San Francisco Bay Times - December 21, 2017

COVER ART BY DEBRA WALKER

December 21, 2017 - January 10, 2018 | sfbaytimes.com

Remembering Mayor Edwin Mah Lee (1952-2017)

San Francisco Is a Strong-Mayor City

San Francisco City Hall, June 26, 2013

SPECIAL TO THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY TIMES/USED BY PERMISSION

U.S. cities tend to be governed in one of two basic ways: by a “strong-mayor system” or a “weak-mayor” one. In the latter, nearly all power resides with the city council. San Francisco, like Los Angeles, is considered to be a strong-mayor city without public school control. Here, the mayor is the top executive. This individual can either approve or veto bills passed by the legislative branch, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. The mayor here can also appoint members to the Board. Additionally, because San Francisco is a consolidated city-county, the mayor serves as the county’s head of government, too.

Because of these and other factors, San Francisco mayors tend to leave a lasting, defining legacy that lives on in our city and affects all of us.

Our LGBT community was forever changed by the assassination of Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk in 1978. The losses sparked renewed activism, but also left an overwhelming sadness that is still palpable today. Before his death, Moscone appointed the first black woman and the first lesbian to the San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women. He prevented the Giants from moving to Toronto, and often stood up to officials in Washington for civil rights causes that he supported.

His successor, Dianne Feinstein, took office as an ardent gun control advocate, and later authored the 1994 Federal Assault Weapons Ban. If you enjoy the city’s cable car system, you can thank Feinstein, who led its renovation.

PHOTO BY RINK

When Art Agnos became mayor in 1988, LGBT civil rights were continuing to evolve and the HIV/AIDS epidemic was deeply affecting our community. In terms of the former, he signed a law establishing domestic partner recognition for lesbian and gay couples, but voters narrowPHOTO BY RINK ly repealed it in 1989. Agnos still moved forward with a Family Policy Task Force that fought for, and won, domestic partner health insurance rights for the city’s 20,000 employees. In 1991, San Francisco voters did finally approve a new domestic partners recognition law. Regarding HIV/ AIDS, Agnos served as Chair of the U.S. Conference of Mayors AIDS Task Force. He organized the lobbying effort that resulted in passage of the Ryan White Care bill, and pushed forward a 98 percent increase in the city’s AIDS budget. Footage shot in 1988 (https://diva.sfsu.edu/collections/sf batv/bundles/189408) shows one of Agnos’ many visits with patients at San Francisco General Hospital.

If you take BART to the San Francisco Airport, think of Frank Jordan, who helped to make that possible. Like Moscone, he also successfully fought to keep the Giants here. Our next and 41st mayor, Willie Brown, still has tremendous presence in the city. Brown gained a strong work ethic from his grandmother. His first job was as a shoeshine boy in a whites-only barber shop, followed by work as a janitor, fry cook and field hand. Ambitious and studious, he worked his way through Hastings College of the Law and never looked back. In terms of our community, he approved the Equal Benefits Ordinance that required city contractors to provide domestic partner benefits to their employees.

City Hall Rotunda, December 15, 2017 Same-sex marriage will forever be synonymous with Gavin Newsom, who as mayor in 2004 gained national attention when he directed the San Francisco city–county clerk to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, even though this was in violation of the then-current state law. Members of our team will never forget the wedding ceremony— presided by Newsom—of longtime lesbian activists Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin. We also (continued on page 6)

In Memory of One of the Good Guys in the Resistance

Andrea Shorter The recent and unexpected death of San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee remains a shock for our City, the Bay Area, and the nation. For those of us who knew him and had the honor of working with him over the course of his 40 years of public service, it is hard to imagine San Francisco without his service from one of the many posts he held along the way to his eventual and unexpected tenure as Mayor.

As due upon the passing of a public figure, much has and will continue to

Debates regarding the impact of his leadership upon the life and future of San Francisco are to be expected. Was he overly accommodating of corporate and technological business sectors’ presence in the City? Was his aggressive push to build more housing aggressive enough? Was he on the right track in his efforts and initiatives to better serve and respond to homelessness? The issues are numerous, and there will be many who

are all too willing to ignite and engage those debates in the days and years to come. No matter what partisan corner or agenda from which one might view the late Mayor’s legacy, however, the consensus about Ed Lee is that, in the greater scheme of this current political climate, he was one of the good guys.

from the public housing projects to become President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors is in accord with a kind of Shakespearean poetic justice striking against the very kind of racial a nd gender i njust ice that Ed Lee stood firmly against throughout his careers as an attorney and public servant.

Beyond our provincial interests, we lost Mayor Lee the very morning of Alabama’s harrowing election to quite possibly send a raging lunatic homophobe—a dyed in the I have now enjoyed the wool racist Judge battling to surhonor of appointment vive accusations of pedophilia with the support of the President and Reby the last three Maypublican leadership—to the Unit- November 9, 2016 ors to the Commission ed States Senate. Thankfully, much on the Status of Women due to the voter turnout of African American (COSW). My first appointment was received by women, the Democratic choice triumphantly former-Mayor Willie L. Brown, Jr., soon upon prevailed. his leadership with the COSW to adopt localPHOTO BY ANDREA SHORTER

Cross Currents

be written about his life, his career, and his legacy. We know that Mayor Lee was a man from humble beginnings as a son of immigrants, who became a fierce student organizer, an attorney on behalf of low-income and public housing residents, a Human Rights Commission director, and a chief administrator for the City, before making history as the first Asian American Mayor of San Francisco when he was appointed to fill the vacancy left by Gavin Newsom when he was elected Lt. Governor. A career civil servant cast into the role of the reluctant politician, Lee managed to win election and re-election as Mayor amidst critical and controversial turning points for San Francisco and what it is to become in relationship to the arrival of the technology sector, a burgeoning affordable housing crisis, perennial homelessness, and the fight to elevate San Francisco values concerning sanctuary cities, LGBT equality, racial diversity and more in the face of anti-ethical and hostile forces stoked and led by the President of the United States.

It’s hard to resist some satisfaction and cheer in a sort of cosmic reckoning that, on the day of Mayor Lee’s passing, justice prevailed in arguably the most entrenched southern state of the union; the arc of the universe bent towards justice by descendants of slaves. Further, that Mayor Lee would be succeeded by, as Acting Mayor, an African American woman who came up

ly the international treaty, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). Much of my tenure on the COSW has focused on the implementation of the principles and tenants of CEDAW, which include ending violence against women.

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Remembering Mayor Edwin Mah Lee (1952-2017)

Photos by Rink

“On behalf of all Californians, Anne and I extend our deepest condolences to Mayor Lee’s family, his many friends and the entire City of San Francisco. Ed was a true champion for working people and epitomized the California spirit. He’ll truly be missed.”

SPECIAL TO THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY TIMES/USED BY PERMISSION

–Governor Jerry Brown

Following the Supreme Court ruling announcements earlier on Wednesday morning, June 26, 2013, Mayor Ed Lee and Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom with LGBT pioneer Phyllis Lyon and other leaders descended the stairs in San Francisco City Hall for a rally.

In Memoriam: Mayor Edwin Mah Lee (1952–2017) Louise (Lou) Fischer and Eric Lukoff, Co-Chairs of the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club:

We were deeply saddened by Mayor Edwin Lee’s passing. We extend our deepest condolences to his wife Anita and daughters, Brianna and Tania. Our thoughts and prayers are with them during this difficult time.

The Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club recognizes Mayor Lee’s 40-year history of public service, his groundbreaking legacy, his unwavering support of the LGBT community, and his commitment to the city we all love. Beyond political wins and losses, community leaders and activists who are involved in this work are just people who want to make a difference. He was one of those people.

Grand Opening of the Jazzie’s Place shelter, 2015.

Please join us in sending our support to the Lee Family at this time, as well as to his many friends and colleagues who worked closely with him over the years.

Honorable Mark Leno, Former CA State Senator, Assemblymember and SF Supervisor:

I had the pleasure of working with Mayor Lee over the years, and knew him to be a decent man who could rise above differences of opinion to always treat others with dignity and respect. Ed Lee dedicated his life to public service. May he be remembered for his humor and his commitment to the city he loved. My deepest condolences to the Lee family at this difficult time.

Castro Holiday Tree Lighting, 2017

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf:

Oakland sends its condolences to Anita, her daughters, and all San Franciscans today. Mayor Ed Lee served his community with passion and humility, broke historic barriers, led with a compassionate heart, and was a valued friend and colleague. He will be missed dearly.

Trans March Rally, 2016

San Francisco Pride Parade, 2015

Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom:

Jennifer and I are absolutely heartbroken by the news of Mayor Lee’s passing. San Francisco has lost a selfless leader, a dedicated servant to the public, and a tireless bearer of equality’s torch. His intellect, unshakable integrity, boundless optimism and contagious love for San Francisco elevated the City to greater heights. He steered San Francisco with an unshakable hand, an indomitable spirit, and a great sense of humor. Most of all, we mourn the loss of a dear friend. Our prayers and profound condolences go out to Anita, Brianna, Tania and all of Mayor Lee’s wonderful family, as the entire State of California grieves with them.

Kate Kendell, Esq., Executive Director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights:

Mayor Lee was a good man and a great ally to every disenfranchised community. A sad day for San Francisco.

Orlando Massacre Vigil, 2016

With Imperial Council royals attending the Alice Pride Breakfast, 2015

Cleve Jones, LGBT Activist and Conceiver of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt:

GLBT Historical Society Museum, 2011

I disagreed with Mayor Lee on many important issues, but his commitment to HIV/AIDS funding was unwavering. My sincere condolences to his family and friends.

California State Senator Scott Wiener:

I was sworn in to the Board of Supervisors just a few days before Ed Lee became Mayor. We worked together closely for the past 7 years. He was a decent human being who was deeply committed to our city. He made history for our Chinese community. I’m floored that he’s gone.

San Francisco Giants:

He was a true San Franciscan who devoted his life to serving our great city and to supporting those most in need. He was the Giants’ number one fan.

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San Francisco Bay Times candidate interviews, 2011.

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“Goodbye to Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” press conference, 2011

LGBT Center Soiree, 2015

Remembering Mayor Edwin Mah Lee (1952-2017)

Unity Rally at City Hall, 2016

“I am deeply saddened by the passing of my friend, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee. He was a fierce advocate for civil rights and worked tirelessly for workers’ rights and his leadership will be missed.

Keeping the mayor’s family in my prayers during this difficult time.”

–U.S. Senator Kamala Harris

PHOTO BY BILL WILSON

Greeting an SFPD officer during the renovation of Castro Street project, 2015

PHOTOS BY BILL WILSON

PHOTO BY BILL WILSON

Mayor Lee stopped in at Orphan Andy’s numerous times when visiting the Castro.

Mayor Lee holiday shopping in the Castro at Hot Cookie and Cliff’s Variety, 2017

With San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band members at the Jazzie’s Place Grand Opening, 2015

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Remembering Mayor Edwin Mah Lee (1952-2017)

Remembering Mayor Lee as Laws of Succession Take Effect

(continued from page 3) remember words about same-sex marriage, aired during a Proposition 8 com mercia l mea nt to discredit him and the cause. Newsom daringly said, “This door’s wide open now. It’s going to happen, whether you like it or not.”

Our cover and issue therefore pay tribute to Mayor Lee and other past mayors, but also look to the future of San Francisco and its leadership. For a city with a strongmayor system, we have surprisingly had numerous leaders over the decades who did not directly seek the key role that they found themselves in, yet still became popular, influential mayors. Acting Mayor London Breed seems poised for that destiny—at least for the moment—especially given that she was unanimously re-elected as President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors on January 9, 2017. She already has achieved an important first, by becoming the first woman of color to serve as our city’s mayor. She is only the second African-American mayor in the city’s entire history, after Willie Brown. We wish Breed great success at this time of both local and national uncertainty. As she recently said, “Our city’s values have never been more important.”

SHORTER (continued from page 3) Throughout each administration, each Mayor has contributed in signif icant fashion to the implementation and adherence to the policies and practices that have enabled San Francisco to become a national model for the intensive collaborative effort it takes between community-based services, law enforcement, City agencies and City Hall to effect critical response to domestic violence. A father of two daughters, Mayor Lee was a fierce and strong advocate and ally in the fight to end domestic violence. Mayor Lee’s unwavering stance on the infamous case involving a former Sheriff’s domestic violence offense elevated the understanding of family violence as a community concern and will always be greatly appreciated. The anti-domestic violence community of advocates will be forever indebted to his support, integrity, and leadership that made critical response a top priority for San Francisco.

As a friend and ally to the LGBT community, Mayor Lee will be remembered as a champion for marriage equality, transgender empowerment, workplace inclusion and protections, and a myriad of other battles on the path towards full LGBT equality. Appointing the nation’s first transgender advisor to a major city certainly ranks high among his numerous achievements to help advance LGBT liberation.

Having known Ed Lee for nearly 20 years, I have many memories of a developing relationship with him as a colleague, appointee, ally, and friend. One memory that will remain forever intact is standing with Mayor Lee on the steps of City Hall on Friday, August 25, to rally San Francisco the day before white nationalists were to land in town in the wake of the neo-Nazi descent on Charlottesville. Before a swelling crowd of

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hundreds of true believers in diversity, equity, and social justice, and along a nearly as much populated stage of other public officials, inter-faith leaders, community organizers, and celebrities, Mayor Lee—known for his notoriously lowkey, no-flash, no grandeur, personable, no drama style—was very much in his element. Of course, it is expected that whoever is Mayor, he or she would stand firm in the resistance against the tyranny of hatred at the City’s golden gates. In his case, it seemed that as Mayor or not, he would have been there to help organize, speak out, and speak up for what I believe was in his heart: we are stronger together, and our strength is in our diversity.

As the curtain draws on his time as Mayor of San Francisco, the intrigue and machinations ensue as to who will succeed as the next Mayor—our first African American woman Mayor, our first LGBT Mayor, our next Chinese American Mayor, or someone else. Whoever succeeds, let us hope that he or she will also seek to move us forward in resistance against the forces of hatred and division, will stand firm in the strength of diversity, and will be a true believer—as Ed Lee was—in the City of Saint Francis as sanctuary and home to all seekers of the grandest of possibilities, and especially those that are least expected.

Andrea Shorter is 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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PHOTO BY RINK

Now we are mourning the passing of Edwin Lee, a seasoned and hard-working cit y administrator who at first was reluctant to seek election. A number of local political activists—including Rose Pak, Christina Olague and Enrique Pearce—started a “Run Ed Run” campaign in June 2011 to encourage him to put his name San Francisco Fire Department ladder companies hoisted a large on the ballot. He did, of American flag at City Hall to honor Mayor Lee’s legacy of service. course, and over the following years led a revitalization of the Mid-Market area, helped to bring tech companies into the city, worked to resolve housing challenges and led efforts to increase the city’s minimum wage. We remember seeing him beaming at the San Francisco Pride Parades, which he genuinely seemed to enjoy. He was always kind and professional in our dealings with him and his staff. In personal exchanges, we found him to be unassuming and very considerate. He touched the lives of so many, including our own photographer Rink, who saw and conversed with Lee nearly every week at events throughout his terms, and even beforehand when Lee served as director of the Human Rights Commission.

by the City Charter. London Breed, as President of the Board of Supervisors, is the Acting Mayor. The Board of Supervisors may, at any time, vote to appoint a successor to serve as Acting Mayor until the June 2018 election. They are not legally required to appoint a successor, and if they do not, then London Breed will remain as Acting Mayor and Board President until the June election.

Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History Louise “Lou” Fischer For San Franciscans, Tuesday, December 12, 2017, will be an “I remember what I was doing” memory with respect to the tragic and untimely passing of Mayor Ed Lee. There was the initial shock followed by disbelief and comments like: “Is it true?”

“He was so young.” “I just saw him recently.” In my case, I was awoken by a text message from my Alice B. Toklas Communications Chairperson, Owen Stephens, who delivered the difficult message with kindness and respect. After the initial shock, my heart was f illed with grief and sadness for his wife and 2 daughters.

The tributes to Mayor Lee have been unwavering and are well-deserved.

He was a civil rights activist, an advocate for affordable housing, an ally to the LGBTQ community and a staunch supporter of San Francisco’s sanctuary city ordinance. He leaves behind a legacy of policy initiatives to combat homelessness and to make economic development a priority in San Francisco. While not everyone agreed with some of his controversial decisions, he was a consensus-based leader who did his best to find compromise while delivering solutions to broad coalitions.

Politics aside, Ed Lee was “my kind of guy.” I top out at 5 feet, 2 inches (on a good day), and I always appreciated his self-deprecating jokes about his own height: “At my height (5 feet 5 inches), I’m always on the short list,” and, “I’ll make this speech short because I’m a short man.” He was an “accidental politician” who was more comfortable working behind the scenes of city government. He was not a typical elected official. He never seemed totally comfortable campaigning or speaking in front of large crowds; his speeches were hardly great examples of oratory excellence.

In the entertainment world, he would be a producer, and not an actor. He was a fixer, and not a showman.

Mayor Lee worked tirelessly for this City and deserved a long and happy retirement to play his beloved game of golf and to make up for 6 years of missed birthdays, anniversaries and other family events. Sadly, this is not to be, as Acting Mayor London Breed said, “Ed Lee lived a life of service, cut short far too soon.”

San Francisco Mayoral Succession Laws and Possible Candidates The Mayor’s sudden passing automatically invokes the laws of succession set

At the June 2018 election, voters will elect a candidate to fill the remainder of Mayor Lee’s current term, which will end after the November 2019 election. All prospective candidates, however, must file for the June 2018 election by January 9, 2018. Irrespective of the outcome of the June 2018 election, San Franciscans will vote again for Mayor in the regularly-scheduled election in November 2019.

Supervisor Breed retains her seat as District 5 Supervisor while she serves as Acting Mayor. Here’s where it gets confusing: If the Board officially selects her to serve through the June election, then her Supervisor seat will become vacant, she will select her successor, and there will be an election to fill the unexpired term of District 5 Supervisor at the June 2018 election.

By all accounts, this is unlikely to occur. If the Board, though, does not choose an interim Mayor (which requires 6 votes by the Board) and leaves Breed in place, she will be Acting Mayor and Supervisor until the June 2018 election.

If the Board decides to appoint a different Acting Mayor and that choice happens after January 9, 2018— again, the deadline to file for the June election—then that person would be barred from running in June.

There is hence the possibility for a true “caretaker Mayor.”

While the period immediately following the Mayor’s tragic and untimely death is not the appropriate time to discuss political analysis, numerous elected officials from City and State Legislature are rumored to be interested in running for Mayor. Their eligibility is as follows: Former State Senator Mark Leno is the only candidate who submitted papers before the Mayor’s passing.

