quasar in 2018.

It features the standard six colors of the traditional rainbow Pride flag and a titled chevron made of black and brown stripes to represent Black and Latinx people and the blue, pink, and white stripes of the transgender pride flag.

It points right to symbolize marching toward a better future.

At the request of San Mateo County LGBTQ leaders, a number of cities on the Peninsula will also be flying the Progress Pride flag throughout Pride Month this year, including Belmont and South San Francisco. And the county government will also raise the Progress Pride flag for the first time this year June 1 in front of its offices in Redwood City.

It will take place at 10:15 a.m. and

Cynthia Laird

The city of Alameda recently installed Progress Pride flags, alternating with U.S. flags, along a stretch of Webster Street by the College of Alameda.

will be viewable via Facebook Live.

Supervisor Dave Pine, LGBTQ Commission Co-Chair Dana Johnson and San Mateo County Pride Center Director Frankie Sapp are expected to make remarks before hoisting the flag. For more info on the event, visit https://fb.me/e/L00PmMbR. San Carlos will also raise the Progress Pride flag June 1, though out City Councilwoman Laura ParmerLohan, currently serving as mayor, told the Bay Area Reporter the time for when it will do so has yet to be determined. Video of the ceremony should be posted to the city’s social media feeds that day at https://www.instagram.com/cityofsancarlos/ and https://www. facebook.com/search/ top?q=city%20of%20 san%20carlos.

“I will be issuing a proclamation on June 14,” added Parmer-Lohan, who is running in 2022 to be the first LGBTQ woman on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors.

The county’s LGBTQ Commission has compiled a list online of what all 20 cities and towns in the county plan to do for Pride Month at the website https:// lgbtq.smcgov.org/pride-visibility-information-materials. According to it, 13 will be flying a Pride flag this month.

“Most cities have issued a proclamation and they are taking the time to pass a flag policy. More than likely they are raising their flags on June 1, and if the area is blank, we truly don’t know what they are doing,” explained commission director Tanya Beat,

who identifies as lesbian and queer, about the chart.

So far the only two to say they won’t be raising a Pride flag this year are Atherton and Burlingame, while the San Mateo Union High School District voted last week not to raise a flag but did issue a Pride Month proclamation.

Across the bay gay Dublin City Councilman Shawn Kumagai will help raise the Progress Pride flag during a small ceremony at 6 p.m. Tuesday. It will remain up in front of City Hall all month.

“I’m hopeful that we will see all five cities/towns in the Tri-Valley raise the Pride flag this year,” Kumagai told the B.A.R. The Danville City Council approved flying a Pride flag May 18 in front of City Hall throughout June, while the San Ramon City Council voted May 25 to fly the Progress Pride flag next month on a flagpole the city owns at the corner of Alcosta Boulevard and Bollinger Canyon Road per a new policy for commemorative flags it adopted earlier this month.

The Pleasanton City Council is expected to vote on flying a Pride flag at its June 1 meeting. The Livermore City Council approved by consent flying the Philadelphia version of the Pride flag, which features the black and brown stripes in addition to the six rainbow colors, at its May 24 meeting.

The details of when it will be flown are still being worked out, said bisexual councilwoman Brittni Kiick, elected as her city’s first LGBTQ councilperson last November.

“Still waiting on details about the date that it will be put up and the potential event. It would be small with just a council person and a member of Livermore Pride,” she told the B.A.R. Gay Santa Clara City Councilman Anthony Becker will help preside over the Silicon Valley city’s Pride flag raising June 4 for the first time since being elected last November. The ceremony will begin at 9 a.m. that Friday and should be viewable via the city’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CityofSantaClara.

In San Francisco, Mayor London Breed will join LGBTQ community leaders at 11 a.m. Monday, June 7, at City Hall to raise the traditional version of the rainbow flag on the flagpole off the mayor’s balcony that fronts Civic Center Plaza. The event is to be streamed online and viewable at https://www.youtube.com/c/mayorlondonbreed.

See page 8 >>

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<< Community News

8 • Bay Area Reporter • May 27-June 2, 2021

t

Queen tribute band returns to San Mateo fair compiled by Cynthia Laird

A

Queen tribute band will return to this year’s in-person San Mateo County Fair and headline Family Pride Day Sunday, June 6.

Queen Nation previously performed at the fair in 2019. Last year the fair was canceled due to the COVID pandemic.

Fair officials stated in a news release that the Pride day, which is in conjunction with Pride Month, is committed to celebrating the LGBTQIA community, allies, and fam-

ily members. Pride flags will be displayed throughout the fairgrounds in San Mateo. Queer and allied entertainers will perform on the community stage and panels from the AIDS Memorial Quilt will be on display, officials noted.

Queen Nation’s show on the main outdoor stage takes place at 7:30 p.m. All concerts are free with a general admission ticket and will include social distancing.

“We are so excited that the San Mateo County Fair is in-person this year and that means celebrating

with music for all ages,” stated Dana Stoehr, CEO of the San Mateo Event Center. “While the fair needs to be a little different this year and we must take all the proper precautions to ensure safety of fairgoers, we are certain that it will be the go-to event for the Peninsula in June.”

Grammy Award-winning musician Coolio, Young MC, and C+C Music Factory will kick off the fair’s concert series Saturday, June 5.

The fair runs June 5-13, though it will not be open Monday, June 7, and Tuesday, June 8. The other days will have limited capacity; and timed entry tickets will be sold online. People will be required to wear masks. Those purchasing tickets with an 11 a.m. time can stay all day and enjoy the concerts, according to the fair’s website. Fair hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. General admission is $15 for adults, and $10 for seniors and children ages 6-12. Kids under 6 are free.

The fair is located at 2495 South Delaware Street in San Mateo. For more information, go to https:// www.sanmateocountyfair.com/.

GLBT Historical Society surveys community

The GLBT Historical Society is conducting an online survey to gather information from members and others who are interested in the organization. One of the purposes of the survey, the society stated in an email, is to help it understand people’s thoughts and opinions about the nonprofit. After completing the survey, participants will receive a coupon code for 20% off membership at the GLBT Historical Society.

Take the short, three-minute survey at https://bit.ly/3uhlUkn. The survey will close Wednesday, June 2.

<<

Political Notebook

From page 7

Up in Sacramento, state LGBTQ legislative leaders will hold their Pride flag raising ceremony the morning of June 1. No public ceremony is being planned due to COVID, but a special commemoration for Pride Month is expected later in the month.

SF City Hall to reopen

PlanningAhead Ahead isisSimple Planning Simple The benefits are immense.

Planning Ahead is Simple The benefits are immense.

After being closed for more than a year due to the COVID pandemic, San Francisco City Hall is reopening to the public Monday, June 7, for those needing in-person services at the offices of Assessor-Recorder Joaquin Torres and gay TreasurerTax Collector José Cisneros.

Courtesy queennation.com

Queen Nation, a Queen tribute band, will headline Family Pride Day June 6 at the San Mateo County Fair.

‘Drag Race’ winner in State Dept. talk

solo theatrical work. A gender-fluid drag artist, they now produce television shows.

Also on the program will be Christian Flores, a 2019 Fulbright English teaching assistant to Brazil. While on his Fulbright, he inaugurated Projeto Memória LGBT – Bagé, a public history project designed to highlight and celebrate queer voices and experiences at the Federal University of Pampa in Bagé, a small, conservative city in Brazil’s southern countryside.

The event is free, but space is limited. To register, go to https://bit. ly/3bOEtpI. t

Those looking to obtain marriage licenses from the office of County Clerk Diane Rea will also be able to do so starting that day, while civil marriage ceremonies will return June 9. For more information and to make an appointment online, visit https://sfgov.org/ countyclerk/.

