September 23, 2021 edition of the Bay Area Reporter, America's #LGBTQ

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Early backing for Esteen

A diplomatic tempest

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The Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza unveiled the preliminary design for Harvey Milk Plaza during virtual presentations in June.

SF arts panel backs latest Milk plaza design

by Matthew S. Bajko

Megahood2021 to cap SF Leather Week A revitalized LeatherWalk kicked off Leather Week September 19.

by John Ferrannini

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early three years after it first weighed in on the proposal to revamp Harvey Milk Plaza, a panel of local art experts has given its support to the latest design for the public parklet in the city’s LGBTQ Castro district.

At its September 20 meeting the Civic Design Review Committee of the San Francisco Arts Commission unanimously voted 5-0 to back the current modifications for the project. The committee members praised the new design as a “breath of fresh air” and an “astounding” change from what they had voted on before.

“You decided to use the space much more actively than passively. I applaud the entire effort,” said gay arts commissioner Paul Woolford. “I think it is remarkable and a place people will come and visit for the opportunity to experience the phenomenon of Harvey Milk.”

Commissioner Abby Sadin Schnair added that the revisions are “such a turnaround. I am blown away. Whoa!”

The Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza revealed its new proposal for the entrance area into the Castro Muni Station in June following another round of community meetings to elicit feedback about its plans. As the Bay Area Reporter noted at the time, the site would be reconfigured to make it more accessible for people with mobility issues. A new spiral podium feature would be built at the entrance of the plaza at the intersection of Castro and Market streets.

A smaller stairway leading to the underground subway station would be constructed. A rose-colored, transparent overhang above the escalator that goes to the MUNI station would be used to protect it from rainwater.

The color scheme is derived from that of the red-and-white bullhorn the plaza’s namesake famously used to rally residents of the neighborhood and the city’s larger LGBTQ community during protests held at See page 9 >>

Vol. 51 • No. 38 • September 23-29, 2021

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fter the lack of an in-person event last year, South of Market is once again ringing out with the sounds of house beats, whips, and howls. Leather Week is here.

The week began with a revitalized LeatherWalk from City Hall to Eagle Plaza Sunday, Sep-

tember 19. Cal Callahan, a gay man who is the district manager of the Leather & LGBTQ Cultural District, told the B.A.R. that “we are very pleased at how LeatherWalk has been received.”

“Turnout was greater than we expected and when I looked out at the crowd, I saw so much of our community represented,” Callahan said.

“We wanted an event where everyone felt they

belonged, an event that everyone felt was theirs.”

Callahan said that he’d heard there was a turnout of about 200-225 people. At the end of their trek through SOMA, walkers reached Leather Pride Fest 2021 at Eagle Plaza, and watched the raising of the Leather Pride flag.

Callahan thanked Lex Montiel, owner of the Eagle, and Leather Pride Fest 2021 organizer See page 10 >>

Lt. gov’s transgender advisory council lacks SF representation

by John Ferrannini

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new transgender advisory council formed by Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis includes nine members, but none from a San Francisco-based group.

Kounalakis’ office announced the new council September 12, describing it as the first of its kind in the nation. The council will “advise the Lt. Governor and create a forum to discuss issues affecting the transgender community,” according to a news release.

“Here in California, I’m proud we have enacted many protections for LGBTQ+ people, but we still have work to do, and that is especially true for issues facing our transgender and nonbinary family, friends, and neighbors,” stated Kounalakis, who hails from San Francisco.

“Establishing this council gives transgender leaders the space to have an open dialogue with key stakeholders who may not have otherwise had the opportunity to hear directly from them.

I hope bridging this gap will help to amplify important issues and bring more understanding of the community. I look forward to the opportunity to listen, to learn, and to help elevate the voices of the members,” she added.

The council began the first of a series of ongoing meetings last week, the release stated. Bamby Salcedo, a trans woman who is president and

Bill Wilson

California Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis has formed a transgender advisory council, but it doesn’t include anyone from a San Francisco-based agency.

CEO of TransLatin@ Coalition, told the Bay Area Reporter that “I’m very glad and fortunate I was approached to be part of this group.”

Salcedo said she believes it was Equality California, the statewide LGBTQ rights advocacy organization, that recommended she be selected for the consultative group. As the B.A.R. previously reported, Salcedo was a key voice for the creation of a statewide trans health fund that

Dave Fong

state leaders awarded $13 million this year.

“It seems like EQCA first had conversations with the lieutenant governor’s office and they are the ones who basically threw my name in the hat,” Salcedo said. “We had conversations, and they thought I was a good fit and they invited me to be a part of it.”

When reached for comment, EQCA Communications Director Samuel Garrett-Pate did not answer if the group recommended anyone from a San Francisco-based organization, but did say “we recommended people from the Bay Area.”

He noted that Ian Anderson, the legal services project manager with the Oakland-based Transgender Law Center, is a member of the council.

(Anderson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.)

Garrett-Pate added that the lieutenant governor’s office had reached out to EQCA for recommendations on the panel’s membership.

“Our team was happy to recommend a number of our partners across the state, who reflect the gender, ethnic, geographic and socioeconomic diversity of California’s TGI communities,” Garrett-Pate stated. “Ultimately, the lieutenant governor chose the initial members.

We are proud that Equality California Institute Program Manager Zizi Bandera was selected to participate, and we are incredibly grateful to the See page 10 >>

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<< Open Forum

4 • Bay Area Reporter • September 23-29, 2021

Volume 51, Number 38 September 23-29, 2021 www.ebar.com

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Lt. gov’s missed opportunities C

alifornia Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis recently announced that she’s formed a transgender advisory council made up of trans leaders from around the state to foster dialogue between state leaders and the transgender community. While we are pleased that she’s taken that step – and the nine people selected do represent various geographic areas around the Golden State – one locale is missing from the table: there is no one from a San Francisco-based agency serving on it.

This is unfortunate for a number of reasons.

Kounalakis is from San Francisco, which, of course, is home to the world’s first trans-specific cultural district, the Transgender District. The mayor’s office also created the Office of Transgender Initiatives, which provides policy input and guidance to city departments and performs other critical tasks.

Even San Francisco Pride just announced that it has a trans-majority of board members. There are many nonprofits here serving the trans community, including trans women of color.

As we have reported for years, trans people living in San Francisco are disproportionately impacted by homelessness, unemployment, and physical violence. That mirrors the situation throughout California, and indeed the country.

San Francisco has established - and funded with millions of dollars various programs to address these needs, such as adult trans housing and rental subsidy programs.

As a side note, Equality California, the statewide LGBTQ rights group, provided some input for the advisory council after Kounalakis reached out to it. We find it somewhat astounding that EQCA couldn’t tell us if it recommended anyone from San Francisco, considering its long ties to the city via its various board members over the years.

Some of the advisory council members and the spokeswoman for Kounalakis expect that the panel will see increased membership. We recommend that occur soon, so that more trans Californians can provide input on critical issues affecting the community. As Aria Sa’id, the presi-

Bill Wilson

Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, left, appeared at a September 8 rally for Governor Gavin Newsom in San Leandro.

dent and chief strategist of the Transgender District told us, not having anyone from San Francisco on the advisory council is indeed a missed opportunity.

Taking a stand on Hungary

Kounalakis also passed up a chance to stand in solidarity with the LGBTQ community in our report this week about top Hungarian diplomats who had their photo taken in San Francisco City Hall last month. That drew the ire of some Hungarian Americans and LGBTQ leaders because Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has been on an anti-LGBTQ tirade in anticipation of elections in his country next year.

The City Hall occasion was to observe the National Day of Hungary, which was organized by the Mayor’s Office of Protocol. While Mayor London Breed was not at the flag-raising, the photo op nonetheless has caused her office to issue a statement saying it would increase vetting for similar events in the future. Obviously, photos of representatives of the Orban government being welcomed in San Francisco City Hall are a potential propaganda coup for the regime – implying the

T

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support of a city that is a worldwide beacon for LGBTQ equality.

András Doncsev, Orban’s former speechwriter, now serves as Hungary’s technology ambassador in Santa Clara and has been posted in San Francisco as the science and technology attaché.

Doncsev and Hungarian Honorary Consul Eva E. Voisin attended the City Hall event. Kounalakis, who served as U.S. ambassador to Hungary during the Obama administration, knows a great deal about the country. However, she declined to speak with our reporter about the Doncsev photo op or Hungary’s recent anti-LGBTQ propaganda law or its anti-Semitic government.

In 2020, Orban and his ruling Fidesz party launched a barrage of legal assaults against Hungary’s LGBTQ community from banning gender recognition to same-sex marriage and adoption.

The country does recognize civil unions. In an interview, Doncsev denied that there is antiSemitism or homophobia in his country, which is ridiculous. He told the B.A.R. that “these are very, very strong serious allegations,” and suggested we check with the Anti-Defamation League regarding anti-Semitism in Hungary. In fact, in February, the ADL called out Hungary, along with some lawmakers in the British Labour Party, Poland, and Russia for using antiSemitism for “political means,” in a report.

Kounalakis has been a good ally to the LGBTQ community. She co-sponsored legislation this year that benefits the community. Assembly Bill 387, by Assemblywoman Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda), eliminates gendered language referencing constitutional officers. It was signed by Governor Gavin Newsom. AB 245, by Assemblyman David Chiu (D-San Francisco), would ensure that California public colleges and universities allow transgender and nonbinary students to have their name and gender accurately reflected on academic records. It is currently on the governor’s desk. But being an ally also means standing up to powerful leaders, whether here or abroad. Kounalakis could have used the Hungarians’ photo op to solidify her commitment to the LGBTQ community and concerned allies, both here in San Francisco and in Hungary, rather than choosing to remain silent. t

Every day is a celebration in the Leather & LGBTQ Cultural District

by Bob Goldfarb

Bay Area Reporter

t

he Leather & LGBTQ Cultural District, created by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 2018, is 22 city blocks in the South of Market neighborhood that have been home to numerous leather and kink venues since the 1960s.

I’m often asked what the leather in our name means. It’s a shorthand term that encompasses an ever-expanding subculture of erotic self-expression and sex that is enjoyed by all genders, orientations, and identities, and includes everything from wearing fetish attire to engaging in exotic, kinky activities.

After a delay last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Leather & LGBTQ Cultural District is excited that San Francisco’s annual weeklong celebration of leather culture is here. We are proud to own and produce the LeatherWalk, the traditional kickoff event to Leather Week. This year, for the first time, we started at City Hall and visited favorite neighborhood spots and watering holes along the route. If you didn’t join the walk this year, we hope to see you next time.

This week is filled with parties and events celebrating leather culture. After last year’s pandemic hiatus, we are delighted to meet, gather, and exercise our self-expression again, while still following health department recommendations. The grand finale of Leather Week, the Folsom Street Fair, will be different this year. For one thing, it is called Megahood2021. Some aspects will be scaled back to follow health guidelines, but if this year’s Folsom Street Market (which took the place of Up Your Alley in July) was any guide, there will be just as much joy and “celebration” – if I may use that euphemism – in the streets as ever.

The public celebration and visibility of Folsom Street Fair/Megahood2021 is critical to the leather community.

Even to those who have never attended, the event is known citywide, nationally, and even internationally. It is part of the fabric that makes

Courtesy Bob Goldfarb

Bob Goldfarb

San Francisco a wonderful place to live, work, and play, and serves as a symbol of our city’s tolerance and acceptance. In addition, the fair brings art, creativity, fun, and commerce to the city. Without these contributions, the leather community can be pushed into invisibility.

In the summer of 1980, there were roughly 40 thriving, vibrant leather and queer bars, clubs, bathhouses, sex clubs, leather makers, restaurants, and shops in the district. The curbs outside popular places were often lined with the motorcycles of those looking to express their sexuality and exercise their specific desires. SOMA was also home to the meeting spaces for many bike clubs, SM clubs, and other organizations that spearheaded the leather community’s charitable, fundraising, educational, and activist efforts. Today, we count just 12 brick and mortar locations housing leather and queer businesses.

The leather community originally gravitated to SOMA because there, they found both acceptance and affordable rent. These are both increasingly threatened by gentrification as the entertainment and industrial spaces our community has traditionally used to house our groups and venues are being redeveloped.

The only way we will avoid permanent displacement is to buy a building to house a leather community center, and indeed, that is our longterm goal. In the meantime, we are focused on easing those challenges in various ways. For instance, we are working with developers to include lease addendums to make new residents aware that events like Folsom Street Fair may bring some interesting clothing choices and entertainment to the streets, along with all the commerce, art, and excitement.

During the pandemic, we worked to make our community’s presence felt on the other 364 days of the year when there is no in-person Folsom Street Fair. We gained permission to install leather pride colors on light posts, similar to what one sees in the Transgender District and North Beach. Leather Pride-themed crosswalks were approved on alleys along Folsom Street, reflecting some of our community members’ fondness for back alleys. Speaking of alleys, we encourage everyone to visit the Leather History Walk on Ringold Alley, between Eighth and Ninth streets, just south of Folsom. There, visitors will see boot-shaped sidewalk plaques and standing stones commemorating people and venues foundational to our leather community.

