San Francisco Bay Times - August 22, 2019

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LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area

CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2019)

“Welcome to Manny’ s!”

See pages 2–3

PHOTO BY LOUISE “LOU” FISCHER

August 22–September 4, 2019 | http://sfbaytimes.com

“Welcome to Manny’ s!”

Up Close and Personal with Manny Yekutiel of ‘Manny’s’ was about to sign a lease and would be creating a café and civic gathering space. I channeled my inner Jewish mother and said, “Manny, this city is littered with the bones of failed gathering spaces that tried to do the same thing. What makes you think that you can succeed?”

Manny Yekutiel: I moved to San Francisco in November 2012. I had spent a foggy summer here in 2010 working as a street canvasser for EQCA’s samesex marriage campaign and fell in love with San Francisco. When Judge Vaughn Walker’s decision came down, I was at City Hall, reveling in the jubilation of the couples who had been waiting to legalize their unions. After that summer, I knew I had to move back as soon as possible.

Lou Fischer: Where did your calling to do social justice originate?

I had only met Manny once, but already I knew that this was a guy who wasn’t content just to be someone. He was going to do something, or more appropriately, to do many good things in the world.

Manny Yekutiel: I grew up in Los Angeles in a religious Jewish family. My father, originally from Herat, Afghanistan, is a helicopter mechanic and my mother, originally from Brooklyn, is a bankruptcy lawyer. I have two sisters who both do social justice work. We were raised with the bedrock lessons of getting involved, giving back and doing good. My family would take these epic road trips across the county to see as many national parks as we could.

I’m lucky I had parents who fed our wanderers’ spirit.

Lou Fischer: What was the seminal moment that made you decide to create “Manny’s”?

Manny Yekutiel: The 2016 election, both the lead-up and the results, catalyzed what is a once in a generation moment of civic awareness. So many people, especially young people, were paying attention and asking themselves: “What can I do to get more involved?”

Lou Fischer: Observant Judaism and homosexuality hardly go together. How do you reconcile this dilemma?

Manny Yekutiel: I knew I was gay from a very young age and had

Manny Yekutiel: Manny’s is a social gathering space—a café, bar and restaurant with a political bookshop and a civic event space. I noticed there wasn’t anywhere in San Francisco that had consistent daily civic programming because so many of our activist coffee shops, bookstores, and bars are gone. There are still amazing spaces like 518 Valencia and the Women’s Building, and I see Manny’s as expanding on that model. I did four “pop-up” events in a variety of locations to test the market; the success of the events proved there was a demand for a space to gather informally and learn about real issues.

Lou Fischer: How do you keep “Manny’s” inclusive and affordable?

Manny Yekutiel: It’s core to our mission that everything be affordable—food, beverages, the events and space rental. Everything on

Farming Hope at Manny’s Farming Hope is a culinary program and social movement promoting self-sufficiency by removing barriers to employment in kitchens and gardens. The vision is to transform lives and rebuild communities through a just food system.

At Manny’s, Farming Hope has created a California Middle Easterninspired menu that focuses on high quality, seasonal produce. Stop by and try it for yourself!

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Lou Fischer: Tell me about the business plan. How can you be profitable with everything priced so low?

Manny Yekutiel: The food and beverage revenue and event rentals do not cover our costs, I knew that going in. The model is a sponsorship program that consists of a community of individuals who support civic programming; this is what will keep us accessible to everyone.

Lou Fischer: I’m proud to be one of your early sponsors.

How many sponsors do you have? What is the goal and how do people sign up?

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Farming Hope’s mission is to employ and empower neighbors looking for a path to self-sustainability through growing, cooking and serving plantbased food. The organization offers a 12-week training program for apprentices that have experienced homelessness, incarceration and other barriers to employment.

Throughout the program, apprentices learn skills in gardening and cooking and work towards sustainable employment. The goal is to provide the opportunity for all apprentices to empower themselves into self-sustaining work.

our coffee menu is under $4, beer and wine prices are $9 or less. We provide respite to the unhoused people in our community by offering free coffee or tea and access to our restrooms, no questions asked.

The restaurant is run by the nonprofit “Farming Hope,” which runs an apprentice program for formerly incarcerated and formerly homeless individuals and places them into full-time employment. I’m so proud to be partnering with them.

PHOTO BY LOUISE (LOU) FISCHER

PHOTO BY RINK

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Lou Fischer: How would you describe Manny’s, and why did you focus on a full-ser-

vice civic space instead of just pop-ups or limited events?

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I first met Emanuel “Manny” Yekutiel in December of 2017, when the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club was nominating new Board members for the upcoming year. As the outgoing Co-Chair of the Club, I had the pleasure of sending out the “Welcome to the Board!” emails to the candidates who were selected from a large pool of applicants. Most of the responses were a form of “Thank you, I’m excited to be on the Board.” Manny’s email was different; in addition to expressing gratitude, his response included: “I can’t wait to dig in and get to work.”

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Lou Fischer: What brought you to San Francisco?

Manny, whom I refer to as a “kinetic ball of boundless energy,” recently took some time to provide an “Up Close and Personal” interview with me for the San Francisco Bay Times.

Louise “Lou” Fischer

Farming Hope’s Menu at Manny’s: https://bit.ly/2YZHwqY Cocktail Bites from 4 pm to 10 pm: https://bit.ly/2KRMI66 Weekend Brunch: https://bit.ly/2N8TlUl More on Farming Hope: https://farminghope.org

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Thankfully, he didn’t listen to me—or any other skeptic. Now, all I can say to Manny is, “I’m so proud of you and I’ve never been happier to be wrong.” Senator Kamala Harris said it best at her campaign event during Pride weekend: “Look at what you’ve done!”

Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History

Fast-forward a few months, and while biking home from work, I saw Manny sitting on his Vespa motor scooter at the corner of Valencia and 16th, staring intently at a former sushi restaurant. He told me that he

to find a path for myself without turning my back on my faith and beliefs. I still consider myself a religious Jew—I only eat kosher meat, pray daily and try very hard not to work on the Sabbath. It’s a very important part of who I am and I’m proud to be a part of San Francisco’s active Jewish community.

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LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area

Manny Yekutiel: We hustle, make a lot of phone calls/texts/emails, stitch together our networks of friends, co-workers and activists, and do a lot of reaching out. I have to give a shout-out to Jupiter Peraza, my head of programming. She’s amazing and has brought us to the next level.

PHOTO BY RINK

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2 years - The time needed to create “Manny’s” from idea to opening night

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“Manny’s” by the Numbers

9 months - Length of time “Manny’s” has been open 12 - Approximate number of full-time staff members $36 - Monthly pledge to be a “Manny’s” sponsor

Lou Fischer: How did Manny’s become the go-to spot for political and social justice causes in only nine months? Was it luck, good timing or do you have super powers?

250 - Number of sponsors so far

Manny Yekutiel: If I had super-powers, I’d conjure up a boyfriend. [Note from Lou: “Manny is a single, well-educated, nice Jewish boy; make your mother happy.

Ask him out!”]. Our success is from a combination of things. We’re centrally located, we offer an affordable space, we never turn anyone away for lack of funding and we were a market fit. Clearly there was a

350 - Approximate number of events since opening night

500 - Goal for number of sponsors

Coming Up at Manny’s

16 - Number of 2020 presidential candidates who have held an event at Manny’s

August 22 @ 6:30 pm - Local Leaders Series: Assemblymember and San Francisco Bay Times columnist Phil Ting

200-ish - Total capacity of the space (including front rooms)

PHOTO BY RINK

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Lou Fischer: How do you get such great programs and so many famous people? You’ve already had 16 of the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates.

Manny Yekutiel: Thanks, Lou. I certainly didn’t do it alone. I’m grateful to my staff, sponsors, patrons and everyone else who is making Manny’s successful.

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Manny Yekutiel: I want the space to be powered by people, not companies. Access and affordability are core to what we’re doing. It’s not about the money; it’s about the work. We’re unique and want to keep it that way.

Lou Fischer: Thanks for your time and congratulations on your success. You have truly embraced the Jewish spirit of “Tikkun Olam” (Repairing the World).

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Lou Fischer: Why not just take corporate sponsorship? Wouldn’t that be easier?

need for a space like ours. We’re booked every night, and on some days, we have multiple events.

Louise (Lou) Fischer is a Former Co-Chair of the Board of Directors for the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club and has served as an appointed and elected Delegate for the State Democratic Party. She is a proud graduate of the Emerge California Women’s Democratic Leadership program, was a San Francisco Commissioner and has served in leadership positions in multiple nonprofit and community-based organizations.

Phil Ting Libby Schaaf

August 24 @ 2 pm - Presidential Town Hall with Senator Michael Bennet @ 5 pm - JSA’s Meet the Mayor: An Evening with Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf August 26 @ 6 pm - Meet the 2020 Candidate: Senator Kirsten Gillibrand August 27 @ 6:30 pm - Ending Hunger in San Francisco August 29 @ 6:30 pm - Book Talk: How Assad Destroyed Syria September 7 @ 11 am - Brunch with Equality California Womxn September 8 @ 3 pm - Queer music day at Manny’s

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand

September 22 @ 6:30 pm - Free Press Music at Manny’s September 25 @ 5 pm - Businesses for Social and Environmental Change Networking Event September 26 @ 6:30 pm - The Mayor of Oakland in Conversation: Libby Schaaf September 30 @ 6:30 pm - What happens to all our trash? A Chat with Recology CEO Mike Sangiacomo

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Manny Yekutiel: Thanks for being one of our early contributors. We have approximately 250 sponsors now. Our goal is 500 sponsors at $36 per month, and if that is too much for someone, we’ll accept whatever amount they can contribute. The link to sign up is: https://bit.ly/31O0vBG

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CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2019)

Mike Sangiacomo

October 1 @ 6:30 pm - How to Take Back the Supreme Court

For information on these and other events, and to purchase tickets, go to: https://www.welcometomannys.com/calendar/ S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES

AUGUS T 22, 2019

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White Nationalism Is Real and Democrats Need to Take on Trump’s Racism because you stoked the fire of racists. Innocent people were shot down because they look different from you.

Because they look like me. They look like my family. Words have consequences. Ya basta! (Enough!)”

I hope that Castro qualifies for the next debate. As of this writing, he has enough donors to qualify, but remains at the polling threshold to take the stage. Maybe his ad will help to up his numbers.

Cross Currents Andrea Shorter Democratic presidential candidates recently released a slew of new TV ads to amplify their respective messages, tomes and slogans for the primary race win, to target early primary states’ caucuses audiences, or to at least raise their middling to stagnate poll accounts. For honorable mention, California Senator Kamala Harris was the first top-tier candidate to release an ad introducing her “3AM Agenda,” a somewhat reminiscent twist on a similar Hillary Clinton for President 2008 “3AM Call” ad emphasizing her intent to address those worries that keep most Americans up at night at the kitchen table—making ends meet, equal pay for women and health care—and the solutions that she will enact from day one as president to provide overdue relief, and less sleepless nights.

That other but truly bona fide billionaire Tom Steyer basically calls Trump out as a fraud and failure in all things business and presidential, proclaiming rather presumptively that he is the only billionaire candidate that can take down Trump and his frightful economic policies because he is an actual successful businessman. Okay.

Then there is Julian Castro. The former secretary of HUD presented an ad that was clearly crafted right after the horrific massacre of Mexican Americans and immigrants in El Paso by a white nationalist and disciple of Trump. The former mayor of San Antonio is in and of the moment, with a righteous anger, gravitas, and urgency, speaking directly to Trump:

Both Castro and Beto O’Rourke (who has qualified) should be on that stage. Neither are polling well enough thus far to be considered toptier candidates, but both should be on that stage. After the bloodshed in El Paso that took away 22 lives, injuring dozens more while back to school shopping at a Walmart by a white nationalist armed to the hilt with military-grade weaponry, spurred on by Trump’s hateful, racist, anti-immigrant and anti-Hispanic rhetoric, they are two key voices that we need to hear.

It pains me to fear that lives lost in El Paso and Gilroy to his poisonous vitriol will be forgotten in the shuffle of daily assaults and trauma this president will invent over the next several weeks before we get to Houston.

Of course, other candidates are certain to speak strongly to the shame and bloody consequences of Trump’s hate-filled rhetoric. It’s just that, at this time, I want to hear Castro, the only Hispanic in the race, and O’Rourke, the former mayor of El Paso, take a no-holds-barred fight against what should no longer be a debate about the correlation and fatal consequences of sanctioned hate by this president to the place it needs to be: front and center before the American people.

Between now and the next debate dates on September 12 and 13 in Houston, there is no telling what further political casualties, cruelties and recklessness will be visited upon the world by this man. We just know that, in addition to the latest upsets—including Trump’s bullying Israel to ban his favorite political opponents, Representatives Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, from visiting Israel and Palestine—there are certain to be other wildly disgusting distractions as his economy titters on the brink of recession due to his incompetent tariff wars. With nothing else to taunt along the campaign trail, Trump will dig deeper into his racism to gin up his base to bolster his chances for re-election.

Please, no 15-second talking points or soundbites about the matter. No more conflating the issue of racist terrorism with multiple gun control policy proposals.

Julian Castro

Those 25 lives in Gilroy and El Paso were gunned down simply because they were not white. They were lost to the very real domestic terrorism of abject white nationalism embraced, emboldened and embodied by the “dark psychic force” that is the president of the United States. Castro and O’Rourke must take the stage—and bring it. Ya basta.

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“President Trump: You referred to countries as s--t holes. You urged American congresswomen to ‘go back to where they came from.’ You called immigrants rapists. As we saw in El Paso, Americans were killed

Andrea Shorter is a Commissioner and the former President of the historic San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women. She is a longtime advocate for criminal and juvenile justice reform, voter rights and marriage equality. A Co-Founder of the Bayard Rustin LGBT Coalition, she was a 2009 David Bohnett LGBT Leadership Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

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LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2019)

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Standing in Harm’s Way We have often been asked, or ask ourselves: What can we do about righting the injustice in the world? To so many of us, it all seems too complex, historic, endemic and intractable. Maybe some of that is true, but the challenges should not keep us from endeavoring to effect change in all of the ways that are meaningful, big and small.

“Standing in harm’s way” is such a powerful statement. For me, it evokes a fierce and resolute sense of protection. How many award-winning movies have we seen where someone comes to the rescue of their family, friend or lover? Who can forget the scene outside of the bar in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, when Terence Stamp comes to the rescue of a fellow drag queen? Or in Terms of Endearment, when Shirley MacLaine comes to the aid of her hospital-bound, dying daughter, Debra Winger?

These powerful portrayals of a profile in courage are certainly not relegated to the big screen. They happen in and across our lives every day.

For as far back as history will allow, it seems that we as a nation have always needed a boogieman—someone to fear and rally against. The affected sub-populations are too numerous to name, cut across the rich fabric of our country, and span centuries. The late Toni Morrison said, “Racism is a profound neurosis that has just as much a deleterious effect on the perpetrator as it does the victim. If you can only be tall when someone is on their knees then you have a serious problem.”

