The U.S. Supreme Court issued an order that President Donald Trump’s ban on transgender servicemembers can go into effect, for now.
US Supreme Court allows trans military ban, for now
by Lisa Keen
The U.S. Supreme Court will allow the country’s armed forces to implement President Donald Trump’s ban on transgender servicemembers while the matter continues to be litigated in the federal courts.
The 6-3 ruling Tuesday from the country’s highest court stays a national injunction against enforcing the ban until the constitutional issues can be fully litigated in the lower courts. By issuing the stay, the Supreme Court’s conservative majority is allowing the Trump administration to enforce its ban until the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and the high court can act on the constitutional issues involved.
The order is an ominous sign for LGBTQ advocates suing to have the ban be struck down and a devastating setback for trans servicemembers who now face being drummed out.
“The court has upended the lives of thousands of servicemembers without even the decency of explaining why,” stated Shannon Minter, a trans man who is vice president of legal at the National Center for Lesbian Rights, which has filed a different federal lawsuit challenging the trans military ban. “As a result of this decision, reached without benefit of full briefing or argument, brave troops who have dedicated their lives to the service of our country will be targeted and forced into a harsh administrative separation process usually reserved for misconduct. They have proven themselves time and time again and met the same standards as every other soldier, deploying in critical positions around the globe.
“This is a deeply sad day for our country,” Minter added.
As the Bay Area Reporter reported Tuesday morning, the plaintiffs NCLR is representing had filed an amicus brief asking the injunction against enforcing the ban remain in effect.
If this feels like déjà vu, it is. During the first Trump administration, the Supreme Court also issued an order enabling a Trump directive – first announced through a tweet – to take effect, pending a 9th Circuit ruling on the constitutional issues. That vote, in 2019, was 5-4 (The late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has since been replaced with Trump appointee Amy Coney Barrett.)
See page 8 >>
Brothers’ Castro Street businesses fight for survival
by John Ferrannini
Two longtime Castro Street businesses on the 400 block of the iconic thoroughfare told the Bay Area Reporter they don’t have much time if they want to stay in their storefronts. They’re asking the community for help even as the end of their leases loom and their commercial spaces are set to be taken over by Another Planet Entertainment.
Brothers Ken Khoury, of the Castro Coffee Co. at 427 Castro Street, and Riyad Khoury, of the Castro Nail Salon at 431 Castro Street, both straight allies, flank the Castro Theatre, managed by APE and currently closed for renovations. As the B.A.R. first reported in March, they say that they have till the end of June to vacate their spaces because their leases are not being renewed.
The brothers have petitions at their businesses, asking patrons to sign to convince the Nasser family, the longtime owners of the theater, and APE as the leaseholder of the three-unit building containing it and the coffee shop and nail salon to change their minds. A sign at the businesses also contains a QR code people can use to email the office of gay Board of Supervisors President Rafael Mandelman, who as District 8 supervisor represents the Castro, at mandelmanstaff@sfgov.org.
Ken Khoury, 74, has had the coffee shop since
1987. Riyad Khoury, 78, opened the nail salon in 2004. The B.A.R. sat down with them for an interview at one of the coffee shop’s outdoor tables May 1.
“These businesses are essential,” Ken Khoury said. “You take these businesses out, this part of the 400 block would be totally dead. Is this what the city wants? You’re taking a thriving business that serves the community for so long and just basically throwing it out. … I have five employees with dependents.
How can I turn my back on them, and tell them to go away?”
Riyad Khoury added, “You can’t evict an existing business that is successful and is serving the community. We’re part of the community. We are not like Walgreens. … We have relationships, stories we share together a long time.”
See page 8 >>
SF LGBTQ nonprofits announce separate 2026 cycling fundraisers
by John Ferrannini
Those wishing to take part in endurance bicycle rides will have ample opportunity next year, as two San Francisco LGBTQ and HIV/ AIDS organizations have each announced separate events both headed to Sonoma County. The news comes as the San Francisco AIDS Foundation bids farewell to its long-running seven-day AIDS/LifeCycle ride in June and embarks on a shorter event for 2026.
It plans to host a three-day cycling ride in spring 2026. Meanwhile, LGBTQ sober space the Castro Country Club will host its inaugural Recovery Ride in September 2026.
The organizations issued a joint statement May 1 announcing their events. The money raised by each event will support the programs and services of their respective nonprofits.
Both have locations in the heart of the city’s LGBTQ neighborhood. The foundation’s Strut health center is on the 400 block of Castro Street, while a short walk away is the Castro Country Club housed in an old Victorian on 18th Street.
The planned cycling fundraisers will launch in the wake of the last AIDS/LifeCycle, the 545-mile ride that leaves San Francisco June 1, held in conjunction with the Los Angeles LGBT Center. Its beneficiary agencies announced last September that
The San Francisco AIDS Foundation will offer a new, shorter bike ride fundraiser in 2026 to replace its long-running AIDS/LifeCycle, which ends after next month’s trek.
The Castro Country Club will also hold a bike ride fundraiser next fall.
the 2025 edition, which ends in Los Angeles June 7, would be the last.
SFAF and the LA center cited skyrocketing production costs in the aftermath of the COVID pandemic for the decision to end the ride and noted that AIDS/LifeCycle fundraising had been on the decline. The ride started in 1994 and
brought in $300 million to the two organizations for their HIV/AIDS services over three decades, according to the agencies.
SFAF has more modest goals for its new ride, hoping to raise about $1.5 million, spokesperson Emily Land said.
See page 2 >>
Wall of honor inductees named
Remembering Jill Sobule
Fred Schilling, Collection of the U.S. Supreme Court
Courtesy SFAF
Brothers Ken Khoury, left, owner of the Castro Coffee Co., and Riyad Khoury, owner of the Castro Nail Salon, are unsure of their next steps once their leases end June 30.
John Ferrannini
Amid roadwork impacts, Guerneville readies for summer season
by Matthew S. Bajko
Once completed, the pedestrian upgrades Caltrans is making along State Route 116 will be transformative for downtown Guerneville. The main drag of the LGBTQ tourist haven in Sonoma County will see expanded sidewalks, additional Pride flags, new murals, and native plant landscaping.
But the yearlong project has had detrimental impacts for many of the businesses located along the highway, as access to their storefronts has been made difficult at times. The work has taken place in sections along River Road between Brookside Lane near the Safeway and the Gravenstein Highway bridge over the Russian River.
“Caltrans, honestly, has been good at helping to adjust the plan so it really minimized the time businesses had to be closed and in getting ramps for people so there was access all the time. We still saw a huge decrease in foot traffic and that meant lost dollars,” said Nick Schwanz, president of the local chamber of commerce since January.
To provide some fiscal assistance, the business association launched a GoFundMe to raise $30,000 to be shared with the affected merchants. It also held a block party last Saturday to raise additional funds, paid for via a $6,000 grant the chamber received from the county.
While the link for the online fundraising page at https://gofund.me/3f468240 was still live as of Wednesday morning, Schwanz told the Bay Area Reporter that the chamber had netted more than $20,000 as of the weekend and decided to end the online appeal for donations.
Anyone still interested in supporting the local businesses should plan a visit to the North Bay region, said Schwanz.
“The best thing you can do is get your butt up to Guerneville,” he said.
Schwanz and his husband, Spencer Scott, own Solar Punk Farms. The queer couple relocated from San Francisco in July five years ago to launch their community-run farm at 15015 Armstrong Woods Road in Guerneville. For the past two years, they have been members of the Russian River Chamber of Commerce
“While we have bounced back, I would say many of the businesses are still on a year-by-year basis,” Schwanz said about the impacts wrought from the COVID pandemic that began in March 2020. “They make hay of the summer and hold on for dear life to make it through the winter. It is just kind of the vibe of the businesses up here.”
Heavy rains over the winter caused some flooding in town that impacted a number of resorts and other businesses located along the river. The wet weather also pushed back the timeline for the roadway project, which the merchants had hoped would have wrapped up in April.
“It definitely is not easy times for businesses here. Everybody’s been feeling the pinch for sure,” Schwanz said. “To have all of this happen this year has just gotten everybody incredibly frustrated.”
The uncertainty over the project’s completion date has led to further frustration for merchants, said Schwanz. Based on the latest information he has, Schwanz told the B.A.R. it could now be July before the Caltrans crews depart.
“We are never able to get a date. Stuff changes every week,” he said.
Caltrans’ webpage for the project hasn’t been updated since January. It only says it expects to finish work “by summer 2025.”
Caltrans spokesperson Jeffrey Weiss told the B.A.R. this week that the bulk of the roadway work is now expected to be done by the end of June, though some work such as constructing pedestrian beacons at the Church and Mill Street intersections will be ongoing into July. He noted due to it being a
“really old highway,” crews encountered complications once they began digging up the ground and finding expected infrastructure components that hadn’t been mapped.
