September 2, 2021 edition of the Bay Area Reporter, America's #LGBTQ newspaper

10

Ammiano honored

Harry Denton dies

ARTS

02

15

Fall Arts & travel

The

www.ebar.com

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

Vol. 51 • No. 35 • September 2-8, 2021

Rick Gerharter

Liz Highleyman

Crowds filled the streets during the 2012 Oakland Pride festival.

Dr. Susan Buchbinder

HIV vaccine fails in large Africa study

Emails reveal Oakland Pride troubles

by John Ferrannini

by Liz Highleyman

T

he Oakland Pride organization had been having financial and leadership difficulties in the months before it decided to cancel this year’s in-person parade and festival, according to emails sent to the Bay Area Reporter late August 31.

However, amid Oakland Pride’s implosion, some East Bay LGBTQ community members are stepping up to the plate to put on an event September 12.

Sean Sullivan, a gay man who co-owns the Port Bar, told the B.A.R. that Oakland Black Pride and Port Bar are collaborating on a PrideFest, scheduled for that Sunday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. in front of the bar on Broadway.

“For people who attended the Compton’s Cafeteria [Riot Party] celebration, it will be akin to that, instead of a large parade with multiple blocks,” Sullivan said. “We were looking for leadership from Oakland Pride and found none.”

The announcement of PrideFest had to wait until Oakland Pride announced its intention to cancel, Sullivan said.

Olaywa K. Austin, the founder and CEO of Oakland Black Pride, confirmed that PrideFest will “take over the two blocks of Broadway from Thomas Berkley Way to 22nd [Street]” and there will be on-site COVID vaccinations. Austin and Sullivan said more will be announced soon.

Oakland Pride co-chair Carlos Uribe told the B.A.R. that a health crisis on his end hurt the organization and treasurer Frank Ciglar “was left holding the bag.” He did not dispute the veracity of the emails sent to the B.A.R. Oakland Pride announced – with two weeks left before its scheduled events on September 12 – that it was canceling inperson events due to COVID-19, as the B.A.R. first reported online.

“The only thing Oakland Pride wants to SPREAD in the LGBTQ+ community is LOVE!” Oakland Pride stated on its Instagram.

Behind the scenes, however, Oakland Pride had asked the Oakland LGBTQ Community Center to host this year’s See page 12 >>

It’s a ‘Riot’

M

iss Kipper Snacks excited the crowd at the Transgender District’s Riot Party Sunday, August 29, as part of the stage entertainment. The small street party in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighbor-

Rick Gerharter

hood commemorated the 55th anniversary of the Compton’s Cafeteria riots and closed out Transgender History Month, which was proclaimed by Mayor London Breed.

A

n experimental vaccine from Johnson & Johnson that uses an approach similar to its COVID-19 vaccine did not adequately protect women from acquiring HIV in a large trial in Africa, the company announced August 31.

The findings from the Imbokodo study are the latest in a string of disappointments over the past three decades. Unlike the highly effective COVID-19 vaccines, which were developed in less than a year, HIV vaccines are See page 9 >>

SF AIDS housing transitions to new model of care

by John Ferrannini

L

eland House, the second-largest HIV/ AIDS housing facility in California, will be managed by PRC beginning October 1 as it changes from a facility for the chronically ill to becoming a site of transitional care. It is an acknowledgement that 40 years into the AIDS epidemic, most people living with HIV are living longer, relatively healthier lives.

The Visitacion Valley building on Leland Avenue is currently owned by Mercy Housing California, which bought it in 1996, and is operated by Catholic Charities, which opened the current facility there the following year.

Some people at the 45-bed facility who do require more intensive care will have to be relocated to other facilities, according to Brett Andrews, a gay man who is the CEO of PRC. “For those still in need of a high level of medical care, they are being repositioned in the system of RCFCI care,” Andrews said, referring to a residential care facility for the chronically ill.

An RCFCI is the type of facility Leland

Courtesy Elizabeth McLachlan Consulting

The entrance to Leland House, which in October will change to a transitional model.

House is and will be until the end of next month. At that point it will become a transitional residential care facility, or TRCF. “Historically, Catholic Charities opened Leland House and Peter Claver [Community] to provide hospice care to people dying of HIV/AIDS in the 1980s and 1990s,” said

Liza Cardinal Hand, the director of communications and marketing for Catholic Charities.

Peter Claver Community is an RCFCI run

by Catholic Charities in the Western Addition.

See page 5 >>

One call, one rep, one order and one invoice!

Reach readers across ten locally-owned, independent media outlets. Call 415.829.8937 or email advertising@ebar.com

The

the

Richmond Review Community newspaper for San Francisco’s Richmond District since 1986

Untitled-3 1

The

Sunset Beacon

Community newspaper for San Francisco’s Sunset District since 1991

8/30/21 12:55 PM

<< Community News

2 • Bay Area Reporter • September 2-8, 2021

SF FrontRunners honor Ammiano

by David-Elijah Nahmod

A

fter gay former Assemblyman Tom Ammiano’s Roman Catholic high school gave him his varsity letter jacket for track earlier this year decades after he graduated, last weekend the San Francisco FrontRunners honored him at its Pride Run in Golden Gate Park.

As has been reported in several outlets over the past few months, Ammiano had been on the track team at Immaculate Conception High School in Montclair, New Jersey. After running a successful race, Ammiano was told that he could not receive his high school letter because he had run in “an illegitimate meet.” Now 79 years old, Ammiano has long believed that he was denied his letter because he was “effeminate.”

Sixty-three years later, the school finally gave Ammiano his letterman’s jacket, thanks to the efforts of Stephen Saxon, a straight ally who heard Ammiano tell the story in an interview last year on KQED (https:// www.kqed.org/news/11851789/tomammiano-on-activism-comedy-anda-life-in-progressive-politics) about his memoir, “Kiss My Gay Ass.” Saxon contacted the school, asking it to right this wrong.

After the August 28 Pride Run, FrontRunners members honored Ammiano with a special jacket from their organization in commemoration of the school’s action.

Saxon presented Ammiano with a varsity letterman’s jacket from the San Francisco FrontRunners as the crowd applauded and cheered. Ammiano happily accepted the jacket. He also showed the audience the jacket he had received from Immaculate Conception High.

“In a way it’s a story of redemption,” Ammiano told the spectators.

“It’s a universal story too; it’s about a

Christopher Robledo

Former assemblyman and San Francisco supervisor Tom Ammiano, left, wore his Immaculate Conception letter jacket and was presented with a letterman’s jacket by Stephen Saxon on behalf of San Francisco FrontRunners at the Pride Run event in Golden Gate Park Saturday, August 28.

lot of LGBTQ+ youth who still need help from those old white guys who run the archdiocese in New Jersey.

So just like every so often you keep running, we’re going to keep running because this isn’t exactly the finish line but it sure feels good as a consolation prize.”

Several political leaders were on hand for the event.

“Tom has done so much for our community for so many years,” gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), who attended the run, told the Bay Area Reporter. “He truly deserves this honor. As a gay man who entered public service when it wasn’t always easy to be out, Tom blazed a trail for those of us who came after.”

Ammiano has, over the years, dedicated much of his life to serving the LGBTQ community. He worked closely with the late Harvey Milk on fighting the Briggs initiative in 1978

that would have banned gay teachers in public schools. A public school teacher, Ammiano later served on the San Francisco school board and the Board of Supervisors before being elected to the state Assembly.

Through it all he was an out and proud gay man.

“It’s really great that the school recognized him for something he should have been recognized for 60 years ago,” Mayor London Breed, who also attended the run, told the B.A.R. “It’s sadly another reminder of our not so distant past, how this country has treated LGBTQ people unfairly. It’s clear that although we’ve come a long way, this Pride Run and this honor he’s receiving today are a reminder of the rights that we must fight for to insure the rights of all people.”

The ceremony honoring Ammiano took place at 10:15 a.m., right after the Pride Run was completed. KQED’s

Scott Shafer, a gay man who interviewed Ammiano on the topic last year, emceed the event.

Gay BART board member Bevan Dufty, himself a former city supervisor, was also on hand.

“What I want you to take away from this is Tom only blinks when he wants to,” Dufty said as he addressed the crowd. “And by that I point out that Tom has achieved what I see as some of the major legislative accomplishments that have helped to change San Francisco. In these situations, you get pressed really hard, you get people telling you it’s too much, too fast, too soon. And what I can tell you about Tom is that throughout his career he’s had the courage of his convictions, more than anyone that I’ve seen in politics.”

Dufty pointed out that as a supervisor in 1996, Ammiano sponsored legislation that required that any business working with San Francisco had to provide benefits to same-sex employees just as they treated their married employees. Dufty also noted that Ammiano was the author of Healthy San Francisco, a program that allowed uninsured San Franciscans to receive health care in the years before the Affordable Care Act. Shafer reminded the crowd that Ammiano was the first openly gay president of the school board at a time when being a gay teacher could get a person fired. Shafer also spoke of how hurtful it had been for Ammiano not to receive his varsity letter.

“He came out to San Francisco and channeled all that anger, humiliation, and shame into positive things, making people’s lives better,” Shafer said.

Saxon then took the microphone.

“The story about his track letter touched me,” Saxon said. “I’m a straight white male who wasn’t even born when all that happened. But I know about being made to feel shame

Bay Area Reporter — 9.75 x 7.625

for simply being who I am, and I know how much that hurts. In that interview Tom said that even after 60 years it still hurt.

“Ultimately, Tom put his finger on the central meaning of the story. It’s not about Tom, and it’s certainly not about Scott or me, it’s about what this represents to those, including many of you, who struggled just to get through life being our honest selves. It’s about seeing that eventually, even after six decades, you might have a chance to see your own defeat reframed as a victory. If you hang in there, it gets better,” Saxon added.

Ammiano praised the event and the FrontRunners “I think it’s terrific,” Ammiano told the B.A.R. after the ceremony. “The FrontRunners have done so much and have sustained for 40 years. So I’m very proud of the recognition, although it’s bigger than me. There’s a universal message of hope and redemption to LGBTQ+ youth.”

Members of the FrontRunners were pleased by the honor Ammiano received.

“It’s about time,” said 59-year-old Reggie Dugard, a gay man. “It’s too bad he had to wait so long.”

“It’s wonderful,” added Martin Brook, 69, who is a bisexual man. “I think we’re all getting near the finish line in gay rights. Tom’s made a wonderful contribution.”

Jim Maloney, a gay FrontRunners member who organized the event, said it celebrated all of Ammiano’s contributions.

“It was actually an honor for us, as his hometown running club, to honor him for his life’s work and for his running accomplishments too,” said Maloney. “I, for one, was hugely inspired by this event. We were reminded a bit about our LGBTQ history and how we got to where the movement is today.” t

Greenest Big City in America

San Franciscans are rightly proud to live in the greenest big city in America, and the first such city to require composting and recycling for all residents, businesses, restaurants and major events.1 Recology has been proud to help. We built San Francisco’s recycling system from the ground up and our employee-owners work hard every day to fulfill our shared vision of a world without waste.

“Let’s keep making a difference. Together.”

1 Siemens U.S. and Canada Green City Index

t

Selfies look better now that we’ve quit smoking.

For free quit-smoking information and counseling from anywhere in California, call the California Smoker’s Helpline at 1 800 NO BUTTS.

quit.nobutts.org

<< National News

4 • Bay Area Reporter • September 2-8, 2021

t

US Senate expected to take up out judicial nominees

by Lisa Keen

pansion of wider representation and diversity of perspectives on our nation’s high courts,” said Bonauto.

W

hen Congress returns after Labor Day, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee will begin deliberation of the first nomination of an LGBTQ person to serve on a federal appeals circuit court bench.

President Joe Biden nominated two LGBTQ people to serve on federal court benches in August: Beth Robinson of Vermont to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and Charlotte Sweeney of Denver to the U.S. District Court for Colorado. Both are historic.

In an August 5 news release announcing the appointments, the White House noted that Robinson is the first openly LGBTQ member of the Vermont Supreme Court and, if confirmed, will become the “first openly LGBT woman to serve on any federal circuit court.” The release noted that Sweeney, if confirmed, would become the first openly LGBTQ judge in Colorado and the first openly LGBTQ woman to serve as a federal district court judge in any state west of the Mississippi.

“These choices also continue to fulfill the president’s promise to ensure that the nation’s courts reflect the diversity that is one of our greatest assets as a country – both in terms of personal and professional backgrounds,” the release stated.

Prior to joining the Vermont Supreme Court in 2012, Robinson played a key role in the litigation and organization surrounding the historic achievement of the nation’s first civil unions law in Vermont in 2000 and the Legislature’s passage of marriage equality nine years later. She then became chief legal counsel to then-Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin, a Demo-

Colorado nominee

Robinson, Courtesy American Law Institute; Sweeney, Courtesy Charlotte Sweeney

Federal judicial nominees Beth Robinson, left, and Charlotte Sweeney

crat, who nominated her to the state’s highest court.

Vermont’s current governor, Phil Scott, a Republican, issued a statement, calling Robinson “a steadfast public servant for the people of Vermont” and said she has “served admirably on the Vermont Supreme Court.”

“She will make a great addition to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, bringing the Vermont values of commitment to justice and equality, fairness, and freedom & unity to the bench,” Scott stated. “I applaud the president for making this historic nomination, and I urge the United States Senate to move expeditiously toward her confirmation.”

U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (DVermont), former chair of the

Senate’s Judiciary Committee and the Senate’s current president pro tempore, praised Robinson, saying she “helped Vermont – and America – more fully realize the meaning of equality under the law.”

“As a civil litigator specializing in constitutional law and LGBTQ rights, Beth served as co-counsel the Baker v. State of Vermont lawsuit, in which the Vermont Supreme Court ruled that the state’s prohibition on same-sex marriage denied equal rights guaranteed by the Vermont Constitution,” noted Leahy in a statement. “Beth’s success in the Baker case directly resulted in Vermont’s enactment of the first civil union law in America.” As a state supreme court justice, Robinson, said Leahy, “has been widely praised as a consensus builder who is impartial and deep-

ly dedicated to the fair application of the law.”

Last year, USA Today named Robinson as one of Vermont’s top 10 women in Vermont to make contributions to the state.

Robinson, 56, is married to Dr. Kim Boyman.

GLAD civil rights project director Mary Bonauto issued a statement saying she was “thrilled” with Robinson’s nomination, saying Robinson has a “deep commitment to the rule of law and to the principle of equal justice under law for all who come before the court. ...”

“That her confirmation would make her the first openly lesbian judge to serve on a U.S. appellate court further marks a pivotal moment for our country, one that hopefully signals a welcome ex-

Sweeney is a partner in a Denver firm that specializes in cases involving employment discrimination. She helped establish the state’s Equal Pay for Equal Work law and was active in the Colorado Bar Association’s leadership. She serves as treasurer of the Matthew Shepard Foundation.

President Barack Obama appointed the first openly LGBTQ person to a federal appeals court seat: Todd Hughes, to the U.S. Circuit Court for the Federal Circuit. The Senate confirmed his appointment on a 98-0 vote. The Federal Circuit Court is one of the nation’s 13 federal appeals circuit courts. While 12 of those have a specific geographical jurisdiction, the Federal Circuit addresses disputes involving international trade, government contracts, and federal personnel, among other things.

In March, Biden promoted Elaine Kaplan to become chief judge of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. She has been serving on the court since 2013, when Obama appointed her. The Federal Claims court addresses cases involving lawsuits against the federal government involving such matters as tax refunds, federal contracts, and federal takings of private property.

The Senate so far this year has confirmed four circuit court judges nominated by Biden and five district court judges. Robinson is now one of three nominees pending appointment to federal appeals benches (two of them to the 2nd Circuit, which covers Connecticut, New York, and Vermont). t

A community you can connect with.

Courtesy B.A.R. Archive

Life at San Francisco Towers is everything you love about the city and more. It’s a smart, sophisticated, inclusive senior community. Stay involved in your favorite activities. Enjoy the conveniences of a Life Plan Community. And experience the peace of mind that comes with planning for the future now. For singles or couples, San Francisco Towers is the welcome you’ve been looking for.

Get to know us. Call 415.447.5527 for more information or to schedule a visit.

1661 Pine Street, San Francisco, CA 94109 covia.org/san-francisco-towers A not-for-profit community owned and operated by Covia. License 380540292 / COA #325

50 years in 50 weeks: 1992, Bush loses

L

GBTQs were partying in the Castro on election night 1992, as it became clear that Republican President George H.W. Bush would be defeated by Democrat Bill Clinton. Of course, Clinton, who campaigned as a friend of the community, famously made two blunders: caving to the right with the hideous Defense of Marriage Act, which prevented same-sex couples from receiving myriad benefits that heterosexual couples en-

joyed; and bowing to military brass with his “compromise” “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy that saw gays and lesbians tossed out of the armed services because of who they are. It would take the courts decades to finally unravel DOMA (2013’s Windsor ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court) and a Democratic-controlled Congress to finally pass DADT repeal in 2010, which was signed by another Democratic president, Barack Obama.

t

Community News>>

September 2-8, 2021 • Bay Area Reporter • 5

After part of LGBTQ senior law tossed, Bonta seeks review

by John Ferrannini

S

tate Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a petition of review to the state Supreme Court August 25 in defense of anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ residents of longterm care facilities that were ruled unconstitutional last month by a California appellate court.

The protections were codified into law as part of the LGBTQ Senior Bill of Rights, which was enacted through Senate Bill 219 by the California Legislature in 2017. Gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) authored the legislation, which was signed by former governor Jerry Brown (D).

In the brief, Bonta urges the California Supreme Court to review what a news release from his office called “the Court of Appeal’s erroneous decision, and restore SB 219’s protections for LGBTQ seniors and other long-term care facility residents.”

“Discrimination isn’t about one person or one community. When people are unlawfully subjected to hateful, demeaning rhetoric, it hurts all of us,” stated Bonta, a straight ally.

“State law protects people from racist speech in the workplace – and, likewise, there’s no exception just because

<<

AIDS housing

From page 1

Courtesy CA AG’s Office

Attorney General Rob Bonta

it’s transphobic instead. Let’s be clear: Repeatedly, willfully misgendering or deadnaming someone is harassment.

“Many of our seniors here in California led the charge for LGBTQ rights nationwide,” Bonta continued.

“Our seniors and other long-term care residents shouldn’t be forced to relive those fights in the 21st century.

That’s part of why we’re urging the California Supreme Court to review this case.”

Focus on transitional housing

Andrews said that the new Leland House will be focused on However, over the years the needs transitional housing. There will of the HIV/AIDS population in be renovations to the 20,000 San Francisco have changed, both ISO 12647-7 Digital Control Strip 2009 square 70foot building to make it 70 Andrews Catholic 100 60 and 100 30 100 60 100 Hand 70 said. 30 100 60 100 A amenable to that purpose, inCharities is in the best position to cluding removing some medical run an RCFCI while PRC is better components, and “moving into suited to run a TRCF, they said. programming that can help peo“It’s a really positive change and 60 bittersweet 100 100 70 70not to 30 30 100 100 60 100 100 become 70 70 30 30 100 100 60 100 100 –70 70 ple more independent for100 us100it’s be runliteracy, cooking classes.” ning Leland House,” Hand said.

Andrews did not say how many “But we have absolute confidence people will need to be moved, in PRC and we still maintain our though he said that it is currently vital work with HIV/AIDS.” not at capacity, and that those who B

As the Bay Area Reporter previously reported, in the case of Taking Offense v. California, a three-judge panel of the 3rd District California Court of Appeal in Sacramento came to a unanimous decision that a provision in the LGBTQ Senior Bill of Rights violated the rights to freedom of speech and the free exercise of religion.

That provision required long-term care staff to refer to facility residents by their preferred names and pronouns.

“We agree with Taking Offense that ... the pronoun provision, is a contentbased restriction of speech that does not survive strict scrutiny,” Justice Elena J. Duarte stated in the ruling. “A person’s right to speak freely prohibits the government from compelling adoption of a government message and protects the right of citizens to refrain from speaking.”

In a concurring opinion, Justice Ronald B. Robie stated that the goal of the LGBTQ Senior Bill of Rights was laudable but that it “went too far.” He suggested the Legislature try again.

“To not call one by the name one prefers or the pronoun one prefers, is simply rude, insulting, and cruel,” Robie stated. “Instead of mandating that employers ensure the use of proper

pronouns in the workplace, the Legislature unwisely made misuse of pronouns a crime. When we rule this law cannot stand, we do not reject the need for persons to use appropriate pronouns but, in my opinion, are suggesting that the Legislature fashion a workable means of accomplishing the laudable goal of the legislation.”

Wiener and Equality California Executive Director Rick Chavez Zbur, a gay man, blasted the appeal court’s decision when it was issued. They were no less resolute when defending Bonta’s decision to urge the state Supreme Court to review the appellate court decision.

“In response to the dangerous decision by the Court of Appeal to overturn key protections for trans seniors, Attorney General Bonta is stepping up to appeal this bad decision,” Wiener stated. “It’s never OK to intentionally and repeatedly misgender a transgender person.

This isn’t a matter of political opinion; it’s straight-up harassment. We must ensure that all marginalized people – including trans seniors living in nursing homes – are treated with respect and dignity. This misguided decision is terrible, and we will fight it.”

Zbur called the ruling against SB 219 “unconscionable.”

“California seniors deserve to age with dignity and respect,” he stated.

“It’s unconscionable that a court would allow blatant harassment of our LGBTQ+ elders. We are so grateful to Attorney General Bonta for appealing this outrageous decision and standing up for full, lived equality for all LGBTQ+ people.”

Bonta’s release stated that despite years of progress, harassment against transgender Americans remains pervasive – and deadnaming and misgendering, in particular, are two of the most common types of verbal harassment. Deliberately using the wrong pronoun to refer to a transgender person conveys that the person’s identity is not worthy of respect.

“At its core, such language stigmatizes transgender people and wrongfully suggests they are not welcome members of society,” the release states.

“Although California already provides some of the strongest civil rights protections in the nation, LGBTQ seniors are disproportionately vulnerable to discrimination, marginalization, or isolation, particularly in the longterm care context.”t

do will be relocated to either Peter Claver, or Maitri Compassionate Care in the Duboce Triangle neighborhood.

“For the remainder, they will stay at Leland House and will be there through our40renovations,” 40 100 40 100Andrews 30 100 40 70 40 said. “We will stage it in a way folks will be able to stay.”

Following the renovations, there will still be 45 beds. People will be 30 30to stay 100 40for 100 40 40 100 10 40ac40 able 18-24 months, cording to Andrews, who also stated, “If needed, we will determine (case by case) whether a client needs to stay a bit longerT:9.75" beyond a 24-month time period and make exceptions.”

The renovations will take “a few months,” though Andrews could not say when it will be completed more specifically.

“There could always be a surprise when you open up the walls,” Andrews 70 40 40 40 70 40 said.