It is difficult to get through the news without mustering up some sort of outrage around the ways in which some of our nation’s leadership continue to treat certain segments of our population. When cruel intentions are so obvious and exacting that even newscasters cannot get through a segment without tearing up, we know it is time to do something.

It’s hard to forget the profound segment on the Rachel Maddow show that concerned caged children, where Maddow could not make it through her reporting without completely breaking down, filled with anguish and pain. In her voice, I also heard a sense of resolve—to continue reporting on the atrocities committed by this administration and across the nation, all in an effort to educate and inform.

We must step forward and speak up for those who remain under-represented and discriminated against, who have been forced into the shadows of society because of fear and intimidation. It is not only our right, but also our civic and moral duty to hold the line on what is the best, most reasonable and acceptable thing to do: protecting and defending our brothers and sisters.

I hold in my heart abiding and deep appreciation to those who have stood in harm’s way for me over the years—thank you. We all have the capacity to do so; we just need the courage and the will. And, after all, wouldn’t we want the same thing done for us?

Leading PRC since 2003, Brett Andrews has overseen PRC’s evolution from a small HIV/AIDS legal service agency to an integrated social and behavioral health provider bent on fighting poverty, stigma and isolation by uplifting marginalized adults and affecting the social conditions of health.

He holds an M.A. in Industrial/ Organizational Psychology from George Washington University, received the San Francisco Pride Celebration’s Heritage Award for 10+ years of service in 2017, and was appointed to the San Francisco Mayor’s Methamphetamine Task Force. https://prcsf.org/

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Brett Andrews

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From the Frontlines

As the election season heats up, we need to educate ourselves about the issues, as well as to gain a better understanding of the motivation of the rhetoric. What does it seek to accomplish? Whom does it impact?

Whom or what is it trying to protect?

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AUGUS T 22, 2019

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Is Anger Useless?

6/26 and Beyond Stuart Gaffney & John Lewis

Anger can be repressed and manifested in how a person thinks, feels and acts without their even being aware of its presence. Anger often obscures difficult emotions, such as fear, sadness or loneliness that a person may not want to acknowledge or feel.

Anger can obscure our ability to see clearly and prevent us from understanding something true about ourselves or the way things actually are in the world that we wish were not so. I went to a long meditation retreat years ago in which a student asked for a teacher’s help in addressing anger at a dear loved one that had consumed him for days.

The student was particularly disconcerted because there was no way that he and his loved one could resolve the problem together after the retreat. His loved one was dead.

The teacher suggested that the student consider if he had a belief that he should think only one way—positively—about his lost loved one.

“De mortuis nihil nisi bonum.” “Never speak ill of the dead.” The teacher wondered if, in fact, the student’s relationship with his loved one was more complicated and complex.

Was anger obscuring him from opening up to such a truth?

Many people embrace what they term “righteous anger” and attest that it motivates them to fight for change in the face of injustice or harm. In a 1967 speech, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., prophesied that “with righteous indignation” a “true revolution of values” will illuminate the West’s exploitation of developing nations “and say, ‘this is not just.’”

More recently, the San Francisco Bay Times featured a photo of a participant in the 2018 San Francisco Women’s March proudly displaying their homemade poster that read: “MY ANGER CANNOT FIT ON ONE SIGN.” But news outlets reported that a witness to last month’s deadly mass shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival said he heard someone shout at

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Anger is one of the most powerful and compelling emotions that humans experience. It can engulf a person completely and become blind rage, derailing a person’s capacity to think or act responsibly. Anger can simmer quietly for hours, days or years, and intertwine itself with a person’s psyche or identity.

The American flag at UN Plaza flew at half mast on August 7 to memorialize victims of recent gun violence in Gilroy, El Paso and Dayton.

the shooter: “Why are you doing this?” And the shooter answered: “Because I’m really angry.”

Did the Gilroy shooter and countless others who share his political and social ideology believe their anger is righteous? Do they take pride in how they use their indignation as a motivating force for their political engagement?

Regardless of whether a person believes their anger to be justified, how they express it and act upon it makes a huge difference. Anger, including political anger, can be lethal. A parent or partner’s physically or emotionally violent expression of anger can cause lifelong trauma to its victims, especially children, and can help to perpetuate generations of anger and violence.

In the 2018 documentary RBG, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg explained how she incorporated the directive that her mother gave her as to how to be a “lady” into her approach to practicing law. Her mother’s advice: Do “not be overcome by useless emotions, like anger.”

When Ginsburg’s granddaughter was in law school, she counseled her that “the way to win an argument is not to yell.”

Ginsburg (and her mother) considered anger to be “useless” and an emotion that would “ just zap energy and waste time.” As both a lawyer at the forefront of the movement for legal gender equality and a woman arguing numerous precedent-setting cases before countless male judges, Ginsburg had plenty of cause for “righteous anger.”

It’s noteworthy that Ginsburg’s mother did not tell her that she was wrong to ever experience anger; her advice was to recognize that anger was not useful and that people should not be “overcome” by it. Interestingly, Ginsburg is well known for her close personal friendship with the late Antonin Scalia, a man with whom she fundamentally disagreed on many things of vital importance to her.

Dr. King’s writings also articulate a perspective similar to Ginsburg: “You must not harbor anger ... . You must be willing to suffer the anger of the opponent, and yet not return anger.” A person’s “destructive passion is harnessed by directing that same passion into constructive channels.”

Today’s world presents no shortage of injustices and harms to LGBTIQ and other oppressed people and all of those who are essentially powerless in the face of the impending climate crisis.

Opportunities to fill oneself and the world with anger abound. In the difficult days ahead, we must examine our anger when it arises, see for ourselves whether it is useful, and choose how to respond wisely.

John Lewis and Stuart Gaffney, together for over three decades, were plaintiffs in the California case for equal marriage rights decided by the California Supreme Court in 2008. Their leadership in the grassroots organization Marriage Equality USA contributed in 2015 to making same-sex marriage legal nationwide.

Congratulations!

The San Francisco Bay Times congratulates Donna Sachet on receiving the Imperial Court's Outstanding Achievement in Journalism Award for 20 years of writing for the LGBTQ press! We are honored to include the work of this legendary entertainer, who is also a talented journalist, in each issue.

Congratulations to San Francisco Bay Times columnist and Openhouse CoFounder Dr. Marcy Adelman on being invited by Governor Gavin Newsom and former California First Lady Maria Shriver to join the Governor's Alzheimer's Prevention and Preparedness Task Force! In future issues, Dr. Adelman will be sharing more about this work and her other important projects benefiting the LGBTQ community and others.

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Rainbow Honor Walk Unveils Plaques for 8 Honorees The Rainbow Honor Walk on August 9 unveiled plaques honoring eight new honorees: Alvin Ailey, W.H. Auden, Josephine Baker, Marie Equi, Freddie Mercury, Gerry Studds, Lou Sullivan and Chavela Vargas. The event began at Catch Restaurant on Market Street before Rainbow Honor Walk board members and supporters stopped by each plaque on Market between Castro and Sanchez Streets.

The Rainbow Honor Walk, according to the organization, “features bronze sidewalk plaques that honor Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer individuals who have made a significant difference to society in California, the U.S., or elsewhere around the world. Now spanning several blocks (and growing!), the Rainbow Honor Walk landmark is educational and inspirational for all who walk with some of the greatest and bravest pioneers in modern history.”

Board member and San Francisco Bay Times columnist Dr. Bill Lipsky shared the following information about each of the new honorees: PHOTO BY PAUL MARGOLIS

• Alvin Ailey (1931–1989) American ballet dancer and choreographer credited with popularizing modern dance and revolutionizing African-American participation in 20th-century concert dance.

• W.H. Auden (1907–1973) English poet known for love poems such as “Funeral Blues,” poems on political and social themes such as “September 1, 1939,” and poems on cultural and psychological themes such as “The Age of Anxiety.”

• Josephine Baker (1906–1975) American-born dancer, singer, actress, and world-famous entertainer, embraced by France as a national treasure, who refused to perform for segregated audiences in the United States.

• Marie Equi (1872–1952) American physician and political activist devoted to providing care to working-class and poor patients, providing health care information to women, and fighting for civic and economic reforms, women’s right to vote and an eight-hour workday.

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LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2019)

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• Freddie Mercury (1946–1991) Bisexual British singer, songwriter, record producer and lead performer with the rock group Queen.

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• Gerry Studds (1937–2006) American politician and the first openly gay member of the U.S. Congress.

• Chavela Vargas (1919–2012) Costa Rican-born singer known for her rendition of Mexican rancheras and for her contribution to other genres of popular Latin American music.

• Lou Sullivan (1951–1991) American author, activist, and female to male transgender pioneer who is widely credited for the modern understanding of sexual orientation and gender identity as distinct, unrelated concepts.

http://rainbowhonorwalk.org/

Real Estate

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LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2019)

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Bay Area Ace Realtor: Delores 'Dedee' Rogers If you have ever been to a “Betty’s List” event or participated in the San Francisco Bay Times Pride Parade contingent, then you probably know Delores “Dedee” Rogers. She has been a great friend and supporter over the years, always offering to help and to lead when necessary.

What you might not know is that she is also a successful Realtor in the Wine Country. Her list of honors includes International Diamond Society awards, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage (2016 & 2017), and for this year, she is on track to be RE/MAX’s Top Closer and Top Listing Agent in Petaluma. She is also in RE/MAX’s prestigious Executive Club.

“Construction Manager” is part of her title at RE/MAX, given her extensive experience as a builder, carpenter, electrician, on-site superintendent and project engineer. A groundbreaking woman in this maledominated aspect of her work, Rogers is a role model for those seeking not only to break proverbial ceilings, but also to design and rebuild them!

San Francisco Bay Times: Please tell us a little bit about your background and why you decided to become a Realtor.

Dedee Rogers: I initially worked in San Francisco as District Supervisor for the San Francisco Chronicle (local 921 Teamsters union!). There was a time when I had to knock on doors to collect payment for the paper. I am an enterprising spirit, so I decided to start my own businesses, working as a journeywoman electrician and carpenter on as many sites as I could.

My supervisors trusted me with entitling projects, and with design and creation, partnering with city planners to fully complete projects.

I used all that I learned in those opportunities to keep advancing forward. After years on the contractor and construction side of the business, including working through code compliance technicalities with the municipal agencies, the natural path

forward for me was to get my real estate license and start putting people in the homes of their dreams in addition to building and managing them.

Along with being a Realtor, I continue to manage multiple properties, both residential and commercial throughout the Bay Area. My broad expertise from build to sale makes me an over-qualified property manager, but it is a part of my portfolio that I am proud of.

San Francisco Bay Times: What do you think is the most underrated neighborhood now in the Bay Area?

Dedee Rogers: Rohnert Park, CA, Section A, with its large homes, large lots, low crime rate, wide streets, great schools and great neighborhoods. And, of course, Petaluma, with the quaintest downtown and eclectic businesses. The value per square foot in Petaluma is a third of San Francisco prices. SMART Train makes the San Francisco commute a breeze.

We have a small, self-starter project to retrofit homes to keep seniors in them by adding rental income— studio rentals in the homes—keeping the Bay Area affordable as we age. Property management experience and contacts add to the success of this program.

We are also working on the firsttime-ever community housing project in Penngrove, CA. 5 acres for 60–90 people in reasonable and affordable community housing.

San Francisco Bay Times: What are some of your favorite neighborhood small businesses, and why?

Dedee Rogers: I love the seafood dishes at Jan Rosen’s 256 North restaurant, and the lesbian-owned Wild Goat Bistro (excellent gluten-free offering for those looking for it), both in downtown Petaluma.

San Francisco Bay Times: What is one of the most unique homes that you have for sale right now?

Dedee Rogers: A hot off-market listing just for your readers: $1.295M for a beautiful Queen Anne Victo-

rian home in downtown Petaluma.

The property has a separate granny unit in the main house of the residence. There is a separate studio in the back of the property. It is zoned R2 with potential for development.

Excellent renter history on a large lot. The address is 727 H Street, Petaluma, CA 94952.

It is within walking distance to downtown, offers easy access to public transportation for any commute, and it is a beautifully crafted home.

The property rental income is currently $4500 (not including the main house).

San Francisco Bay Times: What advice do you have for those looking to purchase a new home now?

Dedee Rogers: Don’t waste your time thinking about whether or not you can afford it ... you can’t afford not to! Buy! We likely have the resources to assist you in finding your next home.

For more information, visit: https://bit.ly/2MmetH7

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How to Protect Yourself When the Government Won’t the vast majority of advisors handle IRAs and other retirement vehicles, this rule would have required that most everyone serving in that capacity become a fiduciary. This could be seen as a big win for consumers.

Money Matters Brandon Miller “Suitable” has always seemed to me like one of those neutral words that you use when you don’t want to say anything mean, but you can’t think of anything nice—like when your five-year-old is so proud of himself for picking out his Spiderman costume to wear to a funeral and you sigh and deem it “suitable.”

Suitable is also at the heart of some contentious government and regulatory standards regarding the financial industry. Knowing about these regulations may keep you from getting financial advice that eats into your savings and benefits the advisor more than you.

Let me explain.

Financial advisors are required to meet a suitability standard. This means that they are only obligated to provide advice about investments that are suitable for you, the investor.

It’s perfectly legal for them to recommend one investment over a similar one that’s less expensive. That’s better for them, not for you.

A fiduciary, on the other hand, is legally obligated to always act in your best interest. You therefore never have to worry about their recommendations benefiting them over you.

Many, but not all, financial advisors are fiduciaries. This is where the controversy sets in.

Toward the end of his presidency, Obama tried to help protect consumers with the Dodd Frank rule.

This required financial professionals who offered retirement advice to act in their clients’ best interest. Since

Enter Trump and an administration that believes fewer regulations are better. They challenged the fiduciary rule and had it overturned in court.

Instead, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has produced a Regulation Best Interest rules package that critics say guts consumer protections by potentially weakening fiduciary standards.

Fearing that these changes could erode investors’ belief in financial advisors and the industry as a whole, the Certified Financial Planning Board of Standards decided to step up and issue a rule that all CFP professionals must act as fiduciaries. But they have pushed back enforcement of their own rules until mid-2020 to give everyone time to implement the new standards.

By now, you may be rolling your eyes and thinking, “Typical bureaucratic red tape mess.” True, but this particular red tape has big implications for your money and future. If no one is protecting you from higher-priced investments, you may be working harder to help your advisor retire than yourself.

So, just who is looking out for you, the investor? Right now, only you (and me, through this article). This is why I suggest that you take the following steps before trusting anyone to provide you with financial advice: 1) Do your research. Ask prospective advisors if they are a fiduciary. If they aren’t, ask what kind of protections you will get with their advice.

