San Francisco Bay Times September 3, 2015

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PHOTOS BY ROBBIE SWEENEY AND JESSE BROOKS, COURTESY OF OAKLAND PRIDE

September 3-16, 2015 | /SFBayTimes

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Oakland Pride 2015 to Showcase East Bay LGBT Music

The music, in particular, is always incredible at Oakland Pride, and this year’s lineup promises to be one of the best ever. For more information about that, please turn the page! And please put Oakland Pride on your calendar, Sunday, September 13. The Parade starts at 10:30am at Broadway and 14th Street. The Festival runs from 11am to 7pm at Broadway and 20th Street. Exit from the 19th Street BART station and you’ll be nearly right at the entrance!

PHOTO BY JESSE BROOKS

For more information, visit www.oaklandpride.org

PHOTO BY JESSE BROOKS

PHOTO BY ROBBIE SWEENEY

PHOTO BY JESSE BROOKS

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The organization further wants to be of assistance in providing a sustainable solution to implement or support needed services for challenges—especially

FAQs

PHOTO BY ROBBIE SWEENEY

PHOTO BY JESSE BROOKS

In 2008, Oakland City Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan—who is now also an San Francisco Bay Times columnist—and others led efforts to re-organize an LGBT Roundtable in

Since the renewal of this effort, Oakland Pride has been busy networking with allies and partners. According to a statement issued by the organization, “Our goal is to create a vibrant and viable organization worthy of the LGBT community in the East Bay. Oakland Pride is set to celebrate our annual Pride festival on the second Sunday of September. As we continue to raise funds for the festival, the longer-term goal is to support our larger goal for the creation of an LGBT Community Center in Oakland for everyone.”

in low-income, multi-cultural elder and young LGBT communities. To reach these and other goals, Oakland Pride is collaborating with a host of organizations that help our community and include Our Family Coalition, Lavender Seniors of the East Bay, Pacific Center, East Bay AIDS Advocacy Foundation and many more.

PHOTO BY JESSE BROOKS

Before there was Oakland Pride there was East Bay Pride, which was celebrated in Oakland from 1997 to 2004. It was led by the efforts of former Oakland City Councilmember Danny Wan and the city’s LGBT Roundtable. In 2005 and 2006, the event evolved to become “Out In Oakland.”

Revitalized Oakland Pride

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History

the city. Since then, members of the Roundtable and representatives from the LGBT community decided that it was time to resuscitate Oakland Pride for the long term, and advocate for our community’s rights and interests.

PHOTO BY JESSE BROOKS

Here at the San Francisco Bay Times and “Betty’s List,” we often say that we’re “bi-Bay,” because we have an office in Oakland and attend many East Bay events. An annual can’tmiss favorite is Oakland Pride, which is big enough to have something to please nearly everyone, yet is still small enough to have a more family feel than some of the nation’s larger Pride events.

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Welcome to Oakland Pride!

At this year’s Oakland Pride, we have expanded our focus to bringing wellknown headliner entertainment, while also highlighting Bay Area and Oaklandbased local emerging talent on our stages.

My entertainment collaborators Mickey Hall and Danielle Sherman have worked hard to help create a music platform and “vibe” that fit with our event and that change and remain dynamic.

I am very passionate about the international and local music scenes, and I am particularly proud to highlight the local talent from Oakland and the Bay Area. There are so many outstanding local and emerging artists whom we consider every year, and making the final selection takes a lot of time and effort. We wish that we could accommodate everyone who applies, however, in doing so our one-day festival would last at least a week!

The programming of our stages this year is led by several producers. Valentin Carrillo and Robert Munoz are the excellent producers of the Latin Stage. These two gentlemen produce Club 21’s show called “La Bota Loca” (The Crazy Boot). Both Val and Robert have sourced the very best talent for Oakland Pride, and are proven experts in programming the Latin Stage.

For the Womyn’s Stage, Christiana Remington of Butta Productions continues to be a powerhouse producer. This

year, Christiana expanded her search of artists who appeal to the Bay Area’s large and diverse Lesbian community.

The Community Stage is produced by our longtime partners at the White Horse Bar. Every year, Chuck and Brandon of the White Horse provide talent from local community shows, and again this year will showcase their “Queer Idol” finalist. We are also honored to present on the Community Stage Miz Chris and Mona of fiveTEN productions. Miz Chris and Mona are noted for their success in producing such events as Fashion Queer Week and Oakland’s National Poetry Slam. Together, the White Horse and fiveTEN have put together an amazing lineup that’s nonstop.

We are very fortunate to have Joe Hawkins of Club Rim Shot participating as one of the producers of the Oakland Pride Main Stage. Joe was one of the original founders of Oakland Pride, and continues to actively participate in the event and the community.

Joining Joe on the Main Stage is a newcomer: emerging producer Phillip of DJ Pac Mobile.

Phillip’s production company features everything from hip-hop to retro 80s.

International dance producer Corey Action of the New Style Motherload Dance Studio has also joined forces with us, and has one of the best dance studios in the Bay Area! Corey and members of other dance studios will be performing throughout the day. All performances will represent original choreography and programming.

This is my sixth year as the Director of Entertainment and Talent for Oakland Pride. Every year, our event grows and gets better and better. I am very fortunate to work in the company of other greats on the Oakland Pride Board: Amber Todd, Frank Ciglar, Kelvin Young, Juan Zamora and Carlos Urbie. They are my Oakland Pride family, and are fierce leaders in the LGBTQ community.

Through our continued love and passion for this event and our community as a whole, we plan to bring you the best Oakland Pride ever.

Thank you for your support, and welcome to Oakland Pride 2015!

John Eric Henry is Director of Entertainment and Talent Acquisition at Oakland Pride.

Michel’le Michel’le Toussant is an R&B recording artist and songwriter who will forever hold a place in music history as one of the most important female voices in the history of the West Coast Hip Hop Movement. Signed to Ruthless Records as a teenager, her label mates included pioneers such as Eazy E, NWA and the D.O.C. Unlike the gritty, hard hitting rap music previously produced by Ruthless Records, Michel’le’s melodic, yet powerful, vocals offered an amazing contrast on her debut album Michel’le, which was produced entirely by Andre “Dr. Dre” Young and Executive Produced

by Eric “Eazy E” Wright. She is currently developing a film based on her life from 1988 to 2002, and also has new music on the horizon. See this “First Lady of the West Coast Street Sound” at Oakland Pride! http://michellenow.com/

Oakland-East Bay Gay Men’s Chorus

Oakland-East Bay Gay Men’s Chorus The Oakland-East Bay Gay Men’s Chorus is a 50 voice gay men’s chorus that performs a wide variety of music, from Classical to Broadway, in three seasonal and numerous outreach performances every year. The Oakland-East Bay Gay Men’s Chorus is the most active and well-known Gay Arts organization in the Oakland and East Bay region of California. Centrally located in Oakland, the chorus serves many communities, with members coming from all around the Bay Area. http://oebgmc.org/

Christiana Remington Ch r ist ia na Remington is a longtime L GBTQ com munity organizer and a 10-year veteran at producing and managing both the SF Soul of Pride Stage and Oakland Pride Womyn’s Stage. For this year’s Oakland Pride, she told us, “I am proud to present amazing artists such as SIYA, Frenchie Davis, Lila Rose and many, many more! We are also excited to bring the Bay Area’s best female DJs: Pam the Funk stress, Page Hodel, Durt, Lady Ryan, and Rumorosa!” htt ps://w w w.l in ked in.com/pub/ christiana-remington/68/565/297

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PHOTO BY JESSE BROOKS

By John Eric Henry

Entertainment Schedule for Oakland Pride There will be dancing in the streets of Oakland on Sunday, September 13! Here’s the lineup of performers: Pride Main Stage 11:00am - DJ Wiley-E 11:30am - Space monkey Gangstas 12:30pm - Atomic Allure 1:00pm - DJ Wiley-E 2:00pm - Oakland East Bay Gay Men’s Chorus 2:30pm - DJ Rum (Club Rimshot) 3:00pm–3:05pm - Atomic Rebels 3:05pm–3:10pm - Da-Real-Dmoney 3:10pm–3:30pm - DJ Rum & Twerk Competition 3:30pm–3:40pm - Remenesse 3:40pm–3:50pm - YSD 3:50pm–4:00pm - Priceless Da Roc 4:00pm–4:15pm - Netta Brielle 4:15pm–4:30pm - DJ Rum 4:30pm - Corey Action & the New Style Motherlode 4:45pm - Chastity Hinson 5:00pm - Jericho Rose 5:10pm - Ronita Wheatfall & Le Belle Moi (Fashion Show) 5:20pm - Edna Brewer Middle School 5:30pm - Aniah LeShon 5:45pm - Corey Action & the New Style Motherlode 6:00pm - Michel’le Womyn’s Stage 12:15pm - Kayatta 12:40pm - Amy Meyers 1:15pm - Carrie 1:45pm - Ships Crew 2:15pm - Kofy Brown 2:50pm - Mamas Boyz 3:15pm - Karrienda 3:30pm - Lila Rose 4:15pm - Frenchie Davis 5:15pm - Nina Ross 5:35pm – SIYA Latin Stage To be announced!