“Caltrans will finish replacing, widening, and adding curb ramps to sidewalks by the end of June, which is important for merchants because summer is their busy season,” stated Weiss. “Caltrans has strived to complete the sidewalk work as quickly as possible, but Route 116 through Guerneville is a very old highway and many of the underground utilities and drainage pipes were not charted on the plans, creating many slow-downs.”
Another issue, added Weiss, crews have encountered are “old redwood stumps –Guerneville used to be nicknamed ‘Stumptown’ – that we’ve needed to remove or work around. But we are getting closer to finishing, with about three-quarters of the new sidewalks poured.”
According to the state agency’s website for the project, “Being a pedestrian in Guerneville will be a safer, and more pleasant experience by the addition of ADA compliant curb ramps, wider sidewalks, upgraded traffic signals and, curb extensions and pedestrian beacons to accommodate pedestrians at busy intersections on SR-116.”
One element not part of the project is a rainbow crosswalk. While local community leaders had been pushing Caltrans to approve such an installation, it wasn’t deemed doable along the busy highway, said Schwanz.
“We were a little disappointed in not being able to get that, but we got some other concessions where we get a chance to show our pride in different ways,” he said, such as the 64 flagpole sleeves being installed in groups of three between each streetlight along the main drag that will sport rainbow flags.
Jeff Bridges, a gay man who is the resort manager for the R3 Hotel, told the B.A.R. he is among those ready to see the redesigned roadway have its grand unveiling. What already has been completed “is absolutely beautiful,” said Bridges, adding that the project is going to “transform” the town’s entire downtown area.
“When they are done, it is going to be absolutely gorgeous. I can hardly wait until it is completed,” said Bridges.
The resort just off the highway at 16390 Fourth Street was put up for sale last June, as the B.A.R. had reported. It has yet to sell, and the price was slightly reduced from $4.564 million to $4.385 million.
The owners want to see it continue to cater to the LGBTQ community. San Francisco-based real estate agent Steven “Stu” Gerry with Compass is handling the sale along with veteran Russian River Realtor Bob Young
They have had interested buyers recently tour the property. Gerry told the B.A.R. this month that he expects it will change hands.
“I am in talks with some buyers for this,” said Gerry.
In the meantime, the hotel is welcom-
ing a new proprietor for its restaurant space. Opening May 15 will be Baked on the River by Swedish-born chef Helena Gustavsson Giesea, which had operated nearby for six years.
When that location was sold last year, Gustavsson Giesea closed up her bakery and cafe in December and sought a new place to reopen it. She told the B.A.R. she is delighted to be moving into the R3 Hotel space, as it will allow her to expand her menu to dinner service.
“We are so excited about it. It is going to be amazing,” said Gustavsson Giesea, a straight ally who has called the Russian River area home since 2004. “After we closed, it was kind of like a harsh winter.”
Now, her previous staff of six is coming back to work at the eatery along with several new employees she hired on due to now being open for dinner. With egg prices still sky high, and inflation and tariffs raising the prices of various products, Gustavsson Giesea said she has retooled some recipes where she can to use fewer eggs.
“I am reorganizing the dishes a little bit,” she said.
She wouldn’t divulge just yet what the kitchen will be cooking up in the evenings but did say some of her regulars’ favorite items are coming back, like Groovy Sconed and Gravy, her twist on biscuits and gravy with both veggie and meat options, and Hash in Pan, inspired by the Swedish dish Pyttipanna featuring grated potatoes with either meats or veggies and served with a soft egg on top. Her salmon chowder is also coming back, while Swedish pancakes are being added as a special menu item.
“As a popular Guerneville restaurant, I think we will bring a lot of clientele in there for support,” said Gustavsson Giesea, adding that she is “planning to stay for forever” at the R3 space. “I hope they will find a buyer who will keep the same spirit and same glamorous feel that the R3 can offer. I feel that we would like to stay on with the new owner unless things change.”
fall for a special brunch menu from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Featured will be brunch tacos and other finger foods.
“There is a lot of human wealth in this area,” noted Kansau. “The bar has been an excellent catalyzer to strengthen these relationships. We have met a lot of wonderful people here.”
It is why he decided to further invest in the local business scene with the social club concept. It will also bolster the ranks of queer-owned places in town, a perennial issue as Guerneville also draws straight visitors and investors in new enterprises, such as glamping resort The River Electric that recently welcomed its first guests.
“I didn’t want the queer community to fall behind,” said Kansau, who initially bought El Barrio after learning someone was interested in turning it into a sports bar at the same time he was looking to open a place of his own. “It was my favorite bar, so I told Crista I was going to buy it. It has been almost four years and I love it.”
Summer season
Guerneville’s business owners are expecting it to be a busy summer season this year. While overseas visitors may dip somewhat due to foreign tourists boycotting the U.S. over the policies of the Trump White House, more locals are expected to visit in light of concerns over the economy and preferring to staycation in the coming months.
At the R3 some Canadians, Germans, and British repeat guests have canceled their trips this summer, said Bridges. But many of its regular Canadian visitors are returning, he said, and the hotel expects to see many more people from the Bay Area checking in this summer.
“I feel positive about this summer. We do have a lot of bookings on the books,” said Bridges. “There are parties and events planned almost every weekend throughout the season to bring people up.”
Making a larger investment in the local economy is chamber board member Jimmy Kansau, a gay man who in 2021 bought the El Barrio mezcal lounge at 16230 Main Street from lesbian celebrity chef Crista Luedtke, who owns the resorts boon hotel + spa and The Highlands. Kansau is now readying to open The Guerneville Social Club this fall, turning the former Timberline Restaurant building at 16440 Fourth Street into a multi-purpose community hub and market hall with a wine tasting room, a bakery/coffee shop, a beer garden, and a restaurant.
“We always saw that building and we love mid-century architecture,” said Kansau of himself and his husband, John Anderson, an interior designer in San Francisco.
The couple of 22 years has run into some permitting issues, delaying their timeline for opening, which Kansau now hopes will be sometime in October. He will oversee the rooftop restaurant that will largely focus on weekend brunch and the beer garden, which will serve soft pretzels, gourmet hot dogs, and brisket sandwiches along with the different ales on tap.
One of the market halls will be taken up by the Palm Springs Bottle Shop, Kansau told the B.A.R. Owned by two queer couples https://psbottleshop.com/ story from San Francisco, one male, the other female, the liquor store carries different products and brands owned and operated by LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and women entrepreneurs.
“It is really wonderful what they do,” said Kansau, who splits his time between San Francisco and Guerneville.
In the meantime, Kansau is prepping to open his Mexican-inspired bar on Sundays later this month through the
Several thousand attendees are expected for this year’s LGBTQ-focused Women’s Weekend taking place Thursday, May 15, through Sunday, May 18, as the B.A.R. recently reported.
In two months it will be LGBTQ men descending on the town for the annual Lazy Bear Week, https://www. lazybearweek.org/ taking place July 28 through August 4, with attendance expected to be double of last year’s nearly 2,000 participants.
The following month will see the return of Russian River Pride with the 2025 parade set for Saturday, September 20.
“When the economy goes down, people from San Francisco don’t travel so they come here,” noted Kansau as for why he is expecting record crowds this summer. “The other one is the way the government is going right now, a lot of people are feeling the need for that community and coming together and that sense of pride. Especially in the queer community, it’s more prevalent now.”
With the openings of various businesses this year and the improvements to the streetscape, there is no better time to visit Guerneville, argued Schwanz. A main focus for him as chamber president is to highlight what the town has to offer via the group’s social media pages and encourage people to visit.
“This is going to be the summer to remember. There is more energy, more events, and more new things going on here than we have had in a while,” he said. t
A rendering of the new The Guerneville Social Club in Guerneville, which is hoping to open this fall.
From The Guerneville Social Club
Horizons grants 4 SF trans orgs $1M Community News>>
compiled by Cynthia Laird
Horizons Foundation has announced that four transgender people of color organizations based in the San Francisco Bay Area will receive funding totaling $1 million over three years via its new Trans POC initiative. A news release stated that through the initiative, Horizons is committing to investing in and partnering with trans POC-primary organizations by providing funding toward transformative, multi-year infrastructure improvement and capacity building grants.
Despite the Bay Area’s rich racial, ethnic, and LGBTQ diversity, the trans POC community continues to face severe economic and social inequities, worsened by systemic discrimination, underinvestment from philanthropy, and a hostile political climate, the release noted. Recent policies, threats, and federal funding cuts by the Trump administration have increasingly targeted trans visibility, rights, safety, access to health care, and more, Horizons officials stated.
Additionally, philanthropic support for the transgender community remains alarmingly scarce. According to Funders for LGBTQ Issues, just 4.6 cents of every $100 in U.S. foundation funding in 2022 was directed to transgender and gender-nonconforming communities and issues.
