September 27, 2012 edition of the Bay Area Reporter

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'Berlin & Beyond'

TLC turns 10

The

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Serving the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender communities since 1971

Vol. 42 • No. 39 • September 27-October 3, 2012

SF unveils new HIV research offices

Court mum on marriage cases P

by Matthew S. Bajko

by Lisa Keen

erhaps the most historic U.S. Supreme Court session ever for the LGBT community gets under way officially October 1, with a record nine gayrelated cases seeking review, all involving same-sex marriage. Chief Justice John Two of the nine Roberts and the cases include high- court will likely profile landmark hear several gay decisions in federal cases this term. appeals courts – one declaring Proposition 8, California’s ban on same-sex marriage, unconstitutional, the other holding the core section of the Defense of Marriage Act to be unconstitutional. Whether the court refuses to hear the appeals or takes them, the result will set up another landmark in the LGBT civil rights struggle. Six other cases revolve around challenges to DOMA, and the ninth is an attempt by the anti-gay National Organization for Marriage to circumvent campaign reporting laws when it spends money to push anti-gay initiatives.

The Prop 8 climax The Prop 8 case, now known as Hollingsworth v. Perry (formerly known as Brown v. Perry and Schwarzenegger v. Perry) is one of the most anticipated gay cases to reach the U.S. Supreme Court, for the LGBT community and for many others. It is a case that has been drenched with drama since the beginning, when the newcomer organization American Foundation for Equal Rights – against the advice of longtime gay legal activists – hired two of the country’s most prominent attorneys to challenge a voterpassed initiative in California to ban samesex marriage. As attorneys Theodore Olson and David Boies staged their three-week long landmark trial in defense of equal rights for same-sex couples, gay legal activists marshaled behind them. And when, in August 2010, they won a comprehensive victory from U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker (a Republican appointee who, after retirement, acknowledged having a same-sex partner), the momentum throughout the country seemed to begin shifting toward equality. Then, in another victory, the 9th U.S. CirSee page 12 >>

O Rick Gerharter

Folsom fun in the sun J

onah Wilkins, center, visiting from Las Vegas, dances at the Folsom Street Fair, Sunday, September 23 in San Francisco’s South of Market district. The leather and fetish extravaganza drew hundreds of thousands of people, who enjoyed everything from BDSM demonstrations to kink. Folsom

Street Events Executive Director Demetri Moshoyannis said this week that the 29th annual street fair was a success, and that the warmer weather likely helped to increase gross sales for beverages. He also said it appears that attendance was up, although estimates were not yet available.

n the other side of a private street entrance sits a freshly painted whitecolored waiting area with green-hued modern furniture. Ready to greet participants of various HIV research studies sits a receptionist behind an open counter. Researchers summoned to greet their study participants emerge from a closed door, behind which runs a corridor lined with exam rooms fitted with state-of-the-art equipment. Nowhere lies a trace of the long-closed Bull’s Texas Cafe Restaurant that once called the ground floor space at 25 Van Ness home. “When I walked in for my test, my eyes lit up. I couldn’t believe I was in the same study or same location or anything,” said Jim Wick, 45, a San Francisco resident who is part of an HIV vaccine trial. “It was like walking into a brand new doctor’s office waiting area to meet the doctor. It is very sterile, bright, clean and new. See page 13 >>

School board candidates express support for LGBT students by Seth Hemmelgarn

LGBT civil rights movement and included family diversity and gender identity in the district’s health curriculum, she said. Incumbent Rachel Norton, 46, who was also elected to the board in 2008, works part-time as a communications consultant and advocate for families seeking insurance coverage for autism treatment. In a phone interview, Norton said even though she’s an incumbent, “It’s a competitive field. It’s absolutely a competitive field. You never want to be overconfident.” In her B.A.R. questionnaire, Norton said as a result of her advocacy, the school board has “launched a major redesign of programs and services for students with disabilities, and vastly expanded opportunities for mainstreaming.” She also wants to see full funding for the district’s LGBT student support programs. Incumbent Jill Wynns, 64, also expressed support for such services. “The support and expansion of our Support Services for LGBTQ Youth is a high priority for me,” she said.

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he San Francisco Unified School District Board of Education is without an LGBT member, and that won’t change after the November 6 election as there are no out people running. But nine of the candidates who responded to a questionnaire from the Bay Area Reporter expressed strong support for LGBT students. Backing restorative justice, finding more money, and closing the achievement gap were also among the most common themes from the candidates. There are 11 people running for four seats to oversee the school district, which has a budget of $597 million. Sandra Lee Fewer, 55, is one of three incumbents in the race. Fewer, who was elected to the board in 2008, said during those years, “I have been the lead on LGBTQQ issues.” “We have a lot of work to do to change the culture of SFUSD schools” around lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning issues, she told the B.A.R. “Our data tells us that LGBTQQ youth are three to four times more likely to be truant, harassed, bullied and sadly, contemplate suicide. Clearly, we must respond.” Among other achievements, Fewer authored a resolution “to recommit to anti-discrimination” of students. That resulted in the creation of a high school class on the history of the

Rick Gerharter

Incumbent school board candidate Sandra Lee Fewer attended a recent rally in support of Proposition A, a parcel tax for City College.

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New candidates There is one open seat on the board, as Norman Yee’s term is up and he opted to run for supervisor in District 7. As a result, the school See page 13 >>

<< Community News

2 • BAY AREA REPORTER • September 27-October 3, 2012

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Payne testifies in cold case trial by Seth Hemmelgarn

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he man accused of fatally strangling another man in 1983 and leaving his body in McLaren Park testified in San Francisco Superior Court this week that he had sex with the victim but didn’t know of his death until hearing about it at a Castro neighborhood bar. William Payne, 48, has been charged with first-degree murder during the course of sodomy in the death of Nikolaus Crumbley, 41, who was found dead with his pants and underwear below his knees. The cause of death was ligature strangulation. Police arrested Payne, who had been questioned as early as 1984 in the death, in January 2012 after matching DNA from Crumbley’s body to him. During testimony Tuesday, September 25, before Superior Court Judge Andrew Cheng, both sides raised the issue of Payne’s bisexuality. Under examination by Deputy Public Defender Kwixuan Maloof, Payne said he was at the old Frenchy’s shop one night looking at gay porn when he met Crumbley, who said something about “partying.� They walked to Crumbley’s room at the Atherton Hotel on Ellis Street and had sex, he said. Afterward, “We talked for a couple minutes, and then I left,� Payne, who was wearing a light gray suit and gold tie Tuesday, testified. Around a couple days later, Payne said, he was at the old Pendulum bar in the Castro when he heard people talking about Crumbley’s body being found. At first, he didn’t recognize the victim’s name, but when he did, he didn’t tell anyone that he’d known him because that “would’ve opened the door� to questions. At one point during his testimony, Payne looked at the jurors – eight women and four men – and told them that he didn’t kill Crumbley or

take his wallet or other belongings, as prosecutors allege. He also shyly acknowledged that he’s had sex with men and women. “If you’re hiding it,� it can be considered living on the “down low,� he said quietly. “I didn’t want my family to know. My family has a religious background.� He said his former wife would have “freaked out� and his brothers, one of whom appeared to be in court Tuesday, “would have disowned me,� among other concerns. Payne also talked about being asked repeatedly about his sexuality when he met with homicide inspectors in their car and on a sidewalk near City Hall in January. He’d never met the inspectors before, and his brother, who didn’t know of Payne’s sexuality at the time, was standing nearby for at least part of the conversation, he said. Maloof has indicated Payne’s denials of his sexuality have made him “look suspicious.� Responding to questions from Assistant District Attorney Michael Swart, Payne said that he’d lied about never having had sex with men, but he said the January interview with police had been “uncomfortable.� The difficulty of trying to recall people and events that happened almost 30 years ago also came up during Swart’s examination of Payne on Tuesday. He sought to explain why he hadn’t immediately recognized Crumbley when police showed him his photograph and asked about the case in January. “The encounter with Mr. Crumbley I had was 30 years ago,� and it was brief, Payne said. “... Not to be insensitive to Mr. Crumbley, but I didn’t hold it with me and carry it every day,� he said of the other man’s death. Swart spent much of his time with Payne Tuesday portraying him as a liar, questioning him about details from his testimony and previous

Courtesy SFPD

Defendant William Payne

statements he’d made. In one instance, Payne said he “misspoke.â€? Swart, who didn’t ask Payne Tuesday directly about what exactly happened the night he met Crumbley, and Maloof have both said that two men, who apparently haven’t been identified, had been seen pushing Crumbley’s rental car into Oakland’s Lake Merritt before his body was found. During his opening statements in the trial earlier this month, Swart said, “They found [Payne’s] sperm in such large amountsâ€? that he “was the last person to have sex with Nikolaus Crumbley, and therefore, the person that murdered Nikolaus Crumbley.â€? He also said there was DNA from a “minorâ€? contributor who’d been “an earlier consensual partnerâ€? of Crumbley. Maloof said during his opening statements that jurors would hear testimony that semen can remain in the rectum for up to almost three days, and that semen from at least two men other than Crumbley and Payne was found in Crumbley’s underwear. Maloof and Swart have sparred often during the trial, with both objecting frequently to the others’ questions, raising their voices, talking over each other, and having many short conferences with Cheng outside the courtroom. The trial is expected to conclude in about a week. If convicted, Payne could be sentenced to life without parole.â–ź

Brinkin pleads not guilty to child porn charges by Seth Hemmelgarn

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he attorney for pioneering gay rights advocate Larry Brinkin entered a not guilty plea on Brinkin’s behalf at his arraignment on child porn charges Wednesday, September 26 in San Francisco Superior Court before Judge Richard Ulmer Jr. Brinkin, 66, who bailed out of custody shortly after he surrendered to police last Thursday, September 20, was wearing a dark suit with a purple tie. Brinkin only spoke when he responded “yes� when his attorney asked if he was waiving time. Randy Knox, Brinkin’s attorney, declined to comment. At a press conference after the arraignment, prosecutors said that Brinkin was charged with two counts of distributing child pornography and four counts of possession of child pornography. The next court date is November 9 for status and motions. Assistant District Attorney Leslie Cogan has been assigned the case. San Francisco police initially arrested Brinkin on child pornographyrelated charges in June. He quickly posted bail and was released from custody on those charges. His arrest last week followed further investigation by police at the request of the district attorney’s office. Brinkin, an out gay man, was a compliance officer for the San Francisco Human Rights Commission for more than two decades before he retired in 2010. Court records reviewed in June showed that police seized two locked red plastic toolboxes containing vid-

Courtesy SFPD

Larry Brinkin, in a September 20 mug shot

eos, two laptops and a desktop computer, three thumb drives, and other items from Brinkin’s Waller Street home. According to the affidavit accompanying the search warrant, in May, San Francisco police viewed information that had been sent to them by a Los Angeles Police Department detective. That detective had received tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that an America Online representative had reported that a user going by Zack3737 with the email address zack3737@aol.com had been communicating with another email user. There were two emails with pictures attached that AOL representatives “believed to be child pornography,� the documents say. The San Francisco police officer reviewed information that showed the screen name Zack3737 was registered

to a Larry Brinkin, with Brinkin’s home address and his phone numbers. He paid for the account via a credit card bearing his name, the records say. A January 2011 email exchange between Zack3737 and another user implied that they were sharing pictures, according to court records. Some in the LGBT community said they find charges against Brinkin hard to believe. “Mr. Brinkin has been an amazing advocate to the community, a great colleague and a good friend,â€? Health Commissioner Cecilia Chung, a transgender woman who served on the Human Rights Commission for several years, said in a Facebook exchange. “The Larry Brinkin that we are reading in the media seems so out of character, and I hope the community can remind ourselves those are still allegations and they certainly don’t take away all the wonderful work that he had done on our behalf. I believe there has to be a logical explanation to all this madness.â€? Among highlights of his HRC career, Brinkin was a manager for the city’s Equal Benefits Ordinance, the first of its kind in the country. The ordinance requires city contractors to provide the same benefits to their employees with spouses and their employees with domestic partners. Brinkin also managed the commission’s multi-year investigation of Badlands, a popular Castro neighborhood bar that in 2004 faced allegations of racial discrimination. Owner Les Natali has steadfastly denied the discrimination charges and the case was eventually settled through mediation.â–ź

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Community News>>

September 27-October 3, 2012 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 3

Gold’s name change delays Castro project by Matthew S. Bajko

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he decision by the Bay Area family that held the Gold’s Gym franchise to part ways with the international fitness chain has further delayed plans to redevelop the Castro location. Since 2009 the locally based Jackovics family has sought to expand the building at 2301 Market Street at Noe. Their plans call for adding a third floor of gym space with an expanded women’s locker room and another two floors of rental housing. But zoning issues have bedeviled the project. An attempt to raise the height limit for the property from 50 feet to 65 feet two years ago stalled at City Hall. Then in late 2010 the gym owners found themselves caught up in a controversy over the political giving of a Texas billionaire whose company licenses the Gold’s Gym brand name. It was learned that businessman Robert Rowling and his company TRT Holdings had given nearly $6 million to a political group that then funneled the money to support anti-gay congressional candidates on the fall ballot that year. The donations enraged the LGBT community, and a firestorm of criticism soon engulfed the famed fitness chain. Some LGBT advocates called for a boycott of Gold’s and urged its LGBT members to switch gyms. Looking to distance themselves from the brouhaha, brothers Zsolt and Sebastyen Jackovics, who bought the Bay Area Gold’s Gym franchise nearly 24 years ago, issued a letter to members in which they pledged to leave the chain when their contract expired in September 2012. At the time they operated the Castro and South of Market Gold’s Gyms in San Francisco as well as locations in San Mateo, Oakland, and Marin. They also said every dollar they spent on their franchise fees would be matched with an equal or greater donation to LGBT charities. Their decision further postponed the planned remodel of the Castro location, as the owner’s attention and resources were focused on launching a new independently owned gym chain. As the Bay Area Reporter’s September 13 Business Briefs column noted, the Gold’s Gym properties in the city were renamed Fitness SF as of 7 a.m. Saturday, September 15. The switch also applied to the Lake Merritt location in Oakland and the property in Corte Madera in Marin County. The family no longer operates the Peninsula gym. Signage at the four gyms has since been changed to reflect the new name, as have staff uniforms and merchandise sold at the fitness centers. Instead of Gold’s black and yellow palette, the properties now sport orange and black, the color scheme of the San Francisco Giants baseball team. In a recent interview at the SOMA gym, Sebastyen Jackovics said his franchise agreement with Gold’s bars him from directly addressing questions about why he and his family opted out of their affiliation with the brand. His lawyers even advised him not to confirm just how long he was a Gold’s franchisee. “I can say I have spent 23 years in the fitness industry,” said Jackovics, 43, who is straight and lives in Marin. “Everything that revolved around that issue we said two years ago and we are just following through on that. The members get it, the members understand.” He added that the decision came

Rick Gerharter

Workers from Hupp Signs of Chico install a new sign at the newly named Fitness SF gym in South of Market, which used to operate under the Gold’s brand.

down to the family deciding that the “best way to serve our neighborhoods and members was to create our own brand born here in the San Francisco Bay Area.” According to notices the gym sent to its members and a comment posted on its Facebook page under FitnessSFCastro, it intends to keep its monthly dues the same for current members for at least the next two years with the possibility of extending the rates for as long as five years. “The ownership remains the same. It is the same family, the same management, the same trainers and the same employees,” said Jackovics. “We have the same hours, the same classes, the same rates.” While Fitness SF members no longer have access to other Gold’s franchises, as they did under their old membership terms, they can access more than 10,000 fitness centers in 70 countries that belong to the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association. Fitness SF recently joined IHRSA in order to be part of its passport program. “We feel the name on the door is important, but more important are the people behind the name. Our gyms have always been about the people, and that is where the emphasis is,” said Jackovics. “Now that we are our own brand, we are able to do what we want and are unrestricted.” Based on postings on the gym’s various Facebook groups, members have either applauded the family’s decision to leave Gold’s or have questioned the sincerity behind the move. “I’m so proud of the gym for keeping its word and not renewing that contract. It’s important to stand on principle and I really appreciate their support of our community!” wrote San Francisco resident Joseph Mott. Others viewed the switch more as a PR move and asked why their fees should remain at Gold’s pricing levels. “My understanding is the back story is a little more complicated than the purely altruistic version we’ve been given. More importantly now that they no longer have franchise fees and it will cost us to go to a gym out of town how willing will they be to really give back to the community by reducing our membership fee? Kind of doubt it,” wrote San Francisco resident Steven Rangel. The gym’s management said the transition has largely been a smooth one and are hopeful they will not lose members. So far there has not been a large exodus out the doors, said Jackovics. “You don’t know what the future

will bring and how people will react to it,” he said. “So far our members have reacted with an unbelievable amount of support.” It is unclear how soon a new Gold’s Gym will open in the city and begin to compete against Fitness SF. Jackovics would not discuss the terms of his agreement with the company; neither Gold’s media spokesman or a franchise representative responded to the B.A.R.’s request for comment.

Zoning change afoot Jackovics did say his family is still committed to remodeling the Castro location and adding housing. The original plans had called for 18 rental units, with the required affordable units built on site, and a See page 12 >>

ebar.com

<< Open Forum

4 • BAY AREA REPORTER • September 27-October 3, 2012

Volume 42, Number 39 September 27-October 3, 2012 www.ebar.com PUBLISHER Thomas E. Horn Bob Ross (Founder, 1971 – 2003) NEWS EDITOR Cynthia Laird ARTS EDITOR Roberto Friedman ASSISTANT EDITORS Matthew S. Bajko Seth Hemmelgarn Jim Provenzano CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Dan Aiello • Tavo Amador • Erin Blackwell Roger Brigham • Scott Brogan Victoria A. Brownworth • Philip Campbell Heather Cassell • Chuck Colbert Richard Dodds • David Duran Raymond Flournoy • David Guarino Liz Highleyman • Brandon Judell John F. Karr • Matthew Kennedy David Lamble • Michael McDonagh David-Elijah Nahmod • Elliot Owen Paul Parish • Lois Pearlman • Tim Pfaff Jim Piechota • Bob Roehr • Donna Sachet Adam Sandel • Jason Serinus • Gregg Shapiro Gwendolyn Smith • Ed Walsh • Sura Wood

ART DIRECTION Kurt Thomas PRODUCTION MANAGER T. Scott King PHOTOGRAPHERS Jane Philomen Cleland Marc Geller Rick Gerharter Lydia Gonzales Rudy K. Lawidjaja Steven Underhill Bill Wilson ILLUSTRATORS & CARTOONISTS Paul Berge Christine Smith GENERAL MANAGER Michael M. Yamashita DISPLAY ADVERTISING Simma Baghbanbashi Colleen Small Scott Wazlowski NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE Rivendell Media – 212.242.6863

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Mar for supervisor in District 1 S

an Franciscans living in odd-numbered supervisorial districts will head to the polls in November – or begin casting ballots in early voting next month – and their decisions could reshape the board. On balance, however, we’re satisfied with the work the board has done and in this first set of recommendations, will stay with the status quo. An important position shared by all of these endorsed candidates is that they have committed to backfilling any federal cuts to Ryan White AIDS funding. In this time of decreasing federal monies, this was an important question that we posed to the candidates. District 1, which includes the Richmond, is one of three very competitive races this year and we’re sticking with current Supervisor Eric Mar. Since taking office four years ago, Mar, a straight ally, has been a solid vote on the board for LGBT and HIV/AIDS issues. He is also devoted to his district, and discussed with us his record in bringing green jobs to the area, as well as his record in job creation evidenced by small businesses along Clement Street. “I want a livable, healthy economy for the city,” Mar told us during a recent editorial board meeting. “My record makes it better for everyone.” Mar has worked with the small business community and merchants’ associations to pass legislation allowing for more active and attractive storefronts, renovation of existing buildings, and protections against formula retail in District 1. He has legislation that would ease old zoning laws to allow for more food establishments and manufacturing in different areas. He plans to introduce legislation this month – Good Jobs, Healthy Communities – that might help independent grocers convert from cigarettes and liquor to healthier foods and provide incentives for landlords to fill empty storefronts. Regarding public safety, Mar worked with the police captain, residents, and merchants to develop a merchant watch following reports of armed robberies. Mar said that he is an independent supervisor who studies things carefully. And he’s not afraid to take a stand, even at his own expense, as he did

Rick Gerharter

District 1 Supervisor Eric Mar

when he authored legislation to ban children’s toys in fast food meals and was the subject of jokes on late night talk shows. That Happy Meal ban, he said, helped change the culture in a time of mounting childhood obesity rates. “McDonald’s and Burger King made major changes,” he noted, citing the addition of apple slices and removing French fries as a default menu item. “I do feel like we made small progress and I think we raised the issue among parents,” he said. We believe that Mar has been an effective leader for his district and is deserving of a second term.

District 3 – David Chiu Another steadfast ally of the LGBT community is current Board of Supervisors President David Chiu. He faces opposition from three little known challengers and we recommend him for re-election. Four years ago, Chiu won with backing from progressives. But over the years he has forged an independent path, angering some along the way, while building bridges with other factions. He has been a steady leader of the board, noting that the tenor among supervisors began to change in 2008.

“I’m happy with the progress we’ve made,” he said of changes at the board. “It has improved in our ability to provide leadership.” Chiu, an attorney who’s worked as a criminal prosecutor, civil rights lawyer, business founder, and neighborhood leader, has worked alongside communities to deliver results for District 3’s neighborhoods and the entire city, he wrote in our questionnaire. “We’ve created thousands of jobs by reforming our business payroll tax, bringing projects like the Exploratorium, cruise terminal, and America’s Cup to our waterfront, and cutting red tape and unnecessary small business fees.” In District 3, Chiu is working on increasing City Hall’s attention to nightlife issues, noting that in the past year crime at or near popular night spots is down. In short, Chiu brings a collaborative attitude to the board that is much needed.

District 9 – David Campos Since winning office four years ago, Supervisor David Campos has worked hard for his Mission district and for the LGBT community, of which he is a part. It speaks volumes that no one filed to run against him in his re-election bid, making this an easy recommendation. Campos has worked with the board’s other out members, Scott Wiener and Christina Olague, to tackle challenges faced by LGBT seniors. This year, the trio worked to establish an LGBT senior task force, which will soon begin meeting. Another effort that Campos has led is the creation of a shelter for homeless LGBT people. That project, however, has taken longer to develop, due to permitting and other issues. But Campos is unwavering in his advocacy for the homeless – youth and adult alike – and called a hearing specifically to address the horrendous conditions in the city’s shelters, and how LGBT people are often targets of harassment and discrimination in them. Campos sees public safety and job creation as key issues in District 9. In our questionnaire, he pointed out that there are now more foot patrols in the district, and officers receive better training as they interact with the district’s very diverse community, which includes LGBTs. In terms of job creation, Campos worked with See page 10 >>

Mandelman for City College board C

ity College of San Francisco is on the brink of possibly closing. The community college, long considered a necessary scholastic institution of San Francisco, may lose its accreditation due to serious problems that were addressed in a critical report issued in June by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges. The commission outlined a series of shortcomings, including an inadequate funding base, lack of a planning process, a failure to react to ongoing reduced funding, and inadequate administrative leadership. “The commission is concerned that leadership weaknesses at all levels, and established campus precedents for governance structures, decisionmaking priorities, and processes, have kept City College of San Francisco from adapting to its changed and changing fiscal environment,” the report’s executive summary letter stated. Much of that leadership responsibility rests on the elected Board of Trustees. The college’s last chancellor stepped down due to health issues; interim Chancellor Pamila Fisher, who was hired in May, is expected to leave next month, shortly after an October 15 deadline for the college to submit a special report to ACCJC. And yet, the trustees, three of whom are up for reelection this year, have seemed incapable or unwilling to make the tough decisions needed to save the school, its nine campuses, and 86,000 students. Every other community college in California has had to deal with drastic reductions in state funding over the past several years, but none is facing the loss of accreditation like City College. We say it’s time for new leadership – throw the bums out, if you will. There are four seats up on the community college board in November; we recommend three people: Rafael Mandelman, Amy Bacharach, and Rodrigo Santos. Of the three, Mandelman has our strongest support. A gay man who has long been involved in Democratic Party activities (he sits on the

“People want City College to succeed,” Mandelman said. Not all of City College’s problems can be laid on the board, given the state’s dire financial situation that has resulted in millions of dollars in cuts to higher education. But Mandelman is right when he points out that the board has not engaged enough with those outside of the City College community. The infighting and tension on the board needs to stop if it is to be effective in addressing the very serious problems at City College. Electing Rafael Mandelman would be an excellent addition to the City College board.

Amy Bacharach Rick Gerharter

City College board candidate Rafael Mandelman

county central committee) and is an attorney, Mandelman would bring a set of leadership skills we think the board needs. Mandelman will be an effective trustee; he has served on boards before. “I think I have more of an idea than some trustees of what makes a good board member,” he told us. The current board now seems split into two camps, with one group fighting with staff and other, well, we’re not sure what they’re doing. Trustee Lawrence Wong (who is not up this cycle) failed to attend about a third of the meetings last year. Mandelman can also help in another critical area: fundraising. The college, with an enrollment of 86,000, has a vast network of alumni should be tapped as donors, said Mandelman. He also talked about lobbying the business community to support City College, after all, the campus is the city’s largest workforce trainer and that benefits companies in the area.

A newcomer to city politics, Amy Bacharach is a straight ally who said in her questionnaire answers that she has participated in San Francisco’s Pride Parades and supports various LGBT organizations. Bacharach, who said she went from a high school drop-out to obtaining her Ph.D. degree, works as a researcher and evaluator for California’s Administrative Office of the Courts and is an adjunct professor. More importantly, she has experience working with the Western Association of Schools and Colleges – the body that oversees the ACCJC – and served as a student government representative for seven campuses while coordinating with the board and university president. As a result, she can bring several perspectives to the board from research, student, and faculty experiences. Bacharach said that the seriousness of the accreditation situation should be the standard for all decision-making and that the board’s immediate priority must be to address each of the ACCJC’s 14 recommendations in a sufficient way. Like Mandelman, she also sees great value in creating a strong alumni group.