40 70 40 70 40 40 3 10 The cost is currently being assessed, he said. The renovation funds will be coming from the Mayor’s Office of Housing and 10.2 7.4 7.4 20 70 70 70 70 40 70 40 40 0000 3.1 2.2 2.2 Community Development’s capital projects division, Andrews said. A consultant’s report listed various issues and put the estimate of repairing “immediate need” items at nearly $2 million. Big-ticket items

include the roof, elevator, and flooring.

“We are going to do a more complete assessment,” Andrews said. “Right now, our priority with Catholic Charities is to 25 move 50 these 75 folks 90 who100need a high level of care so there’s as little a disruption as possible.

After that, we can put meat on the bones of what the renovation 25would 19 19 50 look 40 40 75 66 66 100 100 100 80 70 70 100 like.”

Andrews said that the change of hands came about after a strategic assessment from the MOHCD.

3%

See page 8 >>

HH23231x05i_ORANGE13448_PHONE_V2_CMYK_NEWS_240u.tif

T:7.625"

US E M O R E C L E A N E N E RGY BY C H A RGIN G OV ERN IG H T. Fro m 4 -9 P M d e m a n d i s at i ts h i g h e st a n d l e ss c l ea n energ y i s ava i l a b l e . Sh i ft yo u r e n e rg y u se to ke e p p o l l uti o n d ow n a nd C al i fo r n i a sh i n i n g b r i g ht. Le a r n m o re at Powe rDow n4to 9.o rg

J24527_54a_RechargeDevices_Newspaper_English_9_75x7_625.indd

<< Open Forum

6 • Bay Area Reporter • September 2-8, 2021

Volume 51, Number 35 September 2-8, 2021 www.ebar.com

PUBLISHER Michael M. Yamashita Thomas E. Horn, Publisher Emeritus (2013) Publisher (2003 – 2013) Bob Ross, Founder (1971 – 2003) NEWS EDITOR Cynthia Laird ARTS & NIGHTLIFE EDITOR Jim Provenzano ASSISTANT EDITORS Matthew S. Bajko • John Ferrannini CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Tavo Amador • Roger Brigham Brian Bromberger • Victoria A. Brownworth Philip Campbell • Heather Cassell Michael Flanagan • Jim Gladstone Liz Highleyman • Lisa Keen Matthew Kennedy • David Lamble David-Elijah Nahmod • Paul Parish Tim Pfaff • Jim Piechota • Gregg Shapiro Gwendolyn Smith •Sari Staver • Charlie Wagner Ed Walsh • Cornelius Washington • Sura Wood

ART DIRECTION Max Leger PRODUCTION/DESIGN Ernesto Sopprani PHOTOGRAPHERS Jane Philomen Cleland • FBFE Rick Gerharter • Gareth Gooch Jose Guzman-Colon • Rudy K. Lawidjaja Georg Lester • Rich Stadtmiller • Fred Rowe Steven Underhill • Bill Wilson ILLUSTRATORS & CARTOONISTS Christine Smith

VICE PRESIDENT OF ADVERTISING Scott Wazlowski – 415.829.8937

NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE Rivendell Media – 212.242.6863

LEGAL COUNSEL Paul H. Melbostad, Esq.

An expensive lesson for Virginia school board

T

he Gloucester County School Board in Virginia may have wanted to stop trans students from using the restrooms that match their gender identity in its schools, but it turned out to be an expensive lesson. Last week, in a fitting end to a lawsuit brought by former high school student Gavin Grimm, the school board was ordered to pay over $1.3 million in attorney’s fees and costs associated with the discrimination case. The money will go to the American Civil Liberties Union, which represented Grimm during the yearslong legal ordeal. Grimm wrote on Twitter that he will receive a symbolic $1 settlement.

(This fact has been erroneously reported in some outlets, implying that Grimm will receive all the money. He will not, he stated.)

Represented by the national ACLU and the ACLU of Virginia, Grimm sued the school board in 2015 for discriminating against him in violation of the equal protection clause and Title IX of the U.S. Education Amendments of 1972, a federal law prohibiting sex discrimination by schools. As the ACLU noted in a summary of the case on its website, “After four years of litigation – including a trip to the Supreme Court and back – the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia ruled in favor of Gavin on all his claims.”

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the ruling in favor of Grimm on August 26, 2020. In June of this year, the U.S. Supreme Court denied the school board’s petition to appeal that ruling, effectively ending the case.

As we previously reported, Grimm, who has since graduated high school, had filed suit after he began transitioning and sought use of the boys’ restroom because he said girls reacted negatively to his presence in the girls’ restrooms because they perceived him to be a boy.

School officials initially accommodated

Rick Gerharter

Gavin Grimm spoke in San Francisco at the Commonwealth Club in 2018.

Grimm’s request, but the school district intervened after some parents complained. As the ACLU noted, the school board adopted a discriminatory new policy prohibiting boys and girls “with gender identity issues” from using the same common restrooms as other boys and girls.

The new policy directed Grimm to an “alternative appropriate private facility” instead.

That, of course, was problematic, as Grimm was forced to use separate restrooms that no other student was required to use. “That degrading and stigmatizing policy singled Gavin out as unfit to use the same restrooms as every other student,” the ACLU stated. “The board continued to exclude Gavin even after he began receiving hormone therapy (which altered his bone and muscle structure, deepened his voice, and caused him to grow facial hair), obtained a Virginia state ID card listing his sex as male, underwent chest reconstruction surgery, obtained a court order legally changing his sex to male under Virginia

I

44 Gough Street, Suite 204 San Francisco, CA 94103 415.861.5019 • www.ebar.com A division of BAR Media, Inc. © 2021 President: Michael M. Yamashita Director: Scott Wazlowski

News Editor • news@ebar.com Arts Editor • arts@ebar.com Out & About listings • jim@ebar.com Advertising • scott@ebar.com Letters • letters@ebar.com Published weekly. Bay Area Reporter reserves the right to edit or reject any advertisement which the publisher believes is in poor taste or which advertises illegal items which might result in legal action against Bay Area Reporter. Ads will not be rejected solely on the basis of politics, philosophy, religion, race, age, or sexual orientation.

Advertising rates available upon request.

Our list of subscribers and advertisers is confidential and is not sold. The sexual orientation of advertisers, photographers, and writers published herein is neither inferred nor implied. We are not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or artwork.

law, and received a new Virginia birth certificate reflecting that his sex is male.”

The ACLU pressed Grimm’s case and won, with the 4th Circuit repeatedly ruling in Grimm’s favor. In the latest go-round earlier this year, the 4th Circuit again sided with Grimm, this time citing the Supreme Court’s ruling last year in Bostock v. Clayton (that “sex discrimination” under Title VII of the federal Civil Rights Act includes sexual orientation and gender identity).

The appeals court said the same logic should apply to the federal law prohibiting sex discrimination in education.

The transphobic treatment of Grimm by the Gloucester board didn’t end with school restrooms. The ACLU stated that the board continued to discriminate against Grimm even after he graduated. The board refused to provide him with a transcript that matches the “male” sex designation on his birth certificate. As a result, whenever Grimm was required to provide a transcript to colleges or potential employers, it identified him as “female.” That’s disgusting and shows that the Gloucester school board’s continuous mistreatment of Grimm was steeped in transphobia, plain and simple. (In California, Assemblyman David Chiu, D-San Francisco, passed a bill that bans public K-12 schools from deadnaming trans and nonbinary students and now has a similar bill headed to Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk that would apply to college and university documents, including diplomas.)

Grimm is now a member of the ACLU’s national board of directors. And he has spoken out over the years against anti-trans discrimination and about how it was the adults who mistreated him. The elected members of the Gloucester school board should be ashamed of the way they handled this; from beginning to end it is a textbook case of how not to treat transgender or nonbinary students. The school board now has 1.3 million reasons to treat all students fairly, and reject transphobia. t

Pacific Islanders say no to recall of Faauuga Moliga

by Gaynorann Siataga

Bay Area Reporter

t

n a recent Bay Area Reporter interview with San Francisco school board Vice President Faauuga Moliga, he was asked the following question: “With supporters of the recall effort collecting signatures in the Castro and other areas frequented by LGBTQ residents of the city, what is your argument to them for why you deserve to continue to serve and will be able to advocate for LGBTQ students and families?”

While Moliga is waiting for the signature gathering process to end before commenting, we in the Pacific Islander community would like to provide our answer to your question now.

LGBTQ residents of San Francisco should not support his recall because recalling Moliga will do harm to the Pacific Islander community specifically, and the larger school community more broadly. We are offended and insulted by the efforts to recall him.

Moliga is the first and only Pacific Islander ever elected to office in San Francisco. His ascension to the school board – first by Mayor London Breed’s appointment of him to a vacancy in October 2018 and then his winning election that November – has brought about tremendous change for our community, which has long been marginalized in the city. For the first time in our 100-year history in San Francisco the San Francisco Unified School District and the City and County of San Francisco are substantively addressing the severe issues of inequity that we experience.

Under his leadership we finally have accurate data on the number of Pacific Islander students enrolled in San Francisco’s public schools. We were undercounted by 60% before he took office.

Curriculum has been created that includes Pacific Islander studies, a Samoan Pre-K dual immersion program, and a series of pilot programs that make up a Pre-K to City College of San Francisco pathway for Pacific Islander students. An advisory council has been

Courtesy Twitter

San Francisco school board Vice President Faauuga Moliga

implemented that provides Pacific Islander parents the opportunity to have input in policies that impact their children’s education. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when schools were closed, Pacific Islander students were provided a community hub at the Samoan community development center.

Prior to Moliga’s election we were a community with needs far greater than the resources available. Community members volunteered their time and money to try to thwart an evergrowing disparity between our community, which has about 3,400 people according to the 2010 census, and others in San Francisco, where 73% of the Pacific Islander population lives in low-income housing and for whom the unemployment rate is nearly 22%. However, in the last two years community members, with Moliga’s support, have coalesced into nonprofit organizations and are receiving funds that will significantly mitigate inequity in areas such as housing, health care, elder services, immigration, violence prevention and employment. We

are energized by these gains and excited that for the first time ever we are receiving funds from the general fund of the mayor’s budget. We firmly believe our recent success would not have been achieved without Moliga in elected office.

We have also witnessed Moliga dedicate himself to improving San Francisco’s public schools for every student, family, and staff member.

He is – and has been – for the people, not just our people, for all communities. To date he has passed substantive resolutions retaining teachers in SFUSD by committing to building housing specifically for them, upgrading SFUSD’s transportation system, and improving the breadth and efficiency of wellness services to the public school community. His work in creating a better learning environment for all will save millions of dollars in an era where the SFUSD is consistently fiscally challenged.

What we have listed in this column cannot come close to all that Moliga has supported and contributed to. Further, our existence as proud Pacific Islanders has been recognized because we finally have someone that is about what is right and fair, and it has been a blessing for us that he is a Pacific Islander. Recalling him would be contributing to the extinction of our beautiful Pacific Islander community and many San Francisco Natives.

These are the reasons why we are demanding the Recall SF School Board campaign stop their effort to recall Moliga and why we ask LGBTQ residents to oppose his recall (the signature gathering deadline is September 7 and according to the recall campaign it looks likely it will meets target) and stand with us against this effort to harm our beautiful Pacific Islander community. t

Gaynorann Siataga is a native of San Francisco of Pacific Islander descent and has been involved in community activism for 30 years. This column is a revision of an open letter that was signed by San Francisco South Pacific Islanders, All Islanders Gathering as One, Living in Peace, and Tongan Rise Up.

t

Politics >>

September 2-8, 2021 • Bay Area Reporter • 7

Jenner, courtesy the candidate; Faulconer, AP; Elder, courtesy the candidate

Three of the Republican candidates running to replace Governor Gavin Newsom are, from left: Caitlyn Jenner, Kevin Faulconer, and Larry Elder.

CA recall candidates largely ignore LGBTQ issues

by Matthew S. Bajko

E

ven with one of the country’s most famous transgender celebrities on the ballot, the California gubernatorial recall election has largely been bereft of any discussion of LGBTQ issues. The specific concerns of the state’s LGBTQ residents are nowhere to be found on the websites of the top-polling candidates aiming to replace Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom.

Nor does the campaign site for the leading group fighting the recall say anything about what Newsom’s removal may mean for LGBTQ rights going forward. LGBTQ voters also won’t find much on Newsom’s own website other than a brief mention of his being an early advocate for marriage equality when he was the mayor of San Francisco and ordered city employees to ignore state law and wed same-sex couples early in 2004.

Other than that there is nothing about what Newsom has done on LGBTQ issues over his first three years as governor. His accomplishments include signing landmark LGBTQ rights bills into law, allocating historic amounts of state funding toward LGBTQ health issues, and naming the first out LGBTQ person to serve on the state’s supreme court.

Thus, countless LGBTQ elected officials and community leaders have come out against the recall. Numerous LGBTQ Democratic political clubs are also pushing a no vote on the recall and, in recent days, have taken part in get-out-the-vote efforts across the state.

They have also seconded Newsom’s strategy on leaving the second part of the recall ballot blank where it asks voters to pick their preferred replacement candidate to succeed the governor if he is ousted from office.

Newsom was barred from running as a candidate himself in the September 14 recall election.

Or LGBTQ leaders simply have remained silent on the question of whom among the 40-plus people who qualified for the recall ballot would be the best person to ensure LGBTQ issues continue to be seriously addressed and supported post a Newsom gubernatorial administration.

“For those frustrated with Governor Newsom, recalling him won’t put someone better in office. It’s a binary choice of Governor Newsom or someone worse,” wrote bisexual Assemblyman Alex Lee (D-San Jose) in a recent email to his constituents imploring them to reject the recall attempt.

Based on what the leading candidates, or those who have generated the most media attention to date, are saying on their official campaign websites there isn’t a clear answer for which candidate LGBTQ voters, in particular, should cast a ballot for if they do want to answer the second question. Like most of the state’s mainstream newspaper editorial

boards, the Bay Area Reporter’s editorial board came out against the recall altogether and also told readers to skip the second question since there aren’t any recall candidates “qualified to run the world’s fifth largest economy.”

Republican former Olympic gold medalist Caitlyn Jenner, who came out as transgender several years ago, last week met with the San Francisco chapter of the Log Cabin Republicans, the political home for LGBTQ GOPers, and did a walk through the Tenderloin district with several media outlets in tow to see the city’s homeless crisis in person. Yet the reality TV star has very little to say about specific LGBTQ issues on her website other than stating a stance on the matter of trans youth playing school sports that LGBTQ advocates have denounced.

The issue has become a rallying cry for Republicans across the country, with GOP legislators in numerous statehouses this year moving to force trans student athletes to compete on teams based on the gender they were assigned at birth. Jenner writes on her website at http://caitlynjenner.com/ that she largely agrees with the reasoning proponents of such laws express.

“That is why my position has been so clear and consistent: biological boys should not be allowed to participate in girls sports. It is a question of fairness,” states Jenner, who transitioned long after her athletic career had ended. “To be clear, I do believe that athletes that have fully transitioned should be able to participate in sports provided they meet all other eligibility criteria as defined by their state, local, league, conference, or school rules.”

Jenner adds that, “as a society, we should always encourage as much participation as possible while maintaining the fairness and integrity of the competition.”

Despite his reputation as being an LGBTQ-friendly mayor of San Diego when he served in the elected role, Republican Kevin Faulconer makes no mention of his track record on LGBTQ issues in his Southern California city on his campaign website at https://www.kevinfaulconer.com/.

Even when he could easily mention LGBTQ Californians, Faulconer fails to do so and omits the LGBTQ community in arguing why voters should support him replacing Newsom in Sacramento.

Take for instance this pledge under Faulconer’s school education plan that says “he will also tap into the innovative spirit of California’s technology community, education reformers, teachers, and parents to make sure that every student – regardless of race, ethnicity, income, or disability – gets the education they need and deserve.”

Sexual orientation and gender identi-

ty are conspicuously missing from the list of protected demographics.

Republican businessman John Cox, who lost to Newsom in 2018 by 24 points, also says nothing about the specific needs of LGBTQ Californians on his https://johncox.com/ site. Even though studies have shown 40% of homeless youth in the state identify as LGBTQ, how to move queer youth into housing goes unmentioned in Cox’s plan for addressing homelessness.

Fellow Republican Larry Elder, a conservative radio host considered to be the front runner among the conservative recall candidates, says nothing about LGBTQ issues on his site at https://www.electelder.com/. Nor does YouTube personality Kevin Paffrath, the best polling Democratic recall candidate, mention anything about LGBTQ rights on his https://www. meetkevin.com/ site.

Another Democrat, San Franciscan Joel Ventresca who is the recommended choice of the League of Pissed Off Voters, is also silent on LGBTQ concerns. He does list a generic pledge to “confront bias, discrimination & bigotry” on his https://www.joelventresca.com/.

While several LGBTQ Green Party members are encouraging people to vote for fellow Green Dan Kapelovitz, the attorney says more about animal rights than he does about LGBTQ concerns on his https://kapelovitz.com/ site.

He argues “it’s time” for California’s next governor “to represent all Californian creatures, great and small,” asking if “a corporation is considered a ‘person’ with some constitutional rights; shouldn’t living animals, capable of suffering and joy, be as well?”

As for the candidate LGBTQ voters should pick, the California Log Cabin Republicans isn’t of much help either for those looking for some concrete guidance. While the group supports Newsom being recalled, it refrained from endorsing a specific candidate to replace him.

Instead, it has said Jenner, Faulconer, Elder, and Assemblyman Kevin Kiley (R-Rocklin) are all “solid choices for Gavin Newsom’s replacement.”

Like the others, though, Kiley doesn’t give much of a reason for LGBTQ voters to want him to be governor on his site at https://kileyforcalifornia.com/.

“Whether one is seeking an outsider like Caitlyn Jenner, an established politician that knows the rules of the game like Kiley and Faulconer, or a staunchly conservative thought leader who has shaped conservatism for two generations like Elder, the Log Cabin Republicans would be pleased with any of these candidates to send Gavin Newsom into obscurity,” wrote the state’s Log Cabin chapter in a statement about the recall election. t

Barry Schneider Attorney at Law

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

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

LGBT PROGRESSIVE CATHOLICS † OUR FAMILIES & FRIENDS

Celebrating our Sexuality and Love as Gifts of God Liturgy & Social: Every Sunday 5pm First Sunday Movie Night Second Sunday Potluck Supper Third Wednesday Faith Sharing Group 1329 Seventh Avenue † info@dignitysanfrancisco.org Follow us on Facebook!

<< Community News

8 • Bay Area Reporter • September 2-8, 2021

SF hospice seeks pets for calendar compiled by Cynthia Laird

A

San Francisco hospice for people living with HIV/AIDS is seeking pets from community members for its upcoming calendar.

Maitri Compassionate Care is going to do the “Mutts and Meows Charity Calendar.” In an email to supporters, the agency noted the calendar will help “everyone enjoy the companionship of our community’s pets while raising critical funds to support our mission of compassionate care.”

The calendars will feature 13 pets from supporters, volunteers, staff, and clients. In addition to serving those with HIV/AIDS, Maitri also provides care for those recovering from gender affirmation surgery, its website noted.

People interested in sponsoring the calendar can email their name, pet’s name, and two or more pet photos (themed pictures are encouraged).

Winning pets and their owners will be entered into a raffle for prizes and receive their own calendar. Photos should be of pets only – no people.

The information should be emailed to info@maitrisf.org. For more information, go to https://www.maitrisf.org/ maitripets/.

Castro cultural district to hold weekly COVID test, vaccine hub

The Castro LGBTQ Cultural District has announced that it will be providing testing and vaccinations for COVID-19 on a weekly recurring basis. The testing and vaccination hub takes place every Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., on Noe Street between Market and Beaver streets.

According to a news release, the program is a collaboration with the

<<

AIDS housing

From page 5

“The Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development is committed to housing choice and opportunity for residents living with HIV/AIDS,” stated gay MOHCD Director Eric Shaw in a news release.

“We heard from the community and service providers regarding the need to advance new models for care and housing and we look forward to partnering with PRC to implement a new care model at Leland House.”

Shaw’s office did not respond to a request for comment for this report.

Mercy Housing stated its support, too.

James LaCroce, Ph.D.

Enzo might get his star turn on Maitri’s pet calendar. He is the dog of B.A.R. assistant editor Matthew S. Bajko and his husband, James LaCroce, Ph.D.

COVID-19 Task Force and Command Center, San Francisco Department of Public Health, Virus Geeks, Castro Merchants Association, the health department’s sexual health program, and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.

Castro cultural district officials stated the effort stems from the need for more testing locations.

“After Dore Alley weekend, I saw a major spike in COVID-19 cases among members of the LGBTQ community,” stated Carnell Freeman, executive co-chair of the district, referring to the late July Folsom Street Market street festival in the South of Market neighborhood. “I also noticed

“San Franciscans need and deserve the quality, affordable housing and innovative in-home health care that Leland House provides,” stated Jennifer Smith Dolin, the vice president of operations at Mercy Housing California. “We are thrilled to support PRC in keeping these critical services accessible to Leland House’s resilient community of residents.”

When reached for comment, Maitri Executive Director the Reverend Rusty Smith, a gay man, stated in an email that “I am not trying to be evasive but Maitri has remained focused on excellence in clinical care and the people we serve.”

“I do not have a comment or any insights that I can share regarding repositioning,” Smith continued.

that it was hard to find testing sites in our district. As someone who visits the Castro often, I am excited that we now have a hub that can cater to our community.”

The district’s release stated that “The existing narrative based on residential statistics has been that the Castro has neither needed vaccine or testing because affluent white cis gay men have insurance. Unfortunately, this narrative ignores the regular influx of our community at large, especially on the weekends, many of whom are members of our community who need this access. Our district’s centrality and location on major transit can help us reach those who need resources, vaccines, and testing the most and help us in our work of reshaping inclusivity and equity in the Castro.”

Tina Valentin Aguirre, cultural district manager, thanked the groups that are helping in the effort and encouraged people to stop by on Saturdays.

“Please come out, get tested, and encourage your friends to do so too,” they stated. “We will continue with these efforts as long as people need access to them. Wear masks, social distance, get vaccinated, and please keep getting tested. Together, we will get through this.”

Historical society mandates vaccinations for museum, archives

The GLBT Historical Society has instituted a mandatory vaccination policy for all visitors to its museum in the Castro and its archives in downtown San Francisco.

Mark Sawchuk,

“Maitri has not played a big role in the repositioning design process. We continue to provide hospice, respite, and restorative care in line with our history and mission and we have not changed our program or process.”

Challenges

Bill Hirsh, the executive director of the AIDS Legal Referral Panel, wrote about the challenges of converting RCFCIs in general during this month’s highlights email from the nonprofit.