“Trans-led organizations are a vital part of the vibrant and diverse LGBTQ community in the San Francisco Bay Area,” stated Roger Doughty, a gay man who is president of Horizons Foundation. “Given today’s political climate, this initiative reflects our deep commitment to ensuring not just the survival, but the strength of these organizations. Horizons is proud to partner with them as they secure the future for trans POC communities with vision, resilience, and power.”
A Horizons spokesperson stated it’s the agency’s policy not to release specific
grant figures. The Bay Area Reporter contacted the four organizations receiving grants. Two responded but also did not disclose the amount of funding they were receiving.
Lavender Phoenix, a grant recipient, works to build transgender, nonbinary, and queer Asian Pacific Islander power through organizing and training grassroots leaders in the Bay Area. It was founded in 2004. Executive Director Yuan Wang, who identifies as transgender, wrote in an email to the B.A.R. that the organization expects to receive the first check soon.
“While Horizons has supported Lavender Phoenix over the years to lead transformative leadership development, healing justice, and community safety programs, this grant was specifically designed to support our organizational development, which is especially key in a time like this when so many transgender organizations & people are under attack,” Wang wrote.
Wang, who’s been executive director since 2021, added that the nonprofit will be undergoing a leadership transition
soon. “Looking to sustain our funding in the face of widespread attacks, and Horizons’ support will directly fund those needs,” she added.
Lavender Phoenix has a budget of about $1.2 million and nine fulltime staff, Wang stated.
Wang wrote that the organization is appreciative of the grant.
“Horizons’ commitment to transgender POC-led organizations is inspiring and urgent,” wrote Wang. “Every funder concerned about racial justice, economic justice, and democracy should be paying close attention. Horizons knows that right-wing forces have seized upon our lives, the lives of transgender people, as one of their primary battlegrounds.”
The Transgender District also received a grant. Centered in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood, the district works to create an urban environment that fosters the rich history, culture, legacy, and empowerment of transgender people.
Co-Executive Directors Carlo Gómez Arteaga, a trans man, and Breonna McCree, a woman of trans experience,
stated the district is thankful for the funding.
“We’re grateful to Horizons Foundation for their partnership in supporting transgender-led organizations across the Bay Area,” the two wrote in an email to the B.A.R. “This funding will directly sustain our organization as we continue to amplify our work in community center programs such as tenant protections, economic empowerment, identity documents and cultural preservation for TGNC communities. Every dollar invested helps us combat the systemic inequities facing the transgender community. We invite readers to visit our website at www.transgenderdistrictsf. com to learn more about our measurable impact.”
The San Francisco Exam iner reported that the Transgender District is out nearly $1 million due to the city’s decision to cancel two grants from the troubled Dream Keeper initiative.
Its 2023 budget was $1.7 million, according to its website.
Project works to build voice, power, and leadership among Black trans people affected by the criminal justice system. “This grant from Horizons helps us cover many of the things that other funders don’t want to fund,” stated Janetta Johnson, TGIJP’s CEO. “Trans-led organizations are under attack. The time is now to build, expand, and create a space that is for us, by us, and with us.”
TGIJP’s 2023 budget showed revenue of $2.89 million and expenses of $3.89 million, according to ProPublica.
SF DPH urges mpox vaccines
With Pride and summer events approaching, the San Francisco Department of Public Health is encouraging mpox vaccinations for people who are eligible, including men who have sex with men and transgender women.
El/La Para TransLatinas is another group that received a grant. It advocates for the rights of TransLatinx individuals and operates the only safe space for the trans/intersex/gender diverse Latine community in Northern California, Horizons’ release stated.
“Our community right now is barely surviving,” stated Nicole Santamaria, El/ La’s executive director. “The lack of funding is pushing us more into the margins. El/La is a ray of hope, a mother to our community. This funding will help us not only weather this storm, but become stronger.”
Its fiscal sponsor is Community Initiatives and its financial information wasn’t available.
Finally, grant recipient Transgender Gender-Variant & Intersex Justice
DPH stated in a news release that while there have been a “very small number” of mpox cases reported in the city so far this year, people who are at risk of mpox exposure should be fully vaccinated as it provides the best protection against the virus and will help prevent its spread in the future.
According to the DPH’s case counts, the last reported case in San Francisco was in January.
Mpox is transmitted mainly through close skin-to-skin contact, including sex. The global outbreak that started in May 2022 primarily affected gay and bisexual men and others in their sexual networks.
DPH officials stated that it takes two doses to be fully vaccinated; the second dose is given at least 28 days after the first. There is no need to restart the twodose series if it has been over 28 days since the first shot, the release stated.
Transgender District Co-Executive Directors Breonna McCree, left, and Carlo Gómez Arteaga were grateful the district received one of the trans people of color grants from Horizons Foundation.
Karen Santos Photography
Volume 55, Number 19 May 8-14, 2025 www.ebar.com
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HHS gender report is harmful for trans youth
Anew report commissioned by the U.S. De-
partment of Health and Human Services on pediatric gender dysphoria does about what one would expect: muddies the science, cherry picks evidence and, most troublesome, does not disclose who wrote it. The report, completed to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive order that aims to restrict gender-affirming care for youth, also seems to promote conversion therapy, which has long been debunked by major medical associations.
“The evidence for benefit of pediatric medical transition is very uncertain, while the evidence for harm is less uncertain,” the report stated. “When medical interventions pose unnecessary, disproportionate risks of harm, health care providers should refuse to offer them even when they are preferred, requested or demanded by patients.”
https://opa.hhs.gov/gender-dysphoria-report
“This Review is published against the backdrop of growing international concern about pediatric medical transition,” the report’s forward stated. “Having recognized the experimental nature of these medical interventions and their potential for harm, health authorities in a number of countries have imposed restrictions. For example, the UK has banned the routine use of puberty blockers as an intervention for pediatric gender dysphoria.”
HHS’ decision to withhold the names of the report’s authors is problematic. According to the agency, eight scholars contributed to the report, including doctors, ethicists, and a methodologist. They represented a “wide range of political viewpoints,” including liberal, according to HHS.
As the Washington Post reported, “Harry Dayantis, a spokesman for Cochrane Collaboration, an international nonprofit that produces what scientists consider the premier systematic literature reviews, said the lack of disclosure prohibits an assessment of possible conflicts of interests.”
Additionally, just because someone identifies as liberal does not mean they are trans-friendly. Witness California Governor Gavin Newsom, a liberal Democrat by any definition, who on his podcast bailed on trans girls and women playing sports on teams that match their gender identity. Trans issues have not gained the widespread public support among Democrats as have other LGBTQ issues, and that’s a problem that the party must address.
Conversion therapy by another name
One of the report’s most dodgy areas concerns conversion therapy, which the authors rebrand as “exploratory therapy.” But make no mistake, conversion therapy, which seeks to change a person’s
sexual orientation or gender identity, has a long and hideous history. LGBTQ people who experience it, often at the insistence of their parents at a young age, generally have awful memories and trauma associated with it. And while states like California ban the practice for minors, the HHS report gives new life to this quack concept.
“Psychotherapy is one of five dedicated parts in the review and a theme that receives significant attention is support for gender identity conversion based practices, sometimes called ‘conversion’ or ‘reparative’ ‘therapy,’ which the report calls ‘exploratory therapy,’” noted the Kaiser Family Foundation in an article. “The report counters this description stating that equating ‘exploratory therapy’ with ‘conversion therapy’ is misguided and that equating any ‘approach focused on reducing a minor’s distress about their body or social role [with conversion therapy] is problematic.’ Other reasons provided are: pointing to Dutch practices, stating that all therapy is exploratory, and noting that the label ‘conversion therapist’ is damaging.”
The Kaiser Family Foundation noted, “The review describes ‘exploratory psychotherapy,’ in part, as ‘trying to help children and adolescents come to terms with their bodies’ and goes on to equate the distress related to gender dysphoria with general ‘discomfort with the sexed body or with societal sex-based expectations is common during puberty and adolescence.’ This goes against identified best practice, which ‘encourages an affirmation and acceptance of children’s expressed gender identity.’”
The World Professional Association for Transgender Health and the U.S. Professional Association for Transgender Health issued a critical joint statement on the report. The organizations stated the report “misrepresents existing research and disregards the expertise of professionals who have
been working with transgender and gender-diverse youth for decades.”
“The HHS report claims that psychotherapy is the only viable treatment for youth with gender dysphoria – a position we firmly reject,” WPATH and USPATH stated. “Moreover, it misrepresents WPATH by suggesting that it equates conversion therapy with psychotherapy, a notion we unequivocally oppose. WPATH supports a comprehensive, multidisciplinary assessment, ensuring that mental health professionals evaluate and address any co-occurring mental health conditions in youth who are exploring their gender identity and options for treatment.”