Soon, the district will become home to several mural projects, and as health restrictions ease, there will be numerous events and art installations. We are already co-producing SOMA Second Saturdays (with SOMA West Community Benefit District and Folsom Street Events), a monthly fair for leather artists and artisans. Through these engaging projects, we will be celebrating leather, kink, and queerness all year round. While we hope you enjoy this Leather Week, we also hope you remember that here in the district, Leather Week lasts all year long, every year.

Let’s celebrate leather and queer culture, and let’s start now! t Bob Goldfarb, a gay man, is president of the board of the Leather & LGBTQ Cultural District. For more information about the district, go to www.sfleatherdistrict.org.

t

Politics >>

September 23-29, 2021 • Bay Area Reporter • 5

Gay East Bay Assembly candidate Esteen picks up early support

by Matthew S. Bajko

F

irst-time political candidate Jennifer Esteen has been scooping up early endorsements from around the Bay Area for her 2022 bid for Alameda County’s 20th Assembly District seat, currently held by Assemblyman Bill Quirk (D-Hayward).

The Democrat has called the East Bay home for nearly two decades, and as the daughter of a Black mom and a Jewish dad, she would be the first out Black member of the Legislative LGBTQ Caucus if elected.

Esteen, a gay, masculine of center woman, is a former psychiatric nurse in the San Francisco General Hospital Psychiatric Emergency Room and now serves as vice president of organizing for Service Employees International Union Local 1021. She launched her campaign in August to represent the district that currently includes Castro Valley, Fremont, Hayward, San Lorenzo, Sunol, Union City, and Ashland, an unincorporated area where Esteen lives with her wife and children.

Progressive leaders San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin and AC Transit Board member Jovanka Beckles, a lesbian former Richmond city councilwoman who lost her own Assembly bid in 2018, endorsed Esteen within days of her launching her campaign on August 26. BART Board member and California State University Board of Trustees member Lateefah Simon followed shortly thereafter.

This week, both the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club and San Francisco Democratic Party Chair Honey Mahogany, the first queer transgender nonbinary person to lead one of the state party’s local affiliates, came out in support of Esteen.

“When Jennifer wins, she will also make history as the first openly gay Black Assembly person in California,” stated Mahogany, who personally endorsed Esteen. “I have seen firsthand that the people who need their elected leaders most are the ones too often left behind. We need more bold, unapologetically progressive leaders who are willing to fight for the needs of everyday working class and poor people.”

Milk club co-president Edward Wright noted that its members only early endorse “exceptional candidates, and Jennifer Esteen is exceptional.”

He pointed to her securing expanded paid leave for contract nurses during the COVID pandemic as just one reason why the progressive group wanted to support her nearly nine months before the June primary.

Courtesy Esteen for Assembly campaign

Jennifer Esteen is seeking an East Bay Assembly seat.

“We deserve to have a queer Black woman in the State Assembly. We deserve to have a registered nurse in the State Assembly. We deserve to have Jennifer Esteen in the State Assembly, and we’re proud to early endorse her,” Wright told the Bay Area Reporter.

Union organizer Alexis Villalobos, a queer Hayward resident who ran against Quirk last year, also endorsed Esteen this month. His 2020 campaign was bare bones and he didn’t seek out support from hardly any LGBTQ political groups or leaders, yet Villalobos still netted 43% of the vote against the incumbent lawmaker.

“The people who voted for me will vote for her, based on her values,” Villalobos, 28, told the B.A.R. “I think she is a lot more prepared, having been a union organizer longer than me, and has a lot more political experience than I did when I first ran.”

Based on how well he was still able to do in the 2020 race, and how better prepared Esteen appears to be for her campaign, Villalobos predicted she would be a formidable opponent in next year’s contest.

“Bill Quirk is going to think the gays have it out for him,” joked Villalobos.

“I think her chances are really high. That said, I think Quirk knows that too and I think he is scared.”

A campaign consultant for Quirk did not respond to the B.A.R.’s interview request by the paper’s press deadline Wednesday. First elected in 2012, the former Hayward city councilman and nuclear physicist is seeking a sixth and final two-year term in the Legislature’s lower chamber.

Quirk, 75, reported having nearly $200,000 in his campaign account as of July 1. Because of term limits, he will be termed out of office in 2024 if reelected next November.

Because of the decennial redistricting process now underway, Quirk could find himself drawn out of his Assembly seat. He lives with his wife in a retirement community in Union City.

With his district potentially in flux, the 2022 contest is drawing interest from Alameda County leaders looking to move up to Sacramento.

Democratic Fremont City Councilwoman Teresa Keng kicked off her campaign for the seat over Labor Day weekend.

In a Facebook message Keng, 46, who emigrated from Taiwan at the age of 15 with her sister, explained that she decided to seek the Assembly seat because of “the hardships faced by our communities during this pandemic. My heart breaks for those who have lost loved ones to COVID, those who’ve lost their jobs, the small businesses that couldn’t survive, and for our children who missed out on critical education and the much-needed social interactions.”

Coming out journey

As for Esteen, who will turn 41 on Halloween, she hails from New Orleans and first came to California after college in June 2003 with her thenhusband shortly after the birth of their first child. She was following a brother out west who had found success selling homes in the Bay Area.

The couple divorced after the birth of their second child, and Esteen began her coming out journey. She teared up recalling the difficulty she had in accepting her sexual orientation during a recent phone interview with the B.A.R. “It took years. As a kid I was a big old tom boy,” she recalled. “I didn’t know how to accept myself; I had a lot of shame.”

One of the hardest decisions she had to make was sending her two small sons to live with her parents back in New Orleans for six months while she attended an accelerated nursing school program. With limited income Esteen nearly lost her housing, but she persevered and landed a job with San Francisco’s public health agency.

She would later remarry and her wife, a marriage and family therapist, for now wishes to remain private due to her field of work. They have three children between them; Esteen’s son Barry is now 20 and younger son Jalen is 16, while her stepdaughter, Mylo Swinn, is also 16.

Asked about potentially breaking through another pink political glass ceiling in the Legislature, Esteen told the B.A.R. it is “way overdue” for the state’s Black LGBTQ community to have a voice serving in the Statehouse.

“I have an opportunity to stand up as an example for all young Black gay folks and the community at large because of where I have been and the work I have done. So I am super honored to be able to attempt to be the first,” said Esteen.

“There is no time better than today during this horrific global health crisis that a woman like me would be able to stand up and serve.” t

Barry Schneider Attorney at Law

family law specialist* • Divorce w/emphasis on Real Estate & Business Divisions • Domestic Partnerships, Support & Custody • Probate and Wills www.SchneiderLawSF.com

415-781-6500 *Certified by the California State Bar 400 Montgomery Street, Ste. 505, San Francisco, CA

San Francisco renters, visit SFADC.org for information about your rights and where to get help or call a local tenant counseling clinic.

English, Spanish, Russian: 415-703-8644 (HRCSF) Chinese: 415-984-2728 (CCDC) Filipino: 415-552-5637 (SOMCAN) Arabic: 415-513-5177 (BISHOP)

Trouble paying rent?

Landlord pressuring you to leave?

You don’t have to move.

You have rights even after the moratorium expires, and there is help to pay past and future rent.

To apply for rental assistance, call 833-430-2122 or visit Housingiskey.com Courtesy B.A.R. Archive

50 years in 50 weeks: 1995, apology ad

T

he May 18, 1995 issue of the Bay Area Reporter featured a half-page ad on page 3 from the Indiana estate of Phil Causey, a San Francisco gay man who died of AIDS in 1991.

According to a news article in the May 11 issue, the ad was part of a legal settlement obtained by two local attorneys on behalf of Billy Howard Jones, who had charged Causey’s brother, James, of blocking Causey’s domestic partner Mark Wilson from being the beneficiary of Causey’s estate and kicking him out of the apart-

ment he was promised he could live in rent-free.

Jones had begun dating Wilson after Causey’s death and cared for him until Wilson died. The ad included a letter from James Causey, who apologized to the memory of his brother, the Wilson family, the Jones family, and the San Francisco gay community, among others. To read the May 11 article, go to https://archive. org/details/BAR_19950511/mode/2up. To see the ad, go to https://archive.org/details/BAR_19950518/mode/2up.

We are here to stay! Let’s stand together for a just recovery. Everyone deserves a safe and secure place to live!

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SFADC.org For updates on rent relief and eviction protections, text “Rent” to 1-888-732-3215

<< Community News

6 • Bay Area Reporter • September 23-29, 2021

t

Panel backs collecting data on LGBTQ city employees

by Matthew S. Bajko

H

ow the city can track the number of LGBTQ people it is employing was a main focus for the reconstituted LGBTQI+ Advisory Committee for the San Francisco Human Rights Commission as its first meeting. The consultative panel lent its support for doing so ahead of the issue coming before the Board of Supervisors in the coming weeks.

As the Bay Area Reporter first reported in June, city leaders want to be able to ask employees and those who apply for jobs with the city in a voluntary and anonymous way if they identify as part of the LGBTQ community.

In order to do so, however, a restriction in the city’s municipal code that forbids it from inquiring into the “sexual orientation, practices, or habits” of city employees must be removed.

Known as Chapter 12E, the City Employee’s Sexual Privacy Ordinance of the Administrative Code, it was enacted in 1985 during the height of the AIDS epidemic as a way to protect LGBTQ applicants and city employees from being discriminated against.

Despite local laws banning LGBTQbased discrimination that had been adopted in the late 1970s, there was widespread concern among the general public about LGBTQ people transmitting the then-little-understood virus.

Those fears led to city leaders wanting to strengthen protections for LGBTQ people seeking employment with City Hall or various city departments and their drafting of Chapter 12E. With AIDS no longer a death sentence and HIV now a largely manageable disease, Mayor London Breed and gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman introduced legislation during Pride Month that would repeal the anachronistic section of the Administrative Code.

Christopher Robledo

Mayor London Breed swore in members of the San Francisco Human Rights Commission’s new LGBTQI+ Advisory Committee in June; the group held its first meeting September 20.

The Department of Human Resources, now led by out director Carol Isen, would then be allowed to collect voluntary and anonymous sexual orientation demographic data from city employees and applicants. Victor Ruiz-Cornejo, a gay man who advises Breed on LGBTQ policy issues, provided the LGBTQI+ advisory committee an update on the issue at its September 20 meeting.

Without such data there is no way to be sure that LGBTQ people are applying for city jobs, noted Ruiz-Cornejo.

“What that tells us is maybe we need to do a better job marketing our jobs to our community and ensuring people hear about opportunities in city government,” he said. “We know often these are good paying jobs we want our community to have access to.”

SAN HRC Vice Chair Joseph Sweiss, a queer man who worked on revising its LGBTQ advisory panel and helped to chair its inaugural meeting, noted this will be “an extremely important change in the way the city will collect city employee data.”

Joe Adkins, a gay man who is a former administrative aide for Mandelman and represents him on the LGBTQ advisory panel, noted how

times have changed since the 1980s tions as needed. It will be instructed when the initial code was enacted. to work with other city bodies, such “Disclosing this data is only servas the LGBTQI+ advisory committee ing our community and ourselves and the Mayor’s Office of Transgenby ensuring our needs are heard and der Initiatives, on the exact wording we have a seat at the table,” said Adof the questions that get asked. kins, now employed in the office of The LGBTQI+ advisory committee the clerk for the supervisors. voted 23-0 to endorse seeing Chapter Hilary Burdge, who is queer and 12E be struck from the city’s Adminvice president of program, strategy, istrative Code. The supervisors’ Rules and impact at Boys & Girls Clubs of Committee will hold a hearing on the San Francisco, stressed the need for an issue Monday, September 27, with the update in the future on how the SOGI full board expected to then take it up employee data collection was going to in early October. ensure it is working.

Transgender Lebanese refugee SoFirst meeting phia Kass, program manager of the Monday’s virtual meeting was LGBTQ+ Aging and Abilities Support the first for the LGBTQI+ advisory Network at the Shanti Project, also notcommittee since Breed swore in its ed the importance of making sure ac26 members in June. Its seats are divided between community Rcurate A FA E Lquestions about a person’s genR I C H MmemOND der identity are included on the forms bers, representatives from elected so that such data is correct and useful. officials, and staff or leaders from r i c h m on o n d -what s a n ra f a e l b r icity-based dge “I know a lot will depend LGBTQ nonprofits and kinds of questions we are asking,” said social service agencies.

Kass.

First established in 1975, the comIn response to questions about how mittee is tasked with advising the the SOGI questions would be worded, HRC on issues affecting the LGBTQ Ruiz-Cornejo noted the legislation is community. Under its previous conpurposefully vague on the issue so that figuration the committee’s 12 memthe human resources department can bers were expected to meet monthly easily update the wording of the quesexcept for December, due to the

holidays, and June, in recognition of Pride Month.

Members had to be city residents and were not paid for their service.

But in October 2018 the B.A.R. disclosed that the advisory panel’s last meeting had been in March of that year, as it had trouble reaching the required quorum needed to hold its meetings. A HRC spokesman chalked up the reason for the panel going dormant to the city agency having to follow more rigid rules and regulations on how it conducts its meetings than what communitybased LGBTQ organizations have to follow.

At the time Susan Belinda Christian, a lesbian then serving on the HRC, had told the B.A.R. that the advisory panel should be re-envisioned so that it worked closer with the full commission, the city’s LGBTQ residents, nonprofits, and other queer organizations. And in fact, that is what has occurred under the reimagining of the panel that was adopted by the HRC in August 2019.