Community Stage 11:00pm - Follies and Dollies 11:15pm - DJ Luna 12:00pm - Rebel Kings 12:30pm - DJ Deft 1:15pm - Debauchery 2:00pm - Queer Idol 2:45pm - DJ Lady Fingers 3:00pm - Femme Deadly Venoms 3:30pm - Lady Cultura 4:00pm - DJ DaveO 4:15pm - Double Douches 4:30pm - Swagger Like Us 5:00pm - Raquela 5:30pm - DJ Slim Beautiful 6:15pm - DJ John Miranda Schedule subject to change.

SF LGBT Community Center Plans Upgrade, Expansion The San Francisco LGBT Center works every day to create a home for the community—a vibrant and welcoming place where people, relationships and ideas can flourish. The building is an important resource for so many of us, and is an integral part of the Center’s programs.

The Center’s founding board and donors began dreaming of the building over 20 years ago, and worked hard to design and construct a lasting resource for the LGBT community. Today, it welcomes thousands of visitors each month who come to seek support in finding jobs and housing, access to critical safety net services, and cultural programs.

While our community has achieved progress in many areas, many of the needs identified by the Center’s founders remain the same: each day more LGBT young people arrive in San Francisco and struggle to find jobs, housing and healthcare; transphobia continues to result in high rates of unemployment and violence for transgender individuals; and LGBT people continue to face significant financial, health and social disparities.

While many of the needs of our community as outlined by the Center’s founders remain, the context and tools that all of us have to address

with non-profits that provide services within the Center’s walls •Addressing the critical lack of space for non-profits, particularly those that provide safety net services for people in the greatest need of support •Creating warmer and more welcoming public spaces and more social and cultural programs that would help to bring our diverse community together

these challenges continue to evolve.

As a result, the staff and board at the Center have listened to community feedback about the building, and have been working to find opportunities to make the building an even stronger resource. They are currently exploring an opportunity to do some renovation work on the structure that would allow them to better address evolving community needs, including: •Providing a broader array of on-site resources— such as health and wellness services and access to housing—through expanding partnerships

“We are very excited to explore a project that would create an opportunity to make the Center an even stronger asset for our community and create a resource that will continue to address the needs of the LGBT community for future generations,” Rebecca Rolfe, Executive Director of the Center, told the San Francisco Bay Times.

Rolfe added that she and her team are honored to have received a planning grant from the City that supports a process to evaluate the options available to them in better meeting evolving community needs. They look forward to sharing more information about the plans as those become available.

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Missed Jane Lynch in SF? You Can See Her Show in Carmel!

From the minute many of us here at the San Francisco Bay Times saw Jane Lynch, we were major fans. Her intelligence and sheer presence a lone are capt ivat i ng. Visually, she is a 6-foot powerhouse. Add her singing skills and dr y wit to the mix, and a star is born. The fact that she’s an out lesbian who supports our community and multiple charities only makes us enjoy her all the more.

Members of our team were therefore thrilled to see her live stage show “Jane Lynch: See Jane Sing” this past May at the historic Palace of Fine Arts Theatre in San Francisco.

Joined by Kate Flannery of The Office, she skillfully sang a delightful and eclectic mix of jazz, Broadway tunes, at least one Judy Garland song, country, rap and more. You can’t miss her version of Nicki Minaj’s “Anaconda.”

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Jane with her wax doppleganger

If you did not catch Jane Lynch in San Francisco, or want to see her live show again, now’s your chance! She’s going to be performing at the Sunset Center in Carmel-by-the-Sea on Saturday, September 26, at 8pm.

If you arrive at 7pm, you’ll be treated to complimentary champagne and delish chocolates. Consider making

We spoke with Lynch a few months back, and she told us how much she loves performing live on stage. It’s her true passion. She “has a blast,” she said, interacting with the musicians and the live audiences, “loving everything about this cabaret show.”

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Democratic Party Blues and City College Turns a Corner On August 12, the members of San Francisco’s Democratic County Central Committee met to vote on the Party’s endorsements for this November’s ballot. It was a grim night for the progressives. Our numbers on the Committee have been eroding since a conservative (by San Francisco standards, of course) majority was elected in 2012 and, in turn, elected Mary Jung as chair.

A San Francisco Kind of Democrat

not shared values in our local Party.

I was, for example, troubled to hear one of my more conservative colleagues assert at the August 12 DCCC meeting that we needn’t be terribly concerned about the influence of folks like Ron Conway who are able, without batting an eyelash, to dump hundreds of thousands of dollars into our elections. We may all be Democrats, but there is a world of distance between us.

Mary has been a tireless worker for the Party over The extent of the DCCC’s Rafael Mandelman many years, and she is a rightward shift was especially friend, but she also happens evident in its endorsements to be the chief lobbyist for against both Proposition F, the Airbnb reform, the San Francisco Realtors. As one would exand Proposition I, the Mission Moratorium. The pect, on the issues that divide progressives and Prop F vote was particularly galling for those conservatives locally, she is an able and effective of us who believe that the hotelization of our partisan for the Right (in this context, essentially neighborhoods is not just bad for those neighshorthand for the real estate, development and borhoods, but also has been devastating for the tech industries). Since the DCCC’s rules provide supply of rental housing citywide. for the chair to fill vacancies as they arise during a term, Mary has had the ability over the last For decades, our City government has enacted three years to replace a number of progressives, a set of policies to preserve our rental housing who have left the Committee, with more con- stock. The rise of the so-called “home-sharing” servative members. As a result, today the Party, websites has established a giant loophole in that which just a few short years ago was the City’s framework to allow the mass conversion of thoumost inf luential Left-leaning endorsing orga- sands of rental units and rooms, once available nization, has instead become one of San Fran- to San Franciscans, into what are essentially cisco’s more reliably pro-business endorsers. neighborhood hotel rooms available only to tourists. And in the midst of a housing crisis, no Now I believe in a big tent, and I try not to alienless! In rejecting Proposition I, the Committee ate potential allies, but folks who say that the stood strongly with the development community differences between the Left and the Right of the and against neighborhood activists demanding local Democratic Party are inconsequential are, that market rate development stop until the City in my view, just plain wrong. Those of us on the and the developers come up with a plan to enLeft believe government should prioritize the sure the creation of more affordable housing. needs of the most vulnerable among us, oppose policies that privilege the needs of the wealthy On a happier note, we have had a bit more good and the powerful, and want to limit the ability of news out of City College. After several years of very wealthy individuals and business interests steeply declining enrollment, early indicators to influence our politics through outsized cam- are that our fall 2015 numbers are finally stabipaign contributions. These are, I have learned, (continued on page 22)

Propositions on the November Ballot Concerning SF Housing

million worth of general obligation bonds to “finance the construction, development, acquisition, and preservation of housing affordable to low- and middle-income households…assist in the acquisition, rehabilitation, and preservation of affordable rental apartment buildings… repair and reconstruct dilapToday we are fortunate in idated public housing…fund Do Ask, Do Tell many ways in that our una middle-income rental proemployment rate is down to gram; and provide for homeZoe Dunning 3.5%. Many, but not all, of ownership down payment those new jobs came from assistance opportunities for the intentional recruitment of educators and middle-income households.” growing tech companies to locate their offices in the city. The issue facing the city became This is a large bond that has the potential to less about attracting jobs, and more about the make a meaningful impact to our housing crisis. challenge of housing these new workers. The The challenge will be to get the two-thirds of fact that San Francisco continues to be a highly the vote necessary to pass. That is a pretty high desirable place to live adds to the attraction and hurdle to overcome, but Prop A has a lot of supthe challenges. Because our city is situated on port, myself included. It is an investment in our the end of a peninsula, penned in by water on housing infrastructure that will protect many at three sides, we can’t just spread out and add housing to new surrounding suburbs. There is risk residents.