Rodrigo Santos A new face on the college board is Rodrigo See page 13 >>

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Letters >>

September 27-October 3, 2012 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 5

Supports death penalty repeal I commend your decision to recommend a yes vote on Proposition 34 [“San Francisco ballot measures,” Editorial, September 20]. The death penalty in California is broken beyond repair. We have spent $4 billion on it since 1978, and only executed 13 people. More inmates die of old age and natural causes than execution. Studies show that life in prison without parole costs $130 million less than the death penalty, and with this we will never risk executing an innocent person. I will be voting yes on Prop 34. Lindsay Crowder San Francisco

Share the wealth I think I have a solution to the naked guys controversy in the Castro: Share the wealth [“Wiener open to banning public nudity,” September 13]. I think that many of the people in my neighborhood have nakedness fatigue. Jane Warner Plaza is overrun with naked guys sunning themselves most weekends. So, how about they take their message on the road? Every weekend, they converge upon a new park or plaza. One weekend at Crissy Field. Another at Alamo Square. Yet another in Golden Gate Park. You get the idea. That way, they can really get their message out there and those of us who actually live in the Castro can finally make use of Jane Warner Plaza and get a seat in a chair on a weekend day. Mitch Hightower says they want to be naked and left alone, but how about the rest of us who want to use the plaza? Can’t the nudists be naked and left alone in some other parks for a change? Buena Vista Park and Mt. Davidson are lovely this time of year and McLaren Park has plenty of space to spread out. Steven Kyle Weller San Francisco

[Editor’s note: City parks codes prohibit nudity.]

Tacky I am glad Scott Wiener has spoken out on the problem of public nudity in the Castro. Tolerance is a good thing but having no community standards at all is uncivilized. Posing on the corner, while facing oncoming traffic with your genitals prominently displayed, shows contempt and disrespect to one’s fellow citizens. It is childish, rude, irresponsible, and just plain tacky. It is an act of such utter tastelessness that I wonder just how many gay men are actually involved. Time to grow up children and put your pants on. Greg Reeder San Francisco

The free enterprise system in action Messrs. Patterson, Boeger, and Avicolli Mecca [Mailstrom, September 20] make interesting points regarding the Castro Nudity Show. While it’s true that there are certainly more serious problems in that district, that should not deter us from dealing with one of the lesser ones – as the gentlemen view it. Perhaps the fact that the overwhelming majority of the actual residents there find it repulsive should be reason enough to at least consider banning it. Besides, contrary to what the writers imply, the situation is not limited to Jane Warner Plaza. Would that it were. No, these guys walk all around the neighborhood, scaring the horses and appalling the rest of us. But there may be a solution to the controversy. I would respectfully suggest that the above-named gentlemen set aside one hour a week – always the same day and time (say, Friday at 5 p.m. – you know – happy hour at Twin Peaks!) when they can practice what they preach, and pose nude themselves, but only in Jane Warner Plaza, for and with the tourists, who according to Mr. Patterson, bring in extra revenue. Perhaps they could also enlist the services of some of the local homeless young men to join their efforts in raising some serious revenue for the privilege of posing with them. The “models” could keep a cut of the haul (overhead), donate a portion to the city coffers (civic responsibility), and perhaps to a worthwhile charity (the Franklin Brooks Retirement Fund comes to mind). This could also serve as a perfect after-school activity for the K-12 crowd, an ideal field trip to introduce male human anatomy to a future doctor – or artist, priest, nun, whatever. It would be an ideal example of the American free enterprise system in action. Are you with me, gentlemen? Frank Brooks San Francisco

Nudists vs. sexual provocateurs I read the article in the Bay Area Reporter about Supervisor Wiener moving to prohibit public nudity; I was among the first to offer an online comment on the article. I support the supervisor in bringing this legislation, for many of the men who are naked in Jane Warner Plaza, their being naked is not about being nudists, it is about being sexually provocative. If it were about nudity, they would not need to wear cock rings, grease themselves up, and walk around half hard, or sit out there on a cold day wearing a sweater without their pants and wearing a cock ring. I find it odd that the Castro is the only place they feel comfortable walking around nude. How come they aren’t hanging around the Mission? It is consistently warmer there than in the Castro. I did have my concerns that a blanket ban would affect things like Pride, Up Your Alley and the Folsom Street Fair but I understand

that there will be exceptions for street fairs and parades [“Nudity ban would exempt parades, fairs,” September 20]. Keith Folger San Francisco

From nude to lewd As a person who lives and works in the Castro, I do not feel comfortable bringing friends or relatives into the area because of the nudists. They are vulgar and do not bring anything to the neighborhood except laughter from others. I am fine with nudity, but what these people do is not being nudists. It is sexual in nature when they have cock rings on, bend over to show their butt holes, dance to make their penises “move,” pump silicon in it, etc. That is not being a nudist. That is going from nude to lewd. I go for a walk every day after lunch and one day last week was the first day the nudists were not monopolizing the parklet area; it was nice to see people actually using it to sit down, eat, chat. Basically what it was designed for. When it comes time, I will vote in favor of getting rid of the nudists. They are not wanted. Matthew Johnson San Francisco

Time to address the issue When I go to my neighborhood shopping area to buy a quart of milk, get a key made, catch the F line with my niece to go downtown, I have to see naked men. Some have their penis and balls in a cock ring. At Christmas time, I have to see nude men with Santa Claus hats. Young children are forced to see this, too. And they are at eye level to the genitals of these men. We residents of Eureka Valley are forced to see this public display of disregard for our community anytime we want to shop or walk through our own shopping district. Merchants are limited to having only those customers who don’t mind exposing themselves or their families to naked men. I’m not a prude. But I do know depravity when I experience it. I am not afraid to name it. It’s time to address the issue and live together with respect for one another. Veronica Oliva San Francisco

Pushing the envelope too far The news that Supervisor Scott Wiener is considering a possible legislative solution to rein in the exhibitionist nudists who have virtually taken over Jane Warner Plaza on fair weather days, was welcome news indeed. For the past several years, these selfish, attention-seeking individuals have turned our neighborhood into a national embarrassment, and degraded the quality of life for those of us who have no desire to live in a nudist colony, yet are forced to do so on a daily basis by virtue of these people’s naked presence. Many neighborhood residents, myself included, are offended by this behavior, and feel disenfranchised from using Jane Warner Plaza because of the near-constant presence of these anti-social miscreants. The individuals who force their nakedness upon us do so to be intentionally provocative. They apparently want to push the envelope and see how many of their antics our society will begrudgingly accept, and they’ve pushed too far. When they started, they were merely naked. Then came the cock rings, designed to keep their “equipment” in a semierect state, to further titillate and draw attention to themselves. Lately, I’ve seen groups of these men shaking their half-erect penises at passing traffic, at pedestrians, and even at small children. What they envision as the endgame of their social experiment, I shudder to imagine. This is not a human rights issue. There is no “right” to be nude in public. Civil society functions only when we all follow basic rules of decorum and respect those around us. These men have no respect for anyone, least of all, apparently, themselves. Almost no one wants to see their naked flesh, and many are offended by their actions, but they insist on continuing to inflict themselves upon the public. This is also not a gay rights issue. From what I’ve read and heard, the bulk of the exhibitionists are neither gay nor are they residents of the Castro. You do not see these men strolling naked in Union Square or the Financial district. Folks in those neighborhoods simply wouldn’t stand for it. I’m a gay man, and anyone who knows me, knows that I’m no prude. But there’s a time and a place for nudity and overt sexual behavior, and that time is not every single day, on our neighborhood sidewalks and plazas. In proudly liberal San Francisco, we rightfully embrace these behaviors in public at special events such as the Folsom Street Fair. Events like Folsom and Dore Alley are known for their sexual nature, and can easily be avoided by those who don’t wish to see or are offended by sexual sights and behaviors, and also by parents who may not want to be forced into awkward conversations with young children who may not be ready to discuss such sensitive topics. They’ve taken things too far, and it’s time to return the neighborhood – and our sidewalks and plazas – to the vast majority of us who choose to respect society’s customs, and each other. I applaud Supervisor Wiener’s courage in tackling this thorny issue. David Troup San Francisco

[Editor’s note: The writer is treasurer of the Duboce Triangle Neighborhood Association, but the opinions in his letter are his own and not those of the organization.]

<< Community News

6 • BAY AREA REPORTER • September 27-October 3, 2012

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TLC reaches 10-year milestone by Elliot Owen

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he Transgender Law Center, the country’s leading advocacy organization for trans-inclusive law and policy, will be celebrating its 10th anniversary Thursday, October 4 with a reception at the War Memorial and Performing Arts Center in San Francisco. This year, the celebration will be the organization’s largest because, as Executive Director Masen Davis puts it, TLC has much to celebrate. “It’s a big road mark for us,” Davis said. “We’ve been able to build a transgender-led organization that’s been able to champion some incredible legislative and legal victories for our community.” Coinciding with TLC’s 10th anniversary is the launch of TransLine, an unprecedented transgender health service hosted by Project Health, a program created by TLC and San Francisco’s women and transgender clinic Lyon-Martin Health Services, to increase trans-

gender access to community health centers. TransLine is a free national online medical consultation service that provides medical providers with clinical information about transgender health issues. The service aims to minimize experiences of transgender discrimination that occur in health care facilities due to uniformed health care providers. “Most health care providers aren’t taught how to take care of transgender people so they are often turned away, even for basic health needs,” said Dr. Dawn Harbatkin, executive director of Lyon-Martin. “TransLine is designed to allow medical providers to ask questions to a group of experts so they can provide better care.” TransLine is also expected to increase the confidence that transgender patients have in their medical providers on account of the new resource. In many cases, transgender patients find themselves teaching their doctors optimal care practices,

Courtesy TLC

Transgender Law Center Executive Director Masen Davis

which can now be learned from the new online service. Because this information is now freely accessible, patient overflow at reputable transfriendly clinics across the U.S. is also expected to decrease. “What has made TransLine successful,” Harbatkin said, “and really advanced the agenda of getting transgender people equal access to

health care has been the partnership between TLC and Lyon-Martin. I so appreciate the leadership and forward-thinking that TLC had in getting involved in the project.” TransLine is one of many successes large and small that TLC can recount within the last decade. Started as a project of the National Center for Lesbian Rights in 2001, TLC branched off to become its own agency in 2002 when it became obvious that more transgender people were coming out and demanding trans-inclusive laws and policies. Kate Kendell, executive director of NCLR for 16 years, remembers the project’s need for more infrastructure to keep up with the growing transgender visibility. “The project needed the capacity to do more,” Kendell said. “They needed to chart their own path. To see it go from barely scratching the surface of what was needed to a full-on organization with a broad reach – there’s nothing more a parent could want. Ten years is a huge

milestone.” TLC’s budget this year is $2 million, said communications manager Mark Daniel Snyder. The agency employs 11 paid staff and has two law clerk volunteers and a volunteer communications associate. Snyder noted that TLC’s helpline assists between 1,500 and 2,000 people a year. Currently, TLC has 18 open cases, four of which are in litigation. In addition to court cases, TLC will often try to resolve disputes with individual companies or agencies. TLC’s clients are celebrating the 10th anniversary, too. Billy Jean Whittenberg, 49, a transgender woman, remembers when she tried to access homeless shelters in downtown San Francisco between 2005 and 2006. In order to access different facilities, she was told to take off her wig and other items of clothing that represent her femininity. “They wanted us to renounce who we were,” she said. See page 12 >>

Congressman Frank to speak in SF compiled by Cynthia Laird

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etiring Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank will be in San Francisco next weekend and will speak at the Commonwealth Club. The Friday, October 5 event starts with a buffet lunch at 11:45 a.m., followed by the program at 12:30 at the club’s offices, 595 Market Street, second floor. Frank, 70, the longest-serving out gay congressman, decided earlier this year that he would not seek re-election. He married his longtime partner, James Ready, in Boston in July. Long an outspoken Democrat,

Frank has been known to ruffle feathers within the LGBT community, but he has also been critical of anti-gay Republicans and endured name-calling by his political opponents (who can forget then-House leader Dick Armey calling him “Barney Fag” in an interview?). His quick wit, however, has usually led to humorous rejoinders. While in Congress, Frank served as chair of the Financial Services Committee (2007-2010) and worked with the Bush administration to deal with the recession of 2008, and then with the Obama administration to adopt a sweeping

set of financial regulations aimed at preventing a recurrence of the crisis. Tickets for the Commonwealth Club program are $30 for members and $45 for non-members (limited seating). To register, visit www.commonwealthclub.org.

Frank, Kendell to be honored by Horizons

Rep. Barney Frank will be in San Francisco next week.

Following his Commonwealth Club appearance, Frank will be honored by the Horizons Foundation at its annual gala Saturday, October 6 at the Fairmont Hotel, 950 Mason Street in San Francisco. The LGBT grant-making foundation organization will also recognize Kate Kendell, executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights. Themed “A Perfectly Suited Evening,” the gala is Horizons’ major fundraiser of the year. The evening begins with a reception and silent auction at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner and the program at 6:30, and dessert and the red-hot casino party in the Tonga Room at 8:30. Tickets for the dinner and casino party are $250; tickets for the casino party only are $75. For tickets, visit www.horizonsfoundation.org.

SF Domestic Violence Consortium celebrates 30 years The San Francisco Domestic Violence Consortium will mark its 30th anniversary with the Voices for Justice gala tonight (Thursday, September 27). Cocktails are at 6 p.m., the dinner and program start at 7, and entertainment with jazz vocalist Jacqui Naylor begins at 8. The event is being held at Open Square Conference Center, 100 Montgomery Street, the Presidio, San Francisco. The consortium will honor out lesbian Sunny Schwartz as well as Minouche Kandel and Staci Martin, all of who have worked “tirelessly” to end domestic violence in San Francisco, according to a news release from organizers. The San Francisco Domestic Violence Consortium, founded in 1982, is a network of 17 domestic violence service agencies that come together to provide coordinated and comprehensive services to the city’s victims of domestic abuse. Individual agencies’ services include emergency shelter, crisis lines, and legal assistance.

In response to emailed questions, Beverly Upton, the consortium’s executive director, said about one in three people will experience domestic violence over the course of a lifetime. Individual tickets are listed at $200. For more information, visit www. dvcpartners.org.

Marina Family Fest Sunday The Marina Community Association will present its second annual Family Fest Sunday, September 30 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Marina Green in San Francisco. District 2 Supervisor Mark Farrell supports the event, which is a fundraiser for the Blue Bear School of Music Youth Programs. Admission to the fair is free, but people will need to purchase tickets for some of the attractions, including a petting zoo and bounce house. Food and drink will also be available for purchase, organizers said. For more information, visit www. sfmca.org.

Public hearings on library hours The San Francisco Public Library will be holding public hearings in each of the supervisorial districts to obtain community input around library hours and services. The hearings are part of the Library Preservation Fund, which voters passed in 2007. It requires the Library Commission to assess and modify as appropriate the hours of operation at the main and branch libraries at least once every five years. The hearings for Districts 1, 3, and 6 have already taken place. But hearings in the other districts will be held as follows. District 8, Saturday, September 29 from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Noe Valley/Sally Brunn branch library, 451 Jersey Street. District 9, Tuesday, October 2 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Bernal branch library, 500 Cortland Avenue. District 10, Tuesday, October 16 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Visitacion Valley branch library, 201 Leland Avenue. District 4, Wednesday, October 17 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Ortega branch library, 3223 Ortega Street. District 7, Monday, October 22 See page 12 >>

Politics>>

▼ Gay congressional candidate Mark Takano stumps in SF

September 27-October 3, 2012 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 7

by Matthew S. Bajko

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ack in 1994 electric pink mailers arrived in Riverside County voters’ mailboxes questioning if educator Mark Takano would be “a congressman for Riverside ... or San Francisco?” Nearly two decades later Takano has a ready answer to the question. He will be a congressman for both cities. And he is using the homophobic attack of yore to his advantage today. “This is an opportunity for San Francisco to answer back that Mark Takano will be a congressman for America, for all of us,” Takano told the Bay Area Reporter during a September 13 fundraiser that LGBT and Asian American leaders hosted for him in San Francisco. Takano’s re-emergence as a congressional candidate in a race where the lack of attention on his sexual orientation is now the focus of news coverage reflects just how far the LGBT community has come in terms of visibility and political power, noted Takano. “We will see over the next six weeks how it plays out. But my sense is if there is anything it will be a toned down homophobic campaign because my opponent has to mine Democratic votes,” said Takano, 51, who is single and has served on the Riverside Community College District’s Board of Trustees since 1990. The anti-gay smear campaign, which essentially outed the public school teacher, remains one of the more blatant homophobic attacks a gay candidate running for office in California has faced over the last two decades. The mailers accused Takano of having a secret homosexual agenda and would push to extend benefits to gay couples and open up the military to gay soldiers. Takano threw his own tough punches against his Republican challenger, then-freshman Congressman Ken Calvert, who police caught the year before with a prostitute in his car. One famous mailer Takano’s campaign sent out showed a scantily clad woman in bed and asked voters “it’s midnight, do you know where your congressman is?” Calvert ended up winning that race 18 years ago by less than 600 votes. This year the veteran politician is running in a newly drawn safe GOP seat, while Takano is running in the new 41st Congressional District. The open congressional seat has slightly more Democratic voters, giving Takano an edge over his GOP opponent, Riverside County Supervisor John Tavaglione. But polls show the race tight, and both political parties have made the contest a top priority as they fight for control of the House. Another big difference this year is that Takano isn’t afraid to talk about being gay or LGBT issues on the campaign trail. He recounted how he agreed to advise students at his high school who wanted to start a gaystraight alliance and drove the youth one year to Gay Days at Disneyland. “It is a sign that changes are afoot,” said Takano. Should Takano, who is Japanese American, pull out a victory, he would be the first LGBT person of color in Congress and the first out member of the Golden State’s congressional delegation. There is precedent for Riverside voters to make political history; in 1956 they elected Dalip Singh Saund as the first Asian American, Indian American and Sikh member of Congress. Takano, who called the Democratic politician “an inspiration,” said there

Rick Gerharter

State Senator Mark Leno, left, speaks with Mark Takano, Democratic candidate for Congress, and Mayor Ed Lee at a recent fundraiser for Takano’s campaign.

have long been ties between the Asian and LGBT communities. He noted that it wasn’t until gay Congressman Barney Frank (D-Massachusetts), who recently campaigned in Riverside on Takano’s behalf, got to Capitol Hill that the House passed a resolution apologizing to those Japanese Americans interned during World War II. “There has long been a special relationship between Asians and gays,” said Takano, whose grandparents and both parents were sent to the internment camps. “The Japanese American Citizens League became the first non-LGBT group to back same-sex unions.” Attendees at the local fundraiser said they are hopeful of seeing history be made again in the race come Election Night on November 6. “It will be very exciting when Mark is elected. It will make a powerful statement that it is not just the Bay Area sending openly gay members to Congress,” said gay state Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), who predicted it would only be a matter of years before a local LGBT person wins a House seat. Leno later told the crowd that, “We have a perfect candidate with a perfect opportunity to break this glass ceiling.” Gay Campbell City Councilman Evan Low, a member of the Democratic National Committee, said he believes Takano’s chances “are good” to pick up the seat. “It will be really good seeing him represent the LGBT and different communities,” said Low. “It is one of the targeted races to turn from red to blue, and it is critical we make that happen. It is great to see this turn out of support in San Francisco.” It was the second time Takano had come to San Francisco to raise money for his campaign since February. His financial team hoped the recent visit would net $15,000 from Bay Area donors. Gay attorney Bob Michitarian, who hosted the event at his Noe Valley home, said it is imperative Takano has the funds he needs to wage a successful campaign. “This is an open seat and we can capture it for the Democrats,” said Michitarian. “But a bunch of super PAC money is coming into that race because the Republicans want it. He can open up a 10-point lead once he gets his message out.” Mary Jung, the first Asian woman to be the Democratic Party chair in San Francisco, pledged to help elect Takano by hosting a phone bank for him at the party’s recently opened election headquarters in the Castro at 2278 Market Street. “That is music to my ears,” responded Takano. “I need you to

have my back.” For more information about Takano’s campaign, visit www.marktakano.com.

Gay Asian group backs Olague Bisexual District 5 Supervisor Christina Olague may have come up short with the city’s two main LGBT Democratic clubs but she has scored the endorsement of the Gay Asian Pacific Alliance. The San Francisco-based group for gay and bisexual Asian Pacific Islander men announced this week that it is backing Olague in her bid to secure a full term representing the city’s Haight, Inner Sunset, and Western Addition neighborhoods. The news comes after both the Alice B. Toklas and Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Clubs backed straight African American candidates in the race. Alice went with London Breed while Milk is supporting Julian Davis. GAPA also endorsed the re-election bids of District 1 Supervisor Eric Mar, gay District 9 Supervisor David Campos, and District 3 Supervisor David Chiu. In the race for the open District 7 seat, it went with school board president Norman Yee. The group did not endorse District 11 Supervisor John Avalos because his campaign did not turn in the required paperwork. It is backing Assessor-Recorder Phil Ting’s bid for the city’s 17th Assembly District. Candidates who filled out GAPA’s questionnaire needed a simple majority vote from its political action committee to be nominated for the endorsement. The group’s board then voted to finalize the picks.

Correction Last week’s column incorrectly described San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed’s record on extending domestic partner benefits to employees of the South Bay city. While a city council member, Reed backed providing domestic partner benefits to LGBT city employees’ partners and their children, but in 2004 he voted against extending the benefits to the partners of LGBT city employees who married outside of San Jose. The online version of the September 20 column has been corrected.▼ Web Extra: For more queer political news, be sure to check www. ebar.com Monday mornings at noon for Political Notes, the notebook’s online companion. This week’s column reports on where the SF supervisor candidates stand on designating an LGBT seat on city commissions. Keep abreast of the latest LGBT political news by following the Political Notebook on Twitter @ twitter.com/politicalnotes.

ebar.com

<< Community News

8 • BAY AREA REPORTER • September 27-October 3, 2012

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Poz hiker completes Appalachian Trail by Chuck Colbert

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bartabsf.com

n his own quietly persistent way, he made it. Ross Hayduk not only trekked more than 2,000 miles along the Appalachian Trail, but also in doing so, he set a record as the first self-identified HIV-positive gay man to join the roster of the trail’s 2,000 Milers. No small feat for the native of Harrisonburg, Virginia, and now San Francisco resident, who completed his hike by ascending Mount Katahdin, the highest mountain in Maine, on September 6, his 45th birthday. “I wasn’t looking for fame or notoriety,” said Hayduk during a recent interview in Boston, shortly after his nearly six-month trek. He began in Springer Mountain, Georgia, on March 11, and hiked through 14 states. “I didn’t want to become Oprah,” he said. “I wanted to be the catalyst, a person who motivated someone to become Oprah Winfrey.” Hayduk may well have seen a wish come true. Zack Davis, who identified himself as “pozzie” on Facebook, told Hayduk, “I’ve been following your hike. You have inspired me to hike the trail in 2013.” “I’ve inspired another HIV-positive man, one person I can point to whom I know I have made an impression on,” said Hayduk. “I am hoping he makes a big difference.” The Appalachia Trail spans 2,184 miles, snaking north from Georgia through North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Each year, thousands of hikers set out on foot, but only about one in four make it all the way. Hayduk completed 2,084.5 miles. The 100-mile shortfall resulted from the few days he spent off the trail, healing knee damage due to a fall. When Hayduk’s hike got under way, it was still winter, but it wasn’t cold weather that affected him. “It was not snow or rain that slowed me down,” he said. “It was the oppressive heat.” Hayduk traveled light, carrying water, a tent, clothes, and a smartphone. His cell phone’s note pad feature enabled Hayduk to chronicle his journey. Journal entries are posted at www.trailjournals.com, under his hiker name, Dirty Girl. For the most part, Hayduk camped out under the stars, although on occasion, once a week, he found lodging in a hostel, hotel, or private home. Sober now, Hayduk contracted HIV in 2004 while addicted to crystal meth. He was also diagnosed with bipolar disorder. So keeping a supply of medications along the trail also

Chuck Colbert

Ross Hayduk relaxes in Boston after he hiked the Appalachian Trail, which he completed September 6.

presented a special challenge. And while shying away from words like hero or role model to describe his efforts, Hayduk said he “wanted to make people aware of this issue” at the same time drawing “attention to the beneficiary organizations” of his fundraising hike. “I wanted to draw attention to [four organizations],” he said. “I wanted them to be able to raise money” and raise awareness of the good work they are doing. The organizations that Hayduk selected include the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, Pets Are Wonderful Support, the Appalachia Trail Conservatory, and the National AIDS Memorial Grove, located in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. The grove is a living tribute to all whose lives AIDS has touched. It is a national landscape where people touched directly or indirectly by the global epidemic can gather to heal, hope, and remember. Hayduk said the grove’s executive director, John Cunningham, was the first to endorse – and wholeheartedly so – his hike as an HIV-fundraising endeavor. Accordingly, the grove was the first organization that wanted to partner with him, said Hayduk. Over the years, Cunningham has been a professional mentor, a go-to person for advice and feedback, Hayduk noted. In a phone interview Tuesday, Cunningham said that his mentoring of Hayduk started about six years ago when he was development director at Positive Resource Center and Hayduk was a client in the agency’s career redirection program. Then, about two and a half years ago, Hayduk worked as an intern at the grove. He also worked at Academy of Friends, but his position was eliminated last year when that agency had to downsize. Cunningham, who picked Hayduk up at the airport upon his return

to San Francisco, said he’s proud of the hiker’s accomplishment. “I supported him in his endeavor, in conversations before he left and on the trail,” Cunningham said, adding that one conversation on the trail “was filled with joy,” while another was “filled with tears.” “That solitude,” said Cunningham, often makes people “look inward.” Cunningham said that beginning this week, Hayduk will be working at the grove, leading up to the agency’s World AIDS Day commemoration. He also said that Hayduk raised more than $2,500 for the grove. All told, Hayduk said he raised over $6,000.

Removing stigma Beyond raising the profiles of the designated beneficiary organizations, Hayduk said he hopes to encourage HIV-positive people to be more open about their status. All along the trail, which includes long stretches through the socially conservative South, Hayduk was quite open about his HIV status. “Every time I mentioned it,” he said, referring to his being the first HIV-positive man to complete the Appalachia Trail, “Everybody said [to me], ‘That’s really good, amazing, cool, good for you, way to go.’” “I never got any negative feedback from other hikers,” said Hayduk. During the hourlong interview, Hayduk also spoke to the issue of shame so often associated with HIV/ AIDS. “If you are going to be ashamed about being HIV-positive, you are only stigmatizing yourself,” he said. “Shame keeps people in the closet, keeps infection rates high, keeps some people from getting tested, and keeps ignorance levels high.”