The COVID pandemic delayed the process to recruit members for the revamped advisory committee, pushing back its relaunch until this summer. HRC Executive Director Sheryl Davis virtually greeted the members Monday and detailed some issues they could work collaboratively on, from ensuring LGBTQ youth are respected and treated fairly in local schools to ensuring city funds are being prioritized for programs that address the needs of the LGBTQ community as departments are preparing their annual budget priorities.

“So we are not waiting until the budget is set and asking for addback dollars,” said Davis, who told the committee members she was “super excited to be in space with you all today.”t

BERKELEY

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THE BRISTOL CONDOMINIUMS 400 BRISTOL COURT OAKLAND SAN FRANCISCO

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ONE PERSON

TWO PERSON

THREE PERSON

FOUR PERSON

FIVE PERSON

SIX PERSON

SEVEN PERSON

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$83,000

$94,850

$106,700

$118,550

$128,050

$137,500

$147,000

MAXIMUM INCOME AT 112% OF AMI

$104,450

$119,350

$134,300

$149,200

$161,100

$173,050

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104

2

2.5

1,329

1

$1,358.57

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$375,598

$490,598

112% of AMI

108

2

2.5

1,310

1

$1,357.06

$1,357.06

$511,530

$626,530

134% of AMI

114

3

2.5

2,325

1

$1,473.88

$1,473.88

$425,969

$540,969

112% of AMI

123

0

1

745

1

$1,290.60

$1,290.60

$139,631

$254,631

89% of AMI

207

1

1

898

2

$1,307.97

$1,307.97

$313,383

$428,383

112% of AMI

215

1

1

920

2

$1,311.59

$1,311.59

$192,417

$307,417

89% of AMI

222

2

2.5

1,347

2

$1,361.37

$1,361.37

$375,086

$490,086

112% of AMI

226

1

1

886

2

$1,306.46

$1,306.46

$434,214

$549,214

134% of AMI

319

1

1

936

3

$1,309.02

$1,309.02

$313,191

$428,191

112% of AMI

321

2

2.5

1,402

3

$1,366.73

$1,366.73

$374,105

$489,105

112% of AMI

328

2

2.5

1,340

3

$1,360.55

$1,360.55

$239,832

$354,832

89% of AMI

409

1

1

898

4

$1,307.97

$1,307.97

$313,383

$428,383

112% of AMI

415

1

1

920

4

$1,311.59

$1,311.59

$312,720

$427,720

112% of AMI

425

0

1

749

4

$1,290.60

$1,290.60

$350,287

$465,287

134% of AMI

t

Community News>>

September 23-29, 2021 • Bay Area Reporter • 7

Beswick hired to lead LGBTQ biz group

by John Ferrannini

“The society actually was in debt B.A.R. previously reported earCastro neighborhood based on think your article covered it pretty when I began my job on a part-time lier this year, Mayor London Breed the recommendations of a feasiwell, and the statement we put out erry Beswick has been hired as basis, and is now financially stable, budgeted $12 million for the city bility study it had conducted. The from the historical society.” the new executive director of with a small operating reserve,” Besto build the first large-scale, freeconsultants estimated that a comGunther and Beswick declined the Golden Gate Business Assowick stated “Most recently, I secured standing LGBTQ history museum, bined facility would require a gross to state the latter’s salary. GGBA’s ciation. The world’s first LGBTQ funding from the City and County though city funding for the existing building size of 40,000 square feet, most recent publicly available IRS chamber of commerce has not had of San Francisco to open a full-scale museum is being decreased. with around 20,000 square feet 990 form, for Fiscal Year 2018someone in that position in sevmuseum of LGBTQ history and culAs the B.A.R. reported in Ocdedicated for the exhibit area, and 2019, has nobody in an executive eral years. ture in the city, which will be one of tober 2019, the archival group draw upward of 106,000 attendees director position. (Neither did the As the Bay Area Reporter previthe first in the nation.” had determined it made the most per year. previous two years’ 990s.) ously reported, Beswick ended his Michael Gunther, a gay man who sense for it to construct a fullWhen asked if he’d be willing to In FY 2018-2019, the organizafive years as executive director of the is the president of the GGBA’s board scale LGBTQ Museum and Rediscuss further the changes at the tion had total revenue of $259,601 GLBT Historical Society September of directors, said that Beswick’s apsearch Center somewhere in the historical society, Beswick said, “I and spent $242,856. t 15. After a sudden announcement plication “was an amazing opporby the historical preservation group tunity for us to bring in a seasoned late morning September 14, Besindividual to help us grow.” wick told the B.A.R. he wouldn’t say “We had almost 70 candidates what was coming next until the end for the position and Terry had exof his term there. ecutive director experience in the GGBA was founded in 1974. While LGBTQ community and in making he has already officially started, Besorganizations become sustainable,” wick told the B.A.R. that he is “startGunther said. “Terry brought advoing with a vacation” as he returns to cacy experience as well.”

Theme: “The Power of Acceptance” San Francisco from Palm Springs.

Gunther said there had not been When: Saturday, October 16th He’ll begin work October 15. an executive director of the GGBA “I look forward to taking a in about a decade. Having been on Time: 9am to Noon month off,” Beswick said. “But, I the board for only the last three Where: In your own home via Zoom! feel like I’m already working. It’s a years, Gunther said he only knew new gig and I got to learn a lot of Cost: Free and open to all! the last executive director was new stuff.” named JP. A B.A.R. obituary shows *You’ll receive Zoom link via email after registering Beswick, 62, said he applied for the Jon Paul “JP” Leddy was the board position after he saw a job posting. president at the time of his 2016 “I’d been familiar with the ordeath of natural causes at the age ganization for a long time and of 55.

I saw they were doing a search,” When asked how he’s going to Beswick said. “What interested me turn around the GGBA, Beswick was working with business people said “the first thing I need to do – small business owners, focusing once I start is to work closely with on their hopes and dreams. It’s a the board.” nonprofit and I have a lot of expe“I have to listen to the members,” rience with that.”

Beswick said. “Obviously, we’re Beswick said that GGBA may coming out of a COVID pandemic have picked him because he has and a lot of businesses have a lot of Conference Starts!

Welcome introductions Thomas Kingery, LGBTQ Programs Coordinator/Community Liaison. developed a reputation as aand “turnneeds, so onfrom a courtesy level, I’ll be Platinum Sponsor: AARP Next, Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian, an advocate of the LGBTQ Initiative, will provide his unique insights into the around expert,” after his time with working with a lot of policymakers Gold Sponsor: Home Instead significance of the LGBTQ movement. the GLBT Historical Society and the to try and address those needs. It’s Community Partners: Project More, Q Corner, Castro Country Club, a sobering a big challenge, which is why they Rainbow Chamber of Commerce, San Mateo Pride Center center in the city’s ‘Staying LGBTQ neighbecause I have by a hisKeynote Presentation: Sane inselected Theseme, Crazy Times’ Dr. Fred Luskin, Stanford Forgiveness Project. borhood just down the street from tory of growing organizations to Dr. Luskin will discuss how to do our best work through honoring our physical and mental health. He offers easily practiced skills society’s LGBTQ on real meetor needs.” for stayingthecalm in the facemuseum of danger, perceived.

18th Street.

Beswick said that his work with “The Castro Country Club and the GGBA ties into the work he Door prizes of Home the courtesy GLBT Historical SocietyInstead! were was already doing with the historiin trouble when I took them over cal society.

SESSIONand 1 (choose Workshop 1 or I really turned them around to Workshop “As far2)as the transition besustainable business models,” Bestween the historical society and the WORKSHOP 1 A compelling 2 keynote speech entitled “Let’s Get Physical: Sexuality and wick said.

GGBA, it made sense to me,” Bes- WORKSHOP Beswick stated that the country wick explained.

“To me, a big focus LGBTQ INCLUSIVE HOUSING LEGAL ISSUES Aging,”

by Jane Fleishman, PhD, Certified Sexuality Educator, researcher, club was in dire straits when he took of my work at the historical society Openhouse and Office of Supportive Housing Attorney Diana Dean Gendottiis to promote the sexual well-being of older adults and writer.

Her mission over. was preserving our living LGBTQ Join us to hear share their journey Dianaand Gendotti is anrelationships. estate planning and trust administration “ThereOpenhouse was no mailing list, few same-sex history.” to provide the building hadin SanItFrancisco. was due to this that Beswick attorney who has been licensed for 31 years, and has an LGTBQ+ volunteers, inclusive and housing options been put up for sale,” he was involved in both County ofjust Santa Clara Office ofstated.

Supportive Housing will the creation office in Los Altos. She will highlight the critical aspects of The chance to learn how to make sense of the “Financial Challenges After a series of initiatives – such as of the Castro LGBTQ Cultural Dis- estate discuss the potential of what could be coming to the County planning, especially as it relates to LGBTQ issues. a capital campaign, an annual gala, trict and the city’s historic preserDuring Covid,”questions! a workshop presented by Dan Dean, Attorney. Dan has in the future.

Bring any burning and partnering with Peet’s coffee – vation efforts. been with his husband for 20 years, so he knows first-hand the estate things improved.

Serving LGBTQ-owned and paStretch break

by Care Indeed!

Jennibusinesses Castaldo, Instructor, will lead everyone in community. a quick and planning issues facing the LGBTQ “It sponsored was very grassroots and fun. tronized will Standing help pre- STRONG invigorating so we can theliving nexthistory, workshop.

Andstretch so we raised a lot of feel moneyenergized serve thefor city’s Besand we got a long-term lease and wick said.

The discovery of how a research project: “Supporting the Next renovated the interior “I see that SESSIONcompletely 2 (choose Workshop 3 or Workshop 4) as integral,” he said.

Generation,” helps ethnically, racially and religiously diverse families of the place to make it fabulous,” Beswick said he is going to conBeswick3stated. tinue to be a “big booster” for the WORKSHOP 4 LGBTQ children. This workshop is presented by Family WORKSHOP support their At the historical society, Beswick historical society. The society runs BUILD YOUR VILLAGE OVERCOMING DISCRIMINATION Acceptance Project® Director Caitlin Ryan. stated he “more than doubled the the museum of the same name in Facilitators: Openhouse, Thomas Kingery organization’s budget,” which was the and heart Keenan of the city’sMurray, LGBTQ Cas- Facilitators: Jenn Chan and Loretta Austin, Avenidas Avenidas $1.2 million in the 2019 calendar tro neighborhood on 18th Street Community is especially important right now. Building and Getting to hear about foster care from the Resource Family Program. year according to the organization’s between Castro and to Collingwood strengthening your village will help you thrive. Discover We will examine different forms of discrimination, how overLGBTQ children and youth are overrepresented in foster care and so IRS 990 (It had beenan $552,236 and for some years now has opportunities for new connections with our intergenerational come them, andform how to be advocatestreets for change.

Discussion in the 2015 calendar year, according been searching for a larger, permathere is a huge need LGBTQ-affirming pen pal program and socialfor groups.

Learn where homes to find and caregivers. This with colleagues at Openhouse and review why some people to that year’s 990.) nent location in the area. As the

T

2nd Annual Avenidas Rainbow Collective’s LGBTQ Conference and Celebration!

What You’ll Experience at this Virtual Conference:

might be asking about SOGIE (Sexual Orientation Gender Identity Expression) and why you should answer honestly!

presentation willand highlight family connections and finding community resources how tocreating build a safe space. meaning and purpose in caring for community members.

Conclusion: Maribel Martínez, Director of the County of Santa Clara Office of LGBTQ Affairs, will conclude the day with a reflection on the significance of an inaugural LGBTQ Seniors Conference and share more about the County’s commitment to serving LGBTQ seniors as a way to build a strong, vibrant community for today and tomorrow.

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

(650) 289-5400 • www.avenidas.org

For More Information: Call (650) 289-5417 or email lgbtq@avenidas.org To Register:visit www.avenidas.org

0) 289-5445 for more information or sign up at www.avenidas.org

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

Terry Beswick has been named executive director of the Golden Gate Business Association.

Discover our September activities at www.avenidas.org

<< International News

8 • Bay Area Reporter • September 23-29, 2021

t

Hungarian diplomats’ SF City Hall appearance draws ire

by Heather Cassell

T

he recent appearance of Hungarian diplomats at a San Francisco City Hall gathering has been criticized by Hungarian Americans and LGBTQ leaders, and has resulted in Mayor London Breed vowing to tighten up vetting for future events.

One diplomat, András Doncsev, is a former speechwriter for antiLGBTQ Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Photos of Doncsev and Hungarian Honorary Consul for Northern California Eva Voisin, appeared on social media following the August 20 Hungary National Day flagraising event, which was organized by the city’s Office of Protocol.

The photos show Voisin and Doncsev holding a proclamation in Mayor London Breed’s office and taking pictures with other guests on the mayor’s terrace during an August 20 observance of the National Day of Hungary.

Doncsev currently is Hungary’s technology ambassador in Santa Clara and has been posted in San Francisco as the science and technology attaché, according to a September 14 letter Voisin wrote to Breed. The event was to honor Hungary’s founding and the contributions made by Hungarian Americans to the city.