“As with ALRP’s legal services, some other models of care supporting people living with HIV have needed updates to meet clients’ changing needs,” he stated. “Recent efforts to transition residents of Residential

communications manager, stated in an email that the nonprofit softlaunched the requirement the same day that Mayor London Breed’s policy went into effect August 20 and it is now formally being implemented.

The GLBT Historical Society Museum, located at 4127 18th Street in the Castro, is open Tuesday through Sunday. Capacity is limited due to COVID restrictions, and people are encouraged to reserve tickets online in advance, according to the website.

The website states that the archives and research center, located at 989 Market Street, lower level, is allowing in-person research appointments on a limited basis.

For more information, visit https:// www.glbthistory.org/.

GAPA postpones Runway 2021

The GLBTQ+ Asian Pacific Alliance board has voted to postpone its Runway 2021 QTAPI pageant.

According to an email sent to supporters, the board considered many factors in its decision, including concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic and the highly contagious Delta variant. The board also nixed having a virtual show, in part because of not doing the contestants’ artistry and talent justice, and decided against an outdoor event.

“The show, of course, will go on,” the email stated. “It is just a question of how, and when, and where. The organizing committee has come to a consensus that we will wait however long we need for Runway to be an inperson production.”

GAPA does have other events planned for the fall. For more information, visit https://www.gapa.org/.

Care Facilities for the Chronically Ill (RCFCIs), a type of licensed facility established early in the epidemic to provide housing with an intensive level of health care support for those with acute needs, have highlighted the complexities of such transitions.”

Hirsh stated that ALRP “stepped in to ensure that the system of care was responsive to their needs.”

“We stood fast in our commitment to ensuring that all clients had access to an affordable housing unit, and got the support they needed to make the transition,” he stated.

Speaking with the B.A.R. August 30, Hirsh said that “we were not really clear on how quickly the plan to move folks was going to go, and rather suddenly, we got calls from a number of

Update on what was believed to be tape from Milk’s parents

After working to authenticate a donated audio cassette tape that donors believed featured the parents of the late San Francisco supervisor Harvey Milk, officials at the San Francisco Public Library’s history center have concluded the tape is for a different Harvey and has no connection to Milk or his family.

As last week’s News Briefs reported, library officials were awaiting authentication of the tape, which was donated by gay longtime activist Michael Petrelis.

Kate Patterson from the San Francisco Public Library emailed the Bay Area Reporter after last week’s paper was published to state that the tape is not from anyone affiliated with Milk.

“We confirmed this with his biographer, Lillian Faderman, and a family member,” Patterson stated.

In an email to the donors, Tim Wilson from the library wrote, “So, I’m sorry to say that this tape does not appear to be from Minerva and William Milk to Harvey Milk.”

In an email to Wilson August 27, Petrelis said the authentication process is important.

“Frankly, there is no reason to have regrets that this cassette is not from Milk’s parents because we all acted in good faith,” Petrelis wrote in response to Wilson’s email.

“I believe I speak for my friends when I say we would not want this tape to elude authentication or be added to the library’s archive since the audio letter was to a different Harvey,” Petrelis added.

The online version has been updated. t

clients concerned they were going to lose their housing.”

“Most of the folks housed in these places have had serious health challenges and have been living there for years,” Hirsh said. “We made sure the ones who needed a subsidy and support for the transition got the support they needed. Change can be hard – it is understandable that folks who’ve received a high level of health care support and housing would be anxious when at risk of losing that housing. But it’s been good seeing the city come together to make sure people have the housing and care they need going forward.” t

Bay Area evenings are perfect for gathering around an outdoor flame with friends and family!

As easy as a portable fire pit, as grand as an outdoor fireplace pavilion—we have the perfect outdoor fireplace for you!

OKELL’S 415-626-1110

FIREPLACE

130 Russ Street, SF

okellsfireplace.com

t

Gas H6 fireplace shown with traditional logs, Ledgestone liner, 1” trim and outdoor conversion kit

info@okellsfireplace.com

Election 2021 >>

t Bonta leads Assembly race to succeed her husband

September 2-8, 2021 • Bay Area Reporter • 9

by Matthew S. Bajko

M

ia Bonta is leading in the race to succeed her husband in the state Legislature. Waiting for additional ballots to be counted in the August 31 runoff race for the East Bay’s 18th Assembly District seat is Janani Ramachandran, who would be the first queer legislator should she win.

Rob Bonta resigned earlier this year when Governor Gavin Newsom swore him in as the state’s attorney general. It led to the special election to fill his seat, which includes Alameda, San Leandro, and a portion of Oakland.

Mia Bonta, 49, a Black Latina, was seen as the frontrunner in the race, with a bevy of Democratic Party leaders and special interest groups lining up to endorse her and fund her campaign. She easily took first place Tuesday night with 55% of the vote, according to the unofficial returns, for a total of 25,712 votes.

Ramachandran, 29, a social justice attorney who also identifies as lesbian, received 21,103 votes for 45% of the total ballots counted so far based on the preliminary results Wednesday morning. With an estimated 25,000 ballots still to count, the candidates are waiting for a vote total update expected Thursday.

Bonta, president of the Alameda Unified School Board, fell short of

<<

HIV vaccine

From page 1

more challenging because the virus mutates rapidly and hides from the immune system. While researchers and advocates called for increased investment in HIV vaccine research, the latest failure suggests new approaches will be necessary.

Jane Philomen Cleland

Mia Bonta, with her husband, Rob Bonta in the background, spoke to supporters Tuesday night.

the more than 50% of the vote she needed to win the seat outright in the special election held June 29. Ramachandran, a political newcomer, surprised many political insiders by taking second place and forcing Bonta into this week’s runoff election.

“Are we going to make sure working people are taken care of?” Bonta asked the crowd at her election night

party. “Are we going to make sure we as people, as people of color are seen and heard and believed in?”

Ramachandran would be the first LGBTQ state legislator from the East Bay. The Oakland resident of South Indian ancestry would also be the first out API female state legislator and California’s first South Asian assemblywoman.

She tapped into a network of family and friends to raise money and had considerable support from fellow progressives, such as bisexual state Assemblyman Alex Lee (D-San Jose) and Congressman Ro Khanna (D-San Jose). She also picked up the support of the two gay men of no relation who failed to survive the June election: San Leandro Unified School

“With the additional insights gained in the COVID-19 response, with concerted backing by funders and continued research, and with the political will needed, I am certain that an HIV vaccine is achievable,” Dr. Susan Buchbinder, director of the HIV Research Section at the San Francisco Department of Public Health, said in a statement from the

International AIDS Society.

So far, only one vaccine study has shown any effectiveness in preventing HIV. That trial, conducted in Thailand, tested a vaccine that used a canarypox virus vector to deliver genetic instructions for HIV proteins plus a different vaccine containing genetically engineered versions of the envelope

protein HIV uses to enter cells.

In 2009, researchers reported that this combination reduced new infections by 31%.

Following up on those findings, the Uhambo trial tested the canarypox vaccine plus a different booster, both adapted to target HIV subtype C, which is predominant in southern Africa. That

District Board of Education member James Aguilar and San Leandro City Councilman Victor Aguilar Jr. “Running a corporate-free campaign is not easy but y’all made it so much simpler through your activism, dedication & willingness to challenge business as usual. So tonight we are celebrating YOU,” Ramachandran tweeted Tuesday night.

The East Bay Times solely endorsed Ramachandran, as did the Bay Area Reporter. Statewide LGBTQ advocacy organization Equality California endorsed both Ramachandran and Bonta, with one of them set to become the fifth female member of the Bay Area’s legislative delegation.

Endorsing Bonta in recent weeks was the quartet of local female state legislators – Senator Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) and Assemblywomen Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters), Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland), and Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda) – representing northern East Bay districts. Men hold the rest of the 23 legislative seats that circle the region from the coastal North Bay cities to San Francisco and the Peninsula south to the booming suburbs below San Jose.

Whoever wins is expected to be quickly sworn into office and will need to run next year for a full twoyear term. t

study was halted in February 2020 after an analysis showed that the risk of acquiring HIV was essentially the same in the vaccine and placebo groups.

That left just two large HIV vaccine trials underway: Imbokodo, for young women, and Mosaico, See page 13 >>

<< Obituaries

10 • Bay Area Reporter • September 2-8, 2021

t

Harry Denton, SF drag show creator, dies

by Cynthia Laird

WALLBEDS

AND

H

space saving f urniture

Call us for an apppointment!

415.822.0184

www.roomax.com

Visit our Showroom 2481-D San Leandro Blvd, San Leandro, CA

Platform Storage Beds • Closet Systems • Armoires • Home Office • Dressers

arry Denton, a gay man and club owner who came up with the idea for the popular former “Sunday’s A Drag” show at his eponymous Starlight Room atop the Sir Francis Drake Hotel in San Francisco’s Union Square, died August 22. He was 77.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Mr. Denton died in Seattle, where he had been living in the care of his brother, Jim Denton, since suffering a major stroke several years ago in San Francisco. He passed away in a nursing home of natural causes, his brother told the paper.

While Mr. Denton ran several bars over the years, he is best known for Harry Denton’s Starlight Room at the Sir Francis Drake. There, he started the drag brunch, which ran for 12 years and included drag personality Donna Sachet, a one-time society columnist for the Bay Area Reporter, and a stable of drag artists.

In a brief phone interview August 26, Sachet said she will miss her friend.

“I owe him a lot,” Sachet said. “He brought to downtown entertainment from our community – drag – and to a Union Square hotel. The city owes him a lot.”

Sachet also posted on Facebook: “Once again my heart is heavy at the news of the death of Harry Denton, a dear friend, host with the most, and personal hero of mine.

We worked together very closely for most of the 12 years of ‘Sunday’s a Drag’ at the Starlight Room of the Sir Francis Drake Hotel. Together with the incomparable Michael Pagan and an extremely talented cast, we created something hard to believe, but perfect for San Francisco, and the crowds applauded their approval. Harry’s love of San Francisco rivaled my own and he kept the show in the press regularly. He shared with me that he often had a tear in his eye as I ended each show with ‘I Left My Heart in San Francisco.’ The city has lost a great man and I have lost a wonderful friend.”

In a message posted to the show’s Facebook page August 23, the performers mourned Mr. Denton’s

Steven Underhill

Harry Denton, fourth from left, welcomed guests at the “Sunday’s A Drag” Christmas show in 2010. Donna Sachet, who ran the show, is at right. At far left is Cassandra Cass, who is joined by fellow performers Kendra Monroe and Mahlae Balenciaga.

passing, calling him a “legend” with “a personality larger than life. Harry sure knew how to throw a party and charm a crowd, brightening any room he walked into.”

Part of “San Francisco royalty” and an entertainer in his own right who owned “one of the most popular night spots in the city,” Denton was someone “everyone knew,” noted the performers. “Today, we that were part of ‘Sunday’s A Drag’ will cherish the great memories we had with Harry Denton and always remember the Starlight that he was.”

Lawrence Wong, a gay man and former City College of San Francisco trustee, fondly recalled his longtime friend.

“Harry was larger than life and that was the way he lived,” Wong wrote in an email to the B.A.R. “We traveled to Rio de Janeiro together back in 2001 and he fell in love with the city and its people because like him, Brazilians are a vibrant and fun-loving people. We even scouted a possible location for a Harry’s Bar in Rio right across the street from the gay beach in Ipanema.

“Although many saw Harry as an extrovert, which he was, I also saw a part of him that was shy like a little boy when he encountered someone he liked,” Wong added. “At a gay party in Rio he was so shy he said to me, ‘Lawrence, don’t leave my side.’

Ultimately, Harry was still that little

boy from Idaho but he sure dazzled us big time when he wanted to. San Francisco is less colorful now without Harry.”

The Richmond/Ermet Aid Foundation praised Mr. Denton’s charitable efforts.

“A wonderful supporter of REAF over the years,” the foundation wrote on Facebook. “He was a true San Francisco icon and always the life of the party. He will be very much missed but his legend will live on.”

In a 2011 SF Gate article by Carolyne Zinko, Mr. Denton talked about his unit in the Bushwick Apartments on Bush Street where he lived with his calico cat, Scarlett.

“The impresario likes to do things his way, so he turned the living room into a bedroom, and the dining room into the living room,” Zinko wrote. “The original bedroom is a closet for his many suits, shirts and pairs of shoes, which at last count numbered 113 pairs.

The kitchen has a baby grand piano tucked into an alcove, a gift from a friend that would fit nowhere else.”

“My whole life is about taking what’s normal and doing the opposite,” Mr. Denton told Zinko. “I mean, I’m gay, and I have a straight bar. I’m surrounded by beautiful women who aren’t women. I like turning things upside down.”

to root for the home team even when he wasn’t playing that season. He also rooted for his other home team, the 49ers.

He helped organize several group trips to the Russian River and Palm Springs and hosted countless barbecues and Super Bowl “pageants” at his home. He enjoyed his summers with his family at Fair Haven, New York, on the southern shore of Lake Ontario, where he loved to camp, boat, jet ski, and make bonfires.

He moved to Palm Springs in 2014 before returning to upstate New York to help care for his father, Dominic Crisafulli, who passed away in 2017.

Dan is survived by his mother, Mary Crisafulli; his sisters, Debi Moe, Denise (Michael) Lizzio, Doreen Carson-Maddison (Sean), and Deanna Crisafulli; 10 nieces and nephews and 15 great nieces and nephews; as well as great friends in San Francisco, Palm Springs, and everywhere he went. He will be missed dearly.

A celebration of Dan’s life will be held at The Cafe, 2369 Market Street, Saturday, September 25, starting at 4 p.m.

most notable as Minnesota Drummer boy 1998.

David’s lifelong dream of becoming a piercer came to fruition, also in 1998, as he served his apprenticeship under Jim Ward with Gauntlet Piercing in San Francisco. Soon after he became the co-owner of Gauntlet, which became Gotham Body Piercing with stores in San Francisco and Guerneville, California until the move to Palm Springs in 2004. At that time the business became known as Palm Springs Piercing, for which it remained until his retirement from piercing in July of this year.

David is survived by his soul mate and husband, Rob McCammon; and two sisters, Laurie and Debbie.

The piercing company was a vendor at all major leather weekends from International Mr. Leather (IML) to American Brotherhood Weekend (ABW) to Mid-Atlantic Leather (MAL) to Palm Springs Leather, just to name a few.

David’s involvement, support, and donations were present at countless local, state, regional, and international contests, too many to mention.

Hawaii was his home of heart and spirit.

Aloha and Mahalo.

A memorial was held August 29 in Palm Springs.

See page 11 >>

Obituaries >>

PlanningAhead Ahead isisSimple Planning Simple The benefits are immense.

Planning Ahead is Simple The benefits are immense.

The benefits are immense.

When you plan your life celebration and lasting remembrance in advance, you can design every detail of your own unique memorial and provide your loved ones with true peace of mind. Planning ahead When your celebration lasting protectsyou your plan loved ones fromlife unnecessary stress and and financial burden, you remembrance plan your celebration and lasting allowing themlife to focus what will matter at design that remembrance time—you. in on advance, youmost can every

Dan Crisafulli

November 26, 1960 – August 24, 2021

We are heartbroken to share that Dan Crisafulli lost his battle with cancer on August 24, 2021. He passed away at his home in Syracuse, New York with his

When in advance, you canofdesign every detail of your ownand unique memorial detail own memorial provide Contact usyour today about theunique beautiful ways to create a lasting legacy atyour theloved San Francisco Columbarium. and provide loved ones with true peace mind.

Planning ahead your ones with true peace ofof mind.

Planning family by his side. protects your loved ones from unnecessary stress and financial ahead protectsProudly yourserving loved onesCommunity. from unnecessary burden, the LGBT was born in Oswego, New York allowing them focus on whatburden, will matter most them at thattotime—you. onDan stresstoand financial allowing November 26, 1960. He was raised in Liverpool, New York, where he gradufocus on what will matter most at that time—you.

Contact us today about the beautiful ways to create a lasting legacy ated from Liverpool High School in 1978 before getting a degree from the at the San Contact FranciscousColumbarium.

Pittsburgh Art Institute and pursuing a today about the beautiful ways to create career in advertising and marketing. a lasting legacy at the San Francisco Columbarium.

In 1996, Dan was recruited to move One Loraine Ct. | San Francisco | 415-771-0717 Proudly serving our Community.

SanFranciscoColumbarium.com Proudly serving the LGBT Community.

FD 1306 / COA 660

One Loraine Ct. | San Francisco | 415-771-0717

SanFranciscoColumbarium.com FD 1306 / COA 660

to San Francisco by Bill Lanese Advertising, where he worked as manager of Coop Advertising before becoming vice president of advertising at Terry Hines & Associates in 2001. He specialized in film and DVD release advertising for the movie industry, with Warner Brothers as one of his most prized clients.

Dan was a much-loved patron of many of the Castro’s watering holes, including The Mix, Toad Hall, QBar, The Pilsner, Lookout, and Beaux, but his real home – which he called “Dan’s Spot” – was The Cafe, where he was the most regular of regulars for two decades. He occasionally played for The Cafeholics, one of The Cafe’s San Francisco Pool Association teams, and always came out

David J. McCammon

January 3, 1962 – August 25, 2021

David was from St. Paul, Minnesota.

He served in the United States Air Force and became involved in the Minnesota leather scene,

t

Health News>>

September 2-8, 2021 • Bay Area Reporter • 11

New SF HIV cases fall but COVID impacts care

by Liz Highleyman

N

ew HIV diagnoses in San Francisco continued to decline in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic has had a detrimental effect on HIV care, according to the latest epidemiology report from the Department of Public Health.

The new report, released August 30, shows a 22% decline in new HIV cases, from 168 in 2019 to 131 in 2020. This brings the total number of San Franciscans living with HIV to 12,242.

But HIV screening and viral load testing decreased and the proportion of HIV-positive people receiving care and achieving an undetectable viral load fell last year, with an especially dramatic drop in viral suppression among homeless people: only 20% were undetectable.

“The data from this annual report shows us that there was a high level of rapid engagement in care and viral suppression among those with HIV maintained in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic,” San Francisco Director of Health Dr. Grant Colfax said in a statement.

However, he added, “Our homeless and unhoused population was disproportionately affected by the structural effects of COVID-19 and our data shows that their HIV-related health care suffered as well.”

New cases, tests decline

When the 2019 HIV epidemiology report was released last year, showing a 19% decline in new HIV cases, experts expressed concern that the effects of the pandemic could soon become apparent. “Just like almost everything else in society, COVID-19 has disrupted our system of HIV prevention and care,” Colfax, a gay man, told the Bay Area Reporter at the time.

So far, that does not appear to have happened with new diagnoses, as the reduction in 2020 continues a steady seven-year decline. But the report emphasizes that the latest data “should be interpreted with caution” due to the effects of the pandemic.

The decrease in new cases could in part be attributable to people having less sex while sheltering in place. Increasing PrEP use may also play a role. Approximately 70% of white, Latino, and Asian gay and bisexual men were using PrEP in 2020, though this fell to 63% for Black men.

But the decline could also be due to a drop in HIV testing. The new report shows an 18% decrease in the average number of monthly HIV screening tests at medical facilities during 2020 and a larger 44% drop at community testing sites. To help fill the gap, DPH launched a pilot home testing program, which administered 324 tests last year. Testing picked up during the latter part of 2020 and into 2021, but testing at

<<

Harry Denton

From page 10

Mr. Denton was born November 3, 1943 and raised in Kimberly, Idaho, outside of Twin Falls, the Chronicle obituary stated. His dad, Bob, ran a packaging plant for beans and peas. Mr. Denton grew up a shy child who liked to play piano and help his mother, Harriet, shop for her clothes. He was president of his senior class at Kimberly High School.

Mr. Denton arrived in San Francisco in the early 1960s. The Chronicle noted that he “worked at various joints around town and gained fame as the host at the

Rick Gerharter

Director of Health Dr. Grant Colfax

community sites continued to lag. “[We see] a concerning decline in the number of HIV screening tests that were conducted during the pandemic,” Colfax stated. “This means that some San Franciscans may have had a delay in finding out their HIV status or may not yet be aware that they are living with HIV.” Dr. Monica Gandhi, medical director of the Ward 86 HIV clinic at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, favors the latter explanation.

“I think the lower HIV diagnoses this year was a result of declining testing,” Gandhi wrote on Twitter, noting that sexually transmitted infections decreased during the spring of 2020 but then increased as the pandemic went on, indicating ongoing HIV risk.

As in years past, gay and bisexual men accounted for a majority of new HIV cases in 2020, at 60%.

Cisgender women comprised 14% of new diagnoses (up from 8% in 2019), transgender women accounted for 4% of new cases (down from 7%), and trans men accounted for less than 1%.

People who inject drugs made up 10% of new cases, and another 9% were gay and bi men who inject drugs. Twenty-four homeless people were newly diagnosed in 2020, making up 18% of new cases.

Just over half of the homeless people diagnosed with HIV were injection drug users.

People ages 30 to 39 were most likely to be newly diagnosed, at 31%. People ages 18 to 24 accounted for 12% of new cases while 21% were diagnosed at age 50 or older.

No children have been diagnosed with HIV in San Francisco during the past decade.

Latino people accounted for the largest share of new cases, at 37%, followed by whites (28%), African Americans (21%) and Asians and Pacific Islanders (11%). But these proportions reflect substantial disparities given these groups’ share of the total city population (16%, 39%, 5%, and 34%, respectively, according to the latest census). All racial Washington Square Bar & Grill under another charismatic barman, Ed Moose. After leaving the Square, he opened a succession of bars and nightclubs bearing the name Harry’s.”

“But his empire wasn’t built to last,” the Chronicle reported. “First he was convicted in a moneylaundering scheme and lost control of Harry’s on Steuart Street, then one by one he lost control of the other joints. His contract with the operators of the Drake Hotel expired and was not renewed, and his name was taken down from all signage except the marquee.”

A memorial service is pending. t

DUGGAN’S FUNERAL SERVICE

DUGGAN WeLCh fAmiLy the

and ethnic groups showed a decline in new diagnoses in 2020.

Looking at all people living with HIV in San Francisco in 2020 (not only those newly diagnosed), 73% were gay or bi men, 6% were cisgender women and 3% were trans women. A majority (57%) were white, followed by Latino (21%) and Black (12%). Among those with a known housing status, 8% were homeless or living in single-roomoccupancy housing.

The proportion of HIV-positive people over age 50 is rising and has reached 71%. People with HIV are living longer thanks to effective treatment, but comorbidities are common in this aging population. In 2019, 72% of deaths among HIV-positive individuals were due to non-HIV-related causes, mostly commonly non-AIDS cancers, heart disease, and drug overdoses.

3434 – 17th StREEt SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110

Thomas V. Halloran General Manager A native San Franciscan with 40 years of professional experience assisting families in need.

A longtime resident of the Eureka Valley, Castro and Mission Districts; a member of the Castro Merchants Association and a 25 year member of the Freewheelers Car Club.