A homecoming Oddly enough, hiking the Appalachian Trail was a homecoming for Hayduk. “Along the trail people say they get the ‘Virginia blues’ because they spend so much time there,” he explained. But for Hayduk, time in the Old Dominion enabled him to reconnect with friends and relatives. His native Harrisonburg is located in close proximity to the hike. “I got to see family,” he said, as well as “visits from high school and college friends who would meet me along the trail.” Growing up in the rural South, within in an evangelical independent Baptist family, Hayduk did not come out of the closet so much gay as he did ex-gay. “I told my parents I was ex-gay and that I was going to ex-gay ministry to make sure that would not happen,” he explained. “Even that fact that I was ex-gay, that I didn’t want See page 13 >>

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Travel >>

September 27-October 3, 2012 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 9

Gay Palm Springs gears up for fall by Ed Walsh

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ay Palm Springs is gearing up for a trifecta of events this fall. It starts with Halloween, which is on a Wednesday this year. The city celebrates Pride the following Saturday and Sunday, November 3-4. Leather Desert Pride follows the next weekend, November 8-11. While the Castro Halloween is dead, Palm Springs is embracing the day. A street party and costume contest takes place on Arenas Road, the Castro Street of Palm Springs. Entertainment begins at 6:30 p.m. hosted by Palm Springs drag celebrity Bella Da Ball. Drag performer “Nicky,” as Carol Channing, hosts the 8-10 p.m. costume contest. Palm Springs Pride starts on Pride eve with the Broadway in Drag pageant on Friday, November 2, at 8 p.m. at the Palm Canyon Theatre. The Pride festival is on Saturday and Sunday. Arenas Road will host a block party on Saturday night, November 5, from 6 to 11:30 p.m. Coinciding with Pride, the 2012 AIDS Walk will celebrate its 25th year on Sunday, November 4, at 8:30 a.m. and will join with the Pride Parade, which heads down Palm Canyon Drive starting at 10 a.m. Desert Leather Pride begins on Thursday, November 8, with a meet and greet event at Hunter’s Nightclub. The event will be packed with activities all weekend. The Palm Springs Convention Hall will host the Mr. Palm Springs Leather contest from 6 to 10 p.m. on Saturday, November 10. It’s never been easier to get to Palm Springs. Virgin America began seasonal service to Palm Springs last year from San Francisco International Airport and Allegiant Air

Ed Walsh

A man looks up the dress of the Marilyn Monroe statue, a new city landmark that arrived in May and is on Palm Canyon Drive at Tahquitz.

will soon begin flying nonstop from Oakland. Virgin begins service on October 18. Allegiant service begins November 15. Virgin will fly daily, but for now Allegiant makes the trip just twice a week, on Sundays and Thursdays. Allegiant is offering $39 (plus tax) fares as part of its introductory special. But keep in mind, Allegiant charges $13 each way for your second carry-on bag. Your first carry-on is free as long as it fits under the seat in front of you. Virgin, United, and Alaska all fly nonstop to Palm Springs from SFO. Airlines have various other fees that may apply. For South Bay residents, Alaska offers seasonal nonstop service to Palm Springs from San Jose’s airport. Service resumes this year on October 5.

Palm Springs International Airport may be the easiest airport in the world. It is perfectly situated less than 2.5 miles from the heart of downtown. The newly renovated airport has free Wi-Fi and an outdoor park past the security check in, so you can work on your tan as you wait for your flight home. The airport also makes it very easy to rent a car. Just go to the car rental counter and walk a few steps to your vehical.

The sights A giant sculpture of Marilyn Monroe is Palm Springs’ newest tourist attraction. The nearly threestory, 34,000-pound beauty arrived in May. She stands watch over Palm See page 11 >>

ebar.com

<< Sports

10 • BAY AREA REPORTER • September 27-October 3, 2012

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Baseball swings and misses by Roger Brigham

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ight about now, Major League Baseball is giving itself a congratulatory butt slap for suspending Toronto Blue Jays infielder Yunel Escobar three days for painting a homophobic slur on his eyeblack. In reality, the token suspension is an epic miss, underscoring professional baseball’s tolerance for intolerance. If MLB were sincere about wanting to send a message to its players, Escobar would at a minimum have been suspended for the remainder of the season. Or longer: 60 days, same as for a first-time drug offense. Writing the word maricon (faggot) on your eye-black and excusing yourself by saying the word is used so frequently in Hispanic culture that it is an acceptable joke is so bad that one of the outlets that ridiculed Escobar’s defense was (gasp) Fox News. That’s no joke.

Fox News Latino columnist Andres Duque wrote that Escobar’s reliance on “cultural differences” as a defense for his homophobic language is as lame as former White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen’s defense was six years ago when he was caught calling sportswriter Jay Mariotti a “fag.” That was just months after Guillen greeted someone in the White Sox by saying, “Hey, everybody, this guy’s a homosexual! He’s a child molester!” “As someone who was born in Latin America, is fluent in Spanish and English and identifies as gay, let me make something absolutely clear: Escobar and Guillen are lying in saying that the word ‘maricon’ has absolutely no offensive overtones among Latinos,” Duque wrote. “Just like the word ‘fag,’ it is the preferred word throughout the region when someone wants to call another man’s masculinity or sexuality into question. Even when the word is used to indicate that someone

is a coward or weak, the power of the word stems from the homophobic intent of questing whether the man is a ‘real’ man.” It is noteworthy that Guillen’s slurs were spoken and heard directly by just a handful of people but earned him a five-day suspension and an undisclosed fine. Escobar was suspended just three days. That’s not progress and it is not even drawing a line in the sand: it is actually sliding backwards. It is reported that Escobar will undergo sensitivity training. Well, that’s just great. But what about all of the other players who, according to Guillen and Escobar, make such slurs on a frequent basis every day in every MLB locker room? Is that not testament to the inadequacy of MLB’s efforts to educate its players not to make homophobic language no matter what the language of choice is? Does that not indicate that MLB badly needs to step up its antihomophobia efforts? While Escobar was getting his three days of rest, former Pirates owner and CEO Kevin McClatchy was telling

Blue Jays manager John Farrell, left, and Yunel Escobar spoke at a press conference about the player’s three-day suspension.

news media that he was gay, a fact he kept secret throughout his tenure in baseball, citing the presence of many “close-minded individuals” in baseball as a major reason his staying in the closet for so many years. “You’re not going to solve any problem until you start a dialogue, and there’s no dialogue right now,” McClatchy told Frank Bruni, a gay columnist for the New York Times. Well, people in baseball were talking this week about the slimy little words written below a player’s eyes,

words written in Spanish but expressing a nearly universal cultural prejudice against homosexuals. And in one narrow sense, Guillen and Escobar are right: homophobia is ingrained in locker room culture to the point that its expression is ubiquitous. It will require a cultural change to end sports homophobia. A three-day timeout for one voice in the crowd is not going to cut it. Baseball had a chance in 2006 and another chance last week. That’s two strikes. Let’s not wait for a third.▼

PrEP demo project opens in San Francisco by Liz Highleyman

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an Francisco’s HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis demonstration project is now open and health officials discussed the program at a recent community forum. Pre-exposure prophylaxis, better known as PrEP, refers to use of antiretroviral drugs prior to HIV exposure to prevent the virus from taking hold in the body. Most PrEP research has looked at a combination of oral tenofovir plus emtricitabine, the drugs in Truvada. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Truvada for PrEP on July 16. “PrEP isn’t for everyone, but we’re giving [people] options to keep themselves safe,” said Dr. Susan Buchbinder, director of Bridge HIV (formerly the SFDPH HIV Research Section) at the September 19 forum. “We don’t know if it’s 100 percent effective, but it’s a tool that people can use if it’s right for them.” While HIV incidence rates are declining in San Francisco, there are still about 400 new cases per year, indicating that the prevention tools people have been using are not fully effective, according to Buchbinder. Controlled trials have shown that Truvada PrEP can dramatically lower the risk of HIV infection in different population groups, but effectiveness depends taking the drugs consistently. The iPrEx trial, which enrolled nearly 2,500 gay and bisexual men and a small number of transgender women in six countries (including San Francisco and Boston in the U.S.), found that daily Truvada reduced the risk of HIV by 42 percent overall, rising to 92 percent for participants who had drug levels in their blood indicating good adherence. The Partners PrEP study, which looked at heterosexual serodiscordant couples in Kenya and Uganda, found that the drugs in Truvada reduced the likelihood of infection by 75 percent, while the TDF2, also looking at heterosexual men and women in Africa, showed a 62 percent risk reduction. “PrEP is not a home run and not everyone was protected,” Buchbinder summarized. “If you were to take it

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Supervisor editorial

perfectly every day, would it always work? We don’t know the answer.” While most HIV advocacy groups lauded the approval of Truvada for PrEP, skeptics have expressed doubts about whether healthy HIV-negative people will consistently take a daily pill, and raised concerns about drug resistance, side effects, and an increase in unprotected sex.

The real world Now that Truvada PrEP has demonstrated its effectiveness in controlled clinical studies, the question is whether it will also work in the real world, without the intensive support and monitoring available in a clinical trial setting. To answer some of these questions, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is partnering with local health departments to set up PrEP demonstration projects like the one launched September 21. The first out of the gate, San Francisco’s demo project aims to enroll 300 HIV-negative men who have sex with men and transgender women at City Clinic, while a sister project in Miami will enroll 200 participants. The goals of the demonstration project include determining the level of community interest in PrEP, evaluating how well people adhere to a daily prevention regimen, and assessing whether sexual practices change, according to City Clinic medical director Stephanie Cohen. “So far everything we know [about PrEP] is from clinical studies in which people didn’t know whether they were taking PrEP or placebo,” Cohen said. “There’s still a lot to learn [including] how do we get PrEP out there safely and can we provide PrEP in the busy environment of City Clinic?” Eligible participants are gay and bisexual men and transgender women who are sexually active and at risk of HIV infection. They must have a confirmed HIV-negative screening test, normal kidney function and no serious medical conditions, and must not be taking any other experimental drugs or vaccines. Demo project participants will receive Truvada PrEP for up to 48 weeks pervisor who deserves another term.

From page 4

District 2 Supervisor Mark Farrell to pass legislation that gives small businesses tax breaks that had previously only been available to large companies like Twitter. Campos has been an effective su-

District 11 – John Avalos District 11 Supervisor John Avalos became the progressive standardbearer following his second place finish in last year’s mayoral race. He, too, is running unopposed for a second term and has our endorsement.

Liz Highleyman

Health department officials Albert Liu, left, Dr. Susan Buchbinder, and Stephanie Cohen addressed questions about PrEP at a recent community forum in San Francisco.

intervention studies at Bridge HIV, described two trials looking at other types of PrEP that are now enrolling participants. The NEXT-PrEP trial (HPTN 069), will compare the safety and tolerability of four PrEP regimens for high-risk men who have sex with men. Participants will be randomly assigned to take combinations of tenofovir, emtricitabine, maraviroc (Selzentry), or placebo; everyone will receive at least one active drug. Study MTN-017 will look at a new formulation of a tenofovircontaining rectal gel, similar to the vaginal gel shown to reduce HIV infection risk in the CAPRISA 004 trial. Participants will be assigned to use daily oral Truvada PrEP, daily tenofovir gel, or tenofovir gel applied before and after receptive anal sex. “We’re trying to give people as many options as possible,” said Buchbinder. “For some, a monthly injection is the best option, for some using [an antiretroviral] lube during sex is a great option, some would rather take a daily pill.” Cohen ended the forum noting that demo project researchers “really don’t know what kind of demand we’re going to get.” An informal poll of the audience revealed that about half thought the study would have participants breaking down the doors, while the other half thought the DPH would have to work to convince people to try PrEP. “It’s really an individual decision for a person whether PrEP is something that makes sense in their life,” Cohen concluded. “PrEP is a personal choice and we want to support people if they decide to start, if they want to stop, or if due to life changes they want to start again.”▼

(the duration of NIAID funding) along with a prevention package that includes risk reduction counseling and free condoms. They will receive HIV RNA tests every three months to detect early infection. They will also get regular STD tests, adherence counseling, and monitoring of side effects including changes in kidney function. “[PrEP] studies included mostly young, healthy people, but we see people who are older and at higher risk of kidney disease and bone loss,” said Harry Lampiris, chief of infectious disease at SF Veterans Administration Medical Center, who prescribes Truvada PrEP in his clinical practice. “Being more predisposed to bone or kidney [problems] doesn’t mean you can’t take PrEP, it just means you need to take more precautions.” Two men currently using Truvada PrEP described their experiences at the forum. A man who identified himself only by his first name, Michael, is an iPrEx participant who has been taking PrEP for four years. He said that over this period he has only missed about a dozen pills. At age 56, he has not had any kidney or bone problems. His side effects include nausea – “mild but pretty much every day” – and “significant flatulence.” Although Truvada’s

gastrointestinal side effects generally dissipate after several weeks, he said the problem has been chronic for him. Derek Brocklehurst, an HIV clinic nurse, started PrEP in October 2011, having asked his doctor to prescribe it prior to approval. “I have been 100 percent adherent – it’s in my backpack every day,” he said, adding, “I haven’t really noticed any side effects.” Having had several exposures to HIV through unprotected sex, using PrEP “eased my mind,” he said, and reduced anxiety about becoming infected. Cost and access issues around PrEP are still being worked out. The demo project has funding to provide the drug and associated care and monitoring free for one year. Healthy San Francisco is now considering whether to add Truvada PrEP to its formulary, according to Cohen. Brocklehurst said his insurance company, Anthem Blue Cross, covers PrEP and Truvada manufacturer Gilead Sciences offers co-pay assistance, so he pays nothing out of pocket. Michael said he does not know whether Kaiser Permanente will cover the drug, and he may not be able to afford to stay on PrEP after his study ends in December. Daily Truvada may turn out not to be the optimal PrEP regimen. Albert Liu, director of HIV prevention

The San Francisco AIDS Foundation has collaborated with Bridge HIV, City Clinic, NIAID, Project Inform, and other organizations to develop a new website, www. PrEPfacts.org, to provide information about PrEP and the SF demo project. To check eligibility for the program, call (415) 487-5537 or visit City Clinic.

A straight ally, Avalos has long been a leader of issues impacting the LGBT community. Since moving to the city in 1989, he has helped San Franciscans improve their lives and transform their communities. While on the board he has championed historic local hiring legislation and passed protections for tenants in foreclosed

properties. His real estate transfer tax brought in over $50 million in new revenue per year, helping balance the city’s budget. This year he is working with Mayor Ed Lee to pass the gross receipts tax (Prop E), which would generate $12 million in revenue. Avalos will continue to work on these and other issues, such as afford-

able housing; the collapse of the housing market has led to many families losing their homes to foreclosure in District 11, which includes the Excelsior. He is a strong supporter of the Housing Trust Fund (Prop C). Avalos has done an excellent job representing his district and deserves another term.▼

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Community News>>

September 27-October 3, 2012 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 11

Utah’s LGBT magazine struggles to stay afloat by David-Elijah Nahmod

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n the deep blue Bay Area, where political candidates routinely solicit support from the powerful LGBT community, it’s easy to chant, “We’re here! We’re queer! Get used to it!” In a red state like Utah, being out and proud can be difficult, courageous, even dangerous. Now, the state’s only LGBT magazine, Q Salt Lake, is struggling financially, its publisher said. Michael Aaron, 49, publishes the monthly print magazine, which is the only publication to serve Utah’s LGBT community. “We feel that we’re at the epicenter of LGBT rights because we’re in the middle of such conservative people and institutions,” Aaron said. “The conversation and the fight is happening here in the red

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states. We’re very successful in getting these conversations going and changing people’s opinions.” Whether or not Q Salt Lake will be able to continue it’s important work remains to be seen. The magazine, which was once a bi-weekly, has seen its advertising revenue fall off recently. Q Salt Lake now owes the bank quite a bit of money, and is in danger of ceasing publication. “I would hate for this community to lose its voice,” said Aaron, who is openly gay. “Twenty-five percent of our readership is straight. We’re very much a bridge. We allow Moms to say ‘my son is gay.’ We’re the only publication in the state that gives people the talking points to talk to their neighbors. We’re a feather in the cap of Utah’s LGBT community.” Utah is dominated by Mormons and the Church of Jesus Christ of Lat-

Courtesy Q Salt Lake

Publisher Michael Aaron

ter-day Saints, as it is formally known, still maintains anti-gay positions on marriage equality and other issues. In 1998, the state passed a law

Palm Springs

From page 9

Canyon Drive at Tahquitz and is quickly becoming a city icon. Palm Springs officials would like Monroe to stay there permanently, but if efforts fail, she’ll be packing her bags in June. If you’ve traveled to Palm Springs but haven’t ventured out of the city, you don’t know what you are missing. The area surrounding the city is full of surprises for those who think it’s just a barren desert. The Indian Canyons are oases just minutes from downtown and a treat for anyone who appreciates nature or wants to learn more about Native American culture and history. Joshua Tree National Monument is less than an hour’s drive away. The very gay-friendly Desert Adventures is the perfect way to get the most out of any sightseeing trip. Desert Adventures’ latest tour includes the whitewaters just outside Palm Springs. Whitewater might be the last thing you would expect in the desert, but a whitewater stream is always running thanks to snowmelt and natural springs. If you go, bring your swimsuit. After a hike, you can cool down in a wading pool. The whitewater tour also includes a tour of the windmill farms just north of the city. Desert Adventures also plans a separate windmill tour.

Nightlife The biggest concentration of gay bars and nightclubs is on Arenas Road, just east of Indian Canyon Drive in downtown Palm Springs. The biggest nightclub on the strip is Hunters. Streetbar recently expanded and remodeled. Locals love to pack the Streetbar patio and watch the

Ed Walsh

Singer Paula Prince, left, chats with Rainbow Bar and Grille co-owner Keith Barnacastle; Prince performs Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

street scene. Across the street, you’ll find Score and the video bar, Spurline. Toucans Tiki Lounge is a couple of miles away on North Palm Canyon Drive. It’s famous for its two-for-one drink special on Tuesday nights and draws a big weekend crowd. Palm Springs’ leather/bear bar is the Tool Shed on Sunny Dunes Road in the Warm Sands neighborhood. The other leather/bear bar is the Barracks, almost five miles away in Cathedral City. The other gay bars in Cathedral City are Digs, famous for its Hot Diggity Dog Sunday afternoon barbeque and the piano and lounge bar, Studio One 11. In general, the bars in Cathedral City tend to have a lot more locals than tourists compared to the bars within city limits of Palm Springs. Since Delilah’s closed, and was

eventually replaced by Studio One 11, there are no full-time lesbian bars in the Palm Springs area but Toucans and Hunters are very lesbian friendly, although a lesbian night at Hunters was discontinued months ago because of lack of support. Check out www.lspotpalmsprings.com for a number of special events geared towards lesbians.

ins, most back home in Pennsylvania. David grew up in and loved the Amish country, and was a 1966 graduate of Conestoga Valley High School, in Lancaster, where he excelled in art. He graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1971, where he majored in art history. He served in a noncombative capacity during the Vietnam conflict, at the Silver Lake Conference Center of the United Church of Christ in Sharon, Connecticut and Providence Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island. From 1978 until his death, he lived in San Francisco, and was retired as a radiology technician at the UCSF hospital. He was one of the earliest to contract HIV, and was diagnosed with AIDS in 1988. His medical history, and the therapies that worked for him over the years, is amazing.

As a longtime resident of the HaightAshbury neighborhood, David was well known as an avid gardener, artist, property manager, teacher, and chef extraordinaire. His Zen-style garden behind his apartment on Page Street was enjoyed by all who looked upon it from the surrounding windows. He was a baseball enthusiast for his beloved Giants, Scrabble master, and a devotee of Emily Dickinson, amazing friends with his memorized recitations of her poems. David brought light to all as a kind and gentle spirit, and was a fixture in the neighborhood, recognizable by his stately gait and Kangol caps. Contributions in David’s memory will be gratefully accepted at Zen Hospice Project, 273 Page Street, San Francisco, CA 94102 or www.zenhospice.org.

Gay resorts If you plan to attend the three big fall events and want to stay at one of the city’s more than two-dozen gay resorts, be sure to book ahead. Some are already filled up. Palm Springs is fortunate to have a variety of gay resorts. They run the range from couple-oriented properties to ones that are very cruisy. A

Obituaries >> David Meade Walker November 18, 1948 – September 12, 2012

David Meade Walker, age 63, passed away peacefully at the Zen Hospice Project in San Francisco on Wednesday, September 12, 2012, due to complications from AIDS-related lymphoma. He was born November 18, 1948, to Eugene and Joanne Walker, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He was preceded in death by his father. He is survived by his mother, and stepfather, the Reverend George R. Bach, of Belen, New Mexico; two sisters, two brothers, two nieces, one nephew, and numerous aunts, uncles and cous-

ebar.com

banning gay couples from adopting children. According to Aaron, that law remains in effect today. “A single gay man or lesbian can adopt,” Aaron told the Bay Area Reporter. “But a partner cannot live in the house.” To keep Q Salt Lake afloat, Aaron has cut corners wherever he can, which included scaling back to a monthly publication schedule. There have also been fundraising dinners and drag bingo nights. These events have helped, but the magazine remains in the red. Aaron said in an interview this month that although he’s been able to make some payments to the bank, he’s now accrued late fees. Determined to keep the magazine going, he’s turned directly to the LGBT community for help. He urges readers to let Q Salt Lake ad-

vertisers know where they saw the ads. And he’s asking for donations, which have been trickling in. Still about $16,000 away from the needed $40,000, Aaron has included a fundraising page on the magazine’s website where people can make donations. He hopes that people from other cities will contribute so that Utah’s LGBT community doesn’t lose its voice. “Our goal is to return to a biweekly format,” said Aaron. “People are liking our format. Most people get their day-to-day news online. Our magazine is for sitting down with a cup of coffee and getting into the meat of an issue. We need your help.” Q Salt Lake’s online edition can be viewed at: www.qsaltlake.com. To make a donation, visit www. saveq.org.▼

few offer day passes. The city also has three lesbian resorts: Casitas Laquita, Queen of Hearts, and its sister property, the Desert Hearts Inn. The city lost the gay resort Terrazzo this year when the resort was sold and its new owners turned it into a mainstream hotel. But a new gay resort, the Bearfoot Inn, is slated to open next month. It is located at 888 North Indian Canyon Drive, kitty corner from Canyon Club Hotel and an easy walk to downtown. Like the name implies, it will cater to the hirsute and their admirers, but the gay couple who own it say they expect it will attract a wide range of clientele. The property used to be a straight nude resort. The new owners used to own the Bearfoot Inn in Toronto before heading south. They have obviously put some big money into the building. It will be super high-tech with iPads in every room. Since taking over InnDulge nearly two years ago, the new owners Sandy Miller and Jon Jackson have done an amazing job transforming the property that was already in good shape to an even better property. The rooms feature newly remodeled bathrooms with big showers and modern yet classic features. Plans are in the works to remodel the gym and lobby areas. With the closing of Terrazzo, InnExile has the largest and bestequipped gym of any of the gay resorts in Palm Springs, so it’s the place to be if working out while you are on vacation is a must. The expansive property has two pools, two Jacuzzis, a steam room, and a stunning reflecting wading pool that runs along a passageway separating two buildings. This resort is very cruisy especially after dark, so it’s particularly popular with singles. The Hacienda is a small and very

upscale property in the heart of Warm Sands. Breakfast and lunch are included. This resort is at the other end of the sexual temperature scale from InnExile so it’s particularly popular with couples looking for a friendly but romantic place to get away. For a good list and descriptions of the gay resorts in Palm Springs, check out www.visitpalmsprings. com. Click on the “Stay” tab and then “LGBT.” The only gay resort left in Cathedral City is the Cathedral City Boys Club. It is open for day passes and is the largest gay resort in the Palm Springs area.

Eating out Cheeky’s on North Palm Canyon Drive changes its menu weekly to adjust to whatever fresh food is available. And don’t skip dessert. All the pastries are baked fresh on the premises. It’s outdoor dining area is just right this time of year. Rainbow Bar and Grille, in the heart of the gay Arenas Road area, recently took on a gay business partner, Keith Barnacastle, and he helped renovate and redecorate. The restaurant is known for its reasonably priced American cuisine and is open for lunch and dinner. The bar section of the Rainbow features nightly live entertainment. For casual diner-type comfort food, be sure to check out Hamburger Mary’s on Palm Canyon Drive, Pinocchio’s in the Desert in downtown on East Tahquitz Canyon Drive, or nearby Bongo Johnny’s in the heart of the gay Arenas Road district. Pinocchio’s, by the way, is the home of the city’s second Monroe statue. She is life-sized and stands watch outside the restaurant, usually draped in a rainbow flag.▼

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12 • BAY AREA REPORTER • September 27-October 3, 2012

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TLC

From page 6

After contacting TLC about her experiences, the organization contacted the shelters, which in turn,became more accommodating to Whittenberg and other transgender people. “We have something that represents us,” she said. “TLC cares. Without them, I would have been lost. I’m so thankful for them and

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News Briefs

From page 6

from 6 to 8 p.m. at the West Portal branch library, 190 Lenox Way. District 5, Wednesday, October 24 from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Park branch library, 1833 Page Street. District 2, Saturday, October 27 from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Presidio branch library, 3150 Sacramento Street. District 11, Tuesday, October 30 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Excelsior branch library, 4400 Mission Street.

Class for prospective same-sex couples Our Family Coalition will be

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Gold’s name change

From page 3

separate entrance for residents on Noe Street. Under the 2009 plans, no new parking would be added for residents. The existing underground parking would remain solely for use by gym members. And the gym’s entrance would remain on Market Street, though a reconfigured retail space would be situated on the corner. “It is still on the books,” Jackovics said this month when asked about

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Marriage cases

From page 1

cuit Court of Appeals ruled in February 2012 that Prop 8 was “remarkably similar” to Colorado’s anti-gay Amendment 2, which the Supreme Court had declared unconstitutional. Based on that, said the 9th Circuit, Prop 8 must also be declared unconstitutional – a violation of the equal protection guarantees of the U.S. Constitution. The 9th Circuit also quoted from the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2003 decision striking down sodomy laws, Lawrence v. Texas, and its 1967 decision, Loving v. Virginia, striking down bans on interracial marriage. It was no surprise, then, that supporters of Prop 8 filed an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. Olson and Boies have opposed the petition, noting that the 9th Circuit decision did “not conflict with any decision of this court or any other court of appeals.” That’s the legal reason. In their brief, they also made clear that they were also motivated by a basic responsibility to their clients – two same-sex couples who want to marry in California. “While there are circumstances that might make review of this obviously important issue attractive at this time – particularly the possibility of resolving this case in conjunction with the challenges to DOMA – those considerations,” said Olson and Boies, “must be weighed against the substantial and irreparable harm the period of additional review would impose on plaintiffs and those situated similarly to them.”