Breed did not invite Doncsev to City Hall and she was not at the event, Jordan Wilson, a communications aide at the mayor’s office, told the Bay Area Reporter in an email September 20. The B.A.R. did not find any photos of Breed at the event.

Doncsev sounded confused when he spoke to the B.A.R. Sep-

Courtesy Honorary Consul of Hungary for Northern California

Hungarian diplomat András Doncsev, left, and Honorary Consul of Hungary for Northern California Eva E. Voisin, were photographed at a San Francisco Office of Protocol event celebrating the National Day of Hungary August 20.

tember 21 stating, “There is no controversy.”

He told the B.A.R. that he was invited by the mayor’s office to participate in the National Day of Hungary celebration as he had in 2019. The event was not held in 2020 due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, he said.

The B.A.R. could not find any photos of Doncsev previously attending the event since his taking the job in 2018, as he claimed. In 2020, Voisin was in Budapest for the annual celebration, according to photos on the Honorary Consul General of Hungary for Northern California’s Facebook page.

Orban has come under criticism from human rights organizations for his government’s anti-LGBTQ laws and anti-Semitic policies. In 2020, Orban and his ruling Fidesz party launched a barrage of legal

assaults against Hungary’s LGBTQ community from banning gender recognition to same-sex marriage and adoption. The country does recognize civil unions.

Better vetting

Breed is a strong supporter of the Jewish and LGBTQ communities.

Her office noted that while Doncsev has not espoused any anti-LGBTQ or anti-Semitic positions, nonetheless her protocol office will make changes.

“While we have no specific information reflecting the values of the individual in question, the mayor has requested stronger controls be put in place on our flag-raising events to ensure that we can continue to have these

important ceremonies to celebrate the diverse culture of our city and our international relationships,” the mayor’s office stated September 21.

The honorary Hungarian consul submitted its guest list to the Mayor’s Office of Protocol, which organizes flag-raisings at City Hall for various countries, Wilson wrote.

Voisin did not respond to the B.A.R.’s request for comment by press time. However, in her letter to Breed, she denied claims by a Bay Area Hungarian American who wrote a blog post about the event critical of the Hungarian government and the mayor’s office.

“The flag-raising is in no way an expression or endorsement of political views,” Voisin wrote.

LGBTQ political leaders were critical of the Hungarian government.

“The government of Hungary is a hateful, homophobic, and antiSemitic government,” gay Jewish California state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) texted the B.A.R. “I’m glad that the mayor is taking these steps.”

Gay Jewish San Francisco Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, who represents the LGBTQ Castro district and surrounding neighborhoods, agreed with Wiener, calling Orban’s government an “embarrassment.”

“This appears to have been an honest but unfortunate mistake, and the mayor’s office has pledged to do better in the future,” Mandelman wrote in an email to the B.A.R. California Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis (D), who was the United States ambassador to

Hungary during former President Barack Obama’s administration, declined to comment for this article. She recently launched what is believed to be the country’s first statewide transgender advisory council and co-sponsored LGBTQ rights bills this year.

Upset

The incident angered some Hungarian Americans and LGBTQ community members.

“I’m quite upset,” György Lázár told the B.A.R. The regular contributor to the Hungarian Free Press wrote an open letter to the publication September 14 criticizing Breed. Lázár, who identifies as straight, urged others to speak out against the city’s government hosting diplomats from authoritarian governments at events.

Speaking to the B.A.R., Lázár, who lives in Oakland, expressed he was angry about Orban’s diplomats using American government leaders for publicity stunts and the community not speaking out about it. He is also upset with American Hungarian organizations’ lack of response to Orban’s homophobic attacks on Hungary’s LGBTQ community.

“They are not up in arms and protesting,” Lázár said. “They are not willing to stick their neck out and say, ‘Hey, this is not right.’”

Doncsev denied anti-Semitism and homophobia in Hungary.

“Let me make it very clear there is absolutely zero tolerance in Hungary for anti-Semitism,” he said, calling the allegations “rumors.”

Doncsev said that his wife is Jewish and he attends the American Jewish Committee events in See page 9 >>

Behind the decision to postpone Gay Games XI

by Roger Brigham

T

he decision last week by organizers of Gay Games XI in Hong Kong to postpone the event for one year until November 2023 seemingly materialized at the last moment without warning.

In reality, it was a calculated decision months in the making – an option to adjust to uncertain, everchanging realities; and to regroup in a more stable time with a revised operational plan strengthened by lessons learned.

Gay Games Hong Kong announced September 14 it was postponing Gay Games XI, which were scheduled to be held in November 2022, because of the impact of COVID-19 pandemicrelated precautions, such as vaccination requirements and travel quarantines. (See September 16 Jock Talk, “2022 Gay Games postponed due to COVID pandemic.”

The system that led to that decision had been set in place almost two years earlier before anyone had even heard of COVID-19.

At the October 2019 Federation of Gay Games annual meeting in Mexico, delegates of member organizations expressed concerns about the viability of holding the event in Hong Kong because of increasingly repressive control by the mainland Chinese government. There were calls for the FGG to develop a “Plan B” and not to delay long in making a decision about whether to move, cancel, or postpone the multisport event.

On a virtual meeting call Saturday, September 18, for Gay Games supporters with questions about the postponement, GGHK co-chair Dennis Philipse said the host organization and the FGG board had formed a working group to evaluate

Courtesy GGHK

Gay Games Hong Kong co-chairs Dennis Philipse, left, and Lisa Lam answered questions about the event’s postponement during a recent virtual call.

the evolving situation on a monthly basis shortly after the 2019 membership meeting. The group also enlisted Control Risks, a global consulting company, for its discussions.

Over the ensuing two years after the working group was formed, the Hong Kong demonstrations quelled, but mainland control and government restrictions increased. The pandemic hit, causing deaths and disruptions in everyday life globally. Sports events and seasons were canceled or postponed.

Local recreational clubs that form the backbone of the Gay Games movement had to suspend most of their training.

In 2020, the viability working group decided to postpone full registration a year. Another year passed and, with no sign of the pandemic letting up, pre-registration was launched instead, allowing athletes to pay a nominal fee to express interest, reserve a spot, and eventually receive a discount when registration fully opened.

As the Delta variant keyed new

surges in COVID-19 cases and deaths globally in the middle of this year, the working group focused more closely on options to pursue if things did not appear to be getting better. Philipse said organizers wanted to make a decision as soon as possible in order to give potential participants and their clubs time to make alternative training and competition plans.

About two weeks before the announcement of the postponement, the working group was considering options that included holding a scaled down event that would be sorely deficient in global participation; holding a “virtual” Gay Games with satellite events around the globe; or postponing the event.

“We all realized the other options would not be good and probably create massive negative reaction,” Philipse said. The idea of a scaled-down, less global event “doesn’t meet our purposes,” he said.

On the participant side, currently

the biggest obstacle the pandemic presents globally is that athletes are having trouble training in their particular disciplines because of social distancing and masking and vaccination requirements. On the host side, Hong Kong has the most restrictive travel quarantine restrictions in the world. Its health ministry is pursuing a “zero-COVID” strategy that focuses on preventing cases from reaching its shores. That means it is almost impossible for large numbers of athletes and artists to travel to Hong Kong without having to quarantine and thus have no training access for two or three weeks before competing.

Philipse said registration will open “when people are able to book a flight into Hong Kong. We’re hoping that is midyear 2022.”

FGG co-president Sean Fitzgerald said once the working group decided to postpone the Gay Games, things moved quickly. He said the FGG board was told of the postponement decision immediately and voted unanimously over the weekend to agree to the time extension. A proposal was sent to Hong Kong for approval September 12, returned to the FGG board for approval on September 13, and the announcement made the next day.

That announcement has sports federations trying to make plans to fill the competition void in 2022.

Take International Gay and Lesbian Aquatics, which is represented at the Gay Games with the sports of diving, swimming, synchronized swimming, and water polo. The last annual IGLA championship was in February 2020 in Melbourne. The 2021 champion-

ships in Salt Lake City were canceled because of the pandemic. The next major global gathering of IGLA members would have been in 2022 in Hong Kong.

IGLA membership had been scheduled to hold a virtual meeting at the end of this week to select a host for the 2023 championship. The postponement throws a monkey wrench into those plans. IGLA treasurer Chandler Mercer told the Bay Area Reporter the meeting has been postponed to Saturday, October 16, to discuss and decide on what to do for 2022 and 2023.

“We are exploring options,” Mercer said.

“We would like to put something together for 2022. COVID makes all of this murky. We are standing behind the Gay Games.”

Some lessons learned

The FGG and GGHK both said they are scrambling as well to deal with the altered conditions.

Lisa Lam, co-chair of GGHK, said organizers were rethinking a lot of their business decisions. One of the concerns many sports leaders expressed was that policies in Hong Kong make it difficult to secure government-controlled venues more than a few months in advance of a scheduled event. That means participants would have been asked to register before they even had a venue secured in which to operate. Requests to change procedures to allow for the Gay Games to secure venues sooner had met with minor but vocal opposition in the government.

See page 10 >>

t <<

Community News>>

September 23-29, 2021 • Bay Area Reporter • 9

Milk plaza

From page 1

the site and during marches that kicked off from it. The late Supervisor Harvey Milk was the first gay person elected to public office in San Francisco and California.

He was gunned down 11 months into his first term inside City Hall the morning of November 27, 1978 along with then-mayor George Moscone by disgruntled former supervisor Dan White. City officials named the plaza in honor of Milk, a vocal public transit advocate during his lifetime, in 1985.

Quotes, trees, ‘hope grove’

Quotes of Milk’s would be embedded throughout the plaza. A memorial grove with 11 trees, of different kinds, symbolizing Milk’s 11 months in office would stand at the plaza’s entrance from Collingwood Street. In the same area would be a “hope grove,” symbolizing the candlelight vigil that took mourners from the Castro to City Hall after Milk and Moscone were slain.

“We have today at Harvey Milk Plaza a space never meant to be a plaza and never designed to represent an important civil right leader like Harvey Milk,” said Brian Springfield, a gay man who is the interim executive director of the Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza.

Crispin Hollings, a gay man who lives nearby the plaza, acknowledged in an email to the arts committee that he initially had concerns about the proposed renovation. But the latest design he said addresses those concerns and is “visibly pleasing” and will be a “functional” asset for the neighborhood.”

The plaza and Muni station had

<<

Out in the World

From page 8

San Francisco regularly.

He told the B.A.R. that “these are very, very strong serious allegations,” and suggested the paper check with the Anti-Defamation League regarding anti-Semitism in Hungary. In February, the league called out Hungary, along with some lawmakers in the British Labour Party, Poland, and Russia for using anti-Semitism for “political means,” in a report.

Doncsev went on to state “There is no anti-LGBT, no homophobic laws in Hungary.”

When the B.A.R. asked directly about 2020’s anti-gender recognition and same-sex marriage laws, he only referenced the recently passed anti-pedophilia law that included an anti-LGBTQ propaganda clause.

“It is not anti-LGBTQ. It is a misunderstanding. There was a child protection law that was passed,” he said.

Doncsev added, “Hungary and Poland abide by the [European Union] laws.”

Doncsev spoke with the B.A.R. and did not indicate the conversation was off the record. Afterward, he sent the paper an email stating that he is not supposed to make any comments.

In her letter, Voisin criticized Lázár. “Mr. Lázár is well known for his frequent attacks on members of the Hungarian government and local leaders of the Hungarian American expatriate community,” she wrote. “The comments are his opinion alone to which he is certainly entitled.”

But Voisin refuted his comments as being accurate. Defending Doncsev, she wrote, “He does not promote racist, homophobic, or anti-Semitic ideas and I can positively state that neither of us hold these views.”

This year, Hungary lawmakers passed the so-called LGBTQ propaganda law. The homophobic at-

Courtesy SWA Group

An artist’s rendering shows off the elevator and oculus at a reimagined Harvey Milk Plaza.

first opened June 11, 1980. Howard Grant, who at the time was married to the mother of his children but later came out as gay, partly in response to Milk’s exhortation for people to come out of the closet, designed it with its signature curving brick stairway and sunken gardens. Grant and others have vehemently opposed seeing a major rebuild of the plaza be undertaken, arguing instead more minor cosmetic changes can be made to provide a best user experience and enhanced memorial to Milk.

Grant submitted a three-minute video for Monday’s meeting that laid out their concerns. It noted that the plaza has been found to have historical significance worthy of preservation, with some community members calling for it to be a city landmark.

Art historian Paul V. Turner, a former Stanford professor who was

friends with Milk and his lover Scott Smith, called the plaza a historical feature of the Castro that should be preserved in an email to the arts committee. A resident of the neighborhood since 1973 and frequent user of the transit station, Turner argued that none of the revamp proposals “justify destroying the existing plaza.”

He added that, “Every time I walk up and down the steps I enjoy the innovative design,” in particular its “graceful curves” and warm brick material.

Alan Martinez, a gay man who served on the city’s historic preservation commission, argued against moving forward with the redesign of the plaza. He warned that much of the glass in the design is likely to be damaged and wondered how the repairs will be paid for when it is.

“Unless the project comes with a huge endowment to fix it every year,

tacks are among other civil liberty violations by Orban and the ruling Fidesz party that are increasing leading up to the Central European country’s 2022 elections.