Beginning Tuesday, June 8, district supervisor offices are set to open on an appointment-only basis. And the Board of Supervisors will have its first in-person meeting June 15, having met remotely since March 24 last year. Public comment, however, will continue to be done remotely until the city updates its health and safety guidance for large indoor public gatherings.

“This is definitely a milestone in our fight against COVID-19. We’ve gotten this far with your cooperation and support, along with the incredible emergency response from our Disaster Service Workers at Moscone South,” stated District 3 Supervisor Aaron Peskin in a recent email he sent to constituents. “I join my colleagues in thanking the City team for their tireless work addressing logistical, safety, and technological considerations and resources to ensure a safe and seamless return to the City Hall Chamber, including the city administrator, sheriff, department of technology and the staff at the clerk of the Board.” t

Sasha Velour, a trailblazer and former Fulbright student who won season nine of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” will be featured in a virtual talk the State Department program is holding Thursday, June 3, at 3 p.m. Pacific Time.

Velour was a 2009 Fulbright U.S. student to Russia, according to a news release. The talk is being done in conjunction with the 75th anniversary this year of the U.S. flagship international student exchange program Velour now has entertained audiences on five continents with their

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he April 13, 1978 issue of the Bay Area Reporter included a news article headlined “Gay Rights: SF Yes; SJ No.” It reported on then-San Francisco mayor George Moscone signing a gay rights ordinance that prohibited discrimination against gay people in almost all city instances of housing, employment, and pub-

lic accommodations. In the South Bay, however, the story was different. There, the City Council rescinded a gay human rights ordinance in a sudden vote. It had previously passed the legislation on a close 4-3 vote.

To view the issue, go to https://archive.org/details/ BAR_19780413/mode/2up.

t

Obituaries>>

May 27-June 2, 2021 • Bay Area Reporter • 9

Leigh Pankonin, known as Sister Phatima Rude, dies

by Cynthia Laird

L

eigh Pankonin, best known as Phatima Rude, aka Sister Phatima la Dyke Van Dick/Sister Hateful Sow of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence Inc., died May 18 while sleeping in their Portland, Oregon apartment.

They were 55.

Phatima also performed as reTarded Panda and Taffi 3.14, according to the Sister Kitty Catalyst, the former mistress of archives who wrote an obituary.

Born in 1966, they grew up in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, a small city in the mid-western part of the state.

Their mom, Cleo Rude, worked at a state mental hospital, so they grew up at the institution and studied the people there later using them as the basis for drag characters. Phatima treasured Cleo Rude, saying she had a wicked sense of humor and swore like a sailor. By the late 1980s the two moved to San Francisco and Phatima was introduced to the art of drag in 1989, by drag mother MichaelAngelo.

Phatima said, “Once you do drag it’s in your blood ... It became my medium, and my dialect, for what I wanted to convey, or make others think about, or entice, or repulse.”

Phatima was heavily influenced by the London-based drag performance artist Leigh Bowery and the Club Kid scenes. They were initially attracted by drag’s ability to escape “Kevin,” their childhood name, and it helped them transform despite extreme shyness, Sister Kitty wrote. Phatima was gender-fluid and nonbinary before those terms gained wide use. They would decide against gender transition and instead live authentically as something in-between, which felt more honest to them; at the same time expressing their whole life was their art, eventually self-describing as “Pronoun,” the obituary stated. In the gay male and drag worlds she/her pronouns were common and like many things about Phatima’s life, society slowly became more like the world they were already living, and they/them pronouns are now standard.

Throughout Phatima’s careers they were known to be an incredibly nice and joyous person, Sister Kitty wrote. They supported themselves as a makeup and hair artist, which was also used in their drag work. In 1992, Phatima joined the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence Inc., the charitable drag nun group that started in San Francisco, becoming Fully Professed in 1994. Her mother in the Order is Sister Lily White Superior Posterior; they are also survived by their only

Bill Weaver

Daniel Nicoletta

Phatima Rude of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence posed at the San Francisco LGBT Pride parade, June 27, 1993.

daughter in the Order, Sister Phyllis Stein the Fragrant and her descendants. Like all the Sisters, Phatima was a Holy Fool, challenging preconceptions and accepted norms. Sister Lily noted Phatima first found the art of makeup to be inspiring but performance art was their true muse. Now, Sister Phatima is considered a Nun of The Above, an homage to Sister Boom Boom’s supervisor campaign.

As the Bay Area Reporter reported in the 2012 obituary for Jack Fertig, aka Sister Boom Boom, she made her mark on history when she threw her wimple into the ring in the 1982 San Francisco supervisor election. Listing her occupation as “Nun of the Above,” and with a war chest of less than $1,000, Boom Boom garnered more than 23,000 votes, but fell short of winning one of the five open seats.

Performance art

Sister Kitty wrote that Phatima’s legacy is now mostly entwined around their live performance art; as a go-go dancer, model, stage prop, and often unforgettable, even unsettling, and otherworldly performer.

Phatima quickly gained a reputation in the drag, alternative, queer punk communities of the city for being a body-positive art freak who lived every moment as their chosen being, an outsider’s outsider. They didn’t dedrag and become a different version of themselves as many do; and never treated the makeup and drag as armor to be removed. They were a 24/7 art goddess, simultaneously accessible

while being larger-than-life, Sister Kitty explained. Phatima also had artistic commitment to the dark abyss, and embodying art itself. They didn’t explain when people were confused or uncomfortable as they were too busy living their genuine life. Phatima also created traditional art paintings, and multimedia works, sometimes incorporating their bodily fluids, the obituary stated.

Phatima embraced the drag medium and continually blew away preconceived notions of what it could become. Phatima incorporated transformative body horror (staples, hot glue, hooks, colostomy bags of mystery fluids, and bedazzled drills through her flesh) years before any gross-out television was popular, Sister Kitty wrote. They played with the ideas that the flesh was just another boundary to be manipulated; even staging mock funerals for themself. Phatima was inspiring, audacious, kind, and out-ofthe-box creative, which enthralled fellow artists and audiences.

Phatima would live with and care for her mother until her death in 2004.

Then, eventually they lived in a van that they would use for work giving free and reduced rides for the queer Homobiles cab service. It was another aspect of their love and service to their community; supporting both behind and in front of the scenes, the obituary stated.

A short documentary, “Ladies and Gentlemen, Phatima Rude” (2014), follows their journeys with performing, illness, poverty, addiction, and gender identity. They remained full of

Phatima Rude, also known as Sister Hateful Sow, attended the Dore Alley/Up Your Alley street fair in 1997.

wicked humor and wisdom throughout their careers. In Phatima’s own words, “Choose Death: the death of the ego, the death of want, the death of greed, the death of envy, the death of jealousy, the death of ignorance, the

death of suffering. Life lasts 75 years on average, Death is eternal. ;)” In addition to many friends and Sisters, Phatima is survived by her beloved dog, Mary Kate, who is now living with a neighbor, Sister Kitty said. t

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<< From the Cover

10 • Bay Area Reporter • May 27-June 2, 2021

<<

Skultety

From page 1

We have just been blessed by Karyn’s presence.”

Speaking by phone from his hometown of Billings, Montana, where he had moved back to in December from San Francisco in order to be a caretaker for an elderly relative, Sweeney said the board was “crestfallen” when Skultety disclosed she had made a similar choice but was fully supportive of her decision.

“Karyn has just been transformational,” said Sweeney, who plans to attend the balcony dedication in person sporting a bow tie.

Though she is moving out of state, Skultety plans to remain involved with Openhouse’s staff and community members going forward. She is looking forward to being a supporter of the agency again rather than in a leadership role.

“I will be sad to not be the executive director and excited to not be executive director and be part of the Openhouse community,” she said. “I get to root on this agency. I think it is a very inspiring and exciting place.”

With her wife, who works for Salesforce, able to do her job remotely, Skultety plans to take some time off before she looks for a new job. She has a doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Massachusetts in addition to her expertise in aging issues.