The DOMA seven Of the seven petitions seeking appeal on DOMA-related challenges, four come from the New England states, two from western states, and one from New York. The Massachusetts cases – Three of the four petitions in New Eng-

country right now.” Around 200 people are expected to attend, which is the largest number to date for a TLC anniversary celebration.▼

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that they’ve been around for 10 years.” At TLC’s anniversary party, themed “Spark! Ten Years of Igniting Change,” four leaders and organizations will be honored for advancing transgender equality and justice. The Vanguard Award, which goes to trans-identified people who’ve typically held a leadership role for many years, is going to Alameda County Superior Court Judge Victoria Kolakowski, the first elected out trans trial judge in the U.S., and

a former TLC board co-chair; and Felicia Alvarado Elizondo, a.k.a. Felicia Flames, a longtime transgender community leader involved in the Compton’s Cafeteria Riot of 1966. This year’s Community Partnership Award is going to NCLR for being a great partner to (and parent of) TLC. The Ally Award is being presented to Google, which just extended to its employees what Davis calls “a great trans-inclusive health care plan that is the strongest in the

sponsoring a workshop for samesex couples who are considering marrying or becoming domestic partners. Same-sex marriages could resume in California if the U.S. Supreme Court declines to review the federal Proposition 8 case. In any event, the workshop, entitled, “Marrying or Registering with Heart and Smarts,” will look at the pros and cons of a prenuptial agreement and will also look at questions such as if people are already married or registered domestic partners is it too late for a written agreement. Attorney-mediators Heba Nimr, Dylan Miles, and Charlie Spiegel will be the presenters.

The workshop takes place Tuesday, October 2 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Bananas Family Resource Network, 5232 Claremont Avenue in Oakland. There is a cost of $5. For childcare, pre-register by calling OFC at (415) 981-1960.

the development plans, though he couldn’t give a timeline for when it would move forward. Now that his gyms are no longer part of a “huge corporate conglomerate,” its resources are somewhat limited, he said, and have been focused on the rebranding effort. Plus, the same zoning issues from three years ago remain with the site. The family is working with gay District 8 Supervisor Scott Wiener, who represents the Castro, “because the zoning change hasn’t gone through yet,” said Jackovics. “There are still some restrictions on the

height limit.” Last year Wiener withdrew legislation that would have addressed the change in height allowance. He recently reintroduced the request as part of a larger rezoning change he is seeking for the upper Market Street corridor. That legislation would zone Market Street between Church and Castro streets as a neighborhood transit district instead of its current classification as a neighborhood commercial district. The Planning Commission must first adopt it before the Board of Supervisors can take it up,

a process Wiener estimates will take several months. He told the B.A.R. this week that he does support the Jackovics’ request for additional height limits since recent zoning changes adopted by the city allow for 65-foottall buildings on corner lots along Market Street. But due to what Wiener characterized as “one of those quirky planning code issues,” the property at 2301 Market Street was not covered by the height change. “These property owners are obligated to pay extra fees without getting the benefit of every other

corner in the district,” said Wiener. “I support the rezoning.” He added that he has not seen the full details of the proposed remodel but called the project “an improvement” over the existing 1963 structure. “We need more rental housing in the city and the neighborhood,” said Wiener. As for the change over from Gold’s to Fitness SF, he said he had heard no complaints about the switch. “I have not heard anything negative about that,” said Wiener.▼

land arrive from Massachusetts and the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and involve two cases that have been winding their way through the courts since March 2009. Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders filed one of the lawsuits, while the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office filed the other. Both sought to strike down the core provision of DOMA – Section 3 – that bars the federal government from recognizing same-sex spouses for any federal purpose. GLAD argued the law violates the equal protection rights of citizens with same-sex spouses; the Commonwealth argued that it violates state sovereignty. There is both a petition, by the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group and the solicitor general, and a cross-petition (from the Commonwealth) on this latter case. The fourth petition involves another GLAD case, Office of Personnel Management v. Pedersen. OPM v. Gill and Health and Human Services v. Commonwealth are the preeminent legal challenges to DOMA. Both were carefully thought-out strategies, filed in federal court in Massachusetts, and consolidated on appeal to the 1st Circuit. Gill was filed by GLAD, the legal team that won the landmark 2003 decision for same-sex marriage in Massachusetts. GLAD argued that DOMA violates the equal protection clause of the federal Constitution. Commonwealth, brought by the Massachusetts AG’s office, says DOMA violates the spending clause or 10th Amendment rights of states. On May 31, the 1st Circuit, using “a closer than usual” rational basis review in these cases, ruled Section 3 of DOMA violates the equal protection guarantee. And while it rejected the Commonwealth’s argument regarding the 10th Amendment and spending clause, the state has asked that the Supreme Court review that aspect of

the decision if it takes the cases. Section 3 of DOMA prohibits the federal government from recognizing the marriages of same-sex couples. Although this began as two cases before the 1st Circuit, it now constitutes three petitions before the Supreme Court: BLAG’s appeal of the Gill ruling, and the appeals of HHS and the Massachusetts AG in the Commonwealth decision. Golinski v. OPM – Another important DOMA challenge pending before the Supreme Court for this session is Golinski v. OPM, brought by Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund. It tests DOMA’s ability to deny a gay federal employee the same benefits enjoyed by straight federal employees. The federal employee in this case is attorney Karen Golinski, who is employed as an attorney by the 9th Circuit in San Francisco and sought health insurance coverage for her same-sex spouse. U.S. District Court Judge Jeffrey White, an appointee of President George W. Bush, said the legislative history of DOMA is “replete with expressed animus toward gay men and lesbians,” but he said he was “persuaded that something short of animus may have motivated DOMA’s passage.” White’s February ruling said Congress failed to justify its disparate treatment of gays and lesbians, whether one used rational or heightened judicial review. The 9th Circuit declined to hear BLAG’s appeal, so BLAG took its appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. Windsor v. U.S. – The Windsor case, filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, challenges Section 3 of DOMA, but, unlike the previous three cases, Windsor has not gone through a federal appeals court, only the district court. Judge Barbara Jones of the U.S. District Court for Southern New York ruled June 6 that DOMA violates the U.S. Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection when it

requires a same-sex spouse to pay a federal estate tax from which heterosexual spouses are exempt. Because of DOMA, plaintiff Edith Windsor was forced to pay more than $363,000 in estate taxes when her same-sex spouse, Thea Spyer, died in 2009 and left Windsor her estate. Jones used the lowest standard of judicial review – rational basis – in finding DOMA unconstitutional. Solicitor General Donald Verrilli submitted a brief to the Supreme Court urging it to take the case in part because different lower courts were using different standards of review on the issue. “This court has previously granted certiorari before judgment when necessary to provide expeditious resolution of exceptionally important legal questions,” said Verrilli. But ultimately, Verrilli urged the court to consider the petition to review Windsor only if it first decides that neither the Massachusetts cases nor Golinski should be reviewed. Brewer v. Diaz – This was originally known as Brewer v. Collins and pits a group of gay Arizona state employees against a new state law barring them from signing up their domestic partners and children for family health insurance coverage. A federal judge ruled the state law violated the U.S. Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection. The 9th Circuit upheld that ruling last year, another victory for Lambda Legal. The state, and Republican Governor Jan Brewer, is petitioning the high court to overturn the ruling. Pedersen v. OPM – This is GLAD’s second DOMA challenge, essentially a twin to the Gill case in Massachusetts. This one was filed in federal court in Connecticut, with plaintiffs from several 2nd Circuit states. The Supreme Court typically grants review when an appeals court declares a federal law unconstitutional. It also frequently grants review when various appeals courts are in

conflict over a law’s constitutionality. The circuit courts have declared DOMA unconstitutional, but there has been no conflict. Both the 1st Circuit and the 9th Circuit have said so. A federal district court in the 2nd Circuit has declared it unconstitutional, but the 2nd Circuit itself has not yet weighed in. But the fact that the House’s legal group has been aggressively defending DOMA (in 14 separate courts, at latest count) will no doubt weigh heavily on the Supreme Court’s willingness to take up the issue sooner rather than later. A ruling from the high court upholding the law may be the only way to slow the dramatically increasing support for same-sex marriage – in the courts and in public opinion.

Rainbow symphony seeks musicians The Bay Area Rainbow Symphony invites orchestral players to audition ahead of the group’s fall concert, which is scheduled for November 10. The program will be music of Copland, de Falla, Bruch, and Beethoven’s Symphony #5. Rehearsals are on Wednesday nights. Organizer Gene Nakajima said

TLC’s anniversary party takes place from 7 to 9 p.m. at 401 Van Ness Avenue, in the Green Room. A VIP reception takes place at 6. Tickets are $150 for VIP or $95 for general admission. For more information, visit www.transgenderlawcenter.org.

that the symphony usually has musicians come to rehearsal to check out the orchestra to see if it is a fit for them before scheduling an audition. Interested people can contact the symphony for a rehearsal invitation by emailing recruitment@barssf.org. For more information, check out www.bars-sf.org.

Volunteers wanted for AHP groups The UCSF Alliance Health Project is looking for volunteers interested in facilitating peer-led support groups and workshops, including groups for people living with HIV and workshops for the LGBT community.

On the web Online content this week includes the Bay Area Reporter’s online column, Political Notes; the Out in the World column; and an article about the Reverend Dr. Jane Spahr returning to Most Holy Redeemer. www.ebar.com.

For participants to qualify, AHP will hold a weekend-long training October 19-21 that focuses on the fundamentals of support group facilitation. Previous group experience is helpful but not required; participation requires a minimum six-month volunteer commitment. A limited number of spaces are available. Those interested in receiving a training application should call Sien Rivera at (415) 502-7576. The deadline to submit an application is October 5. To learn more about AHP, visit www.ucsf-ahp.org.▼ Seth Hemmelgarn contributed to this report.

NOM’s second try NOM v. McKee appeals a decision rendered by Walter F. McKee, a member of the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices. The commission ruled that political action committees operating in the state had to comply with state election campaign requirements to identify their donors. That includes in campaigns taking sides on statewide ballot initiatives, of which many in recent years have concerned same-sex marriage. NOM’s challenge of those laws has failed before the U.S. Supreme Court once already. This is – as the 1st Circuit put it – “the second chapter of a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Maine laws imposing registration and disclosure requirements on entities that finance election-related advocacy.” The 1st Circuit upheld the state laws. NOM, again, appealed to the high court. The Supreme Court will release its next list of cases on Monday, October 1, at the start of its 2012-13 session.▼

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Community News>>

City College editorial

From page 4

Santos, whom Mayor Ed Lee appointed in August to fill the last few months of the late Milton Marks’s term. He is also a candidate for a full four-year term. In written responses to our questions, Santos, a straight man and a

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Poz hiker

From page 8

to be gay, rattled them.” “To this day they are not happy I am gay,” said Hayduk, “although I was very pleasantly surprised how proud they were that I did the trail.” “It was a very [positive] bonding experience between me and my parents,” said Hayduk, adding his parents visited him seven times over the 500 miles of trail in Virginia. Prior to making his way to the Bay Area, Hayduk graduated from

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HIV research offices

From page 1

It was a big success.” The facilities are the new home for the HIV research section of the city’s Department of Public Health. The section’s old exam rooms and staff offices were housed on the upper floors of the building and had a more business – rather than clinical – vibe. The structure wasn’t built to house medical facilities, “so you can try to create this warm experience but it is still an office you are entering,” noted Derrick Mapp, 47, a member of the community advisory group for the HIV Vaccine Trial Network. “With this new space it is still an office but much more inviting and there is much more open space. It has a warm feel to it; even the furniture has that living room effect to it.” City officials will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony for the newly built, world-class research facility at 10 a.m. Friday, September 28. It will also double as a public unveiling for the section’s newly adopted name of Bridge HIV. The section officially changed its moniker in late August when it began moving staff into its expanded research and clinical facilities. Its old quarters on several higher floors in the building were cramped, as the section shared space with the staff of the HIV prevention and HIV epidemiology sections. “We have been crawling all over

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September 27-October 3, 2012 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 13

naturalized U.S. citizen from Ecuador, said that his immediate vision is to “prevent the loss of accreditation and begin to bring back proper management of the budget.” He also said that in his role as a trustee, he will aid and support the chancellor, and at the same time hold that person accountable to maintaining the college.

A structural engineer, Santos, a Democrat, is more moderate than Mandelman, but he said that he will use his private and public sector experience to restore fiscal accountability, institute common sense budget practices, rebuild the college’s technology infrastructure, and expand student recruitment in local schools. He, too, advocates working with the

private sector to bring more financial resources to City College. Santos would be a good fit for the board. Right now, the board’s best hope is likely to come in the form of a special trustee, which the trustees approved a couple weeks ago. While there are questions about how much this person would be paid and what power

he or she may have, the alternative would have been for the state to impose a special trustee, and the board would have ceded its power. At the same time, it’s clear that the incumbent board is not doing its job and it’s time for new leadership. Mandelman, Bacharach, and Santos would change the board’s dynamic and make it more effective.▼

the late Revered Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University where he majored in theater (drama). He holds a master’s degree in film from the Reverend Pat Robertson’s Regent University. For a time, Hayduk also worked with PTL, or Praise the Lord Ministry. During the interview, Hayduk, who used the solitude on the hike for contemplation, said he learned some important things about himself and life. “Life gives you second chances,” said Hayduk. “There are always options for renewal and opportunities

to try again, take chances and start over. “I ended the hike on the day I turned 45,” he explained. “I am stepping into the next chapter, a new adventure.” What that entails, Hayduk is not yet sure. “I am still processing the experience,” he said. “I’d like to find a career and be in a relationship. I’d like to settle down and have the things my sister and other people have.” Hayduk’s sister lives in Michigan, is married and the mother of three. Nonetheless, said Hayduk, “You

really can re-invent yourself.” Indeed. Hayduk is Sister Jane D’oh of the city’s Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a group of drag nuns who raise money for charity. “The interesting thing about being a Sister,” he said, is “you throw on a dress, some make up, and become somebody different as a person. “The fact that I am a Sister and do drag,” said Hayduk, may also well account for the stamina required, both “psychological and physical” to hike the Appalachia Trail.

In life, too, “I am the one who survived over the tough guys, the straight guys,” overcoming “shame and alienation,” said Hayduk. “Forty-five years of tamped down gay rage,” he added with a chuckle and a smile, also “got me through.”▼

each other,” said Dr. Susan Buchbinder, director of the Bridge HIV section. The changes came about due to the San Francisco Office and Renovation (SOAR) project, funded by a $9.5 million grant from the National Center for Research Resources at the National Institutes of Health. An eagleeyed Bridge HIV employee, graphic designer Janie Vinson, saw a notice about a competitive bidding process being offered through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The section submitted an application and the health department project was chosen to receive funding designated for new or refurbished research infrastructure. In total 8,000 square feet of clinic space has been added and 9,000 square feet of existing space is being renovated. “Universities have the resources to build this kind of facility but the city could never build something like this,” said Buchbinder, who has worked for the public health department since 1988. During a recent sneak peak she gave the Bay Area Reporter of the new facilities, Buchbinder recalled how the roof would leak on the section’s computers at its first location on Market Street. It then moved into 25 Van Ness and, as the AIDS offices expanded, “we were bursting at the seams. We didn’t have space for everybody,” she recalled. Standing in a new lab room, Buchbinder pointed out the various equip-

Rick Gerharter

Lab coordinator Kimberly Marsh checks blood in the new laboratory, part of the new offices of Bridge HIV at the San Francisco Department of Public Health.

The last volunteer workday at the National AIDS Memorial Grove will be Saturday, October 20, and there will be a welcome back celebration for Hayduk. For more information about the grove, visit www.aidsmemorial.org.

other HIV prevention strategies. The new set up also affords more privacy for trial participants. “Now we have our own reception area,” said Buchbinder. “People can come directly to us and don’t have to sign in if they come in from the brand new alley access,” which is off of Oak Street. Work is ongoing to remodel workstations and exam rooms on the fifth floor and construct a new community meeting room on the sixth floor. That work will benefit the HIV prevention section, which is gaining its own remodeled exam rooms. “It will be a wonderful place to reach participants for the research the HIV prevention section does,” said Tracey Packer, the section’s interim director. A new secure space was also built for the department’s HIV registry that is separate from the other HIV sections so staff can move about more freely. “With improvements to several floors in the building, we will expand our ability to conduct state-of-the-art HIV research and promote collaboration between and within research units and colleagues worldwide,” stated Barbara Garcia, an out lesbian who is the city’s director of health. ▼

ment her staff can now use to conduct the clinical trials. A large cabinet of drawers had orange Post-it notes affixed to it detailing the contents held inside, such as injection supplies and urine samples. A Thermolyne Speci-Mix tube rocker machine sat on a counter rotating a vile of blood, with trays nearby holding already spun tubes of blood drawn from trial participants. “It is a beautiful lab. It feels three times as big as the old lab we have. And this is much more advanced equipment,” said Kimberly Marsh, the Bridge HIV section’s laboratory coordinator. “The trial participants seem

quite pleased. A lot of people say it looks beautiful. The aesthetics are important because we want them to feel at ease when they come here.” Construction began last fall and the former restaurant space was completely gutted as part of the first phase. The ground floor space will support Bridge HIV staffers who are conducting studies into several HIV prevention strategies, such as clinical trials on an HIV vaccine and the use of rectal microbicides. The section will begin enrolling men into the microbicide study in October. And it has the capacity now to expand its prerogative further into

School board candidate Sam Rodriguez

School board candidate Matt Haney

School board candidate Gladys Soto

munities. However, Soto, who’s a member of the SFUSD Bilingual Citizens Advisory Committee, said she’d like San Francisco’s public school students to learn about “the fight for social justice in the LGBT community and the history of the AIDS epidemic and the tragedy that occurred in the early days of the virus.” Victoria Lo, 24, serves on the board of Lyon-Martin Health Services, which provides health care to women and transgender people. Since 2011, she’s volunteered to identify and recruit talented high school students, particularly those from underrepre-

sented backgrounds, for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, from which she’s a graduate. Lo said, “There should also be an increase in basic medical, mental health, and therapy services so all students, including LGBT students, can see the health care that they need.” Seeking more funding was another topic that came up in the questionnaires. Shamann Walton, 37, the school readiness coordinator and director of the Potrero Hill Family Resource Center, said he’d work with Mayor Ed Lee and the Board of Supervisors

“to develop a system of garnering resources from developer revenues in San Francisco for the schools. Billions of dollars are coming to San Francisco through development projects.” Like many other candidates, Kim Garcia-Meza, 45, addressed the student achievement gap. Garcia-Meza, who was a public school teacher for over 10 years, said, “Choosing a [San Francisco] public school for a any child in this city should not be hard choice. It should be about programmatic differences and uniqueness of a school, not how neglected or underresourced a school community is.”▼

For more information about the research Bridge HIV is conducting, and how to volunteer as a trial participant, visit www.bridgehiv.org/.

School board

From page 1

board will have at least one new member after the election. Among those running is Sam Rodriguez, 52, the legislative chair of the San Francisco District Parent Teacher Association. He was assistant director of science education at the U.S. Department of Energy. “I think I can make a significant difference, especially in terms of what I bring to the table with my very comprehensive view of the relationship between local, state, and federal systems in terms of bringing more resources to San Francisco for education, and specifically for science, math, and technology,” Rodriguez said in an interview. In his questionnaire, Rodriguez suggested he’d like to see technology help students who are being bullied. He said he’s in favor of exploring a pilot program to provide students who feel with a service-directed cell equipped with a special chip that would immediately communicate with the nearest counselor or administrator to respond. Restorative justice, a term that can be used to refer to finding alternative forms of punishment rather than expulsion or suspension, was mentioned specifically by most candidates. The approach is already supported in the district.

Rick Gerharter

Rachel Norton is seeking reelection to the school board.

Matt Haney, 30, was a member of the Restorative Justice Task Force, where he worked with other community members and SFUSD staff. “Restorative practices is ... a critical paradigm shift in our schools that will hopefully reduce bullying and harassment in our schools,” he said. In response to a question about Senate Bill 48, which became law this year and requires students be taught about the historical contributions of LGBT Americans and people with disabilities, among others, Gladys Soto, 48, said she isn’t sure what’s taught regarding those specific com-

Serving the LGBT communities since 1971

14 • Bay Area Reporter • September 27-October 3, 2012

Classifieds

t

Legal Notices>>

The

Legal Notices>> FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME statement file A-034552600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LAURA HAZLETT DESIGNS, 2805 22nd St., SF, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Laura Hazlett. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/20/87. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/27/12.

SEPT 06, 13, 20, 27, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME statement file A-034541000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CHAMBERLAIN LANDSCAPING, 44 Escondido Ave., SF, CA 94132. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Christopher J. Chamberlain. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/22/12.

SEPT 06, 13, 20, 27, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME statement file A-034560200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SANCTUARY HAIR SALON, 1204 Sutter St., SF, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Mark Steven Lewis. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/04/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/30/12.

SEPT 06, 13, 20, 27, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME statement file A-034559000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TOKYOSF, 7700 Geary Blvd. #110, SF, CA 94121. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Michael McDonald. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/28/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/29/12.

SEPT 06, 13, 20, 27, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME statement file A-034564000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ICLEAN SERVICES, 2303 Mission St., SF, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Honorio Galicia. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/31/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/31/12.

SEPT 06, 13, 20, 27, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME statement file A-034551600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: REVEILLE COFFEE CO, 200 Columbus Ave., SF, CA 94133. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed New England Dough Boys Inc. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/27/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/27/12.

SEPT 06, 13, 20, 27, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME statement file A-034560700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: VECTO, INC., 336 Bon Air Center #396, Greenbrae, CA 94904. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed Vecto, Inc. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/30/12.

SEPT 06, 13, 20, 27, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME statement file A-034557000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: KITCHEN STORY CAFE, 3499 16th St., SF, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed Cafe Veranda Enterprises Inc. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/29/12.

SEPT 06, 13, 20, 27, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME statement file A-034561400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ALPHONSO LABS; PULSE; 2 Shaw Alley, 5th Fl., SF, CA 94105. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed Alphonso Labs (DE). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/01/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/30/12.

SEPT 06, 13, 20, 27, 2012

Statement of abandonment of use of fictitious business name FILE A-033969800 The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: FRESH AIR BICYCLES, 1943 Divisadero St., SF, CA 94115. This business was conducted by a corporation and signed by Howell Jenkins. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/28/11.

SEPT 06, 13, 20, 27, 2012 Statement of abandonment of use of fictitious business name FILE A-031447000 The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: VICTORIAN HEALTHCARE CENTER, 2121 Pine St., SF, CA 94115. This business was conducted by a limited liability company and signed by Kindred Nursing Centers West, LLC (DE). The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/17/08.

SEPT 06, 13, 20, 27, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME statement file A-034572700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BILLY BRITTLE, 571 Magellan Ave., SF, CA 94116. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed John Paul Waller. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/07/12.

SEPT 13, 20, 27, OCT 4, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME statement file A-034572900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: KUTSHOP, 115 Gough St. #25, SF, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Kevin Perry. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/07/12.

SEPT 13, 20, 27, OCT 4, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME statement file A-034558800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HURWITT REALTY, 1609 Noriega St. SF, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Leonard Hurwitt. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/25/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/29/12.

SEPT 13, 20, 27, OCT 4, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME statement file A-034565500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: DENTAL AESTHETICA, 180 Montgomery St. #2440, SF, CA 94104. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed Leila Azad, DDS, Inc. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/04/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/04/12.

SEPT 13, 20, 27, OCT 4, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME statement file A-034574300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ONYX WHOLESALE; ONYX HOME LOANS; ONYX RETAIL; ONYX DIRECT; ONYX LOANS; 801 Marina Blvd., SF, CA 94123. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed Onyx Lending LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/10/12.

SEPT 13, 20, 27, OCT 4, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME statement file A-034579700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SIMA CONSULTANCY, 36 Oakwood St. #6, SF, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Saiman Hsu. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/12/12.

SEPT 20, 27, OCT 4, 11, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME statement file A-034581500

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME statement file A-034582300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FIVE STAR ROOTER & PLUMBING CO., 1331 20th Ave., SF, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Zi Xian Liu. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/13/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/13/12.

SEPT 20, 27, OCT 4, 11, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME statement file A-034583400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ALFAJORES NARCISO, 27 Flood Ave., SF, CA 94131. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Patricia Narisco. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/05/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/14/12.

SEPT 20, 27, OCT 4, 11, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME statement file A-034587200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LIBROS DE FE, 435 Edinburg St., SF, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Blanca L. Menjivar. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/17/12.

SEPT 20, 27, OCT 4, 11, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME statement file A-034589300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MORELOS LANDSCAPE SERVICES, 128 Uranus Ave., Hayward, CA 94544. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Abel Morelos. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/18/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/18/12.

SEPT 20, 27, OCT 4, 11, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME statement file A-034576600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CITY TRAVEL AND TOUR, 1039 Grant Ave. #203, SF, CA 94133. This business is conducted by a general partnership and is signed U Win Myint & Sio Weng. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/11/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/11/12.

SEPT 20, 27, OCT 4, 11, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME statement file A-034578300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: H & R CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, 1946 44th Ave., SF, CA 94116. This business is conducted by a general partnership and is signed Hsi Chou Yu & Richard Yu. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/11/12.

SEPT 20, 27, OCT 4, 11, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME statement file A-034583700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BUBBLE REAL ESTATE, 420 Union St., SF, CA 94133. This business is conducted by a corporation and is signed North Beach Native, Inc. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/13/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/14/12.