He could run in June 2018 and/or November 2019. He has rightfully declined to make a statement other than, “This is the time to mourn the Mayor.”

Acting Mayor London Breed had already been reaching out to constituents before Mayor Lee’s tragic death.

She is eligible to run in both June 2018 and November 2019. Supervisors Mark Farrell and Jane Kim are termed out in 2018 and could both mount campaigns for June 2018 and November 2019. (Editor’s Note: Political veteran Angela Alioto this week announced that she is running for Mayor.)

Assemblymember David Chiu faces a difficult choice as he cannot run for 2 offices in the same election. In June 2018, he can either run in the primary for reelection to his Assembly seat or run for Mayor, but not both. He would be eligible to run for Mayor in the November 2019 election.

City Attorney Dennis Herrera has the opposite of Chiu’s situation. He can run for Mayor in June 2018, but not November 2019, unless he wants to give up his City Attorney position.

State Senator Scott Wiener’s re-election is not until 2020, so if he decided to throw his hat into the ring, he could run in both races. If he lost, he could run for reelection to his Senate seat.

Time will tell, and things might even change by the time this column goes to print.

In closing, farewell, Mayor Ed Lee. You came to us as a “caretaker” Mayor, and you did your best to make your beloved City a better place. May your memory be for a blessing.

Louise (Lou) Fischer is the 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 San Francisco Commissioner and has served in leadership positions in multiple non-profit and community based organizations.

Remembering Mayor Edwin Mah Lee (1952-2017)

A Quiet Storm years. Each administration, of course, is uniquely defined by the city’s chief executive. After the big political personalities of Mayor Brown and Mayor Newson, I and many others were curious to see what a relatively obscure and unassuming man like Mayor Lee could do for the city. It did not take long for us to find out.

Moving People Forward Brett Andrews Have you ever been in a room full of people—possibly a business meeting, workshop or social gathering—and looked around, wondering about everyone’s life story? What do they do for work? Are they married or single? What brings them joy? What secret talents are hidden away from us all that, if given the right situation, would be revealed and met with utter surprise?

As a former public interest attorney who worked for a nonprofit that promoted, advanced, and represented the legal and civil rights of API communities, Mayor Lee clearly cherished—and defended from the outset—the deeply held values of San Francisco.

Along the spectrum of self-expression, I admittedly would have to rate myself more on the outgoing, expressive side. (Many would see this as an understatement.) As opposites often attract, I have always been fascinated by people who are the “quiet storms.” I find myself drawn into an alluring and abiding aura of mystery that seems to surround them. Maybe that is why I was always captivated by Mayor Edwin Lee.

Mayor Lee understood the benefit of bringing coalitions together around shared causes. Over the years, many of us worked closely with him on maintaining and preserving the safety net of social services, despite the threat of federal cuts. We also worked with him as he led the way in raising the minimum wage to help elevate the quality of life for all San Franciscans, and also as he established a Housing Fund, designed to amass critical resources to support affordable and middle-class housing. These are just a few of the bold initiatives and community-focused efforts that were led by a man whom one might otherwise have passed in the street and given only a quick glance because of his unassuming nature.

In my role at PRC, I have had the wonderful opportunity of working with three mayors over the past 15

I am reminded of a critical meeting Mayor Lee convened earlier this year that I was honored to

attend. After the 2016 Presidential election, it became very apparent that we were going to face some of the greatest challenges of our time, and San Francisco was one of the target cities of the new administration. Recognizing the gravity and urgency of the situation, Mayor Lee gathered supervisors, city department heads, community leaders, and healthcare professionals to help identify common goals and opportunities for partnership, in an effort to mitigate and forestall the devastating impacts the proposed changes to DACA would have on the community. Mayor Lee’s first words were, “I’ve gathered you all here because you represent this city’s greatest and most powerful line of defense for our most vulnerable.”

As a happy warrior, I was inspired, all charged up and ready to go. I again found myself looking around the room, wondering about everyone’s life story. Not to my surprise, in a room full of very impressive individuals, there sat a quiet storm, reserved and humble, occupying the Mayor’s seat.

I dedicate this article to my friend, the Honorable Edwin Lee, and to all of the quiet storms who, without fanfare or bluster, are catalysts for change, helping to lift up and move forward the lives of San Franciscans and others around the world.

Brett Andrews is the Chief Executive Director of PRC (http:// positiveresource.org/Default. aspx), which is the only place for people living with HIV/AIDS or mental health disabilities to get comprehensive benefits counseling and employment services in San Francisco. Andrews is a member of the San Francisco HIV/AIDS Provider Network, the San F ra n c i sc o Hu m a n S e r v i c es Ne t wo r k and the Mayor’s CBO Taskforce. He additionally serves on the Board of the National Working Positive Coalition.

Happy Holidays to You & Yours From All of Us at the San Francisco Bay Times

PHOTOS BY BILL WILSON

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Marriage Equality Triumphs Around the World over 60 percent of the public in favor, Turnbull quickly allowed the free conscience vote in Parliament.

After the vote, Turnbull exclaimed, “What a day! What a day for love, for equality, for respect! Australia has done it! Today we’ve voted for love, for equality. It’s time for more marriages, more love, more respect.

This belongs to us all. This is Australia.” He learned firsthand how much better it feels to be on the right side of history than on the wrong side.

6/26 and Beyond Stuart Gaffney & John Lewis As we approach the end of the year, we are happy to report that 2017 brought major marriage equality victories in such diverse countries as Taiwan, Germany, Malta, Australia and Austria, with successes in the latter two nations coming just three weeks ago. In these places, separated by thousands of miles and oceans, constitutional courts and national legislatures recognized a principle that transcends cultural differences and national boundaries: human respect and dignity mandate equality and freedom for LGBTIQ people.

Earlier this year, we reported extensively on the breakthroughs in Taiwan, Germany, and Malta. This week we focus on Australia and Austria. In our July column celebrating the German victory, we described how Chancellor Angela Merkel— under pressure from opposition parties—finally permitted a “free conscience” vote in Parliament after years of obstruction. We advised that “Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who claims to support marriage equality but is blocking a free conscience vote in the Australian Parliament despite clear public support for equality, would do well to follow Merkel’s example.” On December 7, Turnbull did exactly that, and the Australian Parliament passed full marriage equality legislation nearly unanimously with just four votes in opposition.

Turnbull for years had blocked such a vote because of internal political pressure from the most socially conservative members of his party.

Still buckling under pressure, Turnbull this summer authorized putting marriage equality up to a popular vote through a non-binding national referendum to be held by mail in the fall. When the plebiscite showed

The Australian referendum, however, eerily echoed some of the most disturbing elements of the 2008 Proposition 8 campaign in California—for one, having millions of people you don’t know vote on whether or not you should have your basic civil rights. Out lesbian Senator Penny Wong told The New York Times: “It is a hard thing to have others judge whether you deserve to be equal. And it is an even harder thing to have your family and your children besmirched by those who want to perpetuate discrimination.”

We in California know exactly what she’s talking about. Indeed, Australian equality opponents employed anti-LGBTIQ smears reminiscent of those of the “Yes on 8” campaign. “Our very identity [was] the subject of public scrutiny and public debate,” said Wong in her f loor speech.

The Parliamentary victory gave LGBTIQ people the opportunity to experience the same sense of dignity and respect that the U.S. Supreme Court recognized as crucial in Obergefell. The U.S. Supreme Court observed that denying LGBTIQ people the full freedom to marry “disparage[s] their choices and diminish[es] their personhood” and held that the Constitution guarantees us “equal dignity in the eyes of the law.” A 22-year-old Australian gay man who witnessed the Parliamentary vote live described to The New York Times how the victory “alleviated a life of shame and embarrassment of who I am” and “validated everyone’s love here and around Australia.”

In fact, during his floor speech, gay Parliament member Tim Wilson proposed to his longtime partner Ryan Bolger, who did not hesitate in responding “yes” from the public gallery. On the day of the victory, Wilson said that the vote sent “a strong message to every kid that is questioning their sexual orientation

or gender identity that you do not need to be afraid.”

In our July column celebrating the German victory, we also wrote about how activists in neighboring Austria hoped that momentum from the victory would bring equality there. Just three days before the Australian Parliamentary victory, the Austrian Constitutional Court ruled that Austria’s current relegation of same-sex couples to unequal “registered partnerships” instead of marriage violated the nation’s constitution. Marriage equality will become the law on January 1, 2019, unless the legislature repeals the current exclusion earlier.

The Court held that the differential treatment “violates the (Austrian constitution’s) principle of equal treatment, which forbids any discrimination of individuals on grounds of personal characteristics, such as their sexual orientation.”

The lawyer for the lesbian couple who brought the lawsuit noted that ruling made Austria the first European country to establish marriage equality through a court recognizing it as a “fundamental human right,” rather than through the political process. The Austrian Court seemed particularly concerned about the discriminatory message that the separate laws for same-sex and different-sex couples sent and the ongoing risk of discrimination that LGBTIQ Austrians face.

Not everywhere in the world saw marriage equality advances this year. The British territory of Bermuda may suffer a legal setback for marriage equality soon, and as we have discussed in previous columns, LGBTIQ people fear for their lives and physical safety in many places around the world. Our hope is that this year’s marriage equality victories will further the cause of LGBTIQ equality in all of its aspects, and that next December, we will report on more victories for dignity and equality around the world.

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.

Black Brothers Esteem 21st Annual Kwanzaa Celebration Photos by Rink and Paul Margolis

On Saturday, December 9, members and friends of Black Brothers Esteem held their 21st Annual Kwanzaa Celebration at the SF LGBT Center. Congratulations to BBE program manager Tony Bradford and his team on the success of the evening that included live drumming, dancing, traditional foods and volunteer recognition. A program of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, BBE produces activities and events providing a place for African American men to gather and gain support.

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PHOTO BY PAUL MARGOLIS PHOTO BY RINK

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PHOTO BY PAUL MARGOLIS PHOTO BY PAUL MARGOLIS

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2018: The Year of Fighting Harder

Aging in Community Dr. Marcy Adelman Just as I sat down to write my end of the year column, news broke that the GOP tax bill had been finalized and had the votes to pass, which it did.

This Draconian measure of a tax cut does not portend well for 2018.

The tax bill will damage the country’s ability to develop affordable housing for low income seniors and will cause millions of Americans to lose their health insurance. It will impact California and San Francisco’s ability to provide affordable housing and health and social services for older adults and people living with disabilities.

The Republicans have recklessly thrown together a bill that, by all accounts, will primarily benefit corporations and the very wealthy. The tax cuts will result in a trillion plus dollar deficit that will most likely be used to justify cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security Disability. According to the latest Justice in Aging report, the tax bill would automatically cut Medicare funding by 25 billion dollars per year.

In the past, we could have relied both on California state and San Francisco County income tax money to

backfill reductions in federal funding for health care and social services. But the GOP tax bill will remove this option by eliminating the state income tax deduction. The essential senior services and programs that millions of older adults and seniors have come to rely on—such as meals, transportation, health and wellness programs, to name a few—will be reduced, or, in some cases, disappear entirely; a catastrophe for the health and wellbeing of millions and millions of older Americans. People’s lives and wellbeing will have been jettisoned for the sake of ideology.

ance pool will result in higher premiums. Older adults, who generally have higher levels of health care needs, will not be able to keep up with the cost of the coverage. Higher premiums will result in more than 10 million people going without insurance.

This bill attacks the country’s ability to fund and build affordable housing.

The bill’s reduction of the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21% will significantly lower the incentive for corporations to buy affordable housing tax credits. Tax credits have been the primary source of affordable senior housing funding. Tax credits reduce the cost of construction, thereby making housing units less expensive and more affordable to low income older adults, working families and people living with disabilities.

https://www.thenation.com/article/ your-guide-to-the-sprawling-new-anti-trump-resistance-movement/

California and San Francisco are already struggling to meet the housing needs of low income older adults. The lack of desperately needed affordable senior housing means more people will be vulnerable to living on the streets. This cannot be a consequence that anyone wants, or is it? In a culture where enough is never enough, greed blinds people to the consequences of their actions on the people around them.

Repeal of the ACA individual mandate is another crisis in the making. This repeal would result in fewer healthy people purchasing insurance.

The loss of healthy people in the insur-

Be prepared to fight like hell. We need to redouble our efforts to get out the vote. If you haven’t yet, consider joining one of the grassroots resistance organizations such as MoveOn, Indivisible, Swing Left, or Run for Something. Here is a link to a list of emerging grassroots organizations:

Support national and local advocacy groups such as ACLU, Southern Poverty Law Center, NCLR, SAGE, The LGBTQ Task Force and Openhouse.

My New Year’s resolution is to fight harder, f ight smarter and never to give up.

Marcy Adelman, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist in private practice, is co-founder of the non-profit organization Openhouse. She is also a leading advocate and educator in LGBT affirming dementia care and a member of the Advisory Council to the Aging and Adult Services Commission.

Dr. Marcy Adelman oversees the Aging in Community column. For her summary of current LGBT senior challenges and opportunities, please go to: sf baytimes.com/ challenges-and-opportunties

Hanukkah in the Castro 2017 Photos by Paul Margolis Sha-ar Zahav’s Rabbi Mychal Copeland led the Hannakah lighting program on Wednesday, June 13, the second night of the eight-day celebration. Congregation members and friends enjoyed jelly donuts, beverages, live music and dancing during the annual ceremony held at Jane Warner Plaza. District 8 Candidate for Supervisor Rafael Mandelman and other community leaders spoke and acknowledged the observance of Jewish traditions in the Bay Area’s LGBT community.

Getting the Most for Your Medicare Dollar

By R. Ruth Linden, Ph.D. T he 2018 open enrollment period for Medicare, wh ich fa l l s bet we en O c t ob er 15 and December 7 each year, has closed. Medicare’s open enrollment window, however, only applies to those already enrolled who wish to change their coverage. If you will turn 65 in the coming year, the time to enroll in Medicare is three months before your 65th birthday. If you will qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance (SDI or SSDI) or you have a diagnosis of end-stage renal disease or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS/Lou Gehrig’s disease), you are not bound by open enrollment.

If you are a Medicare beneficiary, consider these cost-saving tips: If you receive original Medicare Parts A and B, you may also have a Part D prescription plan.

It makes good sense to review your Part D coverage annually, and particularly if you have begun taking new medication since

you purchased your current plan.

Switching to a more cost-effective plan could save you hundreds, even thousands, of dollars in outof-pocket drug costs.

Also for those receiving original Medicare, if you have a Medicare supplement (AKA Medigap plan), are reasonably healthy, and anticipate using only occasional medical services in the coming year, a high-deductible Plan F supplement could save you hundreds of dollars in monthly premiums. A high-deductible supplement does not cover your Medicare Parts A or B deductibles or your 20% coinsurance as a regular Plan F would until you have reached the calendar-year deductible of $2,200. Only when this threshold is reached will your supplement kick in and pay at 100% for Medicare-approved services. In order to reach the $2,200 deductible, you would need to accrue $11,000 in Medicare-approved claims. This level of expenditure would most likely involve at least one hospitalization and/or costly treatments, such as chemotherapy.

California residents with Medicare supplements should review

the cost of their premium as their birthday approaches because, often at the beginning of the calendar year, insurance companies release new products that may have lower premiums. Our state’s Medigap “Birthday Rule” allows you to switch to a different insurance plan with the same or lesser benefits as your current plan during the 30 days following your birthday. Even if you have a preexisting condition, you cannot be turned down for coverage.

If you have questions about Medicare coverage, please contact an independent insurance agent who specializes in Medicare. You can call me at 415-776-5901, or send me an email at ruth@treeof lifehealthadvocates.com R. Ruth Linden, Ph.D. is the Founder and President of Tree of Life Health Advocates in San Francisco.

She works with adults with complex illnesses—individuals with multiple, chronic conditions who may have been failed by the healthcare system. Dr. Linden has expertise in breast cancer, long-term care, clinical trials, and the end of life.

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In the News Compiled by Dennis McMillan Know Your Rights in 2018 In 2017, California enacted new laws, many of which will go into effect in 2018. SB 219 enacts the LGBT LongTerm Care Facility Residents’ Bill of Rights, strengthening anti-discrimination protections for LGBT individuals living in long-term care facilities. Among other things, SB 219 makes it unlawful to willfully and repeatedly fail to use a resident’s preferred name or pronoun or to deny admission to a long-term care facility because of gender identity or sexual orientation. Facilities are required to post a notice about the protections and to follow recordkeeping requirements. AB 1556 revises California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act by deleting gender-specific personal pronouns in California’s anti-discrimination, anti-harassment, pregnancy disability and family/medical leave laws by changing “he” or “she,” for example, to “the person” or “the employee.” SB 179 will allow California residents to choose from three equally recognized gender options— female, male or nonbinary—on stateissued identification cards, birth certif icates and driver’s licenses. For changes to birth certificates, the law is effective on September 1, 2018. For changes to driver’s licenses, the law is effective on January 1, 2019. The bill also makes it easier for individuals to change their gender on legal documents, effective on September 1, 2018. For information on several other laws enacted in 2017, see the document at the provided link. https://www.calchamber.com/ hr-california/white-papers/ Documents/overview-of-new2018-laws-affecting-california-employers_111317.pdf Mayor Edwin M. Lee’s Life Celebrated Services celebrated the life of Mayor Edwin M. Lee on Sunday, December 17, in the Rotunda of City Hall.

The hall was filled to overflow for the public celebrating Mayor Lee’s life. A prelude was played by members of the San Francisco Symphony, followed

by Presentation of Colors by the San Francisco Public Safety Color Guard.

Invocation was given by Rabbi Beth Singer, Richard and Rhoda Goldman Senior Rabbi, Congregation Emanu-El. Opening remarks were by the Honorable London Breed, Acting Mayor of San Francisco. Additional remarks were by the Honorable Dianne Feinstein, United States Senator. There was an interlude by singers of the GLIDE Ensemble. Lee’s daughters, Tania and Brianna, shared their experiences growing up with their father. They were followed by remarks from the Honorable Gavin Newsom, Lieutenant Governor of California; the Honorable Nancy Pelosi, Democratic Leader, U.S. House of Representatives; and Charlotte Mailliard Shultz, Chief of Protocol of San Francisco. A tribute was made by Misa Malone, Beach Blanket Babylon. The Honorable Willie L. Brown, Jr., spoke of being a former mayor and knowing Lee. A benediction was given by the Right Reverend Marc Handley Andrus, Bishop, The Episcopal Diocese of California. And a postlude was offered by Preston Turner and Pure Ecstasy. sfgovtv.org GMHC Alarmed About Banning of Specific Words in Trump Administration Budget Documents Directives reportedly sent by the current administration to the Centers for Disease Control and other sectors of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ban the use of seven words or phrases in budget documents as an alarming example of the administration’s focus on placating its conservative base at the expense of good government and pub10

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lic health. The fact that keywords such as “diversity,” “fetus,” “transgender,” “science-based,” and “evidence-based” have been f lagged is an assault on the health and well-being of all Americans, says Gay Men’s Health Crisis CEO Kelsey Louie.