“It’s a decision motivated by my personhood, not by my profession first,” she said of this transition in her life. “It is a big shift for me. It is a good moment for me.”

<<

Queeroes mural

From page 1

since he hails from the state of Missouri. (He later apologized.)

On May 19, the center announced that those two artists are Juan Manuel Carmona and Simón Malvaez.

The mural they worked on – titled “Queeroes” – calls attention to a diverse slate of LGBTQ community heroes.

The mural features depictions of local, national, and international luminaries, living and deceased. They include lesbian singer Chavela Vargas; bisexual singer Freddie Mercury; bisexual artist Frida Kahlo; gay San Francisco supervisor Harvey Milk; and gay writer James Baldwin.

Others featured include San Francisco nightlife event producer, DJ and drag star Juanita MORE!; AIDS activist Keith Haring; queer, trans nonbinary likely-incoming San Francisco Democratic Party chair Honey Mahogany (the election for which is to be held after this B.A.R. issue goes to press May 26); drag queen and activist Marsha P. Johnson, a prominent figure in the early LGBTQ liberation movement in New York City; fellow New Yorker and trans activist Sylvia Rivera; San Francisco drag artist Sister Roma of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence; and gay vogue godfather Willi Ninja.

Carmona is receiving a $7,000 commission and Malvaez is volunteering, the center stated.

There will be some event to commemorate the completion of the mural, but according to Miguel Raphael Bagsit, the communications manager for the center, the center does not “have clear insight” yet as to what that will entail.

Speaking with the B.A.R., Carmona, 34, said he brought up to MORE! in September 2019 the idea of painting the mural on the side of the center, at the intersection of Market Street and Octavia Boulevard in the Upper Market neighborhood.

“I approached her and said, ‘I want to put a mural on that purple wall.’ She

Saul Bromberger

Outgoing Openhouse Executive Director Karyn Skultety, Ph.D., wore her signature bow tie at the agency’s 2019 Spring Fling fundraiser.

Pivoting under COVID

Her tenure at Openhouse is coming to an end just as the COVID pandemic appears to be ebbing in the city, state, and much of the country. California expects to be able to fully reopen businesses and most public activities, while ending its mask mandate, June 15.

Last March, as the health crisis was burgeoning and spreading introduced me to Roberto,” Carmona said, referring to Roberto Ordeñana, the center’s deputy executive director.

MORE! told the B.A.R. that Carmona is part of her chosen family.

“I met Manuel when he moved to San Francisco in 2011 and took him to the Lucky Penny on Geary Street to feed him,” MORE! stated in an email.

“I immediately took him in as part of my chosen family. It is tough to survive in this city as an artist. I loved his artwork and believed in his ability to create and share it here in his newfound home.

“In 2019, I asked him if he would create the poster artwork for my annual Pride event,” MORE! continued.

“He jumped on it and began building a story of how he wanted to interpret me. When I got to see it, I immediately said – that is a mural! His instantaneous response was that he wanted to paint a mural. So I reached out to my friend and business owner, Todd Barkett [of the former Unionmade space], and asked if we could paint on the side of his building at 18th and Sanchez. It has become an iconic image that I am very proud to have in the Castro district.”

Barkett did not return a message seeking comment.

MORE! confirmed that she spoke with Ordeñana, president of the city’s arts commission, about Carmona.

“Ordeñana reached out to me to talk about the mural project on the side of the center’s building in 2019,” she stated. “I have long been a champion of local queer artists and was happy to share some thoughts with him about getting a mural on the side of the historical site of the Victorian building. Manuel’s work came up in the conversation.”

However, the mural Carmona was envisioning couldn’t go forward because of the onset of COVID-19.

Malvaez also worked on a mural of MORE!’s.

“Malvaez started collaborating on another mural of me with Manuel – curated by local artist fnnch to support other artists. The project is called the ‘Painted Gentlemen’ and remains

quickly among seniors, Skultety shuttered her agency’s offices and quickly pivoted to providing its services online. She and her 30-person staff also decided to do weekly phone check-ins with its clients, who now number 3,000 people per year.

“Forty to 50% of the people we serve really don’t have access to technology or virtual platforms at all,” said Skultety, making it difup for six months and then gets rotated out with new artists’ artwork.

Together they created a new piece at Alamo Square revolving around the message of getting vaccinated,” MORE! explained. “Then it was time for the center’s project of having a new mural at the beginning of every Pride Month, and Manuel reached out to me with his thoughts on the icons he would depict. He mentioned wanting to include me, and I tried to push him to have other trailblazers who I considered much more worthy.

But, here I am – getting honored with another piece of art in San Francisco.

I’m not mad.”

Center officials pleased

Ordeñana told the B.A.R. that the center is “thrilled” to collaborate with Carmona and Malvaez.

“We are thrilled to partner with Juan Manuel Carmona and Simón Malvaez, two incredibly talented local artists from the Latinx and queer communities,” Ordeñana stated.

“Since 2002, the center has exhibited work from a diverse array of over 200 visual artists. We believe in the importance of art and the critical questions art raises and we are delighted that Juan Manuel and Simon chose the center as a platform for them to celebrate and honor who they are and the communities they represent.”

Center officials have previously stated that they intend to replace the mural on the side of its wall annually, and that the one fnnch painted featuring honey bears in 2020 in the midst of the pandemic, was to be replaced around this time in 2021. Carmona said his idea for a mural would not have worked in a time of social distancing because he wanted people to interact with it physically.

“We wanted to have a party,” Carmona said. “That was one of the main plans; it’s just been a complicated year-and-a-half now.”

Carmona, who has a master’s of fine arts from Academy of Art University in San Francisco, said he has been drawing all his life but started doing public art in 2017 with the aforemen-

t

ficult to provide services solely online. “It is a huge issue the city needs to take on. Let’s provide internet to people.”

Another issue that quickly became apparent is the food insecurity among LGBTQ seniors age 60 or older in the city, estimated to number more than 22,220.

With its weekly in-person lunch program on hiatus because of the pandemic, in addition to the city’s senior centers being closed, Openhouse worked with the city’s Department of Disabilities and Aging Services to launch a food delivery program to its clients. It also recruited volunteers who would shop for seniors fearful they would contract COVID if they left their homes.

“Within two weeks we had people without groceries, without food who were struggling to make it. In a week they would have been without food,” recalled Skultety.

Shireen McSpadden, who is also bisexual and departed earlier this month as executive director of DAS to oversee the city’s homelessness department, told the B.A.R. that Skultety will be missed.

“Karyn has been so fantastic.

She is so dynamic, she had such great ideas and such amazing energy,” said McSpadden. “I am personally going to miss working with her, even though I am not going to be at DAS.” The experience of the last year has only affirmed for Skultety why an agency like Openhouse is needed in the city. One survey Openhouse conducted about the impact of COVID on its clients found that 30% had gone three days or longer without speaking to another person.

And while life is returning to some semblance of normalcy due to the ever-increasing number of residents over the age of 12 getting vaccinated, Skultety expressed concern about what repercussions could still emerge in time with senior residents. Her successor is likely to be confronted with increased mental health and housing issues among the agency’s clients, Skultety predicted.

“We are really starting to see the impacts of what this long period of isolation meant for LGBTQ seniors. I think we are going to see some really struggle; it is an element that we all know is there and feel is there but haven’t been able to see,” she said. “When we see the eviction moratoriums lifted, we will see some real challenges emerge.”

Her fear is that accessing services will become that much harder for seniors just as the need for them becomes greater.

“It has gotten worse economically for people who were already in this city living in difficult situations. People’s mental health, health cognition is in a significantly worse place,” she noted.

“For people to access services or get help to deal with their landlord trying to push them out will get harder.”