WPATH noted that its clinical practice guidelines, including its Standards of Care Version 8 (SOC8), are developed through evaluation of evidence, clinical expertise, patient values and preferences, and cultural and contextual considerations.
“SOC8 emphasizes ongoing research into outcomes for transgender youth while advocating for developmentally appropriate clinical services,” the organization stated. “Efforts to halt research funding and ban gender-affirming interventions threaten the health and dignity of transgender individuals and hinder medical progress. Health care decisions should remain in the hands of patients, their families, and qualified clinicians – not politicians.”
And that bottom line is exactly what the Trump administration and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. don’t want. Already, hospitals that provide gender-affirming care scaled back their services dramatically after the executive order was issued. (Some services have since been reinstated.) But it’s that fear of running afoul of the president, who does not have a medical background – nor does Kennedy – that is potentially causing harm to trans kids and their families. Already, as the Kaiser Family Foundation noted, 27 states have banned gender-affirming care for youth.
While more evidence is needed on genderaffirming care, the only way that data will be compiled is to do rigorous, ethical studies with outcomes that patients experience. The HHS report is putting forward an agenda of preventing transgender youth from transitioning. We strongly disagree with that premise. Over the years covering the LGBTQ community, we have written countless stories and talked with trans and gendernonconforming youth and the struggles they often face, even with supportive parents. These young people want to live their lives as they identify. The HHS report makes that all but impossible. t
CA digital newspaper archive in peril
We all know the state of the newspaper industry has been dire for years. But thanks to the California Digital Newspaper Archive housed at UC Riverside, the printed page lives on virtually for researchers, genealogists, journalists, and others who rely on the unique history of publications of all kinds, some dating back 200 years, that are accessible with a few clicks. The Bay Area Reporter’s digitized archives are housed there (and also at the Internet Archive), where people can peruse the paper’s historic record of the LGBTQ community.
Now, the CDNA collection is in peril, as the UC Riverside Center for Bibliographical Studies and Research, which houses the archive, is over $300,000 in debt.
Brian Geiger, director of the center, sent out an urgent plea last week, stating that the archive’s funding from the California State Library has been withheld for the current fiscal year, which ends June 30. “If we don’t raise at least $300,000 by June 30, the end of the fiscal year, we will almost certainly have to cease operations,” Geiger wrote.
“The annual appropriation from the state is $430,000,” funds administered by the California State Library, Geiger told the J, a Jewish publication that unveiled its digital archives housed on the site in 2022. “We didn’t receive any of it this fiscal year, which runs from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025. UCR has continued to pay expenses, mainly salaries, this entire year,” expecting to be reimbursed by the state.
Geiger stated that he has some funds in reserve, hence the $300,000 fundraising figure. But with time running out, the situation is critical.
The UC Riverside digital newspaper archive, and others like it, is important because it would cost each publication so much money to create their own digital archives. Not to mention the collection houses newspapers that have long since ceased publication.
“The CDNC’s massive repository of newspapers – nearly 1.5 million issues spanning over 21 million pages – date back to as early as the 1840s, allowing users to easily search for stories by date or keyword from the Californian, the first newspaper in the
state, to the Black-owned and -operated San Francisco paper The Pacific Appeal and the Sacramento Daily Union, which offers a comprehensive look at daily life in the Gold Rush era,” noted an article on SF Gate.
The CDNC funding for the next fiscal year has not been removed, Geiger stated in his appeal. But the problem is that the archive cannot continue without funding for this year.
We’re equally troubled by how a blue state like California could have withheld the archive’s funding in the first place. This is something one would expect from a conservative state. And, speaking of conservatives, Republican President Donald Trump earlier this year ordered federal funding be cut from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, as SF Gate reported. That was a result of Trump’s executive order, “Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy.” So, far from being one of the first newspaper archives to be in financial dire straits, the California Digital Newspaper Collection could be a
harbinger of what’s to come.
That would be an abysmal development. In this day and age, when so much history is being preserved online, that a huge digital newspaper collection could go dark is frightening.
We cannot stress what a valuable resource the UC Riverside digital collection is. In terms of LGBTQ history, the early issues of the B.A.R. – the paper started in 1971 – document the fabled drag community, gay bars, and early political efforts as the community flexed its muscle. Not to mention the horrific early years of the AIDS epidemic and the paper’s well-known obituaries that people submitted in honor of their deceased partners, friends, or family.
We certainly hope the wider California community rallies to this important effort to preserve history. If you want to contribute to save this valuable asset, Geiger has set up a donation link on the archive’s site at cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc. t
A person holds a trans flag before the 2023 Trans March in San Francisco.
Rick Gerharter
The California Digital Newspaper Collection housed at UC Riverside is in danger of shutting down.
Out leadership critical, says Sonoma superintendent Carter
by Matthew S. Bajko
At a time when LGBTQ students are being targeted by the Trump White House and conservative school board leaders across California, it is more important than ever for LGBTQ adults to step up and defend them, contends Sonoma County Superintendent of Schools Amie Carter, Ph.D. It is a large factor in her decision to seek a second term in her elected education post in 2026.
“Honestly, that is almost the point here. Because it is such a challenging, difficult time, I think it is more important than ever to just plant our feet and have people from the LGBTQ community step into these high-profile, highdemand roles and stand up for equity at a time when so many other leaders are not,” Carter told the Bay Area Reporter in a recent phone interview.
Elected in 2022 to her North Bay countywide post, Carter is one of two out female county superintendents in the Bay Area. But her counterpart in San Mateo County, schools superintendent Nancy Magee, has decided not to seek a third term in 2026, as the B.A.R.’s online Political Notes column reported April 21.
Carter is set to stand for reelection in next year’s June primary. She plans to officially launch her reelection bid in either late August or early September.
Should no one else enter the race, there will be no election and Carter automatically wins a second four-year term. If she is opposed then a candidate needs to receive more than 50% of the primary vote to avoid a November runoff, otherwise the top two vote-getters advance to the fall ballot.
Newsom received over his podcast comments supportive of not allowing trans female athletes to play on women’s sports teams, Carter told the B.A.R. the issue “hasn’t risen” to her level in Sonoma County. She said schools in her jurisdic tion follow the guidance of the Califor nia Interscholastic Federation, which is the governing body for high school sports in the state. It is being investigated by the federal Department of Education over its pro-trans policies.
Declining enrollment
a major concern
A more pressing matter for Carter is the county’s declining student enrollment numbers and the corresponding drop in state funds tied to it. Her office has seen revenues fall by $5 million from last year, decreasing from $88 million to $83 million.
America and California great,” stated their letter. “We are steadfast in this commitment because it is both the right thing to do and the literal law of our land. The Supreme Court in Plyler vs. Doe established that all children, regardless of citizenship, have the right to a free, public education.”
In addition to laying out how individual school site administrators should respond if federal immigration officials show up on campus, the letter also specified how state laws protect LGBTQ students, especially those who are transgender.
It is unclear if Carter will face a challenger in the race. To date, no candidate has filed paperwork to begin raising money for a campaign per the county registrar’s website.
“At this point, it doesn’t seem to be anybody making that play, but that of course doesn’t mean much. My hope is my body of work has been impressive enough that I have the support of my community and I will get the opportunity to serve Sonoma County another four years,” said Carter.
Three years ago, after finishing first in the primary, Carter sailed to victory in the fall when the second-place finisher suspended his campaign months before the November election.
“Ideally, nobody else runs but that is wishful thinking,” said Carter, who turned 54 on Tuesday. “Honestly, I am getting to the age where I could retire, but it now seems a call to action to step into this role with veracity.”
In March, following a number of executive orders signed by Republican President Donald Trump that targeted LGBTQ and immigrant students as well as pupils of color, Carter and all five trustees on the Sonoma County Board of Education issued a joint statement declaring their support for immigrant families, the LGBTQ+ community, and other protected groups.
It noted that the actions taken by federal officials, “while upsetting to many in our community, do not carry the effect of law and frequently contradict existing laws or policies in the U.S. and California.” The county education leaders pointed to various California education codes that require public schools to provide students with environments “free from discrimination, harassment, bullying, violence, and intimidation” and curriculum representative of the Golden State’s diverse populations.
“We strive for our schools to be welcoming, safe places that reflect the diverse voices and stories that make
“For example, the Safe Place to Learn Act, AB 827, mandates that age-appropriate, medically accurate information about sexual orientation and gender identity be taught in our schools. And Assembly Bill 1266 allows transgender students to use restrooms and other facilities consistent with their gender identity,” noted the letter.
According to data collected by Sonoma County’s 40 school districts, 8% of the roughly 62,000 students enrolled in K-12 identify as LGBTQ, with 14% of students identifying themselves as prefer not to say when asked about their sexual orientation and gender identity. It was important for them and their families, in addition to any other families targeted by Trump’s edicts, to know the county education office would fight for their rights, Carter told the B.A.R. when asked about the decision to issue the statement to the community.