He cautions that this kind of terminology is crucial to proper communications about public health issues and underserved populations. “Budget priorities, public policies, and administrative guidelines must be able to accurately ref lect diverse populations, health disparities, and scienceand evidence-based interventions, or public health initiatives will not be effective.” Louie continues, “For example, transgender women have one of the highest prevalence rates of HIV/ AIDS and Hepatitis C of any subset of the U.S. population. Without the ability to address this community by name, or talk about science- or evidence-based interventions, we cannot adequately mount education, prevention or treatment campaigns to reach this vulnerable group. Additionally, we know that homophobia and transphobia not only cause health disparities, but also contribute to a lack of equity in accessing basic protections, as well as protections from stigma, discrimination, and even violence.”

He concludes, “In this case, as in so many other public health cases, Silence = Death.” gmhc.org New Study Finds Gay Relationships Are Often Happier Than Heterosexual Ones A study, titled “Sexual Identity and Relationship Quality in Australia and the United Kingdom,” examined the relationship quality of bisexual, gay, lesbian and heterosexual people in Australia and the United Kingdom. According to author Professor Janeen Baxter, the quality of intimate relationships of gay and lesbian people was high, if not higher, than the quality of heterosexual couples’ relationships. Baxter concluded, “Our results provide robust evidence to combat deep-rooted and erroneous social perceptions of same-sex relationships being conflictual, unhappy, and dysfunctional.” http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/ doi/10.1111/fare.12293/abstract Plans Move Forward to Establish Leather Cultural District in Western Part of SOMA The San Francisco Bay Area Leather Alliance has set up a website to support community-wide efforts to create a “Cultural District” in the SOMA area of San Francisco, to honor, support, and protect the unique and special culture that has flourished in this area. Organizers say they feel it is critical to this effort that anyone with interest in the leather or kink community have a chance to learn about this project, and an opportunity to participate and offer their input and their opinions. At the website, they are posting key documents, announcing meetings and events, and inviting discussion in forums. sfleatherdistrict.org Cedars-Sinai Transgender Program Offers Surgery and Other Comprehensive Services The new interdisciplinary, researchbased Transgender Surger y and Health Program is directed by Maurice Garcia, MD, MAS, a leading figure in the field who joined Cedars-Sinai from UC San Francisco Medical Center. The program is staffed by specialists invested in helping members of the transgender community at every stage of their journeys. “The (continued on page 26)

Self-Help Books Worth Knowing Roland Schembari and Bill Hartman, Co-Founders Randy Alfred, Founding News Editor 1978 Kim Corsaro Publisher 1981-2011

2261 Market Street, No. 309 San Francisco CA 94114 Phone: 415-601-2113 525 Bellevue Avenue Oakland CA 94610 E-mail: editor@sfbaytimes.com www.sfbaytimes.com

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We honor our history and the paper’s ability to build and strengthen unity in our community.

The Bay Times is proud to be the only 100% LGBT funded and owned newspaper for the LGBT community in San Francisco.

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Kit Kennedy Poet-In-Residence J.H. Herren Technology Director Carla Ramos Web Coordinator Mario Ordonez Juan Ordonez

Tom Moon, MFT Do self-help books really help? Can we make significant improvements in our psychological well-being by reading books? In this country, the selfhelp field is now an eleven-billiondollar industry, and virtually every therapist I know regularly recommends self-help books to their clients.

Unfortunately, there is a glut of these books out there, and most of them, in my opinion, aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on. But over the past three decades, I have found a small number of them to be exceptionally helpful to my clients, provided that they actually read them carefully, and do the practices and exercises recommended. These are the four books that I recommend most frequently: 1. Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach, Ph.D.

This book deals with one of the most vital and basic of all the life skills— the capacity to accept, with ease and open-heartedness, our moment-tomoment experience, just as it is. Most of us live in contention with life. We struggle with ourselves, we fight with our circumstances, and we go on campaigns to change the people we love. Many of us suffer from what the author calls “the trance of unworthiness.” We live with a relentless “inner critic” who constantly belittles and berates us, rendering any sense of relaxed well-being impossible. This book makes accessible to Westerners one of the great “secrets” of Eastern spirituality—that a natural peace and happiness already exist in our own awareness. Brach shows how the regular practice of resting in present-centered awareness can end our contention with life and awaken the natural happiness that is the birthright of every human being.

2. Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy,

by David Burns, M.D. This is the first book to introduce the methods of cognitive therapy to the general public. Cognitive therapists believe that our feelings arise in reaction to our beliefs, judgments, and assessments—our ideas, about ourselves and others—and that if we change the way we think, we also change the way that we feel. In cognitive therapy, emotions like depression and anxiety are understood as consequences of habitual “cognitive distortions,” meaning faulty patterns of thinking that are automatic and largely un-

conscious. When we become aware of these distortions, and learn how to examine them rationally, we can improve our moods dramatically. Cognitive therapy teaches us not to believe everything we think. It helps us to own our thoughts instead of being owned by them. In a survey conducted in all fifty states, this was the book most frequently recommended by mental health professionals for depressed patients.

The aforementioned two books are about changing our relationship with our own inner experience. The next two teach vital skills for improving our relationships with others.

3. Nonviolent Communication, by Marshall Rosenberg, Ph.D. The author’s childhood in the rough streets of Detroit awakened in him a passion to find the answers to two questions: “What happens to disconnect us from our compassionate nature, leading us to behave violently and exploitatively? And conversely, what allows some people to stay connected to their compassionate nature under even the most trying circumstances?” He developed a four-step process that helps people to resolve conf licts peacefully. The method is so effective that it’s been used to facilitate peace processes in places like Rwanda, the Middle East, and Northern Ireland. It is also amazingly helpful in developing and sustaining personal relationships based on mutual respect, compassion and cooperation.

4. The Seven Principles for Marking Marriage Work, by John Gottman, Ph.D. I recommend this book to virtually every couple with whom I do couple’s counseling. Gottman applied rigorous scientific methods to the study of relationships. His couples stayed overnight at his famous Seattle “Love Lab,” an apartment at the University of Washington where all of their interactions were observed and recorded. Through painstaking analysis of these interactions, Gottman discovered the four negative behavior patterns—criticism, contempt, defensiveness, and stonewalling—that inevitably doom any relationship.

The book also lays out the seven basic principles that enable couples to develop and sustain deep friendship with one another. It is this abiding friendship, he believes, which is the secret of all successful long-term partnerships.

These books have widespread appeal because the life skills that they attempt to teach—mindful awareness, cognitive self-examination, compassionate communication, and deep friendliness—are all vital cornerstones of human happiness. If I were designing an Emotional Intelligence curriculum, I would make all of them required reading.

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

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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, Leslie Katz, Philip Ruth, Bill Lipsky, Karen Williams, Donna Sachet, Gary Virginia, Zoe Dunning, Marcy Adelman, Stuart Gaffney & John Lewis Brandon Miller, Jamie Leno Zimron Thom Watson, Michele Karlsberg Lyndsey Schlax, Elisa Quinzi, Randy Coleman, Debra Walker, Wendy Ross, Howard Steiermann, Andrea Shorter, Tom Temprano, Lou Fischer, Karin Jaffie Photographers Rink, Phyllis Costa, Jane Higgins Paul Margolis, Chloe Jackman, Bill Wilson, Jo-Lynn Otto, Sandy Morris, Abby Zimberg ADVERTISING Display Advertising Standard Rate Cards are available online at sfbaytimes.com or calling: 415-503-1375 Custom ad sizes are available. Please inquire! The Bay Times reserves the right to reject any advertising at the discretion of the publishers.

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SF Sketch Randy Coleman 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.”

Circulation is verified by an independent agency Reprints by permission only.

CALENDAR Event listings for consideration to be included in the Bay Times online or print Calendar section should be sent by e-mail to: calendar@sfbaytimes.com. © 2017 Bay Times Media Company Co-owned by Betty L. Sullivan & Jennifer L. Viegas

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2017 Year in Review Quiz

By Ann Rostow It’s that time again, dear Readers.

Quiz time! These quizzes are more labor intensive than they seem, and they oblige me to reread my last 26 columns. For the record, my most over-used word this year was “insufferable,” an adjective I applied to everyone and his cousin from Neil Gorsuch to Paul Manafort’s lawyer.

Speaking of Gorsuch, if I had to rank my most appalling lapse of judgment, I’d start with my optimistic “glass half full” reactions to Gorsuch, all of which were to be retracted in full as he joined the bench and revealed that—surprise—there wasn’t a drop left in the damn glass and the bottle was empty, too.

Finally, I’m always saddened by the little snippets that can’t find a place in the year-end quiz: the gay crosswalk signals that Madrid installed for International Pride; the lesbians attacked in London after walking out of a pub singing, “I’m in the mood for dancing;” the dismal crowd at the National Organization for Marriage antigay protest; the insufferable (yes, there’s that word again) Margaret Court; and the talking Wonder Bible. But you see, they did find a place here after all.

Have a lovely New Year, everyone.

2018 cannot help but be an improvement. And now to the quiz!

Question One: Who are Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, Marvin Garbis and Marsha Pechman? a) They are transgender teenagers, arguing for the right to use the facilities on their high school campuses. b) They are three FBI agents, dismissed from the Mueller investigation for protesting Trump’s immigration policies on Facebook. c) They are federal judges, who have ruled in favor of transgender troops fighting the trans military ban. d) They are plaintiffs in a polygamy lawsuit, now headed for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.

Question Two: Which of these leaders issued apologies for their nation’s past antigay behavior? a) Secretary of State John Kerry b) Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau c) Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan d) President Trump e) All of the above Question Three: GLBT animals in the news this year included: a) gay goats that participate in yoga classes in the Sacramento area. b) gay lions condemned as immoral by a Kenyan bureaucrat. c) gay reindeer mowed down by an express train in Norway due to miscommunication. d) transgender coconut crabs capable of killing and eating small birds and animals in the South Pacific.

Question Four: We know that Masterpiece Cakeshop will be the most important Supreme Court case for our community this session, but what will be the next one? Will it be: a) the Title VII workplace discrimination case of a Georgia lesbian? b) the Title VII workplace discrimination case of a dead sky diving instructor? c) the Title IX case of a Wisconsin high school transgender student fighting for bathroom access? d) the First Amendment case of a florist out of Washington State who declined a gay wedding client?

Question Five: Which of these stories was “fake news”? a) The Australian beach goer whose legs ran with blood after an encounter with sea lice in Melbourne?

b) The two men who were told by a noted D.C. restaurant that they could not share a sundae, because it wouldn’t be “appropriate?” c) Cancellation of a gay revival of the TV show Xena, Warrior Princess? d) News that Donald Trump was diagnosed with Klinefelter syndrome by military physicians?

Question Six: (Pick five answers) Would you rather: a) Have dinner with Steve Bannon or Bill Cosby? b) Spend a week in Chechnya or Azerbaijan? c) Listen to a one-hour speech by Sarah Huckabee Sanders or MSNBC ethics expert Richard Painter? d) Read the transcript of the tax conference committee minutes or all six books of Karl Ove Knausgaard’s My Struggle? e) Dine on perfectly cooked rack of lamb with Donald Trump or eat a “rock hard” steak with Hillary Clinton?

Question Seven: What happened to the fight for marriage equality in Australia? a) After a non-binding postal vote showed citizens favor marriage by a two to one margin, the Parliament authorized a formal and binding referendum for next February. b) A non-binding postal vote, which seemed to favor marriage equality, will be certified only after the country’s top court gives the okay. c) Following a pro-marriage postal vote, Parliament has been considering a number of draft laws, but most of them include loopholes for religious actors. d) After marriage activists won the postal vote, Parliament promptly passed a full marriage equality law with no antigay amendments. e) While election officials continue recount the ballots from November’s non-binding postal vote in Australia, marriage equality came into effect in Austria. Close! Only two letters apart!

Question Eight: Who said this: “Of course, I dress well. I didn’t spend all that time in the closet for nothing.”

d) the sudden and unexplained divorce between Donald and Melania Trump. e) the nuclear stand down by Kim Jong Un. f ) the continued expansion of the American economy. g) the fact that nothing surprises us anymore.

Answers: 1. c) Federal judges. Judge Marsha Pechman’s decision out of Seattle was only announced recently, so you couldn’t have read about it in this column. But you should know it anyway!

2. a), b) and c). Did you pick e)? Are you kidding me?

3. b) The lions, Simba and Mufasa, are gay. The other animals mentioned were presumably heterosexual. The crabs may have been involved in the death of Amelia Earhart, who may have crashed on a remote island and been eaten by the (presumably heterosexual) three-foot crustaceans.

4. b) or c). The High Court recently denied review of the Georgia case, which leaves the sky diver next in line for a major Title VII review. The sky diver, Donald Zarda, killed himself BASE jumping in Switzerland, but his lawsuit lives on. It is now pending a decision by the full Second Circuit and, in theory, it could wind up before the Court next session. Meanwhile, the Seventh Circuit ruled in favor of trans-youth Ash Whitaker in a case that now sits on the High Court’s petition pile. Will they take it? We’ll see.

As for the florist, why would they take that case when they’re already considering the same issues in the Masterpiece Cakeshop lawsuit?

5. d) The Trump story is fake. Klinefelter syndrome describes a man who carries a redundant extra “X” chromosome. Although someone marked “XXY” on Trump’s draft paperwork, the shorthand refers to draft eligibility, and has nothing to do with chromosomes. So, it’s not true.

6. If you ask me: Bannon, Azerbaijan, Painter, My Struggle and Trump.

(I cannot stomach overcooked steak.)

a) Kevin Spacey, one day prior to a press conference by a mother whose teenaged son was molested by Spacey just a few years ago b) Ric Grenell, Trump’s ill-qualified nominee to be Ambassador to Germany, who still awaits confirmation c) Chadwich Moore, a gay pedant who also said gays only care about “pop music and going to the beach” d) Joey Slivinski, a Missouri high school senior whose yearbook quote was deleted by the administration

7. d) They passed it without exceptions. Surprised? I know! I’ve been so negative over the years. I’ve painted the powers-that-be in Australia as cowardly rabbits, kicking the can down the road with their powerful hind legs. In my defense, check out The New York Times coverage, which points out that the Australian Parliament has tried and failed to pass marriage equality 22 times since 2004. As they say, the 23rd time’s the charm.

Question Nine: The most irritating television commercial discussed in this column in 2017 was:

8. d) The high school senior. His principal later apologized. “In an effort to protect our students, quotes that could potentially offend another student or groups of students are not published. It is the school’s practice to err on the side of caution. Doing so in this case had the unintentional consequence of offending the very students the practice was designed to protect.”

a) the repellent toilet paper bears with their tag line, “Enjoy the go!” b) the misguided GMC truck ads that suggest being a “good person” and a “good dad” are pathetic goals. c) the “untuckit” shirt commercials, which rebrand an indifferent and slovenly personal style into a deliberate fashion statement. d) the annual phenomenon in which random products are marketed as Christmas presents, best exemplified by the company that makes rubber f loor mats for the car and suggests these could serve as holiday gifts.

Question Ten: One year from now, we will have been most surprised by: a) the historic level of the Democratic midterm wave. b) the unexpectedly powerful gay rights victory in Masterpiece Cakeshop. c) Donald Trump’s resignation for medical reasons.

9. b) GMC truck. These others are all annoying, but the GMC ads ref lect a soulless mentality. Oh, and I talked about the floor mats last year and not this year, but they’re back again, worse than ever.

10. b) I can’t imagine a great ruling coming out of the Masterpiece case, so that would surprise me most. I’m already dreaming about the midterm wave. Nothing about Trump would surprise me. I don’t think North Korea wants war, and I think the economy will continue to grow. As for g), that’s not a surprise now, is it? arostow@aol.com S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES

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Horizons Foundation Announces Grants to 42 Bay Area LGBTQ Organizations Horizons Foundation recently announced the newest round of Community Issues Grants to 42 projects and organizations. All of us at the San Francisco Bay Times congratulate the grantees and thank Horizons President Roger Doughty and his team for their work that continues to benefit so many of us here in the Bay Area.

The slate of grantees represents a diverse group of organizations and individuals. Grants were awarded in the arts, advocacy and civil rights, as well as in health and human services, community building and leader-

ship. They encompass programs that focus on youth, the elderly, immigration, trans rights, LGBTQ history, and capacity-building. Sixty percent of the grants are being awarded to LGBTQ-specific organizations, with the remaining forty percent distributed to organizations that have specific LGBTQ programs, arts, or cultural projects.

“Horizons’ grantees are a reflection of the LGBT community’s perseverance and movement forward towards equality for all,” said Francisco Buchting, Vice President of Grants, Pro-

grams, and Strategic Initiatives. “Each of our grantees, whether it is a small LGBTQ organization or an LGBTQ program within a larger organization, do so much good throughout the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties that Horizons serves.”

“The Communit y Issues grants have long been at the heart of Horizons’ grantmaking,” said Doughty. “It is always Horizons’ honor to partner with some of the most effective, inspiring, and creative organizations, leaders, and activists in our community—and that is certainly true this year.”

In 2017, Horizons awarded approximately $2.6 million in grants and other discretionary funding. In addition to its f lagship Community Issues Grants program, Horizons made grants through other funds, giving circles, and scholarships.

