September 4, 2025 edition of the Bay Area Reporter
SF Dems take no position on Engardio recall
by John Ferrannini
Gay District 4 Supervisor Joel Engardio, facing a recall effort next month, won’t be able to count on the San Francisco Democratic Party for support in the fight of his political life. The San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee could not come to a decision one way or another.
When the vote was taken, 11 voted to oppose the recall and 11 voted the party should make no endorsement. Six DCCC members abstained, and four were absent without proxies. A majority was needed for the party to take a position. The DCCC held its monthly meeting August 27 at the Ruth Williams Opera House in the city’s Bayview neighborhood. It was part of the local party’s efforts to be more visible to the city’s neighborhoods following the 2024 election.
The hourslong meeting included some 27 public comments from people saying Engardio should be kicked out of office come September 16, the recall election date. Six public commenters defended him.
“It is a deeply divisive issue, and I think that was reflected in the party’s vote tonight,” DCCC Chair Nancy Tung, a straight ally, stated to the Bay Area Reporter.
As the B.A.R. previously reported, in 2022 Engardio became the first candidate to unseat a sitting elected incumbent supervisor since district elections were re-introduced in 2000 and the first LGBTQ board member to win a district centered on San Francisco’s western neighborhoods.
He rose to prominence amid the 2022 voter revolt, centered in his district, that helped recall San Francisco district attorney Chesa Boudin and three members of the city’s school board. Now Engardio is facing a recall due to his role in Proposition K reaching San Francisco voters’ ballots last year.
Prop K, which closed a portion of the Upper Great Highway to vehicles and established a park now known as Sunset Dunes, passed citywide. But it lost overwhelmingly in Engardio’s District 4, coterminous with the Outer Sunset neighborhood.
The highway had first been closed to cars during COVID, in order to allow for physicallydistanced outdoor activities. Before Prop K, a compromise brokered by then-District 4 supervisor Gordon Mar kept the highway open to cars on weekdays.
See page 16 >>
Oakland Pride festival will see new location, stage this year
by John Ferrannini
Oakland is getting ready to celebrate its Pride with a parade and festival Sunday, September 7. This year’s theme is “In Unity, We Thrive,” and the festival will be outside City Hall, a change from previous years.
The parade route will reverse course, starting uptown and ending at Broadway and 13th streets. The changes are the result of street and sidewalk construction near 20th Street where the festival is usually held, Oakland Pride officials said.
George Jeffery Smith III, a gay man who is president of Oakland Pride’s board, stated to the Bay Area Reporter that the theme “is more than a slogan – it is our rallying call for 2025.”
“Oakland Pride has always been about bringing LGBTQ+ people and allies together, and this year we are raising that spirit higher than ever,” Smith stated in an email. “Unity is the heartbeat of Oakland Pride. It’s what transforms our festival from an event into an experience – one that celebrates every color, every culture, and every story in the East Bay LGBTQ+ diaspora. Unity is what has helped us grow into one of the largest and most beloved Pride celebrations in the Bay Area, and it is what will keep us thriving for years to come.”
Joe Hawkins, CEO of the Oakland LGBTQ Community Center, is also an Oakland Pride
by John Ferrannini
San Francisco Democratic leaders had one message for President Donald Trump at a September 2 rally in support of Governor Gavin Newsom’s statewide redistricting ballot initiative. “Don’t poke the bear,” San Francisco Democratic Party Chair Nancy Tung, a straight ally, said, referring to the California Grizzly Bear, a symbol of the Golden State.
The rally acted as an unofficial campaign kickoff of sorts for Proposition 50, which as the Bay Area Reporter previously reported, will be voted on in a special election November 4. If approved, a mid-decade map of newly drawn congressional districts could see five additional Democrats elected to the House of Representatives next year.
The Pixar contingent marched in the 2023 Oakland Pride parade.
co-founder and sits on the organization’s board.
Hawkins told the B.A.R. that attendees should note that this year’s festival will be held at Frank Ogawa Plaza and Historic City Hall. Gates open
See page 4 >>
Dems rally for California’s Prop 50, tell Trump: ‘Don’t poke the bear’
2017 Media Kit 0 a
The Los Angeles Blade covers Los Angeles and California news, politics, opinion, arts and entertainment and features national and international coverage from the Blade’s award-winning reporting team. Be part of this exciting publication serving LGBT Los Angeles from the team behind the Washington Blade, the nation’s first LGBT newspaper. From the freeway to the Beltway we’ve got you covered.
The Legislature passed the bill, which Newsom signed last month, after Texas moved ahead with its own redistricting plan aimed at seeing five additional Republicans elected to Congress in the Lone Star State. Republican Governor Greg Abbott called a special session at the request of Trump.
But before California can implement a new map, Golden State voters must weigh in. That’s because the California Citizens Redistricting Commission was approved by the voters in 2008. Therefore, Newsom’s plan to suspend the commission’s nonpartisan maps for the House of
Representatives until 2030 to redraw the state’s congressional map to favor Democrats has to go before the voters.
Proponents of Prop 50 argue that it’s necessary to balance the playing field after Trump urged Abbott to find “five more seats” for Republicans in advance of the 2026 midterms election, in the hopes of preserving the GOP’s tenuous hold on the House.
Tung, who became party chair last year, said in
at 14th Street and Broadway, and admission is $20, though it is free for children 12 and under, and $15 for seniors.
her view, now’s not the time for trepidation and second-guessing.
“Sometimes in our effort to be the party of the big tent, we as Democrats fight among ourselves about what it means to be a Democrat,” Tung said. “Now is not the time for party infighting. Now is the time for party unity. The nation is looking at us in California, and especially in San Francisco.”
See page 16 >>
Supervisor Joel Engardio Courtesy the subject
Nancy Tung, chair of the San Francisco Democratic Party, spoke at a September 2 rally in support of Proposition 50, the redistricting initiative that voters will decide on November 4.
John Ferrannini
Jane Philomen Cleland
Butler’s motion for new trial denied
by John Ferrannini
Afederal judge denied a motion for a new trial in the case of a transgender sex worker convicted of voluntary manslaughter in the shooting death of a man who had picked her up in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood before the two had sex.
Judge Susan Illston of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California said at the beginning of the August 15 hearing at the federal courthouse at 450 Golden Gate Avenue that she was “not inclined to grant the motion,” but allowed the defense to make its argument nonetheless.
As the Bay Area Reporter previously reported, defendant Leniyah Butler, 21, was initially supposed to be sentenced August 15. After her attorneys moved for a new trial, the hearing to consider that was set for the same date. Later, sentencing was postponed to October 31 after Butler’s probation officer requested additional time to file their report “due to unforeseen delays in the jail,” according to court documents. (Butler remains in custody.)
At the trial earlier this year, Butler’s defense attorneys had argued that she had been sexually assaulted by the man who was killed, Hamza Walupupu, 32, because, according to Butler’s account, she had performed oral sex on him with the expectation of payment, and after he had ejaculated, he requested vaginal intercourse. It was at that point Butler told him that wasn’t possible because she is trans. Walupupu expressed surprise, which the defense argued was feigned, and said he wasn’t going to pay her at all. At that point an argument ensued, and Butler fatally shot Walupupu. Butler’s at-
torneys argued it was in self-defense. The killing took place at San Francisco’s Crissy Field, which is under federal jurisdiction.
In their motion for a new trial, Butler’s attorneys argued that a juror made comments showing bias against Butler. Specifically, “After the completion of the trial proceedings on March 31, 2025, defense counsel encountered Juror No. 11 in the lobby of the courthouse sitting with the Court’s courtroom deputy in evident distress. Juror No. 11 voluntarily agreed to speak with defense counsel and did so in the presence of the Court’s courtroom deputy in the lobby and then the second floor of the federal building. During that discussion, Juror No. 11 stated that another juror, who he identified as Ju-
ror No. 10, had made biased statements and introduced extraneous information during deliberations.”
The alleged biased comment was,
“You can’t rape a man,” the motion stated. Juror No. 10 was then interviewed by the defense, the motion continued. The individual “acknowledged that the statement was made during deliberations, but claimed it was raised by another juror, and that other jurors sympathized with that view. … Regardless of whether it was Juror No. 10 or other jurors, however, that biased contention goes to the very heart of the defense theory of the case.”
One of Butler’s attorneys, David Rizk, argued in court Friday that this is “a very severe case of juror bias.”
“That is a clear statement from a juror that Ms. Butler should not receive the benefit of a full legal defense because of her gender,” he said.
Rizk cited the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Peña-Rodriguez v. Colorado (2017), which held that if a juror relies on racial prejudice to come to a decision, there exists in the Sixth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution an exception to the no-impeachment rule, which prohibits jurors from testifying about their deliberations in order to throw out a verdict.
In Peña-Rodriguez, a juror stated, “I think he [Peña-Rodriguez] did it because he’s Mexican.”
Rizk argued that under federal civil rights law, there’s no substantial difference
between race and sex, and therefore that precedent should apply to this case.
Disagreeing was federal prosecutor
George Hageman, who noted that this would be the first time the Peña-Rodriguez exception to the no-impeachment rule would be applied by the federal bench to a non-racial context.
“Time and time again it says race is different,” Hageman said, referring to the Supreme Court.
Either way, Peña-Rodriguez would only apply if there was a “serious concern an innocent person may have been convicted,” he argued.
Exceptions have been made in the past when drug deals were done in jury deliberation, when jurors snorted cocaine in the deliberation room, and when jurors flipped coins to determine guilt or innocence. Excepting those severe examples, there is “nearly a categorical bar where we can’t get into statements made during jury deliberations,” Hageman said.
“Not every off-hand comment indicating racial bias would justify setting inside the [no-] impeachment bar,” he said.
Illston sided with Hageman; critically, she said, the juror who made the comments was called out by a fellow juror, who said during deliberations Juror No. 10’s remarks shouldn’t be considered.
Illston didn’t rule on whether PeñaRodriguez would apply to gender; rather, she said that Juror No. 10’s comments didn’t “cast doubt” on the impartiality of the entire jury – which, she noted, acquitted Butler on the more serious second-degree murder charge.
Rizk and the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Northern District of California declined requests to comment further after the ruling. t
Torres sentenced to 18 years for sex crimes
by John Ferrannini
Disgraced gay former San Jose councilmember Omar Torres was sentenced to 18 years in prison at a Santa Clara County Superior Court hearing August 29 after he pleaded no contest to sex charges earlier this year. Torres must also register as a sex offender.
As the Bay Area Reporter previously reported, Torres, 43, had represented District 3, encompassing downtown San Jose, from 2023 until his resignation at the time of his arrest November 5, 2024. What began as an investigation into separate lewd text messages and potential sex crimes led a cousin of Torres to come forward with allegations he’d been abused from 1990-1999.
According to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s office, the criminal charges against Torres in-
volved the cousin and alleged acts taking place dating to November 25, 1999 – about a month after Torres turned 18 years old.
Prosecutors contend the molestation began when the victim was 4 years old and Torres was a teenager.
Torres was sentenced at a hearing in Department 34, the courtroom of Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Cynthia A. Sevely, at the Hall of Justice at 191 North First Street. The hearing began at 8:30 a.m. Though the B.A.R. was initially assured by the Santa Clara County DA’s office it would be able to see the proceeding virtually, as in past hearings, on the morning of August 29 the judge decided against streaming it on Microsoft Teams, the DA’s office stated.
“Today’s sentence holds Omar Torres accountable for perpetrating horrendous crimes against a child,” Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff
Rosen stated in a news release. “This sentence sends a strong message that no one is above the law, and it is never too late for justice. We admire the victim’s courage to come forward to report the abuse he suffered.”
Torres’ attorney Nelson Karl McElmurry didn’t return a request for comment August 29.
Torres pleaded no contest to sodomy and oral copulation by force, violence, duress, menace or fear, and lewd and lascivious acts on a minor under the age of 14. He will also be registered as a sex offender for life.
Elected in 2022, Torres was the first gay person of color to serve on the San Jose City Council, and only its second out councilmember. A longtime political aide in the South Bay and Democratic Party leader, Torres previously served as an elected member of the board of the San Jose Evergreen Community College District. The council’s
District 3 seat includes the Qmunity LGBTQ district and much of downtown San Jose, where Pride celebrations began last Friday.
After a special election in April, Anthony Tordillos, a gay man, was elected to replace Torres by District 3 voters and will need to run for a full four-year term next year. Tordillos didn’t immediately return a request for comment for this report.
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan echoed those comments in a statement to the B.A.R.
“I’m relieved this dark chapter in San José’s history is finally closed,” Mahan stated. “With a newly elected councilmember in office, and justice served, we can begin to move forward.”
The Qmunity District didn’t return a request for comment for this report. t
Supes OK Stud music venue liquor license
by John Ferrannini
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a South of Market LGBTQ bar’s request for a music venue liquor license. The resolution clears the way for different types of entertainment at the venue.
The Stud, at 1123 Folsom Street, “already offers live entertainment five days a week,” operators stated in a letter to the board several months ago. Now owners are “excited to switch over to a license that aligns with our business model.”
The item was approved September 2 alongside a liquor license for the Jumbo Trading Co., LLC., at 761 Jackson Street.
The Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee unanimously recommended that the full board approve the new liquor licenses at its July 24 hearing, as the Bay Area
and host and serve alcohol during private events. These events do not have to be live musical performances, but there cannot be more private events than live performances and records must be kept.
“A music entertainment facility is defined as a publicly or privately owned live performance venue, concert hall, auditorium, or an enclosed arena where music or entertainment events are presented for a price of admission,” according to the legislation establishing the Type-90 license The Stud applied for.
Gay Supervisor Matt Dorsey, whose District 6 seat includes The Stud, spoke in favor of the license change at that hearing.
Dorsey, who talks regularly about the fact that he is now in recovery, said at that time that, “As it has for generations of LGBTQ+ San Franciscans, it has played an outsize role in my nightclubbing days, and I never miss an
opportunity to extend appreciation to The Stud Collective.”
Dorsey stated to the B.A.R. September 2 that, “I was very happy to support the Type-90 music venue liquor license for the STUD, and I’m grateful that it passed today without objection.
“For me the STUD is more than just a District 6 priority. It’s a storied part of San Francisco’s queer history,” Dorsey continued. “It means a lot to our community and our city, and I’m thankful to them.”
Also at that July hearing, Brandon Erickson of the San Francisco Police Department’s alcohol beverage control liaison unit stated that the license would require an employee in attendance in charge of continuous supervision while music is being performed, and that the area outside remain free of litter, among other conditions. He said that while they’d received two letters protesting The Stud’s request, and
none supporting it, the SFPD voiced no opposition.
The Stud used to be located at the corner of Ninth and Harrison streets, next to the B.A.R.’s old office on Ninth Street. Known as San Francisco’s longest continuously operating LGBTQ bar, it closed in May 2020 during the COVID pandemic. In 2023, the collective announced it had signed a lease at the current location and began raising funds. The Stud reopened April 20, 2024.
In spite of the disappearance of much of the “Miracle Mile” – the strip of SOMA leather-themed bars and gay bathhouses that drew queers from around the world – the neighborhood is still known internationally for its street fairs, including the Folsom Street Fair on September 28.
The Stud did not return a request for comment for this report as of press time September 2. t
A go-go dancer performed at Steam, The Stud’s Moroccan bath-themed party August 30.
Steven Underhill
Former San Jose city councilmember Omar Torres was sentenced August 29 on sex charges. Public domain
Federal prosecutor George Hageman, shown speaking during Leniyah Butler’s trial earlier this year, argued against a defense motion for a new trial during an August 15 hearing. Butler is shown seated at right, wearing a mask.
Vicki Behringer
Fluent, fearless, and full of fire, pianist Daniil Trifonov brings a program featuring Schumann, Prokofiev, Myaskovsky, and Taneyev. “This pianist is such a wizard at his instrument, he makes even the gnarliest pieces sound easy” (New York Classical Review).
Sep 28
ZELLERBACH
Philharmonia Orchestra Santtu-Matias Rouvali, principal conductor Víkingur Ólafsson, piano
The stellar London-based orchestra returns to Berkeley with Finnish maestro Santtu-Matias Rouvali in two programs featuring Grammy Award-winning pianist Víkingur Ólafsson! Get ready to hear a sublime collection of works including Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 and Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G Major.
Oct 18–19
ZELLERBACH HALL, BERKELEY
Sadler’s Wells and Shaolin Temple present Sutra
Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui / Antony Gormley / Szymon Brzóska with the Monks of Shaolin Temple Contemporary dance and ancient martial arts meet in this award-winning collaboration that explores the Shaolin kung fu tradition in the context of modern culture. Follow 20 Buddhist monks as they lend their skills to a humorous fable about a European outsider learning about their monastery.
Nov 8–9
ZELLERBACH HALL, BERKELEY
Daniil Trifonov, piano Disney’s MOANA Live-To-Film Concert
Nov 23
ZELLERBACH HALL, BERKELEY
Paris Opera Ballet
Red Carpet
A North American Premiere by Hofesh Shechter Performed to live music with costumes by CHANEL
The stunning dancers of the Paris Opera Ballet take on Hofesh Shechter’s explosive choreography in Red Carpet—an eagerly awaited North American premiere. Red Carpet is danced to live music and features a unique costume collaboration with CHANEL. Don’t miss this single West Coast engagement!
Oct 2–4
ZELLERBACH HALL, BERKELEY
Lila Downs
Día de los Muertos
Celebrate the Day of the Dead with the beloved Grammy- and Latin Grammy-winning Mexican American singer, in a festive set of original and traditional songs sung in English, Spanish, and Indigenous languages from her native Oaxaca.
Oct 25
ZELLERBACH HALL, BERKELEY
Kronos Quartet
Beyond the Golden Gate Music by Dai Wei, Wu Man, Lu Yun,
performs
and recent works by an
of
composers, along with Beyond the Golden Gate, a hybrid performancediscussion-screening exploring Chinese American history.
Oct 11
ZELLERBACH HALL, BERKELEY
Nobuyuki Tsujii, piano
Japanese pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii— known to his legion of fans simply as Nobu—lends his emotionally direct, charismatic approach to much-loved music by Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, and Prokofiev.