Five years ago, one of the largest issues facing San Francisco was its 9.5% unemployment rate. The economy was still in recession and people were looking for work. The real estate market in the Bay Area was also in trouble, and many development projects were on hold due to financing or other economic reasons.

precious room to build. With this combination of a robust economy, high demand, and limited opportunities to add housing stock to our current inventory, housing prices have soared to stratospheric levels. It is the number one issue facing our city right now.

Given that, it is not surprising that nearly half of the propositions on this November’s ballot have to do with housing. There are many theories as to what is contributing to the crisis, and many viewpoints on solutions to those causes. Your choice of which theories you believe, and which solutions you find reasonable, will drive your decisions at the ballot.

Prop A: If you believe the city is not doing enough, or spending enough, to build and protect affordable housing, Prop A is for you. If approved, Prop A will allow the city to issue $310

Prop D: If you believe developers aren’t setting aside enough for affordable housing because height restrictions make development in some areas unworkable financially, Prop D has a nifty development project for you. Prop D, also known as Mission Rock, clears the way for a development in the Mission Bay area. If passed, it allows the city to increase the height limit for a portion of the Mission Rock site from one story to height limits ranging from 40 to 240 feet and encourages the development, provided that it includes eight acres of parks and open space and housing, of which at least 33% is affordable for low- and middle-income households. It is a solid plan, the neighborhood wants it, and it builds needed housing stock in what is now a parking lot. To me, it is a no brainer. (continued on page 22)

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1141913ACMR0715

By Dennis McMillan

SF Day of Action for Black Trans Liberation Draws Hundreds The statue of Simon Bolivar in United Nations Plaza was the site of a rally called by the TGI Justice Project, a group of transgender people inside and outside prison, and Black Lives Matter Bay Area to address the epidemic of murder and violence faced by transgender women of color. This was one of many Trans Liberation Tuesday rallies throughout the country. In San Francisco, the names of 17 women murdered were read and a moment of silence was held to honor those victims of antitrans bigotry. The rally ended with the crowd chanting, “Black trans lives matter!” Later they stenciled: “Learn Her Name: #Black Trans Lives Matter” on city sidewalks. liberationnews.org Equality California and Coalition Call on Governor Brown to Sign Equal Protection for All Families Act Equality California joined Assemblymember Chiu and a coalition of LGBTQ and family advocates to urge Governor Jerry Brown to sign Assembly Bill 960, the Equal Protection for All Families Act. The bill was approved by the Assembly with bipartisan support, and it now heads to the Governor’s desk. AB 960 updates California’s assisted reproduction laws to help ensure that all families, including LGBTQ families, are equally protected by law. The bill is co-sponsored by the Equality California (EQCA), National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and Our Family Coalition (OFC). eqca.org ‘Our City Is Not for Sale’ Rally to Protest at Planning Commission The event formerly known as “The Mission Takes the Planning Commission” has expanded to “The City Takes City Hall: Our City Is Not for Sale” on September 10, 11am, for a rally and action at noon during the Planning Commission Hearing in Room 400, City Hall. Among the agenda items: No Beast on Bryant; Build Affordable Housing; Stop the Evictions; Preserve Arts and Culture; Just Cause Evictions 2.0; YES on I; YES on F, and Don’t Supersize SOMA. facebook.com/events/ 935968359777907 Qulture Collective Now Developing in Oakland Qulture Collective is a developing community space, retail shop and cafe located at 1714 Franklin Street in downtown Oakland dedicated to serving the queer community. The mission is to provide a central, devoted space for LGBTQIA individuals to network, cultivate creativity and develop and accomplish entrepreneurial goals. The cafe will employ queer and allied staff; their retail shop will showcase goods made by queer artisans, and their gallery will feature art by people across the LGBTQIA spectrum from Oakland, the entire Bay Area and beyond. qulturecollective.com Mayor Lee Announces Many Improvements on Muni Buses Mayor Edwin M. Lee and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) have announced the second round of sweeping service improvements starting September 26 through the Muni Forward initiative. The improvements include greater service frequency on nearly a dozen Muni

routes, replacing some smaller buses with brand-new larger buses along the heaviest traveled bus routes, and redesigning several routes to improve travel times while adding new connections to more destinations and major transit stations. sfgov.org Social Justice Group Launches Largest Survey Ever of Transgender Americans The National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) opened the 2015 U.S. Trans Survey (USTS), the followup to the National Transgender Discrimination Survey, in an attempt to gather a more comprehensive understanding of the experiences of transgender people in the United States. The 2015 U.S. Trans Survey is expected to be the largest, most extensive study ever undertaken of trans lives in America. The USTS will assess transgender people’s experiences including in employment, housing, healthcare, HIV/ AIDS, disabilities, immigration, sex work and police interactions. Participants will have at least one month to complete the survey, with results projected to be released in Spring of 2016. ustranssurvey.org Tenants Together Seeks Volunteers Tenants Together is seeking volunteers to become renters’ rights counselors in their main office in San Francisco.

Next trainings are September 15 and 16 from 5:30pm8pm (both days required). To date, Tenants Together volunteers have helped over 9,000 renters in California learn and assert their rights. Volunteers help tenants get repairs done, security deposits back, and fight against evictions and rent increases. Volunteers are expected to commit at least three hours per week at the Tenants Together office located at 995 Market Street, Suite 1202. The Hotline operates Monday through Friday, 10am to 5pm. tenantstogether. org A&PI Wellness Center’s LGBTQ Medical Clinic Designated a Federally Qualified Health Center The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has appointed A&PI Wellness Center to be a new Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), increasing access to the highest-quality primary care, mental health and supportive services for thousands of LGBTQ San Franciscans, people of color, and people living in the Tenderloin neighborhood. The competitive award secures approximately $650,000 in annual funding for the organization. A&PI Wellness Center was the only community health center in San Francisco and one of 266 clinics nationwide to achieve FQHC status this year. apiwellness.org DNC Unanimously Approves Resolution Supporting Gay Marriage Decision The Democratic National Committee (DNC) has unanimously approved a resolution backing the Supreme Court’s Obergefell ruling legalizing marriage equality nationwide. “Same-sex marriage is a constitutionally guaranteed right nationwide and can

no longer be denied by state laws,” reads the resolution. “The ruling now recognizes same-sex marriages all across this nation and these families will now be protected under the law from the discrimination and mistreatment to which they have long been subjected.” The resolution also describes the ruling in the Obergefell case as “an important victory for the LGBT community” and “a monumental step forward for our nation.”

The Republican National Committee recently went in the other direction on LGBT rights, with its approval of a resolution supporting so-called “religious freedom” proposals that legalize anti-LGBT discrimination. washingtonblade.com Castro Community on Patrol Offers Training to Volunteers Castro Community on Patrol (CCOP) will be training new volunteers in a free event on Saturday, September 19. The volunteers of CCOP have been part of improving the quality of life in the Castro and Duboce Triangle neighborhoods since 2006.

Organizers say the training will improve one’s personal safety awareness, whether or not the person becomes a volunteer. If the individual does decide to patrol, CCOP asks only one 3-hour shift per month. Reserve your spot at: http://castropatrol.org/volunteers/ Pride Parade to Hold Board Elections and Selection of 2016 Theme The San Francisco Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Pride Celebration Committee is holding its annual meeting at the San Francisco LGBT Community Center, 1800 Market Street, on Saturday, September 12, at 1pm. Each candidate will have an opportunity to make a statement to attendees and to answer questions. Three election inspectors will oversee to verify voter eligibility and to tally the votes. Pride Executive Director George Ridgely is automatically appointed to fill one of the inspector positions. For more information, and to read each candidate’s resume, visit sfpride.org Trans Community Altar Erected at Community Center Trans Employment Program (TEEI) and the SF LGBT Community Center has erected a Trans Community Altar to pay respect and pay homage to all the people who have been taken from us too soon.

The Altar will be up from now through November, which is the month of TDOR (Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20).

This is an opportunity for individuals to honor and mourn the lives of all those lost to violence. People can bring flowers, cards or just have a moment of silence. This will give individuals the opportunity to grieve on their own terms. sfcenter.org Golden Gate Business Association to Hold Annual Meeting and Elections The Golden Gate Business Association (GGBA) Annual Meeting/ Board Elections/ Make Contact event is Tuesday, September 8, 5–8pm at SPUR (San Francisco Planning and Urban Research), 654 Mission Street (between New Montgomery and 3rd Street). Find out what the GGBA has been doing to bring business opportunities to their LGBTQ members. This will also be Board election night for seven Board seats, and bylaws update approval by members. ggba.com

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Enjoy a six-course Spice Route menu or indulge in our ninecourse Degustation menu. For those with lighter appetites we offer a three-course Theatre Menu and Vegetarian Tasting menu.