One project that Skultety helped create in partnership with another senior service agency, On Lok, is the nation’s first communitybased adult day programs co-designed for and with the LGBTQ+ community. But the Community Day Services program has long been delayed, first due to construction issues that prolonged See page 11 >>

tioned mural of MORE! in the Castro neighborhood.

“Our first idea was a Mexican and American soldier kissing,” Carmona said, describing how they brainstormed what they’d like to paint on the side of the center. “But as much as I’m a Mexican American, it didn’t represent the center. We wanted to have something that speaks to the entire community, not just gays, for example.”

Malvaez, 29, joined him to do work on murals at the Mission neighborhood bars Bondies Bar and El Rio. Malvaez told the B.A.R. he has been doing art for the last year. Malvaez said eventually three or four proposals were made.

“One of those we are painting today, using each one of the colors of the Pride Progress flag because each is a character and icon to represent the community,” Malvaez said.

Carmona said that “we chose people that people could identify with,” such as Milk, Khalo, and Mahogany.

“We wanted to represent as much diversity as we could,” he explained, “which is why we have African Americans, as well as people of color.”

Malvaez said that each month the center will highlight one of the queeroes in the mural.

“The center will display on social media each of the individuals, so if you don’t know who they are, you can find out,” Malvaez said.

“Our community of queer heroes is so beautifully expansive and goes far beyond this list of icons,” the center stated in a blog post highlighting its social media campaign. “We all have a personal list of heroes we admire – whether it’s chosen family, an inspiring community member, or a cultural icon. While one mural could never encompass all the stories of our diverse community, we hope it will serve as a launchpad for all of us to connect, knowledge-share and discover rising Queer heroes in our communities through one another – and we want to spotlight your heroes throughout Pride month!

“Using the hashtag, #Queeroes, tag us in social media posts that you’re

dedicating to your personal Queeroes or send your photos/dedications to press@sfcenter.org for a chance to be featured on our channels. We’d love to celebrate the people who uplift you!” the center added.

Early next year, the center plans to hold an application process for artists who want to paint the next mural.

“We are committed to equity and inclusion as core tenets of our work, and our goal with this mural project is to spotlight a variety of LGBTQ+ and BIPOC perspectives, art and artists representing our diverse communities in the years ahead,” Bagsit stated in an email.

When asked if Black, Indigenous, and other people of color and LGBTQ people will be prioritized in future artist selection (fnnch was none of these, which elicited some community controversy), Ordeñana repeated Bagsit’s above-quoted statement verbatim.

Roma told the B.A.R. it was surprising to be included in the project, calling it “epic.”

“When Simon [Malvaez] reached out about featuring me in the Queeroes mural, I almost said ‘Do you have the wrong number? This is Roma,’” Roma recalled. “I mean, never in my life did I expect to be featured alongside such talented, impactful, accomplished, and beloved queer icons.

I’m honored and seriously humbled, but also not so secretly thrilled. In fact, I would like to apologize in advance for all of the photos and videos I plan to share on social media, but come on, this is epic!”

Mahogany was also honored, and gave ideas about who else could be featured in a mural.

“I’m honored to be included in this work,” Mahogany stated. “Of course, I know there are many more people, past, present, who could have been included: [gay San Francisco drag queen and Imperial Court founder] José Sarria, [lesbian San Francisco writer] Alice B. Toklas, and more.

There are so many who have given so much to our city, so I am grateful to have been chosen to be included.” t

t <<

Community News>>

Skultety

From page 10

work on Openhouse’s new community center that was to have opened in the summer of 2019.

Then came the COVID pandemic, further delaying the ribboncutting ceremony for the center at 75 Laguna that will be home to the adult day programs. Skultety demurred when asked about the problems that arose with the contractor the city required it to work with but did say it taught her a lesson in advocacy. The cost of the center nearly doubled from its original estimate to $5 million.

“I continue to think there really needs to be a way where when the city is aware of multiple issues with

May 27-June 2, 2021 • Bay Area Reporter • 11

contractors or records of multiple violations or legal issues that arise around a contractor, somehow that needs to be tracked and monitored with more support from the city on relegating that than we have seen,” she said. “I can’t say a lot about it because we are still resolving some of the concerns. I learned a lot about how vocal a nonprofit has to be in advocating in those situations.”

Skultety told the B.A.R. that she is “pleased the community center is completed” and ready for use when the COVID protocols end and it is safe to do so. The agency is expected to host a party in celebration of the final piece of its Laguna campus opening to the public.

“If anything will get me back to San Francisco that will be it,” said

Skultety, acknowledging one of her regrets will be not being able to preside over the ribbon cutting as the agency’s executive director. “This project saw all different people coming together to make this impossible dream a reality. I leave feeling so confident of how great that is going to be for the community.”

94111. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed EQ-1 LOAN, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/03/21.

The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/04/21.

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556303

Successor expected in June

To assist with the leadership transition through at least the end of June, the agency hired Maritza Penagos, who had served as interim executive director of El/La Para TransLatinas from 2018 through April 2020 as that nonprofit searched for a permanent leader. Penagos joined Openhouse in March on a part-time basis to assist Skultety after a long-

time employee of the nonprofit, Michelle Alcevedo, departed as its director of programs.

Sweeney told the B.A.R. the board expects to name a new executive director early next month. It retained the nonprofit executive search firm Carlson Beck, the same one it used when it hired Skultety, to work with it again on the recruitment process.

“I think we are looking for that same dynamism, same effervescence. She has just tireless energy and commitment,” Sweeney said.

“We want to see the same qualities in the next person leading Openhouse forward.”

Sweeney told the B.A.R. the search firm has approached about 60 people from across the country about the executive director posi-

tion. The interest in the job, and the realization that Openhouse has such a positive reputation nationally, has pleased Skultety.

“Nothing can make me more happy than that,” she said.

If anything can, it is the “authentic, joyous connection” Skultety forged with her staff and the LGBTQ seniors she has met in San Francisco.

“I just feel – you are going to make me cry – I feel deeply connected and loved and appreciated and I hope ... I just go to bed at night hoping the LGBTQ seniors I have been lucky enough to get to know know how deeply connected I feel to them and deeply grateful for their resilience and guidance.” t

has been filed by GUSTAVO GUTIERREZ in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco.

The Petition for Probate requests that GUSTAVO GUTIERREZ be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. The petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval.

Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority. A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: JUNE 22, 2021, 9:00 am, Dept. 204, Rm. 204, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. If you object to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing.

Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney.

If you are a creditor or contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the latter of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined by section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law. You may examine the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk. Attorney for petitioner: NICOLE C. KELLY, ESQ (SBN 320379), THE KELLY LAW FIRM, 345 FRANKLIN ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102; Ph. (415) 552-0059.

on the 1st of JULY 2021 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

Legals>> ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556300

In the matter of the application of ANTHONY DEAVEREAUX BLANCHARD, TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner ANTHONY DEAVEREAUX BLANCHARD is requesting that the name ANTHONY DEAVEREAUX BLANCHARD be changed to ANTONIO FRANCISCO DEAVEREAUX. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103, on the 15th of JUNE 2021 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

MAY 06, 13, 20, 27, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039316600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as AAA CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION AND PLUMBING CO, 3450 SACRAMENTO ST #124, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ROBERT KORMAN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/01/19.

The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/12/21.

MAY 06, 13, 20, 27, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039316100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as THE GARDEN HOME, 4095 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ADAM CHANG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/01/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/12/21.

MAY 06, 13, 20, 27, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039323900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as FIVE STAR ELECTRIC, 17 REDONDO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed CARLOS H. AGUILAR. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/18/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/26/21.

MAY 06, 13, 20, 27, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039319300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as THE CABLE CAR STORE, PIER 39 SPACE P-3, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed D AND D RETAIL ENTERPRISES INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/24/96. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/14/21.

MAY 06, 13, 20, 27, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039323500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as PARK PRESIDIO LIQUORS, 4400 CALIFORNIA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed GOLDEN PARK VENTURES INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/15/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/26/21.