Also, find out how much experience and what types of expertise they have, as well as how they are rated by financial professional organizations.

2) Follow the money. Commission-based advisors earn their money by, you guessed it, commissions. The more investments they buy and sell for you, the better off the advisor does.

This can make their advice less objective. Fee-based advisors don’t have this same incentive since they charge

a predetermined, mutually agreed upon fee for their services.

3) Trust your gut. When speaking with anyone you are considering, do you get a good feeling about the person? Do they speak in plain enough language so that you can honestly understand the advice that they’re providing and the rational behind it?

Do they seem trustworthy and like someone you can confide in? You’ll be sharing your hopes, fears and dreams with them, so make sure that your financial advisor is someone you like.

As with many other things in life, you have to be your own best advocate when it comes to hiring a financial professional. While there may be many non-fiduciaries who provide good, honest advice, remember that they are not legally obligated to do what is best for you. If you don’t find that suitable, look for advisors who are also fiduciaries.

The opinions expressed in this article are for general informational purposes only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual or on any specific security. Brio does not provide tax or legal advice, and nothing contained in these materials should be taken as such. To determine which investments may be appropriate for you, consult your financial advisor prior to investing.

As always, please remember that investing involves risk and possible loss of principal capital; please seek advice from a licensed professional.

Brio Financial Group is a registered investment adviser. SEC Registration does not constitute an endorsement of Brio by the SEC nor does it indicate that Brio has attained a particular level of skill or ability. Advisory services are only offered to clients or prospective clients where Brio Financial Group and its representatives are properly licensed or exempt from licensure.

No advice may be rendered by Brio Financial Group unless a client service agreement is in place.

Brandon Miller, CFP®, is a financial consultant at Brio Financial Group in San Francisco, specializing in helping LGBT individuals and families plan and achieve their financial goals.

Brut Force Versus Graceful Performance in Sedans utive who began at BMW in 1991 can re-imagine the company’s paradigm to compete in today’s forcefully altered landscape.

Auto Philip Ruth I’ve been thinking a lot about BMW lately. A new CEO, Oliver Zipse, has been installed to prioritize electric and autonomous car technologies, and the world waits to see if an exec-

BMW has a lot to lose with these changes, and this was highlighted by a seven-year-old BMW sport sedan that I’ve been helping a gay Realtor to sell. Among the reasons BMW once enjoyed nearly-unrivaled profitability are the two big ones borne by its owners: high entry prices and expensive replacement parts. My client’s example reflected both, with a ritzy presence accompanied by a stupefying stack of repair receipts, which continued to thicken while the car was listed.

Therein lies BMW’s dilemma. Electric cars nix about three-quarters of a gas car’s maintenance needs, and vehicles driven on subscription roll those costs back to BMW. And, driv-

erless cars nullify the mystique of the Ultimate Driving Machine. Suddenly, the elements that built BMW into a much-copied tastemaker are nudging the brand toward gradual irrelevance.

That’s a “mind-blown” moment for car enthusiasts; BMW’s influence on the principles of premium-car desirability cannot be overstated. The producers of the sport sedans we’re examining this week—the Lexus IS350 and Infiniti Q50 Sport 400— clearly had BMW on the brain when they cast them into being.

Yet, they have a lot in common as more mainstream answers to the German question. Their prices fall in line with that, for starters. The tested Lexus checked in at just over $52,000, and the Infiniti just crested (continued on page 22)

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2019 Lincoln Nautilus

Marcum LLP Evolves and Strengthens Revolutionary LGBTQ Tax and Estate Planning Practice Physical and financial well-being often go hand-in-hand, with each affecting the other. This critical dynamic has been all the more amplified for LGBTQ couples over the past decade, given the profound changes to federal and state laws. For example, before the U.S. Supreme Court in 2015 established the right of same-sex couples to legally wed, such couples faced difficult challenges concerning financial-related matters including social security survivor benefits, health benefits, income tax, inheritance rights and much more.

Consider that when the longtime partner of renowned activist Edith “Edie” Windsor (1929–2017) died, leaving Windsor the executor and sole beneficiary of her estate, Windsor was required to pay $363,053 in federal taxes on the inheritance left to her by Thea Spyer. Had federal law recognized the validity of their marriage, Windsor would have qualified for an unlimited spousal deduction and paid no federal estate taxes.

Addressing a National Need For CPA and Partner Nanette Lee Miller of Marcum LLP, such problems were very personal, as she has been in a long-term relationship with Olga Barrera, and her brother is also gay. She additionally for years noted how the legal inequities impacted her LGBTQ colleagues, clients and friends.

Nanette Lee Miller

Desiring to make a positive difference, she and fellow Marcum Partner Janis Cowhey in 2012 founded the nation’s first tax and estate planning practice dedicated to the complex rules faced by LGBTQ people and others who do not fit traditional definitions of family in the U.S. The two women did this a full year before SCOTUS’s historic overturning of the Defense of Marriage Act, which helped to set the stage for eventual nationwide marriage equality.

“We saw a national need,” Miller told the San Francisco Bay Times. “In those days, every state had their way of handling individual and estate taxes, so we developed a 50-state clock on a state map to show people their choices. CNN published it on their website with a link to ours and the rest is history.”

The attention put a spotlight on Miller, who had already made a name for herself providing

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assurance, accounting and business advisement to publicly and privately held businesses, as well as nonprofits. Television coverage and articles quoting her in CNN Money, the Wall Street Journal, BBC News, The New York Times and more helped to spark a national conversation about financial problems faced by the LGBTQ community, adding to the push for nationwide marriage equality.

Under Miller and Cowhey’s guideance, Marcum subsequently became a thought leader in the specialty area of tax compliance and consulting services for high net worth modern families, same-sex couples, LGBTQ individuals and businesses. Miller, for instance, was the audit partner for PlanetOut after this media company went public and became the first gay-directed business to trade its stock on a major U.S. stock exchange, the Nasdaq.

Michael Ung

has evolved the practice that Miller and Cowhey co-founded. It is now called “Modern Family & LGBT Services.”

Given the importance of Miller’s work to our community (and we haven’t even addressed her extensive volunteering for nonprofits), we were concerned when we recently heard that she was going to step down from certain Marcum duties.

“I have retired as an Equity Partner as I turned 70 this year,” she explained, “but I still consult for business development purposes. My assurance clients have been turned over to other partners and directors, but my LGBTQ advisory practice is being turned over to Michael Ung, who was thrilled to have this opportunity.”

A Powerful Mentor— and Mentee Ung, now a Director in Marcum’s San Francisco office, arrived with extensive experience conducting audits and reviewing and analyzing financial information for clients ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies and in an array of industries. He credits Miller with helping him to navigate the complex, hyper-local and shifting tax landscape for the modern family in America.

“She has helped me meet many people around the community, and introduced me to so many LGBT professionals and organizations as well,” Ung told the San Francisco Bay Times. “In terms of matching my passions and focus of whom I work with, she has been a role model and provided great guidance and support, and I look forward to continuing to see her frequently.”

He added, “In regards to the field of finance and accounting, I enjoy learning about different businesses and being a valued team member with the clients with whom I work.

My career is an opportunity to work with many different people and see many different businesses, and work with those where my values best align.”

From a Small Gay Community to the World’s Gay Mecca Ung came to San Francisco from Rhode Island, where he still maintains a home base.

Surprisingly, he thinks that there are many parallels between Rhode Island’s capital and most populous city, Providence, and our City by the Bay. He explained that “people moved from Europe to Massachusetts to escape oppression, and then from Massachusetts to Rhode

Island to escape oppression,” just as many people came to San Francisco hoping for a better life.

As for Rhode Island’s gay community, Ung said that it is so small that, “over time, everybody knows everybody or has minimal degrees of separation. While there is no gayborhood in Rhode Island, there is a street where all the clubs and bars are, with some food options nearby.”

The firm is also promoting diversity in other areas, such as in event production. For instance, this past May’s Marcum Food & Beverage Summit—benefiting from the talents of food and beverage business expert Jeff Pera (a CPA and Marcum Regional Managing Partner) and Marcum’s Food & Beverage Services Leader Lou Biscotti—featured several members of our community, such as Mat Schuster, the Executive Chef of Canela Bistro & Wine Bar in the Castro. Elizabeth Doradea of Marcum told us that the firm is already looking ahead toward next

year’s Summit that will again recognize innovative start-ups and emerging food and beverage companies, along with established popular businesses and restaurants like Canela.

Ung is ready to help out with this and other Marcum projects. While he has big shoes to fill in taking over Miller’s LGBTQ advisory practice, he shares her passion and dedication. As Ung said, “I would love to see acceptance towards the community and towards all diversity in my lifetime, and will do what I can to effect that change.”

For more information about Marcum LLP’s Modern Family & LGBT Services, visit: https://bit.ly/2P4PxWS

He is still new to San Francisco, and hopes to make friends here who share his love of the LGBTQ community and his favorite participatory sport, tennis. Ung added, “Professionally, I look forward to being a partner to my clients here, and working with clients both inside and outside of the community, specifically those with socially responsible and socially interested focuses. In the mid-term and longer-term, I would like to continue to live life in crescendo and maybe buy a place out here, bring my dog out to San Francisco, and have kids with my fiancé.”

Challenges Left to Meet Ung’s family goals are clearly shared by many, both heterosexual and LGBTQ, but our community as a whole still faces an uphill battle. That is because, while the legal landscape has largely changed for the better since the days of Windsor’s court battles, queer people still face unique challenges.

An Experian survey last year, for example, reported that 62% of LGBTQ respondents said they had experienced financial challenges because of their sexual orientation. According to Prudential data also from last year, gay and lesbian Americans make less than their heterosexual peers, with bisexual women typically earning less than their lesbian or heterosexual peers.

In terms of the transgender community, the National Center for Transgender Equality reports that more than one-in-four transgender individuals have lost a job due to bias. Transgender individuals in relationships, along with other members of our community, also remain concerned about having fair access to their partner’s Social Security or pension survivor benefits, Prudential reported.

To meet these and other financial-related concerns, Marcum S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES

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Don’t Believe Everything You Think centrality to other people’s lives persists as part of our adult mental map, we tend to feel excessively responsible for the difficulties of those around us, such as: “My partner is depressed because I haven’t given him enough attention.” This assumption of omnipotent responsibility is usually the culprit when people are plagued by irrational guilt.

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Examined Life Tom Moon, MFT All human beings create mental maps that tell us who we are and what we can expect from life and from other people. Unfortunately, most of the content of our maps form fairly early in childhood, when our brains aren’t fully developed and we aren’t capable of comprehending the complexities and subtleties of life.

That’s why it’s inevitable that most people’s maps contain at least some faulty assumptions and distorted thinking.

Here’s one example of what I mean: Children quite naturally assume that they’re responsible for whatever is happening around them. For example, they might think, “Mom and Dad are getting a divorce, so I must have been a bad kid.” When this misunderstanding of the limits of our

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When we explain disappointments as personal, the result is the paralysis and despair that characterize severe depression. Depression results,

health service providers, researchers, policy experts, advocates, affected families and media professionals. The Task Force is charged with developing a plan that will work for all Californians living with Alzheimer’s and for the people who care for them.

Aging in Community Dr. Marcy Adelman I am proud and honored to announce that I have been invited by Governor Newsom and former California First Lady Maria Shriver to join the Governor’s Alzheimer’s Prevention and Preparedness Task Force. The Task Force consists of 29 members. It is a diverse group of formal and informal experts—caregivers,

It’s difficult to examine our mental maps because the brain evolved to believe itself. When we have believed an idea for a long time, we usually experience it as mere common sense, and so obviously true that it’s hard to look at it skeptically.

Nevertheless, it is possible to develop the habit of critical self-examination. One way to do this is to be on the lookout for sudden changes in your mood. When you suddenly find yourself feeling blue, or discouraged, or fearful—even though external circumstances haven’t changed— then stop and examine your internal monologue. Ask yourself what you were just thinking just before your mood changed. You will usually find a train of thought that might otherwise have passed under the radar.

If you can do this repeatedly, over time you will gradually be able to identify the faulty beliefs that may be holding you back. Resources for learning disputation are the written exercises for changing cognitive distortions in David Burns’ excellent self-help manual, Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy.

“Don’t believe everything you think,” would be a helpful personal motto for all of us. It goes against the grain, because our natural tendency is to trust that our perception of things is reality itself, especially when it’s accompanied by strong emotions. Developing the habit of critical self-examination takes work and a healthy dose of humility, but it is indispensable for true emotional maturity. The unexamined life, as Socrates said, is not worth living.

Tom Moon is a psychotherapist in San Francisco. For more information, please visit his website http://tommoon.net/

For the last seven years, I have had the opportunity to advocate for, and to help create, more LGBTQ older adult culturally competent Bay Area dementia services and to increase awareness about Alzheimer’s and other age-related brain diseases in the LGBTQ and other high risk and underserved communities. The Alzheimer’s Task Force is a huge opportunity to create better and more inclusive dementia programs, services and policies statewide.

The state Task Force will develop recommendations for how local communities, private organizations, businesses, government and families can best prepare for the

projected 25% + increase by 2025 in the number of Californians living with Alzheimer’s and other age-related brain diseases. The recommendations will be knitted into the Governor’s Master Plan for Aging. Together, these two statewide efforts will prepare California for an increasingly older population by helping to build an age and dementia friendly California for all Californians.

“The Golden State is getting grayer and we need to be ready for the major population changes headed our way,” stated Governor Newsom in announcing the Master Plan for Aging. “An aging population will introduce new opportunities for economic and community growth, but also drive increased health and longterm care costs. We need a plan that brings everyone to the table—local communities, labor, private sector and philanthropy—to help us understand what’s coming and guide us

toward taking better care of older Californians.”

Dr. Marcy Adelman, Co-Founder of the nonprofit Openhouse, oversees the Aging in Community column. She is a psychologist and LGBTQI longevity advocate and policy advisor. She serves on the California Commission on Aging, the Board of the Alzheimer’s Association of Northern California and Northern Nevada and the San Francisco Dignity Fund Oversight and Advisory Committee.

Alegre Home Care is proud to support Dr. Marcy Adelman’s Aging in Community column in the San Francisco Bay Times.

Frameline Announces New Executive Director Frameline, the presenter of the San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival, the world’s largest and longest-running queer film festival, on August 20 announced the appointment of James Woolley as Executive Director.

Woolley brings with him over a decade’s worth of film festival management experience, most recently as the Head of Marketing and Customer Relations at the Sydney Film Festival, and previously as the Festival Manager of the Queer Screen/Mardi Gras Film Festival.