Recipients of Horizons Foundation’s 2017 Community Issues Grants Adolescent Counseling Services, Redwood City For support of Outlet, a program that provides services, training, and leadership development in English and Spanish to LGBTQ youth API Equality Northern California, San Francisco For developing Asian Pacific Islander leadership and increasing visibility of API LGBTQ in the Bay Area Archive Productions, San Francisco For providing free archival video services to LGBTQ nonprofits Bay Area American Indian Two Spirits (BAAITS), San Francisco For programs to restore and recover the role of Two Spirit individuals in the American Indian/First Nation community Bay Area Old Lesbians Organizing for Change (OLOC), Oakland For empowering lesbians 60 and over through consciousness raising, social support, community building, and political action Californians for Justice, San Jose For elevating LGBTQ youth voices in advocating for positive school environments Caminar (Family and Children Services of Silicon Valley) For support of LGBTQ Youth Space, a hub of queer youth arts in the South Bay

Center for Sex and Culture, San Francisco For providing nonjudgmental, sexpositive sexuality education and support to diverse populations Child Advocates of Silicon Valley, Milpitas For recruitment, training, and support of Court-Appointed Special Advocates, who are specially trained to support LGBTQ foster youth in Santa Clara County Chrysalis Printmaking Studio, San Francisco For support of Queer Ancestors Project, an annual 18-week workshop for LGBTQ artists between the age of 18–26 Colectivo Acción Latina de Ambiente, San Jose For performance and community programs for Latinx LGBTQ people Curry Senior Center, San Francisco For technology education for LGBTQ elders El/La Para TransLatinas, San Francisco For direct services, referrals and advocacy efforts for TransLatinas From Baghdad to the Bay, San Francisco For this feature-length documentary about a gay Iraqi refugee who ends up as a role model for the underground LGBTQ communities of the Arab world GLBT Historical Society, San Francisco For support to launch the “History is Resistance” membership drive HOMOBILES, San Francisco For support of the LGBTQ car share service to provide free and low-cost options for members of the trans communities for medical visits related to their transition Jewish Family and Community Services, Berkeley For support of LGBTI asylum seekers and refugees LGBTQ Black Immigrant Justice, Oakland For support of the Volunteer Legal Representation Project LYRIC, San Francisco For increased giving support for their Grassroots Social Justice Fundraising Initiative, with the goal of increasing youth leadership capacity Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana, San Jose For support of We Can Be Heroes, an interactive theater production scripted by Bay Area Latinx LGBTQ writers Oakland LGBTQ Community Center, Oakland For Oakland’s first intergenerational, multi-ethnic, multi-generational, and multi-cultural LGBTQ community center Oasis Legal Services, Oakland For programs to provide quality legal immigration services to under-

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Photos by Paul Margolis

represented low-income groups from the LGBTQIA+ community.

On the Move, Napa and Sonoma For support of LGBTQ Connection to expand services for LGBTQ youth in Napa and Sonoma and for specific support of LGBTQ Latino youth Pacific Center for Human Growth, Berkeley For support of an increased giving initiative targeting individual donors; the organization is focused on mental health issues in the LGBTQ community Peacock Rebellion, San Francisco For performance arts programs that promote social justice to LGBTQ communities of color PRC, San Francisco For support of data migration and integration of donor databases related to the ongoing merger of PRC, AIDS Emergency Fund, and Baker Places Q Foundation (AIDS Housing Alliance), San Francisco For support of the new donor initiative The Walk for Homelessness Queer Cultural Center, San Francisco For building community through the arts Queer Rebels Productions, San Francisco For asserting the presence and critical contributions of queer people of color through innovative performance and productions Rainbow Community Center of Contra Costa County, Concord and El Cerrito For support to implement a comprehensive donor engagement strategy RYSE Center, Richmond For providing a safe space for LGBTQ youth and empowering LGBTQ people of color San Francisco Trans March, San Francisco For support for the annual march Sojourn Chaplaincy, San Francisco For implementation of a curriculum for Hospital and Hospice Spiritual Care providers around transgender issues (continued on page 26)

Make Sure Your Charitable Donations Have the Impact You Want 1. Research the charity’s ranking.

While a heart-tugging mission is compelling, a nonprofit’s actions drive the organization’s operational health. Services like Charity Watch or Charity Navigator can provide information about a group’s financial stability, transparency, and more.

Brandon Miller

Some organizations look great in theory, but donate very little proceeds to their actual causes. Investigative reporting discovered that the 50 worst charities in the U.S. use less than 4% of their donations for actual cash aid. They also often use names that are very similar to other highly rated nonprofits in hopes of tricking donors.

The holiday season is in full swing, and so is charitable giving. In fact, 40% of charitable donations take place in the year’s final weeks. And I’m proud to say that our LGBTQ community donates a higher percentage of our incomes than the general population, showing that our voices—and values—matter.

Even if the nonprofit isn’t being deceptive, it may use its funds in ways that you may not agree with. For example, more than 6,000 charities pay for-profit organizations to gather donations for them. In other words, your donation could help to pay for the group to gather more donations, rather than actually giving back to the cause you care about.

Money Matters

If you’re feeling bighearted this year, you might want to check exactly where your contributions are going.

The last thing that you want to do is to give to some charity that doesn’t support LGBTQ values.

So, what can you do to make sure your generosity has the impact you desire? Start by following these two steps:

If you’re giving to a highly rated LGBTQ–focused organization, such as the Human Rights Campaign, you can probably expect it to ref lect your values. But how do you assess the values of smaller organizations whose mission has nothing to do with LGBTQ issues?

Some organizations, like the Girl Scouts, explicitly state their commitment to inclusivity and have returned donations that had discriminatory strings attached. Others are less overt in their stances or have more complicated histories, so you may need to research what they really stand for today.

The point is, whatever ideals matter to you should also matter to the organizations you support.

So, before giving to a new nonprofit, explore its rating to make sure it is as charitable as it appears.

Ultimately, regardless of your passion or priority, taking a little time to research a nonprofit can help ensure that your money drives real progress.

2. Make sure that the charity’s track record upholds your values.

After verifying the nonprofit’s legitimacy and rating, you can dig deeper to see what causes it really supports (beyond its stated mission). For example, what’s the organization’s approach to social progress?

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.

Added Style in Crossovers cladding and a high-contrast wheel design that emphasized the shiny rims. Both the Ford and Subaru had the visuals to satisfy the extroverts among us.

Auto Philip Ruth If talk-show makeovers have taught us anything, it’s that the right look can make anyone seem more appealing.

That’s nowhere truer than the fiercely competitive crossover market, where many buyers are searching for fourwheeled extensions of their personalities.

Or at least they would be extensions of all they’d like to be. That’s why many crossovers are dubbed aspirational vehicles, and one subspecies is the shape with a coupe-like look, where the angled rear window nods toward sleek sophistication, rather than upright utilitarianism.

The two blue testers this week are examples of this breed. The Ford Edge Sport (Blue Jean Metallic) and Subaru Crosstrek 2.0i (Quartz Blue Pearl) I recently drove both had styling that was striking. The Edge Sport was bold, with brawny proportions and a serious visage. The Crosstrek had more going on, with black plastic

When discussing styling, it’s germane to note the difference in visibility between the Edge and the Crosstrek. The Edge is a challenge in tight urban traffic, with smallish windows, a relatively low seating position and bulging bodywork. The corners sink down out of sight, and the edges of the rounded sides were a matter of guesswork, even after a week of driving. This is probably not such a big deal in the suburbs, but in San Francisco, the Edge’s expressive contours required constant monitoring.

The Crosstrek contrasts that with its comparatively wide-open visibility. Model year 2018 is the first for the Crosstrek’s new platform, which is shared with the Impreza. The new structure’s windshield and side windows seem huge, and you’re perched high enough to feel like you’re presiding over the car that surrounds you.

Visibility is sometimes just a line item in a car review, but a clear outward view truly inspires confidence when you’re picking your way through the city, and the Crosstrek’s is clear indeed.

Both this Edge Sport and Crosstrek 2.0i were fun to drive—the Edge for its muscle, and the Crosstrek for its flexibility. The Edge’s 2.7-liter V6 is the most powerful of the three engines available, and its 315 horsepower bangs off strong launches and

Subaru Crosstrek

Ford Edge Sport

decisive passing speeds like it’s been training all year for that day.

The Crosstrek’s four-cylinder makes just less than half the power of the Edge’s, but its 152 horses have less weight to move. The Crosstrek feels snappy off the line and is happy to eke out a little more to help you land in the lane for which you’re aiming. The Crosstrek won’t press you into the seat, but its responsiveness impresses.

You’d expect to spend in the mid$20Ks for a nice Crosstrek and the mid-$30Ks for a decent Edge, and the tested Edge Sport’s $47K sticker probed the upper limits of crossover affordability. Both are solid choices for buyers wanting crossovers with added style.

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

Check out the new Castro Street Cam Streaming Live 24/7 http://sfbaytimes.com/castro-street-cam/ S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES

DEC EM BER 21, 2017

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Colorful Quilt

Sakura

Acclaimed Quilter, Playwright and Artist

W

LEONARD PINNA

hen members of our team first met talented Bay A rea-based artist Leonard Pinna some years ago, he was working on several paintings and fine-tuning a few new plays that he had written. More recently, we were admiring images of winning quilts highlighted by the San Francisco Quilters Guild. A particularly beautiful one, Jazz City Rhapsody, caught our eye, as it did that of others who gave it a coveted “Viewers’ Choice” award.

Pinna’s name was under the quilt. Could it be the same person, we wondered?

The artist indeed turned out to be the same Pinna, who is continuing to gain accolades for his elegant, striking quilts and other works. We love that quilting, in particular, continues to attract members of our LGBTQ community, who are drawn to its healing beauty, potential for collaboration and much more.

Quilts evoke warmth and security—what we are craving now at this wintry time of year, and during a period of political uncertainty. It was therefore a pleasure for us to recently catch up with Pinna, and to learn more about his experiences as an artist seeking authentic creative expression. He has had quite a life! We invite you to cozy up in your favorite chair, perhaps with your own favorite quilt and hot beverage, to slow down and savor Pinna’s life story through his evocative words and images.

San Francisco Bay Times: You are such a creative person. We’re curious to know what your upbringing was like, and who some of your early mentors and sources of inspiration were.

Leonard Pinna: I’ve been a naturally creative person since I was very young. Recognizing that I had an aptitude and appetite for learning, my mother began teaching me how to write the alphabet in cursive when I was about four.

I remember sitting in the attic going through reams of paper, practicing my cursive handwriting by focusing on one letter per page, striving for perfection. Catholic school nuns really influenced my cursive handwriting in first and second grade by teaching the Palmer Method.

The exercises focused on the continuous repetition of o’s and /’s across the page, which ended up looking like spiral tunnels—like a slinky—or dense patches of waving wheat. As I think about it now, I’d say my spiral paintings definitely have their root in the Palmer Method of handwriting, where I begin with broad circular motions followed by layered thin hatchet marks. My very first attempt at a large-scale painting as an undergraduate in college was painting my name in cursive all over the canvas.

I credit my single, career-working aunt, who lived down the street, for training my eye for color. Back in the sixties, seventies and eighties, she had tons of clothing in every shade imaginable. She organized her several closets like painter swatches. She didn’t have one green or blue pantsuit; she had five or six shades of pant suits in every hue, gradating from light to dark.

And even when talking about a new outfit she had seen, she would walk around the house, pointing at colors in the wallpaper or furniture or anything she could spot. She’d say, “It was similar to this mint green here, only it had a little more blue in it, not as much as turquoise, but more like seafoam green.”

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My favorite creative activities as a child were coloring books, making Spirograph designs, paint-by-number landscapes, and coloring the little girl for periodic Sunbeam bread coloring contests. And it was my maternal grandmother who first taught me how to sew when I was about seven or eight years old. She would give me two paper towels with a needle and thread, and while she was cooking dinner, I would sit on her back porch near the kitchen and sew the paper towels together around the outside perimeter using ½ inch basting stitches. Again, I worked on perfect spacing of the stitches.

I also exhibited thespian tendencies quite early, for I was able to memorize a lot of lines. In kindergarten, I played Santa Claus for the Christmas play. I had all the lines of the show—a half hour monologue, while the other kids acted out all of the parts—as toys, dolls, spinning tops, etc. My mother, of course, helped me to learn my lines, and she said that while she was in the audience mouthing the monologue with me, I knew it word-for-word.

I also liked to sing —loudly—in Catholic church, and I had singing parts in the school plays and recitals. In a second-grade recital, we were singing a song about a shoe cobbler, and we were supposed to bring a shoe for a prop. I, of course, brought my mother’s black patent leather spiked heels! Already, I was starting to reveal publicly my secret desire for transvestism. I did often sneak up to the attic to try on my mother’s turquoise touile charity ball gown. Eventually, I tried on her huge hooped wedding gown as well. This was a precursor to my gender-bending drag performing persona, Lenya.

I grew up dancing at a lot of Italian weddings, watching my grandfather start off the traditional “Tarantella” with the neighbor Maggie. They would each put the end of a cloth napkin between their teeth to start off the dance. I danced with my aunts, and girl cousins. I was reprimanded for once trying to dance with my best friend, Philip. I, of course, couldn’t understand why two little girls were allowed to dance together, but not two little boys. Incidentally, for many of these family weddings, I would always help the brides-to-be to make pleated tissue flowers that would then be puffed out like carnations for decorating the wedding party cars.

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In junior high school, I really took to, and excelled in, mechanical drafting. By the 10th grade, I was an architecture major at a full-time vocationaltechnical high school in Johnstown, PA. I was most enthusiastic about the aesthetic designs and the elevations and perspective renderings; I really didn’t care much about the engineering part—using the slide rule to figure out stress weights of the joists and beams.

My t e a c he r w o u l d say, “How do you expect to hold this up?” I thought, “Why can’t someone else figure out the technical engineering parts? I just care about what it looks like.”

San Francisco Bay Times: Please share more about your past and present work in the theatre arts.

Leonard Pinna: As an undergraduate theatre major, I worked both on stage as an actor, and off-stage as a set and props painter; I even designed the posters for the shows. For Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard, I painted an orchard scene in Monet’s impressionist style as the background for the poster. When I was hired as a summer intern at a dinner theatre, I was put in charge of painting and texturing, as well as being an actor. I had to mix colors that would match the colors of previous sets that were pulled out of stock, so that we could touch up and refresh the sets.

It was in my senior year while directing three Edward Albee one-acts that my theatre director informed me that if I was going to make it in theatre, I had to focus on one area of expertise—that my eclectic talents were not going to serve me in my approach to theatre as a career.

He told me that I had to specialize. I tried to focus on acting only when I went to New York to break into the theatrical business. It wasn’t long before I joined a group for playwrights, directors and actors, and began writing my first play.

Without a lot of auditions coming my way, I began to focus more and more on playwriting and wrote several one-acts plays and a couple of fulllength plays. When I went back to school for graduate study, I entered a newly developing field, dramaturgy, which seemed to synthesize my varying interests. In grad school, I experienced cultural exchange work with Indian Sanskrit dramatists from Kerala, India, and studied the actor movement method of Tadashi Suzuki of Japan, via his disciple, Yuki Goto. Postgraduate work, I became a theatre professor of Acting and Directing at Kent State University, and began directing main stage shows at school and semi-professional productions in the Cleveland Area.

After I became acquainted with the artistic director of The National Puppetry Conference, housed at the O’Neill Theatre in Connecticut, he hired me as the dramaturg for the conference

as a need to push for more puppet theatre to enter mainstream theatre by developing more original and dramatic narratives. I worked with prominent puppeteers from around the country including Heather Henson, daughter of the late Jim Henson, to help develop more substantial work for the mainstream theatre at large.

This predated Julie Taymor and The Lion King by several years.

At this time, I began my own theatre company, Ecclesia, housed at Lake Erie College near Cleveland. I directed classics, such as Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, along with plays of Tennessee Williams. I directed new plays, and edgier works such as Doug Holsclaw’s The Baddest of Boys, which had originally premiered at Theatre Rhinoceros in San Francisco, and some new puppet theatre work such as The Whaling Wife, by Bonnie Remsberg. It was at this time that I was burning out from non-stop rehearsals along with teaching theatre. Post 9/11, things changed for me in Cleveland, spurred by economic decline. I then decided to move to the Bay Area and to take a hiatus from the theatre world, which exacted a price too high.

San Francisco Bay Times: What did you do then, once you were in the Bay Area?

Leonard Pinna: No longer engaged in collaborative work, I needed to find new creative expression, so I began painting with acrylics and palette knives. I realized that I had built up some skills from set painting that I thought I could now try on canvas. Having not really been trained as a painting artist, my first paintings seemed quite surprising to me, as well as to others. Friends wondered, “Where is this coming from?” I began to take commissions for personal and customized paintings, and found that my dramaturgical analysis, and my directorial love for shaping of movement and tableau, led to really interesting works on canvas that I never wou ld have i magined myself doing. I recognized that most of the influence in my aest hetic probably stems from t he French impressionists of late 1800s and early 1900s.

Using a palette knife, I do a lot of little slashes of paint, combined with some thick impastos that, at times, I feel relate to Monet, or Van Gogh, and with the cuts and slashes that I have developed in my work, I can see a bit of Klimt.

Inspired by natural elements—such as rock, wood, metals and environmental/philosophical connections to the sun, moon, stars and the universe—I find mostly that abstraction and sense of movement can express my feelings, emo-

Hillary Jazz City Rhapsody

Sunset Mountain

Continues to Expand Creative Horizons

Photos by Rob Reiter Sunsail

tions, passions, and sense of sacred connection to everything. I am drawn to texture, and fascinated by aged or weathered appearance. If I could, I would spend most of my time in natural environs such as Point Lobos near Carmel, or the Redwoods near Guerneville, or the dramatic terrain of Yosemite. Abroad it would be the ruins of Palatine Hill and the Colosseum in Rome, or the Greco-Roman amphitheaters in Sicily or the waters of the Mediterranean near the cliffs and grottos of Sardinia. These are the places where I feel most at home and connected to everything. I would live in a structure like the Roman Baths in Bath, England, with a terraced view from Boboli Gardens in Florence.

I would have my formal dinner/functions at a long wooden table under the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and my outdoor functions at a farmhouse overlooking Tomales Bay. San Francisco Bay Times: What first attracted you to quilting?

Leonard Pinna: As I approached the age of 50, I wished to have a quilt made to mark the occasion. Inspired by the weave of a fabric of one of my couch pillows, I decided to design a quilt that captured the colors and feel of that fabric. After trying for about 10 months to find someone to sew the quilt, my son introduced me to his friend who was studying textiles at the Academy of Arts in San Francisco. I asked her if there would be anyone at the school I could hire to sew my quilt. She said that she could do it, and that she would have time between semesters to work on it. After we spent a day looking at fabrics at several places in Berkeley, I told her that I would go back and buy the various ones we had seen and bring them to her.

After buying $500 worth of fabric, I called her to set up a time for meeting. After no response to my repeated calling for about 4–5 days, I realized that she had f laked on me. I went to the fabric store to speak t o t he v er y f irst salesperson I had met, Julie Banfield, who responded by clapping her hands, and saying, “Yay, Leonard, you can make it yourself.” Despite not really knowing how to sew and not having a sewing machine, I deep down knew it was true. I was destined to make the quilt.