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BAY T IM ES S EPT EM BER 3, 2015

7

Round About - Marlena’s Love Roast

Photos by Rink

The Second Annual José Sarria Community Celebration, hosted by Openhouse, was held on Thursday, August 20, at the SF LGBT Community Center. Led by emcee Empress Donna Sachet, roasters included an array of friends, colleagues and admirers. Senator Mark Leno presented a proclamation from the California State Senate.

Empress Galilea performed, and reigning Emperor and Empress Kevin Lisel and Khmera Rouge spoke.

Lt. Lenny Broberg auctioned off a set of jewels contributed by Marlena and an autographed copy of the San Francisco Bay Times commemorative published especially for the occasion.

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BAY TIMES SEPTEMB E R 3 , 2 0 1 5

Round About - SF Pride Check Granting Party Photos by Rink

The official SF Pride Check Granting Party was held on Saturday, August 29, at Madame Tussauds Wax Museum.

The event honors volunteers and organizations whose support and contributions of time, expertise and resources make it possible for the annual Parade and other activities to continue. A total of $166,690 was given to beneficiaries by the SF Pride organization, and Bob Boemer and Juanrafael, representatives of Hard Rock Cafe, were on hand with their contribution of $15,000 in support of SF Pride.

SF Pride president Gary Virginia told the San Francisco Bay Times, “ Dedicated volunteers go through training, donate their time and are the face of Pride at the gates and beverage booths. Pride’s mission is fulfilled beyond this one spectacular weekend through these 60 community groups in the Bay Area.”

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BAY T IM ES S EPT EM BER 3, 2015

11

Openhouse’s Emotional Support Program: A Bridge to Resources and Mental Health Services ination over the course of their lives.

• The AIDS crisis took a huge toll on a generation of LGBT older adults, who lost considerable numbers of dear friends and family over the past decades.

Aging in Community Greg Bodin, MS, LMFT One of Openhouse’s most important goals is to build and strengthen community connections for LGBT older adults and seniors. When such individuals experience mental distress and are not able to access services, they are often unable to participate in, and contribute to, their community.

The Emotional Support program at Openhouse helps seniors to stay engaged and connected to LGBT life by providing a bridge both to health and wellness resources and services at Openhouse, and to mental heath services in the larger community.

In addition to the general challenges and usual stressors that older adults face—such as age-related health issues, physical changes, life transitions and losses—there are specific issues and concerns that confront LGBT older adults: • Many LGBT older adults and seniors have experienced discrimination and some have encountered multiple traumatic experiences of discrim-

• Fiercely independent LGBT older adults, who have courageously lived with and managed untreated mental health issues for many years, find the struggle to maintain their emotional balance more difficult as they age.

• Many LGBT older adults and seniors find their social circles growing smaller over time. Most LGBT seniors do not have children, and some are estranged from their biological families. Partners, friends, and chosen family members, often people similar in age, pass away or may relocate.

Studies have reported that, for LGBT older adults and seniors, concern about encountering discrimination by mental health workers and diminished support networks are significant barriers to accessing mental health service. Yet we know that the huge losses and experiences of living through the AIDS crisis and decades of discrimination can leave a person with issues of mental stress and longterm grief and trauma. Further, certain mental health issues, if left untreated, can and do become more challenging in later life. Finally, diminished support networks leave LGBT older adults and seniors more vulnerable to becoming isolated and less connected to community.

Openhouse works to directly address these unique issues by providing a supportive bridge to resources and services. There are several ways that the Emotional Support Program addresses the mental health needs of LGBT older adults.

First, we provide short-term emotional support for community members who are dealing with a specific stressor, or who are attempting to address a challenge they are facing. Emotional support consists of regular, weekly one-on-one sessions where the individual has a chance to explore and express challenges and difficulties, be heard, and identify ways that they can make positive changes. Perhaps the person is struggling with the emotions of being retired and determining next steps in their life. An individual might have recently experienced a loss, and finds it difficult to deal with daily life.

Often these are seniors who have internal resources and good coping skills, but who could use some extra support to get through a difficult period in their lives.

Short-term individual support is provided to these individuals, as well as referrals for classes, support groups, and community engagement programs offered at Openhouse, or resources available elsewhere that can help them get through a difficult challenge. This short-term support is often enough, but sometimes work with these people uncovers more significant issues that they might wish to address. In this case, referrals are provided to mental health service agencies and to providers, such as psychotherapists

and psychiatrists.

Second, some LGBT older adults realize that they have a need for mental health services, but understandably may feel overwhelmed about how and where to access these services. Short-term emotional support can provide a space for community members to express their experiences and identify how they would best like to move forward.

Openhouse staff then work with the individuals to identify referrals that the person feels would be most helpful.

This will often include referrals for long-term mental health services, and part of the work includes help in navigating the complex maze of choices regarding health insurance, types of providers and services, etc.

Openhouse utilizes referrals to agencies that specifically provide services to the LGBT community, such as Queer Life Space, Lyon-Martin Health Services, and Alliance Health Project, and to mental health practitioners listed with Gaylesta. It is, however, a constant challenge to identify appropriate low fee/sliding scale or Medicare providers. There are too few low fee LGBT senior competent and affirming mental health services and providers now, and this is a concern going forward.

Finally, mental health and well-being are closely linked to other aspects of an individual’s life. Housing issues, health concerns, mobility difficulties and other challenges have a negative impact on a person’s mental health. In addition to short-term support,

linkages may be offered to case management, and information and referral services are also available at Openhouse to provide community members with resources that will improve the overall quality of their lives.

Accessing mental health services as an LGBT older adult can be a daunting task, yet the need is ever-present and growing. Openhouse’s Emotional Support Program works to link individuals to available services and programs. At Openhouse, we are concerned about the whole person. The ultimate goal of this work is to provide support that allows LGBT older adults to remain active and engaged in their community.

Greg Bodin, MS, LMFT, is an Emotional Support Specialist at Openhouse. He also has a psychotherapy practice in San Francisco.

For more information, please visit www.gregbodin.com SF Suicide Prevention Hotline (415) 781-0500 Institute on Aging Friendship Line (415) 752-3778 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

Sister Dana Sez: Words of Wisdumb from a Fun Nun

Sister Dana sez, “Is everyone noticing the veritable ghost town EssEff is becoming during the Labor Day holidaze and the Burning Man exodus?! “ MARLENA’S LOVE ROAST: A CELEBRATION OF A SAN FRANCISCO ICON (2nd Annual José Sarria Community Celebration) was held in the Rainbow Room at the SF LGBT Community Center as a benefit for LGBT OPENHOUSE seniors.

Through her service as Absolute Empress XXV, decades of charity events at his popular bar, and his sponsorship of the Mr. Hayes Valley Leather title, Marlena, José Sarria’s special friend and San Francisco icon, Garry McClain, a.k.a. Marlena the Magnificent - on the 25th anniversary of her reign. The program opened with Openhouse Director of Development and Marketing Joel Evans welcoming everyone and introducing Openhouse Board of Directors member Sonni Zambino, who spoke about Openhouse. For decades, thousands of LGBT people have flocked to San Francisco to find personal freedom and acceptance. Today, over 25,000 LGBT seniors call San Francisco home. As older adults, many LGBT seniors feel pressure to go back into the closet to receive quality care and housing. Many face serious challenges in finding welcoming and affordable housing and must relocate, leaving their cherished city and dear 12

THE SISTERS OF PERPETUAL INDULGENCE, INC. held a GRANT DISTRIBUTION PARTY at SF Eagle to give out funds we raised this cycle. Grants Committee Chair Sister Jendra Uforian announced the grantees: Transgender Film Festival, the world’s first and longestrunning transgender film festival.

They build a strong and diverse community by supporting emerging and established trans filmmakers, providing opportunities for trans artists and audiences, fighting transphobic representation and under-representation of transpeople in film, and working for justice in media arts everywhere; The Center for Lao Studies, advancing knowledge and engagement in the field of Lao Studies through research, education, and information sharing.