Woolley was selected by a search committee of current and former Frameline board members from more than 25 candidates during a six-month global search process. When he takes over on August 26, he will be tasked with overseeing the organization’s renowned namesake film festival, as well as its other acclaimed year-round educational,

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The first is permanence, which means that the causes of unpleasant events are seen as long-lasting instead of temporary—”I’m burned out and can’t go on,” rather than, “I’m exhausted today.” The second characteristic is pervasiveness—“Nobody thinks I’m hot,” rather than, “That person isn’t interested.” The third characteristic is personalizing, which means blaming disappointments exclusively or excessively on one’s own defects—“I’m too stupid to pass this class,” rather than, “This teacher didn’t present the material effectively.”

Issues with excessive anxiety, too, often result from distorted thinking.

The basic distortion is the belief that if something terrible can happen, it will happen. When we live with this unconscious assumption, then our healthy capacity to foresee possible dangers leads to catastrophizing, which, at its worse, can cause us to be paralyzed with fear whenever we think about the future.

Once you become conscious of what you have been thinking, it then becomes possible to utilize the cognitive therapy practice of disputation to examine the content of your thoughts critically. Ask yourself: “Is what I’ve just been thinking really true? How do I know? What does the evidence, pro and con, tell me?”

Building an Age and Dementia Friendly California

CONTRIBUTORS Writers Rink, Sister Dana Van Iquity, Ann Rostow, Patrick Carney, Kate Kendell, Alex Randolph, Heidi Beeler, Gary M. Kramer, Dennis McMillan, Tom Moon, Tim Seelig, Cinder Ernst, John Chen Rafael Mandelman, Jewelle Gomez, Phil Ting, Rebecca Kaplan, Kin Folkz, Leslie Katz, Philip Ruth, Peter Gallotta, Bill Lipsky, Karen Williams, Donna Sachet, Gary Virginia, Zoe Dunning, Marcy Adelman, Stuart Gaffney & John Lewis Brandon Miller, Jamie Leno Zimron Michele Karlsberg Lyndsey Schlax, Randy Coleman, Debra Walker, Howard Steiermann, Andrea Shorter, Lou Fischer, Karin Jaffie, Brett Andrews, Karen E. Bardsley, David Landis

Cognitive research discovered decades ago that some of the chief causes of depression are the ways that depressed people explain the painful events in their lives to themselves.

They tend to explain these events in three pessimistic ways.

then, not just from painful events in our lives, but also from how we think about them.

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distribution and exhibition programs.

“As we plan for Frameline’s future, our board and staff know that it is important both to continue Frameline’s legacy, and to find new ways to share queer stories with our community and the world,” the nonprofit’s Board President, Nadir Joshua, said. “James’ passion, innovation and proven track record in advancing queer stories are exactly what we hoped to find in a candidate. We are thrilled that James will be leading Frameline’s next chapter as we continue our work to change the world through the power of queer cinema.”

“It is a great pleasure to be joining Frameline,” Woolley said. “For years, I’ve admired Frameline’s mission and legacy, and all of the programs it offers to support LGBTQ+ cinema. Frameline’s work to empower filmmakers, amplify our

James Woolley

stories and support our communities is recognized all over the world. Through its festival and year-round programming, we are able to share stories that capture the strength, resilience and diversity of our great communities. That work couldn’t be more important. I am beyond honored to work alongside the brilliant team at Frameline, as we plan for the future. Taking this role is truly a dream come true.”

Hailing from Australia, where he received a Bachelor of Creative Arts from Macquarie University - Sydney NSW, Woolley’s professional festival experience also includes tenure with the Melbourne International

Film Festival, Brisbane International Film Festival, and Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.

Notably, in his time at Sydney Film Festival (2010–present) Woolley and his team were credited with doubling ticketing revenue, while the Mardi Gras Film Festival tripled its audience during his run as Festival Manager, 2013–2017. https://www.frameline.org/

GLBT Fortnight in Review

By Ann Rostow

Turning in the Widening Gyre The Trump Labor Department has announced a proposal to gut the civil rights rules that govern federal contractors, widening the religious exemptions well beyond the standards that have protected faith-based organizations for half a century and change. The proposed expansion, from faith-based loophole to gigantic maw, is outlined in a 46-page legal brief that your faithful reporter could not bring herself to read in detail.

And let’s be clear. This development was not announced as an anti-GLBT thing. It was all prettied up as a way to respect the sincere beliefs of religious contractors, who may be confused or uncertain about existing anti-discrimination guidelines, poor things.

But in fact, no one has a religious conflict centered on race or sex now do they? But ever since 2014, federal contractors are also required to respect GLBT workers and customers in order to qualify for government work. Trump made a fancy pledge to keep Obama’s gay-friendly language intact, but I guess he didn’t say anything about hollowing out these protections with new religious provisions.

And from what we know about Trump, he is probably not even aware of this new policy and others of its ilk that his antigay minions continue to seed throughout the federal bureaucracy. He doesn’t really care one way or another as long as his administration continues to satisfy his evangelical allies and far-right base voters.

Worse, while this and other antigay policies can be excised by a Democratic president, nothing can be done about the federal district court judges and the four dozen or so appellate court judges that he and Mitch McConnell have installed throughout the judiciary. They will be with us for decades and some of them are bat s--t crazy.

The Justice Department Hates Us As you know, the U.S. Supreme Court will soon hear arguments on the tricky question of whether the Civil Rights Act of 1964 covers gay and transgender workers under Title VII, the section that forbids workplace discrimination on the basis of sex and other factors. We have been inching forward towards the answer “yes, it does,” for the last 20 years, as court after court reasoned that GLBT bias is indeed a variety of sex discrimination. Without going into the nitty gritty, we now face the very real possibility that the High Court will flatly reverse this progress, sending us back into a dark world where public services and employers alike will have every right to close their doors to gay applicants. After all, Title VII law is used as a guide for sex-based civil rights law elsewhere in society, including fair housing and Title IX in education.

Last week, Trump’s Justice Department wrote a brief to the Court, arguing that the 1964 Congress did not intend to include GLBT workers and that the word “sex” refers only to male or female biological categories.

This is certainly true, but certainly irrelevant as Title VII has been continually expanded by the courts to cover things like sexual harassment on the job, gender stereotyping, and many other incidents of modern life.

Is it sex discrimination if a company won’t hire women with children? If a police department imposes height and weight standards? If a male boss flirts with female staff? If a group of men harass a male colleague? If a masculine woman is denied partnership on style points alone? These situations weren’t contemplated by the

1964 Congress either, but federal law has evolved by saying “yes” to these and other situations.

Our gay and transgender cases have been on the “yes” trajectory for years, but we may be about to hit a dead end thanks to Mitch and Trump. Oral arguments on two related cases, one gay and one transgender, are set for October. Three months later we will start waiting for the verdict.

WTF? This is the context that just inspired the Log Cabin Republican Club to endorse Donald Trump for a second term, arguing that he has fulfilled his promise to the GLBT community (whatever that was) and deserves four more years.

I’ve been happy to ridicule and make light of these gay Republicans in the past, although I haven’t encountered them in the press for many years. But this transcends their previous absurdities. Who are these people?

Because this is a GLBT paper, and this is a GLBT news column, it’s not surprising that we focus on GLBT news. But the damage Trump has inflicted on us, including his ban on transgender military service, pales in comparison to the damage he is inflicting on our country and the world. In addition to fomenting white supremacy, caging asylum seekers like animals, destabilizing the global economy for no reason, reigniting the nuclear arms race and spending his time watching TV and ranting—in addition to that and all the rest, the man literally has some kind of dementia.

He must be removed from office, preferably through an electoral defeat, and most sane, well-adjusted Americans agree. If he had actually advanced gay rights somehow in his first three years, he would still be unfit for the presidency. I guess one woman, Jennifer Horn, resigned from the Log Cabin board after this endorsement, so good for her. Let’s see some more Cabiners step forward.

The Legal Beat Goes On Enough of Trump. I read a complicated account of a Second Circuit decision that sort of went against a lesbian basketball coach who was fired in 2010 from a job at Binghamton State University. The court ruled that the public employees who fired her enjoyed qualified immunity from her Equal Protection lawsuit, based on the fact that they could not automatically have known that their actions were unconstitutional at the time. That makes sense, given that gay civil rights law in 2010 was ambiguous. But the court went on to make a weird distinction between violations of the Equal Protection Clause and violations of Title VII. Let’s not get into the details, but let’s just wonder why the same court that just ruled in favor of a gay plaintiff in the Title VII case that is now pending before the High Court decided to follow an arcane strand of unhelpful judicial reasoning just weeks before the justices hear oral arguments.

Muddying the waters at this juncture is not exactly what we need.

And before we exit the scintillating arena that is legal news, you should know that the infamous Gloucester County school district in Virginia will once again appeal the Gavin Grimm transgender high school case back to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Grimm won the last time he ascended through the appellate court, and his case was pending review by the Supreme Court when Trump was elected.

Trump’s subsequent anti-trans (continued on page 23) S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES

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Richmond/Ermet Aid Foundation Silver Photos by Rink and Paul Margolis

Anniversary Gala

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Ken Henderson, Joe Seiler and the entire REAF family of board members, volunteers, supporters and friends gathered for the organization’s star-studded Silver Anniversary Gala on Sunday, August 18, at the Herbst Theater and Green Room. The program, Help Is on the Way XXV “Celebrating Broadway,” featured a rare reunion of Tyne Daly and Sharon Gless (formerly of the hit groundbreaking TV series Cagney & Lacey), Bruce Vilanch, Franc D’Ambrosio, Lisa Vroman, Sam Harris, Paula West, Leanne Borghesi,, Jai Rodriguez, Kimberley Locke and many more.

Cast members from Hamilton performed and Carole Cook, a veteran of many REAF events, was honored. Congratulations to the entire REAF team on the successful event that benefited Meals on Wheels San Francisco and Raphael House. Here’s to 25 more years of fundraisers!

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https://www.reaf-sf.org/home.html

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Donna’s Chronicles

“We’re all circling the drain; some of us just happen to be closer than others.”

By Donna Sachet

raditions are an integral part of human life, giving us a certain comforting structure, an annual calendar of sorts, and creating shared experiences with those we love. For many like ourselves, typical Thanksgiving dinners, church services, and other events often including family relatives hold little significance and sometimes painful memories. So, as adults, we create or embellish certain events to become our personal traditions, cherished times with special people. Frequent readers of our writings will immediately recognize Pride Weekend, including Pride Brunch, Imperial Coronation, Opening Night of the Opera, Folsom Street Fair, and others as valued traditions for us that set the structure of the calendar year.

Among those traditions is Richmond/Ermet Aid Foundation’s (REAF) annual Help is on the Way benefit, bringing top quality entertainment to the Bay Area for a great cause for 25 years. At last Sunday’s Silver Anniversary event, those thoughts filled our mind. We remember that first Help is on the Way where we joined Anita Martini at the Palace of Fine Arts. We were dressed to the nines, including sparkling tiaras upon our heads, amazed by the talent on stage and the generous hearts represented by an organization that addressed the devastating AIDS pandemic head-on. That week in 1995, the following appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle column of the irrepressible Herb Caen: “Only in Ess Eff! At the sold-out ‘Help is on the Way’ AIDS benefit at the Palace of Fine Arts Mon., Matthew Martin heard a guy say campily to the three feet of hair seated in front of him, ‘Excuse me, Empress, would you mind removing your tiara???’” And so, a tradition began that continued last Sunday!

Help is on the Way: Celebrating Broadway benefiting Raphael House and Meals on Wheels San Francisco was preceded by a huge silent auction on the main floor of the War Memorial Building, where guests bounced from art work and travel packages to Broadway memorabilia and beauty regimens. Upstairs in the Green Room, a gorgeous 25th Anniversary Gala centerpiece anchored the room as VIP ticket holders sipped champagne, posed for photos, and shared memories of favorite moments over the years. On the trusted arm of Richard Sablatura, my escort for many years at this and many other events, we caught up with Jeff & Shelley Hann Brunetti, Jeff Doney, Doug Waggener, Beth Townsend, Joel Goodrich, Sophie Azouaou, Lawrence Wong, Brent Marek, Beth Schnitzer, Gary Thackeray, Al Treuter, Larry Horowitz, and even Mayor Willie Brown with the glorious view of City Hall whose refurbishment he skillfully orchestrated looming in the background. The anticipation was palpable as we joined the throngs crowding into Herbst Theatre and found ourselves seated in a prominent box with Nguyen Pham & Chris Lintz next to Mark Leno and Brett Andrews. On stage, Ken Henderson & Joe Seiler shared a little bit of the history of this 25-year old organization, founded by Barbara Richmond and Peggy Ermet in honor of their sons, both lost to AIDS. Board member Sophie Azouaou presented an award accepted by Hilary Newsom to Governor Gavin Newsom and his late father William Newsom for their years of support of REAF and their many contributions to the vitality of San Francisco. Upending the usual order of things, a live auction followed, directed by the wonderfully funny Del Shores, raising thousands of dollars in minutes.

Then, the cavalcade of performers commenced, accompanied by a stellar instrumental ensemble and directed for the last time by David Gallgan. You’ve seen the complete list of entertainers listed in this column and in advertising elsewhere, but particular stand-outs this year included Sam Harris, Paula West, Leanne Borghesi (perfectly bawdy and captivating), Eileen Blum on violin with dancers Yelena Vayn and Brandon Canela, Lisa Vroman and Franc D’Ambrosio, who both magically returned us to the glorious productions of Phantom of the Opera. The showstopper of the first act was Tyne Daly, masterfully reprising her Tony Award winning performance as Rose in Gypsy.

The second half of the show featured incredible musical performances by Constantine Maroulis, Steve Knill, and Kimberley Locke, a hilarious Chorus Line spoof

by Bruce Vilanch, and a comedic crowd-pleasing duet by Tyne Daly and Sharon Gless. The highly anticipated appearance of Carole Cook and her acceptance of the Lifetime Achievement Award left the audience in tears and laughter; what a life she has led and what a heart she has demonstrated! The show ended with a short video of the closing of the first Help is on the Way with Nancy Lamott, Val Diamond, and Lisa Vroman leading the song written by David Friedman that has become the symbol of hope for so many, and this year’s cast assembling on stage for the finale.

Many of the stars joined the VIP guests for a reception back in the Green Room afterwards, where they were mobbed with adoration. We were particularly pleased to see members of the Imperial Court in attendance, including Empress Nicole Diamond visiting from Kentucky, Emperors Frankie Fernandez, Leandro Gonzales, and John Carrillo, and the Reigning Emperor of San Francisco Terrill Grimes Munro. We also greeted Geoff Callan, Cicero Braganca & Russ Fischella, Sister Dana Van Iquity, Brandon Miller, Bob Dockendorff, Simi Barjesteh, Rick Hamer, Jerome Goldstein & Tommy Taylor, Paul Moffett, Milton Mosk & Tom Foutch, Andrew Freeman, Tom Ray, and a happy ensemble from Twin Peaks. This memorable evening ended for us with a brief, but meaningful, exchange with the legendary Carole Cook, when we presented her with a framed photograph of the two of us from one of the early Help is on the Way galas, all of which we have attended and in 23 of which she has performed. We often speak of “pinch-me” moments, times when we can hardly believe where we are or with whom we are sharing a conversation; each of our encounters with her fits that category. Thank you, Carole Cook, for a lifetime of giving to those who need help, especially in the early and ongoing years of the AIDS pandemic. And thank you, REAF, for fighting the fight and bringing so many entertainers to San Francisco for our enjoyment.