Julie offered to give me a one-hour lesson on how to pin and seam rows of pieces. But first I would have to create two of my rows of 20 pieces in order for her to show me. At work, a male colleague overheard me telling my story of how I lost my seamstress, and my not knowing how to begin my quilt, for I didn’t even have a sewing machine. He chimed in, “My mother just

gave my girlfriend her extra sewing machine and she’s not using it at the moment. I’ll ask her if you can borrow it.” Indeed, that’s what came to pass. The girlfriend gave me a half-hour lesson on how to use the machine, thread a bobbin, sew a straight line, etc. And I was off. After figuring out how to cut and sew 40 small rectangular pieces together in two rows, I met with Julie for my one-hour lesson on pinning corners, sewing seams, and “ironing.” I had no idea that precise ironing was so important to sewing. So, ten months later, I completed a 2200-piece quilt top and took it to Julie. She and the other women were in awe. They said, “No one ever does such an ambitious quilt for their first quilt!” Julie recommended a long-arm quilter, Sue Fox, to do the actual quilt stitching of the top and bottom panels together. When Sue Fox saw my quilt top she said, “If this is your first quilt, you have entered at university level!” And thus, I realized that I had some talent for this process, and I was now hooked. A few years later, my quilt Jazz City Rhapsody won the top Viewers’ Choice Award at the 2013 San Francisco Quilt Show.

I decided to make my mother a couch quilt, and so then I had to make my single aunt a couch quilt, both for artistic and familial reasons. Then I chose to make my close friend a couch quilt. In each of these cases, I designed quilts that would blend into their everyday surroundings, evoking their colors, patterns, personalities.

San Francisco Bay Times: Jazz City Rhapsody is such a stunning piece.

We love how it has a retro Gershwintype energy that brings to mind New York’s great jazz clubs, yet also is quite modern with its bold shapes. It is additionally very masculine in feel to us, given the menswear patterns and textures. Please tell us what inspired you to create this striking quilt.

Leonard Pinna: I decided it was time to make my son, Matthew, a quilt. He would soon be 25 years old. I thought I could commemorate his first quarter century with a quilt that would reflect that period of time in his life. So, I took him to my favorite fabric store and told him to walk around and pick out some fabrics that spoke to him, while I perused my favorite section of wo-

ven fabrics. He came back to me with a beautiful fabric in black and grey and almost sepia tones depicting a crowd of people dressed in period clothing from what appeared to be from the 1920s or 30s. I was immediately captured by the fabric as well as immediately impressed with my son’s taste.

I told him to pick some other fabrics. He came back with a sepia weathered-looking fabric, which depicted columns from a 1927 news print that even included a headline: “Ideas for quilts come from everywhere.” Right there, while holding the two fabrics, side by side, I sensed what his quilt would be about: 1920’s Jazz, Art Deco, and Hollywood film strip (for Matthew was presently a film-studies major who had a fine eye and ear for a film’s music design) and NYC buildings and street grid, and texturally men’s clothing from that early era. The color palette would be dominated by the “crowd” fabric’s black, grey and sepia tones. The irregular rectangles present in the newsprint fabric would inspire the varying heights of tall buildings. Music would find visual expression through depictions of piano keys, both realistic and over-sized, and staffs of musical notes would travel through the quilt—even as tiny as the mortar between a wall of bricks. Most prominent would be the crowd scenes, which would appear around the quilt via an over-scaled film strip, on the front page of a newspaper and in framed photographs. My background in theatre probably assisted the overall aesthetic of the quilt to seem as if it could become the backdrop scenery for a bare-boards song and dance revue. I knew the quilt was artistically a unique expression, but there was no way I would have dreamed that the quilt would capture the attention of the crowds at the San Francisco Quilt Show 2013 to win the coveted overall Viewers’ Choice Award! And to think that this quilt covers my son’s bed and extends my care of him through the comfort of the enveloping fabrics, knowing he inspired the quilt; for I never would have conceived of such a project on my own.

San Francisco Bay Times: We’ve noticed that you collaborate with others at times when creating your quilts, such as for the Like a Prayer Wall, and for commissioned paintings. Please tell us

a bit about those collaborations—both with clients for commissioned works and with other artists in creating quilts.

How can creative minds come together for projects such as these?

Leonard Pinna: Having spent the first half of my adult life in theatre arts, collaboration was the essential process in creating any work.

Post-theatre, collaborations in conjunction with my visual/material art forms occurred in both similar and varying ways. After breaking into a new medium, painting with palette knives, I was fortunate to have immediate work as a commissioned artist. Upon my request, my closest friends in Cleveland (where I was living at the time) helped me through a financially difficult period by commissioning me to create personal paintings for them. I approached each painting as a distinct endeavor as would a theatre director when approaching vastly different dramatic material. One would direct and design a Tennessee Williams production quite differently from a Shakespearean production or a classical Greek theatre production. A director would research and determine the intention and sensibility of each playwright, as well as the time period or culture of the world of each play. Analysis of their inherent qualities, dramatic properties and potential visualization would be approached by a director and a team of designers in order to devise an interpretation, which conveyed the most immediate themes.

Thus, I approached my friends’ lives, living spaces, tastes in color, and aesthetic patterns in décor, clothing or personal items to get a sense of what themes or motifs manifested or dominated their physical world and personal sensibilities. I would get an energetic sense of the movement and shape of a potential rendering, and would quickly begin to sketch an abstract or simple representation of that feeling. I would share these sketches with the client, getting their feedback on the approach or initial images. With their reactions and feedback, I would begin to get an overall vision of the work. My dramaturgical skills would help me to create their narrative, theme, shape, color, movement and texture of the piece. I would then create a quickly painted sketch to capture

S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES

(continued on page 24)

DEC EM BER 21, 2017

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HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE DE YOUNG AND LEGION OF HONOR

Noah’s Ark by Ralph Griffin, ca. 1980 At the de Young

“I go to the stream. I read the roots in the water, laying in clear water. There’s a miracle in that water, running across them logs since the time of Noah ... I take a root from the water and have a thought about it, what it looks like, then I paint it red, black and white, to put a bit of vision on the root.”

-Ralph Griffin Ralph Griffin is best known for creating sculptures from driftwood branches and roots that he retrieved from the Poplar Root Branch stream near his home in Girard, Georgia. Griffin’s Noah’s Ark, inspired by the Old Testament story (Genesis 6–9), renders explicit the artist’s statement that “all my work is like the Testaments.”

This extraordinary visual conception appears to conflate the blue waters of the flood, the white sky and clouds, the blood red of the flesh destroyed in the deluge, and the black mountain where the ark came to rest in one abstracted, boat-shaped form.

For Griffin, the apocalyptic associations of Noah’s Ark, which saved Noah and his descendants from destruction, may have foreshadowed the slave ships that later condemned Africans and their descendants to bondage in the Americas.

For more information: https://deyoung.famsf.org/

Ralph Griffin (1952-1992), “Noah’s Ark,” ca. 1980. Found wood, nails, paint, 18.75 x 68.75 x 14.5 in.Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, museum purchase, American Art Trust Fund, and gift of the Souls Grown Deep Foundation from the William S. Arnett Collection. Artwork: © Estate of Ralph Griffin. Image Courtesy of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

LGBTQ Studies and Contemporary Arts at Asawa SOTA Presents: ART!

By Lyndsey Schlax (Editor’s Note: Teacher Lyndsey Schlax of the Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts launched the nation’s first on-site high school LGBT course in 2015. She has resumed teaching that groundbreaking class. In this column, her students share their thoughts about LGBT-related matters, including their concerns, what they have learned in class and more. The following article was written jointly by three of her students: two in Grade 12, and one in Grade 11.)

The first LGBTQ+ studies class in any high school in the nation, right here at San Francisco’s School of the Arts, put on their third annual LGBTQ+ themed art gallery on Friday, December 8. The students in the class worked on the gallery for weeks and split up into groups to take charge of all aspects of the gallery. These aspects included aesthetics (descriptions of each piece and art placement), organization (layout of the gallery),

STUDENT VOICES

commodities (refreshments and organization of these refreshments), and recording (interviewing attendees and taking photos of the gallery).

Each student had an important job, and the teamwork the class utilized is what made the gallery possible.

The LGBTQ+ studies class teamed up with the school’s Contemporary Art class, a new class this year whose members created original pieces for the gallery. Additionally, each student in the LGBTQ+ studies class chose a piece that they felt was important to display to a large audience, either a piece made by a member of the LGBTQ+ community or a piece

that is representative of the LGBTQ+ community.

The day of the exhibition, the students worked tirelessly with the help of their wond e r f u l i n s t r u c t or, Ms. Lyndsey Schlax, to put the gallery toget her. Because of their careful preparation and organization, this set up went smoothly and the gallery came together beautifully. The students creating the exhibit were astounded by each other’s’ pieces and all of the beautiful art that they had never seen before, due to underrepresentation and lack of visibility of LGBTQ+ artists as well as professionals in all fields. This subject was something the students in this class have been studying throughout the semester, and this exhibit particularly solidified the concept in their minds.

During the exhibition of the gallery, the students were excited to show off their pieces, as well as the original pieces made by the contemporary art students, to their peers and instructors. The majority of the teachers and heads of arts departments, as well as a multitude of students, made an appearance at the exhibition. The gallery received an incredibly positive response from all who viewed it.

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The head of the World Music department at SOTA was inspired by the art and “would like to see this kind of art in classrooms” and said that she planned to purchase some of the pieces for her classroom. One student experiencing the exhibit, who identified as queer, said that she “didn’t know that this many artists were queer.” It made her “feel like we are not alone in this world.”

Based on those who were interviewed, the primary takeaway from the exhibit was that there are so many people in the LGBTQ+ community that are oppressed rather than appreciated and celebrated for their abilities, and that there is an entire untold history surrounding the LGBTQ+ community that very few people are aware of.

All of those interviewed also believed that it was imperative that this history should continue to be told and that this class should expand out to other schools across the nation.

Ms. Schlax summarized the essence of the class’ message and inf luence: “The importance of showing up and the belief that your voices matter— just because you can’t vote yet or because people might not be citizens, or because you might be young, or a member of a marginalized community or have multiple marginalized identities—doesn’t mean that you can’t make change. Working together in community and in solidarity is the way forward. Y’all are going to change the world.”

For more information about the Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts, please visit http://www. sfsota.org/ Lyndsey Schlax has been a teacher in the San Francisco Unified School District since 2008.

She is uniquely qualified to address multiple areas of LGBT studies, having also specialized in subjects such as Modern World History, Government, Economics and U.S. Politics. She is a National Board Certified Teacher, and earned her M.A. in Teaching at the University of San Francisco.

5 Tips on How to Hire a Wedding Photographer

Photos by Animus-Art

By B & Pedro 1. It’s all about the right fit.

Finding the right fit is ultimately the most important aspect of working with a wedding photographer to create beautiful and timeless imagery. The vision you have as a couple for your wedding, the photographer’s philosophy and approach to photography, the chemistry between the two of you and the photographer’s work ethic are all a part of the context of a great fit. For instance, we at Animus-Art have created a wedding experience that embodies camaraderie, storytelling and fine art with editorial influences.

2. Understand your style.

One of the steps we suggest taking, before searching for local photographers, is to determine your preferred artistic style. Use bridal blogs, Google, and print magazines to look at wedding images to determine which style of wedding photography speaks to you. Are you drawn to light and airy, or dark and moody? Are you a fan of traditionally posed images, or do you prefer a more editorial style? Once you develop a preference, search for local photographers with a similar visual esthetic to yours.

3. Read, read, read.

Once you identify photographers whose work you love, spend a few minutes on their website reading their “about us” section.

Look for inclusive language, and learn about their approach and photography style. Eliminate the ones that fail to connect with you.

4. First impressions are important.

While we all agree that budget is a significant part of the conversation when hiring wedding creatives, and will surely be discussed, understand that some photographers are storytellers, and they connect with the couple on a personal level to create art. Therefore, in your initial email to a wedding photographer, make sure to include a few lines about you and your partner. I get so excited when I open an email and read about a couple. Every couple is unique, and I love that in that moment, as our paths cross, I make a connection no matter where the journey leads.

5. Meet in person!

I cannot stress enough the importance of meeting in person.

This is when you ask your questions, and see if you can be open and comfortable with your photographers. Similarly, your photographers are getting to know you and your partner as their artistic muse. Tell your story. If there is chemistry, be open about your concerns, your vision and your journey. Not everyone will be a good fit, and that is ok. You will be spending a good chunk of time together with your photographers leading up to your wedding day, and on your wedding day. With our couples, we usually have multiple in person consultations, and on average 2 shoots prior to the wedding day. On wedding day, we are there from morning until the end, documenting their journey. When there is chemistry, it’s magic!

B and Pedro are the lead photographers at Animus-Art. As a duo, B and Pedro create a style that is fine-art in its approach.

See for yourself by checking out their website: http://animusart.com/

Frederick Sullivan and Jaime Botello, who oversee the Weddings & Occasions page for the “San Francisco Bay Times,” are the talented wizards behind Sullivan-Botello Events (http://sullivanbotelloevents. com) and SnB Party Rentals (650-877-0840, www.snbpartyrentals.com). Both are Certified Wedding Planners with extensive experience in creating memorable, personalized events for special occasions. Their rental service is incredible, offering everything from beautiful gold Chiavari chairs to LED dance floors, and all at competitive prices. They are the creators of the Gay Vanity Wedding Show and are longstanding members of the Golden Gate Business Association, which is the nation’s first LGBT Chamber of Commerce.

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From the Coming Up Events Calendar See page 28 December 26 - Oy Vey in a Manger: The Kinsey Sicks @ The Speakeasy SF, 160-198 Bay Street.

The four-part harmony Kinsey Sicks present their holiday show. 7:30-9:30pm continuing through December 30. thespeakeasysf.com

Sunday, December 31 - New Year’s Eve Celebrating Kwanzaa (Infinite Creativity) @ San Francisco Public Library, 100 Larkin Street. A Kwanzaa celebration in honor of Kuumba, our potential for infinite creativity, with a live performance and feast. 1pm. sfpl.org

The Best Queer Films of 2017 film is gorgeously made by out director Francis Lee, and features strong performances by the leads.

Film Gary M. Kramer 2017 featured no shortage of f ine LGBTQ films, documentaries, and shorts that spoke to queer life in the age of Trump. Here is a roundup of the best LGBTQ films in 2017.

Call Me by Your Name was an astonishing romantic drama brought to the screen by gay filmmaker Luca Gaudagnino, with a screenplay by out writer/director James Ivory. The romance between Elio (Timothée Chamalet) and Oliver (Armie Hammer) was seductive and heartbreaking, and the film itself is spellbinding.

Another great f ilm this year was out filmmaker Dee Rees’ Mudbound.

While not a queer film in terms of content, Rees’ poignant period drama about race in 1940s Mississippi deservedly ended up on many critics’ Best Lists.

Also among the best films of the year was Raoul Peck’s dazzling documentary I Am Not Your Negro, about gay writer James Baldwin. An urgent, cogent film about race relations, the film opened back in February and played for months, a testament to the power and legacy of Baldwin’s voice.

Other outstanding documentaries depicting queer African American experiences this year include Whose Streets?, a moving film about activism in Ferguson, MO, and Quest (opening Jan 5 in San Francisco), a touching portrait of an African American family in North Philadelphia.

One of the highlights of this year was Handsome Devil, by gay writer/ director John Butler. The film has a gay teenager sharing a room with a closeted athlete at an Irish boarding school. Devil charms, in part, because the boys become friends, not lovers. This sweet comedy-drama deserves a look.

Also from the United Kingdom was God’s Own Country, which depicts the tough and tender romance between a young, closeted British farmer, and the Romanian immigrant who comes to help out at his farm. The

My Friend Dahmer

From France, BPM was queer writer/ director Robin Campillo’s Cannesaward winning drama about the Paris ACT UP. A sprawling, entertaining f ilm, with a sensitive romance unfolding amid actions by the ACT UP members, BPM was magnifique. In France, the film has been a big success; in America, where it failed to attract a large audience, it is more of a Battle of the Sexes succès d’estime.

Even one of the biggest hits in Mexico, Hazlo Como Hombre, about a gay man coming out to his friends, did better box office at home t ha n abroad. A n a mu s i n g comed y about mach ismo, Hombre was overlooked in A mer ica, but is well worth seeing.

Beach Rats

American independent cinema included some interesting BPM and exciting queerthemed titles that dealt obliquely with true crime.

Beach Rats, the sophomore effort by Eliza Hittman, was an absorbing character study about a closeted Brook ly n ite, played by Har r is Dickinson in a starmaking turn. The film, however, depicted a real-life killing a bit too closely for comfort.

My Friend Dahmer was Marc Meyers’ sharp, smart adaptation of Derf Backderf ’s graphic novel about the teen years of gay, cannibalistic serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. This outstanding drama benef its from Ross Lynch’s unf linching performance as the title character.

Three biopics of note this year had mixed success critically or commercially.

Battle of the Sexes was an entertaining film about closeted tennis star Billie Jean King (Emma Stone) and her onand off-the-court rivalry with male chauvinist Bobby Riggs (Steve Carell) in 1973. The film scored with critics and viewers who saw it, but underperformed at the box office.

KIT’N KITTY’S

QUEER POP QUIZ

Likewise, in the year that saw Wonder Woman lasso the box off ice, out f ilmmaker Angela Robinson’s origin story, Professor Marston and the Wonder Women, failed to make much of an impact. It was a shame, because this story that recounts the polyamorous relationship the comic book’s creator Dr. William Moulton Marston (Luke Evans) had with his wife Elizabeth (Rebecca Hall) and their lover/student, Olive Byrne (Bella Heathcote), was a nifty film that deserved to be more widely seen and known.

From Finland—where else?—came Tom of Finland, a shrewd biopic about the gay artist Touko Laaksonen, whose homoerotic drawings pleased and excited many gay men. The film resists being overly sexual, focusing more on the emotion than on the erotica.

And while there was no overtly queer content in gay director Todd Haynes’ Wonderstruck, the film, recounting two stories told fifty years apart, divided its small audience.

Alas, arguably the only very prominent trans character on screen this year was Frank Kitchen (Michelle Rodriguez),

a hit man “punished” with unwanted gender reassignment surgery in The Assignment. The film angered the trans community, and deservedly died at the box office.

But the transgender community has only to wait until February, when the excellent Chilean drama A Fantastic Woman, starring trans actress Daniela Vega, is scheduled to open in the area. There is already buzz that Vega could be the first transgender actress nominated for an Oscar. We’ll find out on January 23. © 2017 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

PAIR BONDING In 1996’s Beavis and Butthead Do America, B&B’s teacher sang about what kind of lesbian animal?

A) penguin B) dolphin C) bonobo D) seagull ANSWER ON PAGE 26

Karin Jaffie as Kitty Tapata hosts Miss Kitty’s Original Trivia Nights at The Wild Side West on Wednesday nights from 8 pm–11 pm, 424 Cortland Avenue in San Francisco. As Tapata says, “It’s free, fun and friendly! To play is to win!”

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A Lesson in Humanism from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau New Yawker and American, this moment could not have been starker for me.

Words Michele Karlsberg Michele Karlsberg: For this issue of the San Francisco Bay Times, I present a guest article written by author and television producer Stefani Deoul.

“For the oppression of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and two-spirit communities, we apologize. On behalf of the government, Parliament, and the people of Canada: We were wrong. We are sorry.