SEPT 20, 27, OCT 4, 11, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME statement file A-034583600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: VENDINI TICKETS; VENDINI TIX; WALLETINI; 660 Market St. 4th Fl., SF, CA 94104. This business is conducted by a corporation and is signed Vendini Inc. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/14/12.

SEPT 20, 27, OCT 4, 11, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME statement file A-034579900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SCAN@WORK, 540A Shotwell St., SF, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Calvin Yam. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/13/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/13/12.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CONNECTIONS SAN FRANCISCO, 424 Clay St., SF, CA 94111. This business is conducted by a limited liability company and is signed Battery & Clay Associates, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/12/12.

SEPT 20, 27, OCT 4, 11, 2012

SEPT 20, 27, OCT 4, 11, 2012

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME statement file A-034583800

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME statement file A-034598000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ECLIPSE ACOUSTICS, 263 18th Ave., SF, CA 94121. This business is conducted by a limited liability company and is signed Travis Media Group LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/13/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/14/12.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TOTAL RESPONSE AND PROTECTION SERVICES, 1943 28th Ave., SF, CA 94116. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed Rambo Security Services Inc. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/21/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/21/12.

SEPT 20, 27, OCT 4, 11, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME statement file A-034564200

SEPT 27, OCT 4, 11, 18, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME statement file A-034582500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: 49TH PARALLEL PRODUCTIONS, 674 Ivy St., SF, CA 94102. This business is conducted by a husband & wife and is signed Katy W. Newton & Sean L. Connelley. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/31/12.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FITNESS SF CASTRO, 2301 Market St., SF, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed Superblock Fitness Inc. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/13/12.

SEPT 20, 27, OCT 4, 11, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME statement file A-034562600

SEPT 27, OCT 4, 11, 18, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME statement file A-034582400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: IZZY CHAN CONSULTS, 2244 19th St., SF, CA 94107. This business is conducted by an individual and is signed Isabella Chan. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/01/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/31/12.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FITNESS SF SOMA, 1001 Brannan St., SF, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed Brannan Street Fitness Inc. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/13/12.

SEPT 20, 27, OCT 4, 11, 2012 Statement of abandonment of use of fictitious business name FILE A-031447000

SEPT 27, OCT 4, 11, 18, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME statement file A-034594700

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: VICTORIAN HEALTHCARE CENTER, 2121 Pine St., SF, CA 94115. This business was conducted by a limited liability company and signed by Kindred Nursing Centers West, LLC (KY). The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/17/08.

SEPT 20, 27, OCT 4, 11, 2012 notice of application TO SELL alcoholic beverageS Dated 09/17/12 To Whom It May Concern: The name(s) of the applicant(s) is/are: CAPO’S CHICAGO, LLC. The applicants listed above are applying to the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control at 33 New Montgomery St. #1230, SF, CA 94105 to sell alcoholic beverages at 641 Vallejo St., SF, CA 94133-3918. Type of license applied for

47 - ON-SALE GENERAL EATING PLACE SEPT 27, OCT 4, 11, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME statement file A-034590100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MARIE MAR, 1710 27th Ave., SF, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Donna Marie Romagnoli. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/18/12.

SEPT 27, OCT 4, 11, 18, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME statement file A-034597300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BATM MAINTENANCE, 56 Seville St., SF, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Alberto Benavides. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/21/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/21/12.

SEPT 27, OCT 4, 11, 18, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME statement file A-034576200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GOLD LIMOUSINES SERVICE, 76 Monterey Blvd., SF, CA 94131. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Victoria Nguyen. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/10/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/10/12.

SEPT 27, OCT 4, 11, 18, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME statement file A-034600300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GREEN ELEMENT TREE CARE, 72-1/2 Saturn St., SF, CA 94114. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Heather Kailing Ellison. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/24/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/24/12.

SEPT 27, OCT 4, 11, 18, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME statement file A-034599600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: F M G & H, 1413 Valencia St., SF, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed Shane Liddick. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/06/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/21/12.

SEPT 27, OCT 4, 11, 18, 2012

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THOMAS OGAWA DDS, 180 Montgomery St. #2440, SF, CA 94104. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed Leila Azad, DDS, Inc. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/04/12. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/20/12.

SEPT 27, OCT 4, 11, 18, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME statement file A-034582100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SCHNEIDER INVESTMENTS, LLC, 117 Sanchez St., SF, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed Schneider Investment, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/13/12.

SEPT 27, OCT 4, 11, 18, 2012 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME statement file A-034569400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, 1597 Haight St., SF, CA 94117. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed Soul Patch LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/05/12.

SEPT 27, OCT 4, 11, 18, 2012

Legal Services>>

t

Read more online at www.ebar.com

September 27-October 3, 2012 • Bay Area Reporter • 15

Legal Notices>>

Upkeep>>

Counseling>> Gaylesta2x2_0610CN

City and County of San Francisco October 2012 Monthly Assessment Appeals Board (AAB)

Notice is hereby given of 8 vacancies on the AAB. Applicants must reside in San Francisco and have at least 5 years experience as one of the following: Certified Public Accountant or Public Accountant; licensed Real Estate Broker; Property Appraiser accredited by a nationally recognized organization, or Property Appraiser certified by the California Office of Real Estate Appraisers. For additional information & application, please call 415.554.6778.

Don’t miss 2 BLOCKS OF ART

A FREE art walk showcasing over 100 local artists in 25 locations in the Central Market neighborhood community: Friday, October 19, 4–8 p.m. Market Street (between 5th and 7th streets) and 6th Street (between Market and Howard streets). Presented by Urban Solutions with support from the San Francisco Arts Commission and Grants for the Arts/ Hotel Tax Fund.

WIC Offers You Free Food And Services!

415-729-3996

The Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Supplemental Nutrition Program helps pregnant women, new mothers, infants and young children eat well and stay healthy. WIC offers benefits to pregnant and postpartum women, infants and children under the age of 5 years who meet federal income guidelines. WIC benefits include nutrition and breastfeeding education and support, supplemental foods and referrals to health care and community services. WIC pregnant/breastfeeding mothers receive education and support through Breastfeeding Peer Counselors or WIC Breastfeeding Warm Line (415) 575-5688. WIC participants receive checks for nutritious foods. WIC staff helps find community resources to meet individual needs. For more information, call (415) 575-5788. This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Relapse Prevention

Health & Fitness>>

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San Francisco General Hospital Foundation (SFGHF)

SFGHF is seeking nominations for its eighth-annual Heroes & Hearts Award, a service award which recognizes unsung heroes who provide exceptional and inspirational service to an individual or the community. Nominations deadline - Thursday, November 1st. For information, visit sfghf.net.

Steve Foster, LMFT

(415) 412-0397 The Wellness Center, Dolores & 16th Sts.

Transbay Block 9 Request for Proposals (RFP)

The Successor Agency to the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency is soliciting proposals from qualified development teams to purchase Transbay Block 9, a 31,000 square foot site located in Downtown San Francisco. For a copy of the RFP, visit http://www. sfredevelopment.org, call (415) 749-2439, or email courtney.pash@sfgov.org. Proposals must be received by December 12.

Need Help Finding a Dentist or Dental Insurance for your Child?

Did you know that Tooth Decay can affect your child’s ability to do well in school, eat healthy food, and can affect self esteem? If you live in San Francisco – call the San Francisco Women and Children’s Health Referral Line 1-800-300-9950 for information about low-cost dental insurance, or to find a dentist for your child. SF Child Health & Disability Prevention (CHDP) Program

San Francisco International Airport (SFO)

The Airport Commission has commenced the RFP process for Terminal 3 Common Use Club Lease at SFO. Submittal Deadline is changed to Wednesday, December 5, 3:00p.m. (PST) Information website is: www.flysfo.com/web/page/about/b2b and click on Concessions and Leases.

Port of San Francisco The Port will soon be publishing two RFPs for youth employment oversight and a hazardous waste management on its website at www.sfport.com The City and County of San Francisco encourage public outreach. Articles are translated into several languages to provide better public access. The newspaper makes every effort to translate the articles of general interest correctly. No liability is assumed by the City and County of San Francisco or the newspapers for errors and omissions.

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Bethany Center Senior Housing is opening its waiting list for section 8 studio apartments (single individuals only making $23,350 or less annually). Only 300 applications for the lottery will be distributed from October 1 to October 5 at 580 Capp St (at 21st Street) San Francisco, CA 94110. Applications can be also requested by phone: (415) 821-4515 ext. 15, fax (415) 821-2339 or e-mail at mrodas@bethanycenter.org. Must be 62 or older. Bethany Center Senior Housing is Equal Opportunity Housing.

Maintenance personal needed: Duties include: daily janitorial, some experience of electrical, plumbing, carpentry, painting, landscaping. Pool and spa certification a plus. Full time position. After a waiting period benefits include: Medical, Dental and paid vacation. Please email resume to: scott@thewatergarden.com or apply in person at The Watergarden Corp. 1010 The Alameda San Jose, CA 95126 www.thewatergarden. com

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23

Heart of darkness

Helen Reddy speaks

24

Out &About

Fall dance

21

O&A

19

The

Vol. 42 • No. 39 • September 27- October 3, 2012

www.ebar.com/arts

Scene from director Sebastian Grobler’s Lessons of a Dream. Courtesy Berlin & Beyond

T

he 17th Berlin & Beyond Film Festival – German-language films from Germany, Austria and Switzerland – plays Sept. 27-Oct. 4 at the Castro Theatre and the GoetheInstitut (530 Bush St.). Highlights include Volker Schlondorff’s restored director’s cut of the 1979 masterpiece The Tin Drum, and the late queer bad-boy Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s Lola. Audre Lorde: The Berlin Years 1984-92 Berlin-born Dagmar Schultz, Lorde’s friend and

Highlights from the Berlin & Beyond Film Festival by David Lamble German publisher, presents a fascinating late-life chapter about the great Caribbean-American lesbian activist poet whose politics stirred the waters in 1970s-80s feminist circles, and who then devoted a chunk of her last decade to helping Afro-

German women work through their complicated identity issues. (Reading and film, Castro, 9/29) Lessons of a Dream One of the great perks of covering this festival has been tracking Daniel Cesar Martin Bruhl Gonzalez Domingo – yes, the

Barcelona-born, Cologne-raised Daniel Bruhl, who for the past decade has practically been his own German festival, from the Billy Wilder-like nimble comedy Goodbye Lenin! to tales of the passionate young in The Edukators and Love in Thoughts, to a personal chamber-piece, A Friend of Mine; from the Polish violinist swept up on the beach who excites two English spinsters, The Ladies in Lavender, to scene-stealing cameos in See page 29 >>

He loved modern art

‘The William S. Paley Collection: A Taste for Modernism’ by Sura Wood

R Rick Gerharter

De Young Museum curator Timothy Anglin Burgard discusses Paul Gauguin’s “The Seed of the Areoi” during a press tour of The William S. Paley Collection: A Taste of Modernism on exhibit at the de Young Museum.

eliable sources have reported that CBS founder and chairman William S. Paley hung his prized possession, Paul Gauguin’s “The Seed of the Areoi” (1892), in front of his home movie projector, and moved the painting out of the way whenever he watched I Love Lucy or other of his network’s television shows. Whether or not the story is true, it’s a curious metaphor for the collision of old world and new media, and the personal contradictions of the enterprising son of Ukrainian Jewish immigrants who built a broadcasting empire and launched the careers of Walter Cronkite and Edward R. Murrow. So what did he do in his spare time? A pragmatic man and a wealthy one, not above embellishing his resume or conflating his biography, Paley used some of his considerable fortune to acquire adventurous,

{ SECOND OF TWO SECTIONS }

ahead-of-the-curve modern art. The aforementioned Gauguin canvas, which served as camouflage and décor, depicts the beautiful, raven-haired queen of a Polynesian secret society holding a fertility symbol in her hand –the model was the artist’s 13-year-old Tahitian mistress – surrounded by the lush South Sea island landscape. And it’s just one of many masterpieces found in A Taste for Modernism, an exciting new show of sumptuous artworks at the de Young, primarily focusing on late-19th and early-20th century artists of the French School and School of Paris. The show is a sampling of Paley’s collection, born of a happy confluence of plentiful disposable income and a pair of wives with sophisticated, discerning taste in art, taste See page 22 >>

<< Out There

18 • BAY AREA REPORTER • September 27-October 3, 2012

▼

Cultural season keeps us hopping by Roberto Friedman

L

ast week brought a rapid succession of big nights out at cultural institutions for arts-lover Out There. First, last Tuesday night, we attended Cal Performances’ presentation of Dirtday! by renaissance artist Laurie Anderson at Zellerbach Hall. We’d have to say Anderson has been our guru ever since we saw her two-night magnum opus United States I-IV at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 1983. Her latest piece did not disappoint. In her early work, Anderson integrated music, stories and large multi-media effects. In Dirtday!, she has distilled her stage business down to keyboards with filters and gizmos, electric viola, lighting, stage fog, votive candles and a small screen. For the first half of the concert, the screen displayed only vibrant light in changing colors, and we thought she was making a sly statement about how attached we have become to glowing

rectangular screens, how we’d rather stare into a screen in our palms than at the world around us. But later she used this screen to show home videos of her dear departed rat terrier Lolabelle, whom she had trained to play keyboards. As Lolabelle plunked away at the console, Anderson noted that it was the same equipment that she herself uses in her performances, so the segment turned out to be not only hilarious but selfparodic. Much of the new piece involved Anderson’s piquant brand of story-telling in her sonorous voice, sometimes vocoder-modulated to a deeper, male-sounding “voice of authority.” She reflected on the male peacock tail and its place in evolution, dictates of the Vatican, the rise of tent cities in America, the Tibetan Book of the Dead, and other weighty topics, but not without generous doses of her trademark humor and insight. The show’s title comes from her observation that Earth is “so formal” a name for our planet. Why not call it “Dirt?”

That’s more organic, funkier. Instead of observing Earth Day, we could all be celebrating Dirtday! The very next night we were delighted to be invited to the San Francisco Symphony’s 101st opening gala in Davies Symphony Hall. SFS press relations always offers us gracious hospitality in the Green Room (we mean an open bar), where we caught up with colleagues and marked the new season (thanks, Louisa, Amelia, et al.) by dressing up and feeling fine. Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas, ever the showman, was in fine fettered form, leading the Symphony and yummy special guest violinist Joshua Bell in a concert program that included selections from Berlioz’s Roméo et Juliette, Chausson’s Poème, Saint-Saëns’ Introduction and Rondo capriccioso, and Ravel’s Boléro. Find the sterling music critic Philip Campbell’s review in this issue. This year’s gala honored outgoing SFS President John Goldman and Marcia Goldman. With the concert behind us, we headed for the after-party in the Gala Tent, and live music by 12-piece band Mixx Company and special guest DJ Louie. An additional outdoor, carnival-themed party transpired on closed-off Grove Street, so festive, so fine. Benefit the SFS education and community programs, this street party did. Meanwhile all of Civic Center had been taken over for a big party for Dreamforce, made up of Salesforce. com conventioneers. This made us wonder, When did we as a city decide to give over our public squares and facilities to private parties? Reminds us of every year when all of Yerba Buena Gardens is roped off for the Oracle convention and parties. I don’t remember any city official ever putting this up to a vote. We’re in a soapbox mood because the next night, we attended ACT’s production of Larry Kramer’s pulsating polemic of a play The Normal Heart, and left with our own abnormal heart full of righteous anger and cathartic release. Find the excellent theatre critic Richard Dodds’ review in this issue. We only note that the play’s opening montage of images includes a front page from an early issue of the B.A.R. That’s what we call verisimilitude – erm, although the play takes place in NYC. That same evening at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, Grammy Awardwinning trio Lady Antebellum headlined a benefit concert for UCSF

Lucie Jansch

Solo performance artist Laurie Anderson came to Berkeley.

Courtesy SFS

Music director Michael Tilson Thomas led the San Francisco Symphony last week in its 101st opening gala.

Benioff Children’s Hospital, opened by Emmy award-winning comedian Dana Carvey. Out There attended the concert’s exclusive after-party, at which MC Hammer played DJ, in the rotunda and light courts of City Hall. OT and pluperfect Plus One Pepi partied until the wee hours. We did not shout out, “Don’t hurt ’em, Hammer!”

Great performances The Bay Area Rainbow Symphony (BARS) invites all orchestral players to audition for their fall concert to be held on Sat., Nov. 10, under the baton of guest conductor Christian Baldini. The program will consist of music by Copland, de Falla, Bruch, and the Beethoven Fifth Symphony. Rehearsals are on Wednesday nights. For audition information, visit www. bars-sf.org, e-mail recruitment@barssf.org, or call (415) 57-VIOLA. The Met: Live in HD series begins its seventh season on Oct. 13 with the live transmission of Donizetti’s comedy L’Elisir d’Amore to 1,900 theaters in 60 countries around the world. L’Elisir d’Amore stars Anna Netrebko, Matthew Polenzani, and Mariusz Kwiecien in a new production by Bartlett Sher. The series continues with Verdi’s Otello (Oct. 27), starring Johan Botha and Renée Fleming, conducted by Semyon Bychkov; the Met premiere of Thomas Adès’ The Tempest (Nov. 10), conducted by the composer, directed by Robert Lepage, and starring Simon Keenlyside;

Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito (Dec. 1), with Elina Garanca, Giuseppe Filianoti, and Barbara Frittoli; a new production of Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera (Dec. 8), directed by David Alden, conducted by Met Principal Conductor Fabio Luisi, and starring Sondra Radvanovsky, Marcelo Álvarez, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, and Stephanie Blythe; Verdi’s Aida (Dec. 15), starring debuting soprano Liudmyla Monastyrska, Olga Borodina, and Roberto Alagna; Berlioz’s Les Troyens (January 5), conducted by Luisi and starring Deborah Voigt, Susan Graham, and Marcello Giordani; the Met premiere of Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda (Jan. 19), directed by David McVicar and starring Joyce DiDonato in the title role; a new production of Verdi’s Rigoletto (Feb. 16), starring Željko Lucic, Diana Damrau, and Piotr Beczala, directed by Michael Mayer in his Met debut, conducted by Michele Mariotti; a new production of Wagner’s Parsifal (March 2), starring Jonas Kaufmann, Katarina Dalayman, Peter Mattei, and René Pape, directed by François Girard and conducted by Daniele Gatti; Zandonai’s rarely heard Francesca da Rimini (March 16), with EvaMaria Westbroek and Giordani; and a new production of Handel’s Giulio Cesare (April 27), directed by McVicar and starring David Daniels as Caesar and Natalie Dessay as Cleopatra. For information on locations and tickets, visit www.metopera.org. ▼

▼

Dance >>

September 27-October 3, 2012 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 19

Upcoming dance events, from free to expensive by Paul Parish

S

an Francisco’s big-time dance season does not begin in the Fall, since our flagship company, the San Francisco Ballet, is out of the Opera House until Christmas. Indeed, even as the SF Symphony and the SF Opera are kicking off their seasons, SF Ballet is ending a brilliant run in London, where they’ve sold out the Sadlers Wells Theater night after night, and performed new works to adoring audiences. “Every one of them has a face,” exclaimed Luke Jennings in London’s Guardian. That does not mean this is a dry season here. Au contraire, there’s an explosion of things worth seeing coming up, starting now, a huge variety of it. First of all, this very weekend, Cal Performances hosts a free-to-the-public, all-day Sunday festival of music/theater/dance spread all over the Berkeley campus (Zellerbach, Hertz, Wheeler and other halls, and outdoors). They’re showing three excellent Bay Area dance companies: that of Chitresh Das (classic Kathak, the court dance of northern India), Lili Cai (refined Chinese contemporary dance rooted in the court traditions), and Balinese puppet theater dance with Gamelan Sekar Jaya, which is perhaps the finest gamelan outside Bali. And then Cal Performances also hosts the very biggest big-time, bigdeal, most expensive, and controversial show, the Mariinsky Ballet of St. Petersburg, Russia (formerly the Kirov), who will dance in Zellerbach Hall, Oct. 10-14, in Swan Lake, the great, melancholy, century-old tragedy set to Tschaikovsky’s noble score. This music is so powerful and so overwhelming that the ballet can survive drastic restagings as absurd as any Wagner opera has had to endure, and still make its effect. The most radical version, with all-male

Courtesy of Mariinsky Ballet and Orchestra

Members of the Mariinsky Ballet (formerly the Kirov) will dance Swan Lake at Zellerbach Hall, Oct. 10-14.

swans, is one of the very best ever. The Kirov owns Swan Lake; they’re mesmerizing in it. What’s controversial about this one is the ballerina Oksana Skorik (don’t ask how she rose to the top), whose many mishaps and collapses onstage have been documented again and again on YouTube. She’s widely reviled on ballet websites – though she might have a good night, and if you saw it, you could dine out on the story in some circles for the rest of your life. Do see Kondaurova

(opening night, Saturday matinee). Check at calperfs.berkeley.edu/ for tickets and casting updates. Similarly great popular fare, though much less stilted, should be the two-weekend run of the Hula Show staged by Na Lei Hulu I Ka Wekiu in SF at the Palace of Fine Arts, Oct. 20-28. This brilliant group has perhaps the finest-tuned group-dancing to be seen anywhere – they move together like waves of the sea, when that kind of poetry is called for, and in much more vig-

orous and aggressive ways when that’s required. The dance of Hawaii has many forms – court dances, country dances, war-dances, all of which their brilliant director Patrick Makuakane cultivates – but most remarkable, he’s developed here a new form, “hula mua,” adapted to the way we live in the Bay Area. He has adapted the tradition to modern life, keeping the core values and incorporating new attitudes, postures, gestures. Some of it’s cute (the company members who are also members of the SF Fire Dept. dance in uniform to “I Left My Heart in San Francisco”), some is abstract, but it’s always powerfully moving. Also mesmerizing should be two upcoming shows at the Theater at Yerba Buena Gardens, which has recently been renamed after yet another corporation. We will begin using the new name after it has stayed on the building for a year. This excellent theater has wonderful sight-lines, with a stage that cradles the performance and gives it to you like emeralds falling into your hands. Alonzo King’s Lines Contemporary Ballet will dance their 30th anniversary season there amidst a fantastic field of light created by James Cunningham, who is (I quote the press release) “known for incorporating electronic memory, prerecorded images and live images into his art, which uses 1,000 LED spheres programmed in synchronized interplay with the dancers to produce a visionary evening of light and dance.” Lines runs two weeks, Oct. 19-28. Perhaps equally haunting may be the Bay Area debut of AfterLight at the same theater, YBCA, Oct. 13-14. The DV8 alumnus Russell Maliphant has set this gorgeous, looping, hypnotic dance to mind-bending music by Erik Satie, the Gnossiennes I-IV (for piano).