At Duggan’s Funeral Service, which sits in the heart of the Mission, we offer custom services that fit your personal wishes in honoring and celebrating a life.

We are committed to the ever-changing needs of the community and the diverse families we serve.

Care indicators

Like HIV screening, viral load testing also declined steeply during the early months of the pandemic, with the largest drop seen in April 2020 (52%). But viral load tests rose steadily from November onward, and

Please call for information 415-431-4900 or visit us at www.duggansfuneralservice.com FD44

See page 12 >>

Below Market Rate (BMR) Rental Apartments Available The Vance at 830 Eddy Street, San Francisco CA 94109 4 Studios at $1210.00 a month; 10 One Bedrooms at $1379.00 a month; 6 Two Bedrooms at $1533.00 a month.

Seven parking spaces available to BMR renters for an additional $100.00 a month and will be offered to households in lottery rank order. Must be income eligible and must not own a home. Households must earn no more than the maximum income levels below:

55% of Area Median Income

One person - $51,300.00; 2 persons - $58,600.00; 3 persons - $65,950.00; 4 persons - $73,250.00; 5 persons- $79,100.00 Applications must be received by 5PM on Wednesday, September 29, 2021. Apply online through DAHLIA, the SF Housing Portal -DAHLIA at housing.sfgov.org. Due to COVID-19, applicants will apply online as we are not accepting paper applications.

Please contact the Imagine That Consulting for building information at (916) 686-4126 or bmr@thevance.com Units available through the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development and are subject to monitoring and other restrictions.

Visit www.sfmohcd.org for program information.

TheVance_BMR_3x4.5_090221-090921.indd 1

8/27/21 10:06 AM

Astella at 975 Bryant St. is now accepting applications for brand - new units!

30 affordable apartments available for lease through DAHLIA San Francisco Housing Portal Apartment Sizes and Rents range from: 6 Studios $1283 per month 12 One Bedrooms $1465 per month 11 Two Bedrooms $1649 per month 1 Three Bedrooms $1831 per month

22 parking spaces available to BMR renters for an additional $100 a month and will be offered to households in lottery rank order. Must be income eligible and must not own a home. Households must earn no more than the maximum income levels below: 55% of Area Median Income One person - $51,300; 2 persons - $58,600; 3 persons - $65,950; 4 persons - $73,250; 5 persons $79,100; 6 persons - $85,000; 7 persons - $90,850 Applications must be received by 5 PM on September 17, 2021. Apply online through DAHLIA, the SF Housing Portal -DAHLIA at housing.sfgov.org. Due to COVID-19, applicants will apply online as we are not accepting paper applications. Please contact Astella for building information at (415) 842-9700 or bmrinquiry@astellaapts.com.

Units available through the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development and are subject to monitoring and other restrictions. Visit www.sfmohcd.org for program information.

<< International News

12 • Bay Area Reporter • September 2-8, 2021

Hurricane Nora strikes Puerto Vallarta

by Heather Cassell

T

he gay area of the Zona Romantica in Puerto Vallarta is getting back up and operating after Hurricane Nora skirted past the popular coastal resort town late August 28.

The hurricane developed off the coast of Puerto Vallarta, centered about 50 miles north-northwest late Saturday night and caused severe damage, reported the New York Times. The Associated Press reported it made landfall, crossing the cape south of Puerto Vallarta, turning to head north. It brought 75 mph winds extending out 105 miles, and a downpour swelling the rivers, especially the Rio Cuale, during the early hours Sunday morning.

The river overflowed, taking out the Cuale Bridge, one of the main bridges into the Zona Romantica, the popular cobblestoned tourist area. The flood collapsed the two-story workspace that also housed the recently opened Bonito Kitchen restaurant on the ground floor along the river’s bank.

The space was vacated except for one 13-year-old Spanish youth, whose body was found in the rubble by rescue workers, wrote Paul Crist, owner of Hotel Mercurio.

“The Insurgentes Bridge near Incanto Theater was lost. That will be a

<<

SF HIV cases

From page 11

by March 2021 the number was just 6% below the same month in 2019.

Among people who tested positive in 2020, the proportion linked to care within a month of diagnosis remained high, at 92% – only 3% below the corresponding figure for 2019. Retention in care also remained stable, at 72%. But the number of people who achieved viral suppression within six months after

<<

Courtesy Facebook

Hurricane Nora skirted past Puerto Vallarta, causing the rivers to swell and damaging parts of the Zona Romantica overnight on August 28 in the popular coastal Mexican resort town.

end), for a forthcoming travel article.

Water service was restored by Monday morning, Pickens wrote.

“Traffic will be snarled for a while during repairs and rebuilding,” wrote Pickens.

“Vallarta will bounce back. [The] cleanup has already begun. Airport is open and we have full electric, cellular, and internet service,” he added.

Crist’s husband, Luis, reactivated the volunteers of his food distribution project that delivered over 13,000 food baskets and tons of hygiene products to local families in need during the COVID-19 pandemic last year, he wrote. The community kitchen is already operating near the Rio Ameca, he added.

Crist launched a GoFundMe campaign, “Supplies for Families in Need Puerto Vallarta,” August 29 with 100% of donations going to the relief effort, he wrote. At press time it had raised nearly $42,000 of its $50,000 goal.

Hurricane Nora was downgraded to a tropical storm by Sunday night as it moved north up the Mexican Pacific coast heading toward the Gulf of California, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. It continued to cause damage with flooding, mud slides, and collapsed buildings as it dumped heavy amounts of rain up to 12 inches in some parts of Mexico’s west coast. t

big traffic problem in the [El] Centro area,” Don Pickens, owner of gay boutique resort Casa Cupula, wrote to the Bay Area Reporter.

The flea market on the Isla Cuale in the middle of the river, along with businesses on the surrounding streets, were flooded by the surge of water and washed into the bay, wrote Crist.

The power was out for nearly 48 hours throughout the area.

“The biggest damage was confined

to a few spots in the city, as it did not stop pouring last night,” wrote Estrellita “Star” Velasco, the lesbian owner of Vallarta Local, a food and photography tour company, in an email to the B.A.R. “The amount of water was simply too much, rivers grew exponentially.”

Velasco explained that the two rivers that cross the city along with rivers to the north and south of Puerto Vallarta overflowed.

“Anything too close or within its pathway was flooded,” she wrote. “The corner of a two-story building collapsed as well as some suspension bridges.”

The gay area of Zona Romantica lost power for several hours and water overnight.

Some power was restored by late Sunday afternoon when the B.A.R. interviewed Christian Serrano, founder, co-owner, and director of BearadiseMX (formerly Vallarta Bear Week-

diagnosis fell from 80% to 77%.

The median time from diagnosis to treatment initiation was zero days – meaning a majority of people started antiretrovirals the same day they were diagnosed – and the median time from treatment initiation to viral suppression was 40 days. But the median CD4 T-cell count at the treatment initiation was only 382, indicating that many people already have substantial immune system damage by the time they start antiretrovirals.

Among all people living with HIV

(not only those diagnosed), DPH estimates that 96% have been tested and know their status, 73% have received care, 45% were retained in care, and 67% had an undetectable viral load.

But all groups did not fare equally well. While 72% of gay and bi men living with HIV in 2020 had an undetectable viral load according to their most recent test, this fell to 67% for cisgender women, 66% for African Americans, and 62% for people who use drugs.

Homeless and unstably housed

people were heavily affected by the COVID pandemic, and this was reflected in their HIV outcomes, according to the report. Homeless people already had the lowest rate of viral suppression in 2019, at 39%, but this fell even further in 2020, to only 20%.

The DPH report indicated that it is partnering with community organizations to reach people who are currently underserved. This includes establishing mobile health access points where people can receive prevention services; testing

and treatment for HIV, STIs, and hepatitis C; overdose prevention tools; and linkage to substance use and mental health services.

“We’re working with our providers to ensure that the proper safety measures are put into place so people can still get the care they need,” Colfax told the B.A.R. last year. “I think San Francisco is showing that it’s up to the task of being able to continue our HIV prevention and care efforts in the midst of another epidemic.” t

“Frank [Ciglar] has been doing everything he can,” Uribe said.

“The decision [to cancel] was due to COVID. I’ll be honest – I was the person who early on insisted we have an in-person event because people really want that, but as the Delta variant has persisted, I think the right decision was made to not have in-person events. … I look forward to beating this and bringing back Pride bigger and better next year.”

Uribe went on to say that it was a “combination of things” that led to the cancelation, that due to the pandemic many volunteers have moved away or are busy with other activities.

Myers, Ciglar, Dornan, Shuemake, and Oakland Pride cochair Amber Todd did not respond to requests for comment by press time.

Hawkins declined to comment further than a statement he sent to the B.A.R. with the email chain.

The subject line was “Covid-19 Is Not The Whole Story.”

“Our community here in Oakland deserves to know the truth about what really is going on with Oakland Pride,” Hawkins wrote.

Hawkins went on to state that the center had started planning the main stage in early August, and only found out that Oakland Pride was going to be canceled August 31 after hearing rumors last weekend.

“We would not have known that Oakland Pride was being canceled had we not heard the rumors,” he stated.

The most recent IRS Form 990 available from the Internal Revenue Service for Oakland Pride, Inc. covers the period from

January 1 to December 31, 2018. It shows the organization that year brought in revenue of $19,813, and had total expenses of $24,318, a difference of $4,505.

The last in-person Oakland Pride parade and festival was held in 2019. It was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic and replaced with 32 hours of virtual programming.

In its announcement canceling this year’s in-person event, Oakland Pride promised there will be a virtual event this year, though no further details have been announced.

This year’s cancelation came just hours after the East Bay Stonewall Democratic Club announced it was postponing its annual Pride breakfast fundraiser to 2022.

The Oakland Trans March is scheduled at Frank H. Ogawa Plaza for September 4 at 2 p.m.

Organizers have not responded to a request for comment.

The Oakland Pride organization has had financial difficulties in the past. A 2011 B.A.R. article reported on how the Oakland Pride organization did not have enough money to set aside for the creation of an LGBTQ community center, as had been originally envisioned. Myers and Hawkins created the center six years later.

Oakland At-large City Councilwoman Rebecca Kaplan, a lesbian who was a leader in the effort to revive Oakland Pride and kickstart a local LGBTQ center, is now vice mayor of Oakland. Her office did not respond to a request for comment September 1.

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf did not return a message seeking comment. t

Oakland Pride

From page 1

events, according to a July 20 email sent from Ciglar to Jeffrey Myers and Joe Hawkins, the co-founders of the center; and to Jacob Dornan and Scott M. Shuemake of IDK Events, which helps to produce the event.

“Does the center want to take Pride over ASAP?” Ciglar asked.

“Pride is only running with me so far this year and I need help,” Ciglar’s email states. “I was looking to close Pride and reached out to you [Myers] and Joe. Just never got the chance to email you with a follow up. Does the center want to take Oakland Pride on? Would they like to take it on right now or after I try to put it on this year. It doesn’t matter to me either way.

“Now Pride is -[$]125,000.00 and trying to pay that off before we close this year out,” Ciglar’s email continues. “I have been loaning Pride [$]5k of my personal money each [month] just so it can make its credit card payments till funds start coming in.”

According to the email chain, Myers had initially reached out to Oakland Pride earlier that day asking if the center could host the Sober Stage in honor of its creator, Robert Brown, who had died.

Hawkins, who is currently the executive director of the center, responded to Ciglar the following day, July 21.

“As a co-founder of Oakland Pride, I am interested in the center taking over Pride considering the situation that it is in,” Hawkins wrote. “However, from a nonprofit management and legal perspective, it is not a simple or quick process.

Per nonprofit law, we would not be

t

Jane Philomen Cleland

Oakland LGBTQ Community Center co-founders Joe Hawkins, left, who is now CEO, and Jeff Myers, who is now board president.

able to legally take over Oakland Pride ASAP! “Your decision to allow the center or any entity to take over Oakland Pride, sets in motion a series of legal requirements for both organizations,” Hawkins continued. “Your board would need to vote to dissolve your organization and our board would have to vote to take over what is left of Oakland Pride after it is dissolved.”

Hawkins offered the center to host the main stage of the event, however, later in the message.

Ciglar followed up asking for fundraising support. Hawkins responded that it was already too late.

“I wish that we could provide fundraising support, but we can’t,” Hawkins wrote. “As the treasurer of Oakland Pride since the very beginning, you know that fundraising for an annual event like Pride is a yearlong effort. Oakland Pride is just a

little over one month away. Asking our organization to assist with fundraising at the last hour is unrealistic.”

Ciglar responded that his request was misunderstood.

“I don’t think you understood my email,” Ciglar wrote. “I have [companies] calling and emailing wanting to give money to Oakland Pride. I don’t have the time to get back to them. I’m looking for somebody that can just reply to emails and talk to people about Oakland Pride. I was under the impression when you said you had a lot of volunteers that you might have some people like that who could call back or email back [to] these companies. At this moment it’s no longer a dire financial situation.”

That is the end of the email chain that the B.A.R. received.

Uribe told the B.A.R. that he was diagnosed with lymphoma, and subsequently with COVID, in spite of being vaccinated.

t

Community News>>

September 2-8, 2021 • Bay Area Reporter • 13

CA legislators tell state colleges to stop deadnaming trans, nonbinary students

by Matthew S. Bajko

Former students who already graduated or left campus for whatever reason could petition their alma mater to upgrade their name and gender on their academic records. But they would have to do so legally, as the bill requires they show a government-issued document like a driver’s license, birth certificate, or passport bearing their current name and gender.

Currently enrolled transgender and nonbinary students would be able to use their lived names even if they have not legally changed their names under Chiu’s AB 245. With the health crisis impacting people’s employment, trans and nonbinary graduates seeking new jobs may be outed to employers and face discrimination if their academic records list their wrong name, Chiu earlier this year noted in an interview with the Bay Area Reporter.

Last November, the UC system released a new policy on gender identity that all of its campuses will need to implement by December 31, 2023. It includes using students’ lived names on their academic records.

City College of San Francisco implemented a chosen name system for its trans and nonbinary

students and staff last year. Under its gender diversity and inclusion policy the use of chosen names is mandatory except for certain financial and legal documents.

The trustees of City College of San Francisco had called on state lawmakers to pass Chiu’s bill.

Charlie Garcia-Spiegel, 22, a queer nonbinary trans man who attends City College, had told the B.A.R. adoption of the state bill will send a message of needed support to transgender and nonbinary students at a time when other states and countries around the globe are enacting laws and policies that harm trans youth.

“This would be a huge step because even on the state level, different parts of the state have different amounts of protections for trans students and different amounts of basic human rights. On that level it is really important,” said Garcia-Spiegel.

“When you zoom out and go to the macro level, across the country and across the world even, you see huge legislative fights over basic human rights for trans students.”

Co-authoring the bill are Assemblymen Alex Lee (D-San Jose), the first bisexual member of the state Legislature; Marc Levine (D-Green-

brae); and Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles). Gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) also signed on as a co-author.

Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis (D) signed on as a co-sponsor of the bill.

“Every diploma earned by a student in California commemorates years of hard work and achievement despite tremendous challenges – especially for our transgender and gender nonconforming students,” she stated.

“Today’s passage of AB 245 is an important step towards protecting and supporting these students, who are at risk of discrimination or harm if the name on their transcript or diploma is different than the name they use and identify with. By sending this bill to the Governor for his signature, the Legislature has sent a strong message that California values and affirms its trans and gender nonconforming students.”

AB 245 follows an earlier bill Chiu was able to enact requiring public K-12 schools in the state to update the records for transgender and nonbinary students so that they match their legal name and gender identity. t

the HIV Vaccine Trials Network, recruited more than 2,600 young women in five African countries starting in 2017. They were randomly assigned to receive the dual vaccine regimen or placebo shots over the course of a year.

The vaccine regimen “did not provide sufficient protection against HIV infection,” Johnson & Johnson announced. In an analysis conducted two years after the first dose, 51 of participants who received the vaccines and 63 of those who received the placebo acquired HIV, for a vaccine effectiveness of 25% – far below the 50% threshold researchers were aiming for. However, the vaccine was safe and well tolerated with no serious adverse effects.

Based on these findings, Imbokodo will not continue, but researchers hope further analysis of the data can shed new light on factors that contribute to protection against HIV.

“The development of a safe and effective vaccine to prevent HIV infection has proven to be a formidable scientific challenge,” National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Dr. Anthony Fauci said in a statement. “Although this is certainly not the study outcome for which we had hoped, we must apply the knowledge learned from the Imbokodo trial and continue our efforts to find a vaccine that will be protective against HIV.”

“While [this week’s] results are disappointing, we will learn critical information from the Imbokodo trial that will inform the HIV vaccine field,” Buchbinder, who is protocol co-chair for both studies, told the Bay Area Reporter. “The Mosaico trial is being conducted in a different population, with a different route of exposure, and using a vaccine combination that produces an immune response of greater magnitude and breadth than what was used in the Imbokodo trial.”

Many experts think sophisticated HIV vaccine approaches could be more effective, but some question whether a vaccine is a realistic goal, given the high effectiveness of PrEP either using pills or long-acting injections.

Researchers are exploring several novel approaches, including some that use the mRNA technology used for the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines. Moderna and the Inter-

national AIDS Vaccine Initiative recently launched a phase 1 study of an mRNA vaccine regimen that trains immature B cells to generate broadly neutralizing antibodies.

“This is in no way the end of the search for an HIV vaccine,” Mitchell Warren, executive director of the HIV prevention advocacy group AVAC, said in a statement. “If we’ve learned one lesson from the COVID-19 response, it is that political will, sufficient funding, and unprecedented cooperation in the face of a global threat is possible.

HIV has been for decades – and remains – a global threat; it is past time to act boldly to confront it.”

AVAC, which used to be known as the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition but now goes by its acronym, will host a webinar September 9 at 7 a.m. Pacific Time to discuss the Imbokodo results and their implications for the HIV vaccine field.t

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039411400

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039429200

transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/28/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/29/21.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039451200

C

alifornia lawmakers have adopted legislation that ends the deadnaming of transgender and nonbinary college students on their diplomas and other academic records. Should Governor Gavin Newsom sign it into law within the next 12 days, the policy will commence with the 2023-2024 graduating class.

The state Assembly Monday, August 30, on a 58-1 concurrence vote passed the revised legislation, Assembly Bill 245, having previously adopted it earlier this legislative session. It cleared the state Senate August 23 on a 29-8 vote with three senators not voting.

Assemblyman David Chiu (DSan Francisco) introduced AB 245 this year after a similar bill he authored in 2020 had to be tabled in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chiu’s bill, titled “Affirming Transgender and Nonbinary Student’s Names in College,” would require California’s community colleges and public universities to use current students’ lived names on their transcripts, diplomas, and other documents as of January 1, when the bill would take effect.

“The day a student receives their

<<

HIV vaccine

From page 9

for gay and bisexual men and transgender people.

Both studies are testing a vaccine called Ad26.Mos4.HIV that uses the same adenovirus common cold vector used in the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine plus an envelope protein booster.

The adenovirus carries a computer-designed mosaic of antigens from multiple HIV strains found around the world. This combination triggered antibody and T-cell responses in early studies, and it protected monkeys from infection, but it did not generate the specialized broadly neutralizing antibodies that target a hidden region of HIV’s envelope protein.

Imbokodo, supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and

Courtesy Assemblyman Chiu’s office

Assemblyman David Chiu

diploma should be filled with happiness and pride,” stated Chiu. “When a diploma doesn’t match the student’s name, it can turn an otherwise great day into another obstacle to overcome. It can put up barriers to future employment and out a person in an unsafe situation. This simple policy ensures transgender and nonbinary students have one less barrier to overcome. I look forward to the Governor signing this crucial bill to lift up all of our students.”

Future HIV vaccine research

The parallel Mosaico trial, which started in 2019, has recruited approximately 3,800 gay and bisexual men and transgender people in North America, South America, and Europe. It is testing a similar Ad26.Mos4.HIV vaccine regimen, but instead of the subtype C protein booster used in Imbokodo, it uses a mixture of proteins from different HIV strains.

Legals>> ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556532

In the matter of the application of MARY ELLEN DAVIS, 1983 10TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner MARY ELLEN DAVIS is requesting that the name MARY ELLEN DAVIS be changed to MARY LUNA REISSMAN. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 16th of SEPTEMBER 2021 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

AUG 12, 19, 26, SEP 02, 2021 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556539

In the matter of the application of JANNAH GARFIO, 333 FREMONT ST #509, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner JANNAH GARFIO is requesting that the name JANNAH MARIE GARFIO be changed to JANNAH MARIE YUTKOVITZ. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Rm. 103 on the 21th of SEPTEMBER 2021 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

AUG 12, 19, 26, SEP 02, 2021 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556430

In the matter of the application of MATTHIAS SIRK, 1190 HOWARD ST #321, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner MATTHIAS SIRK is requesting that the name MATTHIAS SIRK be changed to RAYMOND MATTHEW MULLER. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 14th of SEPTEMBER 2021 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

AUG 12, 19, 26, SEP 02, 2021

The following person(s) is/are doing business as CABALLEROS BEAUTY HAIR SALON, 5255 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ISABELLA GARCIA CABALLERO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/15/21.

AUG 12, 19, 26, SEP 02, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039442400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as HOLYLEE ROOFING CO, 1362 POWELL ST #17, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed KOCK K. CHOW. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/04/96. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/26/21.

AUG 12, 19, 26, SEP 02, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039436700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as JACKIE’S CLEANING SERVICES, 145 BROAD ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ULISER N. BAMACA GONZALES. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/02/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/03/21.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as THOMAS & SONS CONSTRUCTION, 109 LOUISBURG ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MARK LO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/21/96. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/30/21.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as KAY & MIA, 5282 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112.

This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed VAN TIEU MA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/01/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/15/21.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as TRIADICAN MARKET, 540 LEAVENWORTH ST #201, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed NATHAN W. MCBRIDE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/05/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/06/21.

AUG 12, 19, 26, SEP 02, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039408600

AUG 12, 19, 26, SEP 02, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039429300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as PREFERRED REALTY GROUP; PREFERRED APPRAISAL SERVICES; 350 JUDAH ST #505, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122.

This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed STEPHEN WILSON. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/05/07. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/26/21.

AUG 12, 19, 26, SEP 02, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039444500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as HAPPY LAND FAMILY DAYCARE, 309 CARDENAS AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94132.This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed XIULING WU.The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/04/21.The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/04/21.

AUG 12, 19, 26, SEP 02, 2021

AUG 12, 19, 26, SEP 02, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039448300

AUG 12, 19, 26, SEP 02, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039407400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as INN ON GROVE, 465 GROVE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed CHIRAG INVESTMENT COMPANY (CA), SUBASH L. PATEL & PRAKASH L. PATEL. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/13/21.