Oct 30
ZELLERBACH HALL, BERKELEY
Nov 14
ZELLERBACH
MOMIX
Alice Moses Pendleton, artistic director
Jeremy Denk, piano Bach’s Six Partitas for Solo Keyboard Alice in Wonderland fan? Follow
Nov 29–30
ZELLERBACH
Nov 22
ZELLERBACH HALL, BERKELEY
CDC director ousted, top leaders resign
by Liz Highleyman
Dr. Susan Monarez is out as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention after clashing with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over vaccine policy, several news outlets reported Wednesday, August 28. At least three high-level agency officials have resigned in protest, including Dr. Demetre Daskalakis.
Most recently director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Daskalakis was previously director of the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention at the CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention. A gay leatherman, he has received acclaim for his intimate connection to the communities he serves.
“I am unable to serve in an environment that treats CDC as a tool to generate policies and materials that do not reflect scientific reality and are designed to hurt rather than to improve the public’s health,” Daskalakis wrote in a resignation letter posted to the social media platform X. “Having worked in local and national public health for years, I have never experienced such radical nontransparency, nor have I seen such unskilled manipulation of data to achieve a political end rather than the good of the American people.”
The HHS X account announced Wednesday evening that Monarez “is no longer director” of the nation’s premier public health agency. Named acting director in January, Monarez was sworn in to the top post on July 31, just a week before a shooting at the CDC’s headquarters in Atlanta left a police officer dead and staffers traumatized.
Soon after the announcement, Monarez’s attorneys, Mark Zaid and Abbe Lowell, took to social media to say that she had not yet resigned or been fired, accusing Kennedy of “weaponizing public health for political gain.”
“When CDC Director Susan Monar-
Hawkins said, “We invite all the youth and queer families to participate” at the kids zone and family pavilion, which will feature games, activities and live entertainment.
ez refused to rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives and fire dedicated health experts, she chose protecting the public over serving a political agenda. For that, she has been targeted,” they wrote.
The attorneys argued that as a presidential appointee and the first CDC director to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate, only the president could fire Monarez, but later that night, the White House confirmed that Monarez has indeed been terminated, the Washington Post reported.
“As her attorney’s statement makes abundantly clear, Susan Monarez is not aligned with the President’s agenda of Making America Healthy Again,” White House spokesman Kush Desai stated in an email. In a Thursday appearance on Fox News, Kennedy declined to address Monarez’s firing directly but repeated his concerns about the CDC’s handling of COVID.
Citing anonymous agency sources, news reports suggested that Monarez has increasingly been at odds with Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic.
Kennedy launched a study in March to examine the link between vaccines and autism, a hypothesis discredited
“There’ll be all kinds of activities for children” at the zone and pavilion, Hawkins said.
There’ll also be food vendors reflecting the rich cultural diversity of the East Bay throughout the festival.
Before the festival starts at noon, the parade will kick off at 22nd Street and
by extensive prior research. In June, he removed all members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, replacing them with ideological allies. In May, he announced that COVID-19 vaccines would no longer be recommended for healthy children or pregnant women. Earlier Wednesday, the Food and Drug Administration approved updated COVID boosters from Moderna, Pfizer, and Novavax, but only for people over 65 and those at risk for severe illness.
Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) condemned what he called the “reckless” and “dangerous” decision to oust Monarez and the resignation of other senior CDC leaders.
“We need leaders at the CDC and HHS who are committed to improving public health and have the courage to stand up for science, not officials who have a history of spreading bogus conspiracy theories and disinformation,” Sanders said in a statement
Other CDC leaders resign Monarez’s ouster prompted the resignation of agency leaders including Daskalakis, CDC chief medical officer Dr. Debra Houry, and Dr.
Broadway and go through downtown. Along Broadway to 13th Street is the best viewing location, Oakland Pride stated in a news release.
The parade will feature several celebrity and community grand marshals, including Layshia Clarendon, the first nonbinary WNBA player who retired in 2024; gay filmmaker Patrik-Ian Polk; Oakland-based comedian W. Kamau Bell, a straight ally; Oakland-based nonprofit Somos Familia Bay; and Tim Nguyen, a physician’s assistant at Lifelong Medical Care and the Glenn Burke Wellness Clinic, a project of the Oakland LGBTQ Community Center, who, along with his partner, is an “out and proud” Oakland resident, according to the release.
At the festival, the main stage headlin-
Daniel Jernigan, director of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases. Dr. Jennifer Layden, head of the CDC’s Office of Public Health Data, Surveillance, and Technology, will also leave the agency, Politico reported
“For the good of the nation and the world, the science at CDC should never be censored or subject to political pauses or interpretations,” Houry wrote in a letter to colleagues obtained by Inside Medicine
In his blistering resignation letter, Daskalakis criticized Kennedy and other Trump administration health officials, citing “disregard of normal communication channels and common sense” as well as hostility toward the queer and HIV communities.
“For decades, I have been a trusted voice for the LGBTQ community when it comes to critical health topics. I must also cite the recklessness of the administration in their efforts to erase transgender populations, cease critical domestic and international HIV programming and terminate key research to support equity as part of my decision,” he wrote. “Public health is not merely about the health of the individual, but it is about
er is Martha Wash, a San Francisco-born singer and songwriter who formed one half of The Weather Girls (most famous for the gay anthem “It’s Raining Men”).
“It’s always wonderful to be back in the Bay Area, and I’m so looking forward to performing at Oakland Pride. It’s always a great time. And it’s true, In Unity We Can Thrive!” Wash stated to the B.A.R.
CeCe Peniston, known for her hit “Finally,” and Oakland-based hip-hop artist Kamaiyah are also set to perform on the main stage. Hawkins said that a new addition to the festival this weekend will be the Sunday Tea Dance stage, honoring disco and house music with DJ David Harness headlining.
“Last year we had [planned] a House stage but it didn’t go as planned because
the health of the community, the nation, the world. The nation’s health security is at risk and is in the hands of people focusing on ideological self-interest.”
Public health leaders, clinicians and advocates expressed dismay over the CDC departures and fears about the agency’s future.
“The mass resignations of CDC expert leaders present a clear and present danger to Americans of all ages and leave our nation extremely vulnerable to a wide range of public health threats from outbreaks to bioterror attacks,” Infectious Diseases Society of America President Dr. Tina Tan said in a statement “The administration’s current trajectory for destroying the public health system is reckless and cannot continue.”
The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBTQ rights organization, singled out Daskalakis’ work for praise.
“For eight months, the LGBTQ+ community has watched as the Trump administration, and HHS Secretary Kennedy, has taken a blowtorch to the public health framework that has helped improve our health outcomes over the past decades. The recent firings and resignations of some of the nation’s top medical leaders is an urgent wakeup call for America’s public health. This is a five-alarm fire,” HRC senior public policy advocate Matt Rose said in a statement “Dr. Demetre Daskalakis became a widely recognized voice for LGBTQ+ community health through a lifetime of service, especially on ending the HIV epidemic and, most recently, through his tailored outreach during the mpox outbreak a few years ago,” Rose continued. “His work helped people stay safe and healthy, while recognizing the dignity of their life. He represents the best of what we could ask for from public health officials in times of both crisis and calm.” t
of the sound system,” Hawkins said. “We feel a lot of queer history is concurrent with the house community, and we really wanted to celebrate that.”
The Latin stage will be headlined by international Latin pop icon Christian Chávez, a gay Mexican singer and songwriter known for being a member of the former Latin pop group RBD.
“It’s definitely very big for the Latin community,” Valentino Carrillo, owner of the Oakland LGBTQ nightclubs Que Rico and Next Level, who produces the Latin Stage, told the B.A.R. “He just came off a worldwide tour, which sold out in every country.”
Carrillo announced the opening of Next Level at 341 13th Street in the
See page 12 >>
Rick Gerharter
CDC Director Dr. Susan Monarez, left, was ousted, while Dr. Demetre Daskalakis resigned in a major shakeup at the federal public health agency.
Photo courtesy CDC
<< Oakland Pride
From page 1
Photo courtesy AP
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Third Way’s the wrong way
The national Democratic Party has plenty of problems, as do several of the party’s potential candidates for president in 2028. But leave it to Third Way, a center-left think tank, to offer a flawed strategy by trying to be the word police. In order for Democratic candidates to be successful, the organization argues, certain words should not be uttered by candidates. It’ll be no surprise to Bay Area Reporter readers that some of those words reflect the LGBTQ community.
As Politico reported last month, Third Way “is circulating a list of 45 words and phrases they want Democrats to avoid using, alleging the terms put ‘a wall between us and everyday people of all races, religions, and ethnicities.’ It’s a set of words that Third Way suggests ‘people simply do not say, yet they hear them from Democrats.’”
The memo, “Was It Something I Said?” is addressed to “All who wish to stop Donald Trump and MAGA,” and continues, “Over the years we’ve conducted, read, and analyzed hours upon hours of focus groups, and we’ve yet to hear a voter volunteer any of the phrases below except as a form of derision or parody of Democrats.” And the folks at Third Way acknowledge that they’ve used some of the words themselves. “Finally, we are not out to police language, ban phrases, or create our own form of censorship,” the memo stated. “Truth be told, we have published papers that have used some of these words as well. But when policymakers are public-facing, the language we use must invite, not repel; start a conversation, not end it; provide clarity, not confusion.”
Some of the words, which are grouped into categories, we use in our communities all the time, because we have to. “Safe space,” for instance, appears in the “Therapy-speak” category. But LGBTQ people have long had to seek out such spaces because of rampant homophobia or transphobia. It’s not doublespeak for anything, we actually mean a place where queers feel safe, like a community center or event. “Centering” is another word in this category. But rather than say it repels some voters, Third Way ought to be issuing memos on why it’s important to center the trans community at an event for trans people, and not have cisgender people run it, for example.
The center-left think tank Third Way has issued a memo advising that certain words not be used by Democrats.
these days, it’s actually a useful term to describe nontransgender people. We don’t take offense to it and others shouldn’t either.
Under “Organizer Jargon,” there’s housing insecurity and food insecurity, among other words, which actually mean exactly what you’d think – people who can’t afford housing or food.
Oops, that’s another word on the list: cisgender. While it may have started out as sort of a pejorative,
But it is the “Gender/Orientation Correctness” category that really caught our eye. In addition to the aforementioned cisgender, the other words are: birthing person/inseminated person, pregnant people, chest feeding, deadnaming, heteronormative, patriarchy, and LGBTQIA+. “Standing up to MAGA’s cruel attacks on gay and transgender people requires creating empathy and building a broad coalition, not confusing or shaming people who could otherwise be allies,” Third Way stated. There is one word on the list that we agree should be jettisoned: Latinx, which was offered as a gender-neutral descriptor several years ago. But it has never been widely accepted by many in the Hispanic and Latino or Latin communities. Moreover, it’s an English-based word that doesn’t follow Spanish grammar because the “x” is not a common Spanish ending. A better genderneutral alternative is Latine, which follows Spanish linguistic rules and is preferred by some in Latin America.
Third Way’s memo stated that because people fear doxing or getting in trouble with human resources if they make a mistake, or they don’t know what the words mean, then the rest of us should stop using them in order to pacify them. That’s exactly the wrong approach. Instead, people should explain what the words mean and why they matter. There’s also the fact that Trump, many in his administration, and the MAGA faithful are in power right now, and, as we all know, Trump is very good at distracting the public from real problems to criticize “woke” America, whatever that means. But here’s the thing: advocating talking down to people, as Third Way does, and avoiding uncomfortable conversations because some people might not feel safe to disagree, is how we ended up in this mess in the first place. Third Way has a point that buzzwords are often unhelpful. However, successful candidates already know that and have campaigned effectively. We would point out that many of the words on Third Way’s list are not buzzwords, and instead have evolved to allow for more nuanced conversation with some empathy. An incarcerated individual means just that. Likewise, with “person who immigrated.” We don’t need to stoop to the level of MAGA and use “illegal alien,” which has been out of fashion for years.
As national Democrats continue their handwringing over the 2024 election losses, try to figure out a way to fight back against Trump, and prepare for the 2026 midterm elections, there is much work to do. We don’t think a memo telling people what words to avoid is a top priority. The Democratic Party needs a wholesale makeover, with a focus on the economy, affordability, better jobs, more housing, and public safety. Candidates should stick to their own style of explaining these issues and their proposals. If that involves somebody being housing insecure, that’s fine. MAGA lovers aren’t going to vote for Democrats anyway. The key is to reach fellow disenchanted Democrats, including many in the Latin community, as well as independents, who hopefully will start to sour on Trump when the tariffs ruin their businesses. They’re facing many of the same problems as everyone else when it comes to employment and housing. Candidates can talk about that – and talk about how discrimination against transgender people is wrong, or how trans people face higher unemployment rates. The goal is to convey policies that can be implemented to help Americans. t
Rising up for LGBTQ+ youth
by Lateefah Simon
Back to school season is one of my favorite times of the year. Kids excitedly skipping to school, wearing backpacks that are almost bigger than they are. As kids in the Bay Area and the country begin another school year, LGBTQI+ students should feel excited about returning to class after summer break, seeing their friends, and finding joy in community as their most authentic selves both in the classroom and in extracurricular activities.
Yet back to school feels a little different this year, especially for the LGBTQI+ community, as many have faced tremendous attacks on their health and wellbeing from both peers and lawmakers at every level of government across the country. And, to add insult to injury, some of these attacks came from our nation’s highest court during the celebration of Pride Month.
In June, the United States Supreme Court upheld a Tennessee law prohibiting lifesaving, medically necessary gender-affirming care for transgender children while allowing the same care for their cisgender peers. Another ruling also allowed parents to opt their children out of public school lesson plans using LGBTQI+- themed books.
Since the start of this year, nearly 600 antiLGBTQI+ bills have been introduced in state legislatures across the country, restricting everything from access to health care, sports participation, and which bathrooms children can use. In March, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation that would prohibit transgender women and girls from participating in school sports and financially punish schools that welcome transgender and nonbinary athletes – a bill I was proud to vehemently oppose.
considered suicide in the last year, and that rate is even higher for Black, Indigenous, and multiracial LGBTQI+ youth. And, a new analysis indicates that LGBTQI+ students are twice as likely to drop out than the national average.
It does not have to be this way. A better world is possible.
Every child deserves the chance to play, learn, and belong – no exceptions. All students should have the freedom and opportunity to fully participate in their education and extracurriculars.
As attacks on and discriminatory policies toward the LGBTQI+ community increase, it is critical that we act with urgency and moral clarity to protect K-12 students from these attacks.
all students, but especially LGBTQI+ young people in K-12 schools.
The Rise Up for LGBTQI+ Youth in Schools Initiative resolution also encourages states, territories, and localities to adopt laws and policies that prohibit bias-based victimization, exclusion and erasure.
This resolution envisions a better, possible future for all young people in schools, but particularly those who identify as LGBTQI+. It goes beyond merely accepting the bare minimum of physical and mental safety as acceptable – and instead demands a better future with enumerated anti-bullying protections, gender neutral dress code guidelines, and inclusive learning practices to build positive learning environments for all students.
Schools should open doors for kids – not close them.
Trans children are like children of all other backgrounds – full of promise and unlimited potential. They should have the freedom to achieve their full potential both personally and academically without fear of discrimination, harassment, or exclusion.
For decades, I have seen the power of freedom and opportunity for LGBTQI+ youth up close. As executive director of the Young Women’s Freedom Center, I supported young women and LGBTQI+ youth who had been in the foster care system, who were justice impacted, and who had suffered sexual assault or domestic violence. The center housed and employed these young people, helping them escape cycles of violence and create new futures.
That is why, as our children head back to school this fall, I recommit to standing with the LGBTQI+ community to say this simple truth: Trans rights are human rights, and everyone deserves to belong.
Attacks from Republicans at all levels of government contribute to a rhetoric that fuels bullying, discrimination, and harassment in K-12 schools. LGBTQI+ youth, as a result, are more likely to miss school, report lower feelings of belonging, and experience higher rates of mental health disabilities like anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation. Nearly half of LGBTQI+ youth seriously
That’s why in my first year in Congress, I was proud to act on my decades-long commitment to the LGBTQI+ community and introduce the Rise Up for LGBTQI+ Youth in Schools Initiative resolution https://www.congress.gov/bill/119thcongress/house-resolution/321/text alongside Congressional Equality Chair Congressmember Mark Takano (D-Riverside), a gay man, and Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii).
Our resolution demands equal opportunity, basic civil protections, and freedom from erasure for
I am committed to the fight for true equality for all, and I will continue to fight for the LGBTQI+ community in Congress. t
Congressmember Lateefah Simon, a Democrat and straight ally, is a member of Congress representing California’s 12th Congressional District, including Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda, Emeryville, Piedmont, San Leandro, and Albany. In Congress she serves as vice chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus.
Congressmember Lateefah Simon
From Facebook
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Gay House candidate Morrison opposes CA redistricting measure
by Matthew S. Bajko
Agay Democratic congressional candidate in Southern California is opposed to the redistricting measure voters will decide on in November. Immigration attorney Curtis Morrison plans to vote no on Proposition 50.
“It compromises democracy in a way we are not going to be able to undo,” Morrison told the Bay Area Reporter in a recent phone interview.
Explaining he views it as gerrymandering, which he opposes seeing a political party use to draw districts that favor its candidates, Morrison said as of August 26 that he would not be supporting Prop 50. But he also said he doesn’t plan to campaign against it.
“I am not personally sold on redistricting yet, but I am only one vote,” said Morrison.
Pushed by Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom to respond to Texas Republican state leaders using a rare mid-decade redistricting effort to try to secure five more seats for GOP House candidates in the Lone Star State next year, the Democratic-controlled Legislature in Sacramento last month voted to put Prop 50 before Golden State voters this November 4. Their aim is to match Texas’ new map with one that creates five more California House seats favorable to Democratic candidates.
While Prop 50 would have little impact on the Bay Area’s congressional delegation, it could usher out of office a number of Republican House members from the Central Valley and Southern California. The ballot measure has been a topic du jour for weeks among residents of his San Diego County congressional district, said Morrison, and was a major focus of a recent candidate forum.