Rivetting flamenco rhythms are promised with the debut of child prodigy el Carpeta, the 12-year-old scion of the gypsy Farrruco family, who are headlining the 7th Annual Bay Area Flamenco Festival, Sept. 30 at the Palace of Fine Arts, SF. Dance that you have to think about comes in many shapes, too. First, the freebie: Niagara Falling, which will be performed this weekend outdoors on the upper walls of the Renoir Hotel in San Francisco (through Sept. 29). Indeed, the aerial dancers began hanging on the west wall last night, amid projected images of Niagara and of “what is thriving and what is collapsing in the urban landscape,” to quote the press release from Flyaway Productions. Among previous similar creations by choreographer Jo Kreiter was a thrilling mobile dance with large girders swinging in tribute to Rosie the Riveter and the power of working women, which won big audiences and many awards a few years ago. Bundle up; you’ll be standing at 7th and Market Streets on a sidewalk, looking up. There could be fog. Finally, there’s the brilliant, very heady staging of the late great gay choreographer Merce Cunningham’s Canfield event, Oct. 5 & 6 at Mills College, Oakland. Mills ranks very high (with Bennington and Sarah Lawrence Colleges) in the development of Modernism in both music and dance, and both nights of the Canfield event will be staged by former Cunningham dancer Holley Farmer and accompanied by music of Pauline Oliveros, in honor of her 80th birthday. There’ll also be music by John Cage, Cunningham’s professional and life partner, in honor of Cage’s 100th birthday. It will be on the Mills campus, in Haas Pavilion and the Littlefield Concert Hall.▼

20 • BAY AREA REPORTER • September 27-October 3, 2012

<< Music

▼ Ready for symphonic action by Philip Campbell

T

For bar and nightlife events, go to

bartabsf.com

www.ebar.com

he San Francisco Symphony’s opening night gala for season 101 came a few weeks late this year, and the music on the bill seemed a little “Classical Music 101,” but it was worth the wait to have Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas home again at Davies Symphony Hall. Launching his own 18th season, MTT was returning from a European tour with his old employer, the London Symphony Orchestra. He stepped down as Principal Conductor there 17 years ago, but often makes return visits as Principal Guest Conductor, and there are rumors (maybe just wishful thinking by the Brits) that he might even consider spending more time abroad once their current Music Director leaves. We won’t let that concern us too much about his tenure here. The man is the Energizer Bunny of classical music, and he shows no signs of attempting to lighten any part of his daunting workload. He certainly was ready for action at the gala, naturally ingratiating and full of characteristic joie de vivre. Just the right attitude for an all-French program that ranged from the absorbing Chausson Poème with guest violinist Joshua Bell, in his only 2012-13 Bay Area appearance, to the no-holds-barred ferocity of Ravel’s Boléro. It suited the party mood of the overheated crowd, and finally got the official opening taken care of. Never mind the first two weeks of subscription concerts with guest conductor Semyon Bychkov finishing his visit by ripping the roof off DSH with a truly memorable Shostakovich Symphony No. 11, The Year 1905 – this was also a night to remember. While we are talking about getting the musical juices flowing, the hardy members of the SFS never cease to amaze with their

Marc Hom

Guest violinist Joshua Bell performed with the San Francisco Symphony at last week’s 101st opening gala.

seemingly boundless adaptability. The orchestra played intensely for Bychkov, giving him all they had, then didn’t miss a beat when transitioning to the lighter fare of the gala performance. After an overlong but typically endearing spoken introduction to the opening selection of three movements from Berlioz’s Roméo et Juliette (complete with too many musical examples), MTT reined himself in just long enough to support Bell’s rapturous account of the Chausson Opus 25 for Violin and Orchestra. Looking youthful as ever with his Midwestern good looks and unmannered stage presence,

Romantic voices by Tim Pfaff

I

n music as in the other arts, reception and reputation are fickle birds, as the case of gay American composer Samuel Barber shows. His considerable body of compositions found advocates among the biggest names in the business – Toscanini for the Adagio for Strings (at this point perhaps the work Barber is best known for), Horowitz for the Piano Sonata – but he had equally powerful detractors, in academia and among the critics. Their charge was that his music was, if not exactly outmoded, overly, belatedly romantic. Yet it is precisely that quality in his music – perhaps its most genuine – that won him audiences and Pulitzer Prizes during his lifetime and, in a present-day milieu more attuned to romanticism, neo- or otherwise, than to the astringencies of modernism, safely secures his place in the repertoire, his vocal music especially. Little surprise then that out music director Craig Hella Johnson’s chorus, Conspirare, calls its newest CD Samuel Barber: An American Romantic (Harmonia Mundi). Barber’s compositions for chorus span the greater part of his long career, and although Conspirare’s CD is

not a “complete works,” it comes close enough. The works selected certainly show all the facets of Barber’s writing for the genre, and Conspirare goes so far as to open up Barber’s choral oeuvre by presenting two of the large-scale major works, The

Lovers and Easter Chorale, in newly composed settings calculated to win them greater exposure. Everything about this sterling CD says labor of love. Not, as the CD lets you know from the first track, that all the music is easy listening. “Twelfth Night,” a setting of Laurie Lee’s disturbing poem about the birth of Jesus “from this dark lung of winter,” is severe and harmonically dense – building

Bell provided an artistically satisfying and rhapsodic interlude during a glamorous night that seemed hellbent on getting the audience out of the auditorium and back to the open bars. Both halves of the concert started late because of the surrounding festivities, but Bell returned after intermission to sail through a dazzling Saint-Saëns Introduction and Rondo capriccioso with little evidence of fatigue. He has proven his phenomenal talent again and again throughout a brilliant and enduring career, and his star status at the gala earned a prolonged and justified ovation. See page 23 >>

steadily in dissonance – over a stabbing dotted rhythm. Conspirare gives it a hair-raising reading, allowing it to unfold in one relentless arc from the opening line, “No night could be darker than this night,” to its repeat at the end of the song. Immediately following is its companion piece, from 1968, at first glance a work of the starkeest contrast: “To be ssung on the water,” to a poem by Louise Boggan. Lilting, lapping (its words speak of a vvow of love spoken in a rrowboat), it is, however ssensual, anything but llulling, and full of siniister cross-currents, a w work of hushed, almost fforbidden beauty. The pair of works w was written two years aafter the disastrous prem miere of Barber’s opera A Anthony and Cleopatra, ccomposed for the openin ing of the new Metrop politan Opera House, w which drove the composer deeper into depression and the sauce. These two small pieces don’t seem to be trying to prove anything, yet they show Barber at the peak of his compositional craft. Opera composer Gian Carlo Menotti, Barber’s longtime partner, helped Barber revise the opera, but their own declining relationship and Barber’s ever-deepening See page 21 >>

▼

Theatre >>

September 27-October 3, 2012 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 21

Rage against the machine by Richard Dodds

W

hen The Normal Heart first opened in New York in 1985, theater critic Frank Rich unhappily learned that The New York Times insisted on running a short clarification at the end of his review to refute charges made against the newspaper in the play. At the heart of the issue was the number of stories allotted to the mysterious disease eventually labeled AIDS that primarily affected gay men in the early 1980s. But numbers are immutable, and the dispute could go factually no further than the Normal Heart saying the Times wrote about the disease only x times while the Times replied it had written about the disease as many as x times. But the power of “x” is really in the why, which Larry Kramer saw as the press and politicians averting their eyes in distaste as a marginalized group got body-slammed. Kramer was in the vortex of the storm as young gay men began dying of a virus that had neither a name nor a known means of transmission. The Normal Heart, first staged in 1985, had several interlocked gears spinning concurrently that were political, personal, polemical, and prescient. The passing of time has added yet new facets. In the moments of the first production, Kramer was all about getting action and getting it now, with some accusatory avenging thrown in. Kramer, and his stage alter ego Ned Weeks, had the loudest voice and most abrasive

<<

Samuel Barber

From page 20

plunge into alcoholism provide part of the backstory for The Lovers, a 10-movement work set to selections from Pablo Neruda’s Twenty Poems of Love and a Song of Despair for baritone, chorus and large orchestra. On Conspirare’s invitation, Robert Kyr has recast the piece for a smaller instrumental ensemble – an orchestra of 15 – in the hopes of making it more widely performable. (Performances of Barber’s original are rare, his far more famous Knoxville: Summer of 1915, for orchestra and solo voice, edging them out.)

Kevin Berne

In Larry Kramer’s The Normal Heart, Kramer alter ego Ned Weeks (Patrick Breen, left) comforts his ailing lover (Matt McGrath) as the early days of the AIDS epidemic are recreated in ACT’s revival of the 1985 play.

personality, attributes he takes pride in but that he also acknowledges got himself ejected from a group (the unnamed Gay Men’s Health Crisis) as the revolution moved toward the establishment and needed to sand off its sharp corners. The Normal Heart gives us an insider’s view of a leader who no longer fits within his creation, and Kramer’s rage against the machine becomes a human sto-

ry as well as an agitator’s screed. The production at ACT is a recreation of the recent Broadway revival, which surprised audiences with a propulsive energy that didn’t need headline immediacy to sustain. Director George C. Wolfe, working within a simple set, punches out the scenes as if they were part of a thriller, political and sexual, which, in a fashion, they are.

In an irony worthy of cruelly capricious Greek gods, a population that was still reveling in a newlyborn sexual freedom learned that this freedom could be lethal. “Why didn’t you guys fight for the right to get married instead of the right to legitimize promiscuity?” Weeks asks of his colleagues. Kramer and his stage counterpart earned few fans from the emancipated when

Without changing a note or a rhythm of the vocal writing, Kyr has produced what is essentially a new composition of the orchestral music, tighter, truer, and expressive in a more particular, drama-centered way. While making keener sense of it, Kyr’s version does not make the experience of The Lovers any less grueling. Female voices don’t even appear until the third movement, “In the hot depth of this summer,” and then provide only fleeting relief. Emotional desolation takes the fore with “Sometime,” superbly sung by baritone David Farwig, and it only builds in more wrenching outcries

until the final movement, “Cemetery of Kisses.” The work takes the combined forces of Conspirare deeper into the realm of the dramatic than usual, and the musicians to a one respond individually and keenly. Their remarkable ensemble – surely this is the best chamber chorus in America – is on

evidence throughout the disc; here it just crawls farther out onto the ledge. The sublime Easter Chorale, composed for the 1964 dedication of the central tower in Washington’s National Cathedral, also rescored by Kyr for more general performance contexts, brings the disc to an uplifting close. This generous sampling of

www.ebar.com

he suggested that gay men abstain from sex until the virus was better understood. Sensible, perhaps, but a libidinal impossibility, and the uneven embrace of “safe sex” continues to this day. The ACT cast creates an accomplished ensemble, with members coming mainly from the Arena Stage production in Washington, D.C. that was intended to be part of a national tour that so far only includes San Francisco. As Ned Weeks, the Kramer character, Patrick Breen gives a fierce, focused performance that commands any scene he is in. Another formidable performance comes from Jordan Baker, a renegade physician fighting against the medical establishment as she gets an insider’s look at the new disease. As audiences leave the theater, they are handed a typed letter from Kramer to help put the proceedings in contemporary context, including the deaths of many of the men represented in the play, as well as the actors who portrayed them in the original production. At 77, Kramer is an elder statesman, but he is not a mellow one. “Please know that this is a plague that need not have happened,” he writes. “Please know that this is a plague that has been allowed to happen.”▼ The Normal Heart will run through Oct. 7 at ACT. Tickets are $20-$95. Call 749-2228 or go to www.act-sf.org.

Barber’s other choral writings ranges from his own re-settings of his solo songs (a radiant “Sure on this shining night”) to his last re-composition of his signature Adagio, as an Agnus Dei. The versatility Conspirare shows in the performance of music by a single composer is astonishing.▼

<< Fine Art

22 • BAY AREA REPORTER • September 27-October 3, 2012

▼

Rick Gerharter

Three sculptures by Aristide Maillol, with Pablo Picasso’s “Boy Leading a Horse” in the background, at The William S. Paley Collection: A Taste of Modernism exhibit at the de Young Museum.

<<

Modernism

From page 17

that reflected the Francophile inclinations and anti-German bias of NYMOMA in the 1930s, where Paley was a trustee. Those influences helped shape Paley, who started out buying English hunting prints before moving up several notches to paintings by Degas, Bonnard, Vuillard, Derain, Toulouse-Lautrec, Matisse, Cezanne, Picasso and others on view here. There are also well-chosen bronze sculptures by Gaston Lachaise and Aristide Maillol, as well as drawings like “Two Dancers”(1905), Degas’ classically beautiful, deceptively simple charcoal of his favorite subject, as well as sketches by Picasso, Renoir, and one by Ben Shahn showing Murrow as St. George, slaying a dragon per-

sonified by Joe McCarthy. The characteristically unsettling, tortured, bloody-scarlet imagery of Francis Bacon’s “Three Studies for the Portrait of Henrietta Moraes” (1963) inhabits the opening gallery. Adapted from photographs taken by Bacon’s friend, it’s a fractured psychological triptych, a vision of the divided self, a human with many faces not unlike Paley himself. Nearby, “Figures and Star”(1949), a tiny, delicate, slyly humorous oil and pastel by Miro of a sharp-beaked, birdlike creature, a female form and an asterisk is achieved with a sublime shorthand only the gifted Spaniard Catalan was capable of. The warm sensuality of “Reclining Nude” (1897) finds Bonnard indulging in his ongoing obsession with Marthe, his lover, model and later his wife, who’s stretched out on a couch

amidst ochre and brown tones, her head resting on a white pillow. It’s displayed next to a trio of small Vuillard paintings of lived-in, intimate interiors with inviting indirect light and subtle shadows. Several of the extraordinary Picassos will trigger a sensation of deja vu: “Boy Leading a Horse” (1905-06), of a young circus performer adrift in a barren existential landscape guiding a white steed with invisible reins; “Nude with Joined Hands” (1906), a portrait of Picasso’s beloved mistress Fernande Olivier, standing naked against a sunset coral background; and “The Architect’s Table” (1912), considered by many the greatest of the cubist paintings, were purchased from the Stein family and displayed at last year’s Steins Collect exhibition at SFMOMA. Like the Steins, Paley had

Rick Gerharter

Henri Matisse’s “Odalisque with a Tambourine” at The William S. Paley Collection: A Taste of Modernism exhibit at the de Young Museum.

a fondness for Matisse, whose atmospheric “Odalisque with a Tambourine” (1925-26) evokes the languorous sensuousness of the South of France. In a room crowded with furnishings sits a voluptuous naked woman on the verge of sliding off a green and yellow upholstered chair; one arm draped casually around the back of her neck, her robe falls away to expose her ample breasts. Above her, a window opens onto a patch sky so blue and pure one can almost breathe the sea air and hear the waves of the Mediterranean lapping on the beach outside. To experience this exhibition is to partake of a very personal collection of hand-picked works selected with an eye for beauty and technical brilliance, What would it be like

to live with objects of such piercing aesthetic beauty, to open The New York Times on Sunday morning to find the faded blooms of Manet’s exquisite essay on mortality, “Two Roses on a Tablecloth,” looking back at you? That question is answered, at least vicariously, by a dozen large color photographs of the Paleys’ opulent, antique-filled Fifth Avenue apartment, where the paintings are seen hanging on the walls like birds of paradise alighting in a garden of earthly delights. My bags are packed, and I’m ready to move in.▼ The William S. Paley Collection: A Taste for Modernism. Through Dec. 30 @ the de Young; www. deyoungmuseum.famsf.org.

Music >>

▼ She is woman, hear her roar

September 27-October 3, 2012 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 23

by Richard Dodds

H

elen Reddy set feminism to music, turning a sober subject suitable for a symposium into a jaunty hit song heard on millions of AM radios in the early 1970s. Written by Reddy and Ray Burton, “I Am Woman” became an instant anthem of the women’s movement, and turned Reddy into a pop star who would have 15 more songs to reach the tops of the Billboard charts. If the new hits stopped coming, Reddy didn’t stop performing the old ones into the next millennium. And then she just couldn’t take it anymore. She gave her farewell concert in 2002, sold her home in Santa Monica, moved back to her native Australia, and closed up the vocal shop. “I decided there was no way I was going to sing those hits over and over again,” Reddy said, “and since I had started singing when I was 5 in my parents’ act, I thought it was time to do some things I had always wanted to do outside of show business.” Before looking at some of those other interests, which include a career as a hypnotherapist who helps clients connect with the deceased, let it be known that Reddy has come out of retirement. She’ll be singing at Yoshi’s San Francisco on Oct. 3 and 4, and after she moves back to Los Angeles at the start of the new year, her schedule picks up steam. “The impetus to my return to singing was my sister’s 80th birthday, and she asked if I would sing a duet with her at her party,” Reddy said from her son’s L.A. home, where she is staying. “I heard my voice coming back over the monitors, and I thought, ‘Oh, that doesn’t sound too bad.’ I’m really enjoying it so much more than I did before because enough time has passed that I’m not obliged to sing all the greatest hits anymore.” Those greatest hits include “Delta Dawn,” “You and Me Against the World,” “Ain’t No Way to Treat a Lady,” and “Angie Baby.” At least a few will be encored at Yoshi’s, but you will definitely not hear “Leave Me Alone.” She said, “I had to sing the line ‘leave me alone’ 43 times in the course of three minutes. Never again.” And yes, she does perform “I Am Woman.” “But now I recite it, because I find speaking it gives it a lot more impact,” she said. Her repertoire also includes songs from her albums that never had air-play, as well as several standards. And she ad-libs with the audience, talking about her long career from child

<<

SFS opening gala

From page 20

To maintain the increasingly celebratory mood, MTT finished the scheduled program with the almost unbearably exciting Boléro. It would take a heart of stone not to succumb to the bravura score, and the conductor was making no apologies for the shameless seduction. Sometimes you just have to give the crowd what they want, and he responded in spades. The memories of last season’s parade of centennial celebrations were hardly eclipsed, but the gala had some gravitas of its own, honoring outgoing Symphony President John Goldman and the philanthropic support given by him and his wife Marcia Goldman for years.

Courtesy Helen Reddy

Helen Reddy recently came out of a decade-long retirement, and will be singing again at Yoshi’s San Francisco on Oct. 3 and 4.

performer to her current life. After dropping out of show business a decade ago and moving back to Australia, she earned a degree in clinical hypnotherapy. Her practice has not been in such matters as helping clients stop smoking or lose weight, but rather in a more spiritual realm. “I do past-life regressions,” she said. “I specialize in putting people together with loved ones who have passed over. It’s like you escort someone to a meeting place, and I have no control over who comes through. It’s very much a healing process, which is unlike traditional psychiatry, which seems to be about making you feel bad about yourself.” Reddy wants to move back to the States to be closer to her two grown children and her granddaughter. Married and divorced herself three times, Reddy said, “I’ve been a practicing celibate for 13 years.” So it’s only an asset that most of her male friends are gay, she said. “It’s so nice to be with men who are not coming on to you or judging you. And, God bless them, they feed me, because I get invited to a lot of dinners.”▼ Helen Reddy will perform Oct. 3-4 at Yoshi’s San Francisco. Tickets are $45. Call 655-5600 or go to www.yoshis.com/sanfrancisco.

A happy little encore ended the show with MTT mugging his way through an audience clap-along to Bizet’s Farandole from the L’Arlesienne Suite No. 2. With infectious abandon he literally kicked up his heels and reminded us of why he is such a perfect fit for San Francisco. The street party that followed the performance and the slightly overwhelming fun experienced at the dance in the whimsically decorated pavilion tent set a good-humored seal on the whole affair. We are frankly glad to be facing a more clear-headed fall at the Symphony with MTT returning to the podium Fri.-Sun., Sept. 28-30, with the Mahler Fifth, but I won’t be forgetting his irrepressible joy of making music (any music) any time too soon. ▼

Correction

bartabsf.com

The new bar The Armory Club is affiliated with Kink.com, not the SF Citadel, as incorrectly stated in last week’s Leather column. The online version has been corrected.

Courtesy BBC

Helen Reddy created a feminist anthem back in 1972 with “I Am Woman.”

ebar.com

<< Out&About

24 • BAY AREA REPORTER • September 27-October 3, 2012

Coyote Grace

Thu 27>> The Bride of Death @ Hypnodrome Thrill peddlers presents Shocktoberfest 13, an evening of horror and unhinged comedy with two world-premiere one-act plays and a classic: Coals of Fire by Fredrick Whitney, The Bride of Death by Michael Phillis, and Rob Keefe’s The Twisted Pair. $25-$35. Previews. Opening night Oct. 4. Thu-Sat 8pm. Special Halloween performances Oct. 30 & 31. Thru Nov 17. 575 10th St. (800) 838-3006. www.thrillpeddlers.com

Easy Street, Bikes on Film @ Oddball Films

String-along

Unusual vintage travel/adventure shorts, 8pm. Sept 28, vintage and unusual cycling short films. 8pm. $10 each. 275 Capp St. 558-8117. www.oddballfilms.blogspot.com

by Jim Provenzano

Great Glass Pumpkin Patch @ Rinconada Park, Palo Alto

iolins, violas, guitars; even a piano has strings, of a sort. Being a percussion instrument, it’s a different type, but musicians ranging from pop to classical strum, sing and play for you this week.

17th annual sale and exhibit of handblown colorful autumnal gourd sculptures. Special events thru the showing. 10am9pm. Thru Sept 30. 777 Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto. www.bagi.org www.greatglasspumpkinpatch.com

V

Classical Concerts @ Old First Church Friday, Sept 28, celebrated concert violinist Ann Miller and pianist Sonia Leong perform Eugène Ysaÿe’s Sonata for solo violin, Op. 27, No. 4, Beethoven’s Sonata in A major for piano and violin, Op. 30, No. 1, and Béla Bartók’s Sonata No. 1 for violin and piano. 8pm. MusicAEterna and Friends perform traditional and new strong-piano works by Piazzola, Keyes, and Schubert, Sept 30, 4pm. $14-$17. 1751 Sacramento St. 474-1608. www.oldfirstconcerts.org

by George Tsontakis and Kevin Puts. $14$17. 8pm. 1751 Sacramento St. 474-1608. www.oldfirstconcerts.org

Homo File, Fuck My Life @ CounterPulse Seth Eisen’s multi-layered performance exploration of gay rights author, scholar and tattoo artist Sam Steward; and Xandra Ibarra’s darkly comic study of Hollywood “Latina bombshells.” $20-$30. Thu-Sun 8pm. Thru Sept 30. 1310 Mission st at 9th. 626-2060. www.counterpulse.org

Hungarian Rhapsody: Queen Live in Budapest @ Embarcadero Cinema Remastered concert film of the classic rock band, and Freddie Mercury’s last filmed concert performance. $12. 7:30pm. 1 Embarcadero Center. 352-0835. Also at other theatres. www.queenonline.com www.landmarktheatres.com

LunaFest @ Herbst Theater Melissa Etheridge Aimee Mann

Sat 29 - Aimee Mann @ The Fillmore Pop singer (Til Tuesday, the Magnolia soundtrack) performs new and classic songs. Field Report opens. $35-$47. 9pm. 1805 Geary St. www.thefillmore.com Also Sept 30 at the Uptown Theatre, Napa. $35-$50. 1350 3rd St. www.livenation.com

Wed 3 - Melissa Etheridge @ Fox Theater, Oakland The folk-rock favorite gal returns with classic hits and songs from her new CD 4th Street Feeling. $58-$103. 8pm. 1807 Telegraph Ave. www.apeconcerts.com

Sun 30 - A Brief History of the Piano @ Performance Art Institute

12th annual fundraising film festival dedicated to promoting awareness about women’s issues, highlighting women filmmakers and bringing women together in their communities. $10-$50. 6pm reception, 7:30 screening. 401 Van Ness Ave. www.lunafest.org

Niagara Falling @ Renoir Hotel Jo Kreiter’s Flyaway Productions’ women aerial dance company performs another amazing outdoor work, with a suspended boat, scaffold and wall dancing, and video projections. Free. 8:30 and 9:30pm. Thru Sept 29. 7th St. at Market. www.flyawayproductions.com

Plantosaurus Rex @ Conservatory of Flowers

Mauro Fortissimo and Robert Soper (with weekly guests) perform in a series of concerts featuring modern piano classics by Igor Stravinsky, John Coltrane, John Cage, Sun Rah and other composers. $15-$20. 4pm. Thru Oct. 7. 75 Boardman Place. 501-0575. www.theperformanceartinstitute.org

Dinos Among Us!, a special cocktail party at the exhibit of prehistoric plants and flowers (giant ferns, spiky horsetails) from the Mesozoic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, with life-size models of dinosaurs. Free (if you dress as a dino!) $5-$7. 6pm-10pm. Reg hours, Tue-Sun 10am-4:30pm. Thru Oct. 21. 100 JFK Drive, Golden Gate Park. 831-2090. www.conservatoryofflowers.org

Sun 30 - Coyote Grace @ Great American Music Hall

Theater of Yugen @ ODC Theater

Bluegrass-blues-folk band performs beautiful acoustic music and vocals. $12-$15. With dinner $37. 8pm. 859 O’Farrell St. www.coyotegrace.com www.slimspresents.com

Mon 1- Left Coast Chamber Ensemble @ SF Music Conservatory Portraits in Sound, a concert of music by Kurt Rohde and Carl Schimmel, features projected image and text by Frances McCormack and Sue Moon. $15-$30. 8pm. 50 Oak St. at Van Ness. 617-5223. www.leftcoastensemble.org

Cypress String Quartet

Tue 2 - Cypress String Quartet @ Old First Church The acclaimed local music ensemble performs the world premiere of Eelna Ruehr’s String Quartet No. 6., plus music

Melissa Ivey

Thu 4 - Melissa Ivey @ La Peña Cultural Center, Berkeley Singer-guitarist with a Gypsy rock-punk edge performs songs from her new CD, Lovers and Stars. $10-$12. 8:30pm. 3105 Shattuck Ave. Berkeley. www.lapena.org www.melissaivey.com

Mystical Abyss, the dance-theatre company’s Butoh work. $17-$45. 7pm. Also Sept 28/28 8pm. Sept 29 3pm. Sept 30 2pm. 3153 17th St. 863-9834. www.odctheater.org

Thunder From Down Under @ The Rrazz Room

David Hirata @ The Marsh, Berkeley Enjoy the performer’s magic and storytelling act with piano accompanist Larisa Migachyov, and happy hour cocktails ($5). Free. 6pm. Fridays thru Sept. 28. 2120 Allston Way. 826-5750. www.themarsh.org

The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Diety @ Aurora Theatre, Berkeley Aurora Theatre Company’s production of Kristoffer Diaz’ smart, action-packed play about racial stereotypes in the world of professional wrestling. This metaphor for modern-day America received the 2011 Obie Award for Best New American Play, the Lucille Lortel Award for Best New Play, and was a finalist for the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. $32-$50. Wed-Sat 8pm. Sun 2pm & 7pm., Also Tue 7pm. Thru Sept 30. 2081 Addison St. (510) 843-4822. www.auroratheatre.org

Family Programming @ Shelton Theater Seven gay-themed short plays (by Steven Korbar, Rodney Taylor, rich Orloff, Joseph Frank/Aaron Tworek, James A. Martin and Chauncey Wales) from Left Coast Theatre Company, the producers of the popular Eat Our Shorts series. $15-$20. Thu-Sat 8pm. Thru Oct.13. 533 Sutter St. www.leftcoasttheatreco.org

Invasion! @ Boxcar Playhouse Crowded Fire Theatre Company’s production of Rachel Willson-Broyles’s translation of Jona Hassen Khemiri’s Obie-winning dark comedy about Middle Eastern misrepresentations. $15-$30. Wed-Sat 8pm. Thru Sept 29. 505 Natoma St. www.crowdedfire.org

Matthew James @ Groove Salon Opening reception for an exhibit of colorful pop art works by the local artist. 7pm-10pm. Thru Nov 10. 215 Fremont St. at Howard. 975-9900. www.mattjamesart.com www.groovesf.com

The Normal Heart @ A.C.T. American Conservatory Theatre presents the West Coast premiere of George C. Wolfe’s Tony Award-winning revival of Larry Kramer’s historic drama about the early years of the AIDS crisis in New York City, with a stellar cast of Broadway and TV actors. $25-$80. Tue-Sat 8pm. Sat & Sun 2pm. Some special curtain times. Special events and precurtain discussions thru run, including AIDS Now talk after the Sept 30 2pm show. Thru Oct. 7. 415 Geary St. 749-2228. www.act-sf.org

The Other Place @ Magic Theatre Sharr White’s acclaimed thriller about a strange Cape Cod unexplained mystery. $22$62. Tue 7pm. Wed-Sat 8pm. Sun 2:30pm. Thru Oct. 7. Fort Mason Center, Bldg. D, 3rd floor. Marina Blvd at Buchana. 441-8822. www.magictheatre.org

Play Fair @ GLBT History Museum Opening reception for Play Fair! The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence Make Sex Safer, an exhibit of safe sex promotional efforts. 7pm9pm. Also, For Love and Community: Queer Asian Pacific Islanders Take Action 19601990s, a new exhibit organized by queer and transgender Asian Pacific Islanders. Mon-Sat 11am-7pm. Sun 12pm-5pm. 4127 18th St. 621-1107. www.glbthistorymuseum.org

The Real Americans @ The Marsh

The Australian male strip troupe performs its sexy show. $35-$55. Thru Oct 6. Wed & Thu 8pm. Fri & Sat 7pm & 9:30pm. 2-drink min. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. (800) 380-3095. www.TheRrazzRoom.com

Dan Hoyle returns with his acclaimed solo show with multiple characters based on his travels to the most liberal and conservative regions of America. $25-$50. Fri 8pm. Sat 8:30pm. Thru Sept 29. 1062 Valencia St. 282-3055.www.themarsh.org

Topdog/Underdog @ Marin Theatre Company

Sat 29>>

Jonathan Biss

Suzan-Lori Parks’ Pulitzer Prize-winning play about two Black men, ironically named Lincoln and Booth, whose game of deception blurs the lines between honest and illegitimate work. $36-$57. Previews; opening night Oct. 2. Thru Oct. 21. Tue, Thu Fri & Sat 8pm. Wed 7:30pm. Sun 2pm & 7pm. 397 Miller Ave, Mill Valley. 388-5208. www.marintheatre.org

Thu 4 - Schumann: Under the Influence @ Herbst Theatre

Fri 28>>

Pianist Jonathan Biss, tenor Mark Padmore and two other musicians perform a series of concerts focusing on Schumann and other composers. $25-$62. 8pm. Different program Oct 6, 8pm, also at the Herbst. 401 Van Ness Ave. 392-2545. www.sfperformances.org

at Shattuck, Berkeley. (510) 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org

Chinglish @ Berkeley Rep David Henry Hwang’s ( M. Butterfly) hilarious play, direct from its New York run; set in China, it explores the cultural and linguistic confusion a businessman faces while attempting to secure a lucrative company contract. $15-$99. Tue, & Thu-Sat 8pm. Wed & Sun 7pm. Also Sat & Sun 2pm. Extended thru Oct. 21. Roda Theatre, 2015 Addison St.