And there were other things happening in San Francisco! In an effort to support local businesses, especially those who give so much back to our LGBTQ Community, we joined Gary Virginia and Deana Dawn at Finn Town in the Castro last Wednesday for a festive happy hour PHOTO BY SHAWN NORTHCUTT

–Carole Cook at 95 years old

Calendar a/la Sachet Every Sunday Sunday’s a Drag!

The Starlight Room Sir Francis Drake Hotel 10:30 am Brunch, 11:30 am Show $75 inclusive https://starlightroomsf.com/sundays-a-drag Thursday, August 22–24 Drunk Drag Dizney Hilarious musical variety show Oasis, 298 Eleventh Street 7 pm $25–$50 https://sfoasis.com/ Saturday, August 24 Cirque du Runway GAPA’s annual extravaganza Herbst Theatre, War Memorial Building 7 pm $25–$50 https://www.cityboxoffice.com/ Thursday August 29–31 Star Trek Live Drag Kings parody the popular TV show Oasis, 298 Eleventh Street 7 pm $27.50–$50 https://sfoasis.com/ Saturday, August 31 & Sunday, September 1 Veronika Klaus & Tammy Hall Trio Popular chanteuse returns to SF for 4 shows Martuni’s, 4 Valencia Street 4 pm & 7 pm $40 https://www.brownpapertickets.com/ Friday, September 6 Opening Night of the SF Opera Charles Gounod’s Romeo and Juliet Glamorous clothes, glorious music and spectacle War Memorial Opera House 8 pm $175 & up https://sfopera.com/ Monday, September 9 REAF’s One Night Only: Protest, Revel with Some Rebels Benefit Cabaret with cast members from Hamilton Marines’ Memorial Theatre 7:30 pm $35–$100 https://www.reaf-sf.org/

with friends. Remember, one of your most powerful tools is your spending, where you spend and where you don’t. Whether you eat out once in a great while or practically every night of the week, consider spending those dollars with friends of the community!

Virgin Hotel is rapidly claiming its spot on the LGBTQ list of destinations with a second daytime dance on their Rooftop Deck produced by Brian Kent and with DJ Wayne G. Last Saturday’s sunshine greeted hundreds of happy dancers, including Dan O’Leary & Jonathan Teel, Suzan Revah, Ira Olney & Troy Arnold, Juan Martinez, and

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Randy Coleman hails from New York, but has lived in San Francisco since 1975. Coleman shares that before moving to the Bay Area, he studied Art History and Architecture at Boston University while working as a resident artist for architectural rendering at a Massachusetts historical society. “All of my life I’ve been an artist,” Coleman says.

“To know me is to know that I have a passion for art and architecture.

I love this project for the San Francisco Bay Times, and hope that you enjoy my sketches.” © Randy Coleman, 2019

SF Sketch Randy Coleman

Take Me Home with You! “My name is Gucci! I’m a solidly built, 90-pound boy who has often been called a gentle giant. I love the outdoors, and long walks are one of my favorite pastimes. If you take me on a walk and bring a tennis ball, we’ll become fast friends! I’m looking for someone special who enjoys outdoor adventures and long cuddle sessions in the evenings. If that describes you and you’ve got room for a big, handsome boy in your life, come meet me!”

Gucci

Gucci is presented to San Francisco Bay Times readers by Dr. Jennifer Scarlett, the SF SPCA’s Co-President. Our thanks also go to Krista Maloney for helping to get the word out about lovable pets like Gucci.

To meet Gucci, as well as other pets seeking their forever homes, please visit: San Francisco SPCA Mission Campus 250 Florida Street, San Francisco, CA 94103 415-522-3500 Aside from major holidays, the adoption center is open Mon–Fri: 1–6 pm and Sat–Sun: 10 am–5 pm. Free parking is available for those wishing to adopt!

For more information: https://www.sfspca.org/adoptions 16

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Dr. Jennifer Scarlett and Pup

Overheard at Greens Restaurant

Garchik said: “I’ve been a vegetarian for 50 years, an acknowledged and admitted pain-in-the-behind to friends who like steakhouses. So soon after it opened, the first time I visited Greens, I felt like Eve given a chance to re-visit the Garden of Eden. I could eat everything! My only regret is that there aren’t enough deep-fried menu selections.”

Leah Garchik and David Landis at Greens

Landis added: “Greens is certainly memorable for its one-of-a-kind Golden Gate Bridge and Bay view.

It’s a must when you have out-oftown guests. Beyond that, restaurateur and chef Annie Somerville was truly the first to elevate vegetarian cooking to culinary excellence.”

He continued, “The pasta dishes are among The Gay Gourmet’s favorites, as are the griddle cakes and the pizzas. Truth be told, there’s nothing like sipping a glass of bubbly

Server Karina Winkler presented dessert at Greens’ 40th Anniversary dinner with guest chef Alice Waters. Thanks to Winkler for helping with the Greens photos in our prior issue.

Other famous guest chefs will be featured at the restaurant this year. For more information: https://bit.ly/2GSzbdp

SAN FRANCISCO BAY TIMES PHOTO

What you might not know is that Garchik is a vegetarian. Since it is the 40th Anniversary of Greens restaurant, we decided to turn the tables on her and San Francisco Bay Times columnist (“The Gay Gourmet”) David Landis, listening in on their comments about the fabled Fort Mason destination. The two are good friends who have indeed dined together at Greens. (See the article from our prior issue about some of the secrets to this restaurant’s success, as well as Berkeley’s Chez Panisse https://bit.ly/2ZbCyGJ )

SEAN DOWDALL FOR DAVID LANDIS ASSOCIATES

We were delighted this week to see the return of Leah Garchik to the San Francisco Chronicle. Her column “Public Eavesdropping” has at last returned to the Datebook! One of Garchik’s many claims to fame is her knack for overhearing witty, important and/or otherwise interesting comments while out and about in the Bay Area.

Cremant from their well-curated wine list while watching the sea lions, the pelicans, and those magnificent views toward the Pacific Ocean.” https://greensrestaurant.com/

This Month at the Castro Farmers’ Market Celebrate Farmers’ Market Month!

By Debra Morris We’re celebrating farmers, community, farmers’ markets and you, our farmers’ market supporters, this month! Farmers’ Market Week this year was officially August 4 through 10, but we’re making merry the whole month!

As demand for local, healthy foods continues to grow, so have the direct-to-consumer opportunities for local farmers and other purveyors of quality products. Farmers’ markets support the livelihoods of over 165,000 small to mid-sized farms and ranches, and account for over $2 billion in revenue that goes directly to the farmer.

The farmers’ market is the only place, other than the farm itself, where California law allows farmers—or certified agricultural producers, as they are known in state law—to sell the fruits and vegetables of their labor directly to consumers.

Without certified farmers’ markets, agricultural producers of rural California would be cut off from the consumers of urban California.

This is an important distinction: a certified farmers’ market assures consumers that their market purchase is brought to the farmers’ market from the farmers who grew, nurtured and harvested the crops. Certification means that the farms have been inspected and certified and regulated by the State of California. Knowing where your food comes from and knowing that it is locally-grown are important factors when making purchases. Also important is the fact that you can actually speak to the farmers who grew the fruits and vegetables, or who baked the bread, or gathered the honey.

Farmers’ markets are also a source of revenue for the communities surrounding them, increasing foot traffic to local businesses and offering a pleasant outdoor community gathering place. There is a sense of neighborhood, respecting local community dynamics, and creating a family-oriented environment around the market.

SAVORY ME LON

SALAD 1 cup watermel on cubes 1 cup cantalou pe cubes 1 cup cucumbe r, sliced 1/4 cup black o lives, pitted and sliced 6 ounces feta, crumbled 1 shallot, thinly sl in vinegar with iced and macerated a pinch of salt Olive oil and b alsamic vinegar to taste Combine wate rm loupe cubes, o elon and cantalives, sliced cucu crumbled feta mber, an shallots in a larg d the macerated e olive oil and bal bowl. Drizzle with samic vinegar.

Se with salt and p epper. Mix gen ason tly.

Farmers’ markets are also a place to educate the public on eating healthy and fresh produce, eating with the seasons, and emphasizing the importance of sustaining and supporting California agriculture. It’s a place where schools bring their classes to learn about where their food comes from, where all of us can learn about new and interesting produce, and where we can find cooking tips and recipes.

Visit your Castro Certified Farmers’ Market this month—and throughout the season—to see old friends and meet new ones, speak directly to the people who grow our food, pick up the latest recipe, visit a nearby café, and stop by a local shop or other business.

Check out some of the community-oriented events such as a summer music series, a health fair, recipe contest, or a cook-off.

Pick up some of the freshest fruits, vegetables, honey, baked goods, cut flowers, grass-fed meats and freshcaught fish when you visit. You’ll find it all at your local farmers’ market. Celebrate your local farmers’ markets with us!

We’re featuring luscious summer melons this month.

Stop by Arata Fruit from Byron for some of the best tasting cantaloupe, honeydew and Charlene melons around.

PHOTO COURTESY OF PACIFIC COAST FARMERS MARKET ASSOCIATION

Debra Morris is a spokesperson for the Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association (PCFMA). Check out the PCFMA website for recipes, information about farmers’ markets throughout the region and for much more: https://www.pcfma.org/ S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES

M AY 2, 2019

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LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2019)

From the Coming Up Events Calendar See page 24

San Francisco Symphony’s Opening Night Gala is on September 4, with Michael Tilson Thomas as Conductor of the program that includes pieces by Glinka, Copland, Getty, Britten and Beethoven. Opera stars and the SF Symphony Chorus will also be featured. For tickets and more information: http://bit.ly/2zaS0En

Vision Portraits: An Impressive Documentary

by Gay Filmmaker Rodney Evans ally-impaired artists, and why I was searching out these specific people and what did I hope to glean from them from having a dialogue and looking at their artistic process.

Gary M. Kramer: What touched you personally about each artist’s work?

Film Gary M. Kramer Vision Portraits, opening August 30 in the Bay Area, is out gay writer-director Rodney Evans’ remarkable documentary about visually-impaired artists. Evans uses his own experiences of losing his sight from retinitis pigmentosa as a jumping off point to explore the creative processes of HIV+ photographer John Dugdale, dancer Kayla Hamilton and writer Ryan Knighton. His stunning film investigates how and why blindness is not limiting for these artists.

The filmmaker recently met with me for the San Francisco Bay Times to talk about making Vision Portraits.

Gary M. Kramer: How did you conceive of this documentary and incorporating your story and experiences?

Rodney Evans: I shared a lot of experiences the [artists] went through. I know what it’s like to walk around with a red-and-white cane. I know the pros and cons and stigmas attached to that. I know what it’s like to pass for fully sighted for as long as possible—until it becomes completely impossible. Initially, I thought I’d be more of a framing device, and talk about my condition and experiences at the beginning and what led me to wanting to explore the creative processes of these blind or severely visu-

Rodney Evans: With Ryan, it was this memoir that he wrote called Cockeyed, which was profoundly moving and impactful to me when I read it. I’ve known John Dugdale’s work and was appreciative of it. I showed him a diary film [about coming out], and my vulnerability in that film led him to trust me that I was the right person and I would tell the story in a respectful, tasteful way. Kayla, I met through a colleague in the dance department. I wanted dance to be a part of the film. For me, it’s bravery on a different level. You’re using your body to navigate space as an art form and there are so many obstacles and ways in which that can go wrong in a very public way.

Gary M. Kramer: What I like about your film is that you do not sentimentalize these artists. Can you discuss your approach and how you presented the artists?

Rodney Evans: Every artist has their own issues and obstacles that they need to work through in order to create within their medium. I wanted to paint a multi-dimensional, nuanced portrait of each person that had the pros and cons and shades of gray and didn’t fall into the trope of the super-crip or inspirational porn.

You very much see the dark side of their journey, and their wrestling with issues and assistance and what it takes for an artist to find their voice within a piece. That was always front and center. I wasn’t interested in making hagiography.

Gary M. Kramer: Your visual approach to the narrative includes using irises or blurring focus to convey the loss of sight. Can you describe the film’s style?

Rodney Evans: It was really important for me to incorporate each individual’s subjective experience of vision as they described it. Whenever we could convey visually for the audience in a visceral way what the character was talking about, we would do it. So when I’m on the subway and the periphery is blacked out, or made more abstracted and you see the center really clearly, it’s important for the audience to see that that was my point of view walking through that aisle on the train and how that differs from the fully-sighted person’s perspective, which we cut to later. We held magnifying glasses over Ryan’s book of poetry, where we’d shift focus where one word would come into

focus and then be obscured by light and conveying that experience of him on stage and trying to pass as a sighted poet and failing and not being able to see the words on the page.

Gary M. Kramer: There is an emphasis on passing as sighted. What observations do you have about coming out as visually impaired?

Rodney Evans: It was a relief, frankly, because there was so much miscommunication and wrongly interpreted signals that put me in a dangerous position. If I’m commuting to Philadelphia for my job and I’m going through New York’s Penn station, and as a young black man, I’m bumping into 12 people, that is apt to be perceived as a hostile, aggressive act. But If I’m using a red and white cane, that immediately diffuses the situation.

There is this huge gulf between the lived experiences of people within this country and what’s reflected back at them in film and television.

What does that erasure perpetuate?

What kind of fear, what kinds of stigmas and misperceptions does that lack of knowledge from accurate representation and honest portrayals perpetuate, and what does it take to stop underestimating what a disabled person can do both in front of, or behind, the camera? © 2019 Gary M. Kramer Gary M. Kramer is the author of “Independent Queer Cinema: Reviews and Interviews,” and the co-editor of “Directory of World Cinema: Argentina.” Follow him on Twitter @garymkramer

KIT’N KITTY’S

QUEER POP QUIZ

GET OUT Members of the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club (formerly known as the Harvey Milk Gay and Lesbian Club) broke away in October 1992 to form the: A) LGAADA B) LLGADA C) LGADDA D) LAGAAD ANSWER ON PAGE 22

Karin Jaffie, aka Kit/Kitty Tapata, won the title of Mr. Gay San Francisco in 2011 and has earned many other honors since.

Connect with Jaffie via Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/pg/ktapata

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AUGUS T 22, 2019

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This Is Not Berlin Is a Queer and Worthwhile Coming of Age Drama Bay Times about recreating that heady time and making This Is Not Berlin.

Gary M. Kramer: How did you work with Hari on a screenplay of a story from his life?