MAY 06, 13, 20, 27, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039323600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as SUPER SAM, 691 MCALLISTER ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed G&S LIQUOR AND CONVENIENCE STORE INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/29/18.

The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/26/21.

MAY 06, 13, 20, 27, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039331500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as EQ-1 LOAN, 1160 BATTERY ST #100, SAN FRANCISCO, CA

SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA RAPID TRANSIT DISTRICT REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. 6M6150 EXTENSION OF TIME FOR RECEIPT OF PROPOSALS NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the General Manager of the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District has extended the time for receipt of Proposals until the hour of 2:00 p.m., Tuesday, June 1, 2021 at the District Secretary’s Office, 23rd Floor, 300 Lakeside Drive, Oakland, California 94612, MANAGEMENT SERVICES TO OPERATE BART’S BIKE FACILITIES, Request for Proposal No. 6M6150.

Dated at Oakland, California, this 19TH day of May 2021. s Bernadette Lambert Bernadette Lambert, Manager of Contract Administration San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District 5/27/21 CNS-3474330# BAY AREA REPORTER

MAY 06, 13, 20, 27, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039325800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as THE TAILOR’S SON, 2049 FILLMORE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed 2049 FILLMORE STREET, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/01/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/29/21.

MAY 06, 13, 20, 27, 2021 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556284

In the matter of the application of MICHELLE DUBONNET, 4320 PACHECO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner MICHELLE DUBONNET is requesting that the name MALINA ANUHEA AHUMADA be changed to MALINA ANUHEA DUBONNET. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 8th of JUNE 2021 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

MAY 13, 20, 27, JUNE 03, 2021 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556322

In the matter of the application of EGHOSASERE STEPHEN IGBINOSA, 750 HARRISON #601, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107 for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner EGHOSASERE STEPHEN IGBINOSA is requesting that the name EGHOSASERE STEPHEN IGBINOSA be changed to STEPHEN EGHOSA IGBINOSA. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 22ND of JUNE 2021 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

MAY 13, 20, 27, JUNE 03, 2021 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556315

In the matter of the application of MEENAL BEN SINGH, 62 ARGONAUT AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner MEENAL BEN SINGH is requesting that the name MEENAL BEN SINGH be changed to MEENAL BEN PATEL. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 22ND of JUNE 2021 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

MAY 13, 20, 27, JUNE 03, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039330600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as FINO RESTAURANT; THE ANDREWS HOTEL, 624 POST ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed HARRY H. ANDREWS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/29/81. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/03/21.

MAY 13, 20, 27, JUNE 03, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039329800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as SUAREZ-KUEHNE ARCHITECTURE, 2410 14TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed JOHN STEVEN SUAREZ & SCOTT CARL KUEHNE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/14/97. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/30/21.

MAY 13, 20, 27, JUNE 03, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039331900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as BEST IN CLASS EDUCATION CENTER, 780 BROADWAY, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed A&K EDUCATION LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/16/11.

The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/04/21.

MAY 13, 20, 27, JUNE 03, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039329900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as STRIKE KERR & JOHNS, 556 COMMERCIAL ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed BARRY STRIKE, TOM KERR & MELANI JOHNS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 04/30/21.

MAY 13, 20, 27, JUNE 03, 2021

In the matter of the application of BRETT ELERY CURTIS, 2175 MARKET ST #514, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner BRETT ELERY CURTIS is requesting that the name BRETT ELERY CURTIS be changed to BRETT ELERY. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103 on the 15th of JUNE 2021 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

MAY 20, 27, JUNE 03, 10, 2021 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556334

In the matter of the application of DAVID HOWARD FOSTON, 295 FARALLONES ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner DAVID HOWARD FOSTON is requesting that the name DAVID HOWARD FOSTON be changed to RHOYALBALB’E DAVID HOWARD FOSTON. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103 on the 29th of JUNE 2021 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

MAY 20, 27, JUNE 03, 10, 2021 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556324

In the matter of the application of JOEL ALAN BRENNEMAN, 510 STEINER ST #2, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner JOEL ALAN BRENNEMAN is requesting that the name JOEL ALAN BRENNEMAN be changed to JOEL TAYLOR BRENNEMAN. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103 on the 24th of JUNE 2021 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

MAY 20, 27, JUNE 03, 10, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039330800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as SAN MARCOS RESTAURANTE, 98 LELAND AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed TEOFILO PEREZ. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/01/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/03/21.

MAY 20, 27, JUNE 03, 10, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039332700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as ALCHEMY 3, 265 FELL ST #102, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed KIM MAKOI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/07/21.

MAY 20, 27, JUNE 03, 10, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039332600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as BENFIELD WORKS, 899 FULTON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MARIO ANTONIO BENFIELD. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/19/02. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/07/21.

MAY 20, 27, JUNE 03, 10, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039333700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as CITISHIELD, 4224 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed CITISHIELD INCORPORATED (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/08/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/12/21.

MAY 20, 27, JUNE 03, 10, 2021 STATEMENT FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039332500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as TRULY FOOD & MORE, 483 MADRID ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed SKARLET AMAYA AVILES LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/05/21.

The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/05/21.

MAY 20, 27, JUNE 03, 10, 2021 NOTICE OF AMENDMENT OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF ELIAS GUTIERREZ MACIAS (AKA ELIAS M. GUTIERREZ) IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO: FILE CNC-21-304369

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of ELIAS GUTIERREZ MACIAS (AKA ELIAS M. GUTIERREZ; AKA ELIAS GUTIERREZ), C/O NICOLE C. KELLY, ESQ (SBN 320379), THE KELLY LAW FIRM, 345 FRANKLIN ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. A Petition for Probate

MAY 27, JUNE 03, 10, 2021 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556325

In the matter of the application of WALTER THEODORE WOODWARD, 233 DOLORES ST #4, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner WALTER THEODORE WOODWARD is requesting that the name WALTER THEODORE WOODWARD be changed to THEODORE WALTER WOODWARD. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Rm. 103 on the 24th of JUNE 2021 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

MAY 27, JUNE 03, 10, 17, 2021 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556328

In the matter of the application of ROSA ESMERELDA ZELAYA PORTILLO, 2786 24TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner ROSA ESMERELDA ZELAYA PORTILLO is requesting that the name ASHLEY AMANDA SANCHEZ ZELAYA be changed to ASHLEY AMANDA SOLANO ZELAYA. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 614

MAY 27, JUNE 03, 10, 17, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039347000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as AH LEGAL SERVICES, 1924 HAYES ST #3, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ANGIE HUA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/21/21.

MAY 27, JUNE 03, 10, 17, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039334000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as PETIT SWEETS, 566 PENNSYLVANIA AVE #A, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MAI-TAM NGUYEN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/15/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/12/21.

MAY 27, JUNE 03, 10, 17, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039335800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as NIMP, 474 NATOMA ST #410, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MARK ALLAN PAISLEY. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/13/21.

MAY 27, JUNE 03, 10, 17, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039336500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as LITTLE SESAME, 555 5TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed HAKKINEN, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/20/20.

The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/14/21.

MAY 27, JUNE 03, 10, 17, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039333800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as FLOOR PROS, 1661 TENNESSEE ST #3K, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed HUNG MAI CORPORATION (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/14/07. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/12/21.

MAY 27, JUNE 03, 10, 17, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039338000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as SAN FRANCISCO BOAT CHARTERS; HERE AND NOW EVENTS; 1405 YORKSHIRE LOOP, TRACY, CA 95376. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed SMALL TOWN GLORY LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/15/21.

MAY 27, JUNE 03, 10, 17, 2021

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by Gregg Shapiro

A

s musical curricula vitae go, few are as expansive and impressive as that of queer singer/songwriter Kristian Hoffman.