The Call @ Regency Center Fundraiser and performance of The Call: A Story in Four Acts, a dramatic vignette interpretation of the 30-year history of the SF AIDS Foundation’s service to the community through the AIDS epidemic; produced by Kyle Ozier. Drinks and food served. $300-$1,000. 6pm-9pm. 1300 Van Ness Ave. 487-3013. www.sfaf.org

Man Ray/Lee Miller: Partners in Surrealism @ Legion of Honor Photographs, paintings, drawings and manuscripts that explore the creative interaction between gay artists Man Ray and Lee Miller, two giants of European Surrealism. Also, Marcel Duchamp: The Book and the Box. And, Gifts From the Gods: Art and the Olympic Ideal, a new exhibit of Greek and

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Roman artifacts and art related to the lives of athletes of ancient times. Free-$10. Thru Oct. 14. Tue-Sat 9:30am-5:15pm. Lincoln Park at 100 34th Avenue (at Clement Street). www.famsf.org

Mark I. Chester @ Wicked Grounds Exhibit of photographs by the veteran photographer of leather culture; thru November. 289 8th St. www.markichester.com www.wickedgrounds.com

Nayland Blake @ YBCA Former Bay Area native’s exhibit of unusual installations, drawings, queer archival material and more. Opening night party Oct 12. Free-$15. Also, Occupy Bay Area, an exhibit of local art, video, photography and writing with a political edge. $8-$10. Thru Oct. 14. 701 Mission St. 979-2787. www.ybca.org

Oakland Pride Tour @ Oakland Museum of Art Celebrate Oakland Pride with LGBT History Docent Tours of the Gallery of California History. Discover historic LGBT artifacts and explore the stories behind California’s vibrant, diverse LGBT culture. 7pm. Sept 30, LGBT Family celebration, 12pm-3pm. Also, The 1968 Exhibit, a touring exhibit of the historic year, with ephemera, protest posters, interactive media; extended thru Nov 2012. $6-$12. 1000 Oak St. Oakland. (510) 3188400. www.museumca.org

Open Rehearsal, Auction @ AXIS Dance Enjoy bidding on a variety of ticket deals, hotel stays and art, meet the dancers, then see a rehearsal of new dances performed by the innovative company. $10. 6:30pm. Alice Arts Center, 1428 Alice St., Oakland. (510) 625-0110. www.axisdance.org

(re)collection @ Intersection for the Arts Group exhibit collaboration with Lost and Found: Family Photos Swept by the 3.11 East Japan Tsunami. Free. Tue-Sat 12pm-6pm. Thru Oct. 27. 925 Mission St. at 5th. www.theintersection.org

Single Gay Dads @ LGBT Center Panel discussion and meeting for gay single parents. 2pm-5pm. 1800 Market St. www.gayfuturedads.org www.sfcenter.org

Strange Travel Suggestions @ The Marsh Oakland author Jeff Greenwald’s witty insightful solo show about his travels and wanderlust, with audience participatory “spin the wheel” story selection. $20-$50. Saturdays only, 8:30pm. Thru Sept. 29. 1062 Valencia St. 282-3055. www.themarsh.org

Twelfth Night @ Hyde Street Pier We Players’ latest outdoor theatre adventure brings Shakespeare’s mistaken identity, gender-bending, romantic comedy, set at Illyria’s seaport, to the historic local pier. Evening show includes a live jazz band, drinks and snacks. $40-$60. Fri 5:30. Sat & Sun 12pm & 5:30pm. Thru Oct. 7. Jefferson St. at Hyde. 547-0189. www.weplayers.org

Visual Aid Benefit @ Silvia Poloto Studio Enjoy wine, cocktails and nibbly things at the colorful studio of the Brazilianborn local painter/sculptor. $50-$200. 6:30-9:30pm 442 Shotwell St. 777-8242. www.visualaid.org www.eventbrite.com/ event/4360055042

The William S. Paley Collection: A Taste for Modernism @ de Young Museum New exhibit of varied and little seen Modern Art works collected by the New York art patron with a diverse taste, including paintings by Cezanne, Picasso, Matisse Degas, Toulouse-Lautrec and others. Also, This World Is Not My Home: Photographs by Danny Lyon, thru Jan. 27. $10-$20. Tue-Sun 9:30am-5:15pm. (til 8:45pm Fridays) Thru Dec. 30. Golden Gate Park, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive. 750-3600. www.famsf.org

Women 我們 @ Chinese Cultural Center Exhibit of video works, installation art, photography, sculpture, and more by a diverse array of LGBTQ artists, including Mu Xi, Yang Meiyan, He Chengyao, and other emerging artists based in China as well as five U.S.-based artists, among them Man Yee Lam and Stella Zhang. Tue-Sat 10am-4pm. 750 Kearny St., 3rd floor (inside the Hilton Hotel). 986-1822. www.c-c-c.org

Sun 30>> Fall Free for All @ UC Berkeley Campus Enjoy multiple free dance, theatre and music performances at the annual festival of local and visiting arts groups, including Lily Cai

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Out&About >>

September 27-October 3, 2012 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 25

Chinese Dance Company, Cypress String Quartet, George Brooks, Shotgun Players performing songs from Sondheim’s Assassins, Eth-Noh Tec Pan Asian Stortellers, Daniel Barash Shadow Puppet, Kitka, SF Taiko, and others. 11am-7pm. Bancroft Way at Telegraph Avenue. (510) 642-9988. www.calperformances.org

Trauma Flintstone). 9pm. 4 Valencia St. at Market. www.dragatmartunis.com

Imagining Val Travel @ Glama-Rama Salon

Tommy Igoe Band @ The Rrazz Room

The ‘70s singer returns from retirement to sing classic hits and new takes on other songs. $45. 8pm. Also Oct 4. 1330 Fillmore St. 655-5600. www.yoshis.com

Local collage artist Tofu’s exhibit focuses on vintage and contemporary travel imagery, based on his research discovering that the salon’s building formerly housed Val Travel agency at the height of the “glam travel” 60s. On view thru Nov. 3. 304 Valencia St at 14th. www.tofuart.com www.glamarama.com

Drummer welcomes guest performers. $25. 7:30pm. 2-drink min. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. (800) 380-3095. www.TheRrazzRoom.com

The Life and Times of David Wojnarowicz @ SF Art Institute

Tue 2>>

Outlook Video @ Channel 29

Denise Perrier @ The Rrazz Room

Cynthia Carr, editor of Fire in the Belly: The Life and Times of David Wojnarowicz, discusses the gay artist’s work, in conversation with Amy Scholder, Editorial Director of Feminist Press; presented by City Lights Bookstore. Free. 7pm. Lecture Hall, San Francisco Art Institute, 800 Chestnut St. www.citylights.com

LGBT news show, this month, segments on pet care, GLAAD Media Awards, and SF International Film Festival. 5pm. Also streaming online. www.outlookvideo.org

PJ Andrews @ Castro Country Club

Ten Percent @ Comcast 104 David Perry’s talk show about LGBT people and issues. Mon-Fri 11:30am & 10:30pm. Sat & Sun 10:30pm. www.comcasthometown.com

Vocalist performs symphonic jazz with an instrumental duo. $30. 8pm. 2-drink min. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. (800) 3803095. www.TheRrazzRoom.com

LGBT Prenuptuals Forum @ Bananas Family, Oakland

Exhibit of the gay artist’s amusing glitter cartoon character portraits and collages. Thru Oct 31. 4058 18th St. www.castrocountryclub.org

Lawyers experienced with domestic partnership laws discuss financial planning pre-marriage. $5. 6pm-8pm. 5232 Claremont Ave. 981-1960.

SF Hiking Club @ Bay Trail, Oyster Point Join GLBT hikers for a 10-mile hike on paved paths with good views of the bay, fishing piers, marinas, and maybe a few kiteboards. Carpool meets 8:45am at Safeway sign, Market & Dolores. Bring lunch, water, hat, sunscreen, windbreaker. (650)763-8537. www.sfhiking.com

Squeeze Box @ The Marsh Benefit performance of Ann Randolph’s Off-Broadway hit, which ran in SF for eight months, about the performer’s experiences working the graveyard shift at a homeless shelter. $50-$500. 5pm. 1062 Valencia St. at 22nd. 282-3055. www.themarsh.org

Sunday’s a Drag @ Starlight Room Donna Sachet and Harry Denton host the weekly fabulous brunch and drag show. $45. 11am, show at noon; 1:30pm, show at 2:30pm. 450 Powell St. in Union Square. 395-8595. www.harrydenton.com

Under the Harvest Moon @ Kelly and Young Winery Benefit dinner for Food for Thought’s AIDS Nutrient Bank, with a wine and canape reception (4:30pm) and a five-course dinner (5pm). $100. 5465 Red Winery Road Geyserville. (707) 887-1647. www.fftfoodbank.org

Mon 1>>

Naked Girls Reading @ Stage Werx Theater Kristine Wilson hosts a reading of selections from famously banned books, with members of The Twilight Vixen Revue reading, naked! $20-$35. 8pm. 446 Valencia St. at 16th. www.nakedgirlsreading.com/sanfrancisco

The Psychedelic Furs @ Bimbo’s Stylishly cool British 80s New Wave/Nouvelle Vague band performs. The Chevin opens. $30. 21+. 8pm. 1025 Columbus Ave. 474-0365. www.bimbos365club.com

Wed 3>> 33 Variations @ Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts Moises Kaufman’s play about a brilliant musicologist racing to solve one of Beethoven’s greatest mysteries, while her daughter struggles to connect with her. Two hundred years earlier and also no stranger to obsession, Beethoven uses his incomparable genius to turn a mediocre melody into 33 masterpieces. $23-$73. Tue & Wed 7:30pm. Thu-Sat 8pm. Sun 7pm. Sat & Sun 2pm. Thru Oct. 28. 500 Castro St. at Mercy, Mountain View. (650) 4631960. www.theatreworks.org

Piano Bar 101 @ Martuni’s

Art With Elders @ City Hall

Sing-along night with talented locals, and charming accompanist Joe Wicht (aka

Opening reception for a large group exhibit of works by 90 artists in 30+local

arts programs, all seniors with a lengthy life perspective. 5:30pm-7:30pm. Thru Jan. 4. Reg hours Mon-Fri 8am-8pm. Ground floor, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place. www.sfgov.org

Helen Reddy @ Yoshi’s

Of Thee I Sing @ Eureka Theatre 42nd Street Moon opens its 20th season with a production of the classic political satire by George and Ira Gershwin (book by George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind). $25-$75. Wed 7pm. Thu & Fri 8pm. Sat 6pm Sun 3pm. Thru Oct. 21. 215 Jackson St. 255-8207. www.42ndstmoon.org

Shazia Mirza @ The Punchline British Muslim comedian brings her taboo-breaking deadpan humor to the local club. $15. 2-drink min. 8pm. 444 Battery St. at Clay. 397-7573. www.punchlinecomedyclub.com

Thu 4>> Comedy Bodega @ Esta Nocha The weekly LGBT and indie comic stand-up night. 8pm-9:30pm. 3079 16th St. at Mission. www.comedybodega.com

Sundance Saloon @ Space 550 The popular country western LGBT dance night. $5. 6:30pm-10:30pm with lessons from 7:00 - 8:00 pm. Also Sundays 5pm-10:30pm with lessons from 5:30-7:15 pm. 550 Barneveld Ave. www.sundancesaloon.org

To submit event listings, email jim@ebar.com. Deadline is each Thursday, a week before publication. For more bar and nightlife events, go to www.bartabsf.com

Zhukov Dance

Bodies politic E

xceptional dance-theatre works this week offer moving visions. Choreographer and set designer Yuri Zhukov’s fifth season of Zhokov Dance’s balletic yet ultra modern works includes Product 05: Coin/C/Dance, about unplanned coincidence and chance, performed by his amazing dancers. $20-$50. 8pm nightly Sept 27-29. Z Space, 450 Florida St. www.zhukovdance.org

Keith Hennessy/ Circo Zero @ YBCA Innovative politically-focused choreographer and his performance ensemble premiere Turbulence (a dance about the economy) , with alternating guest performers Laura Arrington, Jesse Hewit, Emily Leap, Jorge De Hoyos and Hana Erdman. $15-$25. Thu-Sat 8pm. Thru Sept. 29. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Forum, 701 Mission St. 979-2787. www.ybca.org

Rhinocéros @ Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley Parisian-based Théâtre de la Ville performs an internationally acclaimed new production of Eugène Ionesco’s masterpiece of absurdist dark satire about social conformity and fascism. $30-$90. Sept 27 & 28, 8pm. Sept 29, 2pm. Bancroft Way at Telegraph Ave., UC Berkeley campus. (510) 642-9988. www.calperformances.org

www.ebar.com

<< Society

26 • BAY AREA REPORTER • September 27-October 3, 2012

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Lifestyle celebrations by Donna Sachet ast week’s Olivia Newton-John concert at the Golden Gate Theatre lived up to the very high expectations we had, offering music from her four decades of award-winning performances in the country, pop, healing, and dance genres. No seat was untaken, and no fan was disappointed. Producer Rick Bartalini is to be congratulated for his success and thanked for bringing Olivia to San Francisco for the first time in nearly 10 years. From the same-gender marriage debate in Iowa, a handsome, confident, well-spoken young man emerged, the son of lesbians who had raised him in a loving family. Today, Zach Wahls travels the country speaking up for samegender marriage, opposing gay discrimination in the Boy Scouts, and rallying for the re-election of President Barack Obama. Last Friday, he was the special guest at an Obama fundraiser in a private home in the Castro, organized by Rebecca Prozan, Bill Hemenger, and Geoff Murry. He kept nearly 100 guests in rapt attention, sharing stories from his childhood, revelations from his adulthood, and an unwavering support for the current Presidential administration. This small but select group raised $23,000 in two hours. Attending were California Deputy Political Director for the campaign Robert Ablon, State Senator Mark Leno, San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon and his wife Fabiola, Mark Anthony Haviland, Will Whitaker, Christopher Vasquez, Spencer Garrett, Stu Smith & Dave Earl, Kaushik Roy, Chris Knight, Erik Proctor, Kevin Shanahan & Michael Montoya, and Al Baum. Folsom Street Fair is no longer a one-day event, but has grown to encompass a weekend packed with alternative lifestyle opportunities. From private house parties to huge dance events, we tried our best to sample the offerings so that we could report back to our loyal readers. Our clear favorites

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Steven Underhill

Actvist Zach Wahls attended an Obama fundraiser in the Castro District. He speaks up for marriage equality nationwide.

were Ken Faulk’s outdoor P-townthemed dance, the Falcon party at Mezzanine, and Magnitude, all on Saturday, and the colossal Real Bad on Sunday night, not to mention our own intimate brunch Sunday morning with a few hundred of our closest friends. Journalistic decorum prevents more detailed description herein. We’ll leave complete coverage of Folsom Street Fair to our colleagues in this publication, but our personal highlight was rising above the crowd in a cherry-picker at the Main Stage with crowdpleasing emcee Mahlae, gazing at thousands of happy celebrants on a glorious San Francisco day! This Saturday, the SF AIDS Foundation marks its 30th year with The Call, a unique event at the Regency Center on Van Ness, offering four commissioned artistic vignettes by local artists representing

different phases in the AIDS timeline. Beyond the traditional presentation of awards, food, drink, and music, producer Kile Ozier promises a memorable night of captivating performances in an imaginative setting. On Sunday, join the Imperial Court at the Edge from 4-7 p.m. as they kick off the Mr. & Miss Golden Gate contest. This is a campy, fun contest where the winner is determined by the greatest number of raffle tickets sold, culminating in the Golden Gate Gaymes, an afternoon of outdoor activities on Oct. 28. Afterwards, simply cross the street to Toad Hall for the first Mr. & Miss Gay SF Reunion with a show featuring past title-holders, including Patty McGroin, Karin Lee Jaffie, Bebe Sweetbriar, Jacques Michaels, and the infamous Goldblatt. And it’s not too early to plan for the following week, as the fall events season revs up with Wednesday’s Beach Party at Café Flore from 5-8 See page 27 >>

Coming up in leather and kink Thu., Sep. 27: Daddy Thursdays at Kok Bar. Shot & drink specials. 10 p.m.–close. Go to: www.kokbarsf.com

Sun., Sep. 30: Castro Bear presents Sunday Furry Sunday at 440 Castro. 4–10 p.m. Go to: www.the440.com.

Thu., Sep. 27: Underwear Night at The Powerhouse. Strip down for drink specials. 10 p.m.–close. Go to: www.powerhouse-sf.com.

Sun., Sep. 30: PoHo Sundays at The Powerhouse. Dollar drafts all day! Go to: www.powerhouse-sf.com.

Thu., Sep. 27: Figging: Ring of Fire presented by Big Poppa Saynine at the SF Citadel (181 Eddy). 8-10 p.m. Go to: www.sfcitadel.org.

Mon., Oct. 1: Trivia Night with host Casey Ley at Truck. 8 p.m. Go to: www.trucksf.com. Mon., Oct. 1: SF Submissive Save Space at the SF Citadel. 7:30–9 p.m. Go to: www.sfcitadel.org.

Fri., Sep. 28: Strip at Kok Bar. Strip down for drink specials! 11 p.m.–1:30 a.m. Go to: www.kokbarsf.com.

Mon., Oct. 1: Dirty Dicks at The Powerhouse. $3 well drinks. 4–10 p.m. Go to: www.powerhouse-sf.com.

Fri., Sep. 28: Monthly Steam Party at The Powerhouse. Towel dancers and more! 9 p.m.–close. Go to: www. powerhouse-sf.com.

Tue., Oct. 2: Busted at Truck. $5 beer bust. 9–11 p.m. Go to: www.trucksf.com.

Fri., Sep. 28: Truck Wash at Truck (1900 Folsom). 10 p.m.–close. Live shower boys, drink specials! Go to: www.trucksf.com. Sat., Sep. 29: Leather Beer Bust at Kok Bar. All beer & well cocktails $3, Rolling Rock beer bust $5. 5-9 p.m. Go to: www.kokbarsf.com. Sat., Sep. 29: SF Citadel Pansexual Event. 8 p.m.–1 a.m. Go to: www.sfcitadel.org. Sat., Sep. 29: Stallion Saturdays at Rebel Bar (1760 Market). Revolving DJs, afterhours fun! 9 p.m.–4 a.m. Go to: www.stallionsaturdays.com. Sat., Sep. 29: Erotic Power at The Powerhouse. Hosted by Norcal Leather boy 2012 Seth Watkins. 4–7 p.m. Go to Facebook for details. Sat., Sep. 29: All Beef Saturday Nights at The Lone Star (1354 Harrison). 100% SoMa Beef! 9 p.m.-close. Go to: www.facebook.com/lonestarsf. Sun., Sep. 30: Truck Bust Sundays at Truck. $1 beer bust. 4–8 p.m. Go to: www.trucksf.com. Sun., Sep. 30: Jockstrap Beer Bust at Kok Bar. 3–7 p.m. Go to: www.kokbarsf.com.

Tue., Oct. 2: Safeword: 12-Step Kink Recovery Group at the SF Citadel. 6:30 p.m. Go to: www. sfcitadel.org/calendar/. Tue., Oct. 2: Ink & Metal at The Powerhouse. 9 p.m.–close. Go to: www.powerhouse-sf.com. Tue., Oct. 2: Kok Block at Kok Bar. Happy-hour prices. Pool tournament. 7–10 p.m. Go to: www. kokbarsf.com. Tue., Oct. 2: Getting into Uniform: Suitable for BDSM at the SF Citadel. 8 p.m. Go to: www.sfcitadel. org Wed., Oct. 3: Wolf! for Furry Men on the Prowl at The Watergarden (1010 the Alameda, San Jose). Lockers are half-off. Go to: www.thewatergarden.com. Wed., Oct. 3: Naked Buddies at Blow Buddies (933 Harrison), a male-only club. Doors open 8 p.m.–12 a.m. Play till late. Go to: www.blowbuddies.com. Wed., Oct. 3: Nipple Play at The Powerhouse. 10 p.m.–close. Go to: www.powerhouse-sf.com. Wed., Oct. 3: Dominant Discussion Group at the SF Citadel. 7:30 p.m. Go to: www.sfcitadel.org

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Karrnal >>

September 27-October 3, 2012 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 27

Straight talk by John F. Karr

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ere’s where I fall all over myself justifying my love for Paddy O’Brian. He’s gay4pay, you know, making him the guy I’m supposed to denounce. Yet I love him. It’s that simple – I love Paddy O’Brian. It’s impossible to resist Paddy. He’s classically handsome, superbly built, and spectacularly cocked. No two dicks are alike, but they do fall into types, and Paddy O’Brian’s is type W. It’s a Wonder cock. The various gay porn awards don’t have a Best New Cock category, but if they did, Paddy’d pocket it. This gristle’s got girth, baby. It’s especially broad and enviably solid. It’s strong. And radiant. You can almost see hovering alongside it those little bars of energy and excitement that Keith Haring drew around things, bristling, electric. But would you believe our attention to it can be nearly diverted by his enormously engaging personality? He’s such a swell fellow, so happy to be engaged in lust for his fellow man. And oh, his merry smile, his twinkling eye. Following Paddy’s appearance in a handful of none-too-overly-polished European movies, I was glad that for his American debut he was snagged by Chris Ward as a Falcon Exclusive. That assured that he’d get high-gloss filming and the partners he deserves. Paddy was given two scenes in Summer Lust. In the first, he terrorizes and tenderizes musclebabe Marc Dylan, and in the second he slings around insouciant sexpot Jimmy Franz. Paddy’s got one scene in both Parts 1 and 2 of Deep Inside, each time with a partner who’s the tops in stud-bottoming. First up is a personal fave, cock-ringed hunk Angelo Marconi, followed by the kingly mastery of Kyle King. He’s a guy who’s taken whatever a host of formidable tops could dish out, but even he’s a little surprised at the roughness of the ride he’s given by Paddy. Before I was stricken with Padophilia, I was saving up ammunition for an ambush. The Falcon publicity department hailed Paddy as the second coming (even though it turns out his meager cummings aren’t the climax to his frenzied exertions that we hoped for). Almost simultaneously came the welcome to the Falcon stable that Ward gave to yet another hetero performer, Benjamin Godfre. “He’s the definition of a Falcon Man,” Ward warbled. Yeah, I thought, str8. Putting it right on the line was a question I read in the comments section of a porn blog. A guy named

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Falcon Studios

Paddy O’Brian in a glamor shot for Falcon Studios.

Tony asked, “Are there any gay men in gay pornography?” I laughed at that, since I’ve clocked more than a few scenes in which the ostensible shortage of gay men in porn found two str8 dudes making out with each other. Just a little ironic, that. Tony felt (and here I paraphrase) that porn is the only public media with the potential to express male/male intimacy, yet if it was only about moneygrubbing straight guys, then maybe he’d best rethink his sexuality. I’ve always felt what Tony sensed: the presence of so many str8s in porn is a betrayal by film producers. And he sure hit the nail on the head when he complained further about porn’s disregard in expressing male/ male intimacy. Lacking an emotional response, str8 guys in gay porn assure that the sex they have is only an athletic event. That’s frequently thrilling, of course, but from somewhere out in the ozone I keep hearing Brigitta’s complaint to Maria.