Film Gary M. Kramer

Step into the story... and become art Portraiture, Fine Art, Event Photography 415.481.5185 www.exlightstudio.com

This Is Not Berlin, opening August 30 in the Bay Area, is director/co-writer Hari Sama’s immersive and semiautobiographical drama about two friends, Carlos (Xabiani Ponce de León) and Gera ( José Antonio Toledano), who get caught up in Mexico City’s punk scene in 1986. While the androgynous Carlos becomes enamored with artist Nico (Mauro Sanchez Navarro) and his world—and Nico is crushed on Carlos—Gera starts giving into his own desires and attractions.

Max Zunino, who co-wrote the film with Sama and Rodrigo Ordoñez, spoke with me for the San Francisco

Max Zunino: Hari and I have been friends for a long time. He asked me to write this script for him and we included Rodrigo. We had several meetings talking about Hari’s past, and those years in Mexico, and the situation for the youth at that time. In 1986, I was 10. We remembered things, like the soccer World Cup and the music—a lot of bands [from 1986] became famous in the 1990s. Most of those bands started in El Nueve, the bar that was the inspiration for the Aztec [the club in the film]. The club was a character — maybe the film’s most important character. We wrote that, discussed it a lot, and started making a compilation of the memories that Hari had growing up in a middle-class suburb.

Hari told us about his friends at that point of his life, in high school, his first encounter in this bar that opened a new universe for him. He chose to be a part of it. All the drugs and intense music—this new wave, this dark feeling was something they were living very deeply in at that point. Sexuality wasn’t open, which

is why it’s called This Is Not Berlin. Berlin was open to all identity expressions and sexuality was mainstream, and here, in Mexico, we were years behind that.

Gary M. Kramer: What do you recall about a particularly intense friendship/relationship you had as a teen?

Max Zunino: I was very shy at that age. It was difficult for me to get in such an intense relationship. I identify myself more with the guys before they go to the club than after. My coming of age came late in my life, like in my twenties. I didn’t discover that world when I was a teen.

Gary M. Kramer: What observations do you have about the depictions of masculinity and sexuality in the film?

Max Zunino: This hyper masculinity was the way we lived in middle-class schools. I shared that experience, which was based on Hari’s life. Masculinity is like a cliché (continued on page 22)

The Other Way Out New York is generally a mystery to a Southerner; a giant, kind, accommodating figment.

Words Michele Karlsberg Michele Karlsberg: This excerpt is from “The Other Way Out” in Stella Maris: And Other Key West Stories by Michael Carroll published by Turtle Point Press:

How beautiful you are, a child in middle age, five o’clock shadow against the baby mug.

I WANTED to be your lover, but you had other things, mainly family. Your sprawling Italians by blood, siblings, nieces, nephews. Now great nieces and nephews, a handsome cohesive family. I was jealous, but I tried not to show it. This was why I asked myself how I kept coming back and back to New York and took the train to Queens. That Yemeni restaurant you took me to and paid, knowing I’d served in the Peace Corps in Yemen, the food nostalgic.

Running from family—and you feeling sorry for me. Prescriptive, yet protesting you could no longer take antidepressants as the only sure cure was to be in the bosom of the people pledged to protect you for life.

And your career, and now your fiancé.

He is your age and perfect for you. He worships you, which is meet and right as the Bible goes; the first blush of affection that becomes true love.

Which I respected and I still do.

How I’d look and look at you.

Your seemingly congenital sadness forced at bay by your hard, sheer will.

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It’s not supposed to be. It’s supposed to be merciless, outsized and cold, crushing down. I love it, but I decided to come down here for peace of mind, though I miss you. I miss your left-eyebrow-up smirk. Your gravelly hush-voice, your long legs never in shorts. A soft hoot-voice.

New York: Woody Allen movies, all the books and movies about it.

THIS WEATHER. I keep thinking of music where the storm is sucked into the burning atmosphere, in order to wash it out, the pull and swell and explosion and spread. The soggy air getting wetter and unbearably thicker. I keep thinking of Steppenwolf’s “Magic Carpet Ride,” where the Hammond B-3 owns the song’s landscape, thunder here and there, distant, becoming a moan that becomes a hoof-hum that gathers in pillow concussions like sections of hot dusty electrical front that move in herd-like, the herd of sound surrounding yet almost comfortingly, the business of the storm going on in apparently thin air, columns of draft, warm earth and surface, cool swirl-

ing winds striking heat, friction and moisture, turbulence, all of it apparently unseen until it’s too late although to be fair there are the signs: the rising barometric pressure, the general bodily unease, a feeling of craziness, discomfort, irritability, horniness, morbidity, preoccupation with death, love.

Michael Carroll’s debut story collection, “Little Reef,” won the Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and was shortlisted for the Lambda Literary Award for Gay Fiction and the Publishing Triangle Award. Originally from Jacksonville, Florida, he is married to writer Edmund White and lives in New York City.

Michele Karlsberg Marketing and Management specializes in publicity for the LGBTQI community.

This year, Karlsberg celebrates 31 years of successful book campaigns.

Michael Carroll

PHOTO BY JEFF BOND

Large, baleful, dark green eyes, and to me a head like an independent sexual organ, clipped hair, and ears like jug handles to pinch or kiss in the dark or early-early light—so I’ve imagined.

Sister Dana Sez: Words of Wisdumb from a Fun Nun Pink Wet Dreams.” Another fave is Hsu’s “Dragon Boy Big Splash” cartoon print on canvas, as well as his “George Takei Slays Demon Pig.” A third is Prasad’s “Untitled Tragedy” screen print. I heartily encourage my readers to Google these artists and their amazing works. Meanwhile, since my column comes after these pieces come down, I am forced to just rave about them all over town!

By Sister Dana Van Iquity

On August 12, the Trump administration announced that they will move forward with a change to the so-called “Public Charge” rule, which will deny access to residency to immigrants if they receive federal assistance through various programs. Mayor London Breed immediately reacted, saying, “The federal administration’s decision to move forward with this heartless proposal is the latest in a seemingly unending series of attempts to target immigrants, which tear at the very fabric that ties our community together.” She added, “Let’s be clear—this proposal is designed to make our most vulnerable residents forego critical services, food, and medical care that they lawfully receive or risk the opportunity to remain in the United States in the future. People will go hungry and risk becoming homeless. Children won’t have access to basic medical services, even though immigrant families already pay billions of dollars in taxes.” Breed concluded, “This is not only bad policy, it is immoral. We will do everything in our power to fight it.”

Sister Dana sez, “Fraudulent Trump has now surpassed the 12,000 mark in making false or misleading claims in just 928 days of stealing the presidency.

Liar, liar, country on fire!”

The horrible facts shocked us: 22 Dead, 26 injured—El Paso, TX, Walmart; 3 Dead, 12 injured—Gilroy, CA: Garlic Festival; 9 Dead, 27 injured—Dayton, OH; Oregon District—7 Dead, 52 injured. There may have been many more injured or who have died because some avoided hospitals because of Immigration Status. A lively protest on August 11 at noon at Harvey Milk Plaza in the Castro was assembled, lovingly entitled, “PUT YOUR FEETS IN THE STREETS!” One of the organizers, Alex U. Inn, stated, “White Supremacy is at the hands of ‘RUMP, and his dog whistles of HATE have to stop. He has called his people to duty. Are we mad yet?

Make your voices heard!” And we did! And there will be more to come.

QUEER ASIA: IDENTIFY [RE] DEFINED was a reception on August 8 for an exhibition at Strut of the work of several Queer Asian artists, from all over the Bay Area, all gathered and curated

by Anand Vedawala. This exhibit was for queer and trans folks who identify as Asian, East Asian, South Asian, South East Asian, Middle Eastern, or Pacific Islander.

The goal of the exhibit was to represent the greater Asian diaspora and the breadth of new talent that doesn’t get the space, attention and praise it deserves. Artists submitted works with everything from photographs to oils to lithographs and even soft sculpture. These were Aravani Art Project, Avtar Singh, Ghee Phua, Jeffrey Cheung, Kidtofer, Leah Yael Levy, MariNaomi, Martin Hsu Art, Nien-Ken Alec Lu, Shannon Prasad, Trinidad Escobar, Whitney Romberg, and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

One of my standouts is Kidtofer’s art. As he said, “I use my sexuality and my sense of humor to create my pieces. There’s a lot of negativity going on in the world, and I have this need to create something that makes people laugh or think.” For instance, a cartoon reference to Sesame Street answering that age-old query: “Bert’s a Top.” Also, his “Pepto

On August 13, City Attorney Dennis Herrera announced that San Francisco and Santa Clara Counties are filing a lawsuit to stop the Trump administration from moving forward with a change to the so-called “public charge” rule, which would deny access to residency to immigrants if they receive federal assistance through various programs.

“This lawsuit is about protecting our residents and standing up against a policy that will have devastating effects on the well-being of many San Franciscans,” said Herrera. “We will continue to fight against any and all efforts to divide us, because by targeting our diverse communities, the federal administration is attacking a fundamental aspect of who we are as a City.”

PHOTO BY RINK

Sister Dana sez, “Trump and his cronies have canceled the Statue of Liberty poem: ‘Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses; send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me.’ These days, only the WEALTHY immigrants are welcome.”

Dennis McMillan (aka Sister Dana) with Larry Lare Nelson at the 43rd Annual Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club Gala held at the Green Room.

IN THE FLESH is water color art

by Gabriel Garbow presented

by The Elizabeth Taylor 50-Plus Network at Strut. A reception was held on August 17. Sacramentobased artist Garbow elaborates, “My current project is a series of large-format watercolor paintings featuring models over the age of fifty. These full and half-length nude portraits balance vibrant color with stark realism. The men who volunteered were first photographed, then drawn from the most compelling of these references. The finished art was built up with layers of flowing washes and precisely brushed details in a manner that respects the individuality of each subject.” He continues, “The series was conceived as a response to a culture that idealizes young, athletic bodies—and a response to my own participation in that culture. It seeks to balance the scales, presenting the aging body as an object of candid beauty. The subjects in this collection are jeweled with scars, spots, and imperfections. The postures, expressions, and bits of clothing hint at each man’s rich, complex story. Creating these pieces was an opportunity to confront feelings about my own aging body, and how the world per-

ceives it. Hopefully, these paintings offer viewers the same opportunity for reflection and reevaluation.”

I spoke with the model “Man 8,” Raoul Thomas, who said it was an easy process for him: posing without clothing for a minute of two in front of a camera. The hard part was making it into a watercolor. Garbow told me he would like to someday maybe do a piece of Sister Dana in nothing but a wimple and very very loooooong veil. You have been warned! The exhibit will be on display on the third floor at 470 Castro until October.

Sister Dana sez, “No, Trump, you cannot buy Greenland.

You’ve already ‘bought’ America and practically bankrupted it!”

You gotta love Senator Scott Wiener who recently said, “I support Israel as a nation, and I have strong disagreements with Representatives Omar and Tlaib on Israel. Yet, they have every right—as Americans and members of Congress—to travel to Israel.” He added, “The day people are banned from traveling based on political views is the day we move toward fascism. Trump and Netanyahu are strongmen who are unfit for public office. They need to go!”

REAF (RICHMOND/ERMET AID FOUNDATION) presented their Silver Anniversary Gala, “HELP IS ON THE WAY XXV: CELEBRATING BROADWAY,” on August 18 at the Herbst Theater and Green Room of San Francisco. REAF benefits many HIV, homelessness, and hunger programs. This star-studded spectacular celebrated Broadway’s best with Tony Award-winning and nominated singers, songs and casts.

The excellent entertainers included the San Francisco touring cast of Hamilton in several numbers—the most rousing being “Let the Sunshine In” from Hair, taking me back to my hippie days at UCLA demonstrating against Vietnam. But there were so many other incredible highlights. Tyne Daly belted out her famous “Rose’s Turn” from Gypsy, and then joined Sharon Gless as Cagney and Lacey TV characters “bitterly” reuniting to remind each other “You’re Nothing Without Me” from City of Angels (using each one’s Tony and Emmy as a “weapon”). Constantine Maroulis magically moved us with “This is the Moment” from Jekyll & Hyde. Lisa Vroman romanced and reprised her Phantom of the Opera Christine doing “Think of Me.” And what could follow that but Franc D’Ambrosio as The Phantom with his haunting “Music of the Night”! Sam Harris was a sexy hooker crooning “Use What You’ve Got” from The Life. Kimberley Locke knocked us out with “The Impossible Dream” from Man of La Mancha. The always hysterical Bruce Vilanch donned a pink tutu and red suspenders to give his hilarious version of “At the Ballet” from A Chorus Line, backed by Broadway Dares Dancers. Paula West delighted us with Cole Porter’s “DeLovely.” Even though I never saw nor wanted to see the musical interpretation of Young Frankenstein, chanteuse extraordinaire Leanne Borghesi made me reconsider that show as she sang a terrifically torchy “He Vas My Boyfriend” to her monster lover. Scary but somehow sweet.

Playwright (Sordid Lives, etc.) and Southern charmer Del Shores managed to make the auction portions of the show into pure entertainment with his wit. Eileen Blum on violin gave a string sensation to her Les Miserables medley, along with contemporary dancers Yelena Vayn & Brandon Canela. And from that same Broadway blockbuster, Steve (continued on page 22) S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES

AUGUS T 22, 2019

21

DONNA SACHET (continued from page 11)

RUTH (continued from page 10) $60K. Both are performance-enhanced: the Lexus carries the $3,195 F Sport package, with 18-inch wheels and tires taking the dictates of the F Sport’s signature, its varied suspension programs.

The Infiniti takes it a step further with 19-inch wheels and a suspension customized by the driver to produce a tailored result. The Q50 Red Sport 400 AWD driven here was also much more powerful, with 400 horses on tap from its twinturbocharged V6 engine. The tested IS350’s V6 skipped the turbos for 311 horsepower; it countered in silky strength what it lacked in the Infiniti’s brute force.

This characterizes their handling as well. The Infiniti’s steering had meaty resistance and race-car directness, while the Lexus more gracefully took the driver’s lead.

Adjustable suspensions were once a gizmo-approximation of a truly well-tuned setup, but here, each car exhib-

ited dramatic shifts in personality as the settings were plumbed, more than could be fully fleshed out in a weeklong test period. This promised to be a source of entertainment through the lengths of the payment agreements, not just the first years.

Inside, the Infiniti was impressive, with long curves and quilted leather. The Lexus expressed its fanciness with a padded center console that rose high enough to give a true cockpit feel, which is rare in a sedan.

They’re both engaging enough to make you glad that true autonomous cars are still decades away. Trends change, but fun is fun.

Philip Ruth is a Castro-based automotive photojournalist and consultant ( www.gaycarguy.com ). Check out his automotive staging service at www.carstaging.com

KRAMER (continued from page 20) or cartoon in these places. But we wanted him to discover a place that was the opposite—hyper-sensitive—and have a reaction to that straight, conservative, middle-class culture of those times. It wasn’t popular, as you can see in the film.