If there are any documentary filmmakers out there looking for an unquestionably compelling subject, it would be Hoffman.

A co-founding member of the band Mumps (with the late Lance Loud of PBS’ An American Family fame), Hoffman has been associated with a spectacular lineup of influential musical acts including Klaus Nomi, Lydia Lunch, Kid Congo Powers, Ann Magnuson, El Vez, Prince Poppycock and countless others. The previously mentioned Mumps are getting the special reissue treatment with Rock & Roll This, Rock & Roll That: Best Case Scenario, You’ve Got Mumps (Omnivore), a single disc 23-track compilation including nine bonus tracks, two of which are previously unissued. Kristian was kind enough to answer a few questions related to his career and the Mumps in May 2021.

Kristian, you and Lance Loud became friends in high school, discovering that you had eclectic musical tastes in common. In your experience, would you say that shared love of music, as well as books, movies, and even in some cases sports, are a solid basis for friendship?

Kristian Hoffman: Lance and I met at the tail end of the ’60s where almost everything culturally was defined for young people by music. Music and sharing music defined that historical moment. Everyone loved the Beatles, which in retrospect was an incident so bizarre,

Kristian Hoffman Veteran musician’s loud and queer as Mumps music’s rereleased

because it created community and magic and fellowship! Music was a given for almost everyone of the era as defining your stance in the cultural pantheon, and was, in the lat ’60s, also a barometer of whether the particular friendship would be worth exploring. It immediately brought us together.

But specifically –in the sense of why Lance and I really liked each other right away– we were both snarky and bitchy and sarcastic and bad pun-prone, and constantly looking for the weird and the obscure. There’s a reason why the first LPs we really bonded over were Village Green Preservation Society by the Kinks, Sparks’ and the Stooges first LPs and the Velvet Underground and Nico. Some of the least selling records of all time. And some of the wildest!

We had a real sense of ‘outsiderness’ that we enjoyed, and thus had an unearned snobbery sans portfolio, and we loved to poke fun of everything that was generally ‘acceptable.’ So, Lance and I became very close very quickly, and he invited me to his home (the one with that marvelous family). He was my key to adventure and danger, because before that I just worked and got good grades and felt snobbish, but I didn’t invent my own ‘fun.’ Lance had that fantastic ability! So, in the most delightful late sixties not particularly dangerous fashion (for the most part), we were just kids gone wild!

At the time that you and Lance were in high school, were you both aware that you were gay, and were you among the first

Linda Simpson’s retro drag scrapbook

‘Drag Explosion’ recalls NYC’s yesteryears nightlife

A collection of Linda Simpson’s photos from nightclubs and Wigstock.

by Jim Piechota

J

ust in time for Pride 2021 arrives Linda Simpson’s epic pictorial stroll down Drag Queen Memory Lane. It was that golden age of nightclub culture occupying the 1980s and ’90s where creativity and fierceness combined in kaleidoscopic ways. It was a time

well before the annals of RuPaul’s Drag Race when, in Simpson’s own words, “drag was not very careerist,” it was done for fun and not for celebrity or a lucrative fan base.

Those were the days when the fight for individuality and identity collided head-on with rampant bigotry, anti-gay violence, and a deadly epidemic that decimated gay communities across the globe. Not only was there

a desperate need for queer activism to get out and protest for equality, but for drag queens and all the unique creatures of the nightlife, it was also a nightly occasion for sequins, stilettos, lashes, and lace-fronts, and the freedom and fluid sexuality of gender-bending.

Simpson, a drag queen who was actually there in the flesh, carefully dug through shoe boxes overstuffed with personal photographs of that

people to whom the other came out?

I believe that to be true. I didn’t really know for sure what gay was when I first met him. It might have been part of my instinctive attraction towards him, although I was never sexually attracted to him. We were legitimate old school ‘best friends,’ discovering the world together. And I liked his other-ness. I felt like an ‘other,’ too. My ‘coming out’ per se, was remarkable in its very unremarkableness.

Lance had been called ‘faggot’ and yelled at by other students. That name-calling didn’t bother me at all. As I said, we were cultural snobs. We thought the people insulting us were just stupid, and we didn’t care what they thought, if they actually were capable of thought.

Lance did babysit me through my coming into sexual awareness, and it was comparatively painless. I knew he was gay, although I had never experienced gay myself. But he was open about it, and I soon learned what he was doing when I was waiting in my Volkswagen Bug outside of various restrooms he would linger in.

Coming out wasn’t a hard difficult confession to my parents, nor Lance’s to his, I don’t believe. Both of our parents had very similar reactions. My mother once finally said, “I have to ask you a fairly serious question.” I could sense it, and I was ready for any of varying responses she might have had. But when I said ‘Yes,’ she was completely nonjudgmental, and supportive. The only thing she said to me is, ‘It may be a more difficult road for you, and I’m a little bit scared for you, because there are people out there who will want to hurt you. I don’t want that for my son. But I will support you, no matter what.’

There was no weeping, no wringing of hands, no theatrics, and my mom was an actress! This was her chance! It was that easy. So, when people ask for my ‘coming out’ story, I really didn’t have to come out.

We were already out. And with Mick Jagger’s mincing, and the posturing as of David Bowie, and then after him Marc Bolan, we really never felt like we were acting ‘gay.’ We were as idiotic as the next wannabe fan, and we thought we were acting like rock stars!

See page 15 >>

bygone era and extracted the best of the bunch.

Originally begun as a narrated slideshow of the same name, the photographic exhibits appeared periodically in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Copenhagen. Now reproduced as a hefty 250-page coffee table book like no other, the result is a timeless scrapbook brimming with early snapshots of legendary queens in their formative days, partying, screeching, catcalling, ruling makeshift club runways, posing, and, unbeknownst to them at the time, setting the stage for decades of drag and performance art to come.

Simpson traversed the clubs of New York’s East Village, downtown parties like Squeezebox, and bigger mega-clubs like Palladium, Webster Hall, The Tunnel, and Limelight throughout the 1980s armed with just a small point-and-shoot camera where she captured candid moments on 35mm film just for fun.

Most often haunting places like the Pyramid club and Boy Bar, she observed queens like Lady Bunny, D-Lite, RuPaul, Tabboo!, Lypsinka, and Joey Arias all dominating the scene; one day she decided it was time to join the fun and begin getting into drag.

From 1987 to 1994, Simpson’s photographs became legendary via a Xeroxed zine format called My Comrade which appeared all across Manhattan and made club queens temporary celebrities in print. She went on to write a column in Out Magazine, co-host a gay cable TV show, performed at Wigstock, and, more recently, became a game show emcee.

Lady Bunny opens the book with sparkling commentary describing the scene back then as See page 14 >>

OPENS MAY 28 They are the guardians of healthy oceans, inspiring generations of wonder and discovery. Develop a deeper love for sharks and the many roles they play at this new exhibit. See life-size models, rare fossils, and more.

Make your reservation at calacademy.org

31021-CAS-Sharks-Bay Area Reporter-9.75x16-05.20.21-FA.indd 1

5/20/21 11:40 AM

<< Theatre & Film

14 • Bay Area Reporter • May 27-June 2, 2021

Smirnoff-Skyy, Tina D’Elia bring back Return Engagements Katya live cabaret, a solo show & a Haight history tour

by Jim Gladstone

“I

would guess that we’re in for about two-and-a-half years of curtain speeches,” drily estimates J. Conrad Frank, aka dowager drag chanteuse Katya Smirnoff-Skyy, who will open a four-night engagement at Feinstein’s at the Nikko on Thursday, June 3.

As one of the first local entertainers with a high profile post-COVID showcase, Frank’s in a position to make the cheeky most of this moment, and he’s seized the opportunity with a new act that he’s Out! Live! and Unmasked!