She also likened it to how during Pride Month in June in her first year as county superintendent, she raised the rainbow flag at her office. She did so to send a signal to her local schools and the broader community that showing public support for the LGBTQ community “is important” and OK for them to also do.
“It is reflective of our county’s values,” contended Carter, adding of the recently issued statement that “taking actions like that provide clear coverage for local school district superintendents to follow our lead and follow our courage.”
It is the support for LGBTQ students expressed by Democratic state officials, from the governor and attorney general to the state superintendent of instruction, that lends Carter courage for standing up so publicly to a White House that is quick to take vindictive actions against its critics. It is a level of support that her counterparts in other states led by Republican elected officials do not enjoy, noted Carter.
“I am comfortable leaning in on issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion because that permission is coming from the very top leadership of our state,” she said. “That is a great position to be in; not all my colleagues are in the same position across the country.”
As for the backlash Governor Gavin
“Increasingly, there are fewer and fewer students or kids of school age in our county. That is impacting the revenues here,” said Carter. “Every district across my county is trying to right-size for the number of students we have.”
To imbue as part of a schoolwide culture support for LGBTQ students and families that isn’t dependent on one position that could be cut to save money, Carter during her first term has utilized the “Welcoming Schools” anti-bullying program by the national LGBTQ rights group the Human Rights Campaign to help train educators at school districts across the county on how to advocate for their LGBTQ students and families at their campuses and in their classrooms.
“A part of the strategy we have been focused on at the Sonoma County Office of Education is how do we make a stand for these students and make sure inclusionary practices are just backed into the cake, so it is not vulnerably tied up into one position or one individual but taking a broader approach,” said Carter, adding that by making such an investment via the HRC program, “my hope is you have changed the culture and it is not as vulnerable to budget cuts as it could be.”
And her office received a $20 million state grant last year to provide guidance on equity initiatives in the schools. The Sonoma County education officials are working with their counterparts at the countywide education offices in Los Angeles and Kern counties on how to address the needs particularly of Black students and will produce a report with best practices to be shared statewide.
“I think I am really proud of the way our agency has leaned in on matters of equity,” said Carter.
A mother of five adult daughters with her former wife, Carter remar ried last year. She had first met her new spouse, Annika, three years ago; last weekend they attended one of Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter” concerts in Los Angeles as a birthday gift for Carter.
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“I have never been so happy; I am lucky,” said Carter.
She hopes her being an out and proud gay official counters the antiLGBTQ discourse that the queer and trans students in her county are subjected to.
“They see the national rhetoric. It is impacting them and their wellbeing,” said Carter. “It is up to the adults around them to send the message they belong and they are safe and supported in our schools.”
Doing that can positively impact all students, she noted.
“Any time you are standing up to protect the identity of anyone, you are helping everyone in the community,” said Carter. t
The Bay Area Reporter can help members of the LGBTQ community in the San Francisco Bay Area reach more than 120,000 local residents each week with their display of Obituary* and In Memoriam messages.
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Sonoma County Superintendent of Schools Amie Carter, Ph.D., will seek reelection in 2026.
“There are so many inspiring examples from LGBTQ+ history of how our communities achieve more when we come together to lift one another up and fight to protect each other,” Billy Lemon, a gay man who is the executive director of the Castro Country Club, stated in the release. “From the Stonewall uprising to examples of community care and mutual aid during the HIV crisis, we are inspired by the resilience and strength of our queer community and allies. Together, we will continue to fight for the lives, and the
<< News Briefs
From page 5
Booster doses are not recommended at this time for those who have completed the two-dose series, DPH stated. The mpox vaccine is not recommended at this time for people who have previously been infected.
“If you are attending Pride or other events throughout the summer, now is a great time to get the mpox vaccine if you are not fully vaccinated and are at risk of getting mpox,” stated Dr. Susan Philip, San Francisco health officer. “The vaccine is available at health systems, pharmacies, and clinics.”
Trans military ban From page 1
Both Tuesday’s Supreme Court order and its actions in 2019 focused on servicemembers in Washington state and the 9th Circuit. There were four pending cases in 2019, and three today.
The subject of the new Supreme Court order May 6 is Shilling v. U.S., a case challenging Trump’s January 27 executive order entitled “Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness.”
Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund filed the lawsuit on behalf of seven active duty transgender servicemembers, one transgender person who would like to serve, and the Gender Justice League. Federal district Judge Benjamin Settle in Seattle issued a stay of the Trump ban in March; and a threejudge panel of the 9th Circuit denied the Trump administration’s request in April for relief from that stay.
“Today’s Supreme Court ruling is a devastating blow to transgender servicemembers who have demonstrated their
Castro businesses From page 1
As of May 6, they’ve gotten 900 signatures on the petitions. Six hundred of these have been sent to Mandelman’s office, Ken Khoury said.
Mandelman – who nominated the nail salon for legacy business status earlier this year, which it attained – told the B.A.R. on May 6 that, “I think APE and the Nassers should find a way for these two long-standing and beloved businesses to remain in the Castro.”
Asked if he was planning on meeting with the parties, or had already, Mandelman stated that he had.
Ken Khoury said he first learned there’d be a problem with renewing the lease in January, when he sat down with Chris Nasser to discuss its renewal.
Ken Khoury said Nasser told him that Bay Properties Inc. – the company that owns the theater, of which he is the president – could not renew the leases because the three-unit building containing it was leased to APE as of July 1.
The B.A.R. reached out to APE to ask what it had to say. An APE spokesperson confirmed the company will hold the master lease of the spaces as of July 1, and added that the brothers had been informed far in advance of January 2025 that their leases would not be renewed. It was widely reported in 2022 that APE leased the theater itself when it took over management. The theater is currently undergoing a massive renovation and restoration project, to the tune of $35 million, according to APE. As the B.A.R. reported in February, the theater was originally supposed to be open this summer, but this has been pushed back to fall.
An email viewed by the B.A.R. confirms that Nasser stated that Bay Properties Inc. cannot extend the leases. He also stated he was working with APE on a resolution.
SFDPH continues to monitor the spread of mpox globally, the release noted. There are two types of the virus that causes mpox, clade I and clade II. The 2022 outbreak in the U.S., including California, was caused by clade II mpox. Clade 1 mpox cases have been reported predominately in Central and Eastern Africa, with travel associated cases reported in North America, Asia, and Europe. Since 2024, there have been four clade 1 cases reported in the United States, none of which were reported in San Francisco, according to the release.
For more information on mpox, go to sf.gov/mpox
capabilities and commitment to our nation’s defense,” Lambda Legal and the Human Rights Campaign Foundation stated. “By allowing this discriminatory ban to take effect while our challenge continues, the court has temporarily sanctioned a policy that has nothing to do with military readiness and everything to do with prejudice. Transgender individuals meet the same standards and demonstrate the same values as all who serve. We remain steadfast in our belief that this ban violates constitutional guarantees of equal protection and will ultimately be struck down.”
The Trump administration applied to the Supreme Court for an emergency order to overcome the lower court stays. In response Tuesday, the justices granted that request, “pending the disposition of the appeal” in the 9th Circuit and the Supreme Court. Although no justice signed the order, it indicated three justices – liberals Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson –would have denied the Trump administration’s request.
health, of us all.”
Jaime Robert Peruffo-Gambale, a gay longtime participant in AIDS/ LifeCycle, stated in the release that, “Castro Country Club and San Francisco AIDS Foundation are two community organizations that have meaningfully benefited my life.”
“As a person who has lost a parent
SF supes OK Folsom entertainment zone
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors has approved additional entertainment zones in the city, including one along Folsom Street, long associated with the leather and kink communities. The supervisors unanimously approved the zone at its April 29 meeting on first reading; it also passed the final vote May 6.
As the B.A.R. previously reported, entertainment zones, one of which was recently approved by the supervisors for the Castro LGBTQ neighborhood, are seen as a way of encouraging nightlife and economic
Trump’s executive order in January rescinded an executive order issued by President Joe Biden in 2021, which undid Trump’s years prior order issued via Twitter and now known as X. The Biden executive order declared “all qualified Americans” could serve in the military.
In 2019, a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit ruled that the Trump ban “must be evaluated … with the appropriate deference due to a proffered military decision.”
Two other legal cases have also been pushing back against the Trump ban. They are being jointly led by San Francisco-based NCLR and Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders. The first of the three cases, Talbott v. USA, filed by NCLR in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, led to a national injunction against the Trump ban. That was issued by Judge Ana Reyes, a lesbian Biden appointee. The second case, Ireland v. Hegseth, challenges the ban in federal court in New Jersey. A district court judge there ordered the Department of Defense not to enforce the ban.
Indeed, the Nassers, APE, and the Khourys had a meeting at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium on March 18, though those negotiations did not result in a resolution all parties could agree upon.