And we will never let this happen again.”

- Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada An apology. Not a defense. Nope. Just a flat-out, stem-to-stern apology. And in giving it, Justin Trudeau walked into Parliament and walked out my hero.

Now, I don’t profess to know if he will be the “best economic guy” for Canada or the “best” this or that. But I do know, in this day and age, rather than obfuscating or doubling down or finger pointing, he just said, “I’m sorry.

It was wrong. We were wrong.”

As someone who has proudly held “landed status” and lived and worked in Canada, and yet remains a proud

It was at once so incredibly uplifting, and yet so emotionally demoralizing. How can our neighbors to the north move forward with such grace and joy, while we seem intent on blaming the victims in so many walks of life? In light of this, when asked why I chose to write my young adult (YA) book On A LARP, I realized I wanted to envision a young woman in the New York City I always believe will be.

I developed Sidonie “Sid” Rubin to be a child of tangible wish fulf illment, a young woman of a post-hatred world—not in a Star Trek (thank you, Gene Roddenberry) distant-future-looks-good kind of way, but in a more palpable, contemporary sense.

I asked Sid to be this brainiac, funny, occa siona l ly awk wa rd , s l ight ly nerdy—but in a cool way—lesbian because that’s, well, exactly who she is. She doesn’t need to “come out” or “hide her smarts.” It’s important that she have the same ups and downs as everyone else, with no apology needed.

ter to a city I missed, but it was being formed by living in a place where people are who they are, and that’s just how it is. A bit humanistic, eh?

Which now, after both watching and reading Justin Trudeau’s speech, I realize humanism is everything. In knowing that, I hope “Sid” is a portent of women to come; that she joins a literary canon of strong, smart, fierce, funny, coming-of-age women, each one made stronger, smarter and braver when they no longer wait to be asked, but rather just assume their place at the table.

As Prime Minister Trudeau said, “For all our differences, for all our diversity, we can find love and support in our common humanity ... . We are all worthy of love, and deserving of respect.”

Sid and I agree; ‘tis the season.

Why YA? Because messages, particularly those of equality, start young.

And if we’re lucky, while we are raising children to know better and to become empowered, we deliver that same message to ourselves.

Stefani Deoul is a columnist and the author of the new young adult mystery “On A LARP,” as well as the award-winning women’s fiction book “The Carousel.” She is also a television producer whose series credits include SyFy’s “Haven.”

And it’s funny. When I began writing On A LARP, I was working on a television series, living in a magical place called Chester, Nova Scotia. The setting of the novel was a small love let-

Michele Karlsberg Marketing and Management specializes in publicity for the LGBT community. This year, Karlsberg celebrates twenty-nine years of successful book campaigns.

By Sister Dana Van Iquity Sister Dana sez, [singing] “All I want for Christmas is impeachment soon. Impeachment soon.

Just impeachment soon. If we got impeachment soon, gosh oh gee, how happy I’d be, and what a very Merry Christmas that would be! (Apologies to Don Gardner and his ‘All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth.’)”

It wouldn’t be the holidays without Tchaikovsky’s classic Nutcracker Suite. No, I don’t mean that tired old ballet with the same boring plot. I’m talkin’ about the yearly SAN FRANCISCO LESBIAN/ GAY FREEDOM BAND always selecting a different theme to blend with that of the original. The result is DANCE-ALONG NUTCRACKER, a fun-filled musical production brimming with humor, artistry, and ingenuity (created and written by the Band’s Heidi Beeler).

Held at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Forum, the talented cast sang and danced their way through a witty “Pirates of the Caribbean” parody version of the Nutcracker. And when the “Dance-Along” sign flashed, we wannabe ballet artistes in the audience jumped to our feet, tugging on our tutus and pirouetting along with the cast. NUTCRACKERS OF 22

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THE CARIBBEAN took us on a high seas adventure with Clara (Dee Nathaniel), Fritz (Zelda Koznofski), and Captain Drosselmeyer ( Joe Wicht) as they sought out the buried treasure of Peg Legs Tchaikovsky. The rest of the cast was comprised of villainous Queen Ratannia (Ruby Vixen), Emperor Norton (Flynn DeMarco—who also directed), Al Capone/ Julia Butterfly Hill (Leigh Crow), and Captain Anne Tennille (Marilynn Fowler—who was the clever choreographer). Artistic Director Pete Nowlen conducted the Band in their colorful costumes, ranging from pirates to undersea creatures.

Thomasina De Maio, owner of the ART SAVES LIVES Castro gallery and performance space at 518 Castro & 18th Streets, hosted a gorgeous reception party, DECEMBER ART, featuring art pieces by 20 artists. Among the artists in the past have been Michael Staley, Jim Knosp, Paisha Rochlin, Kim Andrich, Pesina Michael, Michael Lownie, Liam Peters, Tobi Wiggins, Chris Grassano, Chris Woods, Joel Hoyer, Celia Beattes, Larry Bruderer, and Jerry Frost. Some of the talented local lineup of artists this month were Clint Grassano with his landscapes oil on board; Bill Haught and his studies on nature; Michael Staley and his Swarovski crystal work carefully pasted on everything imaginable including a toaster, a cow skull, and a high heel; the clever cartoonery of gay couples

by Oph Khotsimeuanz; Michael Lownie and his colorful porthole series; Joel Hoyer with his gold and silver glowing round shapes; and as an avid flamingo collector, how could I resist “Flamingo Queen on Her Throne”—all crafted of sea shells—by Larry Bruderer.

PHOTO BY PAUL MARGOLIS

Sister Dana Sez: Words of Wisdumb from a Fun Nun

Dennis McMillan (aka Sister Dana) shared a toast with a friend during HanuCON at Oasis.

All of the pieces will be on display throughout December. Free food was offered by Dave and Mauros of Famous Farms. Entertainment was by local celebs, Magnolia Black and Nate James, to name a few.

We are so fortunate to have this jewel of a performance space/gallery in the Castro!

SAN FRANCISCO BAY TIMES held the annual HOLIDAY PARTY for us staff and our friends at the historic Moby Dick bar on 18th Street in the Castro. This year, we once again joined with the San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band for carols and food and good cheer.

We celebrated the first night of Hanukkah with a lighting of the menorah ceremony. Then we were joined

by Bay Times cover girl Donna Sachet to sing our hearts out with holiday music accompanied by the Band.

It was a time to say thank you to everyone who has helped to keep our paper growing and glowing for our community. In 2018, we will celebrate our 40th year. But the topping of the symbolic Christmas tree with a bright shining star was the news that Doug Jones had just defeated the awful Roy Moore for an Alabama Senate seat. This was a (continued on page 26)

San Francisco Bay Times Holiday Party with the San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band

CASTRO STREETCAM

At the San Francisco Bay Times, we look forward with much anticipation to our annual Holiday Party held jointly with our city’s official band, the Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band of San Francisco. Gathering this year on December 12 at the historic Moby Dick bar on 18th Street, the overflow crowd of party goers and their guests celebrated the Band’s Dance Along Nutcracker benefit. It also celebrated the achievements of our contributors and friends who have helped to keep the San Francisco Bay Times “growing and glowing” for another year.

presented by

Thanks to Scott at Moby Dick, Alicia at La Méditeranée, Jimmy at Grubstake and Todd at Extreme Pizza for their contributions to the party. Thanks also to Abby Zimberg who led our Hanukkah lighting ceremony, to the Band’s Brass Ensemble and to Julie Williamson and Moira Wilmes for their organizing and planning prowess that made the evening a big success once more. And big thanks also to those who helped behind the scenes to make sure every little thing was taken care of: Karen Bardsley, Gary Virginia, Juan Davila, Blas and Donna Sachet who brought us so much good cheer!

PHOTO BY JUAN DAVILA

items of the week PHOTO BY PAUL MARGOLIS

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PHOTO BY PAUL MARGOLIS

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hank you for another great year. We are so blessed to be part of this amazing community.

From all of us at Cliff’s we wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

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Basic desserts are turned spectacular with this creative bundt pan. Other designs available.

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The Space Between Breaths order to calm down under pressure, clear the mind, settle emotionally, or simply to relax and chillax.

The KiAi Way Jamie Leno Zimron Have you ever noticed that life is really one big breath? The first thing that happens when we’re born is an inhale, and our last act is an exhale. At birth, the lungs have to start working. Once the umbilical cord is cut, the new little arrival starts taking in oxygen on its own. At death, we’re waiting for the last breath, the final exhale and then “s-he’s gone.”

It’s really then no exaggeration to say that breath is life. Breath carries this mysterious something that animates us. In China it’s called chi, in Japan ki, and in India prana/kundalini/ shakti. We don’t really have a word for it in the West, besides life-energy or life-force. While intangible, it is very real, and it is what fuels all of our faculties and every living thing on the planet. Trees breathe, plants breathe, and the earth and atmosphere breathe. Whenever I ask my 97-year-old father about the secret to his longevity, he loves to laugh and say, “I just keep breathing!”

When we’re stressed, the heart races and we hold our breath, or start panting from rapid, shallow, upper-chest breathing. Belly breathing provides the first and quickest way to shift out of stress. Since breath is literally so vital, breathing practices are the foundation of meditation, yoga, and the martial arts. Even without ever hearing of, or trying, these things, we all know and advise, “Take a breath,” in

Here’s a simple, yet super-powerful, breathing exercise that can accomplish all of that in just a few minutes. It can even lead you into the field of ecstasy and enlightenment. I call it The Space Between Breaths.

It doesn’t require a teacher, or a lot of time, or any money, yet the effects are immediate and profound. I hope you’ll give it a try!

Find a place to sit comfortably, preferably but not necessarily, quiet (i.e., you can do this anywhere, anytime).

You can sit in a chair or on the floor, or even lie down.

Now, gently close your eyes, so you can focus inwardly on your breathing. Let your hands rest on your belly. Take a deep inhale through your nose, feeling your belly rise as air enters your body. Then pause at the top of your inhale, before you exhale.

Notice that there is a space there. Put your focus on this space and rest in it.

Nothing is happening in that space, not even an inhale or an exhale.

There isn’t anything to do; not even breathe. Just hang out and enjoy simply being in that space, until an exhale naturally wants to happen. Then breathe out effortlessly through your mouth, feeling your belly f latten out as air leaves your body.

Notice that there is a space at the bottom of your exhale. Focus and hang out there. Rest and enjoy, where nothing is happening and there’s nothing to do. Without any effort or worry, an inhale will eventually come. Repeat this cycle, just enjoying how good you’re beginning to feel. Absolutely no doing, just pure being. This is The Space Between Breaths.

Stop each day for a few moments or minutes and give yourself the gift of just breathing and hanging out in this most amazing space. It is a quick and clean de-stressor, right when you need it. It will calm your nervous system, and restore a sense of peace and well-

being. I haven’t read the studies, but neuroscientists are measuring how conscious breathing changes stress biochemistry, slowing down cortisol production and upping serotonin and oxytocin levels.

Space-in-between is what gives everything needed pause and meaning.

Of all the keys on the keyboard, it’s the space key we use most. Without it, letters, words and sentences would all run together. Our minds couldn’t process what’s written, and we’d be lost. If you’ve ever built a website or worked with a web designer, you know that maintaining white space is crucial. Clutter is killer to order as well as creativity, just as going nonstop eventually diminishes our returns and can wipe us out.

The Space Between Breaths can quickly lead you into profound new awareness. It is a very lovely place, which we rarely, if ever, notice or visit. It is actually the Ground of All Being, from which everything arises and falls—every breath, thought, action, behavior, movement and event. You may find yourself starting to live more and more in that special space, rather than getting so caught up in the usual din of daily life. You notice thoughts and emotions passing through, simply coming and going, and you’re able to maintain your ground, center and balance more easily.

This empty, yet very rich, Space Between Breaths has always been there, is always present, and will always just be. We recognize it as the place where we always are, and that is always gently and peacefully holding us. Who knows? It just might be where we go, or what we dissolve into, upon our final exhale!

Jamie Leno Zimron is a Business Development Consultant with iMap Strategic Solutions and is the CoFounder of Every BusinessWoman Golf. She is also an LPGA Pro, Aikido 5th Degree Black Belt, and Corporate Speaker-Trainer. Please check out her website: http://www.thekiaiway.com

LEONARD PINNA (continued from page 17) the feel. Again, I would show the client for their feedback and approval of approach. I asked them to supply me with a CD (of that time period) of their favorite music. When beginning each of their personal paintings, I lit a candle, put on their favorite music and ritualized the moment by beginning the painting with the most essential color or colors of the painting and would streak or swirl the paint using the first strokes of the palette knife to mark the predominant focal point(s) of the painting. After broad stroke painting the entire foundation of the work, I then would begin to add detail layer by layer. Somewhere between a quarter done and half done, I would show the painting-in-process to the client for their reaction. They might say something like, “It seems brighter than I thought it would be. I thought it would be darker, more moody.”

And so, I would adjust the approach to their liking and gain their continued approval. Then I would nearly finish the painting before showing it to the client again. Usually their enthusiasm for the result would feed me the energy to add the last refining touches to the painting.

Collaborating on a quilt works much dif ferently than a commissioned painting. For the most part, I do all of the designing and piecing of a quilt top. Then I take the pieced-together quilt top along with a designed back panel to professional quilters, who use long-arm machines to stitch the quilt designs into the top and bottom panels, which now have cotton batting, etc., stuffed between them to add the puffy, tufted quilted affect to the 24

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work. Having established relationships with several quilters, I take the work to the quilter whom I think best serves the work, for each of the quilters has unique styles or skills. I have worked with two or even three quilters on the same project, if the quilt stitching varies in the piece. If I determine that much of the quilting will be stitching “in-the-ditch” (between the seams), I take it to a particular quilter, Rebecca Rohrkaste, who is an expert at this type of quilt stitching. Rebecca was the solo quilter for the awardwinning quilt Sakura at the San Francisco Quilt Show, 2013.

If I have lyrical designs, I know I can take my quilt to Melissa Quilter (yes, that’s her name!) who has a lovely lyrical style to her work and a warm, supportive disposition. She has quilted a number of my couch quilts and kid’s quilts. And when I have a highly ambitious or challenging quilt design that requires varying or irregular patterns throughout the quilt, I know exactly whom I’m going to approach to work on the piece—Sue Fox, a quilter who also has a background in the theatre as a costume designer and who not only has technical skill, but she also has the artistic and spiritual sensibilities that can understand my work and beautifully achieve the effect I envision. I trust her to make suggestions for improving certain aspects of the design, and I also have a strong enough vision of the work that she will ask me to precisely sketch out the design or will video record my poetic or imagistic descriptions of what I am envisioning and where I want it placed. And then she will come up

with the “how.” And I’m thrilled! We enjoy our collaboration and tackling challenges, because we sharpen each other’s work. She usually enthusiastically welcomes my new work with the half-joking/half-serious comment, “You know you’re crazy, don’t you?”

And then we go on to discuss the precise details of the design. Sue was the solo quilter for my award-winning Jazz City Rhapsody.

Because my quilts are original designs, neither traditional nor country home style, the precise stitching of the long-arm quilting machine seems to match the precision or polish of my aesthetic. To compliment and complete the look of my quilts, I now collaborate with Robin Whitlock to design individual labels, which she beautifully machine embroiders.

San Francisco Bay Times: We recently read that you do “photographic nature paintings.” Please explain what these are.

Leonard Pinna: In October of 2015, I took a three-week solo trip down the coast of California, traveling Highway 1 from Pacifica to San Diego. It was a completely unstructured and unplugged journey through some personally unchartered territory. My first stop, of course, was near Carmel, beginning my personal odyssey with a hike around my favorite sacred and ceremonial places at Point Lobos. During this adventure, I entered into a deep intimacy with the environment and found myself photographing specific areas of (continued on page 25)

Foot Pain Fixes

Take Me Home with You!

2. Choose shoes with excellent arch support.

3. Stretch your calves and hamstrings.

Easy Fitness Cinder Ernst Have you ever had Plantar Fasciitis (PF)? Boy, does it hurt! Especially when you put your feet on the floor first thing in the morning—ouch! PF is inflammation in the fascia on the bottom of your foot. You might feel it anywhere from your heel to the ball of your foot. The pain from this condition can not only ruin your workouts but also often your whole day.

The best way to handle PF is to avoid it. Always wear smart, supportive shoes, especially when you will be doing lots of walking. I know several people who came down with PF after a NYC vacation. Those New York sidewalks are hard on your feet! The other way to avoid PF is to use some of the fixes in this article as prevention, so please read on.

PF tends to run a course once you have it. Again, prevention is the key.

There is tons of information online about PF. If you have it, try any of the online suggestions that seem like a good idea to you. Here are the actions that I have found work best for me and my clients. (They are in no particular order; just do what you can.)

1. Always wear shoes, slippers, sandals, etc. In other words, don’t go barefoot.

4. Take a contrast bath. Begin with one basin of warm, almost hot water. Then move your feet to a basin of cold water with ice in it. Keep your feet in the warm water for 3 minutes, before moving over to the cold for 1 minute. Repeat the process 3 times. This takes some prep and requires 12 minutes, but I have found this to be the best turn around for PF. Always end with cold.

5. Try the bed foot exercises in this article.

All of the aforementioned—except contrast baths—will help to prevent PF as well as speed your recovery from it. If you know you will be doing an unusual amount of walking, especially on really hard surfaces like the sidewalks of NYC, then implement some of the above for prevention.

Calf and Hamstring Stretching A great calf/hamstring combo stretch is the flop over. Simply stand in front of your bed, table or counter, fold yourself forward from the hips and let your upper body rest on the surface.

You will feel a stretch in the back of you anywhere from your lower back to your heels. Locking your knees will affect it. Arching your back will affect what you feel as well. Experiment, be gentle, pay attention and find what works best for you. You can search on YouTube for many calf/hamstring stretching variations and find what works for you.

Bed Foot Exercises I found an article recently that spoke about how hip/butt strength and flexibility make a big difference in the treatment and prevention of PF. It made total sense to me. I put the exercise ideas through Cinder’s Easy

Fitness filter and came up with a few small sweet steps: Lie in bed (or wherever) on your back, with your legs straight. You can also sit with your legs straight.

Toe Kisses: Bring the edges of your big toes together to “kiss,” and then release. You can flex your feet (toes to nose) or relax your feet. See what feels better. Start with 5 or 10 of these and add more of them slowly over time.

Build up gradually to 30 repetitions.

Sword Crosses: When Toe Kisses are easy and comfortable for you, try Sword Crosses. They begin with the same starting position as Toe Kisses. Go beyond the “kiss” and cross your feet, alternating which foot is on top. These can be surprisingly challenging, so go slowly, pay attention, be gentle and err on the side of caution.

You may feel these up your whole leg and thigh into your hips.