“It is not just the gay community,” Lázár said, that the Hungarian leadership has attacked, as he noted the assault on LGBTQ rights echoes the government’s legislative and media attacks on Jewish, Roma, immigrants, and other minority communities.

Husbands Dennis Blanchard, 71, and Barry Lynch, 70, visited Hungary in 2000 and fell in love with the country. They have returned for extended stays annually since they both retired. The couple last visited Hungary in 2020 right before the global COVID-19 pandemic. They were planning to return in 2022, but they are now questioning going.

“Should it have happened? No,” Blanchard said of the City Hall event, adding that the protocol office should have done a better job vetting guests. “To provide any kind of public forum like that gives them an opportunity to normalize who they are. [It] is inappropriate.”

Together for 25 years, Blanchard and Lynch said there should be some kind of policy similar to the city and California’s travel ban. California lawmakers in 2015 banned state-funded travel to states that discriminate against LGBTQ people with the enactment of Assembly Bill 1887 authored by gay Assemblyman Evan Low (D-Campbell). The Golden State’s no-fly list covers government workers, academics, and college sports teams at public universities. San Francisco has a similar policy that also includes states that have anti-abortion laws.

“I’m willing to give her the benefit of the doubt that nobody did their homework to find out who this was,” Lynch said of the mayor’s office. “I’m trying to be generous.”

Hitting back hard

it is going to be sad,” he said. “It is going to be a mess.”

But there have long been complaints that the plaza is hard for people with mobility issues to navigate and that the wind-swept area is a less-than desirable place for the public to congregate. In more recent decades neighborhood leaders have tried to stem its usage by homeless people and drug users.

Leaders of the plaza friends group have soldiered on in pressing for city approval of the remodel project. Its cost remains unknown though previous iterations were estimated to need at least $10 million.

Gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) has secured $2.5 million since 2019 in state funding for the project. He urged the arts committee to approve the design modifications.

Neighborhood groups also sent in letters supporting the latest design, including the Castro/Eureka Valley Neighborhood Association, the Castro Merchants association and the Castro LGBTQ Cultural District advisory board. Longtime Castro resident Cleve Jones, a gay rights activist who was friends with Milk, also praised the plaza friends group for listening to problems people like himself had voiced about the previous plans.

“I love it,” Jones said of the latest design, saying it is “really beautiful” and fixes the current stairs leading into the station, which he called “a death trap.”

The plaza friends group has engaged the SWA Group, an international landscape, architecture, planning, and urban design firm, to work on the revised plans for the site. Its inspiration for the design comes from the concept of without

action there is no hope, explained Daniel Cunningham, a gay man who is a landscape architect with SWA Group.

“The community is looking for a memorial that represents Harvey as well as the movement he was a part of that continues today,” said Cunningham, the project lead for the plaza redesign. “It is more narrative in telling the story of Harvey Milk.”

It still needs to win approval from the full arts commission once the final design is completed, and several other city agencies and regional transit oversight bodies will need to weigh in on it. No funding has yet been secured to cover the cost to revamp the plaza.

As part of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s Castro Accessibility Project a new four-stop elevator will be built into a portion of the plaza’s sunken garden area closeted to the entrance into the Muni station. SFMTA’s website for the project states construction is slated to start this fall on the $14.5 million project, with completion expected in 2024.

The new plaza design calls for an oculus centering a plaza in front of the elevator entrance that brings sunlight into the belowground concourse level for the transit station. It nods to Milk’s operating a camera shop in the Castro from which he ran his campaigns for public office.

“Now that the elevator project is happening, this is the time to honor Harvey Milk and to do what is right for Harvey,” said Springfield. t To learn more about the proposed redesign of Milk plaza visit https://www.harveymilkplaza.org/.

Got international LGBTQ news is in line with the country’s June tips? Call or send them to law banning explicit “display and The E.U. is fighting back against Heather Cassell at WhatsApp/ promotion of homosexuality” for anti-gay laws in Hungary and PoSignal: 415-517-7239, or oitminors. t land. The regional governing body, of which Hungary and Poland are two of the 27-member states, took financial and legal actions against the countries for their anti-LGBTQ laws.

Bloomberg reported that Hungary faces potentially losing 7.2 billion euros. Poland is looking at potentially losing 23.9 billion euros. The lost funding affects COVID-19 recovery efforts in the countries.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte simply told Hungary to leave the E.U. if it could not abide by its values.

At the end of 2020, the E.U. launched a five-year plan to streamline LGBTQ rights throughout the union.

When you plan your life celebration and lasting remembrance in Last week, European Commisadvance, you can design every detail of your own unique memorial sion President Ursula von der and provide your loved ones with true peace of mind. Planning ahead Leyen signaled she would conWhen your celebration lasting protectsyou your plan loved ones fromlife unnecessary stress and and financial burden, tinue the battle against Hungary When you plan your celebration and lasting in allowing themlife to focus on what will matter most at design that remembrance time—you. remembrance in advance, you can every and Poland, stating their actions advance, you canofdesign every detail of your ownand unique memorial undermine democracy’s checks detail own memorial provide Contact usyour today about theunique beautiful ways to create a lasting legacy and balances and infringe upon atyour theloved San Francisco Columbarium. and provide loved ones with true peace mind.

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Planning the E.U.’s fundamental values. protects your loved ones from unnecessary stress and financial ahead protectsProudly yourserving loved onesCommunity. from unnecessary burden, The commission is the executive the LGBT allowing them focus on whatburden, will matter most them at thattotime—you. branch of the E.U. stresstoand financial allowing “These values are now enfocus on what will matter most at that time—you. shrined in our European treaContact us today about the beautiful ways to create a lasting legacy ties. This is what we all signed up to when we became part of at thisthe San Contact FranciscousColumbarium. today about the beautiful ways to create Union as free and sovereign couna lasting legacy at the San Francisco Columbarium. tries,” von der Leyen said in an anOne Loraine Ct. | San Francisco | 415-771-0717 nual policy speech September 15, Proudly serving our Community.

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Proudly serving the LGBT Community.

“We are determined to defend FD 1306 / COA 660 these values,” she added.

Bloomberg reported that both Hungary and Poland have stopped entertaining the idea of exiting the E.U., but neither country has stopped its assaults on their LGBTQ communities.

The same day von der Leyen gave her state of the union speech, One Loraine Ct. | San Francisco | 415-771-0717 Hungary’s media regulator ranked depictions of same-sex attraction SanFranciscoColumbarium.com and gender identity the same as horror films in its new broadFD 1306 / COA 660 caster guidelines. The ranking

PlanningAhead Ahead isisSimple Planning Simple The benefits are immense.

Planning Ahead is Simple The benefits are immense.

The benefits are immense.

<< Community News

10 • Bay Area Reporter • September 23-29, 2021

<<

Jock Talk

From page 8

“Some time was lost focusing on getting government venues,” Lam said. “We have shifted to looking at universities and private parties for venues. This is a lesson learned for us.”

Philipse said organizers were reworking budgets, financial plans, and marketing proposals to be presented

<<

Transgender council

From page 1

lieutenant governor for her leadership in the fight for trans equality.”

Salcedo said that her goal in being part of the council is to “be connected to the legislators and other institutions that influence the livelihood of people.”

“Through the lieutenant governor’s office, we can influence not just politicians but other institutions in the state,” she said. “To my knowledge, I don’t know of any other state with an official body, so this is obviously a trailblazer, so to speak. I hope others follow as well.”

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, a Democrat, signed legislation this spring that created a statewide LGBTQ advisory board.

According to an NBC News story about its creation, there are similar bodies in New York and Pennsylvania. California cities like West Hollywood, Los Angeles, and San Francisco have created transgenderspecific advisory boards.

Evan Minton, a trans man who’s based in Sacramento County and is the California legislative advocate with Voices for Progress, is serving on the Golden State’s trans advisory council. He told the B.A.R. that he has already had a partnership with Kounalakis’ office as part of advocating for health care access.

“When I was reached out to and asked to be part of this council, I said yes and saw it as a unique opportunity to work with someone who cares a lot about our community and wants to get stuff done,” Minton said. “It’s been helpful already.”

<<

when GGHK reports to FGG members at the general assembly in November. He noted that COVID had prevented Hong Kong from making many in-person presentations because of sports events that were canceled over the past year and that next year might be better for that.

FGG organizations at the meeting will select a host for Gay Games XII among bids from Guadalajara, Mex-

ico; Munich, Germany; and Valencia, Spain. All three bidders are scheduled to make in-person presentations, but Guadalajara has requested that all presentations be made remotely since it does not appear travel restrictions will allow its representatives to travel to Europe for the meeting. The FGG is expected to make its decision remotely but seriously: if your mission is to be inclusive, you’re going to Asia

this go round because you want to expand beyond your historic Western Europe-United States axis, and you are going to have a significant number of your members hearing the presentations and voting remotely anyway, how can you not level the playing field for your bidders?

Fitzgerald said effects of having the next two Gay Games just three years apart would increase the likelihood of

more multi-year sponsors but would also mean two steering committees between hosts and the FGG would be operating simultaneously at full speed for two years, and there would be less time to revise the operational Red Books (provides standards to be met for each sport regarding venue requirements, rules, etc.) for each sport between Gay Games XI and Gay Games XII. t

Minton said he’s working on trying to improve the Sacramento Police Department’s interactions with trans and gender-nonconforming people, as well as to ensure compliance with AB 1732, the state law that requires single-occupancy bathrooms to be gender neutral.

Another member is Palm Springs Mayor Pro Tem Lisa Middleton, who’s also on the City Council. She was the first transgender person elected to a non-judicial office in the Golden State.

“I congratulate Lt. Governor Eleni Kounalakis for her leadership in organizing the Lt. Governor’s Transgender Advisory Council,” Middleton stated. “At a time when so many political leaders see transgender Americans as a political opportunity to exploit and target, Lt. Governor Kounalakis is reaching out to help, integrate and provide opportunity.

I look forward to working with my colleagues within California’s transgender community and the Lt. Governor to advance employment, housing and health care opportunity and equity for all Californians.”

Katie Hanzlik, a spokeswoman for Kounalakis, told the B.A.R. that the lieutenant governor wanted to facilitate conversations between trans people and policymakers.

Kounalakis co-sponsored Assembly Bill 378, for instance, authored by Assemblywoman Rebecca BauerKahan (D-Orinda) and signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom this summer. It systematically goes through laws related to the offices of the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, state controller, treasurer, insurance commissioner, and board of equalization to make all references to the gender of the officer gender neutral.

“The lieutenant governor has been a longtime ally of the LGBT community and she talks to a lot of activists and folks on the ground about the work they’re doing,” Hanzlik said. “This started to come up frequently … and it was an issue that inspired her to help enact policies that help trans folks. The main goal is to connect members of the council with stakeholders of different industries so that they can hear directly from the community.”

San Francisco – which has a sizeable trans population, the world’s first and only Transgender District, and the Office of Transgender Initiatives under the aegis of the mayor’s office – doesn’t seem to be represented on the new council, as there is no representative of a San Franciscobased nonprofit or agency.

In addition to several nonprofits catering to the trans community, the San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration Committee, which produces the annual parade and festival, recently elected its first majority-trans board. Suzanne Ford, currently the vice president, won her second three-year term on what will now be an 11-member board, according to a September 15 release. Including Ford, six members identify under the broader trans umbrella: Janelle Vinson, Maceo Persson, Di’ara Reid, Spring Collins, and Anjali Rimi.

Hanzlik, with the lieutenant governor’s office, said she’d figure out if any of the state panel members “live or work” in San Francisco.

She got back to the B.A.R. with this statement: “Our founding council members reflect a diverse group of individuals from across the state of

California. As the council evolves over time, we expect to add council members who will continue to represent California and the diverse perspectives of those in the transgender community.”

Aria Sa’id, a trans woman who is president and chief strategist of the Transgender District, said she “had no idea this was happening until now.”

“I do think it’s a huge misstep to not have San Francisco represented in their advisory council as we hold the largest transgender population of any other county or city in both the state of California, but also the country,” Sa’id told the B.A.R. “I think ignoring that fact doesn’t allow for state government to be fully informed or advised on the issues transgender people are facing in the state of California. We have issues unique to our experience of San Francisco that the state should be intentional in gaining insights on.

“I also noticed there isn’t a strong representation of Central California and the more rural areas of the state – also a huge misstep and missed opportunity,” she added.

Honey Mahogany, who as the chair of the San Francisco County Democratic Party is the only trans or gender-nonconforming chair of a county political party anywhere in the nation, said she hopes for greater diversity going forward, but expressed confidence.

“I think it’s great that the Lt. Gov. has created this advisory council,” Mahogany said. “I hope it proves to be an opportunity to create positive, systemic change. I recognize several names on this list as longtime activists in the trans community whom I’m sure will contribute greatly to the work of the council.

“While I always want to see people from San Francisco represented and included, I am glad to see that there are people from all across the state holding seats,” Mahogany added. “I also hope that we continue to diversify and expand the council as time goes on.”

Minton struck a similar tone.

“I’m super grateful the Central Valley is on the committee, and I’m thankful we have representation from deep in Southern California,” Minton said. “It is my understanding the representation might be expanded, and that’s an excellent idea.”