“As of end of June, they [APE] will be the leaseholders,” Ken Khoury said. “We suggested we sit down with them to talk about the new lease. What’s going to happen to us here?”
Added Riyad Khoury, “At the end of conversation, they said, ‘In a perfect world what would you like?’ I said, ‘I would like to stay here. That’s it’” Continued Ken Khoury, “At the time we felt they might be interested in a solution. But after that meeting? Silence.” Nasser didn’t return multiple requests to comment.
Asked if they were told of anything that might be replacing them in the storefronts, Ken Khoury said, “Up to this day we don’t know. They will not say. They’re tight-lipped about it. All they’re saying is they need the spaces, that APE needs the spaces. Why?”
The APE spokesperson stated that APE has no plans to utilize the spaces for its own use, though this may change going forward, and stressed the company hopes the matter can be resolved
between the Nassers and the Khourys before their leases end.
“We are not party to any negotiations between the Nassers and any of their tenants,” David Perry, a gay man who is a spokesperson for APE, stated. “We have one focus, which is restoring, renovating, and upgrading the Castro Theatre to make a safe and sustainable venue as soon as possible for the LGBTQ, film, cultural, and greater Castro and entertainment community.”
Ken Khoury said May 6 that the businesses each pay $3,166.92 in monthly rent.
Ken Khoury went on to say that Nasser “suggested we could move some place and they … would help fund” the moving costs.
APE wants the two spaces, brothers say Added Riyad Khoury, “We asked [Nasser], suppose one of the shops moved? Would you guarantee a lease for the other shop? His response was two days ago, ‘No.’ The response was ‘APE wants two shops.’”
Earlier the same day as the interview, Ken Khoury made an appearance at the Castro Merchants Association’s monthly meeting asking for fellow
to the epidemic, and who has had my own journey with substance use, I know that these issues affect many in our community and go hand-inhand,” Peruffo-Gambale stated. “It’s important for me to step up and give back so that these organizations are able to continue to deliver care and services. I ride for all of the people we’ve lost to HIV, for those of us who have battled addiction, and to end the shame and stigma.” t
recovery following the COVID pandemic. They allow restaurants and bars to sell alcoholic beverages togo, for consumption within the zone during special events.
The Folsom zone would be located on Folsom Street between Seventh and Eighth streets, Hallam Street between Folsom Street and Brush Place, and Langton Street between Folsom Street and Decker Alley. It is in the Leather and LGBTQ Leather Cultural District.
Bob Goldfarb, a gay man who’s executive director of the leather district, previously told the B.A.R. it is supportive of the entertainment zone.
Minter and GLAD attorney Jennifer Levi, who identifies as transgender, issued a statement Tuesday stating that the Supreme Court’s order allowing the ban to take effect – even though preliminary – will have a “devastating” effect on transgender servicemembers.
“Today’s decision,” Levi stated in a news release, “adds to the chaos and destruction caused by this administration.
“It’s not the end of the case, but the havoc it will wreak is devastating and irreparable,” Levi added.
The preliminary injunctions in place had protected transgender servicemembers and recruits from significant harms by preventing the Department of Defense from initiating separation proceedings or otherwise enforcing the ban, NCLR and GLAD noted. These harms included servicemembers being removed from deployments, denied commissions and promotions, placed on administrative leave, denied medically needed care, and ultimately being placed in involuntary separation proceedings, a process used to address instances of misconduct.
merchants to sign the petition. Patrick Batt, a gay man who is proprietor of AutoErotica on 18th Street, brought up that Khourys’ relatives own the building next door (which the B.A.R. confirmed). That building includes the newly-vacant Double Rainbow Ice Cream space at 415 Castro Street.
At the merchants’ meeting, Ken Khoury said, “We suggested [APE] take it if they want a box office. They can take it. It’s 209 square feet.”
During the interview later that day, he said that moving one of the businesses there would not work.
“It’s too small. We had an architect come and measure it, and if you want to follow city regulations, I can hardly put my espresso machine in there,” Ken Khoury said. “It’s 209 square feet versus 300. Neither shop can fit, in either case.”
He also said that, “My youngest brother who owns it, him and my sister, we offered it [to APE].”
Riyad Khoury said after the lease situation became clear earlier this year he was eager to apply for his store to become a legacy business, which he did successfully, as the B.A.R. reported. Because the coffee company changed its name in 2009, it was ineligible to apply for the designation.
He also said the pair met with Mandelman, and that he briefly discussed the matter with Mayor Daniel Lurie, who said he was aware of the situation. Though he did not get a response from a Lurie aide, he did hear from Katy Tang, the executive director of the Office of Small Business and a former supervisor.
“She reached out to me,” he said. “She emailed and called me and said she’d try to find a solution for you but so far nothing came of it.”
Reached for comment May 6, Office of Small Business communica-
People seeking more information on the Recovery Ride should reach out to cccrecoveryride@ gmail.com.
“It’s created to help the SOMA Nights events,” he said in a phone call. “And to mitigate the impact of the Folsom streetscape construction.”
The Folsom-Howard Streetscape Project, intended to improve bicycle and pedestrian safety on the streets as well as upgrade traffic signals, started last year. The Folsom Street portion of the project is anticipated to finish in 2026, and the Howard Street portion in 2027.
In addition to the zone on Folsom, other entertainment zones approved by the supervisors are located at Pier 39, Ellis Street, Valencia Street, and Yerba Buena Lane, which is referred to as a downtown activation. t
Other LGBTQ organizations also criticized the court’s decision.
In a statement, Equality California, the statewide LGBTQ rights organization, said the court got it wrong.
“Donald Trump’s cruel and baseless policy has nothing to do with military readiness or national security – and everything to do with hate and the weaponization of the federal government to discriminate against transgender people,” stated Tony Hoang, a gay man who is executive director of EQCA. “By refusing to intervene, the Supreme Court is complicit in allowing that hate to shape federal policy.
“Legal challenges to this discriminatory ban are still pending in federal appellate courts, and we remain hopeful that those courts will uphold the principles of fairness and equality,” Hoang added. “Multiple federal judges have already found the ban to be unconstitutional – a conclusion the highest court in the land should have also affirmed.” t
tions manager Michelle Reynolds stated, “OSB has been in touch with the Khourys dating back to early this year. We continue to offer our small business services and programs that may be of help to them.”
OSB can help in lease negotiations, relocation support, and permitting, a spokesperson told the B.A.R. in March.
While the B.A.R. was visiting the coffee shop for follow-up questions May 6, Skye Dow, a straight ally and San Francisco native, expressed dismay upon seeing a sign on the business explaining the situation.
“This is something that makes us San Francisco,” Dow said. “This makes us who we are, and if you take it away, you are taking away our identity – for what? Profit?”
The Khourys hope they can stay where they are now, and that the petition and emails to Mandelman and Lurie’s offices can change the minds of the Nassers and APE.
Nate Bourg, a gay man who is president of the merchant’s association, stated to the B.A.R., “The Castro is home to hard-working small business owners and passionate residents who support them through thick and thin — this is one of our community’s greatest strengths.
“While the Castro Merchants Association cannot intervene in negotiations between landlords and tenants, we strongly hope for a good-faith resolution that enables these businesses to continue operating, and keeps this vital block of Castro Street active and thriving,” he concluded.
Ken Khoury told the merchants, “They’re setting a precedent of evicting businesses from the neighborhood. It never happened before.” t
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Castro Nail Salon owner Riyad Khoury’s lease has not been renewed.
John Ferrannini
Gregg Shapiro
Michael Kelly as Harvey Milk in Opera Parallèle’s ‘Harvey Milk Reimagined’
Amara Tabor Smith performs in Dance Mission Theatre’s BART Plaza activation project
‘Joan Crawford Superstar’
by Jim Gladstone
“Above Suspicion,” was the final film Joan Crawford made as a contract player for MGM Studios; a 1943 espionage caper co-starring Fred MacMurray.
It’s also a reasonable assessment of the sincere fandom that fuels “Joan Crawford Superstar,” an earnest, sporadically delightful scrapbook-style tribute to the legend, born Lucille LeSueur, now playing at Theater 33 just off Union Square. (A display of Crawford memorabilia festoons the second-floor lobby).
Rather than the camped-up, dragged-down Crawford caricatures served up by cabaret impersonators and film and television productions like “Mommie Dearest” and “Feud,” writer/director Chris Chase presents an unequivocally adoring portrait of the actress, one of the biggest Hollywood stars to successfully cross over from silent films to talkies, and a powerful proto-feminist.
TCM enthusiasts and longtime Crawford fans will find plenty to enjoy here. And members of Generations X and younger will learn that those perennially popular gay bar film clips of Dunaway-as-Crawford-as-Hag don’t tell the whole story: Oh boy did they fuck with her, fellas!
Hooray for Ally-wood!