Bisexual San Diego City Councilmember Marni von Wilpert this week kicked off a run against Issa. Unopposed in her reelection race last year, the Democratic leader had officially launched in March a 2026 bid for the open state Senate District 40 seat. Meanwhile, Suzanne Till, a Democratic water district board member, announced she would end her bid for Issa’s seat and seek the 40th state Senate seat.
As for Morrison, he would end up living in a newly drawn 49th Congressional District under Prop 50. Should that be the case, he told the B.A.R. he would be voting to reelect Congressmember Mike Levin (D-Dana Point) to it and run against Issa, since congressional candidates are not required to live in the House district they aim to represent.
“I am in this race no matter what the maps are,” said Morrison.
“It is the first question I am getting,” said Morrison about being asked where he stands on Prop 50.
The resident of Fallbrook, a rural unincorporated community in San Diego County, pulled papers earlier this year to run against Congressmember Darrell Issa (R-Vista) in the state’s 48th Congressional District. The House seat currently includes the eastern sections of San Diego County running from the Mexican border north to Temecula and Murrieta in Riverside County.
“I was feeling a lot more competent about my chances before all these uncertainties were introduced. I am not going to lie about that; that is true,” said Morrison.
Should Prop 50 be adopted by voters come November 4, then the House seat would be redrawn to include Palm Springs, making it an easier pickup for a Democratic candidate. The LGBTQ retirement and resort mecca is currently part of conservative Congressmember Ken Calvert’s (R-Corona) 41st Congressional District.
Earlier this year, gay entrepreneur and trained economist Brandon Riker announced he would run against Calvert in 2026. But should Prop 50 pass, Riker intends to run against Issa, as the Bay Area Reporter’s online Political Notes column reported last month.
Fellow Democrat, lawyer Anuj Dixit, also plans to run against Issa rather than Calvert, if the House maps change, while Democrat Ammar CampaNajjar is likely to run again against Issa after losing to him in 2020.
Brian Nash, a former Democratic candidate for a state Senate seat in 2022, has pulled papers to take on Issa. Also running is Fallbrook resident Whitney Shanahan, a mom and reproductive rights advocate who recently came out as lesbian having run against Issa as a bisexual candidate in the March 2024 primary, in which she placed third with 12%.
With just nine weeks for Newsom and other Prop 50 backers to sell the ballot measure to voters, Morrison expressed doubt about its chances for passage.
“Nine weeks for the governor to sell it to the entire state and to the voters, it is going to be a tough sell,” he told the B.A.R. “A lot of people are not paying attention, so it could go either way.”
Other Democrats across the state are lining up in support of Prop 50. As the B.A.R. reported online September 2, a host of San Francisco leaders both LGBTQ and straight held a rally outside City Hall Tuesday morning to encourage a yes vote on the ballot measure.
“We did not seek this fight. This fight came for us. We’re going to come back at them. … We’re not going to back down,” declared gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco).
Down in Los Angeles County Christopher Ahuja, whose gay brother-inlaw grew up in San Francisco, is supporting Prop 50 even though it will alter the boundary of the state’s 32nd Congressional District that he is vying for next year.
For the second election cycle in a row, the Tarzana-based actor and talent agent is running against Congressmember Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks).
“It shouldn’t be done and we shouldn’t redistrict like this, but at the same time the MAGA administration, they don’t play by the rules. Everything they do is essentially illegal,” said Ahuja, adding that Newsom is approaching redistricting “the proper way” by allowing Californians to decide if the maps should be redrawn. “There is still a democratic process for it. I do support it.”
The district currently includes much of the San Fernando Valley and westside communities of Los Angeles. Also in the race is gay politico Jake Rakov of Studio City, who also backs Prop 50.
“Trump started this to try to rig the midterms for Republicans, and now Gov. Newsom and California Demo-
crats are fighting fire with fire. This is exactly what we need to meet this mo ment,” he noted in an email fundraising off the issue.
During a recent visit to the Bay Area, Ahuja met up with the B.A.R. and noted that under the proposed new map for the House seat, all of Simi Valley, Por ter Ranch, and Grenada Hills would be added to it. Several hillside sections of Los Angeles County would be removed, including Bell Canyon and Hidden Hills, said Ahuja, whose home wouldn’t be affected.
“It adds more working-class neighborhoods to the district,” said Ahuja of Prop 50.
In the Central Valley, lesbian Fresno City Councilmember Annalisa Perea told the B.A.R. she supports Prop 50 and will vote for it in the special statewide election on November 4. Like Ahuja, she appreciates that Californians will be able to voice their opinion on the matter via the ballot box.
“While no one was really anticipating this, it is up to California to step up and really neutralize what is happening in other parts of our nation,” said Perea, who is running for the open state Assembly District 31 seat next year. “So, it is going to be really interesting to see how this plays out in November and see sort of where other Democrats, up and down the state, how they are going to be able to support this or fight against it.”
A legal adversary to Trump Morrison, 56, the founder of Red Eagle Law LC, and his husband, paralegal Rodolfo Green, have lived in Fallbrook since 2021, deciding to move out of Orange County in search of more space due to COVID. They were able to buy five acres, though they’ve had to contend with a series of wildfires they could see off in the distance and a resulting spike in their home insurance costs from $3,500 to $7,500 a year.
“Someone asked how we can afford that; we don’t know yet,” said Morrison. “This part of the country, you have some added challenges to deal with. I don’t think Darrell Issa pays much attention to this because his life is mostly in D.C.”
A legal adversary to President Donald Trump dating back to his first term, when Morrison filed a lawsuit against the travel ban Trump had imposed against a number of Muslim-majority nations that became moot after Joe Biden was elected president, Morrison this year filed a lawsuit against Trump’s new travel ban against 19 countries that went into effect in June. A judge last month ordered an injunction against it, though the Trump administration is expected to litigate the issue all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Indiana native obtained his law degree from now-closed Whittier Law School in Costa Mesa, California. He had earned his undergraduate degree
Attorney Curtis Morrison, left, with his husband, Rodolfo Green, is running for Congress in 2026.
Courtesy the candidate
Eyes on the prize
by Gwendolyn Ann Smith
I’ve said it many times before: the trans community is very good at eating its own.
I think it is something inherent in us. We have to be strong to survive, we need to be firm in our convictions to find our place in this world, and to stand up and be proud of our trans nature, even as everyone around is telling us that we are wrong.
That strength can come with a price, however. It is hard, sometimes, for us to bond as a community. It can be hard to let down our guard, be vulnerable, and learn to work as a greater whole. How can we trust anyone, after all, in a world where we have been so rarely trusted to know exactly who we are in our very skin?
I recently saw this in action, as one trans person online went toe to toe with another, arguing over some relatively inconsequential thing or another. In an era where the full force and power of the United States government is barreling down on our community like a runaway freight train, one may assume there are bigger things to deal with than interpersonal squabbles.
survival. This is a time of triage, where we need to focus on urgent goals, shoring up the damage, and doing what we can to survive. Every day is a new attack, with threats to our legal status, our health care, even our very existence that we need to prioritize and fight back against. We need to focus as strongly as we can on this.
Indeed, the prize, today, is to do our best to not lose a single trans person to despair, all the while trying to maintain a world for us that allows us to exist. That is a big short-term goal.
This means fighting to preserve all we have, even as politicians from the left and right come for trans rights.
All that said – and I feel this is important – we do need to preserve our joy. We cannot survive without feeling that there is a good reason to survive. What is the point of life without living? We need to have more than just survival, but happiness in spite of the darkness. We need to preserve our joy.
This brings me to the second prize to remain focused on – the long-term goal.
It is key that we look at where we want our community to go. What do we want this world to look like for us in 10 years, or 50, or 100? What is the future we want to build?
own cultural spaces, building a true community that elevates us all. Imagine a world where we can teach our own people, care for our own needs, and even provide on a scale unimaginable today, alongside our allies in any number of other communities.
I replied that I, too, find it hard at times to, as they say, keep my eyes on the prize. This led to a challenge, of sorts, as to what “the prize” would even mean today.
The difficult part is that I also don’t think there’s a singular “prize” to speak of. I think there’s a short-term goal and a long-term one.
As the online altercation was being dissected, one person quipped about how the fighting left us vulnerable, and how it kept us from dealing with larger issues. Indeed, how all the struggles we were facing made it hard to even know what to focus on, and that maybe this, too, led to us lashing out at each other simply to feel some sort of control in a world so far out of it.
The important thing right now is
This means finding ways to provide outreach and care among ourselves, as hospitals, clinics, and other medical establishments shutter their trans programs out of fear or under threat.
It is on each of us to try to focus on providing within our community, from basic material goods to more spiritual and emotional needs like love, kindness, and community. It also means standing up and defending us all, making sure that we continue to lead even as things turn so dark.
So, yes, for the short term, our goal is to simply outlast those who want to see us gone. It’s not easy, but it is vital and, as I said, we need to keep our eyes on the prize.
For us, I think it’s obvi ous that we want acceptance as who we are. We want a world that understands that we are trans people, and that trans people deserve the same rights and privileges as nontrans people. Right now, we’re mired in petty skirmishes about sports or bathrooms, but the bigger fight is, when you get down to it, about our humanity.
We need to build our place, both as a part of mainstream culture where we can enjoy our freedom to exist within the world at large, but also within our
Project Open Hand marks 40 years
compiled by Cynthia Laird
Project Open Hand, which provides nutritious meals for critically ill people and seniors, will mark its 40th anniversary with a gala fundraiser Friday, September 12. The event, Hand to Hand, will take place at the San Francisco Design Center, 101 Henry Adams
Street, from 6 to 10 p.m., a news release noted.
Project Open Hand provides services in San Francisco and Alameda counties. Meals are medically tailored and the nonprofit serves about 1 million annually to people with complex health challenges such as HIV/AIDS, cancer, and heart disease.
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The agency started in 1985 in the midst of the AIDS crisis. Ruth Brinker, a straight ally and retired food-service worker, saw several close friends suffer from malnutrition and decided to act. In the early 1980s she began by preparing meals in her kitchen, the agency’s website noted, and then Project Open Hand was formed. Brinker died in 2011.
People living in Alameda County began receiving services in 1989. The agency operates a grocery center in downtown Oakland from which it serves East Bay clients.
Paul Hepfer, a straight ally who’s the CEO of Project Open Hand, noted the importance of the agency’s mission.
“As we mark 40 years of meals with love, this milestone is a testament to the power of community and the enduring impact of nourishing food,” Hepfer stated. “Every meal we’ve served represents dignity, compassion, and hope for a healthier future – not just for individuals, but for our planet.
“We’re thrilled to celebrate this legacy and look ahead to continuing our work with renewed purpose,” Hepfer added.
At the event, guests will enjoy Champagne and gourmet cuisine, inspiring stories, and recognition of community heroes. There will also be live and silent auctions, dancing, and entertainment, the release stated.
Individual tickets are $300 and are available online at openhand.org/handtohand2025.
Carney reappointed to arts panel
Consider a world where the issue of trans rights is understood as simply the right thing to do, an example of body autonomy that anyone could enjoy should they wish? A time where the dark political battles of today seeking to abolish our very existence – even as so many other groups face similar struggles – are avoided for the atrocities they are. This is the bigger prize. A world where we can, truly, be free to exist in harmony, where we can simply be. This is a prize worth linking together for, standing up for, and taking concrete steps now to create.
This is a prize worthy of our community and our attention. t
Gwen Smith wants to see a better world. You can find her at www.gwensmith.com
ney has participated in numerous complex renovations and historic preservation projects, including the renovation of San Francisco City Hall. Beyond his architectural career, Carney’s community leadership efforts include work to expand civil rights and stop hate crimes, which is his dedication to the pink triangle project. Carney holds a Master of Architecture degree from UC Berkeley and a Bachelor of Science in architecture from Cal Poly.
In an email, Carney stated that it’s an honor to be reappointed by Lurie.
community centers, public schools, and all structures at San Francisco International Airport,” he noted. “We also oversee civic design work along the entire Hetch Hetchy System, stretching from Yosemite to San Francisco. Our scope extends to new and existing city parks and public spaces, as well as design elements within them: gates, fences, lighting, benches, historic plaques, and other fixtures on city and county land.
“I will continue to strive to make a positive impact on our city’s art and culture to ensure it continues to be inclusive, equitable, diverse and beautiful so it uplifts the experiences of all San Franciscans and visitors,” Carney
Patrick Carney, a gay man and cofounder of the pink triangle installation atop Twin Peaks, was reappointed by Mayor Daniel Lurie to the San Francisco Arts Commission. Carney was sworn in September 3.
An aide in the mayor’s office noted that the reappointment did not need approval by the Board of Supervisors as the arts commission was created by the city charter and appointments are made by the mayor.
In an email, Carney said he was pleased to be reappointed and noted the commission is well represented by the LGBTQ community. In addition to Carney, other out members are Debra Walker, Mahsa Hakimi, Jessica Rothschild, Seth Brenzel, and J. Riccardo Benavides.
According to the mayor’s office, Car-
“I am grateful for the opportunity to continue serving our city, and I’m especially pleased to re main a member of the Civic Design Review Committee of the Arts Commission,” he wrote in an email. “The goal of CDR is to ensure that all civic capital improvement projects improve the public realm, enhance the city, and respect the natural environ ment. It’s in this forum that I bring over four decades of experience as an architect and urban planner to help guide new city projects and renovations in ways that best serve San Francisco’s residents – improving both livability and aesthetics.” Carney added that the CDR committee’s work is extensive.
This year marked the 30th installation of the pink triangle when it was put up in June. The symbol was used at German concentration camps during World War II to brand suspected homosexuals. Similar symbols, such as a Star of David for Jewish prisoners, marked others who were imprisoned, millions of whom died at the camps during the Holocaust. Much later, the pink triangle was reclaimed by the LGBTQ community as a symbol of empowerment.
“The CDR committee reviews, comments on, and approves all work on city-owned buildings – including fire stations, police stations, recreation and
About 10 days after this year’s pink triangle was installed, it was marred by vandalism. On June 17, San Francisco police arrested Lester Bamacajeronimo,
Christine Smith
Project Open Hand CEO Paul Hepfer
Courtesy Project Open Hand
Palm Springs to unveil LGBTQ flag
by Ed Walsh
Palm Springs is getting ready for a busy fall with two new attractions designed to entice even more LGBTQ+ visitors to the desert. A new giant Pride flag will be installed ahead of the city’s annual Pride celebration, followed by the reopening of an old landmark, the Plaza Theatre, which will help showcase LGBTQ+ performers.
Additionally, an LGBTQ Monument will be unveiled next month.
The Palm Springs theater renovation comes as Another Planet Entertainment works to complete a remodel of the historic Castro Theatre in San Francisco’s LGBTQ neighborhood. After delays, it’s expected to reopen early next year.
Palm Springs Pride flag
Construction in Palm Springs is underway to put up what is expected to become an iconic symbol in the city. A flagpole flying a six-color rainbow flag similar to the one designed by the late Gilbert Baker in San Francisco’s Castro neighborhood will stand at the entrance to the gay Arenas District. It is scheduled to be completed in mid-October, in time for Palm Springs Pride weekend, which begins Thursday, November 6.
The project costs $106,000, and the flag will be 18 by 25 feet, District 3 City Councilmember Ron deHarte, a gay man who’s president and CEO of Palm Springs Pride, stated to the Bay Area Reporter in an email. (DeHarte is also the ceremonial mayor of Palm Springs and has been recused from directly participating in the flag program because of his dual role with Pride, a news release stated.) By comparison, the Pride flag in the Castro is a little bigger, 20 by 30 feet. The Castro flagpole is 100 feet tall. The Palm Springs version will be 65 feet tall, but the surrounding buildings are only one or two stories so the flag will be noticeable over a wide area.
A section of the parking lot on Indian Canyon Drive and Arenas Road is cordoned off and under construction as
workers build the flagpole base. The flag project got the green light in July when the Palm Springs City Council approved a license agreement with Palm Springs Pride for the construction, installation, maintenance, and operation of the flagpole.
As the B.A.R. previously reported, Baker co-created the first rainbow flag with friends Lynn Segerblom, a straight ally who now lives in Southern California, and James McNamara, a gay man who died of AIDS-related complications in 1999. Baker and his friends came up with a rainbow flag design that had eight colored stripes, with one version also sporting a corner section of stars to mimic the design of the American flag. It debuted at the 1978 San Francisco Pride parade.
Baker, who died in 2017, subsequently designed the large flag in the Castro; the one in Palm Springs will also use the six standard colors of the flag that Baker had long promoted as a global symbol of LGBTQ rights.
The Palm Springs project is being
spearheaded by the Arenas District Merchants and will be managed by the 40-year-old 501(c)(3) nonprofit Palm Springs Pride organization.
Arenas Road businesses hope the flag will help attract foot traffic from Palm Springs’ main drag, Palm Canyon Drive, just a block away. They also hope it will drive visitors to the area from the city’s convention center, about a half mile away.
“In Palm Springs’ 87-year history, no other cultural or civic group has stepped forward to propose funding a landmark flagpole to honor their community. Yet today, the LGBTQ+ community is doing just that, championing a powerful symbol of pride and inclusivity for all to see,” stated deHarte.
The measure approved by the Palm Springs City Council allows for other flags to occasionally be flown. (San Francisco supervisors landmarked the Castro flag and flagpole last year, and only Baker’s flag can be flown.)
Alternative flags that will be displayed occasionally include the transgender
flag, designed by Monica F. Helms; the leather Pride flag, designed by Anthony (Tony) F. DeBlase; the bisexual Pride flag, designed by Michael Page; and the flag of the State of California. Palm Springs Pride plans to display the U.S. flag on Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, and Veterans Day, the release stated. The flag also may be lowered to half-staff by presidential, gubernatorial, or local proclamation.
The Gilbert Baker Foundation is supportive of the Palm Springs flag project.
“The Gilbert Baker Foundation celebrates the wisdom and vision of the Palm Springs City Council and Palm Springs Pride,” stated Charles Beal, a gay man who’s president of the foundation.
“At a time of homophobic rainbow flag bans – now more than 60 across America – installing a permanent flag pole dedicated to the iconic creation by Gilbert Baker, plus other flag makers, sends a message of defiance to our adversaries and one of hope to our global community under fire.”