The funding will be used to translate

BAY TIMES SEPTEMB E R 3 , 2 0 1 5

LGBTQ materials into the Lao language; Bay Area Young Positives, helping young people (26 and under) with HIV/AIDS live longer, happier, healthier, more productive, and quality-filled lives; Detour Dance, a dance/theater performance company that creates and presents live work and film. They activate audiences, support artists, promote the visibility of queer people of color, and build community; Food Education Project, a team of health clinicians and educators that strive to prevent diabetes in children by teaching health through environmental awareness. Their schools are in the Castro, Mission, and Potrero Hill Districts at this time and are expanding all over; Healing Waters, with the mission to empower, inspire, and enrich the lives of people with HIV/ AIDS through wilderness adventures; Bay Area American Indians TwoSpirits (BAAITS) existing to restore and recover the role of Two-Spirit people within the American Indian/ First Nations community by creating a forum for the spiritual, cultural, and artistic expression of Two-Spirit people. Check out their amazing, genderinclusive community powwow in February; Sojourn Chaplaincy, a multi-faith chaplaincy and spiritual care program at SF General Hospital, providing nonjudgmental spiritual and emotional care for patients and spiritual care education for the community; Groundswell Institute, creating visionary consciousness raising and environmental programs, and providing a gathering space for like-minded people to gather; API Equality, building LGBTQ API power and increasing visibility of their communities. They inspire and train leaders, establish intergenerational connections and documents, and disseminate their histories.

ACADEMY OF FRIENDS held a MEET and GREET COCKTAIL PARTY at the lower Haight home of

Sister Dana blessed Empress Marlena and all who attended the “Love Roast” of magnificent Marlena, held at the LGBT Community Center. The event happened on August 20, and was a benefit for Openhouse.

PHOTO BY RINK

By Sister Dana Van Iquity

friends behind. Openhouse will provide welcoming and affordable housing in the heart of San Francisco, along with services and resources to help LGBT seniors remain safe and comfortable in the community they spent a lifetime to build. With Planning Commission approval now secured, Openhouse and Mercy Housing California will work to put in place the local, state, and federal financing needed to construct the housing.

Openhouse will undertake additional fundraising efforts to build its service offices and the community center.

Construction is projected to be completed in phases over a 3-year period.

All income-qualified seniors, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, will be welcome to apply to live at 55 Laguna. Individuals and couples who are 55 years and older whose household income does not exceed 50% of Area Median Income (AMI) will be eligible to live at 55 Laguna. Applicants will be selected by lottery until all the housing units are filled. See page 8 for photos from this event.

board member Matthew Denckla for friends of AoF to meet the newest board members: John Ferver, Lila Green, John Marino, and Andrew Fitch. They are joined by the current board: Board Chair Gil Padia, Vice Chair Matthew Denckla, Treasurer Beth Feingold, Gala Chair Amanda Watson, Secretary Todd Creel, Todd O’leary, and David Flynn.

Academy of Friends has been in existence and evolving for nearly 35 years.

Soon after the onset of the HIV epidemic, Academy of Friends dedicated themselves to the mission of working to ease the burden of this disease through the raising of funds in support of direct care for those with HIV/ AIDS and educational programs to prevent infection. As the pandemic grew, so did their scope: to help “… where the need is greatest, until the crisis has passed.” Through their annual ACADEMY AWARDS NIGHT GALA, they have raised over $8,690,000 to support more than 73 HIV/AIDS service organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area.

This intrepid reporter attempted to find out the theme and beneficiaries of

this February’s gala, but everyone remained quite tight-lipped. All I could find out is it will most likely be held at the Design Center. Stay tuned for the big upcoming reveal by AoF. academyoffriends.org SAN FRANCISCO PRIDE held a party at Madame Tussauds for those who especially contributed to the 45th annual Celebration and Parade.

George Ridgely, Executive Director, received a $15,000 check for the Parade from Hard Rock Cafe selling Parade merchandise. Gary Virginia, President, introduced the 60 diverse Community Partners receiving a grand total of $166,690.45 at the 2015 CHECK GRANTING PARTY. Marsha H. Levine, Vice President, announced the Absolutely Fabulous Overall Parade winner, Rhythm and Motion Dance Program and ODC School. sfpride.org Coming Up! “It’s better down where it’s wetter,” as they say in the song, “Under the Sea.” So take it from the GAY ASIAN PACIFIC ALLIANCE (GAPA) as it holds its 27TH ANNUAL MISTER (continued on page 22)

A Challenge for the Times – Money and Memory Issues As a person’s inability to manage finances becomes more evident, other family members need to approach this issue delicately. The person affected may be hesitant to acknowledge that issues exist, or resent having other adults tell them how to handle his or her money. It is best to frame any help in the context of “lending a hand,” not with the implication of taking control of their financial lives.

Money Matters Brandon Miller, CFP The increasing prevalence of dementia diagnoses, such as Alzheimer’s disease, is affecting more families in America.

Family members must confront a wide range of issues, from determining when someone is no longer capable of driving, to identifying suitable caregiving options to managing financial affairs.

Financial matters can become particularly complex. In the ideal situation, there would be time to prepare a strategy in advance and take the appropriate steps to make sure all is in order. Unfortunately, things don’t always work out that way, but any planning that can be done ahead of time can make things a little easier for everyone involved.

Looking for signs It isn’t unusual for issues related to dementia to first come to light if a person begins to have difficulty managing financial matters. That could mean failing to pay bills on time, losing track of funds coming in and going out, or even making wildly erratic decisions about their money.

One important step that should happen well in advance is to designate a person or persons as “power of attorney.” A general power of attorney gives the designated person the ability to act as principal for another, including opening or closing financial accounts. This function no longer applies after an individual becomes incapacitated. At that point, a person who has already been named durable power of attorney assumes control of financial matters on behalf of the incapacitated individual. This person is committed to working in the interests of the person they represent. By having a durable power of attorney designated in advance, family members won’t need to seek court approval to establish a guardianship over financial affairs.

Planning steps to consider If a person who is beginning to face issues related to dementia is working with a financial advisor, that professional should be contacted and a meeting can be held to discuss the circumstances. It makes sense to review all financial assets owned by the individual who has memory issues and make sure all are properly titled.

Determine sources of income, including Social Security and pensions, and make sure a structure is in place so

that all payments are directed to the right accounts. To the extent that automatic bill paying can be established, that will make things easier for the individual and caregivers.

Insurance is another major thing to think about. Be sure all life, health, long-term care and disability insurance policies are identified and proper beneficiaries are named. Make certain the right coverage is in place to meet the needs of the individual who is sure to require additional medical attention in the years ahead.

Prepare for the costs of caregiving Careful planning is also needed to prepare for expenses related to ongoing care of an individual who is diagnosed with a form of dementia.

Over time, care needs will most likely become more significant. A plan should be put in place, including making arrangements for in-home care or moving to a facility that can provide the necessary level of support as the condition worsens.

These are among the many issues that should be laid out in advance, ideally while a person who faces challenges with dementia is still able to be part of the discussion. If adult children are concerned about issues with their parents, it may be beneficial to get the conversation started soon. Consulting with a financial advisor and an attorney familiar with elder law issues may also be helpful.

Estate Planning for Singles and Same-Sex Couples FREE SEMINAR Thursday, October 1, 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.

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The law provides a default estate plan for every person, but it may not reflect your wishes. Create a plan tailored to your own life and priorities. For same-sex couples, changing laws may also impact your estate plan. Know the options for your financial and health care decisions, and ensure that your wishes will be followed after your death.

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Brandon Miller, CFP is a financial consultant at Brio Financial Group, A Private Wealth Advisory Practice of Ameriprise Financial Inc. in San Francisco, specializing in helping LGBT individuals and families plan and achieve their financial goals.

Responsible Vs. Carefree: It’s Your Pick

Auto

Volkswagen CC

Philip Ruth Responsibility or carefreeness? This week’s Volkswagen and Audi give us two similarly priced answers to that question, and they each have style and refinement that’s above and beyond others in their classes.

For responsibility, we look toward the Volkswagen CC R-Line mid-sized sedan; for being carefree, there’s the Audi A3 1.8T Cabriolet. Both had base prices that checked in just under $36K, so let’s take a look at what you’d get, whichever direction you went.

Of course, you don’t have to start your spending in the mid-$30K range to get cars that do what these two do. Decent mid-sized sedans like the Hyundai Sonata start in the low $20K range, and the Mustang V6 convertible costs $5K less than the base A3 Cabriolet— and it packs 130 more horsepower.

So why spend more for this Volkswagen and Audi when more sensible and featured choices exist? It’s a question many in San Francisco are answering in the affirmative. A quick look around our streets shows that we are choked with German cars; Audis, BMWs and Mercedes-Benzes are as common here as Mercurys and Plymouths were in

Audi Cabriolet

my childhood suburb. Not that you need to hear it from me, but we live in a market where the upscale is wholeheartedly embraced.

And so, if you needed a roomy sedan with that kind of presence, you might enjoy the Volkswagen CC. Based on the Passat, the CC is its more stylish sibling, with elegant frameless doors and a slick silhouette. Volkswagen isn’t an upscale brand per se, but the CC’s style and upward-nudging prices root it firmly among those buyers.