Chase’s script emphasizes Crawford’s unwillingness to be subjugated
as a woman in the studio system, her impressive business skills, and, most engagingly, her empathetic support of gay actor William “Billy” Haines. Haines is played with tangy citric sweetness by Max Seijas, an always welcome presence on Bay Area stages. Here, even in several smaller parts as journalists interviewing Crawford, he brings a vivid three-dimensionality to his characterizations.
While Billy armors himself with flippant quips, Seijas simultaneously projects an underlying confidence. And in one of his reporter roles, Seijas gives us a fellow asquirm with glee, trying to remain professional while suppressing his inner fanboy.
Such robust moments are also occasionally provided by Erica Flor, in multiple roles; Richard Wenzel, whose Louis B. Mayer is a charming scoundrel; and Isabel DiGrandi and Donna Turner, who both play versions of Crawford. At those times, the show has the liveliness of a pop-up book, but the storytelling too often recedes into PowerPoint flatness.
Clips and convergence
The lack of vivacity is largely tied to a narrative structure that asks the audience to frequently shift attention between scenes centered on DiGrandi’s younger Joan to Turner’s later-life version. Rather than allowing us to become fully immersed in the story, these alternating timeframes create a repeated dunk-in/yank-out experience.
Isabel DiGrandi and Donna Turner as younger and older Joan Crawfords in ‘Joan
Virtually every scene offers a nugget or two of crunchy Crawfordiana, but their aggregate feels more like documentation than drama. (Wonderfully, Chase’s costumes, from gauzy flapper dresses to feathered hats to fur-trimmed capes look so authentic, it’s like they’re right out of a documentary, too).
Both actresses playing Joan bring strong physical and vocal presence to the role: DiGrandi’s shoulder rolls and precisely metered gait convey young
Crawford’s strategic, self-aware seductiveness. Turner gives her older version a perpetual, deflecting nonplussedness; a captured animal, too proud to lick its wounds.
But because we experience their performances in what feel like rapid-fire clips rather than full-length scenes, there’s never a palpable sense of rising tension or climax.
Chase’s script incorporates a dual timeline that, while intriguing and ambitious, doesn’t pay off dramati-
‘Disco Witches of Fire Island’
by Jim Piechota
Acoven of witches and queer men on vacation converge in Blair Fell’s “Disco Witches of Fire Island,” an explosive and melodramatic novel that blends gay romance, evil forces, and gay nostalgia into a fun, memorable reading experience ideal for summer vacation.
In the late 1980s, ArmenianAmerican Joe Agabian, 24, boards a ferry to cross the Great South Bay from Long Island. For the first time, he plans to spend an exciting summer working on Fire Island, thanks to a spontaneous proposal from his bestie Ronnie Kaminski, a blond, long-haired Polish-Swedish hottie who’d just been fired from his night security job the previous winter.
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The “gaytopia” of Fire Island is the grand destination; bartending through the summer is the plan. In a perfect world, this arrangement would make any gay boy click his heels and pack his bags, but Fell has bigger plans for his characters and immediately throws a rusty wrench into the plot: Ronnie not only doesn’t meet Joe at the dock upon his arrival, but has failed to arrange a place to stay or line up any bartending jobs for them, either.
Coming to Joe’s rescue is Howie Fishbein and his housemate Lenny D’Amico, both seemingly sweet-natured housecleaners who reside on the Island year-round and immediately offer temporary accommodations to Joe. Their increasingly odd behavior about his age, appearance, and unexpected presence on the island float over Joe’s head, but in reality, both Howie and Lenny are witches, part of the five-member coven whose mystical dancing rituals have the power to
protect men from the Great Darkness, a malevolent force with powers to lure men (or employ other men to do their evil bidding) to their deaths by suicide.
Having lost his partner, Elliot, to AIDS several years prior, Joe’s life, still in mourning, is at particularly high risk for doomsaying depression, and as the great dark evil descends and gets to work on the partying men of
cally. As scenes alternate over the production’s 80 minutes, we are meant to simultaneously follow young Joan, beginning in 1925, as she goes from ingenue to Oscar-winner (Best Actress, 1946, for “Mildred Pierce”); and older Joan, beginning in 1977 (the year of her death), as she moves backward from old age to that same Oscar.
While it’s easy to understand the normal chronological progression of young Joan’s scenes, it’s virtually impossible to grasp older Joan’s reverse trajectory without detailed knowledge of Crawford’s biography (There are no make-up or costume cues to let us know she’s growing more youthful as the show progresses).
Despite its flaws (and in light of its ambition), “Joan Crawford Superstar” is a welcome debut from Intentional Theatrics, the Bay Area’s newest production company. Their performance space, in the Shelton Theater building, was home to the late lamented Custom Made Theatre.
During a week when federal grants are being rescinded from companies including TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, New Conservatory Theatre Center and Berkeley Repertory, it’s heartening to see such new creativity and tenacity on the rise.t
‘Joan Crawford Superstar,’ $39-$49, Fri/Sat 7:30pm, Sat/Sun 2pm thru May 18. Theater 33. 533 Sutter St. intentionaltheatrics.com
Blair Fell’s magical beach read
Fire Island, the Disco Witches all have their spell work cut out for them.
Can they save Joe in time from a horrific fate? Could the super sexy Fergal the Ferryman step in and save our hero from drowning in misery during the “dark summer of the soul” at the hands of the Great Darkness?
In the end, disco always makes everything better, as it’s always done.
Fell cleverly keeps the characterdriven chapters short, succinct, and playfully flamboyant, propelling the book along at a brisk pace with the action strumming along. The author channels the 1980s era perfectly and tosses in all the disco-soundtracked, drag-sequined, sweat-saturated, raised boardwalk-ed Cherry Grove Meat Rack-cruising details of a hot, humid summer on Fire Island to beautiful effect.
The supernatural witchy elements are handled with surprising dexterity and a knowing sense of spooky realness, particularly for certain readers familiar with how dark hexes can clash with the positive energies, good fortunes, and protective blessings dispatched by works of white magic.
Set in 1989, it’s a forgone conclusion that the book will include the heavy essence of the AIDS epidemic, which Fell resonantly captures with grace, black humor, authenticity, and the kind of nostalgia which many of us would prefer to forget. But HIV does indeed play a significant role in this novel as it unifies its characters in ways nothing else possibly could.
While all the campy, fiery, frothy, witchcraft-generated dramatics might seem like too much candy-coated queer fiction to a casual observer, there is so much more here as Fell’s novel has oceans of heart, honest emotion, meaning, and community spirit to spare.
Blair Fell will discuss his novel with author and B.A.R. Arts Editor Jim Provenzano at Fabulosa Books, 489 Castro Street in SF, on Sunday, May 18, at 5pm.t
www.fabulosabooks.com
‘Disco Witches of Fire Island’ by Blair Fell, Alcove Press/PenguinRandom House, $19.99 www.blairfell.com
‘Luigi the Musical’
Satirical play based on alleged murderer has a sold-out June run at Taylor Street Theater
by Jim Provenzano
Yes, you heard that right. A musical about alleged healthcare CEO murderer Luigi Mangione is getting a musical theater take on his alleged crime and current time in jail. The hottest show in town began rehearsals two months ago, but it’s already sold out for a limited run.
Very loosely based on the current event crime of 26-year-old Luigi Mangione allegedly shooting United HealthCare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024 in Manhattan, the show’s producers call it “a wildly irreverent, razor-sharp comedy that imagines the true story of Luigi Mangione, the alleged corporate assassin turned accidental folk hero.”
Critics are deriding the show before it’s even opened. With a similar take on criminal musicals like Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler’s “Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street” and Kanter, Ebb & Fosse’s “Chicago,” the show’s young creators are taking a lighter tone in this one-hour comic take on celebrity criminals. Yet no highprofile musical has been produced while the main character’s trials are taking place. Read more, and peruse less controversial arts and nightlife events, on www.ebar.com.
www.luigithemusical.info
Luigi Mangione
Author Blair Fell
Crawford Superstar’
t Broken Promises >>
Consequently, we are terminating awards that fall outside these new priorities. The NEA will now prioritize projects that elevate the Nation’s HBCUs and Hispanic Serving Institutions, celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence, foster AI competency, empower houses of worship to serve communities, assist with disaster recovery, foster skilled trade jobs, make America healthy again, support the military and veterans, support Tribal communities, make the District of Columbia safe and beautiful, and support the economic development of Asian American communities. Funding is being allocated in a new direction in furtherance of the Administration’s agenda. Your project, as noted below, unfortunately does not align with these priorities.”
The emails were semi-anonymously signed, ‘Sincerely, The National Endowment for the Arts’ Arts groups were instructed that they could appeal the determination within seven calendar days of the notice, “if you believe your project meets one of the agency’s new priorities.”