But you see where this story is situated. It’s a small [pocket] in the big city. It’s what these people wanted to be—to have sexual liberation and gender expression.

Max Zunino: I would love to have something like that— a particular point that you can realize where you changed.

I have several points in my life that were changes. First was moving to Mexico at age 7. I was born in Uruguay. We left because of a military dictatorship. That was my first traumatic event that changed everything. I think: What would my life be like if I had stayed there? I’d be some other guy.

I’d do something different than cinema.

Andy Lax. Watch for the next opportunity to enjoy the views of the City, great music, and wonderful company coming soon!

The rest of last Saturday was spent at two Imperial Court gatherings. Empress Misty Blue invited all Empresses to perform at the monthly fundraiser at Beaux, this time benefiting the José Sarria Scholarship Fund. Attendance was spirited and the variety of performances was extraordinary. Over a thousand dollars was raised in a couple of hours. Then we were on to Lookout for the annual Empresses’ Tea, a tradition started in honor of Our Beloved Founder José Sarria and hosted by Empress Galilea where Empresses are requested to wear hats, the more outrageous, the better. All complied and the back room of Lookout was thus more crowded than ever! Nicole the Great, Queen Mother of the Americas, visiting from San Diego, shared some memories of earlier years and presented several awards, including the Commissioner Nicole Murray Ramirez Outstanding Achievement in Journalism Award to this humble columnist in our twentieth year of writing a published article in the LGBTQ press. The award takes the form of a charming miniature typewriter and we couldn’t be more pleased. As we’ve written before, the San Francisco Bay Times has become an incredibly welcoming place to share our thoughts every two weeks in “Donna’s Chronicles” and we are proud to receive this award at this time.

Max Zunino: The decision was more Hari’s than ours, as scriptwriters. We describe the blowjob [in Nico’s studio] and the scene with Maude (Klaudia Garcia) and they start painting, but all end up naked. The characters used nudity as a weapon and as a part of their speech of freedom and rebellion. The way Hari presented how much was seen or hidden was more a director’s decision than the writers’.

© 2019 Gary M. Kramer

We hope that the previous issue of the Bay Times’ cover story about Richmond/Ermet Aid Foundation and our lengthy coverage of Help is on the Way here have convinced you to attend all future REAF events. You’ll see them listed in the calendar of this column and hope to see you there. And we hope that you will reflect on what tradition means to you. If sharing a Thanksgiving dinner with family and/or friends warms your heart and centers your life, do so with gusto! If attending a movie at the Castro Theatre with fellow film buffs fills you with pleasure, make it a frequent event! Whatever traditions you follow, embellish, or create, cherish the joy and connection they provide.

Gary M. Kramer: Carlos has his consciousness expanded in the film. Can you recall a life-changing experience in your life and how it impacted you?

Gary M. Kramer is the author of “Independent Queer Cinema: Reviews and Interviews,” and the co-editor of “Directory of World Cinema: Argentina.” Follow him on Twitter @garymkramer

Donna Sachet is a celebrated performer, fundraiser, activist and philanthropist who has dedicated over two decades to the LGBTQ Community in San Francisco. Contact her at empsachet@gmail.com

Gary M. Kramer: How explicitly did you want to portray the nudity, sexuality and queer content in the film?

I think another strong change is when you realize you’re not a child anymore. This can evolve in many different ways, like when you discover your sexuality. Another part of your growth is leaving your parent’s house and pretending to be yourself and being economically independent.

I have other things, ending a long relationship—I have a couple of stories of those—but I think it’s very necessary to find these points in your life that make you rethink things.

SISTER DANA (continued from page 21) Knill made me weep with “Bring Him Home.”

For this reviewer and longtime fan of the Help is on the Way cabaret fundraisers since the very beginning, I was exceptionally excited to see The Broadway Broad Herself, Carole Cook, receive a long overdue Lifetime Achievement Award. She has performed at just about every REAF show in SF and even in Los Angeles. Star of stage and screen, she has been mine and the entire gay and HIV community’s hero. This night, she enthralled us with her recounting memories including those involving fellow actors Lucille Ball & Carol Channing. Of course, she did not disappoint us with her naughty, salty sense of humor. Cook always makes us laugh and cry and stand on our feet, which was no exception with her renowned “Before the Parade Passes By” from Hello Dolly! Carole Cook is nothing less than ASTONISHING! As I gladly told her at the VIP party.

It must be pointed out that these always amazing musical extravaganzas are only because of the phenomenal producers and REAF founders Ken Henderson & Joe Seiler, who were given a welldeserved Proclamation from the office of Governor Gavin Newsom. And now please allow me to

promote REAF’s next One Night Only benefit cabaret, PROTEST: REVEL WITH SOME REBELS with cast members from Hamilton and more at Marines’ Memorial Theater on September 9, 7:30 pm. https://www.reaf-sf.org/ As a news reporter, I calls ‘em as I sees ‘em, so be aware of this shocking announcement from THE IMPERIAL COURT! “We the Governing Board of the Imperial Founding Mother Court of San Francisco established by our beloved founder Absolute Empress 1 de San Francisco, José Julio Sarria in 1965 and a member of the International Court Council, Inc. have been made aware of an unauthorized organization in Alameda, Contra Costa and Santa Clara Counties referring to itself as a “Barony Court.” In order not to editorialize, I am just giving you the official website to check: http://www.imperialcouncilsf.org/ Sister Dana sings the 'September Song': "Oh, itʼs a long, long while from May to December; but the days grow short when you reach September.' Iʼm not really sure how that relates to these upcoming September events."

Join me for this year’s RUNWAY 31—GAPA Foundation’s annual drag competition and entertainment extravaganza! GAPA Foundation provides funds and leverages resources to empower the Asian/ Pacific Islander LGBTQ community.

Proceeds from Runway will benefit GAPA Foundation’s Student Scholarship and Community Grants Programs. Watch contestants vie for the titles of Mr. GAPA and Miss GAPA 2019 through an exciting series of fashion, talent, and Q&A before a panel of API & LGBTQ+ community leader judges. Returning as cohosts are Mr. GAPA 2013 Nguyen “Sir Whitney Queers” Pham and Miss GAPA 2012 Jezebel Patel. This year’s theme for Runway 31 is CIRQUE DU RUNWAY, so come one, come all, to the greatest show on earth! Come root for your fave competitor: Miss Lea Salonganisa, Mister Matthew, Miss Sushi Rollita, Mister Brandon, Miss Hennessy Williams, Mister SNJV, Miss Tommy Clifford-Carlos, Mister Nam, Miss Mo Li Hua, Mister Valentino Spencer, Miss Tracy Hilton, Mister Bobby Slay, Miss Vermicelli Versace, and Miss Mocha Fapalatte.

Me so hornay to find out who wins!

Event is Saturday, August 24, at Herbst Theatre; VIP is at 5 pm; general admission starts at 7 pm.

KIT’N KITTY’S

QUEER POP QUIZ ANSWER (Question on page 19)

C) LGADDA LGADDA (Lesbians and Gays of African Descent for Democratic Action) was co-founded by Gwenn Craig, who worked with Milk before joining the Club’s former black caucus. Among its many achievements, LGADDA initiated legislation banning discrimination in bar and dance club admissions. Although now retired, Craig is still an influential activist who continues to work on issues related to social justice.

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The scintillating VERONICA KLAUS returns to San Francisco to sing 4 shows only with The Tammy Hall Trio! Don’t miss Veronica’s 2nd Annual SF Return with her favorite group of stellar musicians, The Tammy Hall Trio featuring Tammy Hall on piano, Daniel Fabricant on bass and Daria Johnson on drums. Tickets are available for 4 shows only: Saturday, August 31, 4 pm; Saturday, August 31, 7 pm; Sunday, September 1, 4 pm; and Sunday, September 1, 7 pm.

All at Martuni’s, 4 Valencia Street.

Tickets online: https://m.bpt.me/event/4265338 PORN YESTERDAY is a free staged reading by Andrew Black and Patricia Milton, directed

by Alan Quismorio held at Spark Arts Gallery, 4229 18th Street on Tuesday, September 3 at 7 pm. In a queer riff on Garson Kanin’s classic play: a porn star is set to make his classical stage debut in Edward II. A local theater director is brought on to coach him. Sparks fly, characters’ lives are changed. This ain’t American Conservatory Theatre, but you’ll enjoy it anyway—and the price is right. http://therhino.org/ CALIFORNIA REVELS will sponsor a day of picnicking, song, and dance at a family-friendly celebration of the ancient English Abbots Bromley “ANTLER DANCE.” This free event will take place in The Pinewood Picnic Area of Joaquin Miller Park in Oakland on Labor Day, September 2. Picnickers can arrive any time after 11:30 am and are asked to bring the kids, a blanket, and favorite foods and beverages. At 1 pm, members of California Revels will teach the Abbots Bromley Antler Dance to everyone to form what Revels artistic director David Parr says will be “a unique way for families to spend Labor Day.” Just don›t labor too hard in the Antler Dance! The event ends at 3 pm. http://www.californiarevels.org/ Sister Dana sez, “Have you seen this petition: Rename Fifth Avenue in front of Trump Tower:

‘President Barack H. Obama Avenue’?! Just the ticket to give the old oppressive oligarch a heart attack!” Please add your name: https://bit.ly/2Mp4WPD CASTRO COMMUNITY OPEN HOUSE welcomes all. As a followup to the lively discussion at their last CASTRO MERCHANTS MEMBERS meeting on Thursday morning, August 1, San Francisco Public Works (SFDPW), S.F. Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), and S.F. Planning Departments are hosting an Open House in the Castro about the City’s proposed BETTER MARKET STREET PROJECT and its impacts on the Castro/Upper Market Street area, especially additional vehicle restrictions on Market Street between Octavia Blvd. and east to Hayes Street. The Open House is on Tuesday, August 27, 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm in the Auditorium at Sanchez Elementary School, 325 Sanchez between 16th and 17th Streets. http://www.castromerchants.com/ The Tony Award-winning SAN FRANCISCO MIME TROUPE continues their 60th Anniversary Season with their newest musical, TREASURE ISLAND - A Toxic Tale of Corporate Corsairs, Swashbuckling Swindlers, and Big Buck Buccaneers on the Bay! This openair opportunity opened to a huge crowd on the 4th of July and continues through September 8. Check places, dates, and times: https://bit. ly/2Xzx7MZ Sister Dana Sez, “The gay conservative group, Log Cabin Republicans, has decided to endorse Donald Trump for reelection in 2020. Have parts of Queer Universe gone utterly mad?! You unfortunates won’t even be able to afford to LIVE in a log cabin with Trump as King!”

Professional Services

N ewPer spec ti ves Center for Counseling

ROSTOW (continued from page 13) change of policy at the Education Department led the High Court to send the case back to square one without hearing arguments, so we are now at square two or three or whatever square it might be.

The district did agree to change Grimm’s sex to male on his school records, so there’s that.

Faye Dunaway, Penguins, Epstein, Whatever You know who sounds like she’s falling apart? Faye Dunaway, who has just been sued by a gay man who had been her assistant during rehearsals for Tea at Five, a play about Katharine Hepburn. Dunaway is accused of directing homophobic rants at Michael Rocha. “During Plaintiff’s time working for the Defendants,” the lawsuit says, Dunaway “regularly and relentlessly subjected [Rocha] to abusive demeaning tirades.”

According to the New York Post, the 78-year-old actress, who had not been on stage for years, was eventually fired from the play after failing to learn her lines, showing up late, raging at staff and throwing things around backstage. She also hates the color white and demanded that no one wear white clothes in her

presence. Sounds like it’s time for someone to write a play about Faye Dunaway. Too bad Katharine Hepburn can’t have the lead.

We also have news of the gay penguins in Berlin, Skipper and Ping, who have finally been given an actual egg to hatch. As we reported earlier in these pages, where we never miss a story about gay penguins, Skipper and Ping were originally given a rock to care for.

Subsequently, a female penguin provided an egg, but zookeepers do not know if the egg has been fertilized and won’t be able to tell until it either hatches or not. Meanwhile, the penguins are showing themselves to be excellent would-be parents and are apparently the toast of the town.

We will keep you appraised of developments.

And Jeffrey Epstein had a full-length oil portrait of Bill Clinton wearing a blue dress and lounging on a chair.

The painting was prominently displayed in his Manhattan apartment, which is just—I don’t know what, frankly.

I also read that Epstein created a will and had upwards of $570 million in cash and property. But I’m still not

clear about where he got this money, aside from the $45 million he stole from the Victoria Secret guy.

Is it really his? Can it be set aside for his victims?

My Bad I’ve skipped news this week about not one, but two youth ministers from different antigay church groups who molested young boys. Back in the day I used to love these stories.

They’re horrible, of course, but you know what I mean. I relished excoriating the hypocritical Bible-spouting pedophiles, brought low by their own twisted psyches, crying out for forgiveness from their mean-spirited cohort.

But over the years, it’s become clear that these are not anomalies. The more narrow minded, the more judgmental the preacher, the weirder he or she turns out to be in the end.

They’re not all closeted gay men.

Some embezzle, some beat their wives; but their dark sides eventually emerge. And like a dog bites man story, it’s no longer that interesting when they do.

I was more drawn to the news that a serial killer of gay men is about to

be executed in Florida, an event that reveals a conflict in my own soul.

The death penalty is always wrong in my view, and the case of Gary Ray Bowles is no exception. He is the confessed killer of half a dozen men, whom he battered to a slow and painful death, stuffing rags in their mouths, and in one case, dropping a cement block on a man’s head. Even so, I still don’t believe the government has the right to take a life.

That said, I find myself pleased about his execution. Some atavistic part of me is happy and hopes he suffers this Thursday, August 22 at 6 pm. I’m not sure I like this bloodthirsty sub-self, but there you go.

Their Bad Finally, let’s talk about pink washing, the phenomenon of using some progay thing to eclipse some other bad thing and by doing so, make it less bad. For example, India just brutally invaded Kashmir, arresting hundreds and cutting off communication to the outside world. I confess I have not followed this closely, but it sounds awful. Apparently, India has better gay rights laws than Kashmir’s nonexistent ones, but so what? Even raising the issue is callous.

In another case, the Palestinian Authority just cracked down on the local gay rights group in the West Bank, Al Qaws, calling their activities “a blow to, and violation of, the ideals and values of Palestinian society.” Not good, right? But does this mean that all true single-issue gay activists have to jump on the bandwagon of the far-right Netanyahu government and applaud their current policies due to the comparatively progressive Israeli stance on GLBT rights? Hardly. Just as a hypothetical pro-gay Trump administration would not dictate a case for his reelection, so the relative GLBT policies of this or that government can never be the single standard for political support.

People. There are some deeper fault lines that shake us up as human beings first, gay human beings second. There are gray areas, complexities, difficult situations. It’s nice that India and Israel have stepped up on gay rights. It’s not an automatic free pass to run roughshod over minority neighbors. arostow@aol.com

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COMING UP

CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS http://sfbaytimes.com/

Hot Boxx Girls perform every Friday and Saturday Night, 10pm, at Aunt Charlie’s Lounge, 133 Turk Street.