The CC shares the Passat’s instrument panel, but feels more cocooned inside, thanks to the swoopy roofline. Performance with the tested 2.0-liter turbo was typical in being a little slow off the line, but speed became effortless when the turbo hit its boil. What

the CC lacks in sportiness is more than made up for in its general silkiness. On the other hand, being more impractical and buying a convertible would find many rewards in the Audi A3 Cabriolet. The general silkiness found in the CC is thoroughly imbued into the A3.

The 2015 A3 Cabriolet’s $42,225 as-tested price had it equipped with most of the luxury features that buyers want—heated leather seats, aluminum interior trim, the Audi MMI tech interface— but it did not include a backup camera. It has wisely been made standard on the 2016 A3 Cabriolet, because it is needed. When the A3’s top goes up, it feels like a curtain has been drawn across your rear view. The A3 clicks along with good scoot from the 1.8-liter turbo; a 2.0-liter bumps the horsepower from 170 to 220 and adds $3K to the sticker.

Both the CC sedan and A3 Cabriolet are gratifying in their own ways, and they’re a definable step above the quality of many of their competitors.

These two show that spending a bit more can have its rewards.

Philip Ruth is a Castro-based automotive photojournalist and consultant at www.gaycarguy.com. Check out his automotive staging service at www.carstaging.com BAY T IM ES S EPT EM BER 3, 2015

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Being, Doing and Depression The more withdrawn and out of touch he was with the world, the worse he felt.

Roland Schembari, Bill Hartman, and Randy Alfred Co-Founders and Editors 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 Phone: 510-504-9255 E-mail: editor@sfbaytimes.com www.sfbaytimes.com

Examined Life Tom Moon, MFT

The Bay Times was the first newspaper in California, and among the first in the world, to be jointly and equally produced by lesbians and gay men.

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.

Dr. Betty L. Sullivan Jennifer L. Viegas Co-Publishers & Co-Editors

Abby Zimberg Beth Greene

Design & Production

Kate Laws Business Manager Robert Fuggiti Calendar Editor

Kit Kennedy Poet-In-Residence J.H. Herren Technology Director Jennifer Mullen Web Coordinator

Mario Ordonez Juan Ordonez Distribution

CONTRIBUTORS Writers Rink, Sister Dana Van Iquity, Ann Rostow, Kirsten Kruse, Kate Kendell, Heidi Beeler, Gary M. Kramer, Dennis McMillan, Tom Moon, Terry Baum, Gypsy Love, Rafael Mandelman, Kit Kennedy, 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 Rebecca Kaplan, Thom Watson, Courtney Lake, Michele Karlsberg Photographers Rink, Steven Underhill, Phyllis Costa, Paul Margolis, Chloe Jackman, Bill Wilson, Jo-Lynn Otto, Sandy Morris, Abby Zimberg

Richard had been feeling down for several days, and feared that he might be sliding into another severe depression. His last bout, his third, paralyzed him and cost him his boyfriend. He tried to get rid of his negative feelings by alternately suppressing them and trying to stop “feeling sorry” for himself. In the process, he also dredged up past pain and conjured up worries about the future.

In his imagination, he tried out solution after solution, and felt more and more like a failure because he could not come up with a way out of the gathering darkness. The more he tried to figure out what was wrong and to fix it, the more he became preoccupied with what was happening in his mind.

In recent years, researchers have developed a new form of treatment, called Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), which appears to reduce the incidence of relapse significantly. In the MBCT theory of the causes of relapse, Richard is making the common mistake of trying to ward off depression from the “doing mode.” The doing mode is triggered when the mind sees that things are not the way it wants them to be. Two things then happen.

First, negative feelings are triggered.

Second, habitual patterns of mind are set in motion whose aim is to reduce the gap between the present state and the desired state. This problem-solving mode works very well for things like figuring out how to drive across town, but is counterproductive when applied to internal, emotional pain. When the doing mode is used on even mild

What seems to prevent a temporary blue mood from metastasizing into a full-blown depression is to switch to “being mode,” in which the focus is on accepting and allowing what is, without any immediate pressure to change it.

The simple idea is that when we stop fighting negative moods, they ebb and flow on their own, without hardening into depression.

A well-researched stress-reduction technique seems to help people switch from doing to being mode fairly easily.

In the 1970s, Jon Kabat-Zinn at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center showed that mindfulness, a centuries-old meditation practice, has measurable benefits in the treatment of heart disease, chronic pain, stressrelated gastrointestinal problems, headaches, high blood pressure, sleep problems, and anxiety disorders. He defines mindfulness as “the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally to things as they are.” He developed an eight-week program for teaching this form of

Round About - Silicon Valley Pride

meditative practice to patients. Today this program is being taught in medical centers all over the country as Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR).

When the researchers used a modified version of MBSR with patients recovering from depression, they found that mindfulness could be a powerful prophylactic against relapse. In patients with recurrent depression, their program, which they call Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), almost halved the relapse/recurrence rates compared to those who received standard treatment alone.

One of the benefits of MBCT is that the practices can be taught in a class format, making it a highly cost-effective form of treatment. The entire eightweek program is now available in a book and accompanying CD, called The Mindful Way through Depression. For those concerned with preventing relapse, this course may be an important addition to their self-care. In the past six years, I’ve recommended it to many depressed patients. All have reported positive results, including Richard, the man I described above, who appears to have nipped a potentially catastrophic relapse in the bud. I recommend this program highly.

Tom Moon is a psychotherapist in San Francisco. To learn more, please visit his website at tommoon.net

Photos by Jo-Lynn Otto

Record-breaking attendance and more than 60 contingents were the keys to success on Sunday, August 30, at the 2015 Silicon Valley Pride Parade & Festival in San Jose. Elected officials participating included San Jose Mayor Sam Licardo and Councilmember Ash Kalra; from East San Jose, Councilmember Magdalena Carrasco; and from Santa Clara County, Supervisor Ken Yeager, the region’s first openly gay elected official. Parade organizers honored Yeager by naming him Grand Marshal. The San Francisco Bay Times extends congratulations and gratitude to Silicon Valley Pride chair Thaddeus Campbell, DeMarco Carter and their entire team.

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Represented by Rivendell Media: 908-232-2021 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. © 2015 Bay Times Media Company Co-owned by Betty L. Sullivan & Jennifer L. Viegas

14

Richard’s experience is familiar to many gay men. Depression is by far the most common problem that gay men bring to my therapy practice. And depression, like addiction, is an illness characterized by a tendency to relapse.

Each episode of depression increases the likelihood that a person will experience another episode by 16%.

Richard’s fears of a downward spiral are unfortunately not unfounded.

unhappiness by people who have previously suffered depression, it seems to set in motion a cascade of increasingly worsening states. Our hyperactive culture is one in which most of us are busily “doing” during most of our waking hours. Does that have something to do with our high prevalence of depression?

BAY TIMES SEPTEMB E R 3 , 2 0 1 5

GLBT Fortnight in Review

By Ann Rostow Gay Like Me

When you’re part of a small minority, as we are, it feels as if every celebrity member of the group becomes a ref lection on you. Of course that’s not true, but still, my stomach fell when I heard that the latest insane murderer in Virginia was gay. Really? Did he have to be Black and gay? Don’t we all have enough negative stereotypes?

It reminded me of the lunatic killer in San Francisco earlier this summer; an illegal immigrant deported multiple times only to return and shoot an innocent woman to death in cold blood for no reason. Red meat for the far right.

In the same vein, I was gratif ied to learn that Oliver Sacks was gay.

There’s a man we can all welcome to the community, albeit posthumously.

According to his autobiography, the sweet looking doctor once squatted six hundred pounds and rode around on a Harley in full leather gear. Who knew?

It would be nice if one or two of the valiant marines on the train to Paris could come out of the closet. Guys?

Anyone gay? Any fours or fives on the Kinsey scale? If not, I ask my youthful gay brothers and sisters to be alert for heroic opportunities in the future. I will live vicariously through your feats.

Kentucky Kook Stays Defiant As this issue goes to press, the impasse continues between the grandstanding Kentucky clerk, Kim Davis, and the federal courts. Indeed, Davis, who refuses to marry anyone, gay or straight, has now defied a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, which declined to intervene in her litigation on Monday, August 31. Earlier, a lower court judge had ordered Davis to resume licensing marriages in Rowan County, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit had agreed. That order had been put on hold until Monday, at which point the full Supreme Court allowed the hold to expire without comment.