NCTC’s specific project for their grant, “Simple Mexican Pleasures,” is currently running through May 18. www.nctcsf.org
Chaos amid cuts
This is only one of hundreds of arts organizations that received emails last week. According to an NPR story, the updates, which came from a generic “arts.gov” email address, appeared in grantees’ inboxes just hours after President Trump proposed eliminating the agency entirely from the federal budget.
“Beyond the wave of cuts, the National Endowment for the Arts is among a group of ‘small agency eliminations’ proposed by the Trump administration’s 2026 Discretionary Budget Request, alongside the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.”
NPR itself is under pressure as a target of the Trump administration, as is PBS and its local affiliates. However, since both media corporations are privately funded, despite his executive order, his administration can’t legally defund them.
This is just one part in an astounding barrage of actions by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other agencies. Court decisions halting some actions are preliminary, with no definitive ruling. Actions include arresting and detaining migrants, foreign students with valid visas, and even US citizens and children, incarcerating them overseas.
Most recently, Trump made the absurd proposal to reopen San Francisco’s Alcatraz Island as a prison, despite the fact that it’s been a state park for decades and is completely illequipped to house prisoners.
Clapping back
Amid this chaos, some arts groups have responded to the funding cancellations. New Conservatory Theatre Center filed an appeal, and shared their reply:
“Dear NEA Administrator,
We are submitting this letter of appeal in response to the withdrawal of funding for the New Conservatory Theatre Center’s world premiere play “Simple Mexican Pleasures” by Eric Reyes Loo (Application #193400532). In your email notification you mention that the Endowment’s priorities have been updated to “focus funding on projects that reflect the nation’s rich artistic heritage and creativity as prioritized by the President.” Further on, the letter states “the NEA will now prioritize projects that elevate the Nation’s HBCUs and Hispanic Serving Institutions…”
If this focus is in fact a priority, I
urge you to read on as well as review the attached information about the play. I believe that it will help you to understand how the project aligns perfectly with elevating the Hispanic community. It achieves this through a beautifully rendered queer story highlighting a rich cultural heritage. This is something to be proud of and not ignored, ridiculed or denigrated.
We find it unacceptable that the President has cast himself as the sole arbiter of what comprises the nation’s artistic heritage and creativity.
A healthy America is one that fully supports the robust freedom of broad artistic expression.
It has long been a core tenet of the NEA that the work they decide to fund will be judged solely on its artistic merits and not be influenced by any outside pressure. By placing the Endowment’s creative direction and the funds it controls in the hands of a single individual, and especially one as powerful as the President, who makes his biases well known, is especially disturbing. What this means for the NEA and for imaginative and intelligent works of art in general is not hard to see. There will be an ongoing dumbing down, draining of color, and censorship of the works available to the American people. As a result, their ability to learn the truth will be greatly diminished.
The chaotic and misguided directives from the White House continue to inflict incomparable damage on the soul of our nation. It is in the spirit of our shared humanity and artistic liberty that we resolutely appeal your recent decision to withdraw the New Conservatory Theatre Center’s grant. We respectfully request the reinstatement of our NEA grant as well as those of our colleagues across the nation.
Sincerely yours, Ed Decker, Barbara Hodgen Founder and Artistic Director, Executive Director New Conservatory Theatre Center
Harvey tribute
Another performing nonprofit whose $25,000 grant was rescinded is Opera Parallèle, which is on the verge of producing a new version of composer Stewart Wallace and librettist Michael Korie’s opera about gay civil rights leader Harvey Milk. Performances are still set to begin May 31.
“Opera Parallèle is deeply disappointed by the recent NEA decision to withdraw financial support from the company’s upcoming presentation of ‘Harvey Milk Reimagined,’ said a company statement.
The organization questioned how “an opera honoring one of the nation’s foremost LGBTQ+ civil rights leaders, does not ‘reflect the nation’s rich artistic heritage and creativity.’ This powerful work tells the story of a visionary
who was tragically slain for striving to unify a divided community.”
“What is particularly disconcerting,” wrote Opera Parallèle’s Interim Managing Director Elizabeth Brodersen, “is that we received a congratulatory letter from the NEA six months ago confirming that their selection panel had recommended Opera Parallèle’s “Harvey Milk Reimagined” for funding. This reversal undermines the NEA’s standing as an arbiter of artistic excellence.”
“The company is profoundly grateful to our generous benefactors and donors at every level, whose support and passion sustain our mission,” said the opera reps. “The most meaningful way to stand with us, and to honor the legacy of Harvey Milk, is to attend one of the upcoming performances at YBCA.”
www.operaparallele.org
Dancing through strife
Dance Mission Theater, now in its 25th year, and its resident company Dance Brigade (which has existed in various forms for half a century) also received notice on May 2 that its $75,000 grant was terminated.
“We received an Our Town grant to support art activations in and around the BART Plaza,” wrote Managing Director Stella Adelman in an email. “San Francisco Arts Council was the City agency that supported the project. Our award period was July 1, 1024 to December 31, 2025. We are frantically trying to figure out if we can adjust.”
The extensive notice to Dance Mission Theater stated that, “The period of performance is changed administratively to end May 31, 2025. NEA support for this project does not extend beyond this date.” In addition to having funds withheld, arts organizations are still required to report final expenses.
Adelman added, “Ironically, I would argue that our project falls within the ‘Make America Healthy Again’ priority, as the reason we are doing this project is because a lot of ‘unhealthy’ activity was/is happening on our corner [24th St at Mission] and we know that putting up a fence or policing the area is not the answer. As Rhodessa Jones always says, ‘Art saves lives.’ We were activating the area with culturally relevant art activities. But we are not going to waste time trying to challenge this.”
Adelman wrote that she is also worried about how this is also going to affect re-granting organizations like the California Arts Council, which receives NEA funding.
“It is yet another blow for art organizations at a time when so much other funding is being cut both from foundation and government sources.”
Adelman also noted how the original contract was inconsistent with the revised statement, claiming that the NEA can terminate their
… my guess is queer orgs won’t get funded. I look forward to being proven wrong.”
www.oneinstitute.org
Quilted
Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive also lost funding for an upcoming exhibit.
“Like many cultural institutions across the United States, we have been impacted by recent changes to the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and National Endowment for the Arts,” wrote Executive Director Julie Rodrigues Widholm in a newsletter.
Two grants that BAMPFA had secured from those organizations for the African American Quilt Collection were terminated. The multiyear grant under the IMLS’s Save America’s Treasures program was to support the necessary conservation of historic handmade quilts. A separate grant from the NEA to support BAMPFA’s upcoming exhibition “Routed West” was also cancelled. In total, the termination of these grants removes more than $260,000.
contract at any time.
“These are scary, fascist times,” she wrote. “Unfortunately, this is not a hyperbole. They have come for our trans siblings, our immigrant siblings, our HIV+ siblings, our youth, our education systems. And now they are coming for art. Because they know that art has the power to activate minds and hearts and effect change. But we will not lay down and toss up our hands in defeat, because we can’t. We will continue because the future literally depends on it.”
www.dancemissiontheater.org
Strike One In Los Angeles, The One Institute, an esteemed archive of LGBTQ historical items, received its NEA grant termination notice on May 1. The institute frequently works with San Francisco’s GLBT Historical Society on exhibits.
“The project for which we had been recommended for funding (a grant or $15,000) was for the Circa: Queer Histories festival, a deeply intersectional festival which promotes the contributions of LGBTQ+ people through arts and humanities programming,” wrote Executive Director Tony Valenzuela in a Facebook post.
“While I applaud the NEA’s new funding priorities, I am doubtful of their sincerity considering Trump is again trying to eliminate the NEA in his just-released budget. All that said,
“The federal government may feel that this work ‘no longer serves the interest of the United States,” wrote Rodrigues Widholm. “However, we strongly believe that these quilts are an important piece of African American history and cultural heritage—and therefore of American history and cultural heritage. Our conservation efforts over the last three years and work behind the upcoming exhibition are founded upon this belief, allowing us to share the quilts’ artistry and histories with the public.”
Rodrigues Widholm encouraged people to become members, donate, and visit the museum.
“Despite the challenges we face at this time, nothing will diminish BAMPFA’s pride and enthusiasm for our upcoming exhibition this summer.”
www.bampfa.org
So, what else can artists and arts patrons do?
NCTC’s Ed Decker wrote on May 5 on Facebook, “In the short term, buy tickets to performances at your favorite theatre. Fill every seat not just in solidarity but for nourishment of mind and soul. In the long term, make your voice heard - endlessly. Take to the streets for every call to action that you can manage. The power of the people can reframe the radical right’s tyrannical narrative of bigotry, fear and disenfranchisement. Let’s turn the lights back on.”t
Right: Alice Neal’s ‘Mary Bright Commemorative Quilt’ (1956) will be part of BAMPFA’s upcoming exhibit, ‘Routed West: Twentieth-Century African American Quilts in California’