“Yes, but it doesn’t mean anything.” Can producers who ask a gay4pay boy to have guysex ever expect from him the much sought-after “chemistry” that raises porn above dogs rutting, makes it actually good? You see, hard-ons are easy to come by. Heart-ons, very rare. As for Paddy O’Brian, like his straight peers Chris Rockwell, Reese Rideout and the estimable Caesar, he’s all on fire when he makes out with guys. I can’t account for his man-mania. Is he coming out? Does the money turn him on? Or might he be one of those guys who gets turned on by turning on his partners? Famously voracious sex partner Jesse Balboa claimed in a recent interview that Paddy was the one star with whom he’d most want a rematch. At the moment, Paddy’s the one I most want to see. His performances for Falcon are incendiary. But does he have legs, as they say in showbiz? Or is he a comet? Next time, I swear I’ll actually get to his first two Falcon movies.▼ www.FalconStudios.com

On the Town

From page 26

p.m., with musical entertainment by Gypsy Love, Kippy Marks, and Xavier Toscano, Thursday’s Transgender Law Center’s Spark!, celebrating 10 years of service, at the Green Room of the War Memorial Building, and Saturday’s Horizons Foundation Gala honoring Barney Frank at the Fairmont Hotel. Castro Street Fair is Sun., Oct. 7, offering hundreds of retail and information booths, people-watching, food and drink with a County Fair theme. End the day at the Rrazz Room for Billboard recording artist Brian Kent and his full band’s AIDS Emergency Fund benefit show at 7 p.m. This recent transplant from New York pours heart and soul into his upbeat, original compositions and creatively conceived covers. Then end the night at Remember the Party! at City Lights, 715 Harrison St., with DJ Jerry Bonham taking us back to the disco days. Can you feel it?▼

Steven Underhill

Go-go dancer at Glamorama, Macy’s Passport afterparty, “British Invasion,” earlier this month in San Francisco.

www.ebar.com

<< TV

28 • BAY AREA REPORTER • September 27-October 3, 2012

You say you want a revolution by Victoria A. Brownworth

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hat a great week this is! New shows on every night. People realizing they need more TVs and more DVRs pumping up the economy! What could be better? There is actually something good to watch every single night of the week, although Thursdays and Sundays are still the conflict nights that keep Netflix in business. Whose idea was it to pit Revenge against The Good Wife against Masterpiece Mystery against Homeland against Boardwalk Empire against Copper on Sundays? Yikes! And don’t think you can leave the house on Thursdays when Grey’s Anatomy and Glee queers are pitted against Person of Interest smarts and the final season of The Office. Or Scandal soap/politics are vying with the super-slick Sherlock Holmes on Elementary and the dark humor of Louie. How many DVRs can one house have? For TV-watchers, Christmas comes with Rosh Hashanah. And is there ever a lot to reflect upon. In recent weeks we’ve taste-tested a lot of TV for you so you know what to watch and what to avoid, but some shows are even better than we expected. A few of the best new shows are also the most likely to need your viewership, two edgy political dramas: NBC’s Revolution (is NBC going to become a good network again?) and ABC’s Last Resort. Revolution is way edgier than the promos suggested, not the Lost wannabe that some critics (not us) predicted. It has gotten mixed reviews, but we aren’t sure why. It’s crazy good, with a Game of Thrones tone to it that may leave the squeamish somewhat deterred, but is really compelling. To paraphrase T.S. Eliot, this is the way the world ends, returning to medieval feudalism. This makes Revolution perfect for this election season. There’s a cast of pretty young virtual unknowns for eye candy, but they can all act, and then there’s the magnificent Giancarlo Esposito, who never seems to age. Elizabeth Mitchell of Lost and V fame is back in the arms of J.J. Abrams, and Tim Guinee (The Good Wife and tons of other shows) is also in the cast. This is apocalyptic, fear-inspiring drama that is truly terrifying if you think about it for more than five seconds. Those of us who lost power during “what climate change?” Hurricane Isaac know what it means to not be able to have ice or Facebook

once the batteries run out. Revolution takes place 15 years after something governmental or military sucked all the electricity off the earth, leaving the world to fend for itself sans refrigeration, cars or any electronic devices requiring AC/DC, with no one reprising Thomas Edison. Take that, iPhone 5. The meek have definitely not inherited the earth, and feudalism has taken violent eye-for-an-eye root everywhere. Thus, while no one can access a computer (except for a small coterie of people with a secret flash drive hidden in a silver amulet), everyone has weapons. This show has a sprawling, unkempt violence to it much like Game of Thrones (with Esposito in lieu of Peter Dinklage, Tim Guinee in lieu of Sean Bean) except this alternate universe is our own, and this is one helluva cautionary tale. Revolution can be unsettling to watch. While it is dystopian, it’s also so close and real to our own time that it’s hard not to imagine how easily this could happen in an age where war games involve computers, spyware and Three Mile Island shutting down a reactor just last week for reasons even the nuclear folks can’t explain. Revolution is on Mondays opposite Castle and Hawaii Five-O (yeah, we don’t watch that show either, even if Christine Lahti is joining the cast) and following The Voice, which, much as we like it, could not be a worse lead-in show for Revolution. Last Resort also has a sharp and scary realism. This show is on the prized Thursday night, but in the dreaded early time slot that has failed so many serious shows before it. Last Resort is up against some of the highest-rated, most-established and Emmy-winning shows on the tube: The Vampire Diaries (who can resist the sexy and gay vampires? And that Elena), Big Bang Theory (with out gay actor Jim Parsons), the final season of 30 Rock (which people just might watch for more Tina Fey) and The X Factor. Last Resort is the smartest show in its time slot, which means it still might garner a solid audience. What makes it so good is a stellar cast led by Andre Braugher as Captain Marcus Chaplin, the hyper-realistic thriller plot and taut, strong writing. Chaplin commands a nuclear submarine that is ordered to attack Pakistan. When he asks for confirmation of the order, however, he is relieved of his command, and therein lies the dramatic conflict. When Chaplin’s

Courtesy NBC-TV

Giancarlo Esposito stars as Captain Tom Neville, a former insurance adjuster turned militia leader, on NBC’s Revolution.

lieutenant Sam Kendal (Scott Speedman, who really looks like a smartly sexy sailor pinup) asks for similar confirmation, the sub gets attacked. By the US government. Then they must escape, becoming a rogue crew. Last Resort has some of the interiority of Homeland and a lot of the geopolitical stakes that have become altogether too real since the murders at the Libyan embassy. Highly recommended. Speaking of Thursday nights, who will die on Grey’s Anatomy gets revealed Sept. 27, and Glee tries to decide if it’s going to get better (we hope) or further away from the sometimes pitch-perfect show we remember from seasons past. Glee has pumped up the transgender character of Unique/Wade Jones (Alex Newell, brought over from The Glee Project). Unique decided she was the new Rachel in Glee’s season-opener, but inexplicably Blaine won that title, then sent Kurt off to NYC to be with Rachel. Britney tore up the place with her Britney 2.0 performances in the second episode. Britney is still so great, even without Santana. She really epitomizes the queer Glee. On Sept. 27, Sarah Jessica Parker guests as Kurt’s new mentor, Isabelle Klempt. (Yes, Klempt. As in verklempt.) To which we can only say, “Oy.” One of the problems with many comedies a few seasons in is overreaching. That’s what Glee is suffering from this season. Instead of doing what they do best – diversity and acceptance in high school that doesn’t exist, but which those of us who were bullied in high school wish did – the Glee writers/producers are grasping for big names to draw in viewers since they are in the most coveted time slot on TV. No, no, no. The viewers for this show don’t care about an aging Carrie Bradshaw. They just don’t. Kate Hudson as a bitchy Sue-esque dance instructor belittling Rachel? Seriously? The pretty-in-pink, kittensand-puppies spokesperson for Almay cosmetics who has starred in numerous straight-dating movies just does not seem capable of being the Dirty Harry of the barre. Adding in a new famous actress every week is not the way to move Glee forward. (We never saw anyone more under-utilized than last season’s Gloria Estefan guesting as Santana’s mother. Except watching her be under-utilized on the CW’s tedious The Next. And please don’t bring Gwyneth Paltrow back unless someone gets to kill her.) We still have big love for Glee. While we have begun to tire of Kurt and never understood how anyone was interested in the boring Blaine, we like the new character of Marley and her obese lunch-lady mom. We still love Britney and Unique, Mercedes, Sue and many other cast members. But this is a show finding its way in new territory. When the creators decided to write so many of the favorite characters into the margins of the show, it was a bold move, and a big mistake. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. So now that Glee is broken, let’s hope it can be pieced back together.

Normal, obvious We have tried to transport ourselves

into the alternate universe in which The New Normal is the show some people claim it is: funny and sweet instead of grating and obvious, but no. We keep trying to like this show since it’s so gay, but unlike Modern Family, which it rips off in all the worst ways, it’s just not that show. Deconstructing the last couple of episodes, here’s the problem: the racism and homophobia that are supposed to “teach” the audience (whoever that audience is) that racism and homophobia are bad are just mean and vicious. And the weekly lessons are a little too ham-fisted. Last episode we recognized the scene with the mentally challenged Down Syndrome character who, when he is defended, shouts “fag” at his gay rescuer: this is a warped version of a Glee moment. Does Ryan Murphy think Glee is too soft in its tutorials so with his new show he’s ratcheted up the decibel level? Most of the time Glee has an insouciance to it that makes these scenes click, even when The Message is in neon lights flashing in front of us. But New Normal is just lecture after lecture strung together with endless shopping. We find the caricaturish nature of so many of the characters offensive and not even remotely believable. We know New Normal is a comedy, thus suspension of disbelief is always in play, and we know there are people who really are just one-dimensional demons of hatred, but they aren’t the norm that New Normal implies, where everyone shopping in an outlet mall is a homophobe, and even the mentally challenged don’t want to be defended by a “fag.” The New Normal could have been true Teachable Moment TV. But instead it’s just gratuitous stereotyping. Even Ellen Barkin with her razor-sharp delivery can’t quite make her racist, homophobic, sexist character charming. Speaking of charming, NBC’s other new comedy Go On is all the things New Normal isn’t. First of all, it’s funny. It also is often heart-breaking. Matthew Perry is superb, with a pitchperfect performance. He’s funny, he’s sad, he’s fearful, he’s Emmy-worthy. Perry has had some good if brief stints since Friends ended, in roles on the complicated but short-lived Studio 60, and as a villain on The Good Wife. Go On proves that comedy is his metier. Perry plays the suddenly widowed sportscaster Ryan King, whose boss forces him to attend a grief group peopled with an array of characters (including a lesbian whose partner has died) that is gender-, sexual orientation- and racially diverse. Go On is funny, smart and special. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, yet has moments of real seriousness. Go On airs after New Normal, so one can see why it works and the other show doesn’t pretty succinctly. It addresses homophobia, racism and sexism with subtlety and nuance. It provides Teachable Moments in every episode without the sledgehammer or the stereotypes. Speaking of sitcoms that nail it, how is it possible that The Simpsons just began its 23rd season and is still smart, funny, fresh and clever? Last

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week’s episode took the GOP’s voter ID laws to task. Homer arrives at the polls and is asked to provide a photo ID. “But I’ve lived here all my life,” he complains. The poll worker responds, “Stopping all Americans from voting is for the protection of all Americans.” Homer explains to the poll worker that he’s just a 40-year-old white guy who gets all his news from gas station monitors, so they let him vote. He votes for Romney, only to discover that he’s had six wives named Ann and gotten a medical tax deduction for a personality transplant. The Simpsons proves that good writing is what keeps good shows going season after season. SNL just started its 38th season. If you missed the opener last week, check out Bill Hader’s spoof of Clint Eastwood’s empty chair routine from the RNC at NBC.com. Hilarious. After four years of Fred Armisen portraying President Obama, SNL now has Jay Pharoah, who is AfricanAmerican, playing Obama. Pharoah isn’t as good as Armisen, but he may get better. Jason Sudekis as Mitt Romney is fabulous. Nothing will ever match Tina Fey’s Sarah Palin, but Sudekis is really good. SNL still does satire really well. (Another reason to check out the season opener: openly queer hip-hop artist Frank Ocean was the musical guest.) Speaking of queers, Dina Lohan was trying to edge her way back into the limelight cast by her daughter Lindsay on Sept. 21, with a series of statements to Access Hollywood. Our lesbian LiLo’s derelict mom was alleging that she never tried to look like her daughter (uh-huh), that she’s “just a natural blonde and can’t help that” (she’s a natural blonde in the same alternate universe where The New Normal is funny) and that she only hung out in clubs with LiLo so she could point out the enablers to her (did she point to herself?). Sometimes the jokes just write themselves, but they aren’t always funny. In the same show, AH showed clips of John Travolta’s first interview in a year, talking to BBC’s Breakfast and side-stepping every question about his recent troubles with gay men and masseurs claiming he had propositioned them. Travolta noted that he had been seeking refuge in his church. That would be the Church of Scientology. Poor Dina and John: there are none so blind as those who cannot see. Finally, the Sept. 20 episode of Nightline was one of the most powerful half-hours you’ll ever see on TV. ABC’s Dan Harris spent 48 hours in solitary confinement to report on what that controversial punishment is like from the inside. Harris is one of the best reporters on the tube. He won an Emmy for his Nightline series on how to buy a child in 10 hours. In the piece on solitary confinement, the camera followed Harris as he was locked in and endured the tedium, mounting anxiety and nightmarish noise from other inmates who were in the midst of meltdowns from the treatment Amnesty International has stated is tantamount to torture. As Harris explained, solitary costs three times what standard confinement costs. It is used as punishment as well as a means to keep prisoners who are excessively violent from the general population. But psychiatric studies have shown that such confinement causes depression, suicidality and diminished mental capacity. Lack of interaction with other people makes us crazy. Harris’ report was chilling and disturbing. As he noted when he left (after not thinking he could make it through the full 48 hours), “this is being done in our names, with our tax dollars.” That it is inhumane could not have been more graphically detailed. Watch it at ABCnews.go.com. Then write your Congresspersons about stopping this barbaric treatment. For the new shows or the old ones, the fluffy celeb news or stories like Harris’, you know what you have to do: Stay tuned.▼

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Film >>

September 27-October 3, 2012 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 29

Teen outcasts form a gay/straight alliance by David Lamble

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n Stephen Chbosky’s heartfelt screen adaptation of his young adult novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower, a straight boy, Charlie, and a gay boy, Patrick, not only cry, but kiss and stand up for each other and their best female friend, Sam. It’s a story that mines the rollercoaster highs and lows of a trio of defiant high school outcasts more vividly, perhaps, than any movie since Rebel Without a Cause. The trick of the book is Charlie’s ability to convince the reader that his confessional letters are addressed especially to them, “someone out there [who] listens and understands and doesn’t try to sleep with people even if they could. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad, and I’m still trying to figure out how that could be.” Charlie enters his freshman high school year with some heavy baggage: the recent suicide of a close male friend, the accidental death of a beloved aunt, and a mind-fracturing LSD trip. Between psychiatric episodes, persistent crying jags, and merciless bullying at school, Charlie’s only solace is the unexpected invitation extended by two of the school’s coolest seniors: Sam and her half-brother Patrick, who’s bursting out of the closet. Charlie’s mad crush on Sam is gently rebuffed while his friendship with Patrick becomes unexpectedly intimate without crossing the line. That the boys even push the line happens only after Charlie rescues Patrick from a savage beating in the school cafeteria at the hands of Patrick’s once-secret boyfriend

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Ezra Miller, Emma Watson and Logan Lerman in Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower: rebels with a cause.

Brad and Brad’s thuggish chums from the football team. Partly out of gratitude and partly to alleviate his sorrow over the cruel breakup with Brad, Patrick starts taking Charlie along on his frequent trysts through their city’s gay cruising spots. “He drove me home and pulled up in the driveway. We hugged good night, and when I was just about to let go, he held me a little tighter. And he moved his face to mine. And he kissed me, a real kiss. Then, he pulled away real slow. “’I’m sorry.’ “’No, that’s okay.’ “So he said, ‘Thanks,’ and hugged me again – and moved in to kiss me again. And I just let him. I don’t know why. We stayed in his car for a long time. “We didn’t do anything other than kiss. After a while his eyes lost the glassy numb look from the wine or the coffee or the fact that he stayed up the night before. Then he started crying. Then he started talk-

ing about Brad. And I just let him. Because that’s what friends are for.” For queer filmgoers, Chbosky’s decision to translate his MTVpublished cult novel into a movie where “the gay kid is the coolest kid” pays huge dividends, especially in a breakout performance by the sharp and sassy Ezra Miller. Miller’s Patrick, who won’t take no guff from either his school’s grouchy shop teacher or his closeted jock boyfriend, becomes a role model and cheerleader for both Charlie (Logan Lerman, redeeming the early promise of his tough ranch kid in the remake of 3:10 to Yuma) and Sam (Harry Potter’s Emma Watson, giving her American accent a test-run as a graduating senior saddled with a faithless beau). “Why do I and everybody I love pick people who treat us like we’re nothing?” The answer is, “We accept the love we think we deserve.” In bringing Perks to the screen, freshman filmmaker Chbosky sacrificed some of his book’s saucy

moments, such as an incident on the cruising circuit where Charlie is approached for sex by a closeted TV sportscaster, only to flummox the poor guy with the dick-wilting line, “So what’s it like being on television?” But in creating a plot arc for the screen, Chbosky heightened the importance of the straight boy riding to the rescue of his gay friend, reinforcing the brilliant stroke of casting the scene-stealing Miller as Patrick. Not yet out of his teens, the lanky, New Jersey-born, one-time child opera star scored with pungent rants in Sam Levinson’s Another Happy Day, and as Tilda Swinton’s school-killer son in We Need to Talk About Kevin. Because Patrick is both charismatically over-the-top and a sympathetic character, his decision to welcome this troubled but promising straight boy to his and Sam’s “island of misfit toys” allows the film’s fan-base to resemble one big high school straight/gay alliance. Michael Jortner’s 1995 short Relation Trip celebrates a queer cinema touchstone. “Outside the Los Angeles Observatory there’s a bust of James Dean. It stands atop a hill in Griffith Park. They filmed Rebel Without a Cause there, the part where [Sal Mineo’s] Plato is shot for being a fag,” but only after some incendiary bonding with Dean and Natalie Wood as the rebels who usher this wounded little boy into their secret society. It’s no exaggeration to think of the sad/funny but open bond among Charlie, Patrick and Sam as Plato’s revenge, with this passionate cast fully realizing Rebel’s once-utopian goals of overthrowing the phonies in our culture and fostering acceptance across genders

and orientations. Fueled by the year’s hippest soundtrack, Perks turns the cruel pratfalls of adolescent popularity into a life-affirming bell-ringer. Following a successful screening of Perks back in August, Chbosky appeared before a young audience weaned on his novel. What was the challenge of translating a novel of letters to the screen? The letters are written by Charlie, but so much of the movie’s humor arises from Charlie’s gay friend Patrick, like at the school football game where he leads the cheer, “Passive, aggressive!” Stephen Chbosky: Well, much of Patrick’s humor was created for the movie. I wanted a movie where the gay kid is the coolest kid, the movie’s Ferris Bueller. The guy Patrick is based on was gay and an Orthodox Jew. Somehow he took a shine to me and showed me the city parks, as Patrick does for Charlie in the movie. I wrote the book when I was 26; I’m 42 now. I made it as soon as I was ready. The book has been praised but also banned in a lot of places. It took some time to see the story clearly. How did your find your leads? Emma Watson didn’t audition, we just offered her the part. Later she had a dinner with the head of Summit Pictures, insisting that “this is the only movie I want to make,” which helped get us green-lighted. My wife and I spied Ezra Miller in his terrific supporting turn in City Island. My wife said he was perfect for Patrick, I felt he was a bit young. He did his audition and call-backs on Skype, which was weird. But he aced it, so it all worked out.▼

Berlin & Beyond

From page 17

2 Days in Paris and The Bourne Ultimatum; from the Tarantino spoof Inglourious Basterds to the sly satire on plagiarism Lila, Lila. This dude, fluent in five languages, should never be missed. Bruhl shines for director Sebastian Grobler as a 19th-century rebel, a German-born, Oxford-educated teacher who brings the Queen’s English to the impressionable students at a stuffy Prussian academy. Bruhl has a secret weapon: the boys eagerly grapple with their “th” exercises when the bait is learning the great English game of football (soccer). Bruhl’s foes are militarist old farts who are plotting the next great war with England; his allies are boys who see kicking a ball through a goal-post as a gateway to a much fuller life. (Castro, 9/29, 10/4) Breathing The most striking image in this chilly, claustrophobic comingof-age tale from veteran actor Karl Markovics is the sight of a beautiful young man in a red swimsuit lying face-down near the bottom of a pool. He doesn’t appear to be drowning, yet we sense that he’s literally holding his breath, waiting for a signal before deciding to surface and inhale. Roman (a remarkably controlled performance from newcomer Thomas Schubert) strips down for inspection by the guards at his youth reformatory; an inmate since he was 14, it’s not until late in the film that we learn his crime, a deadly assault on another teen. Roman’s parole requires an outside job, and since he loathes idle chatter or eye contact, he answers an ad to work at a large industrial mortuary, transporting and preparing cadavers. As with other films about young men forced by desperate circumstances to perform noxious duties (The Messenger, Boy A), the experience becomes a kind of purification ritual as Roman re-enters the human race from a banished state. Markovics allows his “hero” to thaw out while enduring the foul odors at work – his supervisor

Kino Lorber

Courtesy Berlin & Beyond

Scene from director Karl Markovics’ Breathing.

Scene from director Markus Imboden’s The Foster Boy.

advises breathing through his mouth – and absorbing the shock therapy of discovering why his young mother abandoned him at birth. Austria appears to have a less punitive justice system than ours, perhaps because in a paternalistic, formerly fascist society, the guards have less to fear from the inmates. After observing Roman turn into a quasi-sympathetic human, we both wish him well and see why “Governator” Arnold swapped this dour place for our messy freedoms. (Goethe-Institut, 10/1) This Ain’t California Last year the German Gems festival gave us Keep Surfing, Bjorn Richie Lob’s hypnotically lensed exploration of Munich’s river-surfing culture. Now Martin Persiel follows with a freewheeling doc recalling an even odder underground of skateboarding fanatics who once defied the East German Democratic Republic’s police state (GDR). Persiel begins with YouTube-style home movies in which a ruffian kid named Denis, answering to the nickname “Panik,” defies his conservative dad, opting to endure cuts, bruises and worse in order to conquer the GDR’s abundant concrete on a crude, handmade board. A photo reveals the blood-coated lips of a scarred but

The Substance: Albert Hoffman’s LSD Remember Orson Welles’ adlib to Joseph Cotton: all that bucolic Swiss history, and all they invented was the cuckoo clock? Well, turns out that five years before The Third Man, 1943 in a Basel lab, a young scientist was fooling around and discovered what a difference a molecule can make. Director Martin Witz employs his subject, Albert Hoffman’s LSD, as a framework for up-ending the cautionary tale about mad scientists. The discovery of lysergic acid diethylamide would, a quarter of century later, turn precincts in San Francisco quite mad in ways this sober Swiss family man could never have anticipated. Beginning and ending on the face of Hoffman – 100 at the time of the filming – Witz deftly flips through rare footage of early LSD test subjects; the hopes of psychiatrists that the drug, taken in tiny dosages, might be the magic bullet for the bipolar mind; the out-of-control frenzy that mushroomed when Dr. Timothy Leary entered the loop; Nick Sand’s account of mass-producing LSD in SF; Ken Kesey and his Merry Pranksters, the Summer of Love, and the face of Ronald Reagan announcing that the party’s over.

happy rebel. Persiel frames his GDR nostalgia with a reunion of old friends gathered to remember their beloved golden boy. Persiel dares you not to shed a tear for a forgotten martyr who ironically lost his freedom on the very night the Berlin Wall fell. (Castro, Closing Night, 10/4) The Foster Boy In perhaps the hardest to watch of the festival’s narrative features, Swiss director Markus Imboden illuminates a devastating chapter in his tiny country’s history. For decades through the 1950s, the country’s most vulnerable citizens – orphans, children of single moms – were routinely remanded to farm families in a state of bondage somewhere between slavery and the role allotted farm animals. The boy of the title is a moody, talented aspiring musician, Max, played with a volatile mix of rage and tears, yet with the upright body language that’s movie code for indicating “a good person,” by rising Swiss star Max Hubacher. The filmmakers are careful to frame this morality tale so that even the “bad” farm-family members are not seen as evil monsters, but rather as tortured souls with their own dilemmas. (Castro, 9/29)

As a postscript, Witz discloses promising LSD experiments with cancer patients, but as one scientist ruefully notes, it was the Indians in Mexico who properly used the basic ingredients of LSD: they treated their trips like a sacred ritual. (Goethe-Institut, 10/1) Whore’s Glory Despite citing Emily Dickinson early on in his noholds-barred depiction of the lot of female sex workers in three distinct environments, Austrian director Michael Glawogger makes no effort to rub fairy dust in our eyes. The places are a high-end brothel called “The Fishtank” in Bangkok; an urban slum dubbed “The City of Joy” in Faridpur, Bangladesh; and “The Zone” of autocruising johns in Reynosa, Mexico. This film does not indulge romantic illusions or perpetuate any of Hollywood’s curdled fables about whores with hearts of gold. The third film in a “globalization trilogy” following Megacities (2000) and Workingman’s Death (2005), Whore’s Glory is an expensively shot, narration-free examination of an exotic profession from the point of view of its practitioners, with sidebar commentaries from male clients. (Goethe-Institute, 10/2)▼ www.berlinbeyond.com

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The Muddled East by Gregg Shapiro he Debt (Ha Hov) (IFC) Directed and co-written by Assaf Bernstein, the Israeli film that was the basis for the respectful 2010 English-language remake starring Helen Mirren, Jessica Chastain and Tom Wilkinson is a taut thriller that traverses a period of 30 years. When it begins in the 1960s, Mossad agents Rachel (Neta Garty), Ehud (Yehezkel Lazarov) and Zvi (Itay Tiran) are being given a heroes’ welcome, but only they know they are partly undeserving. Sent to Berlin to retrieve Nazi war criminal Rainer (Edgar Selge), known as the Surgeon of Birkenau, who has been working as a gynecologist following the war, their mission was not accomplished. Their elaborately laid-out plan, which includes Rachel becoming one of the doc’s patients so that he can be captured and moved to a safe house before being transported to Israel to stand trial, goes horribly awry. Terrified and ashamed, the three agree to a story that makes them out to be better than they are. Thirty years later, an older Rachel (Gila Almagor) has written a book about her experience in the Mossad. When a now-wheelchairbound Zvi shows up to tell Rachel that Rainer is still alive and living in a nursing home in the Ukraine, they realize that their mission is far from accomplished. In order to save face and keep their secret safe, Rachel, joined by an unstable and alcoholic Ehud, must bring their long-delayed assignment to completion. It is the debt they owe to each other and to their country. While it lacks the Hollywood starpower that fueled the remake, the original version of The Debt makes you understand the motivation for a remake. You owe it to yourself to see this first rendering of the story, utterly terrifying and thrilling. In Hebrew, German and Russian, with English subtitles. Bonus features include a “making of” featurette. Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (SPHE/CBS Films/Lionsgate) Remember when Lasse (My Life as a Dog) Hallström made good movies? Salmon Fishing in the Yemen isn’t one of them. The biggest problem is Simon Beaufoy’s stilted and clunky screenplay, based on Paul Torday’s novel. From the very first weighted frame, it’s obvious we are watching a movie based on a book. Meant to

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be a classic Brit-com throwback with modern references, it’s simply all wet. The unlikely pair of efficient advisor Harriet (Emily Blunt) and stuffy civil servant Alfred (Ewan McGregor) is thrown together when Alfred’s fishing expertise comes in handy for Harriet’s “fundamentally unfeasible” project involving Sheikh Muhammed (Amr Waked) bringing salmon fishing to the Yemen (hence the title). In addition to their quirky personalities, Harriet and Alfred also bring their personal baggage to the project. Alfred’s marriage to dull Mary (Ra-

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September 27-October 3, 2012 • Bay Area Reporter • 31

“The wages of sin are death, but by the time taxes are taken out, it’s just sort of a tired feeling.” -Paula Poundstone

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