Pau Crego, the acting director of San Francisco’s Office of Transgender Initiatives (Executive Director Clair Farley is out on leave), praised Kounalakis, stating “This is a momentous occasion for our communities to be heard and represented at the State level, and to elevate the crucial work that so many trans and nonbinary leaders are doing on gender, racial, and economic justice every day. The San Francisco Transgender Advisory Committee looks forward to collaborating with the California Transgender Advisory Council with the goal of reaching greater equity for our communities.”

When asked to comment on the lack of San Francisco representation, Crego stated that “It actually is represented by an SF Bay Area-based agency,” referring to the Transgender Law Center.

The other members on the advisory council are: activist Blossom Brown; Ebony Harper, executive director of California TRANScends; Drian Juarez, the vice president of Training and Culture, Folx Health; and Rosio Leon Velasco-Stoll with Fresno Spectrum Center. t

“We’ll have the infrastructure – toilets, et cetera – for 50,000,” Adeyoha added.

The typical Folsom Street Fair is attended by about 250,000 people.

Because the street fair’s size will trigger the city’s outdoor mask mandate (10,000), people will be required to wear a mask much of the time.

“We are checking vaccine cards at the gate and will make sure people have a mask,” Adeyoha said. “Eating, drinking, or more than six feet away: people can take off their mask. Now in line for a bar or when dancing: those are places we’re asking people to put their mask on. Bring your vax card, bring your mask: put it in bold at the top.”

The fair has been rechristened for this year to honor its roots, as Megahood was the original name of the event when it was inaugurated in 1984. It also belies the pared-down nature of this year’s event.

“The attendees to the fair are going to see something like a scaledback version with fewer vendors so people have more space,” Adeyoha explained. “We do have five community stages – rope and bondage; BDSM; a DJ/go-go stage; a Playground stage, which is for our woman, trans and queer communities;

and our drag stage, co-presented by The Stud and Oaklash.”

There will be more room for folks to walk around and, perhaps most significantly, there will be no alcohol sales except at bars and restaurants within the fair area.

“We’re not selling alcohol at the fair this year, though bars and restaurants will be open in our footprint,” Adeyoha said. “We’ll have a QR code with a guide of who’s open.

Most bars and restaurants within our footprint will be providing a little special something if you have a donation sticker.

“This year, we are suggesting people be as generous as they can be,” Adeyoha said. “That’s what’ll help Folsom Street get back on good financial ground.”

The organization took on $250,000 in operational debt in 2020, without an in-person fair to sustain its business model. A virtual fair, headlined by Margaret Cho, took place last year due to the pandemic.

Donations will also help benefit Folsom Street Event’s sex-positive community center at 145 Ninth Street. While Folsom Street Events currently leases the space, it is hop-

ing to buy it and turn it into a co-op.

“I hope folks recognize that the way we continue to have amazing arts and cultural events is by supporting them,” Adeyoha said. “So, please show up and support.”

Of course, this is also a big week for circuit parties – the biggest since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic – with seven scheduled between Friday night and Monday morning.

Cecil Russell, a gay man who is the head of Cecil Russell Presents and Gloss magazine, is producing or co-producing several, including Matinee Pervert XXL at The Midway Saturday, September 25, at 10 p.m. and Hot Tea at Audio the following day at 5 p.m.

Russell, like Adeyoha, said health orders would be followed. He told the B.A.R. all party attendees will have to show proof of vaccination and follow city guidelines for indoor venues.

“Pride was big for us but this is probably more people coming in than Pride,” Russell said. “It’s going to be great production, great DJs – probably some of the best DJs we’ve had in a couple years.” t

registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/27/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/23/21.

with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/26/21.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039466800

Leather Week

From page 1

Jason Husted, for providing “a warm welcome to the walkers.”

A ceremony was held at the public parklet to raise the new flag on its flagpole situated near its entrance on Harrison Street at 12th Street after the previous flag had become tattered by the wind.

“It was an exciting moment to watch the new, bright Leather Pride flag being raised,” Callahan said.

Callahan also thanked District 6 Supervisor Matt Haney, a straight ally, and Honey Mahogany, his nonbinary trans queer legislative aide, for their support. Mahogany is also the chair of the San Francisco Democratic Party.

Megahood2021 expects up to 40,000

The premier event, of course, is Megahood2021 – this year’s iteration of the Folsom Street Fair – which will be Sunday, September 26, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Folsom Street between Eighth and 12th streets, and on Ninth, 10th, and 11th streets between Howard and Harrison streets.

When asked how many people are going to attend, Angel Adeyoha,

t

Jane Philomen Cleland

Anthropology Professor Gayle Rubin, Ph.D., right, who specializes in leather history, talked about the history of Ringold Alley during a stop on the LeatherWalk.

the queer and nonbinary executive director of Folsom Street Events, told the Bay Area Reporter that’s the “million dollar question.”

“Everyone wants to know that – including the city,” Adeyoha said, before projecting an attendance of 30,000 to 40,000.

SF not represented

Legals>> FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039467300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as SAGE BAKEHOUSE, 3 CLEMENT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed NICHOLAS LEE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/15/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/24/21.

SEP 02, 09, 16, 23, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039455100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as

MULAN’S MARKET, 2570 NORIEGA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LAN ZHU. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/08/21.

The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/10/21.

SEP 02, 09, 16, 23, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039465600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as BTOOPOSITIVE, 125 3RD AVE #4, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed BRANDON DAVIS. The

SEP 02, 09, 16, 23, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039468500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as BABYFACED PRODUCTIONS, 1044 REVERE AVE #C-78, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed GIOTTO HARRISON. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed

SEP 02, 09, 16, 23, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039474100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as VAUTIS.AI, 1060 HOWARD ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JEFFREY ARMIJO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/23/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/18/21.

SEP 02, 09, 16, 23, 2021

The following person(s) is/are doing business as ALPACA FASHION, PIER 39 J-13, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by a married couple, and is signed TITO REYES & NELLY REYES. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/02/02. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/24/21.

SEP 02, 09, 16, 23, 2021

t

Legals>>

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039468700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as UNION YEE LLC, 533-537 UNION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed YEE FAMILY UNION STREET PROPERTY LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/27/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/26/21.

SEP 02, 09, 16, 23, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039468800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as JASPER YEE LLC, 124-132 JASPER PL, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed YEE FAMILY JASPER PROPERTY LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/27/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/26/21.

SEP 02, 09, 16, 23, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039465000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as COMANCHE JANITORIAL SERVICES, 77 PASADENA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed COMANCHE VENTURES LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/18/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/20/21.

SEP 02, 09, 16, 23, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039468000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as SKYSCRAPER MAINTENANCE SERVICES, 3908 THIRD ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed SKYSCRAPER MAINTENANCE SERVICES (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/23/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/25/21.

SEP 02, 09, 16, 23, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039470700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as ALLEN DENSON ART SERVICES LLC, 145 NATOMA ST BLDG, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed ALLEN DENSON ART SERVICES LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/29/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/30/21.

SEP 02, 09, 16, 23, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039456000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as SAFFYRE ULTRA DETAILING SERVICES, 1216 73RD AVE C, OAKLAND, CA 94621. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed SAFFYRE ENTERPRISES LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/01/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/11/21.

SEP 02, 09, 16, 23, 2021 NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF ROSS C. GORDON AKA ROSS COCHRAN GORDON IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO: FILE PES-21-304745

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of ROSS C. GORDON, AKA ROSS COCHRAN GORDON, AKA ROSS GORDON, C/O MARY P. WHITE (SB#087007), WHITE LAW PC, 2200 SAND HILL RD #220, MENLO PARK, CA 94025. A Petition for Probate has been filed by ROBERT C. GORDON III in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco. The Petition for Probate requests that ROBERT C. GORDON III be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. The petition requests the decedent’s will and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The will and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court. 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: OCTOBER 04, 2021, 9:00 am, 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: MARY P. WHITE (SB#087007), WHITE LAW PC, 2200 SAND HILL RD #220, MENLO PARK, CA 94025; Ph. (650) 854-7950.

SEP 09, 16, 23, 2021 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556589

In the matter of the application of BRIAN WEI CHAN & KELLY KIMIKO LEONG, 2239 32ND AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner BRIAN WEI CHAN & KELLY KIMIKO LEONG is requesting that the name COLIN KUMA LEONG-CHAN be changed to COLIN KUMA LEONG CHAN. 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 14th of OCTOBER 2021 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

SEP 09, 16, 23, 30, 2021 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556593

In the matter of the application of STREET GARDNER, PO BOX 721, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94104, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner STREET GARDNER is requesting that the name STREET GARDNER AKA MALE GARDNER be changed to STREET GARDNER. 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 19th of OCTOBER 2021 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

September 23-29, 2021 • Bay Area Reporter • 11

SEP 09, 16, 23, 30, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039472100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as KOKORO KARA WELLNESS; PUCKER PUNCH COSMETICS; 3442 SACRAMENTO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed CHERYL ROUCH. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/31/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/31/21.

SEP 09, 16, 23, 30, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039472500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as CASA SANCHEZ DISTRIBUTING, 4652 CALIFORNIA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JAMES SANCHEZ. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/18/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/01/21.

SEP 09, 16, 23, 30, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039475800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as DOOG GOOD FOOD, 3450 SACRAMENTO ST #107, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ANTOINE JOHNSON. 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 09/07/21.

SEP 09, 16, 23, 30, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039471800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as BODIED BY YESI, 531 GEARY ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed YEZENIA IBARRA. 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 08/31/21.

SEP 09, 16, 23, 30, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039474200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as STILL HERE SF 415, 751 GRAFTON AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed JEANETTE WRIGHT, NICOLE FITT & PAULA HARRELL. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/15/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/02/21.

SEP 09, 16, 23, 30, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039471900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as SEVENTEEN & COLE MARKET, 1400 COLE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by a corporation. and is signed FATENA, INC (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 08/31/21.

SEP 09, 16, 23, 30, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039464200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as LEOS ROOFING, 2679 HENRY AVE, PINOLE, CA 94564. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed LEONARDOS ROOFING INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/20/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/20/21.

SEP 09, 16, 23, 30, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039473800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as PLAN P, 956 EDINBURGH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed 2B MOM INC (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 09/02/21.

SEP 09, 16, 23, 30, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039457200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as 3582 20TH ST PROPERTY, 3582 20TH STREET, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a trust, and is signed by trustees PATRICK MILLS, OSAMA MOGANNAM, ANTHEA STOLTZ & ANNE WALKER. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/05/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/11/21.

SEP 09, 16, 23, 30, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039471500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as DECOMMISSIONING OFFICE SOLUTION, 739 VALENCIA ST #3, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed SAMANA 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 08/31/21.

SEP 09, 16, 23, 30, 2021 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556594

In the matter of the application of CLAUS RALPH GOLDBERG, 1212 10TH AVE #306, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner CLAUS RALPH GOLDBERG is requesting that the name CLAUS RALPH GOLDBERG be changed to CLAUS RALPH COOPER. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Rm. 103 on the 19th of OCTOBER 2021 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

SEP 16, 23, 30, OCT 07, 2021 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556600

In the matter of the application of KOUNG MENG TEAR, 126 TAPIA DR, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94132, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner KOUNG MENG TEAR is requesting that the name KOUNG MENG TEAR be changed to TOMMY MENG THEA. 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 21st of OCTOBER 2021 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

SEP 16, 23, 30, OCT 07, 2021 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556605

In the matter of the application of HILDA JOANNA MENDEZ, 115 CENTRAL AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner HILDA JOANNA MENDEZ is requesting that the name HILDA JOANNA MENDEZ be changed to JOANNA VALENTINA DE PIRUL. 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 23rd of NOVEMBER

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

SEP 16, 23, 30, OCT 07, 2021 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556611

In the matter of the application of CLIFFTOINETTE ANGELA ROGERS AKA C. ANGELA ROGERS, 1350 35TH AVE #2, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner CLIFFTOINETTE ANGELA ROGERS AKA C. ANGELA ROGERS is requesting that the name CLIFFTOINETTE ANGELA ROGERS AKA C. ANGELA ROGERS be changed to ANGELA. 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 23rd of NOVEMBER 2021 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

SEP 16, 23, 30, OCT 07, 2021 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556607

In the matter of the application of BENJAMIN LOUIE, 170 GRAVEN ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner BENJAMIN LOUIE is requesting that the name BENJAMIN LOUIE be changed to BENJAMIN LOUIE RUAN. 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 23rd of NOVEMBER 2021 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

SEP 16, 23, 30, OCT 07, 2021 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556599

In the matter of the application of YUNA SUH & WADIE ROPHAEL, 4144 24TH ST #1, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner YUNA SUH & WADIE ROPHAEL is requesting that the name CELINA ROPHAEL be changed to SAERIN ROPHAEL. 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 23rd of NOVEMBER 2021 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

SEP 16, 23, 30, OCT 07, 2021 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556609

In the matter of the application of GREGORY ALLEN JONES, 1521 GOLDEN GATE AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner GREGORY ALLEN JONES is requesting that the name GREGORY ALLEN JONES AKA CHRISTOPHER GREGORY DEWINTER be changed to CHRISTOPHER GREGORY DEWINTER. 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 23rd of NOVEMBER 2021 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

SEP 16, 23, 30, OCT 07, 2021 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556613

In the matter of the application of KELLE ANN PEDRO, 1282 23RD AVE #A, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner KELLE ANN PEDRO is requesting that the name KELLE ANN PEDRO be changed to KELLE ANN NICHOLS. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Rm. 103 on the 26th of OCTOBER 2021 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

SEP 16, 23, 30, OCT 07, 2021 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556615

In the matter of the application of RONALD ANWAR ASWAN GIBSON, 162 KISKA RD, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner RONALD ANWAR ASWAN GIBSON is requesting that the name RONALD ANWAR ASWAN GIBSON be changed to EMMITT JOVON LEWIS JR. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Rm. 103 on the 28th of OCTOBER 2021 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

SEP 16, 23, 30, OCT 07, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039479200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as LUMODOS, 1 HAWTHORNE ST UNIT 15A, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LESTER SAN LUIS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/01/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/09/21.