AUG 12, 19, 26, SEP 02, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039432900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as WL CLEANING SERVICES, 26 ROCK HARBOR LANE, FOSTER CITY, CA 94404. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed LUCIANO GUALBERTO DE SOUZA & WELLIKA RIBEIRO MIRANDA SOUZA. The registrant(s) commenced to

AUG 12, 19, 26, SEP 02, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039421800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as STANLEY STEEMER, 5913 3RD ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed VASHNO INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/24/94. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/23/21.

AUG 12, 19, 26, SEP 02, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039442000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as NATURAL RESOURCES, 1051 VALENCIA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed NATURAL RESOURCES ALL FAMILIES FOUNDATION (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/01/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/03/21.

AUG 12, 19, 26, SEP 02, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039426600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as CAFÉ BUNN MI, 417 CLEMENT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed BUNN MI INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/06/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/24/21.

AUG 12, 19, 26, SEP 02, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039430700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as SAN FRANCISCO DENTAL PARTNERS, 22 BATTERY ST #910, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed JASMINE D. BHUVA, D.D.S., INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/28/21.

AUG 12, 19, 26, SEP 02, 2021

The following person(s) is/are doing business as CALIFO ELECTRIC, 362 MOULTRIE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed CALIFO ELECTRIC INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/20/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/09/21.

AUG 12, 19, 26, SEP 02, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039415100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as TEEBSI; TODAY VOYAGES; 790 EDDY ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed GO WEST TOURS (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/17/21.

AUG 12, 19, 26, SEP 02, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039453400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as BANH MI HOUSE, 2701 SAN BRUNO AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed BUNN MI INC (CA).

The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/28/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/10/21.

AUG 12, 19, 26, SEP 02, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039412800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as JENSEN’S MAIL AND COPY, 5214-F DIAMOND HEIGHTS BLVD, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94131. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed DOODY CORP (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/23/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/16/21.

AUG 12, 19, 26, SEP 02, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039447200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as LAST CALL BAR, 3988 18TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114.This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed DENIM AND WHISKEY LLC (CA).The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A.The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/05/21.

AUG 12, 19, 26, SEP 02, 2021

<< Legals

14 • Bay Area Reporter • September 2-8, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039431100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as FLUID COOPERATIVE, 900 NAPLES ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed FLUID COOPERATIVE LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/28/21.

AUG 12, 19, 26, SEP 02, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039437900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as THE CHECK-IN, 201 OCEAN AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed CHECKIN LLC (CA).

The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/03/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/02/21.

AUG 12, 19, 26, SEP 02, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039416200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as STARR SPIRITS; MONTEREY DELI; 499 MONTEREY BLVD, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94127. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed ORBIT SPIRITS LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/20.

The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/19/21.

AUG 12, 19, 26, SEP 02, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039447400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as D’MAIZE, 2778 24TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed D’MAIZE LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/05/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/05/21.

AUG 12, 19, 26, SEP 02, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039441800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as FRY DADDY’S, 1171 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed FRY DADDY’S LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/03/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/03/21.

AUG 12, 19, 26, SEP 02, 2021 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-037849000

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as PIER 2 MARKETING; PIER2MARKETING; PIER 2 MARKETING OF CALIFORNIA, LLC; PIER 2 MARKETING OF CALIFORNIA; PIER2 MARKETING; 38 KEYES AVE #119, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94129. This business was conducted by a limited liability company and signed

by PIER 2 MARKETING, LLC (TX). The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 11/15/17.

AUG 12, 19, 26, SEP 02, 2021 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-038158900

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as LAST CALL BAR, 3988 18TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114.

This business was conducted by an individual and signed by KEVIN HARRINGTON. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/24/18.

AUG 12, 19, 26, SEP 02, 2021 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-039320600

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as DEXISION CONSULTING, 1101 PACIFIC AVE #501, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business was conducted by an individual and signed by ANGELO FRANCHINI. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/10/21.

AUG 12, 19, 26, SEP 02, 2021 SUMMONS DISTRICT COURT CLARK COUNTY, NEVADA CASE NO: A-21-832316-C DEPT NO: 06 YANLING ZHANG, AN INDIVIDUAL, PLAINTIFF, VS. YANHUI ZHANG, AN INDIVIDUAL; DOES I THROUGH X AND ROE CORPORATIONS I THROUGH X, INCLUSIVE, DEFENDANT SUMMONS - YANHUI ZHANG NOTICE! YOU HAVE BEEN SUED. THE COURT MAY DECIDE AGAINST YOU WITHOUT YOUR BEING HEARD UNLESS YOU RESPOND WITHIN 20 DAYS. READ THE INFORMATION BELOW.

To the Defendant: A civil Complaint has been filed by the plaintiff against you for relief set forth in the Complaint. 1. If you intend to defend this lawsuit.

Within 20 days after this Summons is served on you exclusive of the day of service, you must do the following: a. File with the Clerk of this Court, whose address is shown below, a formal written response to the Complaint in accordance with the rules of the Court. B. Serve a copy of your response upon the attorney whose name and address is shown below.

2. Unless you respond, your default will be entered upon application of the plaintiff and this Court may enter judgment against you for the relief demanded in the Complaint, which could result in the taking of money or property or other relief requested in the Complaint. 3. If you intend to seek the advice of an attorney in this matter, you should do so promptly so that your response may be filed on time. 4. The State of Nevada, its political subdivisions, agencies, officers, employees, board members, commission members, and legislators, each have 45 days after service of this Summons within which to file an Answer or other responsive pleading to the Complaint. Issued at the direction of: MICHAEL M. LIN ESQ. (NEVADA BAR NO. 010392); HONG-NGOC PHAN, ESQ. (NEVADA BAR NO. 15453); 5288 Spring Mtn Rd. #103, Las Vegas, NV 89146; (702) 871-9888; Attorney for Plaintiff. Steven D. Grierson, Clerk of the Court, Robyn Rodriguez, Regional Justice Center, 200 Lewis Ave., Las Vegas, NV 89155; 04/06/2021.

AUG 19, 26, SEP 02, 09, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039454000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as NEW DOOR, 891 BEACH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed CHAD ENG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/10/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/10/21.

AUG 19, 26, SEP 02, 09, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039456400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as FOUR SEASONS NAIL & SPA, 1151-B COURTLAND AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed GIANG T. VU. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/12/09. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/11/21.

AUG 19, 26, SEP 02, 09, 2021

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039452500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as THE HOUSE OF HUMMUS, 5 MASONIC AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed TINA HADDAD. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/15/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/09/21.

AUG 19, 26, SEP 02, 09, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039455600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as NAILS BY JENNY, 50 LELAND AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed NANCY HAHOANG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/17/94. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/11/21.

AUG 19, 26, SEP 02, 09, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039458400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as DUMPLING & BUN EXPRESS, 729 CLAY ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed QUYNH TU LU. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/12/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/12/21.

AUG 19, 26, SEP 02, 09, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039457600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as FCO. BARBER SHOP, 30 MASON ST #C101, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JOSE GABRIEL FLORES PEREZ VAVRINA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/12/21.

AUG 19, 26, SEP 02, 09, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039444700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as SULAMITA BOUTIQUE, 1148 MARLESTA RD, PINOLE, CA 94564. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LAUREN TORRES. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/01/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/04/21.

AUG 19, 26, SEP 02, 09, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039458000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as MEDESTHETICS RX, 2300 SUTTER ST #303, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LINDA GEORGEDES. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/22/02. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/12/21.

AUG 19, 26, SEP 02, 09, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039461800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as SANJALISCO RESTAURANT, 901 SOUTH VAN NESS AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DOLORES REYES. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/01/10. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/17/21.

AUG 19, 26, SEP 02, 09, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039458700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as SOCIALLY CONSCIOUS APPAREL, 540 LEAVENWORTH ST #201, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DANNY RENEE SANDERS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/05/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/13/21.

AUG 19, 26, SEP 02, 09, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039458500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as ANNIE’S HOT DOGS, 1330 25TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed NEW YORK FRANKFURTER CO OF CA INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/00. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/13/21.

AUG 19, 26, SEP 02, 09, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039418900

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556553

In the matter of the application of SORMEH KASHEF HAGHIGHI, 2133A LYON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner SORMEH KASHEF HAGHIGHI is requesting that the name SORMEH KASHEF HAGHIGHI be changed to SORMEH KASHEF. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Rm. 103 on the 30th of SEPTEMBER 2021 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

AUG 26, SEP 02, 09, 16, 2021 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-21-556560

AUG 26, SEP 02, 09, 16, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039453000

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

AUG 26, SEP 02, 09, 16, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039459600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as COMPRESSOR WORKS, 341 10TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed HANS KELLER. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/01/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/16/21.

AUG 26, SEP 02, 09, 16, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039456500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as SAILING SAN FRANCISCO, 1221 37TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JONATHAN YELDA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/01/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/11/21.

AUG 26, SEP 02, 09, 16, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039464600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as HULKS TOWING, 1306 GILMAN AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed WALTER BUESO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/20/21.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as LARRY’S LIMO SERVICE, 685 48TH AVE #6, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LARRY S. SOLOMON. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/14/08. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/23/21.

SEP 02, 09, 16, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039467300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as CLOCKWORK, 370 DE HARO ST #A4, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed ELEMENTREE INC. (DE). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/04/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/09/21.

SEP 02, 09, 16, 23, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039455100

AUG 26, SEP 02, 09, 16, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039448000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as MASON BOTTLE, 791E SIBLEY RD, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94129. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed KINETIKA INC. (DE). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/18/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/06/21.

AUG 26, SEP 02, 09, 16, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039447100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as NUCCI ENTERPRISES; THE SOCIETY OF POUR CHOICES; LUPO NUCCI; 2182 SUTTER ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by a married couple, and is signed MARCO IANNUCCI & LINDSEY IANNUCCI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/12/21.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as MILLER & LUX, 70 TERRY A FRANCOIS BLVD, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94158. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed LLH TGO LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/19/21.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as MOCHINUT SF, 2126 IRVING ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed IRVING ENTERPRISES LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/01/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/06/21.

AUG 19, 26, SEP 02, 09, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039438000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as MILLAY, 691 14TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114.

This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed LAY BROTHERS LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/23/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/02/21.

AUG 19, 26, SEP 02, 09, 2021 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-032490600

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as ZEN DAY SPA, 775 HAIGHT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117.

This business was conducted by a limited liability company and signed by WARDEN HOLDINGS, LLC (CA). The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/13/10.

AUG 19, 26, SEP 02, 09, 2021

AUG 26, SEP 02, 09, 16, 2021 NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF MARY QUINTANA AKA MARY ELIZABETH QUINTANA IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO: FILE PES-21-304732

AUG 26, SEP 02, 09, 16, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039466000

In the matter of the application of FENGHUAN LI, 2216 LARKIN ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner FENGHUAN LI is requesting that the name FENGHUAN LI be changed to KRISTEN H. LI. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 30th of SEPTEMBER 2021 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as THE DOREL, 1507 CALIFORNIA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed CAL LARK LLC (CA).

The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/23/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/05/21.

AUG 19, 26, SEP 02, 09, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039448800

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as AMERICAN SPA & SALON AT SF, 1327 9TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business was conducted by an individual and signed by CONNIE LY. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/22/21.

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of MARY QUINTANA AKA MARY ELIZABETH QUINTANA, C/O SCHNEIDER LAW, 315 MONTGOMERY ST #1025, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94104. A Petition for Probate has been filed by CARY SCHNEIDER in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco. The Petition for Probate requests that CARY SCHNEIDER be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. The petition requests the decedent’s will and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The will and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court. The petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority. A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: SEPTEMBER 22, 2021, 9:00 am, Dept. 204, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. If you object to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney. If you are a creditor or contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the latter of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined by section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law. You may examine the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk. Attorney for petitioner: BARRY SCHNEIDER, ESQ. (SBN #62668), SCHNEIDER LAW, 315 MONTGOMERY ST #1025, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94104; Ph. (415) 781-6500.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as HUMMUS BODEGA, 404 20TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed TABOONSF INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/28/20. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/22/21.

AUG 19, 26, SEP 02, 09, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039457500

STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-039267200

AUG 26, SEP 02, 09, 16, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039463600

AUG 26, SEP 02, 09, 16, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039458900

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

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

SEP 02, 09, 16, 23, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039465600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as BTOOPOSITIVE, 125 3RD AVE #4, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed BRANDON DAVIS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/27/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/23/21.

SEP 02, 09, 16, 23, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039468500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as BABYFACED PRODUCTIONS, 1044 REVERE AVE #C-78, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed GIOTTO HARRISON. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/26/21.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039466800

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

SEP 02, 09, 16, 23, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039468700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as UNION YEE LLC, 533-537 UNION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed YEE FAMILY UNION STREET PROPERTY LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/27/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/26/21.

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

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

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

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

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

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

SEP 02, 09, 16, 23, 2021

SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA RAPID TRANSIT DISTRICT REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. 6M1126 EXTENSION OF TIME FOR RECEIPT OF PROPOSALS CONSULTING SERVICES FOR ASSISTANCE IN REDISTRICTING OF ELECTION DISTRICTS RFP NO. 6M1126 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the General Manager of the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District has extended the time for receipt of Proposals until the hour of 2:00 p.m., Tuesday, September 14, 2021 at the District Secretary’s Office, 10th Floor, 2150 Webster Street, Oakland, CA 94612, CONSULTING SERVICES FOR ASSISTANCE IN REDISTRICTING OF ELECTION DISTRICTS, Request for Proposals No. 6M1126.

Dated at Oakland, California, this 23rd day of August 2021. s April B. A. Quintanilla for, Jacqueline R. Edwards, District Secretary San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District 9/2/21 CNS-3504821# BAY AREA REPORTER

SEP 02, 09, 16, 23, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039474100 CNSBI_1x3_3504821_090221.indd 1

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

SEP 02, 09, 16, 23, 2021

t

8/23/21 12:12 PM

@eBARnews

The following person(s) is/are doing business as KING OF THAI NOODLE HOUSE TARAVAL, 1541 TARAVAL ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed KING OF THAI NOODLE HOUSE TARAVAL LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/13/21.

Classifieds

The following person(s) is/are doing business as PICA PICA, 401 VALENCIA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed MEGAS (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/19/21.

Hauling>>

AUG 26, SEP 02, 09, 16, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039463800

AUG 26, SEP 02, 09, 16, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039465200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as MAISON DE ETOILE, 1770 POST ST #233, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed MAISON DE ETOILE LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/19/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/23/21.

AUG 26, SEP 02, 09, 16, 2021

HAULING 24/7

(415) 441-1054 Large Truck

Tech Support >>

Tech Support Ralph Doore 415-867-4657

Tech Support >> MACINTOSH HELP 30 YEARS EXPERIENCE SFMacMan.com

RICK

415.821.1792

Professional 30+ years exp Virus/Malware GONE! Device setup Mobile Support Network & wireless setup Discreet

 Yelp reviews

Harrison Rivers photo: by Lois Tema

Fall Arts Travel

by Jim Gladstone

B

ay Area theater is finally showing signs of real life after more than a year of Zoom zombiedom. The pandemic resulted in some painful losses –R.I.P. Bay Area Musicals– but also saw some optimistic new beginnings.

While companies continued to postpone their season openers throughout the past month, at press time the productions below are impatiently waiting in the wings, ready for their entrances.

Here, listed by month, are my picks for the most intriguing shows of the fall season, along with a selection of other noteworthy productions.

Curtain call for fall Bay Area theater's (hopeful) openings Dear San Francisco acrobats; D’Arcy Drollinger, Joseph Feldman and the 2019 cast of Ray of Light Theatre’s Rocky Horror Show; Donald Ray Antoine in NCTC’s production of Harrison Rivers’ Interlude.

September “The blessed gods/Purge all infection from the air/Whilst you/Do climate here.”

So says King Leontes when charming prince Florizel arrives in the Sicily of The Winter’s Tale.

And while no mere mortal can vouch for a 100% absence of coronavirus, the fact that CalShakes performs at Orinda’s lovely outdoor Bruns Amphitheater makes their new production of Shakespeare’s comic romance a pretty safe bet if you still feel a bit anxious about attending your first post-pandemic performance.

Artistic director Eric Ting and dramaturg Philippa Kelly have written a lively new adaptation of this hopeful classic, which comes complete with a happy ending. Queer audiences can especially look forward to Shakespeare’s famous mystery Bear as well as dialogue, which some scholars say contains the first published example of the word ‘dildo.’

The queer centerpiece of this year’s multi-venue CounterPulse Festival is Split, a literally singular movement work created by Charles Slender White. Inspired, in part, by The Picture of Dorian Gray, the piece pairs each audience member with a single dancer. The live performances will be follow viewings of a thematically related portrait

gallery and video installation. Another intriguing festival entry is curbAlert’s UN•REST which features drag king Lotus Boy in the cast and will be performed in an unused parking lot at the Oakland Estuary Park.

The Winter’s Tale. Through September 26. www.calshakes.org CounterPulse Festival. September 9-18. www.counterpulse.org While there are no big musicals opening in the city this month, John Lloyd Young, the original Broadway star of San Francisco favorite, Jersey Boys, brings his solo concert to Feinstein’s Presents: Live at the Nikko on September 9 and 10.

The San Francisco Playhouse continues its two-month run of Starting Here, Starting Now, a revue of the intelligent, emotion-drenched story-songs of Richard Maltby and David Shire.

Risk is always part of circus’ allure. And, in this season’s biggest theatrical gamble, North Beach’s Club Fugazi is undergoing a massive bespoke

Palm Springs gears up for fall

by Ed Walsh

P

alm Springs is gearing up for a busy fall with a number of events that take into account strict COVID-19 protocols. Like San Francisco, Palm Springs in July mandated proof of vaccinations for everyone entering bars and restaurants. Neighboring Cathedral City also implemented a similar vaccine mandate in August. Both cities also require masks to be worn indoors at all public places.

But the rules are a little more lenient than San Francisco’s. You don’t have to have vaccine proof to enter a gym and you can substitute a negative COVID test for a vaccination card as long as it is not older than 72 hours.

The new vaccination mandates also apply to large primarily outdoor events such as The Dinah, which will be held later this month.

Promoters undoubtedly had hoped the pandemic would be behind them by now when they rescheduled that women’s event from its traditional time in the spring to the fall.

Some of the gay resorts may also require vaccinations, so be sure to pack your vaccine card or download the state’s official electronic version of the card online. All of the Greater Palm Springs area’s legendary gay resorts have survived the pandemic. All of the area’s gay bars have also managed to weather the COVID restrictions.

The first post-pandemic LGBTQ event will be the film festival, Cinema Diverse, September 16-30. Cinema Diverse will require attendees to be vaccinated or show proof of a negative COVID test. Film showings will also have limited capacity and most films will be shown twice to allow for social distancing.

More streaming options will also be available.

Cinema Diverse will overlap this year for

remodel in anticipation of a lengthy open-ended engagement for Dear San Francisco, an acrobatic and poetic celebration of the city. The creative team is led by SF natives Gypsy Snider and Shana Carroll, who began their careers here with The Pickle Family Circus and went on to found world renowned Montreal-based nouveau cirque The 7 Fingers. Their venue’s last theatrical tenant was Beach Blanket Babylon, which played for a fleeting 45 years.

John Lloyd Young in concert. Sept. 10 and 11. www.feinsteinssf.com Starting Here, Starting Now. Through Oct. 2. www.sfplayhouse.org Dear San Francisco. Previews begin Sept. 22. www.clubfugazisf.com

October Let’s do the Time Warp again. Ray of Light Theatre’s production of The Rocky Horror Show promises to reimagine and reanimate the cult classic, taking audience participation to a new

The Forever Marilyn sculpture. photo: Ed Walsh; Pool at The Hacienda at Warm Sands. photo: Ed Walsh The Barracks in Cathedral City. photo: The Barracks

the first time with The Dinah. The lesbiancentric extended weekend runs Wednesday, September 29, through Sunday, October 3.

The Dinah will be followed a month later by the traditional Halloween block party on E. Arenas Road, just east of Indian Canyon Drive, the city’s gayest block where most of the gay bars and LGBTQ-oriented shops are located. Leather Pride 2021 overlaps with Halloween, October 28-31. Palm Springs Pride runs November 1-7, highlighted by a parade the last day.

Gay resorts Palm Springs has 11 gay resorts or an even dozen if you count the area’s largest gay resort, Cathedral City Boys Club, in nearby Cathedral City. All are marketed to gay men and all are clothing-optional.

The largest of the gay resorts is the aforementioned Cathedral City Boys Club, bet-

level. An immersive, ambulatory Sleep No Moreinfluenced take, it will wind a rocky road through a series of chamber performances at Oasis, whose proprietrix, D’Arcy Drollinger, has been cast yet again as Frank N. Furter. Hot patootie!

With tens of thousands of Afghan refugees seeking asylum, Shotgun Players’ first production for in-person audiences in over a year couldn’t be more timely. Tim Cowbury’s The Claim, set in England, features a stark Kafkaesque scenario in which an immigrant is interviewed by state authorities. The interviewee speaks French, as does one of his two interrogators, who ends up facilitating a sort of whisper-down-the-lane between his colleague and the immigrant, who may literally end up lost in translation. It’s a satirical, scary piece.

The Rocky Horror Show. October 7-31. www.rayoflighttheatre.com The Claim. October 14-30. www.shotgunplayers.org See page 18 >> ter known as CCBC. It’s open for day passes, is host to a number of gay male events, and is a big draw for visitors and locals alike. It hosts several “men’s bonding pop-up events” through the Guys 2 organization. Those events require COVID vaccines for all attendees.

CCBC’s restaurant, Runway, is next to the resort but separate and coed. It has a cool aviation theme with airline carts. A catwalk runway drops from the ceiling for live performances.

With the combination of delicious food and décor, since it opened three years ago, Runway has enjoyed a loyal repeat business.

The Hacienda at Warm Sands is a luxury boutique gay hotel that is known for its outstanding service. Breakfast and lunch are included with the rate.

The Triangle Inn about a 15-minute walk from downtown Palm Springs, is a good example of a resort that like InnDuldge attracts a big repeat crowd. The Triangle Inn is kitty-corner from the Santiago. The beautiful hacienda-style property has two floors overlooking a huge pool and hot tub.

The biggest cluster of gay hotels is in the Warm Sands neighborhood, about a mile east of downtown. It includes the city’s oldest gay resort, El Mirasol Villas, which was once owned by reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes and has been gay since 1975. It is next door to All Worlds Annex, a cruisy resort that is open for day passes.

The fabulous Vista Grande Resort is just around the corner and offers two pools, a huge hot tub, cooling waterfall grotto, and steam room. The aforementioned Hacienda is right next to Vista Grande. Desert Paradise is a kitty-corner from the Hacienda. It changed ownership recently but still offers the top-notch quality for which it is famous.