Those who support the Palm Springs project can donate to it, officials noted. A crowdfunding campaign has raised about $3,500 of a $50,000 goal.
“You can support the landmark Pride flag. We’re actively raising funds for the Arenas District Pride Flagpole, an incredible piece of art that will symbolize hope and commemorate the tireless fight for equality among activists of all backgrounds,” stated Mitch Battersby, the Palm Springs Pride director of volunteers and a project lead.
Donations to the Pride flag project can be made at https://bit.ly/arenasflag
Palm Springs Pride
A separate fundraising website has been established to help Palm Springs Pride this year and promotes a Walk for Equality scheduled for Saturday, October 25. Like San Francisco and other Prides around the country, Palm Springs Pride has lost some sponsors. Pride
CEO deHarte told the B.A.R. on August 27 that Pride’s deficit decreased from
$325,000 last month to $275,000. People can register for the walk and make donations at www.pspride.org/walk
“The long struggle for LGBTQ+ rights is knocking at our door again,” said deHarte. “It is vital that we stand together and show the world that our community is strong and our fight for equality continues. This is our moment to create our path forward and fight for equality.”
The aforementioned Pride Landmark Flagpole and an LGBTQ+ Monument are long-planned projects, and Palm Springs Pride said the projects were not impacted by the recent political climate.
The monument incorporates the rainbow Pride colors with the Lambda and triangle symbols that were adopted by the LGBTQ community before the flag was created. It will be unveiled Tuesday, October 21, during the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association conference that is meeting this year in Palm Springs, deHarte told the B.A.R. The sculpture will be installed in the Frances Stevens Park at E. Alejo Road and Indian Canyon Drive.
Theater renovation
The Plaza Theatre in downtown Palm Springs opened in 1936 and featured the Palm Springs Follies show from 1990 to 2014, a variety show with performers aged 55 and over. After being closed for more than a decade, the theater will reopen December 2-3 with an “Evening with Lily Tomlin.” The shows are sold out for Tomlin, a lesbian and comedian, but if price is no object, tickets on the resale market are $500-plus.
Tickets are still available for a show with actor Billy Porter, a gay Black man, on December 4 and a “John Waters Christmas” on December 5. Rounding out the LGBTQ+ themed opening week is lesbian comic Fortune Feimster on Saturday, December 6. The Palm Springs Gay Men’s Chorus kicks off a series of shows in the theater starting on December 19 through April 26. t
SF Indigiqueer artist Rainwater digs deep into personal, cultural histories
by JL Odom
I
n one of her Instagram posts, multimedia artist Tricia Rainwater stands inside a picnic shelter at Cadron Settlement Park in Cadron, Arkansas.
She wears a red plaid dress and black laced-up boots, with some of her tattoos visible on her legs and left hand. Her long, dark hair frames her face, and large hoops hang from her earlobes.
She’s looking directly at her camera’s lens, her brown eyes windows to a deep soul and complexities.
Rainwater, a mixed Choctaw, Indigiqueer femme, spent September 2022 traveling the Choctaw route of the Trail of Tears, retracing the steps of her ancestors. In the 1830s, the Choctaw people and other Indigenous nations were forcibly removed from Deep South states, including Mississippi, Arkansas, and Oklahoma.
“I had started to have dreams where I was traveling through Mississippi – where my grandmother was from – and I was like, ‘What if I just rent a car and travel it [i.e., the Trail of Tears] and photograph myself the way I do at home?’” Rainwater said in a Zoom video call with the Bay Area Reporter.
After being awarded a $20,000 SF Artist grant (SFA) by the San Francisco Arts Commission to fund her project idea, she spent six months researching and combing through historical archives, reaching out to
the Choctaw Nation for guidance. Her documentation of her journey included photos of her homelands and herself at notable sites, journaling, collecting soil from the trail in Ziploc bags, and posting on her Instagram page, such as about her stop in Cadron.
It was a means for her to process the past, heal in the present, and continue building an archive of her personal and cultural histories.
“My Indigiqueerness – my being Native and queer – feels like it factors into everything. It definitely is the lens I make my art through,” she said.
All things considered
Rainwater’s Instagram page is a multiyear-spanning account of someone who has repeatedly met hardships head-on, at times taking a step back in order to reassess and then progress.
Chock-full of rawness and vulnerability, her posts have the potential to intimidate viewers with their boldness, while also conjuring empathy.
The same is the case with her art.
“Work like mine shines a light on lives that people often look away from. When they’re in a gallery and they’re viewing my photos, they have to sit with it. I get to be in control of the narrative, and they have to look at what I want them to look at,” she said.
Rainwater, 40, has lived in San Francisco for 17 years, with the overwhelming majority of that time devoted to her art practice. She’s in a good place right now, she said, able to expend energy and effort toward her photography and other projects while also holding down a remote gig at a tech company (the name of which she did not disclose).
“I tell everyone that I have two fulltime jobs, and it truly feels like that. … They compete at times, but that’s just the creative hustle in San Francisco,” she said.
Every artist has their origin story about a particular moment when it became clear that art was their calling. For Rainwater, it was taking photographs of nature during childhood, using cameras her parents had gifted her, and then show-
ing her work at the Lodi Grape and Wine Festival in California’s Central Valley.
“I would enter my photographs –these very cute ones of me looking up at trees through the branches. It felt so cool that I had this original idea. And when I started getting ribbons, I was like, ‘Oh, I have something. This is something,’” Rainwater said.
She stuck with it, taking more scenic photos, as well as photos of her family and herself. When she moved to San Francisco in her early 20s, the latter took on a new purpose.
“I realized how much trauma I had from childhood and that I needed to process it. That began the journey of self-portraiture, where I was photographing my emotions and realizing all I needed to process externally in therapy. And I continued that for years, and it really helped me. It still does,” Rainwater said.
Facing the camera’s lens
Self-portraits became Rainwater’s way of confronting and healing from difficult times, such as her father’s alleged abusiveness (she has cut off contact with him) and her mother’s long battle with kidney and heart failure and death in 2016.
In the photograph “Aftermath,” which is viewable on her Instagram page, she stands in her mother’s narrow kitchen in a black dress and black boots. She gazes solemnly at the camera, holding a bouquet of flowers; similar floral arrangements rest on the countertops.
“Her death was really, really hard and really impacted my work. I photographed all the objects in her house as I was clearing it out. It was very emotional, but felt very important,” Rainwater said.
Several years later, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, with the shelter-inplace mandate, face-mask requirement, six-feet-apart social distancing, and the virus itself affecting everyone in some way. Rainwater and her then-spouse found some relief walking in Golden Gate Park with their dogs.
She brought along her vintage Nikon D60 camera and captured shots of herself within the park’s vast forest – sometimes standing openly, surrounded by trees; other times her face or body partially obscured by branches and shrubbery.
“I was processing all these emotions around family getting sick and dying and working in a place I was unhappy. And so going into Golden Gate Park and escaping into the woods – making these beautiful photographs where I was evoking these emotions and getting back into nature – felt very healing for me,” she said.
Rainwater was not quite out of the woods – or park – when COVID-19 restrictions somewhat lessened, as the time period also proved to be a wakeup call about her marriage.
A large rainbow flag will be installed at the entrance to the gay Arenas District in Palm Springs.
Ed Walsh
Multimedia artist Tricia Rainwater visited New Orleans, Louisiana, the homeland of Native communities such as the Choctaw people.
Emily Kask
At 1440 By The Bay, diversity isn’t just welcomed – it’s celebrated. Our vibrant community is home to residents from all walks of life, creating a warm and inclusive environment where everyone belongs. With cultural events, interfaith discussions and cooking classes featuring flavors from around the world, residents celebrate different traditions, perspectives and backgrounds. Every story matters, every voice is heard and true connections are formed.
More than just a senior living community, 1440 By The Bay is a place to call home – where individuality is embraced, friendships flourish and support is always within reach.
Catholic school shooting leaves 2 dead
by Joe Reberkenny, Washington Blade
Two children are dead and 17 others, including 14 children, were wounded after a gunman opened fire at a Catholic school in Minneapolis August 27. Meanwhile, the mayor of Minneapolis and LGBTQ leaders condemned antitrans scapegoating that flooded social media after it was reported the school shooter was transgender.
Authorities identified the shooter as 23-year-old Robin Westman, a transgender woman who began shooting inside Annunciation Catholic Church during morning Mass on Wednesday around 8:30 a.m. Westman killed two children, ages 8 and 10, and injured three elderly parishioners in addition to the 14 children inside the church.
Police confirmed that Westman legally purchased the weapons used in the attack — a rifle, shotgun, and pistol — had no prior criminal history, and died at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
According to a yearbook obtained by CNN, Westman graduated from Annunciation Catholic’s grade school in 2017. Fox News reported that their mother, Mary Grace Westman, worked at Annunciation Catholic School as a secretary until 2021.
The Washington Post reported that the shooter’s mother successfully petitioned to change the assailant’s name from Robert to Robin in 2021, saying the then-teenager, who was assigned male at birth, identified as a woman. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ nation/2025/08/27/robin-westmanminneapolis-school-shooting/
The New York Post reported that Westman left behind a manifesto, suggesting the attack had been carefully planned.
On a YouTube channel under Westman’s name, several videos were scheduled to post around the time of the shooting. The clips showed West-
man’s weapons and magazines, some inscribed with phrases such as “kill Donald Trump” and “for the children.”
Other videos depicted Westman flipping through a notebook containing antisemitic writings, hand-drawn maps of the school, “defend equality” trans Pride stickers, and references to an admiration for mass shooters — particularly Adam Lanza, the Sandy Hook killer. The manifesto itself appears to be written in a code combining Cyrillic characters and English phonetics.
“It’s my strongest desire that no state, no community, no school ever experiences a day like this,” said Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.
Police shared early information at a news conference.
“This was a deliberate act of violence against innocent children and other people worshipping. The sheer cruelty and cowardice of firing into a church full of children is absolutely incomprehensible,” said Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara.
O’Hara noted that the surviving victims are expected to recover, though they sustained a range of injuries.
Condemning hate
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey also addressed the tragedy, stressing that meaningful changes are needed to prevent another senseless act of violence.
“It can’t just be words – there needs to be action. We’ve seen school shooting after school shooting. We’ve seen church shootings carried out by horrible actors,” Frey said.
Frey, who is running for reelection to a third term in November, also condemned attempts to exploit the tragedy to target marginalized groups, particularly trans people.
“Anybody who is using this as an opportunity to villainize our trans community, or any other community out there, has lost their sense of common humanity,” he said. “We should not be operating out of a place of hate for anyone.”
The Reverend Dr. DeWayne Davis, a gay Black man who is also running for mayor, called the shooting “devastating” in a post on X.
“The news of a mass shooting at Annunciation Church is devastating, especially coming on the heels of multiple shootings in the last 24 hours,” he wrote. “I’m holding the victims of these shoot-
ings, their families, and their communities in my heart today.”
Another shooting about four miles north of the school killed one man and injured 6 people about 1:30 p.m. August 26, the Sahan Journal reported.
Additionally, the outlet reported that two other shootings took place in Minneapolis between the mass shooting August 26 and the mass shooting at the school August 27 – one occurred about 8 p.m. Tuesday in the Whittier neighborhood, and another at about 2 a.m. Wednesday downtown. The Whittier shooting resulted in one death and another person was likely injured. One person died in the downtown shooting and one person was injured.
“Every person in our community should be able to go to school or work or home, to stand on our city’s sidewalks, and to gather with people in community without fearing gun violence,” Davis stated. “It is a moral failing that children continue to die from something so incredibly preventable.”
National LGBTQ rights organizations echoed Frey’s call for compassion for the trans community, while condemning scapegoating.
“We are heartbroken by the devastating shooting in Minneapolis. Our deepest sympathies go out to the families who lost loved ones, the survivors, and the entire community now forced to grieve the unimaginable,” stated Brandon Wolf, a Black queer man who’s the Human Rights Campaign’s national press secretary and a survivor of the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida.
“Too many communities have had to live this nightmare too many times,” he added. “Grief is not enough. For far too long, our nation has endured an avalanche of gun violence — tragedies that could have been prevented with lifesaving, common-sense gun laws that certain lawmakers block at every chance. No child should go to school fearing for their life. And while we don’t yet know all the facts, one thing is clear: scapegoating an entire marginalized com-
munity in a moment of national grief is wrong, dangerous, and dehumanizing. This tragedy is part of a devastating and preventable epidemic of gun violence. Enough is enough.”
Kierra Johnson, a bi Black woman who’s president of the National LGBTQ Task Force, emphasized unity over division.
“The mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic School deserves more than the platitude of ‘thoughts and prayers.’ Predictably, those who rush to say ‘don’t politicize mass shootings’ while the gun is still warm are also quick to demonize transgender people and indict an entire community for the actions of one person. This is a time for compassion — for supporting those grieving — not for fueling division. While many in the LGBTQ community have experienced friction with some religious groups, we must come together to create dialogue and understanding, not further wedges.”
Locally, Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee, a straight ally, condemned the shooting.
“I am deeply saddened by the shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis and send my heartfelt condolences to the families, friends, and the entire Minneapolis community affected by this tragedy,” Lee stated.
“The deaths of two young children and injuries to 17 others represent an unspeakable horror. As both a parent and public servant, I am deeply shaken by this violence against innocent lives gathered in prayer and learning,” she added.
Lee stated that the gun violence crisis in America demands immediate action. “Our children’s lives depend on it,” she stated. “The pattern is unmistakable – our nation’s children face repeated threats of gun violence in spaces that should be sacred and secure. We have witnessed too many communities torn apart by similar horrors.” t
The Bay Area Reporter contributed reporting.
SF man convicted of public sex acts in Castro
by John Ferrannini
Aman was convicted August 28 on charges related to intentionally committing sexual acts in front of children in San Francisco’s Castro neighborhood, according to the office of District Attorney Brooke Jenkins. Michael Watson, 35, of San Francisco, was convicted of three felony counts of indecent exposure with a prior conviction, three counts of annoying or molesting a child, and one
B.A.R. last week in advance of Oakland Pride.
Asked how the August 28 soft opening went, Carrillo stated, “It went really, really good.” He also plugged the Oakland Pride afterparty in front of Que Rico at 381 15th Street, the second annual Pride After Dark.
“We had so much fun last year we decided to close 15th Street again this year and make the party even bigger,” Que Rico’s website states. “Last year over 1,000 people attended this amazing outdoor event and danced all night long.”
Tickets for that event, which runs from 5 to 10 p.m., are available on Eventbrite for $20. It will feature dance areas, go-go dancers, and food.
Sean Sullivan, a gay man who is coowner of Fluid510 at 1544 Broadway, said his establishment is hosting the official kickoff event for the weekend, Good Vbz Presents Jus10, on Friday, September 5, from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Tickets are available on Eventbrite for $32.04.
Fluid510 is also hosting Pride drag brunches at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. September 7. They require reservations (which
count of stalking.
“According to evidence presented at trial, Mr. Watson repeatedly for a year showed up at a boba shop in the Castro where two middle school students, along with their friends, would frequent after school on the same day each week,” a news release from Jenkins’ office stated. “Mr. Watson would arrive outside the boba shop completely nude and covered in oil. He would stare at the group and masturbate the entire time they were pres-
ent. On January 15, 2025, he followed them from the boba shop towards Dolores Park.”
Watson is in custody, and faces up to five years in prison. He will have to register as a sex offender for a minimum of 10 years pursuant to the penal code. Sentencing is set for October 29. Jenkins stated, “I would like to thank the jury for their service in this trial. The jury’s verdict holds Mr. Watson accountable for his reprehensible behavior. My office will always do ev-
can be made at https://www.opentable.com/r/fluid510-oakland). A day party takes place from 3 to 8 p.m. the same day, and costs $10. The East Bay Stonewall Democratic Club will hold its Pride breakfast at Fluid510 September 7 from 8:30 to 10 a.m. Tickets are $50 per person or $25 for seniors, students, and low-income community members.
Sullivan said that Oakland stands ready with open arms to the rest of the Bay Area’s LGBTQ communities.
“We are thrilled by the opportunity to welcome people,” Sullivan said. “We are grateful to the sponsors and supporters who have stepped up because so many have retained support in this draconian time of right-wing ideology.”
As the B.A.R. previously reported,
erything we can to protect children in our city from dangerous individuals like Mr. Watson.”
Assistant District Attorney Tanisha Gooch led the prosecution of the case.
“I would like to thank the survivors for coming forward to tell their story, their parents for supporting them through the process, and the jury for their thoughtful deliberations,” Gooch stated. “As a community, we must stand up for what’s right and report inappropriate conduct instead of turn-
LGBTQ organizations such as Prides and community centers have been feeling financial strain this year amid both economic uncertainty and the pulling back of large donors afraid of the Trump administration. The Oakland center was one of those, but Hawkins said things have improved as of late.
“We’re starting to see some of those donors come back,” Hawkins said, though he added the organization is still “in a holding pattern.”
Smith thanked Oakland Pride’s sponsors.
“I am deeply grateful to our sponsors – including Gilead Sciences Inc., Oakland LGBTQ Community Center, Kaiser Permanente, the City of Oakland, and many others – for their generous support in making this milestone celebration possible,” he stated to the B.A.R. “Your commitment ensures that Oakland Pride continues to thrive and uplift our community year after year.”
As the B.A.R. previously reported, Oakland-based Kaiser Permanente stopped providing gender-affirming surgeries to people under 19, effective August 29, after President Donald Trump banned surgical transitions under that age via an executive order.
ing a blind eye. Mr. Watson’s actions were very disturbing and went on for far too long. The Castro is a place where everyone should feel safe and lewd conduct will not be tolerated.”
Attorneys for Watson were not immediately identified.
A San Francsico man was convicted of public sex acts after being arrested for incidents that occurred in the Castro neighborhood. t
California Attorney General Rob Bonta sued in an attempt to have the order overturned, arguing it lacks a statutory basis.
Our Family Coalition will have its popular Family Garden at Children’s Fairyland at Lake Merritt, about half a mile from the parade route.
Oakland leaders Out Oakland officials noted they are looking forward to Pride weekend.