As always, if something doesn’t feel right ... stop!

Cinder Ernst, Medical Exercise Specialist and Life Coach Extraordinaire, helps reluctant exercisers to get moving with safe, effective and fun programs. Her book, “Easy Fitness for the Reluctant Exerciser” (cinderernst.com/easy-fitnessbook/), is now available in paperback and E-book. She specializes in fitness and rehab for plus-size clients, but her stress-free approach is suitable for all. Find out more at cinderernst.com

Tiger

“Rawr! My name is Tiger! At 99 pounds, I’m a gentle giant. I’d love to join your family and don the mantle of Official Cuddler, Eater of Treats, and Best Companion! My perfect day involves a slow walk, exploring somewhere new, meeting new people ... followed by an evening snuggle session. Come meet me!”

Tiger 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 Tiger.

To meet Tiger, as well as other pets seeking their forever homes, please visit: San Francisco SPCA Mission Campus 250 Florida Street San Francisco 94103 415-522-3500

Dr. Jennifer Scarlett and Pup

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: sfspca.org/adopt

As Heard on the Street . . . What was the worst and best thing that happened in 2017? compiled by Rink

Jim Walton

Dee Spencer

Shawn Matloob

Kyle Wong

Brianna Jalas

“The fact that we have been unable to alleviate the crisis over healthcare.

And the best is moving to San Francisco.”

“The Don. And the best is the Castro. I love the Castro.”

“The discrimination of the travel ban. And the best is that some federal courts have stood up to the administration in Washington D.C.”

“The loss of San Francisco Patrol Special Police Officer, John Fitzinger.

And the best is the continuation of the Castro Community on Patrol, after 11 years”

“When the community does not work out problems together. And the best is when they worked out problems together.”

artistic expression for me. Finding an Apple store south of Long Beach, I was able to replace my phone, but it was clear that I would be losing some information and data due to my general technological ignorance and lack of foresight. As the service person searched for my info in foreign places I knew not of, it was clear that I probably lost all of the pictures from the trip up to that point.

ing “nature’s paintings.” To my surprise and delight, these new photographic paintings received a lot of favorable attention and enthusiastic support at my recent Home Gallery Art show. Additional experimentation continued as I attempted to add painting textures to some of these photos. Subsequently the mixed media technique I used seems to have created some unusually mysterious, impressionistic landscapes—ones that captured more attention than I expected.

LEONARD PINNA (continued from page 24) rocks, trees, and cliffs in ways I had not before. I framed natural elements in ways that transcended the elements themselves—edges where the content of the images began to abstract in pattern, colors, and textures. I felt as if I were searching for naturally occurring “paintings” in these various micro-environs around the Point Lobos coast. The images and textures seem to correspond to the ones I usually paint. These “natural” paintings, though, seemed to capture images in ways far beyond what I could achieve by attempting to paint them. I felt an instinctual urge to capture the image in the lens perfectly.

I knew there would be no manipulation of the photo, no filters, and no Photoshopped effects. Equipped only with my iPhone 5S, I knew that a new form of creative expression was emerging within me, for it felt to be the same kind of mysterious opening of my senses akin to when I began my first major painting and subsequently my first major quilt. Later in my journey down the coast, I had a major mishap with my phone as it accidentally drowned in a container of liquid.

Aside from feeling rather unnerved by the loss of my phone, my more serious fear was that I had lost all of my pictures from Point Lobos—the ones that I thought were to become a new

Miraculously, the only pictures that were recovered were the very ones I had most feared were gone—the artistically shot images from Point Lobos! Hence, I have printed a series of these photos on canvas and they have become the genesis of what I am call-

As always, I continue to expand my creative horizons. I’m already beginning to project that, at some time in my later years, I will probably be

sitting at a wheel with wet clay and forming pottery dishes and bowls with my aging hands. A friend amusingly suggested that I return to handwriting and take up calligraphy next.

Perhaps. However, until such time, I will continue to express my creativity through painting, quilting, and photographing nature.

Leonard Pinna is available for collaborative commissions as either a painter for personal inner journey expression, or as a customized quilt designer. For further information or queries about commissioned works, please write to him (lennypinna@ yahoo.com) and visit his web gallery at pinna.wordpress.com

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DEC EM BER 21, 2017

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NEWS (continued from page 10) bedrock of our program is that we’re as committed to follow-up care as we are to patients’ initial care, something for which an academic medical center is ideally suited,” said Garcia, a board-certified urologist. Cedars-Sinai is one of only two academic medical centers in the Western U.S. that offers gender-affirming genital surgery, Garcia said. The medical center currently offers male-to-female and female-to-male surgeries, as well as several other surgical options to best meet patient needs. Patients already have come from the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Asia. The need for transgender services is evident. Recent federal and state population studies estimate that about 1.4 million adults, including 218,000 in California, identify as transgender people, according to the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law. Few surgeons nationally are trained to perform the surgeries, making Cedars-Sinai a key center for this type of specialized care and research. edgemedianetwork.com SF Pride Committee Accepting Suggestions for Community Grand Marshals San Francisco Pride is now accepting suggestions for 2018 Community Grand Marshals. San Francisco Pride has a long history of recognizing generations of LGBTQI leaders and heroes who have led the way in the struggle for equal rights. With this year’s theme, “Generations of Strength,” they intend to continue that tradition. Community Grand Marshals are local individuals or organizations who have contributed in large part to the SF Bay Area LGBTQI community; or as openly LGBTQI-identifying to the broader society. Suggested nominees must live or be based in the nine county Bay Area: A lameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma counties. Submit your suggestions for individuals and/or organizations you feel are deserving of this recognition

HORIZONS (continued from page 14) to sfpride.org/grand-marshals online until the deadline at 7 pm on January 10. sfpride.org Senator Wiener to Introduce Net Neutrality Legislation in California Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) has announced plans to introduce legislation to establish net neutrality protections in California after the Federal Communications Commission repealed national net neutrality regulations. Senator Wiener will introduce the legislation in January, when the State Legislature returns for session in Sacramento. “Net neutrality is essential to our 21st century democracy, and we need to be sure that people can access websites and information freely and fairly,” said Senator Wiener. “If the FCC is going to destroy net neutrality and create a system that favors certain websites just because they can pay more money, California must step in and ensure open internet access.” Currently California does not have its own regulations on net neutrality, having deferred to the federal rules. Senator Wiener’s legislation will establish net neutrality regulations in California. There are strong arguments that states have the right to protect internet access. sen.ca.gov Scientists Link Birth Order to Male Homosexuality According to a recent study, having an older brother might make you gay.

Results from a study published by the journal for Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America show that gay men have, on average, a greater number of older brothers than do heterosexual men. The findings are consistent with what scientists have noticed in previous research. But the PNAS study suggests that there may be a biological explanation that begins outside of the mother’s body. Signs point to a Ychromosome protein, which women

don’t have, and that is linked to male brain development. Researchers in the study believe this Y-chromosome protein enters the mother’s bloodstream after she is pregnant with her first boy. Since the protein is a foreign substance, the mother’s immune system fights if off with antibodies. If the mother gets pregnant with a second boy, the antibodies can cross the placental barrier and effect the brain development of the second male fetus and perhaps alter attraction. The findings are consistent with another study published by PNAS in 2006 that found the most prevalent biodemographic correlate of sexual orientation in men is the number of older brothers (fraternal birth order). The 2006 PNAS study agreed with a Canadian study from the 1990s. edgemedianetwork.com Three Federal Courts Have Ruled Against Trump’s Transgender Military Ban A third federal court has ruled against the Trump administration’s attempt to ban transgender people from joining the military. It agreed with D.C. and Maryland courts in stating that policy should revert to the status quo prior to the ban, meaning trans people can begin enlisting openly with the start of the new year. U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman, in Washington state, ruled in Karnoski v. Trump, brought by Lambda Legal and OutServe-SLDN. “Because defendants have failed to demonstrate that the policy prohibiting transgender individuals from serving openly is substantially related to important government interests, it does not survive intermediate scrutiny,” she wrote.

Pechman stated that the ban likely violates equal protection and due process rights, as well as First Amendment rights. Pechman said that forcing trans members of the military to lie about their gender identity would hamper their speech. lgbtqnation.com

Somos Familia, Oakland For building intergenerational leadership to create environments for Latina/o/x LGBTQ youth and their families Sunny Hills Services, Hayward For support of the Our Space program, supporting LGBTQ youth in the East Bay affected by poverty, homelessness, and the child welfare and juvenile justice systems The Spahr Center, San Rafael For LGBTQ senior programming in Marin County with a specific focus on leadership-building, health, and well-being of women Tenderloin Museum (Uptown Tenderloin, Inc.), San Francisco For support of the interactive play Compton’s Cafeteria Riot, chronicling the 1966 event that jumpstarted the LGBTQ equality movement Theatre Rhinoceros, San Francisco For support of the production and development of theater that speaks to the LGBTQ experience Topsy Turvy Queer Circus, San Francisco For multidisciplinary circus arts featuring queer artists of color Women’s Audio Mission, San Francisco For support of the LGBTQ Women of Color Artist Residency Program Young Women’s Freedom Center, San Francisco For support of Queer on the Inside, a program that supports incarcerated young cis and trans women Z Space, San Francisco For support of the world premiere of The Brother(s), an interactive production by Colman Domingo that brings the audience physically and emotionally closer to the trans and Filipino-American communities Other Horizons Funds, Giving Circles and Scholarships Global Faith and Equality Fund: GLIDE Foundation Ipas Media Matters for America OutRight Action International Planned Parenthood Federation of America Political Research Associates Southern Poverty Law Center The Fellowship Global at the YA Flunder Foundation Together for Transformation Project at Fellowship of Reconciliation HYPE (Horizons Young Professionals for Equality) Red Envelope Giving Circle Joseph Towner Fund for Gay and Lesbian Families No Hate SF eQuality Scholarship Fund Juan Marques Memorial Fund Scholarship Markowski-Leach Scholarship Fund Thomas H. Steel Fellowship Fund For more information about Horizons, please visit: https://www.horizonsfoundation.org/

SISTER DANA (continued from page 22) glorious victory for human rights, women’s rights, and civil rights—not to mention a huge slap on the predatory face of the Trump monster.

You’re next, Donald Dumbest!

On Sunday, December 10, hundreds met at Lookout Bar (3600 16th Street) in San Francisco for the annual SANTA SKIVVIES RUN, an outdoor underwear marathon. They came to Castro half naked or donned their best jolly old Santa costume in support of the SAN FRANCISCO AIDS FOUNDATION. 100 percent of the proceeds supported free HIV prevention, care, and support services. Yay! But also, brrrrrrr!

AGUILAS threw their annual XMAS HOLIDAY SHOW AND DANCE PARTY at the LGBT Community Center in the Rainbow Room. The name AGUILAS is an acronym for “Asamblea Gay Unida Im-

pactando Latinos a Superarse,” which translates to Assembly of United Gays Impacting Latinos towards Self-Empowerment.

AGUILAS is a nonprofit organization and the largest Gay Latino Organization in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Rainbow Room was decorated to the max in holiday lights, tree, and decor. Authentic Mexican food (including tamales) was served, along with festive entertainment by dazzling drag Santas and Mrs. Clauses. Of course, we danced to “Feliz Navidad,” “All I Want for Christmas is You,” “Despacito,” and the “Macarena” with appropriate choreography.

Activist Sister Dana joined the DSASF (San Francisco Democratic Socialists of America) group in Harvey Milk Plaza on Friday, December 15, to protest the

KIT’N KITTY’S

QUEER POP QUIZ ANSWER (Question on pg 21) D) seagull

While all of the mentioned animals have same-sex pairings quite regularly, B&B (and Engelbert Humperdinck) sang a cover of the 1979 original song “Lesbian Seagull” by gay recording artist Tom Wilson Weinberg, who still produces and performs in Philadelphia.

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GOP TAX SCAM that was about to pass along party lines in Congress. We chanted, “Tax the greedy, not the needy!” We heard several speakers give inspiring speeches to resist the tyranny, oligarchy, and autocracy of the current administration. DSASF seeks to create a system based on justice and equality for all people. They believe everyone deserves to live their own life with dignity. They work to equalize political and economic power, because true democracy cannot coexist with inequality. They urgently fight to stop the many crises facing our most powerless members of society. DSASF is not a political party. They are a coalition of people, united to create a more powerful front against the worst that capitalism has to offer.

Their next meeting is on January 11, 7 pm, at the Women’s Building, 3543 18th Street.

HanuCON—Our Big Queer Hanukkah Party—was celebrated at Oasis. We donned our blue and white “Santa” hats/yarmulkes, ate latkes, drank vodka, danced, and lit the menorah, while the delightful Miss Shugana hosted and entertained. Mazel tov!

Sister Dana sez, “If Jack Frost isn’t nipping at your nose, better check which character is inappropriately nipping without consent elsewhere on your body. Then go check out these holidaze offerings!”

QUEER INTERFAITH SERVICE CHRISTMAS EVE IN THE CASTRO is offered on Sunday, December 24, 6–7:30 pm in Harvey Milk Plaza. Join SACRED SPACE SF for their 2nd Annual Queer Christ-

mas Eve Interfaith Service. As for last year, hot chocolate and cookie bites will be part of the Communion service. And they are pleased to announce through a generous donation, they will have a limited number of pupusas to serve for the hungry people after the service. Hygiene kits, clean socks, hats, scarves and gloves will be handed out after the service has ended. (Donations accepted).

Have you seen the new CASTRO STREET CAM? If not, please click onto sfbaytimes.com/castro-streetcam/ and have a look. It’s live 24/7 with three cameras streaming, and a fourth for special occasions held at Jane Warner Plaza. You can people-watch the folks who are donning their gay apparel. Thanks to our friends at Cliff’s Variety and Orphan Andy’s for making it so!

This December 24, join the SAN FRANCISCO GAY MEN’S CHORUS for some stunning holiday performances that bring together glorious singing and hilarious hijinks to the stage, whisking you away on a journey from the comfort and coziness of your seat all the way to the North Pole. Don’t miss a single performance! HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS plays onstage at the Castro Theatre, 429 Castro Street, 5 pm, 7 pm, and 9 pm—all on Christmas Eve Sunday. Fa la la la la!!! sfgmc.org The RAINBOW WORLD FUND (RWF) World Tree of Hope is a gift to San Francisco from the LGBTQ and allied friends’ community. The RWF mission is to promote peace, unity and hope by leading the LGBTQ movement to participate in humanitarian relief efforts. “The Rainbow World Fund WORLD TREE

OF HOPE taps into two of our most powerful resources—the human mind and heart—to give individuals a way to join together to express our hopes and intentions for the future of our global community,” says Jeff Cotter, Executive Director of the Rainbow World Fund.

“The Tree celebrates the power of hope—how essential it is to our survival, our healing and humanity.”

Decorated with more than 17,000 origami cranes and stars, the RWF World Tree of Hope is the largest annual origami-decorated tree in the world. Every crane and star contains handwritten notes of peace and love from children and adults across the globe. The wishes were folded into white origami cranes by a diverse team of volunteers, including members of San Francisco’s LGBTQ and Japanese-American communities, among them survivors of the Hiroshima atomic bomb. The tree will be on display at the City Hall Rotunda from now to January 4. Wishes will be added to the tree throughout December. Interested individuals can send a wish by visiting worldtreeofhope.org Sister Dana sez, “A charitable foundation has been created in honor of the late Mayor Ed Lee at the San Francisco Foundation known as the ‘The Edwin M. Lee Community Fund’ to fund causes important to him— addressing homelessness, fighting discrimination, protecting immigrants, protecting the environment, and increasing affordability for San Franciscans.

RIP Mayor Lee, and may his progressive legacy increase tenfold!”

Professional Services

LAW OFFICES OF MILES & TORRES Estate Planning 1393 Noe Street, San Francisco, CA 94131 (415) 308-2307 www.milestorreslaw.com

PHOTO BY SANDY MORRIS

N ewPer spec ti ves Center for Counseling

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COMING UP

Compiled by Blake Dillon

CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS sfbaytimes.com

21 : Thursday Alumni Intercollegiate LGBTQ Mixer @ Le Meridien Hotel Lobby Lounge, 333 Battery Street. Networking opportunities for alumni and their friends. 6:309pm. josephlee94108@gmail.com Holiday Mecca 2.0 Women’s Happy Hour @ The Armory Club, 1799 Mission Street. Hosted

by Kelly Gilliam, the longstanding event for women continues in its new iteration. 6:30-9:30pm.

Comedy Returns to El Rio @ El Rio, 3158 Mission Street. Kung Pao Kosher Comedy’s Lisa Geduldig welcomes Marga Gomez, Will Durst, David Hawkins, and Aundre the Wonderwoman. 8-9:30pm. elriosf.com Jason Brock’s 5th Annual Holiday Show with Paula West @ Oasis, 298 11th Street.

The X-Factor star and special guest Paula West will sing holiday favorites with Dr. Dee Spencer at the piano. 8pm and Dec 22 at 8:30pm. jasonbrockvocals.com MAX SF’s Third Thursday Happy Hour @ Beaux, 2344 Market Street. Gay men and their friends meet to socialize and enjoy the scene at Beaux. 5-8pm. maxsf.org Space: Winter Solstice Party @ The Port Bar, 2023 Broadway, Oakland. Space, presented

by SF LA Queer Nightlife’s Jenna

D. Simon and Niko Storment, is a queer dance party on 3rd Thursdays monthly at the Port Bar located next to the historic Paramount Theater, providing a space for queers and their allies to have a good time. 7pm. @space.in.oak

has skating sessions available daily.

11am-5pm through January 7 (check schedule for Christmas Day). calacademy.org

The Hard Nut @ Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley. Cal Performances invites the LGBTQ community to The Hard Nut featuring a rollicking gender-bending performance by the Mark Morris Dance group of Tchaikovsky’s classic Nutcraker.