“It’s a catching up with all of Katya’s trials and travails this past year,” says Frank, “Her traumas learning to use Zoom and TikTok.” But trust me, folks, there’s an expiration date on speeches about enduring the pandemic. By the time September rolls around, such schtick will be Over!

“At the beginning of the pandemic,” he recalls, “I hit the ground running, doing weekly webcasts, really learning a lot about how to make music videos, working on some new arrangements, updating my website.

And I managed to do my annual holiday spectacular, which I usually do at Feinstein’s, as a pay-per-view production and actually made a profit. I was able to pay my six-piece band, all the tech people and audio engineers.”

“But eventually, I hit a slump. I just got into a period where I wasn’t interested in putting together anything new. And then I got the call from Feinstein’s a few weeks ago,” he recalls, “and it really got me out of a bit of a funk. I’ve pulled together a whole new show in a little over month.”

Among the fruits of Frank’s creative sprint is a wild opening medley that he says “includes Norma Desmond from Sunset Boulevard, Diana Ross, Florence + The Machine, a lit-

tle opera aria, Ethel Merman, Billy Joel, The Zombies, Bare Naked Ladies, Spice Girls and a good dose of Judy!”

Breaking Up

Also coming back with all cylinders firing is Hayes Valley-based performer and writer Tina D’Elia whose twopronged re-entry features the public debut of her own comedic solo show-in-progress The Breakup: A Queer La- Katya Smirnoff-Skky & Tina D’Elia tina Torch Song (streaming live on Thursday June 3, with was getting zapped by my thoughts a recorded encore on June and by music I was listening to, and 13) along with a star turn in EyeZen suddenly I’m spending time with Presents’ third installment of Out of my middle school self and my high Site, its ambitious site-specific theschool self.” atrical unearthing of San Francisco’s In fictionalizing and fancifying her hidden queer history (Saturdays and own past relationships for the multiSundays, June 12-24). ple characters she plays in The Break“Let me just say to any other perup, D’Elia says, “I came to the idea formers,” remarks D’Elia in considerthat a story about breakups doesn’t ing the full theatrical plate she served have to be a downer. I know that herself during the pandemic, “that there are sad places in my heart, but unless you’re very brave, you should I also know that there’s more. And probably consider not attempting to this had a certain parallel to dealing memorize two shows that are both in with the pandemic for me; knowing development simultaneously.” that there’s something greater ahead, “The isolation was a bizarre thing which includes community and joy for me,” she explains, describing and discovery and celebrating.” a sort of psychological time travel All four of those qualities are that will feel familiar to many. “I was present as well, in Out of Site: spending all of this time with myHaight Ashbury, each performance self, but it wasn’t just present time. I

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nyone the least bit familiar with 21stcentury international gay cinema will recognize the name Ray Yeung. He’s the Hong Kong-based filmmaker behind the movies Cut Sleeve Boys (2006) and Front Cover (2015). While his previous two full-length features dealt with a younger age demographic, his Ben Yuen and Tai-Bo in Twilight’s Kiss new movie Twilight’s Kiss/ Suk Suk (Strand Releasing) Loving father to his children and introduces us to men in the granddaughter at home, he cruises twilight of their gay years. public bathrooms and parks for sex Fastidious Hong Kong taxi drivwith men. er Pak (Tai-Bo) is married to the On one such cruising expedition, long-suffering Ching (Patra Au), Pak meets retiree Hoi (Ben Yuen). to whom he is not especially kind.

Their initial encounter is a bit awkPak and Ching have a married son ward. Pak is all about getting down Lok (Gordon Wong Kwak Fai), the to business, but Hoi would rather father of their granddaughter Lei begin as friends. Like Pak, Hoi is Lei (Chi Sin Pun). They also have also leading a double life. a daughter named Fong (Hiu Yee A single father, Hoi lives with his Wong), who becomes engaged to religiously conservative son Wan Zheung (Yixin Hu) because she is (Lo Chun Yip) and Wan’s wife and pregnant. Unbeknownst to Ching young daughter. Even though he’s (or is it?), Pak leads a double life. closeted at home, Hoi not only frequents gay bathhouses, he also attends meetings of a gay group at the local community center. It is through the scenes at the meetings that viewers not only get a feel for what it is to be gay in Hong Kong, BLACK MASCULINE & but also what it means to be an agHANDSOME ing gay man.

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Drag Explosion

From page 12

“an era that took place entirely after dark, a celebration of trashy, lowrent glamour that kept us churning til dawn.”

The club scene then was an extravaganza of dance music, huge dance floors, and queens galore where “people didn’t go out unless they planned on dancing,” writes Simpson.

The combination of photographs and reflection is a definite keepsake for anyone interested in 1980s/’90s club culture and the drag community that thrived within it and because of it.

After establishing a friendship, Pak and Hoi pay their first visit to the bathhouse where Hoi has gotten them a room. From there, in the midst of complicated circumstances, the men embark on a romantic relationship. As with the elder lesbian couple in Filippo Meneghetti’s outstanding Two of Us, the relationship is treated with the utmost respect.

Regardless of their feelings for each other, there are challenges to be faced. Hoi’s level of outness presents issues for the pair. Both men’s home lives become increasingly difficult.

Hoi’s son’s religious insistence eventually wears him down. This creates yet another conflict because Pak is not in any way a religious man.

Meanwhile, Pak gives his taxi to his new son-in-law so that he may make a living to support Fong.

More than anything else, Twilight’s Kiss is recommended for its sensitive and realistic depiction of older gay men, particularly those in the closet. This really comes through when Pak invites Hoi to attend his daughter’s wedding banquet and the men invent a story for how it is they know each other. The only complaint about the movie is that the open-ended conclusion, which finds Pak sitting alone in a church, makes the movie feel rushed and a little confusing. In Cantonese with English subtitles. Rating: Bt Besides this fantastic nostalgic centerpiece, Simpson is also working on a drag-themed novel and possibly a sequel to The Drag Explosion that would share even more dramatic images and drag stories in formal print format.

For now, we have this bejeweled time capsule of a bygone era that deserves recognition and appreciation in every way possible, especially for those who were there and are still here to tell their own beautiful stories. Don’t miss out on this one.t Linda Simpson’s The Drag Explosion, Domain Books (www.

TheDragExplosion.com), $40

t

Music & 50 in 50>>

May 27-June 2, 2021 • Bay Area Reporter • 15

cated enough, or delusional enough, to believe we could do it, like these moderately notorious bands of people who also only knew three chords in the Santa Barbara clubs, and everyone else who ended up at CBGBs to become that incredibly unlikely grand fun-loving participatory family. We wanted to be the Beatles, of course! But were smart enough to be gravely dubious about anything like that ever happening. My mom bought me a subscription to Melody Maker; whiff of sophisticated British exotica! So, I already knew Village Green Preservation Society was one of the least selling records in Warner Brothers history at the time. I thought, «Well - we actually might likely achieve that!”

Kristian Hoffman

<<

Kristian Hoffman

From page 12

Do you think that when friends discover they share similar musical predilections, that even without proper training or background, someone will inevitably suggest starting a band?

It was prevalent amongst almost everyone we knew that starting a band or even just playing an instrument wasn’t dependent on any particular scholastic gift or bent. It was about drive, and inspiration, and, most importantly, fun.

Starting a band was about as intellectually challenging as trying to surf. You just jumped in, and everyone was doing it. We truly started as a garage band, in Pat Loud’s garage, and later in my mother’s garage. We didn’t have notions of becoming the next Beatles or anything. There, of course, were dreams of some sort of recognition, if that were even remotely possible. But that aspiration wasn’t yet defined at all. It was more about getting together with friends, making a huge racket and laughing and having fun.

I was surrounded by musicians even in high school who were so far superior to me. We already had guitar; David Collert, so much so that he was asked to join Todd Rundgren’s band!