SEP 16, 23, 30, OCT 07, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039481700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as SOCIUS STRATEGIES, 2816 PACHECO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ROSALIND COHEN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/01/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/10/21.

SEP 16, 23, 30, OCT 07, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039466300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as SF HOUSE OF NAILS 2, 3221 PIERCE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LIEN LOI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/18/21.

The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/23/21.

SEP 16, 23, 30, OCT 07, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039482900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as ALOHA KITCHEN, 752 VAN NESS AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LISA CHAU. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/13/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/13/21.

SEP 16, 23, 30, OCT 07, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039479400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as THE CALIFORNIA STREET STUDIO, 5954 CALIFORNIA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MONICA T. SAMANIEGO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/13/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/09/21.

SEP 16, 23, 30, OCT 07, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039476600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as WETZEL’S PRETZELS, 3251 20TH AVE #102, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94132. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed INNOVATIVE IMPACT INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/03/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/08/21.

SEP 16, 23, 30, OCT 07, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039481400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as GOTT’S ROADSIDE – MISSION BAY, 151 WARRIORS WAY #102-3, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94158. This business is conducted by a limited partnership, and is signed GOTT’S PARTNERS LP, GENERAL PARTNER GOTT BROTHERS DEVELOPMENT LLC (CA), 1344 ADAMS ST, ST HELENA, CA 94574. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct, JOEL A. GOTT, as Manager of Gott Brothers Development LLC as GP for Gott’s Partners, LP. 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 09/10/21. Deputy County Clerk, Sonya Yi.

SEP 16, 23, 30, OCT 07, 2021 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-037723800

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as MESSY LENS, 3545 24TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110.

This business was conducted by an individual and signed by HEATHER HORTER. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/14/17.

SEP 16, 23, 30, OCT 07, 2021 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-039111800

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as ALOHA KITCHEN, 752 VAN NESS AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business was conducted by a corporation and signed by LISA CYNTHIA CHAU (CA). The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 06/07/20.

SEP 16, 23, 30, OCT 07, 2021 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556608

In the matter of the application of MEENA HARRIS & NIKOLAS AJAGU, C/O DEBORAH WALD, THE WALD LAW GROUP, PC, 100 BUSH ST #1900, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94104, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner MEENA HARRIS & NIKOLAS AJAGU is requesting that the name AMARA SHYAMALA UKA AJAGU be changed to AMARA SHYAMALA HARRIS AJAGU. 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 21st of OCTOBER 2021 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

SEP 23, 30, OCT 07, 14, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039486500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as SNOWLION MEDICAL TRANSPORTATION, 495 38TH AVE #3, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed TASHI DHONDUP. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/11/10. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/15/21.

SEP 23, 30, OCT 07, 14, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039476200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as SAPPHIRE CONSIGNMENT, 1105 BUSH ST #B, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DOUGLAS WATSON. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/03/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/07/21.

SEP 23, 30, OCT 07, 14, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039481800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as TINY SEEDS DAYCARE, 138 SOUTHWOOD DR, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed KATERINE VALDERRAMOS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/09/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/10/21.

SEP 23, 30, OCT 07, 14, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039473500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as DREAMSCAPES; LANDRY & COMPANY; 980 TERESITA BLVD, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94127. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SUSAN LANDRY. 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 09/02/21.

SEP 23, 30, OCT 07, 14, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039488400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as HT PAVING AND SEAL COATING SERVICES, 131 ROCK HARBOR LN, FOSTER CITY, CA 94404. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed HUGO APARECIDA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/17/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/17/21.

SEP 23, 30, OCT 07, 14, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039481300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as FILM INSTALL PROS, 3239 MISSION ST #A, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed IVAN GOMEZ. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/09/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/10/21.

SEP 23, 30, OCT 07, 14, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039489700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as MEGA CLEANING SF, 380 HANOVER ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LUIS LOPEZ CRUZ. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/20/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/20/21.

SEP 23, 30, OCT 07, 14, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039476100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as CHEAP TICKETS TRAVEL, 816 GEARY BLVD #34, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual,, and is signed MAUNG YANG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/01/01. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/07/21.

SEP 23, 30, OCT 07, 14, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039487700 The following person(s) is/are doing business

as POTRERO PHYSICAL THERAPY, 550 15TH ST #36A, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed INNER BAR INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/30/07. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/16/21.

SEP 23, 30, OCT 07, 14, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039487800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as OCEAN BEACH PHYSICAL THERAPY, 3401 TARAVAL ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed INNER BAR INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/14/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/16/21.

SEP 23, 30, OCT 07, 14, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-03948680

The following person(s) is/are doing business as DISCOVER HEALTH, 990 COLUMBUS AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed DISCOVER HEALTH MEDICAL GROUP (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 09/15/21.

SEP 23, 30, OCT 07, 14, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039490800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as REPUBLIC BUILDING MAINTENANCE, 1 MARKET ST 36TH FL, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed REPUBLIC ENTERPRISES INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/01/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/21/21.

SEP 23, 30, OCT 07, 14, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039489400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as JADE BAZAAR, 480 GRANT AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed JADE MOUNTAIN INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/01/97. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/20/21.

SEP 23, 30, OCT 07, 14, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039474600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as HUCKLEBERRY BICYCLES, 1255 BATTERY ST #120, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed ROCK DOVE LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/03/11. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/02/21.

SEP 23, 30, OCT 07, 14, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039473100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as SFC JUNK REMOVAL, 318 WOOLSEY ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed SFC JUNK REMOVAL LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/13/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/02/21.

SEP 23, 30, OCT 07, 14, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039487000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as DISCOVER HEALTH, 990 COLUMBUS AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed MYDOCPLUS (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 09/15/21.

SEP 23, 30, OCT 07, 14, 2021 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-038833300

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as PARTNERS, 3896 NORIEGA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business was conducted by a general partnership and signed by PAUL EDWARD GREER, PAUL CURTIS SUGIMOTO & RICHARD CHARLES TUCKER. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 10/22/19.

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Arts & Nightlife

by Jim Provenzano

Erotic Avenue

F

or anyone who misses having sex in a back alley, parking lot, or atop a bulldozer, the new hardcover book of photos by veteran photographer Mark I. Chester makes a perfect gift for Folsom time.

Ninety silky black pages with photos, and inspired text by Chester, Nick Wafel (the new Drummer Editor) and art historian Alison Swindell, contextualize the themes of South of Market glory days before pricey condos and gentrification.

Once upon a time, gay men owned the streets of South of Market at night, with a whole vibrant culture of its own. Part of that culture was sex and the search for sex on the streets of South of Market, in the alleyways and the shadows. Using only available light and capturing quickly set-up moments nonetheless makes for a series of balanced, measured erotic portraits. Chester describes his new series as a “dream of the past and a hope for the future.”’

Balancing haunting and erotic settings, men, alone, in pairs or trios, pose formally, or mid-sex. A man stands erect in a truck bed. Another grips a fence as he’s rimmed.

Others in full leather imply as much with a mere glance.

Mark I. Chester’s ‘Street Sex Photos’

In his own essay, Chester discusses his technique of guerilla set-ups, the use of available light from streetlights, and the thrill of the risky photo shoots in a heavily built-up neighborhood that once welcomed cruising, leather and kink.

He’s also had printers refuse to publish his

third book; not an uncommon experience in erotica, but in 2021? But this isn’t art lost in nostalgia, as much as yesteryears inspire.

“Mark and his subjects aren’t rehashing the past nor are they chasing ghosts,” writes Wafel in his essay. “They are making a stand for who they are in all their grimy, horny, cruisy glory.”

Books may be purchased directly from Chester. They are $75 including sales tax and shipping. You can text Mark at 415-613-0369 or email him at sfphotou@yahoo.com.t Follow Mark I. Chester at https://twitter.com/sfphotou/

Y

Larry Townsend with his Doberman ‘Mueller’ and a submissive pup in Los Angeles, 1997.

Larry Townsend

Celebrating the man behind ‘The Leatherman’s Handbook’

ou might expect that a biography of Melrose Avenue which was likely the world’s a man who wrote an S&M handbook first leather bar, predating the Argos leather and came out in the mid-1950s would bar founded in Amsterdam in 1957, Chuck be difficult, sad and depressing. If you did, Renslow’s Gold Coast leather bar in Chicayou would be wrong. The Life and Times go in 1958, and the Why Not and Tool box of Larry Townsend: Saluting the 50th Anleather bars in San Francisco in 1962. The niversary of The Leatherman’s dive was perfect for him and Handbook, by Jack Fritscher, the new gay motorcycle clubs, is anything but a sad story. If like the Satyrs founded in 1954, anything, Larry Townsend’s hosting mixers for sadists and story is a festive romp, and the masochists who were also miliword that best describes his life tary veterans.” and work is masterful.

It was a wild demi-monde In telling Townsend’s story, that, because of its proximity to Fritscher attempts to correct the film studios, had its share the historical record and make of Hollywood stars as well as certain Townsend’s story is military men, and Townsend told, and that the leather hiscrossed paths with some on a tory of Los Angeles is docutruly intimate level. mented and included. Frit“He and Hollywood star scher particularly mentions Montgomery Clift, who sported the lack of material on leather a wicked leather jacket in A and S&M history in Lillian FaPlace in the Sun, shared a lover,” derman and Stuart Timmons’ writes Fritscher. “That romantic Gay L.A.: A History of Sexual triad ended when Clift, fresh off Outlaws, Power Politics and shooting Suddenly Last Summer, Lipstick Lesbians: spirited the ham in their sand“Faderman and Timmons’ à wich away to Cuba for the wild la carte servings of ‘L.A. HisNew Year’s Eve before Fidel Castory’ dished up only passing tro marched his revolution into mention of Drummer while the Havana on January 9, 1959.” enormous gay-roots fact that it It’s not merely Townsend’s was a local magazine founded encounters with Hollywood and filled in L.A. by local politistars or his forays into the first cal activists, artists and writers leather bar in the world that ulincluding local superstars like timately brought him to fame, Larry and Jeanne [Barney].” even though this makes his Early editions of The The story of Townsend’s Leatherman’s Handbook story even more interesting. initiation into the world of Townsend was already writleather and S&M is intrinsiing gay pulp fiction like Kiss of cally linked to the underground L.A. history Leather and The Gooser (later reprinted as that Fritscher documents in his book.

The Gay Adventures of Captain Goose) for “Having cruised in the closet of his car Greenleaf Classics in 1969, the year Stonewall since his teen years,” Fritscher writes, “he changed everything (and three years before came out to his own formal satisfaction in See page 13 >> 1955 at the primeval L.A. bar, Cinema, on

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Film>>

September 23-29, 2021 • BayArea Reporter • 13

Bloodsisters

by David Elijah Nahmod

O

riginally released in 1995, Michelle Handelman’s documentary Bloodsisters: Leather, Dykes & Sadomasochism is a film that educates and enlightens while preserving the history of San Francisco’s lesbian BDSM community. The film has been newly released on DVD by Kino Lorber, purveyors of classic cinema. Bloodsisters is also streaming at Kino Now, the company’s inhouse streaming service.

Bloodsisters: Leather, Dykes & Sadomasochism is a graphic yet non-judgmental look at a lifestyle many people still don’t understand.

Some in the queer BDSM commu-

Groundbreaking lesbian BDSM video re-released

nity have had to struggle for acceptance even from within the LGBTQ community itself.

Patrick Califia, a noted writer of erotic fiction, poetry, and BDSM culture, appears in the film in interviews shot before his transition, when he was living his life as a lesbian. He recalls losing his entire queer family when he came out in the SM world and movingly speaks of how much that hurt. But Califia stood his ground and became a leader in the BDSM movement.

For most of its seventy-minute running time, the film juxtaposes between images of various women engaging in a variety of BDSM acts with interviews of women candidly

talking about the things they like to do and of the protocols that exist in the community.

One point that is strongly underscored is the fact that S&M sex is not abuse. There are images of women being whipped, tied up, and having clothespins clipped onto their bodies. But as long as it’s done safely and consensually, it’s okay. And the women who appear in Bloodsisters clearly love what they’re doing.

Some of the imagery seen in the film might shock viewers who are not into the scene. In one shot, blood can be seen dripping down a woman’s leg. Yet one woman, after being on the receiving end of a whipping, smiles joyfully as she speaks of how

intense the session was.

Interviewees like her serve to open the minds of the uninitiated.