New Oakland at-large City Councilmember Rowena Brown, a queer woman, stated that Oakland Pride exemplifies “what’s possible when a city comes together to celebrate diversity, courage, and inclusion.”
Brown added, “The parade is a living testament to the resilience, joy and strength of our LGBTQ community – and to the leaders, past and present, who make it possible, including former councilmember Rebecca Kaplan, who served our city with distinction for over a decade. For me, walking in Pride as Oakland’s councilmember at-large and as a member of the LGBTQ community, is deeply personal. Above all, Pride
See page 17 >>
Police arrive on the scene of the school shooting at a Catholic school in Minneapolis.
Screen capture via New York Post/YouTube
<< Oakland Pride
From page 4
California Attorney General Rob Bonta, left, then-congressmember Barbara Lee (now Oakland’s mayor), and Assemblymember Mia Bonta marched in the 2023 Oakland Pride parade.
Jane Philomen Cleland
Community News>>
“I think I was one of those people when I was in the pandemic who felt like my marriage had had a resurgence and it was going to be fine. And then it hit me, when the pandemic started to ease a bit. I was like, ‘Oh shit, I’m really unhappy.’”
The dissolution of her 11-year relationship spurred her back into wanting to confront the challenging aspects of her life.
In one of her self-portraits from this period, “The Long Goodbye” (2021), Rainwater, perceivably distraught, sits on the bed she had shared with her ex; moving boxes are stacked on the floor. In another, titled “How it all ends up” (2021), her mouth is agape and her wedding rings rest on her tongue.
“I turned the camera on myself,” she said. “Things that I think some people have considered really melodramatic felt really empowering to me.”
A lasting impact
In another Instagram post, Rainwater stands in Joaquin Miller Park in Oakland, wearing a black top, denim skirt, and boots. She stares into the camera’s lens, her facial expression stoic yet mournful, as she holds a plastic bag with both hands, close to her chest. She brought back the soil she retrieved from the Trail of Tears to the Bay Area, to her home.
The photograph, titled “Military Road Meets Joaquin Miller” (2024), was featured in the exhibition “Falama: To Return” at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco.
Kija Lucas, CIIS curator for the arts, noted that Rainwater’s art is unique.
“Tricia’s work is incredibly brave and vulnerable. She is her whole self in these portraits, holding the land in her hands, and the stories of her ancestors in her blood. The portraits ask the viewer to look at her, and consider the weight of generations that she carries with her. They are quiet and direct,
her
stern and soft all at once,” Lucas, an ally, wrote in an email to the B.A.R.
Since receiving the SFA grant and completing her Trail of Tears project, Rainwater’s found that more gallery and institution doors have opened for her.
“I think people see that I can make the work. And now they’re like, ‘Tricia, come work with us.’ I’ve been at this for 16 years, and there really is a level of having to prove that you’re going to make the work and show up,” she said.
Rainwater continues to center on self-portraiture but has expanded her portfolio more so in recent years, such as with sculpture work, large-scale installations, and murals.
In the “Allegedly the worst is behind us” exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Art San José, she showcased her work “Falamvt ishla chike” (2024), which explores the crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit (MMIWG2S) people.
“In a media landscape where Indigenous lives are too often erased or reduced to statistics, Tricia Rainwater’s
work stands out as an act of radical archiving,” wrote Zoë Latzer, ICA San José’s curator and director of public programs, in an email to the B.A.R.
The immersive installation features a mural of Facebook-sourced “missing person” posters of MMIWG2S people and four wooden mobiles with fabric ribbons, representing the life of each person and the connection between generations, and metal jingles, symbolizing loss. Rainwater’s voice can be heard repeating the Choctaw phrase, “Falamvt ishla chike” (a wish for someone to return) and saying the names of those missing.
“She carefully preserves and represents the grassroots labor of families and communities searching for their loved ones. Her work insists that these individuals not be forgotten, that their absence be acknowledged publicly, and that the violence behind their disappearance be named. In doing so, [she] reminds us that artists are often the ones doing the vital archival labor that institutions overlook—protecting not just history, but memory,” commented Latzer, who is queer and bisexual.
Rainwater’s friend and fellow artist Caleb Luna, Ph.D., described her as “an incredibly important knowledge holder for her people” in an email to the B.A.R. Luna, who identifies as queer and nonbinary trans, is currently an assistant professor of feminist studies at UC Santa Barbara.
“Through Rainwater’s work, as well as her friendship, my own knowledge and understanding of issues impacting Indigenous women has been greatly expanded,” Luna commented.
“Rainwater’s work shines important light on overlooked issues and pushes the boundaries of Indigenous feminism.”
Time has told, time will tell During the height of the pandemic, Rainwater hand-painted squares of fabric and assembled them together as a sort of patchwork quilt, with “How the Fuck Are You OK.” embroidered on it (“ok.,” 2020).
In a January 30, 2025 Instagram post, she wrote that friends had recently stopped by her studio and ex-
pressed that the artwork resonated with them.
“[The piece] feels on point for this moment,” the caption reads. “It’s been hidden away but lately I’ve had it leaned against a door to give it some room to breathe, speak, and maybe inspire new works.”
It seems to have done just that, as Rainwater is currently busying herself with new projects and plans to return to the South this summer, specifically Mississippi, to take more photographs of her homelands.
One can expect for her to take the reins of the narrative in these endeavors – and unapologetically so.
“Artists have a lot of power in that way. They can broach heavy subjects and subjects that people don’t want to talk about,” Rainwater said. “Continuing to do that is important.” t
This story is part of the Digital Equity Local Voices Fellowship lab through News is Out. The lab initiative is made possible with support from Comcast NBCUniversal.
Tricia Rainwater’s multimedia installation “Falamvt ishla chike” (2024) draws attention to missing Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit people. It was featured in the “Allegedly the worst is behind us” group exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Art San José.
Courtesy the artist
During
journey along the Trail of Tears, Tricia Rainwater collected soil from homelands and sites connected to the Choctaw people. This photograph, titled “Military Trail” (2023), was featured in the “Falama: To Return” exhibition at the California Institute of Integral Studies.
Tricia Rainwater
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page 1
The recall is on the ballot as Proposition A. A yes vote would remove Engardio from office; a no vote would retain him. Should he be removed from office, it would be up to Mayor Daniel Lurie to name someone to serve until the next election in June 2026. The winner of that race will serve the remainder of Engardio’s term through early January 2027. A regularly-scheduled election for the next four-year term will be held in November 2026.
Engardio was not at the meeting. He stated to the B.A.R. afterward, “Recalls should be reserved for corruption or impropriety – not policy disagreements on a single issue. Voters just elected me three years ago, and they’ll have their chance to weigh in again next year in the regular election.” (Engardio would be up for reelection in 2026.)
Public speakers
One of those members of the public speaking for Engardio was a man named Albert, who declined to provide a last name. A UCLA graduate, he said he’s from a working class, Chinese American family in the Sunset district and recently moved back home till he can afford a place of his own.
“The Chinese community is not a monolith. We don’t all feel the same and we don’t all vote the same,” he said.
“We like Sunset Dunes – well, I like it more than them [his parents] – but to be fair, the park is a safe place to walk and exercise outdoors and in the future.
… Hopefully, my parents will become grandparents and will teach my kids to ride a bike. The Sunset belongs to everyone and not just a few and loud angry voices.”
Albert said that Engardio spoke to his family in their living room for an hour and explained his rationale for putting Prop K on the ballot and supporting the Sunset Dunes Park, persuading Albert’s father to take down his sign expressing support for the recall.
“He has a ‘No on A’ sign on his window now,” Albert said. “Joel’s a good person, and the Sunset needs his leadership because he’s forward-focused on helping
<< Prop 50
From page 1
San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu, a straight ally, is leading eight lawsuits against the Trump administration. On seven of them, his office has seen at least preliminary wins, but he warned that not responding to Texas’ gerrymandered maps is dangerous for the survival of U.S. democracy.
“They [Trump allies] do not play by the rules,” Chiu said. “Trump and his MAGA Republicans have ripped up the
Did you know Rob Hobbs?
In search of people who knew my Uncle Ron Hobbs! He sadly died of aids in 1990 at age 33. He spent his last couple of years living in San Francisco after moving from Chicago. I have been able to connect with a couple of his old friends but have reached a dead end in my search. From what I have learned of him he was so kind and thoughtful and creative. My name is Laura and you can reach out to me by my email (laurierost2003@yahoo.com) if willing to share your memories of him with me!
San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee member former District 4 supervisor Gordon Mar broke his long silence on the recall, saying the voters should decide.
young people like me stay in San Francisco.”
One of those speaking against Engardio was Albert Chow, a leader in the recall effort whose name has been floated as a possible replacement supervisor choice.
“[Engardio] doesn’t walk the streets of District 4 anymore because he’s afraid of being shamed,” Chow intoned. “Our neighborhood has been changed. Our neighborhood has been factionalized. Why would you vote for someone like this?”
Mar breaks his silence
After public comment, DCCC member Lily Ho said that the committee’s Issues and Resolutions committee had interviewed Engardio earlier in the month and recommended the committee make no endorsement in the race.
Then, just before the vote, as the meeting came to a crescendo, the room hushed as Mar – whom Engardio defeated in 2022 but who is an elected member of the DCCC – spoke on the matter of the recall, and his successor.
“This is the first time I’m speaking publicly on my perspectives on the recall election,” Mar said. “This is a decision for District 4 voters alone. Our community deserves to weigh this extremely divisive issue without further outside influence, especially when tech and crypto billionaires have already poured more than
playbook. We cannot play by rules that no longer exist.”
Prop 50 is so named for fair elections in all 50 states of the U.S., according to Newsom’s press office.
The event was a who’s who of the city’s political class, with supervisors returning to work after their August recess.
District 5 Supervisor Bilal Mahmood discussed his plans to introduce a resolution at the Board of Supervisors later in the day putting San Francisco on the record in support of Prop 50. An immigrant, he discussed his life in Pakistan when he was younger.
“I lived under a dictatorship,” Mahmood said. “I lived in Pakistan after an authoritarian leader took the country from a democracy to a dictatorship under the guise of security and safety. … I saw terror being used as an excuse to seize power and take away fundamental human rights.”
Many Democrats see similar authoritarian efforts underway in the U.S. Contrary to most past U.S. practice, Trump has had National Guard and military forces act as law enforcement, both in the District of Columbia and Los Angeles. He has also floated sending federal troops to San Francisco, Oakland, Chicago, and Baltimore, saying he wants to bring down crime rates – though a federal court ruling out of San Francisco September 2 will complicate matters.
U.S. District Court Judge Charles Breyer, the brother of retired U.S. Supreme Court justice Stephen Breyer, ruled that Trump’s earlier deployment of state National Guard troops in Los Angeles was illegal.
None of the speakers addressed that development at the rally, but San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins – a straight ally who herself has helped lead a crackdown on crime in the city –said the city doesn’t need Trump’s help.
“He’s defying our laws,” Jenkins said
$784,000 into the [Engardio] campaign to influence and really buy the votes in District 4.”
(Indeed, the majority of the funding for Engardio’s campaign to stay in office came from five individuals, as the Richmond Review reported earlier this month, including cryptocurrency techphilanthropist Chris Larsen, venture capitalist Ron Conway, and Yelp CEO Jeremy Stoppleman.)
Mar urged the party not to take a position.
“Trust in democracy here in San Francisco and in this country is extremely fragile and so the Democratic Party here in San Francisco should not add to that outside influence on such a deeply local question as Prop A,” Mar said.
Mar said he’s “always opposed the use of recalls as a political weapon,” and for that reason opposed the DA and school board recalls.
“This recall is actually more justified than those we had in 2022,” he said.
“As so many have stated tonight and have repeated over the past year, Supervisor Engardio misled voters about one of the most contentious issues in our district, in presenting one position in order to get the votes of many of the people here today, and then reversing himself once in office,” Mar said. “He then led an effort to put a citywide ballot measure on the ballot without any input from his constituents, who he misled.”
Mar said that the issue is one of “the importance of meaningful public input on divisive positions by public officials. During my tenure my staff spent more time on this issue than any other by a wide margin.”
Matthew Rothschild, a gay man who is on the committee as a proxy for ex officio member gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), attacked Mar’s reasoning, arguing the party should full-throatedly oppose the recall. Wiener has endorsed Engardio, and thus opposes Prop A.
“We are the Democratic Party,” he said. “People want to know what we stand for. To not take a position on something like this? How can we look voters in the eye and say, ‘Oh, we didn’t get involved?’ You got elected to make
tough votes. If you can’t take tough votes, you shouldn’t stand for an election.”
Rothschild said that the party should guide voters to cut through outside influences.
“You said you’re concerned about outside influence,” Rothschild said. “Well, that’s all the more the reason the Democratic Party should step up. There’s always outside influences in every election … I think it’s interesting when you say the party shouldn’t take a position, yet you voted for the party to take a position when the party opposed the recall of the DA. The party opposed these other recalls. Wow. And so it’s OK to be in opposition then, but now we shouldn’t get involved? The Democratic Party should be the loudest voice there is to try to drown out outside influences because we are the Democratic Party. We should be more important than newspapers, more important than specialist PACs.”
DCCC member Jade Tu, who lives in the Sunset district, gave personal testimony.
“My grandma, who is disabled, bound to a wheelchair; I’m not going to be able to wheel her all the way down to the Great Highway,” Tu said. “He [Engardio] only thought of himself in the situation. Many of us who are working people need that Great Highway to go from one side of the city to another.
“The reason he got elected is the district did not feel represented – sorry –and the matter of fact is now they still don’t feel represented and that’s why they’re so upset and that’s why they feel so betrayed,” Tu added, turning to Mar when she said “sorry.”
When the time came to vote, gay DCCC member Matt Dorsey, who as District 6 supervisor is a colleague of Engardio’s, voted that the party should oppose the recall. (Dorsey has endorsed Engardio.)
“Joel has been a strong ally of mine on the Board of Supervisors for police staffing and public safety priorities, and I don’t want to lose him as a colleague. For that reason, I’m opposing the recall,”
Dorsey stated to the B.A.R.
Gay DCCC member Joe Sangirardi also voted to oppose the recall. He stated to the B.A.R., “The recall will not reopen the Great Highway, but it will cost hun-
about Trump. “As our DA, I am someone tasked with enforcing the law. This is about standing up for our democracy. … We are a demonstration on how Democratic leadership can actually address issues affecting personal safety. We don’t need his help.”
Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis (D), a straight ally who withdrew from the race to succeed Newsom last month and is now running for state treasurer, spoke about her time as ambassador to Hungary, where Prime Minister Viktor Orbán transitioned the post-communist state into an “illiberal democracy,” in his words.
“The playbook is the same,” Kounalakis said, comparing Trump with Orbán. “But there are key differences. The United States of America is not Hungary. California is not Hungary. We are the American people. We are rebels. We fight back.”
Gay Supervisors Matt Dorsey (District 6) and board President Rafael Mandelman (District 8) were at the rally but did not speak. Gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) showed up near the end. Wiener has spent much of
dreds of thousands of dollars during a budget deficit, taking away critical dollars from our city’s most vulnerable residents. Recalls are meant to address dereliction of duty and misconduct, not wage opportunistic proxy wars with our tax dollars.”
Gay DCCC member Michael Nguyen abstained. Expressing a similar sentiment to Mar’s, after the meeting Nguyen told the B.A.R. that, “To me, it’s up to the District 4 residents. I’m against recalls generally, but at the same time, they did raise credible concerns.”
Engardio defends himself
In his statement to the B.A.R., whose editorial board came out against the recall this week, Engardio characterized the opposition to him as being a reactionary movement opposed to change and vibrancy in District 4.
“The recall campaign calls me ‘dangerous’ for welcoming new people and new ideas into the Sunset,” Engardio stated. “But I believe every new immigrant, every LGBTQ neighbor, every young family, every innovator, and every senior who wants to live in San Francisco and the Sunset makes our community stronger. Welcoming people is what has always made San Francisco thrive.”
Engardio continued that the mayor’s upzoning proposals allowing for more multi-unit housing developments in the Sunset, and spaces like Sunset Dunes, will help ensure the city’s future success.
“I’m proud to stand for progress — working with Mayor Lurie to move our city forward, building housing for future generations, and preserving open spaces like Sunset Dunes, where families can come together,” Engardio stated. “Voters should reject this unnecessary recall on September 16 so I can keep focusing on what really matters: improving public safety, supporting parents and families, and helping small businesses thrive.”
Lurie has not spoken out about the recall, though Engardio, a moderate like the mayor, supports many of his proposals. If Engardio is recalled, the person Lurie names as his replacement would need to face voters in the next city election, currently the June 2, 2026 primary.
The recall campaign did not return a request for comment by press time. t
ford and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, in the aftermath of Trump’s executive order banning surgical transitions for people under 19. California Attorney General Rob Bonta sued in an attempt to have the order overturned, arguing it lacks a statutory basis. Oakland-based Kaiser Permanente also stopped such care, effective August 29, as the B.A.R. previously reported.
“It’s a profoundly consequential election, so California must take bold action,” Natoli said.
the year critical of Trump on social media, and recently introduced legislation that would require U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and other federal agents, to be unmasked when on duty.
“Earlier in this year, some people were calling me a drama queen for saying what this administration is doing,” Wiener said, referring to masked ICE agents as Trump’s “secret police.”
“That’s what this fight is about,” Wiener continued. “We did not seek this fight. This fight came for us. We’re going to come back at them. … We’re not going to back down.”
Jane Natoli, a trans woman who is vice president of the board of statewide LGBTQ rights organization Equality California and a San Francisco airport commissioner, also spoke.
Trump’s “administration has stepped up attacks on vulnerable communities, including the trans community, particularly trans youth, even here in California,” Natoli said.
Indeed, several health providers in California have stopped gender-affirming surgeries for youth, including Stan-
The main opposition to Prop 50 is coming from Charles Munger Jr., a prominent Republican donor and physicist, who has bankrolled at least one mailer recently sent to voters and ads on TV. Right Path California is also opposed and sent out a mailer.
Republican former governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who led the effort for the independent redistricting commission and considers it his legacy, is also opposed to Prop 50, according to reports.