The always-busy InnDulge is just across from Desert Paradise.

On the north end of downtown is the Canyon Club Hotel, which includes a huge outdoor maze and koi pond. It is open for day passes. The Barefoot Inn is around the corner from Canyon Club and welcomes all men, not just bears.

La Dolce Vita resort is about a half mile south of The Triangle Inn and includes a men’s spa. By the way, Cathedral City has a great stand-alone spa geared toward gay men See page 16 >>

<< Travel

called Men’s Grooming Spot. It is part of a strip mall conveniently located next to CCBC. The spa’s owner, Mark Okun, used to be a hairdresser to the stars. His former client list reads like a who’s who of Hollywood. Photos with the stars from his Hollywood days are on display in the spa. Men’s Grooming Spot offers haircuts, facials, body scrubs, manscaping, waxing, pedicures, manicures, and massage.

After or before your treatment you can hang out in the spa’s hot tub and sauna and it will soon have an outdoor lounge.

Nightlife Most of the gay nightlife in the Palm Springs area is on E. Arenas Road, just east of Indian Canyon Drive, in downtown Palm Springs.

That is where you will find Hunters with a main bar and patio and adjacent dance space.

StreetBar is just a few steps from Hunters and always attracts a big crowd of locals.

The Levi-leather popular Eagle 501 and piano lounge Stacy’s are the newest bars on the block.

Quadz is a very popular video bar that keeps regulars coming back on its show tunes nights. Chill has a great open-air feel. BlackBook is known for its gourmet bar food and is the place to eat late.

The Tool Shed is on Sunny Dunes Road, about a half mile south of downtown. It is next to the gay stores Q Trading and Gear Leather and Fetish. Tool Shed is popular with bears and the leather crowd but attracts a wide variety of gay men. Its Thursday underwear night is legendary.

On the north end of town, you will find the fabulous Toucans Tiki Lounge. The women-popular club is known for its drag shows and dancing.

Cathedral City Cathedral City is just to the south of Palm Springs. Most of the gay nightlife used to be there before the first gay bar opened on Arenas Road in the 1990s.

Chris Parman, Cathedral City’s

Sign up!

RECEIVE OUR FREE WEEKDAY EMAIL NEWSLETTER, WITH BREAKING NEWS, SPECIAL OFFERS, GIVEAWAYS, AND MORE!

ebar.com/subscribe ebar-subscribe-fifth.indd 1

9/1/21 1:32 PM

Street Bar patio

administrative LGBT liaison, told the Bay Area Reporter that according to a survey conducted by the city in 2016, 30% of the city’s population identified as LGBT. The city’s mayor, Raymond Gregory, is an LGBTQ pioneer in his own right. He worked in law enforcement as an out gay man for 27 years until he retired from that profession in 2017.

There are five gay bars in Cathedral City, including The Barracks with its own underwear night on Wednesdays. The Barracks is difficult to find at night even with your GPS. It’s entrance is behind the Arco station on 67625 E. Palm Canyon Drive, but the bright lights from the gas station kind of hide the entrance to Barracks.

The piano bar One Eleven is part of a strip mall a little farther south of the Barracks.

Trunks has the same owners as the famed West Hollywood bar by the same name. Trunks is just across the street from Cathedral City’s newest attraction, its beautiful amphitheater.

Amp Sports Lounge is the place to watch sports and be sure to catch Shade Drag Food and Drink every Saturday at 8pm.

The fabulous Roost Lounge is a video bar with a stage and live shows just steps away from Amp. Amp and Roost are a little hard to find, but Amp is just behind the popular Trilussa Restaurant and Roost is just around the corner from Amp. Runway is the place to eat and drink. Sunday nights are particularly popular with women for the wonderful singer Rebecca Clark 4 to 6pm, who does a spot-on impression of Barbra Streisand.

While Palm Springs has California’s latest celebration of Pride in November, Cathedral City boasts California’s first Pride with Cathedral City’s LGBT Days, scheduled for March 25-27 2022. The celebration will include a bed race, parade, festival, and live shows.

Cathedral City often gets overshadowed by Palm Springs but has a prominent place in LGBTQ history.

Greg Pettis was the city’s former mayor and was the longest-serving member of the City Council after first being elected in 1994. He was the first openly gay candidate to run for office in the Coachella Valley. Pettis pushed for the idea of the Coachella Valley’s first rainbow crossing in 2016 to coincide with the city’s LGBT days. Sadly, Pettis died in 2019. The crossing was repainted earlier this year in his memory. It’s at Highway 111 and West Buddy Rogers Avenue, on both sides of the city’s iconic bell tower. t For links to venues in this article, visit www.ebar.com. visitgreaterpalmsprings.com includes a great LGBTQ travel guide.

Hunters bar

Streetbar

Palm Springs

From page 15

Streetbar staff

A drag performer at Toucans Tiki Lounge.

Ed Walsh

<<

t Ed Walsh

16 • Bay Area Reporter • September 2-8, 2021

One Eleven bar

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

Make your reservation at calacademy.org

31023-CAS-Sharks-Bay Area Reporter-9.75x16-06.03.21-FA.indd 1

6/4/21 10:57 AM

<< Theatre

18 • Bay Area Reporter • September 2-8, 2021

<<

Theatre

From page 15

Harrison Rivers’ Interlude was commissioned by the New Conservatory Theatre and first produced during the pandemic as a recorded audiovisual presentation. Now, this poetic psychological portrait of a Black San Franciscan, who returns to his childhood home in Kansas during the pandemic, has been adapted for the stage. This is a delicate, intimate piece that will likely be enhanced by the collective engagement of an audience in the room.

There’s more queer drama on tap with Theatre Rhinoceros’ At The Wake of a Dead Drag Queen.

Playwright Terry Guest has written a 90-minute, two-player shoestring extravaganza that seems custom made for a star turn by Billy Porter.

It’s a collage-like examination of inherited racial and sexual trauma that hopscotches its way from African ancestry to AIDS shaming to Beyoncé fandom.

Beyond Rocky Horror, this month brings another cultish resurrection as Jesus Christ Superstar takes the stage of the Golden Gate Theatre as part of a 50th anniversary tour. It’s a spare, muscular rock concert iteration whose UK production won an Olivier Award for best musical revival in 2017. Still, despite a few earworms, there’s more bombast than bliss in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s score. I don’t know how to love it.

After wrapping up its San Francisco run this weekend, the company of Hamilton heads down the peninsula for the show’s first-ever San Jose engagement.

Several repeat-attendees of Hamilton say that this particular cast is not only the best that’s played the Orpheum, but may even have better chemistry than the original Broadway ensemble. Simon Longnight’s turn as Lafayette is a knockout.

t

Interlude. October. 8 – November. 7. www.nctcsf.org At the Wake of A Dead Drag Queen. October. 27-Nove,ber.14. www.therhino.org Jesus Christ Superstar. Oct. 13 – Nov. 7. www.broadwaysf.com Hamilton. October 12-31. www.broadwaysanjose.com

November Berkeley Repertory had been set to reopen in September with a different play, now rescheduled, but Wintertime, by the manic magpie playwright Charles Mee, seems a wonderful way to invite us back to the theater. It’s a zany, overstuffed romantic farce full of sexual zigzags, family melodrama and clever references to other works of art and literature. This is theater lovers’ theater; a big, juicy welcome back kiss.

Theo, one of the lovers at the center of Plot Points in Our Sexual Development describes themself as a “genderqueer trans person who is not a woman and is not a man, but is kind of a man, who loves lesbian jokes.” The other lover, Cecily, is a lesbian, not at all comfortable being the butt of any joke. Such are the complexities of love in the time of gender fluidity. Playwright Miranda Rose Hall gives her characters—and audiences—a tangled thicket of issues to work through in an effort to better understand and empathize with one another. Plan on a long conversation over drinks afterward at New Conservatory Theatre Center.

Aurora Theater returns to the live stage with another relationship play: Father/Daughter by Kait Kerrigan.

This formally inventive player piece braids a pair of family stories that take place 23 years apart. In one, the actors play a divorced father and his lover. In the second, they play the divorcee’s grown daughter and her lover. Audiences are challenged to ponder how a child’s relationship with parents impacts that child’s later romantic relationships, and vice versa.

Jesus Christ Superstar At The Wake of a Dead Drag Queen playwright Terry Guest; Harry Potter and The Cursed Child

Wintertime. Nov. 12 – Dec. 19. www.berkeleyrep.org Plot Points in Our Sexual Development. Nov. 12-12/19. www.nctcsf.org Father/Daughter. Nov. 12 – Dec. 12. www.auroratheatre.org Two problematic yet beloved shows return to San Francisco stages in productions that make an effort at corrections. At the Curran, Harry Potter and The Cursed Child returns from hiatus debloated. The former two-parter has now been squooshed into a single event. While hardcore Potterphiles will surely obsess over what’s been cut, I doubt anything will really be missed.

The plot isn’t changing, and the show will be more affordable and accessible.

My Fair Lady dances into The Orpheum with everybody’s grandma close behind. But director Bartlett Sher’s new staging is said to feature a modernized feminist flair, with Eliza Doolittle showing as much backbone

as leg. Still, one wonders, in today’s social climate, can any faithful version of Lerner and Loewe’s 1956 musical spin on Shaw possibly overcome male chauvinist Pygmalion?

Marin Theatre Company springs back into action with holiday comfort fare. Georgiana and Kitty: Christmas at Pemberley is the third installment of playwrights Margot Melcon and Lauren Gunderson’s romantic expansion of Pride and Prejudice.

Fans of last season’s MTC production of Gunderson’s ferociously topical The Catastrophist will get a real sense of her versatility here. And if Harry Potter and Marvel can have their own full-blown Universes, surely Jane Austen deserves one as well.

Harry Potter and The Cursed Child. Nov. 28 – Sept. 4, 2022. sf.harrypottertheplay.com My Fair Lady. Nov. 2- 28. www.broadwaysf.com Georgiana and Kitty: Christmas

at Pemberley. Nov. 18—Dec. 19. www.marintheatre.org

December A welcome alternative to Christmas carols (By the way, a version of Dickens’ will be playing the Golden Gate), The Cassandra Sessions at Shotgun Players is a theatrical concert that renders the Trojan priestess’ prophecies of the future through the songs of American folk and blues legend Malvina Reynolds, whose compositions include the Daly Cityinspired “Little Boxes.” Conceived and performed by Beth Wilmurt with striking sound design by Jake Rodriguez, most details about the show are still under wraps. Even so, it’s the holiday season’s most intriguing theatrical gift.

The Cassandra Sessions. Dec. 2 – 19. www.shotgunplayers.org. t

Celebrate Vegas Pride at SAHARA! The ultimate pride package

complete with luxury accommodations, a $75 Resort Credit, and more!

Book Now at saharalasvegas.com Based on availability. Black-out dates apply. Management reserves all rights.

<< Fine Arts

20 • Bay Area Reporter • September 2-8, 2021

Fall offerings at museums and galleries

t

by Sura Wood

M

any cherished art institutions were shut down this year, only to resurrect themselves in recent months and be welcomed back by a grateful public. The good news is that some previously scheduled shows that didn’t arrive on time are opening this fall, late but unbowed; and, in a refreshing turn of events, several are solo exhibitions devoted to female artists. The following is a sampling of what’s in store in an unusual, if somewhat curtailed art season.

de Young Museum

Hung Liu, the Oakland-based, Chinese American painter and beloved teacher, who grew up under the thumb of Mao’s Cultural Revolution and was dispatched to a “reeducation” camp before emigrating to the U.S. in 1984, died unexpectedly in August.

Her site-specific installation, Golden Gate, based on archival photographs of displaced peoples and historical documents, is another chance to appreciate her deeply rooted humanity.

Through March 13, 2022.

Judy Chicago’s first ever retrospective, a long overdue, comprehensive overview of her career from the 1960s onward, is finally here. Adopting a perfect moniker for an ace girl detective, Chicago, ne Judith Cohen, was a friend of Anais Nin, and a founding mother of the feminist art movement in the 1970s.

She’s best known for her critiques of patriarchy and The Dinner Party.

The controversial installation, completed in 1979, set a table for 39 accomplished women: goddesses, historic figures and other notables, from Sojourner Truth, Artemisia Gentileschi and Candy Stanton to the Egyptian pharaoh, Hatsheput, and Emily Dickinson. Quite the guest list. The project, seen by over a million people, catapulted Chicago to prominence but its notoriety overshadowed artwork she produced before and after.

This show serves as a corrective, incorporating representative examples of all her major series, bodies of work that reflect her interest in birth and creation, gender and constructs of masculinity, her Jewish background, the Holocaust and mortality. And, yes, she hails from the Windy City. August 28 - January 9, 2022.

Pizazz is the word for Patrick Kelly: Runway of Love, which, for those suffering from a fun deficit, answers a craving for a sparkly, irreverent costume extravaganza. This one sports 80 exuberant, body-conscious, unabashedly out–there ensembles by

Shimon Attie’s Night Watch

the openly gay Black fashion designer, who didn’t flinch from addressing race in his work. Kelly gleefully riffed on legendary couturiers and the glitzy gay club scenes of New York and Paris, while paying homage to the Eiffel Tower, Billie Holiday and Jessica Rabbit. (Bette Davis was among his ardent fans.) Oct. 23-April 24, 2022. www. deyoung.famsf.org

Contemporary Jewish Museum Judy Chicago also pops up in Experience Leonard Cohen, which offers takes from Jewish artists on the moody poet, singer-songwriter philosopher king in a quartet of solo exhibitions. Chicago’s Cohanim is a suite of a dozen paintings on porcelain, each interpreting lyrics by Cohen that are meaningful to her. Her exhibition and George Fok’s Passing Through, a video pastiche of memories and concert footage, are up until January 2; Candice Breitz and Marshall Trammell’s responses to Cohen’s legacy will be on view Sept. 18- Feb. 13, 2022. www.thecjm.org

Berkeley Art Museum/ Pacific Film Archive One of the most extensive exhibitions the museum has mounted, New Time: Art and Feminisms in the 21st Century is an ambitious, if not definitive survey of contemporary feminist art. Organized thematically in sections with catchy titles like “Prelude: Arch of Hysteria,” “Returning the Gaze,” “The Body in Pieces,” and my favorite, “Too Nice for Too Long,” it brings together 140 objects by collectives and 76 artists of all genders, mining a wide range of media.

Don’t let the threat of pretentious academic scholarship scare you off.

The show promises to be a blast. Keep your eyes peeled for art stars Kiki

Professional headshots / profile pics Weddings / Events

StevenUnderhill

415 370 7152 • StevenUnderhill.com

STEVEN-17160-17161.indd 1

The late Hung Liu’s Golden Gate; Judy Chicago’s retrospective and Patrick Kelly’s Runway of Love at the de Young Museum

8/28/21 2:17 PM

Experience Leonard Cohen at Contemporary Jewish Museum

Smith, Francesca Woodman, Louise Bourgeois, Kara Walker, the wily Marilyn Minter and the shit-kickers of Pussy Riot. Through Jan. 31, 2022. www.bampfa.org

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art A magical mystery tour of the fiftyyear career of Nam June Paik, the playful electronic video artist, packs in more than 200 multidisciplinary works that titillate the senses with a fusion of music, art and technology.

The exhibition illuminates how the Korean-born Paik presaged our obsession with screens, and foresaw the dominance of 24/7 mass media and the internet age.

In “TV Garden,” dozens of TV sets dot makeshift garden foliage like alien flowers. Elsewhere, a pair of robots are dedicated to collaborators John Cage and Merce Cunningham. But, the piece de resistance has to be his largescale, techno version of the Sistine Chapel, a trippy, kaleidoscopic razzle dazzle of sound and images emanating from dozens of projectors. Could it be Paik has done Michelangelo one better? See for yourself before the carnival departs October 3.

Measuring twenty–two by seventyfour feet and weighing in at over sixty thousand pounds, Pan American Unity, Diego Rivera’s epic last mural in the U.S., was created for the 1940 Golden Gate International Exposition on ten steel-framed panels, while an audience, gathered in an airplane hangar, looked on. A shout-out to cultural solidarity, it depicts artists, artisans and innovators, with the Bay Area as backdrop. Through summer 2023.

Yet another retrospective, in this instance of Joan Mitchell works, coorganized by SFMOMA, debuts this month. Artfully melding the psychological, the emotional and the physical with bold experimentation and cascading color, the Chicago native attained critical success in the predominantly male circles of the New York art scene in the 1950s, before moving to Paris in 1959 and spending the ensuing four decades in France.

The show includes 80 transporting abstract oils, which draw on music, memory, poetry and both internal and external landscapes, as well as

Amoako Boafo’s Soul of Black Folks at MOAD

the artist’s personal correspondence, photographs and sketchbooks. Sept.

4-Jan 17, 2022. www.SFMOMA.org

Asian Art Museum

Perhaps driven by the desire to escape the confinement of lockdowns and accompanying sensory deprivation, curators and audiences alike have been attracted to enveloping alternative environments. With teamLab: Continuity, the uncorked imaginations of a Tokyo-based collective, a mash–up of artists, animators, engineers and software nerds, have conspired to create a constantly morphing, digitally projected universe of sound, light and a riot of saturated color imagery, inspired by East Asian art and the natural world. Enter a darkened realm with 14 movement-triggered works covering the floor and walls of the museum’s new, 8,500- square foot pavilion, and get ready to bliss out. Through February 2022; reservations required. www.

AsianArt.org

Catherine Clark Gallery Billed as a multi-city social justice event, Shimon Attie’s Night Watch will traverse the San Francisco Bay, hugging the city and Oakland shorelines. A floating art installation loaded with metaphor, it’s comprised of a dozen jumbo-sized portraits of otherwise faceless refugees granted asylum in the U.S. –most of them members of LGBTQ+ communities around the world– who fled persecution and violence in their home countries.

The larger-than-life images, displayed on a 20-foot wide, high-res LED screen, will cruise the coast on a slow-moving barge that shoves off in the early evening. Ft. Mason, Pier 15 & 39, Rincon Park, Waterbar Restaurant, Oakland Estuary and Brooklyn Basin are prime vantage points on the shorefront, where one can also partake of nightly performances by musicians, martial artists and dancers.

Sept. 17-19. www.cclarkgallery.com

Museum of the African Diaspora

After an extended closure, MoAD is back with a raft of solo exhibitions, including two spotlighting important contemporary African artists. In Soul of Black Folks, art market sensation, Ghanian painter Amoako Boafo,

lavishes twenty recent canvases with thick sensual brushstrokes, capturing the luminous skin tones and contours of intense Black figures isolated in single color fields.

Boafo’s show is paired with that of Malawi/South African artist, Billie Zangewa, who started out in fashion and advertising. Those trades, a flair for textiles and an emphasis on the undervalued contributions of women and the interconnectedness of the personal and the political, are embodied by her first museum show, Thread for a Web Begun, where she challenges traditional stereotypes and the objectification of the female form in collages of hand-sewn silk. Oct. 21-Feb. 27, 2022. www.moadsf.org

Jenkins Johnson Gallery In Entangled in Truth, the New York-based, African American narrative painter Philemona Williamson explores the precarious, often fraught passage between adolescence and adulthood and innocence and experience. Deploying lush colors and characters inhabiting dreamlike scenarios informed by the artist’s childhood reveries, she evokes the vulnerability and uncertainties of boys and girls of color on the cusp of adulthood. Sept.

11-Oct. 30. www.jenkinsjohnsongallery.com Pier 24 provides an unparalleled, cathedral-like experience for viewing photography. Looking Back: Ten Years of Pier 24 Photography, the first of two consecutive exhibitions marking the tenth anniversary of the singular venue, highlights photographers favored by the foundational private collector, many of whom, including Robert Adams, Diane Arbus, Richard Avedon, Dorothea Lange and Hiroshi Sugimoto, played pivotal roles in the medium.

One can peruse 120 years of portraiture by more than 50 different photographers, from mugshots –a guilty pleasure– to works by unknowns and veteran artists. Visits are by appointment only, and can be made online; you’ll get two hours with a mere handful of other lucky souls to leisurely prowl the vast space in contemplative pleasure, and it’s free.

Through Dec. 31. www.Pier24.org. t

when freedom rings, answer

Philadelphia is calling. Plan your visit.

VisitPhilly.com

pack light plan big for philly

<< Nightlife

22 • Bay Area Reporter • September 2-8, 2021

Fall concerts, comedy & club fun

by David-Elijah Nahmod

W

ith the state reopened, Bay Area cabaret, rock and concert venues are once again filling their halls with the sound of music and laughter. Here are some of the events that you can attend in the coming months. Please be aware that some events may be cancelled.

Check with each venue regarding their safety protocols.

Oasis San Francisco’s most popular queer nightclub, has quite a few shows lined up for the Fall season.

On September 9 at 7pm Oasis will present drag queen extraordinaire Sherry Vine in her new show I Love Being a Whore. Sherry will offer new and deliciously dirty takes on Journey, Laura Brannigan, Lady Gaga and more, along with classic covers of her hits since 1991. $20-30.

From September 16-24, Baloney returns to the Oasis just in time for the return of the Folsom Street Fair.

It’s Baloney’s first live, in-person show of 2021 and features some of its most popular material plus a few new dirty tricks. The evening of titillating performance is part theater, part dance, part striptease and almost all-male. 7-9pm. $35-70 For five nights beginning September 28, join Varla Jean Merman at Oasis in her new show, Little Prick. Join everyone’s favorite non-essential twerker poolside where she will vaccinate audiences with a double dose of new songs and viral videos. Shows start at 7pm. $25-50.

And from October 7-31, Oasis will present, in collaboration with Ray of Light Theatre, their live, immersive production of The Rocky Horror Show. Starring D’Arcy Drollinger as Frank. N.

t

Furter, with Snaxx as Columbia, there will be three timed entrances for each show, so be sure to take note which time you are purchasing. Oasis will not be able to accommodate latecomers. Tickets start at $30.

And jumping ahead a bit, on November 7 at 7pm, elegant chanteuse Vanessa Bousay returns to Oasis with Nightingale, a ’70s tribute to Carole King and Karen Carpenter. Vanessa will be joined

by Tom Shaw at piano, Roberta Drake on drums and special guest vocalist Steven Satyricon. $25. www.sfoasis.com

Feinstein’s at the Nikko San Francisco’s premiere cabaret, has come roaring back postlockdown. On September 9 and 10 at 8pm Tony and Grammy winner John Lloyd Young will take to the stage in the club’s stunning new Nikko Presents showroom. Best known for his portrayal of Frankie Valli in the hit Broadway musical Jersey Boys, a role he reprised in the 2014 film version, Young will offer an evening of classic hits and new favorites. Show commences at 8pm each night. $85. www.feinsteinssf.com

The Warfield On October 1 at 8pm, the Market Street theater known for presenting touring rock bands will present the incomparable Bianca Del Rio in her new show Unsanitized. Del Rio once again brings her unique brand of drag comedy to the San Francisco stage. Tickets start at $42.50.