Viewers who have been curious about the lifestyle but who might not be ready to step into the BDSM world will find that there’s nothing to be afraid of.

Those who are veterans of the BDSM lifestyle will see the film as a glorious celebration of how they have chosen to live their lives. The film gives them a voice.

Anyone who’s ever visited the Bay Area Reporter offices will recognize a few of the women who appear in the film. Ann Soucy-West, who many years ago served as the paper’s classified ads manager, speaks mat-

ter-of-factly about what she enjoys doing when playing with a partner.

And Queen Cougar, a highly respected member of the local leather community appears prominently in the film. Until recently Cougar worked as the paper’s administrator.

Kino Lorber offers Bloodsisters with a plethora of extras. Included is a 25-minute interview with Handelman, presented by the Stonewall National Museum and Archive. There’s a Zoom interview with Handelman, Cougar and others, presented by the Outfest 2020 film festival and more than one hour of deleted scenes and outtakes.t

and defend gays during and after the entrapment arrests by the Los Angeles Police Department.”

Townsend was a founding editor of the HELP Inc. Newsletter, first published on Sept. 15, 1970. All of this is documented in Fritscher’s book, along with photos of the first newsletter (the book supplements the text with over 50 pages of photos of everything from the Cycle Sluts cover of Drummer to Townsend’s awards, his astrological chart and pictures of his King Tut curios).

The HELP Inc. Newsletter, however, has a particularly important place in leather history. As Fritscher notes, “In 1973, the HELP Newsletter was renamed HELP Drummer and became a prototype of the glossy Drummer magazine founded in L.A. in 1975 by Larry’s forever frenemy, John Embry, who in a smooth move deposed Larry as HELP president.

“The Advocate reported on April 25, 1973 that some members thought the election was rigged and that it was inappropriate that a non-profit legal-aid organization was being used to create Embry’s commercial magazine.”

Internecine struggles of this sort are rife in the book, with conflicts between Townsend and Embry, as well as between Embry and Jeanne Barney, the founding Los Angeles editor-in-chief of Drummer. It makes for a fascinating read.

Ultimately, however, it is the publication of The Leatherman’s Handbook, which the book is dedicated to, that is central here. Originally published in 1972, it was an instant classic and wildly popular, with fan mail sent addressed to “Master of Masters, Larry, Sir” among others.

The book was crowd-sourced before the word was invented, with Townsend gathering leathermen’s oral histories by the distribution of a ‘Leather Fact Sheet’ to hundreds of men who informed his text.

Townsend used the same strategy when The Leatherman’s Handbook II was published in 1984. As he was an apparent master at marketing as well, he reprinted the books multiple times with different covers to continue to attract readers.

Fritscher’s homage to Townsend, who died in August 2008, makes

for compelling reading, with authors like Didion, Foucault, SacherMasoch and De Sade all making appearances along with the crew of Drummer and all of the L.A. stars who crossed Townsend’s path throughout his life.

Aside from the history and the frisson from reading about the rise of the leather world, Fritscher

manages to throw in bits of advice which are both interesting and hilarious. Where else can you read, “When masturbation isn’t selfempowerment, you’re just jerking yourself off.”t

www.kinolorber.com

Mark Hemry

Fred Yerkes

Scenes from Bloodsisters: Leather, Dykes & Sadomasochism

Top: Larry Townsend in 1965.

Bottom: Larry Townsend with Jack Fritscher in 1995.

<<

Larry Townsend

From page 12

publication of The Leatherman’s Handbook).

He was part of the gay pulp fiction world documented by Michael Bronski’s Pulp Friction: Uncovering the Golden Age of Gay Male Pulps and Ian Young’s Out in Paperback: A Visual History of Gay Pulps (it’s worth noting that both Bronski and Young are mentioned in Fritscher’s book and that he

also notes that Bronski thanked Townsend for his help in gathering research for his book).

HELPing out

Aside from his value in supplementing leather fantasy with his pulps, Townsend was already an activist for sexual liberation well before Stonewall. Fritscher documents Townsend’s work with HELP, the Homophile Effort for Legal Protection, which was founded in 1968 as documented in the book “to bail out

Preview, read free online, or purchase the book at https://jackfritscher.com/

<< TV and 50 in 50

14 • BayArea Reporter • September 23-29, 2021

Comic crushes

by Victoria A. Brownworth

W

ith so much drama in real life, a little lighter fare might help for our down time. Three comedy/dramedy series have just begun their second seasons, so there is binging material galore here.

The new season of The Other Two is out now on HBO Max. This is a pretty queer series and very funny with some terrific acting and writ-

ing. The show is about two millennial siblings, Cary (out gay actor Drew Tarver) and Brooke Dubek (Heléne Yorke) who must grapple with their younger teen brother Chase’s (Case Walker) overnight fame as a viral internet sensation with his pop video as singer Chase Dreams.

Added to this volatile mix is their mother, Pat (Molly Shannon), who is as eager for fame as Chase and is “Hollywood ready.” This is a series

The Lavender Tube on ‘The Other Two,’ ‘Work in Progress’ and new ‘L Word’ about family dynamics and about the vicissitudes of both fame and failure. You will love-hate everyone at some point, but oh do you feel for Cary and Brooke, who are the ones finding their way (the “other two” of the title) in life–and in the shadow of their celebrity.

The series is the creation of out gay screenwriter and director Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider. The duo were Emmy-winning head writers at Saturday Night Live. Kelly has written for Funny or Die, and was a writer and consulting producer on Broad City.

Schneider has also been a writer on Master of None.

A piece of ‘Work’

Professional headshots / profile pics Weddings / Events

StevenUnderhill 415 370 7152 • StevenUnderhill.com

t

Top Left: Drew Tarver and Heléne Yorke in The Other Two

Showtime describes Top Right: Abby McEnany is a Work in Progress Work in Progress as a se- Bottom: The cast of The L Word: Generation Q ries about “a self-identified ‘fat, queer dyke’ who enters ability going on about gender idenwhere they go next. into a transformative relatity, how we are defined by others One of the big shocks of this new tionship during a time of crisis.” and what that does to us as we are season is Shane. Who knew she Sounds fabulous, right? It is. finding our way. There is a whole would become a focal point and be At the beginning of season segment with SNL’s Julia Sweeney, so... together and centered? It’s been one, Abby (Abby McEnany) tells who played Pat–a person who was quite the journey, watching her, her therapist, “I’m 45, I’m fat. I’m of undefined gender–that is very ilwell, grow up. But as always, we are this queer dyke who hasn’t done luminating. drawn to her sensuality, and her love shit in her life, and that is my idenlife is always going to be the stuff of tity?” It spirals from there.

L word up water cooler morning after gossip.

Work in Progress is radical comThe L Word: Generation Q is As in the original series, we are edy. It follows Abby as she enters the sequel series to The pulled into these characters’ lives into a relationship with L Word, which aired for as they fall in and out of love while a much younger trans six seasons on Showtime looking for a landing –or launch– man, Chris (played by from 2004 to 2009. Simipad. These are women and men non-binary actor Theo lar to its predecessor, the who are driven to succeed while Germaine, The Politiseries mainly follows the also searching for the missing pieccian) who Abby initially lives of a group of lesbies to fill out their lives. thinks is a baby dyke. an and bisexual women Finley, the sexy butch star of Abby is a very butch, who live in Los Angeles. this series, is also trying to extrivery complicated, Gen Q is set in the cate herself from her deeply relisometimes suicidal “fat, queer-friendly Silver Lake neighgious (and suffocating) upbringing. queer dyke.” (McEnany identifies borhood of Los Angeles. Three of There is a lot of baby mama drama herself the same way. “I think the the original characters are in the from a few characters and so many word dyke is very powerful, and I new series–the beloved Bette Porexes populate the cast that at times feel like dykes can do whatever the ter (Jennifer Beals), the hot butch, it feels a bit like a Russian novel. fuck they want.”)

Shane McCutcheon (Kathryn But it’s fresh and a lot of fun and Abby tells her therapist about Moennig) and Alice Pieszecki (Leivery popcorn-worthy. her elaborate suicide plan. She also sha Hailey).

This is a really solid cast. The says she intends to throw away an The good news is that season 2 new characters (who are repeatedly almond for every day of her life. We is smoother, sharper and a touch referred to as “diverse” by Showsee the almonds as a ritual–Abby more emotionally relatable than time; stop that, please!) are the centossing them into the trash with an season 1. We know these folks ter, not adjuncts tacked onto the onomatopoeaic plunk is resoundbetter now, and we have stopped people we loved (and sometimes ingly about what Abby feels has yearning for the old series’ charachated) for six seasons. Season 2 is gone wrong in her life to date. ters (well, except for Papi and Carnow streaming on Showtime, but It would be easy to give away too men).

These are indeed people we you do need to watch season 1 first. much here, and some of the funniknow and we believe who they are est bits demand seeing them fresh and what they want. And we like Read the full column on rather than spoiling the ‘OMG!’ them (mostly) and want to know www.ebar.com. moment. But there is a lot of teach-

50 years in 50 weeks: 1995 rocked

G

iven that this is Folsom week, albeit in a retro-reduced MehaHood format, I at first perused the late Marcus Hernandez’ leather column of this week in 1995, which was expansive, as was his IML coverage in other issues.

But what visually stood out, and reminded me of a mid-90s phenomenon, was a Sept. 21 arts section feature on the band Extra Fancy, who played on that year’s Folsom Street Fair’s main stage.

Front man Brian Grillo may have been the most prominent out gay rock singer of the year. The band endured the ups and downs of music label adoration, then rejection. But their performance at the fair was quite memorable.

In similar queer rock news, our Feb. 16 issue covered the historic gig where queer rockers Pansy Division opened for Green Day at Madison Square Garden.

Designer, writer and musician Adriana Roberts, who penned the Pansy Division article, also queried Lollapalooza in search of queer grooves, and interviewed lesbian band The Hail Marys in our Aug. 24 issue.

Altogether, it was a very musical year.

Enjoy more vintage reading at https:// archive.org/details/bayareareportert

t

Books>>

September 23-29, 2021 • BayArea Reporter • 15

Sex and sensibility wholly as an unfettered gay masochist, a sometimes sex worker, and an unapologetically sexual being who craves the erotic deliverance of his body to another man. This kind of deep, resonant, penetrating confessional is a rare treat to be savored.

Conceptually combustive and executed with great introspection, this is exceptionally brazen, epiphanic queer writing which can only be described as “carnal and poetic,” much akin to the tattooed words of Jack Kerouac emblazoned across the author’s ribcage.t My Love is a Beast: Confessions

by Alexander Cheves, Unbound Edition Press; $27.95

Author Alexander Cheves

by Jim Piechota

I

n this commanding, in-yourface debut memoir by Alexander Cheves, the author lays bare the “sins” of his past but he rightfully refuses to atone for them. Instead, a libidinous celebration of sorts takes place within these pages: of life brimming with adventurous possibilities, of sex in all its sordid incarnations, and an appreciation of queerness, identity, and intimate liberation.

This is an unfettered memoir, one where the author is as candid as humanly possible about emotions, pain, consent, non-consent, kinks, love, pleasure, and unbridled desire, all blissfully saturated in raw sexuality and piercing poetry.

Cheves begins his life story with a brisk, honest assessment of his adopted childhood spent partially in Zambia where his Southern Baptist parents spent years as medical missionaries. He quickly moves into the Deep South years as a “skinny and loud, big-lipped, pouty” youth who was deaf in one ear and obstinately disobedient.

His love of unrefined country guys with that “earthy tractor smell” while at college in Savannah found him driving hours outside of town to meet men who lived in shacks at the dead-end of dirt roads or couples with chicken coops and mud-slicked pickups for unexpected three-way sessions of double-penetration.

His memoir wades gracefully through early boyfriends, first attempts at sex writing through poetry, and a crushing HIV diagnosis in college tempered by a fuck buddy who coaxed him with tough love to overcome the stigma and the suicidal impulses, and how to turn all that self-persecution into respect and adoration for his own body and what it could do for other men.

Reflections on religious faithlessness (naturally) lead into Cheves’s time in “this magical, strange, and dark city” of San Francisco where, amidst the digitized BDSM bacchanals organized by hook-up apps, he met his first “Sir.” His deliciously detailed adventures in this section become an entry point for years of sexual liberation, queer cultural scrutiny, and an embracement of his true self as a bondage bottom.

The author’s Twitter identities are similarly fascinating and oscillate between two personas: one manifesting the scrubbed PG-13 of his authorial life (BadalexCheves), while the other is awash with graphic videos, provocative declarations, and stuffed with dick and ass videos, all in gruntingly glorious masochistic motion (AlexRawNYC). This is the kind of unique author who, in his memoir’s acknowledgments, thanks all the strangers he’s met “on dance floors,

in dark places” who eventually became responsible for his life today.

A self-described “personal effort to weave my own life into meaning,” Cheves writes about himself candidly and without any candycoated language or gratuitous exposition. He presents himself

Alexander Cheves will be in San Francisco signing his memoir on Thursday, September 23, at 7pm, at the Center for Sex and Culture, 1349 Mission Street.

Find his booth at Megahood 2021on Folsom Street on Sunday, Sept. 26, 11am-6pm. www.unboundedition.com/ queer-voices-essys/

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