Lawyers for the couples who would like to marry have now asked the lower court to hold Davis in contempt and issue fines (but not jail time). And for those of you who are wondering why the Governor or someone doesn’t just replace this nutcase, it turns out that Bourbon State clerks cannot be fired except by the legislature, which is not in session.

Of course Davis could simply resign.

But this she has refused to do, suggesting instead that couples who wish to marry simply drive to the next county. She has also refused to let an underling issue a license because she won’t allow her signature to appear on some of the standard paperwork.

Meanwhile, the gay couples have said that, as a matter of principle, they want to marry in their home county where they live and pay taxes.

So, it seems as if Kim Davis is going to be the poster girl for the much talked about clash between religious freedom and gay rights, which is excellent news. Many Americans believe (wrongly in my view) that an antigay Christian business owner should not have to provide a service that supports same-sex marriages. But few Americans believe a government bureaucrat should be allowed to pick and choose which taxpayers should be eligible for drivers licenses, building permits or even marriage licenses, based on personal faith.

Also, Kim Davis is anything but a charming devout Christian. She’s nast y and her meanness shines through. Then there are the rumors that she’s been divorced several times.

I’m not sure of the number, but it’s at least one time and possibly two or three times. So much for deferring to God’s authority.

I say this because I’m guessing that Davis will be found in contempt of court and fined. I’m guessing again that people will start crowdfunding on her behalf, and that her fellow far right Christians will foot the bill.

The mainstream media has already moved this story to the top of their assignment lists, so I’m further guessing that Ms. Davis is going to be the subject of press scrutiny, and that not all of it will be flattering. We’ll see. I’m just glad that in our first big media fight we’re not at odds with “Granny” Jones of Mom and Pop’s bakery, with her kindly face and starched apron, who loves her gay nephew but just can’t see her way to making that wedding cake.

They Call Him Peter, Peter, Faster Than Lightening

This morning I clicked on a link to a story about two gay brothers in organized crime who had an incestuous affair, and eventually decided the item didn’t rise to the high standards of this column. But while I was at it, I found a sidebar about a woman who had sex with a dolphin named Peter.

I even copied a quote out of that item: “It was sexual on his part,” she said, “it was not sexual on mine, sensual perhaps.” Hmmm. Perhaps.

But wait. That piece referred to another fish story, a romance between a man named Malcolm Brenner, now in his mid-sixties, who had something going on with a dolphin named Dolly in a Florida park back in 1971.

Brenner said Dolly “came on” to him, and that they would wait for her mate to be put back in his pen before indulging themselves.

Yes, I know that dolphins aren’t fish.

And yes, I know that this has little or nothing to do with GLBT news.

OK, fine. It has nothing to do with GLBT news. But it’s interesting, n’estce pas? Sometimes I wonder what life will be like in a hundred years, and I think back to 1915 and wonder if people back then wondered about life in 2015. I’m sure they did. This is just to say that I believe we will be able to converse with dolphins by 2115. At which point we can get Peter and Dolly’s viewpoint on these relationships.

“Eek eeeek eeee eel eeeek!” (“He said I came on to him? That S.O.B.”) “Eeeeeeek eek ah ah ah eeek” (“It wasn’t just sexual. I loved her.”)

One thing I’m sure of. All cars will be self driving and people will look back and shudder at the idea of hundreds of cars racing down the Interstate at 75 mph right next to each other with individuals at the wheel, many of them drunk, texting, singing and eating.

Road trip!

True confession. I once took a summer road trip from Connecticut to Austin wearing a bikini and steering with my feet on cruise control while my friend fixed gin and tonics in the passenger seat. We’d stop brief ly at motels where I’d dive into the pool and she would get more ice. This was years and years ago, back when driving while intoxicated was amusing.

Homeland Security Gets Creepy Here’s a new topic. What do you think about decriminalizing prostitution? Would such a shift empower women and provide a safety net for sex workers? Or would it legitimize exploitation, encourage trafficking and further debase the victims of the sex trade?

The answer depends on whether or not you view prostitution as inherently abusive towards women, or whether you see it as a profession. And the debate is complicated when you take into account male prostitutes. We all assume, in a way, that the guys can take care of themselves. No one imag-

ines a pimp in pinstripes and a hat slapping a man around because he took a coffee break.

Now consider the bizarre take down of rentboy.com, the online gay escort service that has been around for nearly 20 years. As August drew to a close, the New York Police Department and a bunch of Homeland Security agents arrested a half dozen of the company’s top executives and shut down the service, calling it an online brothel.

Homeland Security? Aren’t they supposed to be routing out terrorists?

And why target a company that has operated without incident since 1997?

A little gay bias perchance?

I’m sure the guys on rent boys have a few horror stories to tell, but on the whole, these men are not coerced into escort-ville, and indeed have chosen to make money though sex of their own free will. Why bust them? Indeed, why criminalize a consensual give and take in the first place? After all, we don’t criminalize porn stars, and they’re getting paid for sex.

What’s the difference?

That said, I seem to feel differently about, let’s call it classic prostitution.

I feel differently about the women on the street corner in the middle of the night waiting for sleazy johns to cruise by and use them for a quick blowjob.

I feel differently about pimps. I don’t want them to be legal. I think there is a part of the sex business that is coercive and I’m not sure how you legalize prostitution in general without giving a green light to the abuse of many women who have not “freely chosen” to sell themselves for a living.

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There must be some way for the law to differentiate between truly consensual sex work and exploitation—leaving the former alone but attacking the latter. Until someone comes up with that plan, I’ll remain undecided.

Equality for Whale Bashers?

Guess what? The Faroe Islands are about to vote on marriage equality.

I think by the time you read these words the vote will be over, so you can learn the outcome right away. I gather the islanders really enjoy killing whales, so frankly, I don’t care what happens to them. Go ahead and vote against marriage equality. Bunch of murderers.

I can also tell you that Pope Francis did not endorse a gay friendly children’s book. One of his aides sent a nice reply to a letter from the lesbian author of Piccolo Ouvo that included a boilerplate papal blessing at the end.

But the blessing was directed towards the lesbian letter writer, not towards her book. Meanwhile, that book and another like it have been banned from school libraries by the new conservative mayor of Venice, Luigi Brugnaro.

Brugnaro originally banned several dozen gay friendly kids books, but after an outcry he cut the blacklist to two, including Piccolo Ouvo, “Little Egg,” the story of an egg who encounters different types of families on its journey.

There’s something jarring about the idea of a conservative mayor of Venice. Not sure why. And speaking of the Pope, I read that he thinks women who have had an abortion can be forgiven by priests. That’s big of him, I suppose. Keep in mind that for all his friendliness, he has never said that priests can forgive a lesbian.

Be Afraid. Be Very Afraid.

I guess the Ashley Madison list is easily searchable online, where you check up on your loved ones by name or email address. Guys, really? Not you, I’m talking to the straight guys. Did you really think it would be that easy?

Already the trap has shut on poor old (continued on page 22)

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BAY T IM ES S EPT EM BER 3, 2015

15

Making History at the U.N.

Jabhat Al Nusra gained power in Idlib in 2012, “they announced at a mosque that they would cleanse the town of those involved in sodomy.”

Marriage Equality John Lewis and Stuart Gaffney, Marriage Equality USA Subhi Nahas, an openly gay Syrian refugee from Idlib, a city north of Damascus, made history recently when he and a gay Iraqi refugee addressed the first ever meeting of the United Nations Security Council concerning the human rights of LGBT refugees.

Nahas testified powerfully to the brutal treatment of LGBT people and those perceived to be gay in his country. He recounted the public executions of gay men after ISIL (also known as ISIS) gained control of many areas of Syria and Iraq in 2014.

Nahas stated: “At the executions, hundreds of townspeople, including children, cheered jubilantly as at a wedding. If a victim did not die after being hurled off a building, the townspeople stoned him to death.”

Nahas made clear that being gay was not acceptable in pre-civil war Syria either. And after the civil war began in 2011, the Syrian government instituted a homophobic crackdown that included “systematic raids on locales where gay people met,” and arrests, torture, and, in some cases, death. Nahas described that when the Al Qaida aff iliate

Nahas “was terrified to go out,” but his home was not safe either. His father, who Nahas says “ridiculed how I dressed, how I talked, my mannerisms and how I walked,” violently attacked him, smashing his face into the kitchen counter after a heated argument. Soon thereafter, Nahas seized an opportunity to escape, but he recounted how he remained at risk during his long route through Lebanon and Turkey to eventual safety. In Turkey, ISIL operatives stalked him and threatened his life. There he became an out LGBT activist and connected to “ORAM,” the Organization for Refuge, Asylum, and Migration, with which he now works. Nahas recently moved to the United States and lives in San Francisco.