And on December 3, more riotous comedy will be on hand when Nikki Glaser tickles your funny bone at the Warfield. $39.75-$50. www.thewarfieldtheatre.com

SF Baloney returns to Oasis

Chase Center On December 11, usher in your holiday season with Trevor Noah at the Chase Center on his Back to Abnormal tour. Noah will offer his own unique brand of politically-aware comedy. $39-149. On September 29, spend an intimate evening when the adorable male chanteuse Michael Bublé appears in concert at the Chase Center. www.chasecenter.com

The Masonic In the mood for some queer comedy? Then head on over to the Masonic Auditorium on October 22 at 8pm for the in-your-face antics of the hilarious lesbian comic Wanda Sykes. The comedy just keeps getting queerer when Randy Rainbow, the master of musical parody, brings his Pink Glasses tour to the Masonic for two shows on November 20, at 7 and 9:30pm. And return to the Masonic on December 28 at 8pm and enjoy some 80s rock ‘n roll with The Go-Go’s. www.livenation.com

Varla Jean Merman

Mountain Winery

Yoshi’s

Two legends of the queer music world come to the Bay Area.

First, on September 12 at 7:30 pm, Rufus Wainwright will perform at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga in support of his new album. Wainwright will be joined by his special guest, Aimee Mann (Till Tuesday). $39.50-89.50. www.mountainwinery.com

In the mood for some cool jazz?

Then check out Bay Area music maker Goapele, who will be doing two shows a night at Yoshi’s in Oakland from November 11-14.

Then, you can swing with the big band sounds of the Count Basie Orchestra on November 15 at 8pm. And from December 6-8, get down with the intense violin sounds of Damien Escobar. Note: Escobar will perform two shows on Dec. 8. www.yoshis.com

August Hall Then, on October 1 at 7:30pm, Bob Mould brings his unique brand of rock and roll to August Hall in a concert that promises to deliver the punk sound he gained fame for in the ’80s and ’90s. $28.50 www.augusthallsf.com

The Fillmore

Bianca Del Rio

It’s hard to believe that legendary musician Todd Rundgren is 73 years old. The venerable rocker has been making music for decades, and on November 16 & 17 he brings his unique sound to the stage of The Fillmore at 8pm. $50-199. www.livenation.com

Great American Music Hall And finally, usher in your Christmas season a little early when legendary “trash” filmmaker John Waters returns to the Great American Music Hall with A John Waters Christmas: It’s a Yuletide Massacre. This ho-hohomo will pose the questions: Was Joseph a virgin too? Is Santa now an incel? Is Rudolph a bossy bottom? And is Prancer a no-fats-orfemmes top? It’s all in the name of good, dirty fun and it happens November 29 at 8pm. This always sells out, so get your tickets now. $65-130. www.gamh.com See page 23 >>

Rufus Wainwright, John Waters, Wanda Sykes, Bob Mould and Goapele

t <<

Nightlife >>

Nightlife

From page 22

Comedy Besides offerings of music, there will also be some rollicking good comedy on hand. On September 2 you can join Lisa Geduldig and her funny friends for Comedy Al Fresco, her first in person show since the pandemic began. The laughs will take place on the patio of El Rio, a safe, outdoor setting. In addition to Geduldig, you can enjoy the comic stylings of Judi Leff, Arjun Banerjee, Karinda Dobbins, and Bob McIntyre. Masks are required. The show will also be live streamed. $10-25. www. cityboxoffice.com Geduldig and her hilarious 90-year-old mom Arline will continue to present Lockdown

September 2-8, 2021 • Bay Area Reporter • 23

Comedy, a monthly series of comedy shows on Zoom which came about as a result of the pandemic. Geduldig will host and perform with new guest performers each month, including her mom, who became an unexpected surprise hit of Lockdown Comedy earlier this year. Lockdown Comedy comes to your computer screens the 3rd Thursday of each month, with the exception of September which will take place on the 4th Thursday, September 23. Other upcoming performance dates October 21 and November 25. Shows start at 6 pm, except for September 23 which will start at 7pm. Cost is $10-20 (whatever you want to pay).

And be sure to join Geduldig and company for her 29th annual Kung Pao Kosher Comedy December 24-26. This is Geduldig’s big holiday extravaganza.

Lisa and Arline Geduldig

It’s kosher comedy in a Chinese restaurant for Christmas, because what else can Jews do on Christ-

mas except go out for Chinese food! Guests for this year’s Kosher Comedy are TBA and will

be posted at the website once the line-up is finalized. www.koshercomedy.com t

hibernation is finally over. head to the beACH. GO CITY-HOPPING. DINE OUT. SHOP LOCAL. GO WINE TASTING. GET SOME R&R IN THE NAME OF RECOVERY.

~ support your state by vacationing here ~

VCA_CAC_SFBayAreaReporter_07-22.indd 1

7/16/21 12:36 PM

<< Film

24 • Bay Area Reporter • September 2-8, 2021

t

Fall film forum Anticipated autumn movies

Let’s talk cannabis.

Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story

CASTRO • MARINA • SOMA

by Brian Bromberger

C10-0000523-LIC; C10-0000522-LIC; C10-0000515-LIC

I

n early June, when California lifted many COVID restrictions, things began to look up for movie theaters, which reopened after being shuttered for 16 months. Studios this fall are releasing movies that were supposed to open last year in the hope audiences will be tempted to see these anticipated features in-person despite any health risks. Will people be willing to sit for two hours wearing masks?

Will it be financially worthwhile for theaters to show movies when social distancing limits seating?

Will audiences –now used to streaming pictures at home– decide it isn’t worth the cost and possible exposure to watch on the big screen, especially since the time between a film playing in a theater and then sent to a streaming platform or put on Blu-ray/DVD has been considerably shortened?

Still, there’s no shortage of quality, attention-grabbing movies catering to queer tastes coming this fall. Films release dates are for theaters, unless otherwise noted.

September

Untitled-2 1

8/28/21 3:39 PM

Monday 8am

(last seating 9:45pm)

Tuesday 8am

(last seating 9:45pm)

Open Daily!

New Adjusted Hours

Wednesday 8am (last seating 9:45pm)

Thursday 8am Open 24 Hours

Friday

Open 24 Hours

Saturday

Open 24 Hours

Sunday 7am

(last seating 9:45pm)

Proudly serving the community since 1977.

3991-A 17th Street, Market & Castro 415-864-9795

Cinderella (Sept. 3/Amazon Prime): Music sensation Camila Cabello stars with support from Idina Menzel, Pierce Brosnan, James Corden, and Billy Porter (Pose) as the Fairy Godmother, in this British/ American musical of the beloved fairy tale, featuring original songs and pop classics (e.g. Eurthymics’ Sweet Dreams).

Worth (Sept. 3/Netflix): Michael Keaton plays lawyer Kenneth Feinberg in this biopic, as he struggles with bureaucracy and politics to provide financial compensation for the victims/families of 9/11, with help from Amy Ryan and Stanley Tucci, just in time for the 20th anniversary of this colossal tragedy.

Blood Brothers (Sept. 9/Netflix): Documentary on the friendship between Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X including their eventual falling out, fictionalized in last year’s One Night in Miami.

Language Lessons (Sept. 10): Mark Duplais wrote and stars as gay Adam, who after a life crisis begins taking Spanish lessons online, from a straight Costa Rican woman and they bond. It played at Frameline this year.

Capote Tapes (Sept. 10): This documentary exploring celebrated gay author Truman Capote uses narration from uncovered tapes of interviews that George Plimpton, co-founder of The Paris Review, conducted with Capote’s friends and colleagues after his 1984 death.

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie (Sept. 17/Amazon Prime): The adventures of an aspiring adolescent drag queen (Mark Harwood), tutored

by Richard E. Grant (Can You Ever

Forgive Me?) as a veteran drag performer. This film played at Frameline in June.

Eyes of Tammy Faye (Sept. 17): Andrew Garfield becomes televangelist Jim Bakker while Jessica Chastain channels his wife Tammy, detailing the couples’ rise and fall in the 1970s and 1980s leading to their infamous 1987 sex/financial scandal.

My Name is Pauli Murray (Sept.

17/Theater; October 1/Amazon Prime): Documentary on the nonbinary Black lawyer, poet, activist, and Episcopal priest way ahead of her time on civil rights, who influenced Thurgood Marshall and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Featured at last month’s SF Jewish Film Festival.

Dear Evan Hansen (Sept. 24): The hit Broadway musical, which made a star of Tony Award-winning Ben Platt, reprising the title character high school student suffering from social anxiety, who begins self-discovery and healing following a classmate’s suicide. The trailer has suggested to some that Platt at 27 is too old for the role. Julianne Moore plays Platt’s mother, while Amy Adams acts the classmate’s mother.

October The Addams Family 2 (Oct. 1): The sequel to 2019’s animated The Addams Family, with Oscar Isaac as Gomez, Charlize Theron as Morticia, and Bette Midler as Grandmama, based on the campy 1960s television comedy.

Many Saints of Newark (Oct. 1/ HBO Max): The film prequel to the landmark HBO series The Sopranos with the late James Gandolfini’s son Michael playing the young Tony Soprano revealing how he became the mobster later played by his father.

Diana: The Musical (Oct. 1/ Netflix): This is a live recording of the 2019 stage musical on the life of the late Princess of Wales, mother of Princes William and Harry, two months ahead of its Broadway debut.

No Time to Die (Oct. 8): Daniel Craig returns in his final turn as James Bond 007 as he searches for a missing scientist, with Oscar winner Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody)

cast as villain terrorist Lyutsifer Safin and gay actor Ben Whishaw appearing again as M16’s Quartermaster Q. Halloween Kills (Oct. 15): A sequel to the rebooted 2018 Halloween, which followed directly from the 1978 John Carpenter horror classic, with Jamie Lee Curtis repeating her role as Laurie Strode leading a vigilante mob against the impossible to kill monster Michael Myers.

Last Duel (Oct. 15): A historical drama in 14th-century France, directed by Ridley Scott, about a woman raped by her husband’s best friend, who is challenged by him to the last legally sanctioned duel in French history, with an all-star cast: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Adam Driver, and Jodie Comer.

The Velvet Underground (Oct.15/Theaters/Apple TV +): This documentary history of the revered 1960s/1970s rock band recalls their avant-garde, underground, alternative music laid the groundwork for the later development of punk rock and new wave music. It features indepth interviews with key players and never-before-seen performances.

Their original manager was Andy Warhol who convinced his protege German-born Nico to sing on their debut album, which made stars of Lou Reed, John Cale, and Sterling Morrison. The film is directed by gay auteur Todd Haynes, who made the 1998 gay fictionalized musical drama Velvet Goldmine, partially influenced by the band, especially Lou Reed.

Julia (Oct. 15): A documentary on the life of pioneering PBS TV chef Julia Child.

Dune (Oct. 22/HBO Max): The latest version, directed by Denis Villeneuve, supposedly following closely the epic sci-fi Frank Herbert masterwork featuring Timothee Chalamet as Paul Atreides and the fate of the desert planet Arrakis, in an attempt to erase the memory of David Lynch’s maligned 1984 film.

French Dispatch (Oct. 22): The travails in an outpost of an American newspaper set in a fictionalized 20thcentury French city that brings to life a collection of stories printed in “The French Dispatch,” showcasing an allSee page 25 >>

Idina Menzel, Camila Cabello and Billy Porter in Cinderella

t

Film >>

September 2-8, 2021 • Bay Area Reporter • 25

Andrew Garfield and Jessica Chastain in Eyes of Tammy Faye; Tom Holland in Spider-Man: No Way Home; Ben Platt in Dear Evan Hansen

Adam Driver and Lady Gaga in House of Gucci

N E W

C O N S E R V A T O R Y

T H E A T R E

C E N T E R

40

21–22

ss fearleITYart

inc lus

JOY

Queer

joy

dynam

z

pizzaz

i com wel e div ers

ic

MOV ING

fearless

Imaginative powerful allied

SEASON

e bol usiv inclsm artd allied

DELICIOUS Innovative art

OME

D bright elig

HUMANITY

P

delicio us

ng

family

INNOV

smart US ATIVE Z ADV ENT URO I Z Z A Z

intimate

QU EE R mic NEW Dyna

ive

visionary

ENTERTAINING strong NATE ASSIO opp ort charac ters uni ty COMP

EW NFUN

AN

HUM

Magic

ht

stronges performanc

ing S mov RACTER

queer

CHA

MAGIC

ersZZe divPIZZA

ul

heartwarming TEN ING

imaginativ

ALLIED IN

e divers Tquality ming emotamicPr oving SMnAovaRtive ul elco W in WARMING D yn QUALITYi d htf Oppor HEARTE ly community Intimate adventurous Fami

LOVE

powerf

homE

ENL IGH

powerful

g

l

bold

Opportunity

H ertainin Q+ Enlightening LGBT visionary lentbright LOVE bold M STRONG iona

fu

TIM

AT E

fun

e pride

magic

visionary

inclusive QUALITY tunity Com Wc deligpeNErfo o m m passionate it love rmances u n MO VIN y al G on

emoti

joy

HUMANITY

Q+ BT LGadven turous

RETURN TO LIVE THEATRE AT NCTC IN 2021

Timothee Chalamet in Dune

Oct 8-Nov 7, 2021 World Premiere Commission

By Harrison David Rivers Directed by ShawnJ West

<<

Film

From page 24

star cast including Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, Timothee Chalamet, Saoirse Ronan, and Francis McDormand, directed by Wes Anderson.

November

Nov 12-Dec 19, 2021 Regional Premiere

By Miranda Rose Hall Directed by Leigh Rondon-Davis

Dec 3-Feb 20, 2021 West Coast Premiere

By Martin Sherman Directed by Arturo Catricala

Subscribe or buy tickets at NCTCSF.ORG 25 Van Ness Ave at Market St

Eternals (Nov. 5): Oscar-winning director Chloe Zhao’s (Nomadland) latest film about the Eternals, a race of immortal beings with superhuman powers, who for thousands of years have secretly lived on Earth, re-unite to battle the evil Deviants. The film features the first openly gay superhero Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry) and also stars Angelina Jolie and Salma Hayek.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife (Nov. 11): A supernatural comedy directed

by Jason Reitman and a sequel to the 1984 classic, starring the original Ghostbusters team (Bill Murray, Dan Ackroyd, Sigourney Weaver) about a haunted decayed Oklahoma farmhouse and a new generation of paranormal hunters (Paul Rudd, Finn Wolfhard, McKenna Grace).

Belfast (Nov. 12): A semi-autobiographical film, written and directed by Kenneth Branagh, about a workingclass family during the tumult of the late 1960s in the Northern Ireland capitol, including Dame Judi Dench as Granny.

House of Gucci (Nov. 24/Paramount+): The turbulent marriage and divorce of the famed fashion designer (Adam Driver) and his exwife Patrizia (Lady Gaga), who later helped engineer his assassination.

Directed by Ridley Scott with appearances by Al Pacino and Jeremy Irons.

Soggy Bottom (Nov. 26): If nothing but for the title, this drama, written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, follows a high school student becoming an actor in the 1970s, starring Bradley Cooper.

December Benedetta (Dec. 3): A French/ Dutch biographical drama, co-written and directed by Paul Verhoeven, concerning a novice nun in a 17th Italian convent who has a lesbian love affair with another nun.

West Side Story (Dec. 10): Probably the most anticipated film of the year, a musical remake of the 1961 classic of two teenagers from rival street gangs falling in love in 1950’s New York City. A modern interpretation loosely based on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, is directed by Steven Spielberg. The story reportedly is more similar to the 1957 stage musical than the 1961 film. Rita Moreno, who won an Oscar as Anita, has a small role as Valentina and is also an executive producer.

Spider-Man: No Way Home (Dec. 17): The latest film about the Marvel Comics superhero with Peter Parker (Tom Holland) seeking the help of neurosurgeon Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberland) to help make his identity as Spider-Man a secret again. Zendaya plays his girlfriend MJ. The Matrix 4: Resurrections (Dec. 22/HBO Max): The fourth installment, directed by Lana Wachowski, in the sci-fi action thriller with Keanu Reeves replicating his Neo role. The plot is unknown, but gay actors Neil Patrick Harris and Jonathan Groff are part of the cast.

Cyrano (Dec. 24): American-British musical drama, directed by Joe Wright (Atonement), based on the 2018 stage musical, itself indebted to the 1897 Edmond Rostand French play Cyrano de Bergerac, starring Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones), under the guise of another man, trying to woo Haley Bennett as Roxanne, his secret love interest. t

<< Music

26 • Bay Area Reporter • September 2-8, 2021

Notes, worthy

t

Opera, classical concerts this fall

M

usical institutions in San Francisco and the Bay Area are emerging from the pandemic to offer new fall seasons. Forced to find ways to connect virtually for more than a year and a half, they are ready to brave the future of live performance.

Digital solutions helped during shutdowns, but nothing can replace the synergy between audience and performer. Online presentations should continue, but we are accepting all health mandates, if they permit in person attendance.

Symphonic

San Francisco Symphony

Operatic San Francisco Opera started its 99th season with performances of Puccini’s Tosca, August 21-September 5. The verismo mega-hit has long been associated with milestones in the company’s history: a good selection to bring audiences back after months of separation.

The indomitable SFO has been hard at work, installing new seats, strategizing the future and making a wealth of content available free online.

Tosca revives a production from 2018, reviewed favorably by Bay Area Reporter Oct, 12, 2018. Music Director Eun Sun Kim officially inaugurates her tenure from the orchestra pit and 35 year Chorus Director Ian Robertson prepares his singers for a final season opener before his retirement at the end of 2021.

Soprano Ailyn Perez is the titular diva. Out, proud and talented tenor Michael Fabiano is her lover Cavaradossi. Bass-baritone Alfred Walker plays Scarpia, one of opera’s biggest baddies.

A one-night only celebration Friday, Sept. 10, 2021, Live and In Concert: The Homecoming signals “a new era” featuring three women who personify the face of opera today.

Conductor Eun Sun Kim, avowed ‘queer girl with a nose ring’ mezzosoprano Jamie Barton, and American soprano Rachel Willis-Sorensen.

The Homecoming includes toasts of sparkling wine and sit-down dinners, but is scaled down from previous galas. The event is simulcast to Oracle Park for free Opera at the Ballpark. A real San Francisco party!

Beethoven’s only opera Fidelio has survived as one of his greatest works.

The powerful ode to love is updated in Director Matthew Ozawa’s new production from an eighteenth-century prison to a contemporary government detainment center.

Soprano Elza van den Heever as Leonore disguises herself as a man to save her husband Florestan (tenor Russell Thomas) from evil Don Pizarro (bass-baritone Greer Grimsley). Proudly we report Thomas, van

den Heever, and Ozawa are all part of the LGBTQ+ community.

Fidelio is especially relevant today.

The chorus of prisoners finding a brief moment in the sun and the exalted finale resonate amidst the pandemic and global strife. The production runs October 14–30, 2021.

Cosi Fan Tutte (November 21-December 3, 2021) is the second installment of a multi-year project tagging all operatic collaborations between Mozart and librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte. The concept invents a trilogy set within the same house through different eras. For Cosi, the house is converted into a 1930s country club.

We loved Part 1, with The Marriage of Figaro set in Colonial times Figaro 2019. Part 3, Don Giovanni, arrives next summer. www.sfopera.com

Pianist Jonathan Biss

Operetta etc.

New Century Chamber Orchestra, with charismatic Music Director & Concertmaster Daniel Hope, returns to Bay Area and San Francisco venues September 30-October 3, 2021. Mark-Anthony Turnage’s “Lament,” for solo violin and string orchestra (NCCO Co-Commission) gets a US. Premiere. www.ncco.org San Francisco Performances has been a major cultural force for 42 years. Three cheers and fingers crossed for the new season. Back-toback bookings through December are slated for Herbst Theatre and Taube Atrium Theater. www.sfperformances.org Lamplighters Music Theatre is another beloved survivor. The Company has been taking advantage of their presence at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, joining with 42nd Street Moon, Ars Minerva, Opera Parallele, Pocket Opera, Theatre Flamenco, Urban Jazz Dance Company, and Volti for Welcome Back to the Arts in August at the YBCA Esplanade.

If you missed it, but long for their legendary wit and some Gilbert & Sullivan silliness, look at their plans. www.lamplighters.org. t

Conductor Eun Sun Kim

Nicolas Zonvi

The San Francisco Symphony is already bringing limited crowds back to Davies Symphony Hall and wellcurated streaming concerts make the SoundBox experience almost as good as being there. Masking and vaccinations will allow the full experience in December.

Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen joins Collaborative Partner Esperanza Spalding and Alonzo King LINES Ballet for opening week celebrations Oct. 1 and 2.

The calendar through the holidays is a diverse lineup of guest artists, premieres, and orchestral repertoire.

The inclusion of women composers Hannah Kendall Tuxedo: Vasco ‘de’ Gama (SFS/U.S. Premiere) and Unsuk Chin Graffiti (SFS Premiere) in October is encouraging; Anna Clyne’s Sound and Fury (SFS/U.S. premiere) arrives in November alongside Beethoven’s Ninth.

Salonen conducts an MTT-style theme concert, Exotic Birds: Debussy, Messiaen & Saariaho, in October as part of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestral Series. The repertoire is squarely in the maestro’s wheelhouse. Classics that are more traditional will feature in other concerts along with many living composers.

SFS Principal Trombone Timothy Higgins’ Trombone Concerto, an SFS commission, premieres during Music Director Laureate Michael Tilson Thomas’ return for two weeks in November.

Recuperating from recent surgery for a brain tumor, the Energizer Bunny of conductors said, “I look forward to seeing everyone again in November.” We look forward to the reunion too. His programs feature Mozart, Schumann, Copland and the overdue SFS premiere of AfricanAmerican composer William Grant Still’s “Patterns.”

The Film Series returns in December with the Orchestra accompanying Craig Armstrong’s score for Love Actually and John Williams’ music for Home Alone.

Handel’s Messiah returns (Badum-bum) in December. Other

seasonal concerts and special events include Deck the Hall, Holiday Soul featuring Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, and A Merry-Achi Christmas, and Alan Cumming narrates The Nutcracker & the Mouse King.

A Cool Yule Christmas-Holiday Favorites of Frank & Ella with Capathia Jenkins and Tony Desare sounds like fun too. And New Year’s Eve with Darren Criss, conducted by Bruce Anthony Kiesling, is December 31.

Single tickets for all SFS 2021–22 season concerts have been available since the end of August. www.sfsymphony.org

Jillian Edelstein/EMI Classics

by Philip Campbell

Timothy (Tim) Higgins, Principal Trombone San Francisco Symphony; Esperanza Spalding; Elza van den Heever stars in Fidelio photo: Juyang Chen; Daniel Hope, New Century Chamber Orchestra’s Music Director and Concert Master.