The San Francisco Democratic Party put on the September 2 event. Reached for comment, San Francisco Republican Party Chair Bill Jackson urged voters to reject Prop 50, calling it, “nothing more than a partisan power grab by Sacramento Democrats.”
“It’s about stacking the deck to guarantee [San Francisco Congressmember] Nancy Pelosi and Gavin Newsom more Democratic seats in Congress,” Jackson stated. “Sacramento politicians want to seize the authority that rightly belongs to the independent citizens’ commission and use it to gerrymander Republicans out of existence. Voters established the commission to end the backroom deals and protect our democracy from exactly this kind of abuse. … If California joins the national race to the bottom, our elections will become nothing more than cynical contests of who can cheat the hardest.” t
John Ferrannini
Kimberley Rodler painted signs for the rally to support Proposition 50 during a September 2 rally outside San Francisco City Hall.
Rick Gerharter
Dance: fancy footwork for fall
Premieres, international festivals, and boundary-pushing performances
by Philip Mayard
“If I can’t dance, I don’t want to be part of your revolution.” –Emma Goldman Fortunately, dance in abundance fills the Bay Area’s fall arts season, so join the dance, dance revolution, with a mix of new works and returning favorites from both local and touring companies. From contemporary and experimental pieces to classic ballets reimagined for today’s stage, our expansive calendar reflects our diverse artistic voices and our appetite for movement innovation.
Smuin Contemporary Ballet
Smuin launches its 32nd season with a triple bill that includes Alejandro Cerrudo’s “Extremely Close,” which layers movement with stark
visual design and music by Philip Glass and Dustin O’Halloran. Three-time Tony Awardwinning choreographer Justin Peck’s “Partita,” set to Caroline Shaw’s Pulitzer Prize-winning score, arrives on the West Coast after its 2022 debut with New York City Ballet. Rounding out the program is Artistic Director Amy Seiwert’s “A Long Night,” a work that reimagines Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” through a contemporary and humorous lens.
Sept. 12–Oct. 5, $34–$119, Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts; Lesher Center for the Arts, Walnut Creek; Blue Shield of California Theater at YBCA, San Francisco. www.smuinballet.org
Alonzo King LINES Ballet
Following a highly successful international tour,
by Jim Provenzano
Every work of art is an act of defiance against ignorance, and this season we’ve got a lot of defying to do in order to counter the rampant idiocracy. Here are just a few upcoming selections in dramatic and musical theater. For dance concerts, check out Philip Mayard’s companion article in this week’s issue. For dance, music (pop to classical), and museum and gallery exhibits worth viewing, see our other two roundups. For weekly arts and nightlife events, scroll through Going Out each week on www.ebar.com.
9 to 5 the Musical @ Victoria Theatre
Ray of Light Theatre company performs Dolly Parton and Patricia Resnick’s musical adaptation of the hit 1980 film about three women who get revenge on their boss. $25-$75, Sept. 5-27, 2961 16th St. www.rayoflighttheatre.com
The Break-Up! A Latina Torch Song @ Theatre Rhinoceros
Tina D’Elia returns with her witty solo show about the heartache of love and loss, and finding
contributions from the performers themselves, all shaped under Slater’s direction. Sept. 19–Oct. 5, $25–$50, Studio 210, 3435 Cesar Chavez St., San Francisco. www.deborahslater.org
A Taste of Ireland
Following its West End debut, “A Taste of Ireland” brings a highly entertaining mix of Irish dance and live music to stages across the Bay Area. The production, praised for its athletic choreography and musical energy, includes traditional and contemporary Irish styles, along with percussive tap sequences, and vocal numbers. Sept. 25–Oct. 5, $62-$100, Fox Theatre, Redwood City; Luther Burbank Center for the Arts, Santa Rosa; Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium. www.atasteofirelandshow.com
Paris Opera Ballet
One of the world’s most revered dance companies, rarely seen in the U.S., Paris Opera Ballet presents the North American premiere of “Red Carpet,” a lavish new full-length work by choreographer Hofesh Shechter. The piece features an original score co-composed by Shechter and Yaron Engler, performed live, and costumes designed by Chanel. These performances mark the company’s only West Coast engagement on its U.S. tour. Oct. 2–4, $50–$175, Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley. www.calperformances.org
Flyaway Productions
Alonzo King’s masterwork “Deep River” returns to San Francisco, featuring a haunting score that blends Black spirituals and Jewish liturgical music. Named one of Pointe Magazine’s standout works of 2024, “Deep River” showcases LINES’ supremely gifted artists in a series of expansive, interwoven movement phrases that explore ideas of hope, resilience, and connection. Sept. 18–21, $42–$135, Blue Shield of California Theater at YBCA, 700 Howard St., San Francisco. www.linesballet.org
Deborah Slater Dance Theater
Deborah Slater Dance Theater presents the premiere of “Shout in the Dark: A Guide to Hope and Good Grief,” a work that examines how communities create hope during difficult times. The piece combines movement, text by playwright Eugenie Chan, music by Beth Custer, and collaborative
Look up! “Down on the Corner” is a multidisciplinary aerial work presented outdoors near the site of the 1966 Compton’s Cafeteria Riot, one of the first documented protests of police violence against queer people in the U.S. The piece incorporates aerial choreography, music by Melanie DeMore, and film by Leila Weefur, with a cast of nine queer, transgender, and female dancers. The project reflects on the history of transgender resistance while imagining future possibilities for the Tenderloin neighborhood. Oct. 3, 4, 9, 10, & 11, free/no reservation required, southeast corner of Turk and Taylor St., San Francisco. www.flyawayproductions.com
PUSH Dance Company
PUSHfest returns for its 20th anniversary with four diverse programs featuring new works by Raissa Simpson and Ashley Gayle and guest choreographers including Yayoi Kambara, Thomas F. DeFrantz, and PUSHLab. Performers
A theatrical fall harvest
a queer support group. Nov. 6-23, 4229 18th St. www.therhino.org
Cabaret @ Los Altos Stage
Los Altos Stage Company performs the classic Kander & Ebb/Masteroff musical based on Christopher Isherwood’s ‘Berlin Diaries’ about a performer in Weimar Germany. $28-$51, Sept. 4-28, 97 Hillview Ave. www.losaltosstage.org
A Chorus Line @ GK Hardt Stage, Santa Rosa
6th Street Playhouse performs Michael Bennett and collaborators (book by James Kirkwood & Nicholas Dante, music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Edward Kleban) classic musical about dancers auditioning and revealing their lives through song and dance. $32-$56, Aug. 29-Sept. 28, 52 West 6th St. www.6thstreetplayhouse.com
The Compton’s Cafeteria Riot
Collette LeGrande, Donna Personna and Mark Nassar’s immersive play about the 1966 historic pre-Stonewall uprising of drag and trans patrons at the Tenderloin diner, with breakfast served. $75, Fri & Sat. extended thru Oct. 25. 835
Larkin St. www.comptonscafeteriariot.com
The Day the Sky Turned Orange
@ Z Space
SFBATCO and Z Space present playwright
Julius Ernesto Rea and composers Olivia Kuper Harris and David Michael Ott’s hip hop dance musical about people coming together amid the ominous time in Sept. 2020 when wildfires caused dark days and nights amid the COVID pandemic. $25, in-person and streaming, Sept. 5-Oct. 5, 450 Florida St. www.zspace.org
The Golden Girls Live @ Curran Theatre
Too popular for smaller venues, the girls (D’Arcy Drollinger, Matthew Martin, Coco Peru & Holotta Tymes) are out from the lanai to perform two Christmas episodes of the hit ’80s TV show. $37-$140, Dec. 4-21, 445 Geary St. www.broadwaysf.com
The Hills of California
@ Berkeley Repertory
Tony winner Jez Butterworth’s acclaimed play weaves the compelling, tender, and savagely fun-
ny tale of the Webb sisters’ return to their childhood home in an English seaside town. As girls, their fierce and ambitious mother trained them for a singing career à la The Andrews Sisters. But past and present collide within the once-vibrant guesthouse as memories resurface with haunting clarity. $38-$138, Oct. 31-Dec. 7. 2025 Addison St. www.berkeleyrep.org
The Hot Wing King
@ New Conservatory Theatre Center Katori Hall’s vibrant Pulitzer Prize-winning play centers around a hot wing food competition in a Memphis Black community. $26-$45.50, Sept. 19-Oct. 19, 25 Van Ness Ave., lower level. www.nctcsf.org
Into the Woods @ San Francisco Playhouse
Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Tonywinning 1988 magical and dark take on a blend of fairy tales features great songs and a timeless moral quandary. $35-$135, Nov. 20-Jan. 17, 450 Post St. www.sfplayhouse.org
Lois Tema
Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Antony Gormley, Szymon Brzóska with the Monks of Shaolin Temple
Our top autumn picks on stage in musicals, draams, comedies and solo shows
Lois Tema
‘The Hot Wing King’ & Marga Gomez’ Spanish Stew @ New Conservatory Theatre Center ‘The Rocky Horror Show’ @ Oasis
Laura Benanti’s ‘Nobody Cares’ @ Berkeley Repertory
t << Music
Music to our ears
by Jim Provenzano
Tune in for live music around the Bay Area this fall, with everything from mosh pit-worthy punk bands to divine operas; intimate settings for pop and folk newbies to mega stars filling stadiums. For full music and nightlife listings every week, see Going Out, only on ebar.com.
924 Gilman, Oakland
Rock and punk music venue. Ninety-Pound Wuss, Middle-Ages Queers and more bands, Sept. 20, 7pm. Spaced, Chico, The Sissyboys, Oct. 21, 7pm. 924 Gilman St. www.924gilman.org
Bimbo’s 365 Club
Varied music acts in rock, jazz and pop perform. Bad Suns Oct. 14. Nicotine Dolls Oct. 15. Tainted Love ’80s cover band Oct. 18, 8pm. Thomas Dolby Nov. 21, 8pm, and Fleetwood Macramé Nov. 29, 8pm. But what piqued our interest most: Australian band Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, Nov. 2, 8:30pm. 1025 Columbus Ave. www.bimbos365club.com
Bottom of the Hill
The queer-friendly nightclub hosts concerts by local and touring rock, punk and other-genre indie bands. Electro-punk bands Wargasm, Dropout Kings & Diesel Dudes Sept 7, $17-$20. Must-see: rockin’ women’s bands Shonen Knife, The Pack A.D., Oct. 19, 8:30pm, $29-$25. Thunderpussy & Hippie Death Cult, Nov. 16, 7:30pm. 17th St. www.bottomofthehill.com
Cafe du Nord
Intimate downstairs nightclub hosts musicians in a variety of genres. Choir Boy, with Pink Stilletto, Sept. 14, 8pm. Singer Stacie Ryan, Sept. 20, 8pm. Harf, Oct. 1, 8pm. Will Anderson Nov. 6, 8pm. 12174 Market St. www.cafedunord.com
Cal Performances @ UC Berkeley
Concerts of classical, modern and world music at Zellerbach Hall. Countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen, Sept. 27, 8pm. Pianist Daviil Trifonov, Sept. 28, 3pm. Mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter, Oct. 5, 3pm. Kronos Quartet Oct. 11, 8pm. Twelfth Night: Handel’s ‘Aminta e Fillide,’ Nov. 9, 3pm. Pianist Jeremy Denk, Nov. 14, 8pm. Soweto Gospel Choir Dec. 14, 3pm. SF Gay Men’s Chorus Holiday Spectacular Dec, 20, 2pm & 8pm. Other shows at Zellerbach Playhouse & Hertz Hall, UC Berkeley campus. calperformances.org
The Chapel Spacious venue hosts rock music acts. Amble: The Reverie Tour, Sept. 30, 8pm. Hunks and his Punx, Sept. 25, 8pm. Carsie Blanton Oct. 16, 8pm. Lady Wray, Nov. 9, 8pm. 777 Valencia St. www.thechapelsf.com
Feinstein’s at the Nikko
The upscale nightclub presents cabaret concerts. Frankie Moreno, Sept.
12. 8pm. Katya Smirnoff-Skyy’s ‘Back in the USSR,’ a Beatles tribute night with the wacky Russian exiled opera queen, Sept. 27, 8pm. Broadway star Norm Lewis, Oct. 2 & 3, 8pm. Billy Stritch, Oct. 9, 8pm. Drag night with Katya, Joe Wicht and guests, Oct. 24, 8pm. Tim Murray’s “Witches: A Musical Comedy,” Oct. 29, 8pm. Anthony Nunziata Nov. 7 & 8, 8pm. Andrea McArdle, Nov. 14 & 15, 8pm. Prices range from $40-$112. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. www.feinsteinssf.com
The Fillmore
Historic venue hosts concerts by new and classic rock, folk and pop musicians. Terrapin Roadshow Sept. 12 & 13. Samia Sept. 20. Robin Trower Sept. 27. Spring Cheese Incident Oct. 4. Jason Mraz Oct. 26. Jesse Welles Nov. 4 & 5. The Beths Nov. 8 & 9. Samantha Fish Nov. 19. 1805 Geary Blvd. www.livenation.com
Flower Piano @ SF Botanical Garden Beautiful spacious gardens host
Katori Hall
dozens of simultaneous programmed and spontaneous performances on pianos, grand and upright, with many musicians. Special evening concerts, fundraisers. Free to $6.75-$21.75 Sept. 12-24. 1199 9th Ave., Golden Gate Park. www.gggp.org/flowerpiano
Great American Music Hall
Enjoy live music at the classic venue. Misfit Cabaret’s “Till Death Do Us Part, a music, acrobatic burlesque show, Sept. 12, 8pm. Oracle Sisters Sept. 16, 8pm. Lizzy & the Triggermen, Sept. 26, 8pm. Nick Lowe & Patty Griffin, Oct. 3, 8pm. The Saints ’73-’78, Nov. 6 & 7, 8pm/9pm. Ginger Root Nov 11 & 12, 8pm. Bertha: Grateful Drag, the Dead tribute band, Nov. 21 & 22, 8pm. A John Waters Christmas, Nov. 30, 8pm. And, looking into next year, a mustsee is the 15th annual Bowie Bash, Jan. 9 & 10, 9:30pm. 859 O’Farrell St. www.gamh.com
The Independent Nightclub hosts upcoming and popular rock bands. If you like your pop music sweet and strong and sung by an openly gay man, welcome David Archuleta into your playlist, Sept. 27, 9pm. Alexandra John opens. $38-$260 (meet & greet). Also, Bear Ghost with Playboy Manbaby Sept. 18. Broadway star Jeremy Jordan & The Age of Madness, with Homestyle Dinner Rolls, Oct. 9, 8pm. James Vickery Oct. 14, 8pm. Superchunk Oct. 21, 8pm. 628 Divisadero St. www.theindependentsf.com
The Ivy Room, Albany
East Bay nightclub hosts diverse music acts. September includes Hugo de la Lune (11th), a punk combo Havoc Fest presents Infirmities, Plan 9, & Violent Coercion, Sept. 13. Hank Williams Birthday Bash Sept. 14, and Greg Norton of Husker Du, Sept. 15. October picks include Jembaa Groove, Oct. 10, Kate Vargas Oct. 12. November acts include The Zeroes Nov. 1, Mutants Nov. 20, and the amusinglynamed Mismiths, a Smiths/Misfits tribute band, with Dancing Horses (Echo & the Bunnymen tribute) and Almost like Heaven, Nov. 29. 860 San Pablo Ave. www.ivyroom.com
The Masonic
Large theater hosts notable music and comedy acts. Emmylou Harris tribute Oct. 2. Neko Case Nov. 11. Patti Smith and her band perform “Horses,” Nov. 13. Damiano David Nov. 23. 1111 California St. www.livenation.com
Palace of Fine Arts Theatre
Gay pop star Andy Bell performs songs from his new solo album, and Erasure faves, $60-$257, Nov. 28, 7:30pm. Other shows include Zucchero from Italy, Oct. 18. Eva Ayllon, Oct. 25. The Fab Four tribute band Nov. 15. 3301 Lyon St. www.palaceoffinearts.org
Regency Ballroom
Large venue hosts concerts and
special events. The Dandy Warhols Oct. 8. Stereolab Oct. 20. Little Big Nov. 12. Brian Jonestown Massacre, Nov. 20. Pattie Gonia’s Holiday Save Her! - an Environmental Drag Show, Dec. 6, 8pm. 1300 Van Ness Ave. www.theregencyballroom.com
San Francisco Performances @ Herbst Theatre
Chamber music, classical, vocal concerts and recitals with some of the most talented musicians. Atticus Quartet Oct. 11, 7:30pm. Pianist Conrad Tao, Oct. 17, 7:30pm. Kronos Quartet’s “Spooky” Halloween concert, Oct. 31, 8pm. The Modigliani Quartet Nov. 14, 7:30pm. The Romeros guitar quartet, Nov. 22, 7:30pm; each $55-$75. 401 Van Ness Ave. www.sfperformances.org
San Francisco Symphony @ Davies Symphony Hall
Classical and contemporary music concerts with more pop culture tieins, like Marvel Studios’ “Infinity Saga” concert experience Sept. 4-6. Fall season Sept. 12 opening night features pianist Yuja Wang, Jaap van Zweden conducting works by John Adams, Tchaikovsky and Respighi. James Gaffigan conducts four nights of Gershwin music, Sept. 18-20 (also an open rehearsal Sept.18) Mahler nights Sept. 26-28. The Decemberists with the Symphony Oct. 10. Ravel’s ‘Daphnis et Chloé Oct. 16-18. Through the holidays, movies with the orchestra (‘Barbie,’ ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’) and a Danny Elfman/Tim Burton films night Nov. 13. 201 Van Ness Ave. www.sfsymphony.org
SF Jazz
The acclaimed venue presents their fall concert series. Cory Henry & The Funk Apostles, Sept. 4 & 5. Anthony Wilson Nonet, Sept. 4 & 5. Blind Boys of Alabama with Cory Henry, Sept 6 & 7. Stella Heath sextet Sept. 6 & 7. Jazz and R&B vocalist Ledisi performs her tribute to ‘Queen of the Blues’ Dinah Washington, $56-$161, Oct. 6, 8pm (at Davies Symphony Hall). Kamasi Washington Nov. 5, 8pm. Drummer Cindy Blackman with Santana, Sept. 1 & 14. Dominique Fils-Aimé, Sept. 18 & 19. Rumba Y SF Jazz, a series of Latin jazz groups, Sept. 25-28. 201 Franklin St. Dozens more artists through the year. www.sfjazz.org
SF Live Arts @ Cyprian’s Concerts by acclaimed musicians in a variety of genres. Violinist Mads Tolling the John R Burr Duo perform jazz/ classical and improv music, Sept. 19, 8pm. 2097 Turk St. www.sflivearts.org
The Warfield Concert venue hosts rock bands, comics and more. UB40 with The English Beat, Sept. 26, 8pm. Fave: TV on the Radio Oct. 11, 8pm. Buckethead Oct. 17, 8:30pm. Not to miss: Garbage with Starcrawler opening, Oct. 24, 8pm. ‘Evil Dead’ in Concert Oct. 29, 8pm. 982 Market St. www.thewarfieldtheatre.comt
Left: Pianist Yuja Wang with SF Symphony @ Davies Symphony Hall Middle: Bertha: Grateful Drag @ Great American Music Hall
Right: Andy Bell @ Palace of Fine Arts Theatre
Douglas
Framing fall; museums & galleries
by Jim Provenzano
F
rom a renaissance pose to an abstracted rose, we have plenty of fine arts to check out, from Manet to Manga. Our classic museums showcase global excellence through the ages, and new galleries offering a fresh perspective. Many museums continue to also offer related music, dance and lecture events. For full art listings, see Going Out, each week on www.ebar.com.