22 Thursday Amazon Hiring Event @ San Francsico LGBT Center, 1800 Market Street. Job-seekers interested in working at Amazon will have the opportunity to interview onthe-spot, and counselors from SF LGBT Center will be on hand to assist with applications. 3-4:30pm. http://www.sfcenter.org Happy Hour with Senator Cory Booker @ Folsom Street Foundry, 1425 Folsom Street.

Hosted by The Next 50, the event welcomes presidential candidate Cory Booker. 5:30pm. https://thenext50.us/

Silicon Valley Pride 2019 @ Plaza De Cesar Chavez, 1 Paseo De San Antonio, San Jose. The annual Pride festival in the South Bay. Noon-6pm. http://www.siliconvalleypride.org

Local Leaders Series: Assemblymember Phil Ting @ Manny’s, 3092 15th Street. One in a series of events featuring Bay Area civic and elected leaders.

6:30pm. http://www.welcometomannys.com

26 Monday

Polythene Pam and More @ El Rio, 3158 Mission Street.

Polythene Pam will be joined by soft vowels sounds and Frootie Flavors for quirky queer music including the premier of new songs. 8:30pm. http://www.elriosf.com

23 Friday Cabaret Musical Revival @ San Francisco Playhouse, 450 Post Street. The classic Tony Awardwinning musical tells the story of Cliff and Sally’s love story and also reminds us of the horrors humans are capable of. Continues through September 14. http://www.sfplayhouse.org Sing-Along Sound of Music @ Freight & Salvage, 2020 Addison Street. A screening of the classic musical with subtitles and the audience singing along. http://www.thefreight.org

24 Saturday Presidential Town Hall with Senator Michael Bennet @ Manny’s, 3092 15th Street. One in a series of presidential Debate events that will feature candidates for president 2020. 2pm. http://www.welcometomannys.com AbbaFab @ Marines’ Memorial Theatre, 609 Sutter Street. The show is a multimedia tribute production that includes many of ABBA’s greatest hits. 5pm & 8pm. http://www.shnsf.com

25 Sunday Live! in the Castro @ Jane Warner Plaza, 17th and Castro.

Castro/Upper Market CBD presents its summer schedule of live performances featuring on this date Pianos in the Plaza - John Steven Morgan.

1pm. http://www.castrocbd.org 24

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San Francisco Bay Area Friends (SFBAF) White Party (With a Little Color) @ The California Ballroom, 1736 Franklin Street, Oakland. Catered dining, live auction, raffle, DJ Julius and Mary Lou’s Apartment, the all-women big band celebrating African American musical geniuses Mary Lou Williams and Melba Liston. 3-8pm. sfbaf16@gmail.com

Queer Bowling Night with HAN @ Mission Bowling Club, 3176 17th Street. The HIV Advocacy Network hosts a monthly night OUT on the town and this month’s is a free queer bowling night. 6-9pm. http://www.missionbowlingclub.com Meet the 2020 Candidate: Senator Kirsten Gillibrand @ Manny’s, 3092 16th Street. The event is one in a series featuring candidates for president. 6-7:30pm. http://www.welcometomannys.com La Vie en Rose: Cheese + Rosé @ The Cheese School of San Francisco, 900 North Point Street.

Participants will discover how the wine is made and discover the flavors of strawberries, minerals, rose petals and cocoa power paired with selected cheeses. 6-8pm. http://www.itsnotyouitsbrie.com

27 Tuesday Stonewall Reading & Discussion Group @ Strut, 470 Castro Street. This ongoing drop-in group uses books and other written materials to explore substance abuse. 4-5:30pm. http://www.strutsf.org Films at The Freight: Buena Vista Social Club @ Freight & Salvage, 2020 Addison Street, Berkeley. The famed documentary follows guitarist Ry Cooder and his son as they travel to Cuba and assemble a group of musicians to record an album. 7pm. http://www.thefreight.org

28 Wednesday NY Times Presents: California Music @ San Francisco Public Library, 100 Larkin Street. NYT chief music critic Jon Pareles and Jill Cowan of California Today will talk about songs, artists and musical genres that have emerged from California. 6-7:45pm. http://www.sfpl.org Castro Farmers Market @ Noe Street, 16th and Market. Every Wednesday from March through

November, the street next to Flore and Lookout is abloom with fresh fruits and vegetables, rain or shine.

5-8pm. http://www.pcfma.org Erotic Reading Circle @ Good Vibrations, 1620 Polk Street.

Facilitators Carol Queen and Jen Cross host this 4th Wednesday gathering that provides a safe space to read aloud and receive respectful feedback. 6:30-8:30pm. http://www.goodvibes.com

29 Thursday Folsom Street Fair @ Folsom Street between 8th and 13th. The world’s largest leather and fetish event with over 200 exhibitor booths, live stage, dance area and more. 11am-6pm. http://www.folsomstreetevents.org Dee’s Keys Piano Bar @ Beaux Castro Cocktail Lounge, 2344 Market Street. Join Dr. Dee Spencer for drinks, music and sing-alongs every Thursday for Happy Hour and there’s no cover. 4-8pm. http://www.beauxsf.com

30 Friday Ruby’s in Town Dance Party @ Art House Gallery & Cultural Center, 2905 Shattuck Avenue.

Dance to Motown, R&B, soul and disco plus bring your own food, snacks and beverages. 7:30-10:30pm. http:///www.rubysintown.com Titus Andronicus Opening Night @ La Val’s Subterranean Theater, 1834 Euclid Avenue, Berkeley. Theatre Lunatico presents Shakespeare’s tragedy about an escalating cycle of violence and terror with three central male roles swapped to female. 8pm Fridays & Saturdays; 7pm Sundays through September 29. http://www.theatrelunatico.org

31 Saturday Live! in the Castro @ Jane Warner Plaza, 17th and Castro.

Castro/Upper Market CBD presents its summer schedule of live performances featuring on this date Kippy Marks. 1pm. http://www.castrocbd.org Veronica Klaus Returns to San Francisco with the Tammy Hall Trio @ Martuni’s Piano Bar, 4 Valencia Street. The award-winning vocalist and songstyling chanteuse returns for four shows on August 31 and September 1. 4pm & 7pm.Veronica Klaus on Facebook Compton’s Cafeteria Riots 53rd Anniversary @ 80 Turk Street. Hosted by FLUX in the Compton’s Transgender Cultural District, the event will feature an open bar, music, performances, food

and more. 5-8pm. https://bit.ly/2ZahPmN

SEPTEMBER

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LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2019)

Films by Andy Warhol Part 3 of 3 @ SF Museum of Modern Art, 151 3rd Street. The series will conclude with two of Warhol’s West Coast creations, including San Diego Surf and Sunset.

1-5pm. http://www.sfmoma.org Swagger Like Us Presents India Sky @ El Rio, 3158 Mission Street. On the patio at “everyone’s favorite dive,” the event will feature Oakland performer India Sky, resident DJ JiBBZ, guest DJs Rapture and Val G and host Sir JoQ. 2-8pm. http://www.elriosf.com Women’s Country Dance @ Veterans’ Memorial Building, 200 Grand Avenue, Oakland. All ages are welcome at this event featuring women’s partner dancing and more. 6:30pm potluck; 7-8pm lessons; 8-10:30pm dancing. http://www.countrynightsdance.com

2 Monday Labor Day Labor Day 2019 Sunset Sail on San Francisco Bay @ Schooner Freda B, Slip 465, Sausalito Yacht Harbor, 100 Bay Street, Sausalito. Set sail from Sausalito and visit the most iconic parts of San Francisco Bay. 6:15-8:30pm. http://www.schoonerfredab.com Pubquiz at Virgil’s Sea Room @ The Big Queer Pubzquiz, 3152 Mission Street. This 90-minute quiz, based on current events and general knowledge with a special theme round, includes five rounds in ninety minutes with free drinks and weird prizes every Monday night. 7:30-9:30pm. nosportstrivai@gmail.com

3 Tuesday Smart Drinking Group @ Strut, 3rd Floor 470 Castro Street.

A weekly drop-in group with no requirements and all goals supported. 6-7:30pm. http://www.strutsf.org La Más Draga Weekly Viewing Party @ Flore, 2298 Market Street. The event is known as Mexico’s Drag Race where, every Tuesday, sisters in CDMX compete. 8pm. http://www.flore415.com

4 Wednesday Author Talk with Chuck Forester @ San Francisco Public Library, Hormel Center, 100 Larkin Street. Forester will read from his new novel Eat, Sleep, Love.

6-7:30pm. http://www.sfpl.org Rental Housing Clinic @ San Francisco LGBT Center, 1800 Market Street. Housing counselors provide application assistance for City affordable rentals and ownership opportunities. 6-8pm. http://www.sfcenter.org San Francisco Symphony Opening Night Gala @ Davies Symphony Hall, 201 Van Ness. A spectacular celebration of Michael Tilson Thomas’ 25th and final season is planned. 6pm and 8pm. http://www.sfsymphony.org

5 Thursday Castro Art Walk @ Multiple Castro businesses and Jane Warner Plaza. Merchants, artists and musicians present an evening of free fun. 6-9pm. http://www.castroartwalk.com S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES AUGUS T 22, 2019 25

Rink Photo Throwback ) CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2018

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149 18th Street in the Castro has a long history as being the site of favorite queer hangouts. From 1982– 1985 it was a gay bar known as the Pipeline before becoming Festus in 1985. San Francisco Bay Times photographer Rink was at the location a year later when the bar changed names and themes yet again, becoming Francine’s.

Rink’s image shows revelers at the bar’s opening night. Their grouping reveals the group’s camaraderie— and perhaps their inebriated state—on what must have been a really fun and memorable evening.

Round About - All Over Town More Summer

Photos by Rink

Hostess Galilea, accompanied by Misty Blue (left), spoke about José Sarria’s historic achievements during the annual High Tea held in honor of Sarria by the Imperial Council of San Francisco.

Donna Sachet’s famous feathered hat made an appearance at the annual High Tea in honor of Empress 1 José Sarria held this year at the Lookout on August 10.

Ryan Mattson, Jay Harcourt and Anthony Anchundo at the Lookout attending the High Tea in honor of Empress 1 José Sarria.

Aja Monet and Mr Cowboy Armin at the annual High Tea in honor of Empress 1 José Sarria held on August 10

Francine’s lasted for just a few years, but during that time, it was one of a handful of dance bars for LGBTQ women in San Francisco. Others from that era included Maud’s at 937 Cole Street (site for years of the famous Maud’s Reunion during Pride), g’s Place at 37 Geary, A Little More at 702 15th Street, Amelia’s at 647 Valencia Street and Sofia’s at 529 Valencia Street.

“Women’s Places” in 1987, as compiled by Florence Mitchell of the Harvey Milk/Eureka Valley Branch of the San Francisco Public Library, additionally included the Bay Brick Inn (a disco, restaurant and bar) at 1190 Folsom Street, the feminist bookstore Old Wive’s Tales at 1009 Valencia Street, the women’s café/ club Artemis Society Café at 1199 Valencia, the woman-owned Café Commons at 3161 Mission Street, and the women-only bathhouse Osento.

These are mentioned in a Feminist Task Force newsletter from the time: https://bit.ly/2Naubox

Watercolor artist Gabriel Garbow (left) with Vince Crisostomo, program director of the Elizabeth Taylor 50 Plus project at Strut Dee Dee Kramer of the San Francisco Library’s James C. Hormel LGBTQIA Center welcomed guests and introduced speaker Felice Picano who spoke about his new book Justify My Sins: A Hollywood Novel in Three Acts.

Lambda Literary Award winning author Felice Picano introduced his new book, Justify My Sins: A Hollywood Novel in Three Acts, which includes true stories about LGBT Hollywood stars.

Since 1987, the site has been occupied by The Edge, which is open every day of the year from Noon until 2 am: http://qbarsf.com/EDGE/ Officers welcomed visitors to the SFPD recruitment booth at the 26th Annual Pistahan Filipino Festival.

Starbucks servers on August 6 offered free coffee and cookies at the annual National Night Out event, held in San Francisco at Duboce Park, where law enforcement and first responders welcome community members for food and gift items.

Top: The San Francisco Community Health Center’s information and testing booth at the 26th Annual Pistahan Filipino Festival at Yerba Buena Center on August 11.

Fan dancers at the 26th Annual Pistahan Filipino Festival at Yerba Buena Gardens on August 11.

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LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area

CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2019)

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Greeters at the San Francisco Community Health Center booth, where information and testing were available, at the 2019 Up Your Alley Fair

Afro Solo Executive Director Thomas Simpson with Destiny Muhammad and Leon Joyce of the All Star Jazz Ensemble at the annual Afro Solo Festival held at Yerba Buena Gardens on August 3.

http://sfbaytimes.com/

items of the week AIDS Legal Referral Panel (ALRP) Executive Director Bill Hirsch and a volunteer collected contributions at an entry gate for the Up Your Alley Fair.

Jay Harcourt and Race Bannon at the clothes check station at the Up Your Alley Fair

Crocodile Creek eco KIDS

LGBT community favorite Tammy Hall performed with the All Star Jazz Ensemble at the Afro Solo Arts Festival at Yerba Buena Gardens.

What better way to go back to school than sporting unicorns and rainbows!

The eco KIDS lunch collection includes insulated lunch box, BPA & Phthalate Free water bottle and Stainless Steel insulated food jar. If unicorns aren’t your thing that’s OK, there are many other styles to choose from.

FCTRY Action Figures As the field narrows, it’s time to choose your favorite Democratic candidate. Will it be the home town girl, the father you should have listened to years ago or the scrappy street fighter?

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The 29th Street Swingtet performed at the 10th Annual Chinatown Music Festival held at Portsmouth Square on August 10.

LYRIC board member Robin Abad Ocubillo (center) and two Sisters collected contributions at an entry gate for the Up Your Alley Fair

Assemblyman David Chiu spoke during the National Night Out event held at Duboce Park on August 6.

ugust is such a crazy time of year for us at Cliff’s.

Behind the scenes we are busy recieving and organizing all of the Halloween and Christmas merchandise rolling in, while out on the floor we are playing with all of the fun back to school items and pulling together your Burning Man essentials.

As Heard on the Street . . . What is something you would like to do before summer is over?

Anna Colibri

Jeff Y. Wong

Elizabeth Bachman

Matthew Loefler

“The most important thing is to put the finishing touches on the GGBA Marketimg Plan. We have so many great things planned over the next year. ”

“To line up 12 new clients before summer is over ”

“I want to get the first draft of my book finished ”

“I would like to inspire others in the LGBTQ+ community to be comfortable in their own skins”

Nicole the Great/Nicole Murray Ramirez “Before summer ends I want to register another 50 people to vote in 2020”

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