Untitled-3 1

8/25/21 12:32 PM

<< Dance

28 • Bay Area Reporter • September 2-8, 2021

A dance to Autumn

t

Bay Area terpsichorian talents

A

s the Bay Area (sort of) emerges from the pandemic, local dance companies and presenters are ready for pretty much anything. Our dance community’s performers, choreographers and administrators have shown an incredible amount of creativity and resiliency over the past year and a half, and are planning an incredible range of in-person and virtual events for the 2021 fall season.

As with all events, all plans are subject to change, so keep a close eye on each venue’s guidelines. Have your proof of vaccination ready, put on your mask, and support our amazing Bay Area dance community this season.

Ballet22’s

Carmen Oakland’s Ballet22 is committed to amplifying queer voices and stories and challenging gender stereotypes. This exciting double bill features two works by award-winning Spanish choreographer Ramón Oller, including a new take on his critically acclaimed Carmen with a cast of all male dancers and a world premiere featuring the artists of Ballet22 en pointe. Sept. 3-5, Great Star Theater (Chinatown). www.greatstartheater.org/carmen

Joe Good Performance Group,

A Time of Change Choreographers Joe Goode, Melecio Estrella (Bandaloop) and Oysterknife (Chibueze Crouch and Gabriele Christian) present a sitespecific world premiere featuring

indoor and outdoor pop-up performances with music, monologues and dance/movement. Sept. 1-19, locations throughout Haight-Ashbury. www.joegoode.org

Christopher Duggan

by Philip Mayard

Smuin Contemporary Ballet,

Limitless Michael Smuin Smuin Contemporary Ballet launches its new season with archived recordings of favorite ballets by its iconic founder, including Stabat Mater, Cyrano, Pinocchio and Zorro! Programs include interactive watch parties and live Q&As with Artistic Director Celia Fushille and special guests. Sept. 9-Oct. 4, online. www.smuinballet.org

Push Dance Company,

Emme Ya: Expedition If you missed the in-person benefit performance of Emme Ya: Expedition in August (a traveling sitespecific work around SOMA) you can get a peek at what transpired online. Plus enjoy interviews and a roundtable discussion about forming BASE, a BIPOC sanctuary in SF. Sept. 16-Oct. 16, online. www.pushdance.org

Hope Mohr Dance,

Bacchae Before Hope Mohr Dance returns to live, in-person performance with the world premiere of Bacchae Before, a dance theater project inspired by the tragedies of gender reveal parties featuring live performance and puppetry, and Bakkhai, a new version of Euripedes’ The Bacchae.

Sept. 28-Oct. 2, Joe Goode Annex. www.hopemohr.org

Mark Morris Dance Company

ODC/Dance,

Fall for Art Celebration ODC/Dance opens its “50+” anniversary season in the natural beauty of McEvoy Ranch in Sonoma. Raise a glass by the lake, wander the gardens, and enjoy new choreography in site-specific performances by ODC. This program benefits the artists of ODC and ODC’s Youth & Teen Program. Sept.

26, McEvoy Ranch (Sonoma). www. odc.dance/ffa

Funsch Dance Experience, Epoch In defiance of choreographer Doris Humphrey’s warning that “all dances are too long,” Epoch unfolds over a span of 12 hours. Featuring 15 dancers, one on-stage musician, and two choreographercollaborators, Christy Funsch developed the piece over the course of two years, excavating ideas from her past, then amalgamating them with collaborators into an epic new event. Oct. 2, in-person and live-streamed, ODC Theater. www.odc.dance

Flyaway Productions,

Meet Us Quickly With Your Mercy With choreography by Jo Kreiterand and text by Rahsaan Thomas, who lives behind bars at San Quentin State Prison, Meet Us Quickly will take place on the exterior facades of CounterPulse as well as the Dahlia Hotel next door. All performances are free. Oct. 14-17, in-person, outdoors, CounterPulse. www.counterpulse.org

SF Dance Film Festival Now in its 12th year, this year’s SF Dance Film Festival will offer 123 dance films from 25 countries. The festival opens at Fort Mason Center with an imaginative new hybrid live action/animated Coppelia, features a cast of international ballet stars led by dancer and activist Michaela DePrince, who will be on hand for a pre-show Q&A. Other highlights include a full range of films by Bay Area dancers and choreographers, documentaries about Alvin Ailey and Bill T. Jones, and Dancing Queens, a tribute to the LGBTQ community.

Oct. 15-24, in-person and online. www.sfdancefilmfest.org

Chitresh Das Inst. & ODC Theater,

Mantram Kathak artist and choreographer Charlotte Moraga’s new work, Mantram, explores resonance through movement, music, percussion and vedanta, the world’s oldest, unbroken oral tradition. Original score by renowned musician Alam Khan.

Oct.15-17, in-person at ODC Theater; October 28, livestream. www.odc.dance

San Francisco Trolley Dances One of our city’s favorite annual festivals of dance, this year’s Trolley Dances starts in the Castro and travels to San Francisco’s newlycoined neighborhood, the “East Cut” (Rincon Hill, Folsom Street, Transbay Terminal). Admission is free with the cost of a Muni ticket.

Oct. 16-17, in person outdoors at Rikki Streicher Field (Castro). www.epiphanydance.org

See page 29 >>

The senses reawaken.

Ready to restore your mind, body and spirit? Experience holistic self-care in harmony with nature in Sonoma County. From meditation deep in the redwood forest to yoga classes in the vineyards, you’ll discover unique wellness experiences as well as dozens of LGBTQ-friendly spas.

Explore LGBTQ+ getaways at sonomacounty.com/lgbtq

®

Dance

September 2-8, 2021 • Bay Area Reporter • 29

be announced soon. Oct. 28 & 29, Hammer Theatre Center, San Jose. www.hammertheatre.com

Soulskin Dance,

Sketch 11: Interrupted If you missed in-person performances of Sketch: 11 in August, this digital broadcast showcases Imagery Artistic Director Amy Seiwert and Artistic Fellow Ben Needham-Wood’s innovative new work in which they “interrupt” each other by exchanging active feedback during the creation process of their new ballets. Oct. 22, online. www.asimagery.org

Take 3 RAWdance offers two works created for the stage and re-envisioned for film. Shadow (part 1) is a multidisciplinary opus exploring identity through the murky world of our digital footprints. The Healer mines the ancient history, systems and beliefs of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Oct. 29-30, online. www.odc.dance

Closer and The Awakening Where else but San Francisco?

Closer is an introspective film created during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, when intimacy and physical connection was seen as dangerous and even forbidden. Plus, The Awakening, a celebration and a prayer harkening back to the 70’s and the never-ending party that was Studio 54. Nov. 5-6, in-person and online, Dance Mission Theater. www.dancemissiontheater.org

InkBoat,

Kinetech Arts & ODC Theater,

These are the Ones We Fell Among Taking inspiration from the movements, myths and metaphors of endangered animal species, awardwinning interdisciplinary artist Ann Carlson grapples with elegance in the face of extinction, looking for humor, grace, fear and fury. Nov. 5-7, ODC Theater www.odc.dance

Ballet Hispánico

From page 28

Amy Seiwert’s Imagery & ODC Theater,

Passage An immersive experience of performances, soundscapes and interactive installations, this hybrid performance will take place in ODC’s Studio B with a virtual extension to Chicago. Audience members enter the space every 30 minutes and may remain for up to one hour. Each performance will be a unique experience. Oct. 23-24, in-person and online, ODC Studio B. www.odc.dance

Doug Varone and Dancers Award-winning choreographer Doug Varone’s venerable NYCbased company returns to the Bay Area for a two-day run in San Jose.

Tickets and programs details will

RAWdance and ODC Theater,

Oakland Ballet,

Luna Mexicana Celebrate Dia de los Muertos with one of the Bay Area’s most joyous, colorful events, a collaboration with Ballet Folklórico México Danza and Nahui Ehekatl & Co. Aztec dance company. Nov. 5-6, Paramount Theatre, Oakland. www.oaklandballet.org

Ballet Hispánico

Cal Performances welcomes the legendary Ballet Hispánico in its Berkeley debut, with a program of Bay Area premieres by an intergenerational cadre of choreographers who have been part of the company’s 50-year history.

Nov. 6, Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley. www.calperformances.org

Caleb Teicher & Company,

More Forever Caleb Teicher, a founding member of Dorrance Dance and two-time Bessie Award winner, and his company make their Cal Performances debut with a performance that combines tap and Lindy Hop, performed in a 24-foot-square sandbox. With live piano and electronic score.

Dec. 5, Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley. www.calperformances.org

Paula Lobo

Mark Morris Dance Group

Sign up!

For over 30 years, Mark Morris Dance Group has made Cal Performances its West Coast home.

The company returns with Dancing Honeymoon a frolic through pop songs past; Jenn and Spencer, set to Cowell’s Suite for Violin and Piano, and V, an abstract exploration of color, form, and texture set to Schumann. Dec. 17-19, Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley. www.calperformances.org

Andy Mogg

t <<

Dance >>

Soulskin Dance Company

HOLIDAY PERFORMANCES Oakland Ballet,

Graham Lustig’s The Nutcracker A vibrant community event, Oakland’s Nutcracker celebrates the beauty and diversity of the East Bay with performers from the Oakland Ballet, Oakland Symphony and the Piedmont East Bay Children’s Choir. Dec. 18-19, Paramount Theatre, Oakland. www.oaklandballet.org

ODC/Dance,

The Velveteen Rabbit ODC’s celebrated interpretation of The Velveteen Rabbit has toured nationally and is performed annually in the SF Bay Area, drawing audiences of all ages to experience the magic of this treasured story, told through dance. Nov. 27-Dec. 12, Blue Shield of California Theater at YBCA. www.odc.dance

San Francisco Ballet’s

Nutcracker Celebrate the return of America’s third largest ballet company to the Opera House stage (and Artistic Director Helgi Tomasson’s final season with SF Ballet) with Nutcracker. Set in San Francisco during the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exhibition, SFB’s lavish Nutcracker never fails

to delight audiences of all ages. Dec. 10-30, War Memorial Opera House. www.sfballet.org

Smuin Contemporary Ballet,

The Christmas Ballet Smuin’s joyful holiday tradition returns to theatres throughout the Bay Area with its signature showcase of classical and contemporary dances.

The charming medley of dances incorporates a variety of styles including ballet, tap, jazz and more. This year’s edition will include two world premieres. Nov. 19-December 26 in-person; Thanksgiving-Christmas, online. www.smuinballet.org

New Ballet,

The San Jose Nutcracker & My Very First Nutcracker New Ballet brings The San Jose Nutcracker to the historic California Theatre in downtown San Jose. The San Jose Nutcracker is set in turn-ofthe-last-century San Jose and features historical references that highlight the Santa Clara valley as a birthplace of innovation. For the youngest audiences My Very First Nutcracker is a shorter one-act performance. Dec. 18-22, California Theatre, San Jose. www.newballet.org t

RECEIVE OUR FREE WEEKLY EMAIL NEWSLETTER, BREAKING NEWS, SPECIAL OFFERS, GIVEAWAYS AND MORE!

On September 30, Join Project Open Hand for Dining Out For Life East Bay, our annual foodie event when participating restaurants and diners – like you – can Dine Out to support HIV/AIDS services.

#DiningOutForLife #DOFLEastBay

This year Dining Out For Life includes restaurants in Fremont, Alameda, Emeryville and Berkeley, as well as Oakland, the city where it all started three years ago.

ebar.com/subscribe

Please visit diningoutforlife.com/eastbay or scan the QR Code to stay updated on all things #DOFLEastBay!

Sponsored By

<< Books

30 • Bay Area Reporter • September 2-8, 2021

LGBTQ fall & winter books

by Jim Piechota

D

espite these pandemic times where few things can be relied upon, one aspect of entertainment that has remained consistently interesting and attention-grabbing is the steady stream of new books by queer writers. Here’s an enticing preview of exciting upcoming Fall/Winter 2021 LGBTQ books standing tall on bookstore shelves or online platforms in the coming months.

Fiction

Local queer master storyteller and National Book Award finalist Rabih Alameddine graces fans with his latest novel, The Wrong End of the Telescope (Grove, Sept.), which follows a trans Lebanese-born American doctor’s voyage to assist refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos.

It’s both a searing chronicle of the refugee experience and a story about how family and loss can intertwine in both beautiful and tragic ways.

Dennis Cooper’s I Wished (Soho, Sept.) is a thin but powerfully emotional tribute to George Miles, his friend and muse, for whom a “cycle” of five graphically written novellas were written. A literary homage to his friend and lover, Cooper fans and followers will revel in the depth, despair, and cathartic release this elegiac book strives for and unforgettably achieves in spades.

Casey Hamilton’s sex-drenched romp through black gay life in the digital age in MENAFTER10 (Amble Press, Sept.) is a raw and very real glimpse into the pursuit of sex and pleasure in the contemporary arenas of sex sites and online hookup apps.

In the sequel to his impressive debut, I’m Open to Anything, artist and filmmaker William E. Jones’ follow-up literary novel, I Should Have Known Better (We Heard You Like Books, Sept.), follows a young gay directionless video store clerk in 1990s-era Los Angeles who abandons his stagnant retail career in favor of art school where he meets and romances a wealthy handsome kid. Raw storytelling and character-driven shenanigans power this gritty tale of Hollywood life and the search for identity and belonging.

In his debut chronicling the life of a bullied gay teenager (The Lost Prayers of Ricky Graves), KoreanAmerican author James Han Mattson drew on the experience of a real-life suicide victim. His latest, Reprieve (Morrow, Oct.), is a brilliant critique of contemporary society and culture and features four contestants with questionable histories who enter Quigley House, a fully-immersive, full-contact haunted escape room in Nebraska.

Ken Harvey’s The Book of Casey Adair (Univ. of Wisconsin, Oct.) charts the coming-of-age sexual awakening of a young, impres-

sionable American theater afficionado in Madrid in the 1980s. After a prostitute teaches him the wiles of the male body, he returns to the States to become an AIDS activist.

Relevant both as a history lesson and told through a panicked pandemic-era lens much like the one we are in now, Harvey’s narrative is reflective and memorable.

Creatively capturing the essence of Seoul, Korean author Sang Young Park’s English-language debut, Love in the Big City (Grove, Nov.), explores the search for identity by a young gay millennial who, in a search for love, becomes enmeshed and overwhelmed by the urban glittery sprawl of Korea.

Edmund White’s winter release, A Previous Life (Macmillan, Jan.), chronicles the stale, stagnant marriage between a Sicilian musician and his American wife who decide to break their mutual vow not to discuss their mutual pasts.

The breakthrough of transgressions, regrets, sexually fluid confessions, and hidden secrets that follows, including a spicy gay affair the husband experienced with the author himself, guarantees pure Edmund White witty hilarity on every page.

collection of fifteen short stories in I’m Not Hungry But I Could Eat (SFWP, Dec.) many of which follow the varying hungers and impulsive cravings of a series of gay and bisexual Puerto Rican men.

Fueled by desire and longing, these men discover the joys of food, sex, and unsated cravings in ways consistently ironic and humorous.

AUTO EROTICA AUTO EROTICA AUTO EROTICA

PURVEYOR OF VINTAGE PORN WE BUY & SELL GAY STUFF!

PURVEYOR OF VINTAGE PORN 4077A 18 St.

MAGAZINES

•

BOOKS

•

PHOTOGRAPHS

{ PURVEYOR OF{VINTAGE PORN th

MONDAY-SATURDAY OPEN EVERY DAY

•861•5787 MAGAZINES415• BOOKS • PHOTOGRAPHS

{{ {{

Short Story Collections

In Venita Blackburn’s stylish second story collection How To Wrestle a Girl (MCD/FSG, Sept.) features partially interconnected tales charting the experience of growing up female and how a series of misfortunes can both derail and inform the young life of a girl who harbors increasingly romantic feelings for her bestie.

Brooklyn-based Latino author Christopher Gonzales presents a

MAGAZINES 4077A 18t•h BOOKS St. • PHOTOGRAPHS

OPEN EVERY DAY

4077A 18th St.

415•861•5787

OPEN EVERY DAY

415•861•5787

Non-fiction

First released and edited by Toni Morrison in 1974, An Autobiography, the infamous life story of living legend and iconic activist Angela Davis is slated to be republished (Haymarket, Oct.) with a new introduction by the inspirational author herself.

In her enticing and wildly illuminating exploration on the evolution of alcohol through a feminist lens, Mallory O’Meara probes female distillers and brewers throughout history in Girly Drinks (Hanover Square, Oct.)

t

Nigerian-born novelist Teju Cole offers a majestic essay collection with Black Paper (Univ. of Chicago, Oct) reflecting on Black identity and perspective, particularly in times of dire struggle or community suffering and conflict.

In outspoken author Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore’s sixth anthology, she collects 36 personal essays from a variety of writers in the collection Between Certain Death and Possible Future (Arsenal Pulp, Oct.) which examines varying perspectives of how the AIDS crisis remains a constant trauma for many and still affects generations of queer people. The persistent impact of HIV/AIDS lingers on for so many and these intimate sketches reveal how the AIDS crisis still has an indelible effect on LGBTQ life, love, and the future of queer culture.

See page 31 >>

September 2-8, 2021 • Bay Area Reporter • 31

1992’s Glam on a Rampage with Justin (Vivian) Bond

50 years in 50 weeks

t

Books >>

<<

Books

From page 30

Outspoken pop culture vulture Rax King, whose Twitter feed is aflame with the kind of witticisms you tend to keep to yourself, presents Tacky (Vintage, Nov.), a scrapbook of essays skewering all of those trashy, private, in-badtaste items and proclivities that so many secretly adore. There’s a piece of everyone embedded somewhere within this devilishly clever writer’s collection.

Robert Gottlieb’s Garbo (FSG, Dec.) is a definitive biography of the iconic Hollywood superstar’s life and legacy as derived through the heavy scrutiny of her private papers.

Speaking of Hollywood, Boze Hadleigh delves into tinsel town lore in Scandals, Secrets and Swan Songs: How Hollywood Stars Lives,

by Jim Provenzano The year 1992 being my first as a fulltime Bay Area Reporter assistant editor, I reveled in scrolling through archived issues that year. Many arts events were prominent: PoMo Afro Homos, lesbian theatre, and (to me, at least) my revamped creative calendar spreads/ But one short column that stuck out was Justin (pre-Vivian) Bond’s May 21 Glam on a Rampage write-up of the late drag persona Miss Kitty.

With an accompanying photo by Marc Geller, Bond revels in the local goings-on of early’90s talents, all with a recherché occasional ALL CAPS emphasis while describing the queer escapades one summer weekend at The Woods, the Russian River resort: “Saturday night was a FULL MOON, so Miss Kitty took a mattress outside and draped swathes of CHIFFON and other glittering fabrics about the place to create a “lunar tent” from which to worship the GODDESS.” Praise be!

Read more camp ’90s fun at https://archive.org/details/bayareareporter

Worked, and Died (Rowman & Littlefield, Sept.), with 100+ minibios on stars of yesteryear, some who came to sad decline.

Cultural historian and author Louis Niebur excavates the mirror balls, synthesizers, turntables, and vinyl remixes of the late 1970s in his tribute to San Francisco’s “gay disco sound” in Menergy (Oxford Univ., Jan.). The book features the legacies of San Francisco’s gayowned, gay-produced disco music labels, DJs, producers, performers, and musicians in an astute cultural analysis that queer history buffs and disco fans won’t want to miss.

Travel

The quartet of writers who collaborated on Sassy Planet (Prestel Press, Sept.) –David Dodge, Nick Schiarizzi, Harish Bhandari, and illustrator Braulio Amado– transport readers across the globe to 40 cities with vibrant gay culture and

entertainment, even locations where gay activity is sanctioned. Useful as a travel guide for globetrotting readers eager to explore both local and international queer spaces and an armchair indulgence for the vicarious vagabond, progress and visibility across the world is evident in the quirky locales and pockets of queer life contained in these LGBTQ travel options.

Photobooks

The gay fathers on display inside the covers of Bart Heynen’s Dads (PowerHouse Books, Sept.) represent how families can form through the shapes, sizes, colors, and genders of their collective parts. Through gorgeous imagery and crisp vivid photography, Heynen conveys the significance of gay marriage and how that love and compassion can be passed down to children, whether biological or adopted.

A precious keepsake, these dads with their babies are stunning to view and inspirationally conceived.

Memoirs

Highly anticipated debut memoirs include the devilishly candid confessions of sex worker, sex columnist, and former San Franciscan Alexander Cheves’s whose My Love Is a Beast (Unbound Editions Press, Oct.) includes raw, unfettered memories of his coming of age as the son of evangelical Christians in rural America.

His gritty, explicit explorations of the kink, fetish, and BDSM worlds he indulged in while living in a variety of gay meccas across the country makes for indulgently riveting reading.

Star of stage and screen, Alan Cumming, also a bestselling author and podcaster, offers up Baggage: Tales from a Fully Packed Life (William Morrow, Oct.), a follow up to his intensely intimate 2014 bestselling debut Not My Father’s Son. Instead of being family-focused, this new effort delves into the star’s life between his two marriages and what he considers to be the components to living well and maintaining joy throughout every season of one’s life.

Omar Sharif Jr.’s A Tale of Two Omars (Counterpoint, Oct.) shimmers with his honest portrayal of life in the Montreal suburbs and in Cairo, memories of his grandfather’s Hollywood legacy, and how he daringly came out as a queer

man despite a history of abuse, homophobia, death threats, and violent backlash from the Arab world.

Florida-born, Queens-residing Latino author Edgar Gomez’s gritty, immersive debut High-Risk Homosexual (Soft Skull, Jan.) delivers readers from his beginnings at his uncle’s cockfighting rooster ring in Nicaragua to drag queen obsessions, HIV panic, and a self-defining voyage to San Francisco.

A revealing celebrity memoir from Broadway and television star Billy Porter, Unprotected (Abrams, Oct.) chronicles the actor’s traumatic upbringing to encountering and overcoming rampant homophobia and racism throughout the entertainment industry.t

Advertise to San Francisco’s best local media audiences with one call, one rep, one order, and one invoice!

Reach readers across ten locally-owned, independent media outlets.

Call 415.829.8937 or email advertising@ebar.com The

the

Richmond Review Community newspaper for San Francisco’s Richmond District since 1986

BAMA STRIP WITH LOGOS.indd 1

The

Sunset Beacon

Community newspaper for San Francisco’s Sunset District since 1991

8/31/21 1:28 PM

Pushing boundaries for 82 years.

See her life’s work!

On view through Jan 9, 2022

RonFoth_(FAMSF)_JudyChicago_090221.indd 1

8/26/21 10:04 AM