Asian Art Museum
The museum features historic and contemporary works by Asian artists, including ‘Gurjeet Singh: When Words Hurt,’ thru March 23, 2026. ‘This Asian American Life,’ Kayan Cheung-Miaw’s new mural visualizing daily life in Chinatown, thru Sept. 28, 2026. ‘Rave Into the Future: Art in Motion,’ Oct. 24-Jan 2026. ‘New Japanese Clay,’ thru Feb. 2. ‘Vikrant Bhise: Archival Historicity/Dalit Panthers,’ works by the Indian contemporary artist inspired by the Black Panthers, thru Mar. 23, 2026. ‘Qi Baishi: Inspiration in Ink,’ ‘A Billion Buddhas: The Awakened Ones in Himalayan Tradition,’ film screenings, community events, and other exhibits. Fri-Mon 10am-5pm. Thu 1pm-8pm. 200 Larkin St. www.asianart.org
Bob Mizer Foundation
In the heart of the Tenderloin, the sexiest gallery in town hosts exhibits of vintage male physique and erotica prints, and contemporary photographers as well. Up next: ‘Stuart Sandford: In Youth is Pleasure,’ Sept. 4 thru Nov. 29. Some previous guest artist and speaker panels are available online. 920 Larkin St. www.bobmizer.org
California Academy of Sciences
The fascinating science museum includes live creatures (aquarium, terrarium) and educational exhibits. ‘Hatchday’ celebrations for 30-yearold Claude the albino alligator, thru Sept. 30. ‘The State of Nature,’ specimens, cultural objects, models, interactive experiences, videos, and sculptural elements, and more. ‘The World’s Largest Dinosaurs,’ an exhibit about sauropods. ‘Living Worlds,’ a planetarium show. Mon-Sat 9:30am5pm. Sun 11am-5pm. Monthly Nightlife Live parties 6pm-10pm. 55 Music Concourse Drive, Golden Gate Park. www.calacademy.org
Cartoon Art Museum
Exhibits of fun cartoon artists’ works. ‘Backstage with Edward Gorey: A Centennial Exhibition’ of drawings and ephemera by the late gay illustrator, thru Aug. 10. ‘Sunday Funnies,’ original panels from the permanent collection. ‘A Treasury of Animation,’ rare production art from the 1920s-1990s. ‘I Left My Art in San Francisco,’ an exhibit of comic treasures from the museum’s archives. Ongoing: ‘The Batman Armory.’ Open daily (except Wed.) 11am-5pm. 781 Beach St. www.cartoonart.org
de Young Museum
Contemporary and classical collections of American, African, Oceanic, costume arts, sculpture and more are exhibited. Upcoming: ‘Art of Manga,’ an expansive showing of multiple cartoon artists’ works, Sept. 27-Jan. 2026. ‘Boom and Bust: Photographing Northern California,’ Oct. 18-June 7, 2026. Also; ‘Paul McCartney Photographs 1963-64: Eyes of the Storm,’ a multi-room exhibit of The Beatles’ bass player’s rediscovered never before seen photos from the band’s 1963-4 concert tour; extended thru Oct. 5. Renovated galleries for Arts of Indigenous America. ‘Contemporary Painting in Papua New Guinea: Mathias Kauage and His Family,’ thru March 15, 2026.
New monthly Late Night Editions with food trucks, cocktails, DJed music and exhibition-viewing, $15$30. Reg. free/$25. Tue-Sun 9:30am5:15pm. 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive. www.deyoung.famsf.org
Fort Point
‘Black Gold: Stories Untold,’ a group indoor/outdoor exhibit at the landmark fort, focusing on untold stories of Black gold rush prospectors; thru Nov. 2, 201 Marine Drive. www.for-site.org
GLBT History Museum
Éamon McGivern’s ‘A/History,’ an exhibit of paintings visualizing trans people, thru Oct. Also, ‘Queer Past Becomes Present,’ the original Rainbow Flag, and ‘The Flag in the Map: Charting Rainbow Flag Stories.’ Online exhibits as well. $10/free for members. 4127 18th St. www.glbthistory.org
Harvey Milk Photo Center View exhibits of masterful photographic art; Member, Staff & Volunteer Show, thru Oct. 4. 50 Scott St. www.harveymilkphotocenter.org
Jonathan Carver Moore
Contemporary art gallery. Luis Felipe Chávez’ ‘INTERmedio,’ thru Sept. 27. Opening reception Sept. 4, 6:30pm-7:30pm. 966 Market St. www.jonathancarvermoore.com
Legion of Honor
Centennial Celebration of the museum with events through the year. Upcoming: ‘Manet & Morisot,’ paintings by the two Impressionist colleagues, Oct. 11-Mar. 1, 2026. European and ancient art, giant Renaissance landscapes and historic paintings, plus classical sculptures and contemporary works, from Degas, Caillebotte and Vuillard to Egyptian, Greek and Roman artifacts. Free/$15. Tue-Sun, 9:30am5:15pm. 100 34th Ave, Lincoln Park. www.legionofhonor.famsf.org
Loom+Ten Gallery
New intimate gallery; Jun Yang’s ‘Every(body) is Enough,’ an installation of murals and sculptural works focusing on queer embodiment, thru Sept. 8. Wed-Sat 12pm-4pm and by appointment. 2323 Market St. www.loom-ten.com
Minnesota Street
Art Project
Multiple galleries host different artist exhibits. New: di Rosa San Francisco, Anglim/Trimble, Rena Bransten Gallery (50th anniversary photo and video exhibit), Jenkins Johnson Gallery, George Adams Gallery, Nancy Toomey Fine Art, Municipal Bonds, Re.riddle (Kathryn Kert Green’s ‘Line Storm’ thru Sept. 20), Eleanor Harwood Gallery, Hashimoto Gallery, The Jones Institute, Thomas+Projects. 1275 Minnesota St. www.minnesotastreetproject.com
Modern Eden Gallery
Contemporary art exhibits. ‘Flux,’
Lacey Bryant’s reimagined SF landscapes, thru Sept. 21. 1100 Sutter St. www.moderneden.com
Museum of Craft & Design
Innovative art and design exhibits. Beau McCall’s ‘Buttons On!,’ an exhibit of button-festooned couture and sculptures, and Neil Forrest and John Roloff’s ‘A Roadmap to Stardust,’ both thru Sept. 14. Free first Thursdays. 2589 3rd St. www.sfmcd.org
Queer Arts Featured LGBTQ-owned gallery, shop, and community space set in the former site of Harvey Milk’s camera shop; frequent special events, too. 575 Castro St. www.queerartsfeatured.com
Rosebud Gallery Cabure Bonugli’s queer-owned art gallery and community space showcases local artists with different
Paintings, sculpture, classic works and new formats
monthly themes. 839 Larkin St. www. rosebudgallery.com
SF Museum of Modern Art Alonzo King LINES Ballet performs in conjunction with the video installation ‘Ragnar Kjartansson: The Visitors,’ Sept 6, 12pm-4pm (installation thru Sept. 28). ‘New Work: Sheila Hicks,’ large fabric sculptures, thru Aug. 2026. ‘People Make This Place: SFAI Stories,’ an exhibit about the history of the San Francisco Art Institute, thru July 5/26. ‘Kunié Sugiura: Photopainting,’ thru Sept. 14. Kara Walker’s ‘Fortuna and the Community Garden,’ thru Spring 2026. Yayoi Kusama’s ‘Aspiring to Pumpkin’s Love, the Love in My Heart,’ thru Nov. 16. ‘Paul Klee + Ray Johnsson: Typofacture,’ thru April 2026. Pop, Abstract, and Figurative art collections. Reg. admission free/$25. Mon 10am-5pm. Thu 1pm-8pm. Fri-Sun 10am-5pm. First Thursdays free. 151 Third St. www.sfmoma.org
Worth Ryder Art Gallery, UC Berkeley
Educational art space for students, faculty and alumni. ‘Both Sides Now 10: A Decade of Artists’ Film & Video from the UK and Hong Kong,’ thru Sept. 30. 116 Anthropology + Art Practice Building (first floor), UC Berkeley Campus, College Avenue at Bancroft Way. www.art.berkeley.edu
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
Unusual modern art exhibits and installations, film screenings, murals, and tours. ‘Bay Area Then,’ a group exhibit with multiple artists’ visions of local disasters, survival, and futures; thru Jan. 25.’MAKIBAKA: A Living Legacy,’ installation works by Nao Bustamonte, Mike “Dream” Francisco, Alicia McCarthy, Barry McGee and others; thru Jan 2026. 701 Mission St. www.ybca.orgt
Left: ‘Stuart Standford: In Youth is Pleasure’ @ Bob Mizer Foundation Middle: Jun Yang’s holds a vase in his ‘Every(body) is Enough’ exhibit @ Loom+Ten Right: Cabure Bonugli’s Rosebud Gallery
include dancers from a variety of Bay Area companies including dazaun dance (Oakland), Xochipilli Dance Company (San Francisco), The Modern Natya Company (San Francisco), and others. Oct. 4–5, $20–$55 ($100 festival pass); CAST Black Box Theater, 447 Minna St., and 5M Park, 44 Mary St., San Francisco. www.pushdance.org
San Francisco
Dance Film Festival
The San Francisco Dance Film Festival returns with 18 curated programs ranging from documentaries and screendance to performance captures and music videos. LGBTQthemed films include “The Dancer,” which traces the extraordinary journey of gay artist Ahmad Joudeh, from a refugee camp in Damascus to the world’s most prestigious ballet stages; “Wicket,” a documentary about a global breakdancing icon who spent decades hiding his true identity; and the 7th Annual “Raising Voices” program, nine films blending movement with poetry, testimony, and activism
to spotlight a spectrum of lived experiences. Oct. 24–Nov. 9; ticket prices vary, multiple San Francisco venues and online. www.sfdancefilmfest.org
Dimensions Dance Theater
“The Reclaiming: Healing to Joy Part 2” is the centerpiece of Dimensions Dance Theater’s fall home season in Oakland. The program combines new choreography with excerpts from
previous works, exploring joy as resistance and collective healing. The program includes Haitian drumming, live vocals, and a finale featuring David Elliot, aka DJ Fuze. Oct. 25–26, $15–$35, Valley Center for the Performing Arts, 3500 Mountain Blvd., Oakland. www.dimensionsdance.org
Giordano Dance Company
Chicago’s iconic Giordano Dance
Company, known for its pivotal role in shaping and redefining American jazz dance since its founding in 1962, makes its San Francisco debut. The program includes “Gershwin in B: A Tribute to the Music of George Gershwin,” along with other works from the company’s repertory. Oct. 25, $55–$88, Presidio Theatre, 90 Moraga Ave., San Francisco. www.presidiotheatre.org
Alonzo King LINES Ballet: Origins
Directed by Drea Cooper, “Origins” is a spectacular new film that offers an inside look at the creative process of Alonzo King and his company as they work together to create King’s “Deep River” (on stage at YBCA Sept. 18-21). Filmed across striking locations including the Arizona desert and the SFMOMA galleries, the film weaves site-specific performance footage with interviews and personal reflections. Nov. 1, $22.50, Wattis Theater at SFMOMA, enter at 147 Minna St. www.linesballet.org
Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Antony Gormley, Szymon Brzóska with the Monks of Shaolin Temple Belgian choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui collaborates with sculptor Antony Gormley, composer Szymon Brzóska, and 20 Buddhist monks from China’s Shaolin Temple in “Sutra.” The work combines martial arts with contemporary dance and live music to create a series of visually striking, physically astonishing vignettes that has drawn raves around the world. Nov. 8 & 9, $43–$120, Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley. www.calperformances.org
Reyes Dance
The fifth edition of the company’s “Dance Thrill Fest” brings Halloweenthemed short dance films by Bay Area artists to the Roxie Theater. The event, co-produced with the San Francisco Dance Film Festival, features newly commissioned works by 18 Bay Area artists. Attendees ages 18 and up are encouraged to dress in costume. Oct. 31, $18–$70, Roxie Theater, 3125 16th St. www.dancethrillfest.com
San Francisco International Hip Hop DanceFest
One of the Bay Area’s most anticipated annual events, the International Hip Hop DanceFest, curated by Micaya, returns with companies and artists from the U.S. and abroad, showcasing styles such as hip hop, krumping, waacking, and threading. This year’s lineup includes groups from Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway, North Carolina, Oakland, and San Francisco. Nov. 8 & 9, $60.95–75.45, Palace of Fine Arts, 3601 Lyon St. www.sfhiphopdancefest.com
MOMIX
MOMIX, internationally known for its unique brand of visual theater that fuses dance, illusion, and acrobatics, returns to Zellerbach Hall with “Alice,” a hallucinatory spin on the classic tale by Lewis Carroll. Created by MOMIX founder Moses Pendleton, “Alice” transforms Carroll’s characters into a series of surreal, shape-shifting tableaus that blur the line between reality and dream. Nov. 29–30, $35–$92, Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley. www.calperformances.orgt
Above Left: Flyaway Productions’ ‘Down on the Corner’
Right: ‘The Dancer’ in the SF Dance Film Festival
Taste of Ireland
Left: Paris Opera Ballet’s ‘Red Carpet’ Right: LA’s Versa Style Street Dance at the San Francisco International Hip Hop DanceFest
NOW THRU OCT 12
THE RESERVOIR
BY JAKE BRASCH
DIRECTED BY MIKE DONAHUE
When a queer, Jewish twenty-something’s sobriety falters, his four hilarious grandparents become his unexpected guides on a messy journey toward healing.
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LAURA BENANTI: NOBODY CARES
CREATED AND PERFORMED BY LAURA BENANTI DIRECTED BY ANNIE TIPPE MUSIC DIRECTION AND SONGS CO-WRITTEN BY TODD ALMOND
The Tony Award-winning star brings her hilarious one-woman show to Berkeley for a special limited engagement.
Intense drama about a forbidden subject
by David-Elijah Nahmod
“S
alt Water” is a slow burner that deals with a very heavy subject. The film follows Jacobo (Luis Mario Jimenez), a 33-year-old living in a shabby house near the beach in Columbia. Jacobo is gay. He shares the house with a roommate, a “tenant with benefits,” he says. Though they sleep in separate rooms, Jacobo and his “tenant” indulge in sex from time to time.
Jacobo earns a modest living as a Yoga instructor, conducting his classes in the yard in front of his house. On the surface, Jacobo seems like an easygoing guy, satisfied with his life. But beneath the surface, tension boils. In the midst of his idyllic existence Jacobo reconnects with the much older Luis (Oskar Salazar Ruis), a Catholic priest facing charges of child molestation, accusations which he vehemently denies. Jacobo kicks his roommate out, and Luis moves in. Though their relationship is friendly and cordial (with a little sex thrown in) these are two men who have years of unresolved emotions to deal with.
Kim’s Convenience
@ Toni Rembe Theater
American Conservatory Theatre and Soulpepper Theatre Company
present Ins Choi’s heartwarming drama (already adapted into a TV series) about a Korean family in Canada and their struggles running a small store.
$25-$116, Sept. 18-Oct. 19, 415 Geary St. www.act-sf.org
Laura Benanti: Nobody Cares @ Berkeley Repertory
She’s won a Tony Award, starred on Broadway in “Gypsy,” guest-starred on “The Gilded Age,” and other hit TV shows, but some might only know Laura Benanti for her impersonations of a certain First Lady on “The Late Show with Steven Colbert,” proving again how funny she is. Yet, nobody cares, she facetiously proclaims in her new funny storytelling and music solo show about aging, show business, motherhood and life. $49-$89, Sept. 17-25, 2025 Addison St. www.berkeleyrep.org
Les Misérables
@ Orpheum Theatre
One day more, with Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg’s Tony Award-winning musical set in 19th-
The film explores themes of trauma and forbidden connections. The pace is slow, the camera lingers on Jacobo for long stretches, which reveals the deep emotional scars he carries. It’s been many years since his childhood, yet he has not let go of the conflicting feelings of longing and resentment that are buried deep within him.
The screenplay, by Steven Morales Pineda, who also produced and directed the film, allows the audience to peek inside the souls of both men. The beachfront setting adds to the film’s haunting atmosphere. There are scenes that will stay with the viewer, such as a long dialogue sequence in which Luis shaves Jacobo. The look in Jacobo’s eyes is heartbreaking as he grapples with feelings of love, lust and resentment for what may have happened between him and Luis in the past.
Jacobo’s relationships with everyone else are also quite complicated. His mother, who lives in another town, owns the house he lives in. She wants to sell it but Jacobo wants to keep it, which causes all manner of tension between them. He maintains a close friendship with his childhood pal Brian, who may have repressed memories of being abused. Brian is horrified that Jacobo has had Luis move in with him and tries to get Jacobo to let go of the past.
him, but Jacobo knows the truth, and what should have been a confrontation turns into a rumination on love and loss. Jimenez and Ruis offer fine performances and play off each other quite well.