8pm and additional dates through December 24. calperformances.org

Mittens and Mistletoe @ Dance Brigade’s Dance Mission Theater, 3316 24th Street. Presented by Sweet Can Productions, the show, now in its 8th year, is an intimate theatrical circus experience with clowning, acrobatics and interactive madcappery for the entire family. Multiple dates through December 28. dancemission.com

Macy’s 31st Holiday Windows & Pet Adoptions @ Union Square, 170 O’Farrell Street. SFSPCA’s pop-up adoption center inside Macy’s Holiday Windows. Daily 11am-1pm, 5-7pm through January 1. sfspca.org Home for the Holidays at Carolwood @ Walt Disney Family Museum, 104 Montgomery Street in the Presidio. The annual seasonal exhibit celebrates Walt Disney’s love of trains. 10am-6pm Daily except Tuesdays. waltdisney.org ’Tis the Season for Science and Holiday Ice Rink @ California Academy of Sciences @ Golden Gate Park, 55 Music Concourse Drive. The Academy’s annual holiday exhibit celebrates how animals adapt in snowy ecosystems. The outdoor Holiday Ice Rink

22 : Friday

A Very John Waters Trashmess! @ Ivy Room, 860 San Pablo Avenue, Albany. Bonni Suval presents a John Watersthemed evening with free food and a raffle, featuring Hollow Eve, Dean Disaster, Nick Nave, DJ Jerry Lee and more. 9pm. ivyroom.com Game Night @ Oakland LGBTQ Community Center, 3207 Lakeshore Avenue, Oakland. Free night every Friday for older teens and adults in the common ground community room. 7:30-10:30pm. oaklandlgbtqcenter.org Dark + Light Exhibit @ Harvey Milk Center for Photography, 50 Scott Street. An exhibit of Rock & Roll photography

by Jay Blakesberg featuring iconic images of The Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, The Rolling Stones and more. Through January 6. harveymilkphotocenter.org

23 : Saturday Russian Holiday Bells @ San Francisco Public Library, Koret Auditorium, 100 Larkin Street. The program includes an introduction to Russian bell ringing, a Russian bell concert by SF Symphony percussionist Victor Avdienko, and the screening of the film A Voice of Pure Earth. 12-2pm. sfpl.org Kung Pao Kosher Comedy’s 25th Anniversary @ New Asia Restaurant, 772 Pacific Avenue. Jewish comedy on Christmas in a Chinese restaurant hosted by Lisa Geduldig with Cathy Ladman, Wendy Liebman and Gary Gulman.

5pm and 8:30pm and also December 24 & 25. koshercomedy.com Lillian Hellman’s Watch on the Rhine @ Berkeley Rep, 2025 Addition Street, Berkeley. Written in 1941, the play is a timely examination of moral obligation, sacrifice and what it means to be American.

8pm through Dec 31. berkeleyrep.org Zoolights at Oakland Zoo! @ Oakland Zoo, 9777 Golf Links Road, Oakland. Enjoy the Bay Area view from festively-lit gondolas, a music-themed light show, express train and more. 5:30pm and additional dates through January 1. oaklandzoo.org 28

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Christmas Queens Official Tour @ Mezzanine, 444 Jessie Street. Presented by Voss Events & RuPaul’s Drag Race, the show brings to San Francisco a holiday spectacular featuring host Michelle Visage and a line-up of drag queens. vossevents.com

24 : Sunday Christmas Eve Sunday’s A Drag @ The Starlight Room, Powell Street. Hosted by Donna Sachet, the event features a brunch and a troupe of entertainers. It is described as “The Greatest Drag Show in San Francisco.” Two shows every Sunday at 11am and 2pm. starlightroomsf.com Home for the Holidays with San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus @ The Castro Theatre, 429 Castro Street. It’s the penultimate Castro show for the holiday season, featuring in its 28th annual edition, singing and hijinks taking the audience on a visit to the North Pole. 5, 7, and 9pm. sfgmc.org Queer Christmas Eve Interfaith Service in the Castro @ Harvey Milk Plaza, 2401 Market Street. The host, Sacred Space SF, is seeking volunteers for the event that includes hot chocolate and cookie bites as part of a Communion service. Hygiene kits, socks, hats and other items are welcomed to be distributed. 6-7:30pm. sacredspacesf.org

25 : Monday Christmas Day Marathon Meetings Christmas Edition @ Castro Country Club, 4058 18th Street. Starting early and continuing late, the meetings on Christmas Day will include a Potluck Lunch, 1-4pm. 7:30am-11:59pm. castrocountryclub.org Tenderloin Tessie Christmas Dinner - Volunteers Needed @ First Unitarian Universalist Society of San Francisco, 1187 Franklin Street. You can help on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. 9am-6pm. tenderlointessie@ yahoo.com or 415-584-3252 7th Annual Klezmer Street Party @ Saul’s Restaurant & Deli, 1475 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley.

Bustling inside and dancing outside with an all-star line-up of klezmers filling the street with freylachs and horas and latkes. 12 noon-3pm. saulsdeli.com

26 : Tuesday Oy Vey in a Manger: The Kinsey Sicks @ The Speakeasy SF, 160-198 Bay Street. The four-part harmony Kinsey Sicks present their holiday show where they’re trying

to sell off their manger before it’s foreclosed upon. 7:30-9:30pm continuing through December 30. thespeakeasysf.com Queer and Trans Open Mic @ Oakland LGBTQ Community Center, 3207 Lakeshore Avenue, Oakland. Presented by Spectrum Queer Media and hosted by Kin Folkz and Blackberri, the event provides a safe space for transformative collective self-care with the LGBTQIA2S and Authentic Ally community. 7pm. oaklandlgbtqcenter.org

27 : Wednesday Leanne Borghesi’s Birthday “44’s Bangin’ On My Door!” @ Martuni’s Piano Bar, 4 Valencia Street. An annual birthday celebration open to all, including savory appetizers, a “frolic,” and a show.

The event supports the Brisbane Lions Club 2018 Scholarship Fund.

6:30-8:30pm. leanneborghesi.com Tapata Trivia Round UP! @ Wild Side West, 424 Courtland Avenue. Kit Tapata hosts the weekly on Wednesdays trivia competition mixed with music and live improv at the popular Bernal Heights location.

7-9pm. tapatatwins.com

28 : Thursday A Midsummer Night’s Dream @ Phoenix Theatre, 414 Mason Street. Ninjaz of Drama’s production of Shakespeare’s most popular comedy. 8pm. Selected dates through December 30. ninjazofdrama.com

29 : Friday Sing-A-Long Sound of Music @ The Castro Theatre, 429 Castro Street. Hosted annually by Sara Moore and Laurie Bushman.

The entire audience can sing along to the classic Rogers and Hammerstein musical in widescreen, dress up and enjoy goody bags. 7pm and multiple shows through January 1. castrotheatre.com Friday Music Video Party Night @ White Horse Bar, 6551 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland. A video music party every Friday night at the historic White Horse in Oakland. 9pm-2am. whitehorsebar.com

30 : Saturday QTies: A Bay Area Queer & Trans Play Party @ Iron Grant Loft, 1080 23rd Avenue, Oakland.

Hosted by sex educator and relationship coach Alex S. Morgan, QTies is a play party held on the first Saturday of every other month.

7:30pm-12am. alex@alexsmorgan.com 16th Annual Sing For Your Life @ First Congregational Church of Oakland, 2501 Harrison

Street, Oakland. Hosted by OneVoice CircleSingers and First Congo of Oakland, the sing is led by SoVoSo & Friends. Noon to Midnight. circlesing.org

31 : Sunday New Year’s Eve Celebrating Kwanzaa (Infinite Creativity) @ San Francisco Public Library, Koret Auditorium and Latino/Hispanic Room, 100 Larkin Street. The Library’s African American Center, in partnership with Kwanzaa S.F., presents a Kwanzaa celebration in honor of Kuumba, our potential for infinite creativity with a live performance and feast.

1pm. sfpl.org Paula Poundstone @ The Nourse Theater, 285 Hayes Street.

8pm. The “ever perplexed” stand-up comedy of Poundstone, now in its 4th decade, returns to the Bay Area. axs.com A New Year’s Event with Seth MacFarlane and the San Francisco Symphony @ Davies Symphony Hall, 201 Van Ness Avenue. Academy and Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter, actor, producer and director Seth MacFarlane brings his rich baritone vocals and pizazz to light up the stage with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra.

8-10pm. sfsymphony.org Rhino’s NYE Spectacular @ Theatre Rhinoceros, 215 Jackson Street. San Francisco comedian, activist and politician Tom Ammiano hosts an evening of song, dance and comedy featuring some of the Bay Area’s most fabulous queer talent.

8pm-11pm. therhino.org Mango New Year’s Eve 2018 @ El Rio, 3158 Mission Street. DJs Olga T, Lady Lu and La Coqui will spin tunes for outdoor and indoor dancing at this original Tea Dance for women and their allies featuring the best vibe, strong drinks and more. elriosf.com SF Eagle’s 4th Annual New Gears Eve @ SF Eagle, 398 12th Street. A rockin’ balll hosted by Moni Stat and DJ Mike Simonetti.

8pm-2am. sfeagle.com Ivy Room New Year’s Eve with Fleetwood Macramè @ Ivy Room, 860 San Pablo Avenue, Albany. Dress as your favorite Fleetwood Mac member for an all out party when this Bay Area tribute band returns for dancing, NYE party supplies, free champagne toast and more. ivyroom.com Hubba Hubba Revue’s New Year’s Eve Burlesque Bash @ Uptown Night Club, 1928 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland. The Bay Area’s world famous burlesque and variety show with a night of naughty thrills featuring the madcap kings of swing, Lee Presson & The Nails. 9pm. uptownnightclub.com UHAUL SF’s 4th Annual NYE Party @ Mars Bar, 798 Brannon Street. A black tie event for girls who love girls at a a new private speakeasy venue in SOMA and featuring djs, gogos, outdoor private yard and a champagne toast. 9pm2am. uhaulsf.com NYE Pachanga @ Virgil’s Sea Room, 3152 Mission Street. A benefit to benefit Galeria de la Raza’s mission to support appreciation of Chicano/Latino art and serve as a lab where artists can explore contemporary issues. 8pm-2am. virgilssf.com The Dream of 2018 All Women New Year’s Eve Gala @ Humanist Hall, 390 27th Street, Oakland. Hosted by Roke Noir the event, a fundraiser for Labrys School, includes rituals, games, sa-

cred music, midnight drum dance, IGNITE ceremony, appetizers, drinks, desserts and more. 8pm. labryschool@gmail.com Swagger Like Us Presents NYE 2K18 @ F8 Nightclub & Bar, 1192 Folsom Street. Includes 5 djs, entertainers and more featured guests. 9pm-3am. swaggersf.com

1 : Monday New Year’s Day Bloody Marys on the Bay Schooner Freda B @ Slip 907, Sausalito Yacht Harbor, 100 Bay Street, Sausalito. A Bloody Mary or Mimosa plus light breakfast of pastries, fruits and cheeses plus a sail on San Francisco Bay aboard one of the most beautiful vessels of the Bay Area. 11am-2pm. schoonerfredab.com Stephanie Teel @ her church (the purple church) @ herchurch, 678 Portola Drive. A dance for those who are interested in being with happy, healthy, meditative women and others who will share food, love, spirit and an outlook for a better future. 5-8pm. herchurch.org

2 : Tuesday Question Bridge: Black Males @ Oakland Museum of California, 1000 Oak Street, Oakland. A selection of videos featuring more than 160 black men from across the U.S., answering each other’s questions on family, love, interracial relationships, community, education and wisdom.

Wednesdays through Sundays through February 25. museumca.org

3 : Wednesday Queer Youth Meal Night @ San Francisco LGBT Center, 1800 Market Street. Dinner is served every Tuesday evening for LGBTQ youth ages 18-24 with drop-in mental health and HIV testing services available and opportunities to connect with community service providers from LYRIC, Larkin Street, HRTC and Street Soccer USA. 5-7pm. sfcenter.org

4 : Thursday Castro Art Walk @ Castro District Locations. A neighborhood art walk held monthly on the first Thursday of each month at multiple hosting locations. 6-9pm.

Castro Art Walk on Facebook.com Cartoons That Bop! (16mm) @ Roxie Theater, 3117 16th Street.

Hot musical cartoons from the 30s to the 50s featuring name bandleaders such as Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Ella Fitzgerald and more. 7-9pm. roxie.com Gayface (Queer Vibezzzzzz) @ El Rio,3158 Mission @ Cesar Chavez. Happening in the venue’s Front Room with tunes by a local DJ, the event is a queer gathering held every Thursday. 9pm-2am. elriosf.com

5 : Friday Bear Trap @ Lone Star Saloon, 1354 Harrison St. With DJ Collin Bass. Five dollar cover. 9pm–2am. lonestarsf.com

6 : Saturday The Winter Extravaganza: Into The Woods @ Club BNB Nightclub, 2120 Broadway, Oakland. The Royal Grand Ducal Council of Alameda & Contra Costa Counties presents its annual benefit celebrating the reigning

Royal Crown Count and Countess.

5-9pm. alameda-ducal.org Lesbian/Bi ‘Fast Flirting” Speed Dating with a Tech Twist @ District Oakland, 827 Washington Street, Oakland. Join Dr. Frankie, a credible relationship coach and matchmaker, for an event that brings together “real women” for real conversations and chemistry. 5:30-7:30pm. littlegaybook.com Country Nights Women’s Partner Dancing @ Lake Merritt Dance Center, 1st Floor Lounge, 200 Grand Avenue, Oakland. First Saturdays Women’s partner dancing and lessons. 7pm Lesson; 8pm Dancing. countrynightsdance.com Stephanie Teel Band @ Fenix, 919 4th Street, San Rafael. The band’s first dance party in the New Year. 8-11pm. fenixlive.com Leisure-Bowie Birthday Ball @ Club Leisure, 1190 Folsom Street. DJs Aaron, Omar and Jez will spin all the Bowie plus classic Britpop, Madchester, Pre-Rave Manchester Miserablism, Northern Soul, Glam and Post Punk on two dance floors with special Bowie drinks, videos and karaoke plus a midnight toast to the Thin White Duke. 10pm-3am. twitter.com/LeisureSF

7 : Sunday 16th Annual No Pants! Subway Ride 2018 @ San Francisco Bay Area BART/MUNI. All are welcome to participate in this annual activity and you can find out the details by checking back for more on the Facebook page: No Pants!

Subway Ride 2018. 1:30-5pm.

Bowiemas xiv @ The Stud, 399 9th Street. The annual night of dancing and romancing with Bowie songs with a midnight mass, costume context and more. 10pm-1am. studsf.com

8 : Monday 5th Annual Emperor Norton Memorial Walk @ Empire Park, 632 Commercial Street. Hosted by Emperor Norton’s Fantastic San Francisco Time Machine, the walk, a free event open to all, is a candlelight reenactment of Emperor Norton’s final stroll on the 138th anniversary of his passing. 7:458:45pm. emperornortontour.com

9 : Tuesday David Bowie Sing Along with Kitten on the Keys @ PianoFight, 144 Taylor Street. Bay Area native Suzanne Ramsey, aka pianist and singer Kitten on the Keys, will lead an old fashioned sing along honoring David Bowie’s life.

7-10pm. suzanneramsey.net

10 : Wednesday Ronnie Gilbert Public Sing @ Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse, 2020 Addison Street, Berkeley. Singer/ songwriter Holly Near and jazz musician Tammy Hall headline a free public evening of song in memory of beloved folk singer and political activist Ronnie Gilbert who said, “We are at our best when we stand together and sing.” 7-8:30pm. thefreight.org

11 : Thursday Author Talk: Red Diaper Daughter @ GLBT History Museum, 4127 18th Street. Author Laura Bock will read and tell stories from her new memoir, Red Diaper Daughter. 7-9pm.

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Round About - All Over Town - Holiday Season Photos by Rink

A gingerbread version of Castle Wittelsbach in Bavaria on display in the lobby of the Westin St. Francis Hotel at Union Square One of several fantasy castles decorating the lobby of the Westin St. Francis Hotel at Union Square

The holiday display in the windows of Macy’s at Union Square

A pair of kittens available for adoption in one of the Macy’s 31st Annual Holiday Pet Adoption Windows at Union Square

The North Pole workshop display at Macy's complete with elves, presents and Santa holding a long list of children’s names

An oyster shell holiday tree af Swan Oyster Depot on Polk Street

A puppy in the Macy’s 31st Holiday Pet Adoption Windows at Union Square

Mayoral candidate Mark Leno with Academy of Friends’ Matthew Denckla at the Maitri Holiday Open House Sarah Flores and Karen Larsen at the annual Larsen and Associates Holiday Party.

(above) IndiFest executive director Jeff Ross and his team of colleagues at the Karen Larsen Associates party

(right) Corey Tong with Brian Freeman at the Karen Larsen and Associates Holiday Party.

Maitri Hospice staff welcomed guests to the annual Maitri Holiday Open House.

Sister Scola with guests at the Maitri Holiday Open House 30

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Branice McKenzie entertained guests at the annual Maitri Holiday Open House.

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Maitri’s Toni Newman and Anne Gimbel at the annual Maitri Holiday Open House.

Sister Norman Lee, Santa John Campbell, Maitri’s Toni Newman and guests at the annual Maitri Holiday Open House.

The San Francisco Fairmont Hotel decorated with holiday season lighting The holiday tree in the lobby of the San Francisco Fairmont Hotel

The Bay Bridge, Transamerica Pyramid and Embarcadero Center as seen from Nob Hill

The statue of Tony Bennett in front of the San Francisco Fairmont Hotel decorated with a holiday scarf.

Holiday lighting at Grace Cathedral and Huntington Park in the Nob Hill neighborhood

Performer Khmera Rouge on stage at the Shanti Project’s benefit held at the Midnight Sun promoting sale of Shanti’s Drag Queen Calendar

The celebrated two-story gingerbread house in the lobby of the Fairmont Hotel

Castro Street Fair organizers with Castro Merchants Association’s Richard Magary (right) at Beaux enjoying the Castro Street Fair Holiday Party Castro Street Fair executive director Fred Lopez (left) with board member emeritus Steve Gaynes at the Castro Street Fair organization’s Holiday Party at Beaux

Eniola Abioye, Subi Nahas, Andrew Spieldennis, Marcia Ochoa, moderator Julie Dorf, and E.G. Crichton at the GLBT History Museum for the Foreign Bodies, Homophobia, Race and Immigration panel.

Guests attending the Castro Street Fair Holiday Party at Beaux

San Francisco Pride’s George Ridgely (right) with Local Take’s Jenn Meyer and a guest at Beaux during the Castro Street Fair Holiday Party

GLBTHS executive director Terry Beswick with filmmaker Jenni Olson at the Foreign Bodies: Homophobia, Race and Immigration panel discussion at the GLBT Historical Society’s Museum on December 14.

(above) The annual Harvey Milk/ George Moscone Memorial Vigil held on November 27 included the march with flags from Harvey Milk Plaza to the site of Harvey’s camera store, which is now the HRC store. Note that the new rainbow flag with the added brown and black stripes is caried alongside the transgender flag.

Guest Kevin Liebig with performer Kylie Minono at the Shanti project benefit held at the Midnight Sun. (left) The HRC Store window display set up for the annual Harvey Milk/George Moscone Memorial Vigil on November 27.

(left) Alex U Inn (left) joined Brad Chapin in speaking at the Harvey Milk/George Moscone Vigil on November 27.

(right) Daniel Bao, Vince Crisostomo and Alex U Inn at the panel discussion on Foreign Bodies: Homophobia, Race and Immigration panel event.

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