He refused because he thought Rundgren ‘unhip.’ Jeff Bruner later became a noted orchestrator. Jay Dee Daugherty! Just the greatest!

Patti Smith noticed! Kevin Loud was a really good bass player, and Grant, when he deigned to “jam” with us, was a great guitar player, a great singer, and really handsome.

We didn’t actually even know how lucky we were. I was at best a mediocre piano player, if that. Lance couldn’t sing. But the odd thing was, we were the ones with the “drive.”. I immediately started writing songs.

The very first song I wrote was an inexcusably rudimentary 12-bar, but it was, delightfully, called “I’m God.” I still remember it. Lance and I had ideas for other songs and I would finish them. Lance made David Collert throw together some chords and out came Mumps classic “Muscleboys.”

And Lance and I were either dedi-

Rock & Roll This, Rock & Roll That: Best Case Scenario, You’ve Got Mumps (Omnivore) is a single disc 23-track compilation of Mumps songs. It’s not the first time that most of these songs have appeared together on CD. Why was now the right time for this expanded reissue?

Don’t ask me! I’m just the musician here (laughs). But really, I understand how wildly blessed we Mumps are. There are certain unassailable facts: Mumps were a wildly popular live act in what looks like, from this distance, a fairly small pond.

We could, and did, sell out clubs all over the U.S. People would scream and faint and throw their underwear. I mean, really! Even the Soho News conceded that «Mumps are a hard-driving, tightly pulled together powerhouse package with a genuine teen idol out front».

I look at lead singers this way: There’s David Johansen during the New York Dolls, there’s Lux Interior (of The Cramps), and then there’s Lance Loud. Lance was that good; one of the top three ever. But we were not easily classifiable, we didn’t have an easily digestible ‘hook’ like, say, Blondie or Talking Heads or the Ramones. Even so, we were inconsistent live, not geared towards the taste of the moment, and without a record company backing us and promoting us, like they did many other CBGBs acts, we weren’t powerful enough on our own to make that leap from small clubs to an actual career.

So, to continue to have maintained consistent interest and support through all these decades, and to have this be the third re-issue of this material (with some newly unearthed surprises) is truly an amazing gift. I’m wildly grateful that we now get assistance from a great label like Omnivore (and from marvelously kooky guys like Long Gone John and Greg Dwinnell beforehand) to make that pleasurable racket available to new listeners all the time.t

e t a r o c e d h t i w f l yourse pride

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Kristian Hoffman with Lance Loud

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Todrick

Morgan Mcmichaels | Ryan Cassata Bright Lights

50 Years in 50 Weeks:

1978­

Glad to be Gay

W

hile the year was full of arts reviews, this full-page ad in the May 25, 1978 Bay Area Reporter stands out as a parallel between worlds. While the Tom Robinson Band, then known for the inspiring folk-derived anthem, “Glad to be Gay,” had a performance at the Old Waldorf (444 Battery St.), the venue’s promoters used the ad to politicize their presence by calling out the antigay Briggs Initiative and Anita Bryant. Meanwhile, across the country, this writer purchased the band’s album at a suburban Ohio shopping mall’s record store, declaring himself gay, at least to the cashier.t

Enjoy all the retro fun at https://archive.org/details/BAR_19780525

LGBTQ Retirement Community

W W W. S O N O M A C O U N T Y P R I D E . O R G

re Indeed! Jenni Castaldo, Standing STRONG Instructor, will lead everyone in a quick and eel energized for the next workshop.

3 or Workshop 4)

WORKSHOP 4

ION as Kingery and Keenan Murray,

s of discrimination, how to overadvocate for change. Discussion e and review why some people (Sexual Orientation Gender ou should answer honestly!

BUILD YOUR VILLAGE Facilitators: Jenn Chan and Loretta Austin, Avenidas Community is especially important right now. Building and strengthening your village will help you thrive. Discover opportunities for new connections with our intergenerational pen pal program and social groups. Learn where to find community resources and how to build a safe space.

June 2021 Calendar of Events

Director of the County of Santa Clara Office of he day with a reflection on the significance of onference and share more about the County’s Q Programs Liaison.

Q seniors as aCoordinator/Community way to build a strong, vibrant Initiative, will provide his unique insights into the rrow.

(650) 289-5400 • www.avenidas.org

the County of Santa Clara, Office of LGBTQ Affairs

June 3 & June 17 Wonder Women Lesbian Social Group n, Stanford Forgiveness Project. 3:00-4:00pm* and mental Socialize health.

He easily practiced skills with our offers lesbian community.

We meet virtually twice a month and host open conversations on news, trends, festivals, relationships,

more information sign www.avenidas.org home projects, and what matters toor you. Share your uniqueup flair withat this group as we strive to become the best social group for lesbian

HOP 2

women in north Santa Clara County. *Please note that we’ll have new meeting times in July* June 7 & June 21

2:30pm-3:30pm

LGBTQ Elder Empowerment and Connections Group.

Theme: “LGBTQ Pride Then and Now.”

June 7:

We’ll share past experiences celebrating PRIDE and learn how the PRIDE flag came to be.

We will also be planning our meet-up for SF Pride on 6/11.

We will come together to talk about the meet-up and the movie that we went to see for SF PRIDE.

SSUES June 21 Diana Dean Gendotti June 11 planning and trust 4:00pm-9:00pm ndotti is an estate administration Dinner and a Movie SF Pride Meet Up who has been licensed for a31 years, and has anpeople at MoMo’s to enjoy dinner together before the movie. If you’d prefer to sit at Avenidas has reserved table at 4:30pm for up to 10 Los Altos. She will highlight the your critical aspects a different table, please make reservations directlyof at MoMo’s in SF: https://www.sfmomos.com/. Then buy your movie tickets for the SF PRIDE as Filmit Screening of “The Heights” at the Oracle Stadium: https://sfpride.org/2021-celebration.html. The doors open for the film at anning, especially relates to LGBTQ issues.

6:30 pm. Once you have made your reservations for dinner and/or purchased your tickets for the movie, please let us know if and when you y burning questions! plan on connecting with the rest of us by sending an email to LGBTQ@avenidas.org.

Instructor, will lead quick and June 10 &everyone June 24 in a3:00-3:30pm

HOP 4

Gay Men’s Walking Group

The Gay Men’s Walking Group is a great way to get out of the house and make new friends in a safe and responsible way. The guys meet for lunch, exercise, and social engagement, while social distancing and wearing masks, during the second and fourth weekend of each month.

The Thursday meeting on Zoom is the planning meeting for the upcoming walk. Join us and get out of the house on the second and fourth Thursday of each month at 3pm to plan the walk for the following weekend.

OUR VILLAGE June 10 & June 24 4:00pm-5:00pm Song Appreciation Group rs: Jenn Chan and Loretta Austin, Avenidas June 10 Theme of the Day: “Favorite Song about an SF Bay Area City.” ity is especially important right now. and SubmitBuilding your song choice to LGBTQ@Avenidas.org for us to listen to and discuss. ening your village will help you thrive. Discover 24 Theme of the Day:“Your Personal Soundtrack” ities for newJune connections with our intergenerational Submit two songs that you would include in the soundtrack for your life so we can program and social groups. Learnlearn where to find more about each other! ty resources and how to build a safe space.

Affairs

Email LGBTQ@avenidas.org for more information on how to register for these great events, groups, and opportunities presented

by Avenidas Rainbow Collective to our older LGBTQ Community members.

Free and inclusive to all!

Register on our website at avenidas.org/programs/lgbtq-seniors-initiative/ or email LGBTQ@avenidas.org, or call (650) 289-5433 to get registration assistance.

(650) 289-5400 • www.avenidas.org

Please reference the name of group or event that you are interested in joining.

With support from the County of Santa Clara, Office of LGBTQ Affairs

n up at www.avenidas.org

Call (650) 289-5433 or sign up at www.avenidas.org