But the main focus of the film is Jacobo and Luis. Luis may deny the accusations being levied against
century France, based on Victor Hugo’s novel. $72-$269, Sept. 24- Oct. 5, 1192 Market St. www.broadwaysf.com
The Motion @ Ashby Stage, Berkeley Shotgun Players perform the world premiere of Obie Award-inning Bay area playwright Christopher Chen’s sci-fi drama about a group of people
debating the ethics of animal testing, while becoming trapped themselves. $8-$80, Sept. 13- Oct. 12, 1901 Ashby Ave. www.shotgunplayers.org
Moulin Rouge! The Musical @ Orpheum Theatre
See it again, because you can, can, can! The national touring company of the rousing super-jukebox tenTony-winning musical based on the Baz Lurman film returns. $84$293, Dec.16-28, 1192 Market St. www.broadwaysf.com
Noises Off
@ San Francisco Playhouse
Ruthless @ NCTC
Back by popular demand; Joel Paley and Marvin Laird’s wacky musical tells of eight-year-old Tina, who’ll stop at nothing to snag the lead role in a gradeschool production of “Pippi Longstocking,” including committing murder. $38-$55, Dec. 5-Jan. 11, 25 Van Ness Ave., lower level. www.nctcsf.org
The acclaimed theater company kicks off its 23rd season with Michael Frayn’s hilarious slapstick comedy with chaotic goings-on offstage and on. $52-$135, Sept. 25-Nov. 8. 450 Post St. www.sfplayhouse.org
The Reservoir @ Berkeley Repertory
Jake Brasch’s acclaimed comic play about a young gay alcoholic man in recovery who rekindles a bond with his aging grandparents. Sept. 5–Oct. 12. $25-$135. Berkeley Repertory’s Peet’s Theatre, 2025 Addison St. www.berkeleyrep.org
The Rocky Horror Show @ Oasis
A toast, to the return of Ray of Light Theatre and Oasis Arts’ immersive, stylish and fabulous nightclubset production of Richard O’Brien’s cult fave musical about Brad and Janet’s eventful night over at the FrankN-Furter mansion, with D’Arcy Drollinger and a talented ensemble. $52 (standing room)-$109 (VIP seating), Oct. 9-Nov. 1, 298 11th St. www.rayoflighttheatre.com
Ultimately, this is a film that lingers long after the closing credits have rolled. It’s a story of an aching longing and a deep regret, and about the complicated nature of love.t
San Francisco Opera @ War Memorial Opera House
The company and guest artists perform new and classic operas, with online livestreams. The new season begins with Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto,’ $29$447, Sept. 5-27; Opera Ball, cocktail reception, formal dinner and afterparty, $350 and up, Sept. 5, 5pm; Opera in the Park, free, Sept. 7, 1:30pm, Robin Williams Meadow, Golden Gate Park. 301 Van Ness Ave. www.sfopera.com
Shucked @ Curran Theatre
The touring company of Robert Horn and Brandy Clark/Shane
distribution by Breaking Glass. Now streaming on Breaking Glass, YouTube, Google Play, Apple TV and Amazon Prime. bgpics.com
McAnally’s Tony-winning hit Broadway musical comedy about small town corn farmers facing a mysterious crop failure. $62-$169, Sept. 9-Oct. 5, 445 Geary St. www.broadwaysf.com
Spanish Stew @ NCTC
Fresh off the success of her solo performance in “The Search for Signs of Intelligence Life in the Universe, award-inning lesbian Latina comic Marga Gomez returns to her own playwriting as she tells a story sumptuously told about family and food. After moving to San Francisco, she needs to recreate her mother’s stew recipe, which could unite families born and chosen. $43-$55, Oct. 17-Nov. 23. 25 Van Ness Ave., lower level. www.nctcsf.org
Stereophonic
@ Curran Theatre
David Adjmi’s winner of multiple Tonys is set in a music studio as a new rock band records what may become a classic album, or it may destroy the band. $79-$181, Oct. 28-Nov. 23, 445 Geary St. www.broadwaysf.com
Suffs @ Orpheum Theatre
Shaina Taub’s two-Tony-winning musical tells the story of women suffragettes who fought for the right to vote. $62-$252, Oct. 2-Nov. 9, 1192 Market St. www.broadwaysf.com
Sunday in the Park
with George @ Ashby Stage
Shotgun Players performs Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s beautiful musical based on the painstaking pointillist art of George Seurat, and his grandson, a conceptual artist. $8$80, Nov. 15, Dec. 30, 1901 Ashby Ave. www.shotgunplayers.org
Xmas Fun @ Theatre Rhinoceros
Enjoy a holiday extravaganza at the intimate Castro venue. Dec. 18, 4229 18th St. www.therhino.orgt
‘Salt Water,’ 83 minutes, in Spanish with English subtitles; U.S.
<< Fall Theater Preview
‘The Day the Sky Turned Orange’ @ Z Space
‘Moulin Rouge! The Musical’ @ Orpheum Theatre
Luis Mario Jimenez and Oskar Salazar Ruis in ‘Salt Water’
Breaking Glass Pictures
Gráinne Hunt
by Michael Flanagan
Gráinne Hunt has been performing in Ireland and Continental Europe for a couple of decades. She’s released two albums and has previously done a tour of the United States, but this will be the first chance to hear her live in San Francisco.
The musical press in Ireland have compared her to Mary Black and Dolores O’Riordan, but she has a voice which is truly her own. She has been involved in projects like “The Stern Task of Living” based on James Joyce’s “Dubliners” and appeared on the PBS program, “Ireland with Michael” (Michael Londra referred to her as “The Irish Joni). She has been onstage alongside performers like Glen Hansard and U2 and has opened for artists as diverse as Gladys Knight, Eagle Eye Cherry and the Bay City Rollers. Hunt performs in San Francisco September 9 at The Lost Church in North Beach.
Michael Flanagan: Is this your first time performing in San Francisco? Will you be singing any Irish songs from “Songs from Ireland?”
Gráinne Hunt: This is my first time to play in San Francisco. A couple of years ago we got to drive up through on our way into the Pacific Northwest, but we never managed to stop off. So we’re getting ourselves into The Lost Church, which we’re really excited about. I say we because we’re traveling as a duo, my girlfriend Jules Stewart is a drummer and backing vocalist. She’s going to play drums and sing with me for the show.
Song wise, my show is mostly 99% original music. It will come from “Firing Pin” and “The Secret,” but I have lots of other new material that I’ve written over the last couple of years. Last year Jules and I did a tour on the East Coast and the Midwest and we recorded a live EP from various venues along the way. We recorded a few different shows and put the live EP together, so we’ll have some of that which is newer material that hasn’t been released in a studio version. And generally, I will throw in an old Irish
Queer nu-folk music, direct from Ireland to SF’s Lost Church
tune here or there, but for the most part it’s original music.
You recorded “This Secret” in Nashville. Do you feel a connection to American Country music? If so, who are your favorites?
Coming to Nashville for me was one of those things where a lot of things aligned. It was one of those snapshot moments where I met this incredible producer (Thomm Jutz) in Belfast. He’d come to Ireland to speak at a conference called Belfast Nashville and he was so blasé and so laid back.
He’s originally German and you would ask questions and he would say “yes,” “no,” “of course” – no humor; wouldn’t crack a smile. It was very matter of fact.
I thought: I like this guy. I like how he puts himself out there. And he talked about recording and how things go in Nashville and how it works. It’s amazing. You show up and you work on the songs with him and you’ll do a chart together with you and then the guys will all show up the next day and we’ll just press record. There’s no practicing, there’s no running through it. They just capture it in this moment.
I don’t think that I’m a particularly country-sounding artist, but that album does definitely sound like it was recorded in Nashville and I love it for that. I love it because it was a snapshot and a time and a moment and I’ll probably never get to do again.
I think that my connection to Nashville would be more about the songwriting and all of the amazing songwriters that are coming out of there and have gone through there over the years. It would be more about the songwriting than the style, essentially.
As a queer musician in Ireland, I’m wondering if you feel that modern Irish history, including the vote on the 34th Amendment to the Irish Constitution (which legalized same-sex marriage) and having Leo Varadkar as an openly gay Taoiseach (Prime Minister) twice has made it easier to be a publicly known as queer in Ireland?
I certainly think so. I think we live
in a really open society. Growing up, we would have considered Ireland to be really Catholic and having travelled the world and seen other countries and how religion is in other countries I think we’re not as Catholic as we thought we were. There’s still that generation of people who don’t really agree or approve. The referendum was amazing; to be in Ireland and to see just the drive and the people flying home for us, how many people came out to vote and support it. There’s only a very small piece in the center of Ireland, one county that voted no. It feels like a safe place to be queer, which is wonderful.t
Read the full interview, with music clips, on www.ebar.com.
Gráinne Hunt performs September 9, 8pm at the Lost Church, with Jimbo Scott opening. $28, 988 Columbus Ave. www. grainnehunt.com thelostchurch.org/san-francisco
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Gráinne Hunt
Melbourne Flower
Jonathan Spector’s Tony-winning school board drama, “Eureka Day,” originally produced in the Bay Area, is currently running with many of the original cast members at Marin Theatre. The story is set around a progressive children’s school where a mumps outbreak unleashes heated disagreements. Read Jim Gladstone’s article, and his advance on the upcoming Soiled Dove immersive dinner & acrobatic theater experience in Alameda (see photo), on www.ebar.com.
‘Prancing’ as fast as he can Jon Kinnally’s
by Michele Karlsberg
How much fun is it to spend time with the head writer of “Will & Grace” and “Ugly Betty.” two of the sharpest, most beloved sitcoms of our time, and get that signature humor delivered personally? Jon Kinnally brings a fresh, sitcom-style brightness to every room he enters. His wit is fast, his observations are razor-sharp, and his ability to find the absurd in the everyday is a gift that makes him not only a brilliant writer but a true joy to be around.
In “I’m Prancing as Fast as I Can: My Journey From a Self-Loathing Closet Case to a Successful TV Writer With Some Self-Esteem,” Kinnally turns that quick wit and boundless creativity inward, offering a hilarious, heartfelt glimpse into his world. Always silly, often outrageous, and never short on charm, this book is a reflection of Jon himself; funny, fearless, and full of unexpected insight.
Whether you’re a longtime fan or just meeting him on the page, you’re in for a wildly entertaining ride. When I asked Jon what do you think will attract readers to his memoir, his response was “Come for the funny. Stay for other stuff.”
Michele Karlsberg: What was your impetus to write this book?
I’ve written for TV for over 20 years and decided I wanted to retire, to read books and drink espresso all
day at a café. So my husband, Chris, and I moved to Spain. And I tried the espresso thing, and it was nice, but there’s only so much you can drink before your stomach gets funky. And I missed being creative. The knitting I took up did not fill that void. Even when I did it at a café. S omeday I will be that guy, but I discovered it’s not the right time for him.
You’re Gen X. It’s obvious what will appeal to LGBTQ+ people your age, but do you think this will appeal to younger generations?
Well, many of the references may not be so recognizable to younger queers, but there are footnotes! Actually, I’ve met young gays who are expressing an interest in the Time Before. Maybe because the future doesn’t seem so great right now. And experiences and feelings are the same no matter what the specifics are.
I say in the book, that younger queers should know more about the sacrifices, struggles and journeys of their elder gays; what had to be done for them to get the rights they enjoy now. But, you know, in a funny way. It’s easy to just forget stuff that happened, and that’s sad to me. Especially when it’s my stuff.
But honestly, I’m not sure it matters now since the U.S. of Unamerica is currently a garbage fire and gays young and old are going to have to step up and fight. And they’re going
to have to do that together. In the end we will all benefit from that unified front.
Do you think of yourself as an “eldergay”?
Well, not until you just said that. I’m joking. I do think of myself that way. And I think eldergays, in general, should not be disrespected, they should always have a voice in the conversation. I mean, being young and having gravity still on your side is nice. But don’t ignore the elder! You’re going to be us, if you’re lucky. I mean, we’ve seen shit, we know shit.
But for some reason, it’s easier to attack then embrace. I used the word
remarkable funny journey
transexual, and I knew it was the wrong word, but my mouth said it anyway, and I was immediately corrected by this very young queer boy to use the word “transgendered.” And I’m glad he did. It’s a good thing to be reminded. I just didn’t appreciate the attitude he had when he did it! It was like, “If you can’t say something right, don’t say anything.” Respect your elders! No doubt he’s using words now that he will be corrected for in the future.
Was it hard writing about such personal stuff?
Yes. Once I got past the “Isn’t this just self-indulgent and why do I think
Fall books roundup 2025, part 1
by Jim Piechota
For LGBTQ readers of every hue in the rainbow, there is a mountain of recently published books ready to be enjoyed, including best-selling local authors Charlie Jane Anders and Rabih Alameddine. Here are just a few new and very notable fiction offerings, followed by more through September, featuring some of the best nonfiction and creatively queer books publishers and authors have to offer.
“Lessons in Magic and Disaster” by Charlie Jane sAnders; $29.99 (Tor)
In this fantastic new contemporary fantasy from award-winning author Charlie Jane Anders, a daughter raised by two mothers reveals a critical, lifechanging, supernatural secret. Trans grad student Jamie Sandthorne has been a stealth closet-witch for years,
and now that all her practice time conjuring spells and small life-improvement rituals is finished and her mother Mae has sadly passed on, it’s time to tell her other mother Serena the whole truth.
What ensues is a beautifully written queer feminist story of family magic, grief, identity, the fight against intolerance, the enduring fight for queer social justice and equality, and, yes, witchcraft, but in Anders’ capable hands, it’s a magically immersive achievement. Don’t miss it.
Charlie Jane Anders will read from and discuss her latest novel at the Writers with Drinks event Sept. 19, 7pm at Strut, 470 Castro St. www.sfaf. org www.torpublishinggroup.com
“Lonely Crowds” by Stephanie Wambugu, $28 (Little, Brown)
coming-of-age novel is a striking feat of language and emotion. It follows Ruth, a successful artist, who presently is finding things in general difficult to navigate now that her closest friend Maria has vanished from her daily life.
Gorgeous sections backtracking in time comprise the remainder of the book and portray Ruth as a youth, the daughter of poor Kenyan immigrants living in New England. She meets a Panamanian orphan named Maria and both soon become enmeshed in each other’s lives, befriending and supporting each other without reason or intent, just through a sense of love and belonging. Wambugu’s prose deepens and delves into the women’s intimate feelings, as the story unfurls further with heartbreaking and devastating feminine power. www.hachettebookgroup.com
“Middle Spoon” by Alejandro Varela, $30 (Viking) It’s all about the melodrama, the trials, and the trouble of a particularly messy polyamorous open relationship in Varela’s latest, a triumph of wit, wisdom, and emotional awareness. This epistolary novel is mostly conveyed through a series of heartfelt emails from an unnamed queer man to his former boyfriend, Ben, in the hopes of clearing the air and gaining some semblance of closure.
But their relationship is also en-
people would care about me and what I might have to say?” phase, I thought, “Oh shit, I really reveal some private stuff.” But comedy often comes from pain and humiliation, and I want to make people laugh. With me or at me, I don’t care.
I’m learning as I get older not to place so much emphasis on what others think of me. And that’s freeing. Besides, we hold nothing back now. These are the times we live in! That said, there are some dirty parts that make me cringe when I think of a family member reading them. But they probably won’t bother reading it. They better buy it, though.
Did you think about moving back to LA to resume you career in TV?
No, moving was the right thing to do, especially now that the U.S. is sliding into fascism. But I would come back to work on a show, as long as I knew I could get back to Spain. For work, I’d have to physically be in the U.S. Not everything can be done on Zoom. Actually, I might not even be able to get into the U.S. I’ll probably soon be put on a no-fly list because of, you know, the whole being gay thing.t
Read the full interview on www.ebar.com.
www.jonkinnally.com
meshed within the narrator’s central bond with his husband and two children in Brooklyn. Having never experienced rejection like the kind Ben bestowed upon him without warning is distressing and confusing and the only way he knows how to repair his broken heart is through emails to Ben, which move through a few themes, intentions, moods, and machinations. This is a writer who knows about and is unafraid of spotlighting the complex inner trappings of contemporary unorthodox queer couplings. www.penguinrandomhouse.com
“The Sunflower Boys” by Sa Wachman, $30 (HarperCollins) When war destroys the family of two brothers, they are left to fend for themselves on a journey across a dangerous and desolate landscape in queer author Sam Wachman’s heartwrenching first novel. Together with his mother and younger brother, Yuri, twelve-year-old narrator Artem lives in Chernihiv, Ukraine and pines for a reunion with his father, Tato, who left for America eight years earlier. Artem also pines for the affections of his best friend Viktor and as their attraction simmers, the Russians invade his homeland, and everything gets turned inside out. His mother and grandfather are slaughtered, but the boys manage to hide, which only leads them into uncertain territory as together, they must flee the exploding
war in Ukraine in search of Tato and a family reunion that is long overdue. The set pieces and scenes of shelters, bombings, cadavers, and gunshots are strikingly resonant and sad, but they make the novel all the more searing and intense. www.harpercollins.com
“The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother)” by Rabih Alameddine $28 (Grove Press)
At 66, San Francisco-based writer Rabih Alameddine’s impressive and award-winning literary oeuvre includes novels like his debut “Koolaids,” and “An Unnecessary Woman,” which, among many others, involve the Lebanese Civil War.
In his latest, we meet 63-year-old Raja, a queer philosophy instructor who lives with his mother in Beirut. Having struggled with the ordeals of COVID-19, the banking industry collapse in Lebanon. As calamitous as his life has been, a “free” offer of an all-expenses-paid trip to the U.S. for a residency just might be his final undoing. Or will it? Raja is nothing if not resilient, damaged, clever and quirky, and a narrator with these qualities makes for an immensely fun and entertaining read. Those qualities have also made Alameddine’s other novels successful as well. This one is hilarious, seasoned with history, and utterly brilliant. www.groveatlantic.com t