In the conclusion of his remarks to the United Nations Security Council, Nahas stated: “I implore you to do everything in your power to give sexual and gender minorities and other vulnerable refugees safe haven where they can again know security.” Nahas’ plea is universal.

Same-sex intimacy is a crime in 79 countries, and in 12 countries may be punishable by death. The United States Supreme Court declared criminalization of same-sex intimacy in America unconstitutional just 12 years ago in 2003, and unfortunately many LGBT Americans still live under threat for their safety.

Our collective mission must be for LGBT people to feel secure in their own homes, wherever they live in America or around the world.

United States U.N. Ambassador Samantha Power, who hosted the recent U.N. Security Council meet-

ing along with Chile’s U.N. Ambassador Cristian Barros Melet, articulated that vision: “While ISIL’s horrors rightly get our attention and bring us into this historic meeting… it’s also important that we not focus all of our outrage on ISIL and forget about the injustices and abuses that exist elsewhere, sometimes even perpetuated by governments.

ISIL is an extreme form of horror, but there are gay people around the world who are living with a great fear of violence in places where ISIL doesn’t exist, and we need to focus our attention on their welfare, their physical security, and their rights every bit as much.”

Through his courageous presence, his testimony to the truth of his life, and his activism, Subhi Nahas stands with thousands of other LGBT people around the world in devoting their lives to making the world a better place for all of us.

U.N. Ambassadors Power and Melet, along with many other people, are powerful allies and advocates.

In our next column, we will focus on the current head of the United Nations, Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, who has emerged as an outspoken leader for LGBT equality worldwide. In standing up to the rejection, discrimination, and violence that LGBT individuals face in many places around the world, these people, along with this summer’s marriage equality victory in the U.S., give us hope as to what may be possible when we stand proud.

John Lewis and Stuart Gaffney, together for three decades, were plaintiffs in the California case for equal marriage rights decided by the California Supreme Court in 2008. They are leaders in the nationwide grassroots organization Marriage Equality USA.

Religious or Spiritual, Marriage Is Still a Great Blessing couples I marry ask for exactly what the other couple described to Linda—“spiritual, but not religious” language. Here I present the closing prayer from the Presbyterian service, and then offer an alternative that I often use with couples.

Yes ! “ ”

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All Faiths, All Beliefs, All Couples 16

BAY TIMES SEPTEMB E R 3 , 2 0 1 5

Weddings Reverend Elizabeth River I recently had breakfast with my Clergy Gals group and enjoyed a nice conversation about weddings with Linda, a Presbyterian minister.

She mentioned that a couple she is marrying are nervous because they do not want her to use overtly Christian language during their ceremony. They asked that it be “spiritual, but not religious.” Linda said she has heard this request before, and that she always tells such couples that she will follow the Presbyterian Book of Common Worship.

Later, I looked up the Presbyterian wedding service, and found that I liked the language. It is quite lovely in its reverence for both God and for the gift of marriage. That said, I do understand that religious language is not for everyone. Most of the

Creator and preserver of all life, author of salvation, and giver of all grace: look with favor upon the world you have made and redeemed, and especially upon (the names of the individuals in the couple).

Give them wisdom and devotion in their common life, that each may be to the other a strength in need, a counselor in perplexity, a comfort in sorrow, and a companion in joy.

Grant that their wills may be so knit together in your will, and their spirits in your Spirit, that they may grow in love and peace with you and each other all the days of their life.

Give them the grace, when they hurt each other, to recognize and confess their fault, and to seek each other’s forgiveness and yours.

Make their life together a sign of Christ’s love to this sinful and broken world, that unity may overcome estrangement, forg iveness heal guilt, and joy conquer despair.

Give them such fulfillment of their mutual love that they may reach out in concern for others.

PHOTO BY SHERRY BURKART

Closing Prayer from the Presbyterian Service:

The wedding of community leader and singer Janet Rachel and Joan Furst was held on Saturday, August 29, at the Montclair Women’s Cultural Arts Club in Oakland. Guests enjoyed live jazz, dancing and a fiesta buffet.

Grant that all who have witnessed these vows today may find their lives strengthened, and that all who are married may depart with their own promises renewed.

Enrich with your grace all husbands and wives, parents and children, that, loving and supporting one another, they may serve those in need and be a sign of your kingdom.

Grant that the bonds by which all your children are united to one another may be so transformed by your Spirit that your peace and jus(continued on page 22)

#KateClinton

Pope Francis is coming to NYC! Been working on material all summer.

I hope to open for him.

Arts & Entertainment Lily Tomlin Chats About Grandma, Feminism, Tattoos, and Getting Punched by a Punk

By Gary M. Kramer As the title character in Grandma, now out in theatres, Lily Tomlin is sensational. The actress/comedian plays Elle, a poet who is in mourning for her partner, Violet. As the film opens, Elle is breaking up with her current girlfriend, Olivia ( Judy Greer).

Then Elle’s granddaughter Sage ( Julia Garner) arrives needing $630 for an abortion. Elle and Sage set out on a day-long journey that involves lessons on everything from feminism to fisticuffs.

Tomlin recently spoke with me for the San Francisco Bay Times about Grandma and her experiences as a young woman, the feminist movement, tattoos, and getting punched in the face.

Gary M. Kramer: As a teenager, who would you have run to if you got into trouble like Sage did?

Lily Tomlin: I had some adult friends, grown women 10–15 years older than I was. They lived in the apartment building I grew up in. We’ve stayed friends. One woman is in her 90s now. So I would have gone to one of those women. I had a quality about me—an air of independence— that made me seem probably older than I was. I would babysit their children, though I wasn’t much older than their kids.

Lily Tomlin: I‘m sad the younger generation doesn’t know many people in the women’s movement, particularly. There is more effort in the gay community about celebrating its heroes, like Harvey Milk.

Gary M. Kramer: You have rarely played openly gay characters on screen. Was there a reason for that?

Lily Tomlin: In Tea with Mussolini I played an archeologist, but not much was made of her lesbianism. I did try to get the Cher part in Silkwood. Nora Ephron had called me and wanted me to have the part, but Mike Nichols wasn’t inclined towards me.

I was never really offered anything. There weren’t that many lesbian parts out there.

Gary M. K ramer: How did you find a way to create Elle so that she wasn’t “Lily Tomlin”?

Lily Tomlin: I didn’t struggle to create a character. I didn’t have to wear a wig or anything, like I have to in big studio movies to identify the character’s culture or type. It was my own hair, makeup, clothes, and car. I think Elle was just well created; the script was so fluid and so perfect. It is like Grace and Frankie.

Gary M. Kramer: Elle ends a relationship with Olivia, brushing aside her lover’s feelings, masking her own pain and pride. How do you see her character?

Lily Tomlin: Olivia just wants something Elle can’t give her at that point in her life. Elle’s still grieving from Violet’s death, and turning away from that is a kind of

PHOTO COURTESY SONY PICTURES CLASSICS

Gary M. Kramer: One of the points in Grandma is that there is a generation that does not understand— or perhaps does not want to understand—the difficulties women and LGBT people have faced in the recent past.

betrayal. So she seizes the break up in her own defense. When you have a long-term relationship it takes a while to get over it.

So if Olivia can’t take Elle on her own terms, she needs to split.

Gary M. Kramer: Speaking of longterm relationships, how is married life?

Lily Tomlin: Very sweet. We’ve been together a long time. We weren’t going to get married. We used to say weren’t interested in imitating heterosexuals. But so many people asked us, so we decided: let’s get married. And we did on New Year’s Eve, 2013. We were glad that it came to pass.

Gary M. Kramer: Do you have any tattoos, like Elle does?

Lily Tomlin: [Laughs]. I don’t like tattoos, but I like to look at them on other people. I wouldn’t want to have a tattoo myself. I have played a lot of characters with tattoos. I had a butterf ly in Flirting with Disaster and one in Admission.

Gary M. Kramer: What about giving and getting a punch as Elle does? Have you had any notable altercations?

Lily Tomlin: I once had a guy punch me in the face in a bar. It was years and years ago. I’m a mouthy person. I’ve mellowed somewhat. But at the time, I put a dollar in a jukebox at a bar in the Lower East Side of New York, and this punky guy from the neighborhood came in. It was a dive

bar, where some low-grade mobsters might come in at the end of the night. And this guy comes in and tells someone to unplug the jukebox. When the guy came over to unplug the jukebox, he looked over at me, and asked if I minded. I said I did; I had money in it. And the punky guy came over and roughed my shoulders and said, “You don’t mind. Do you?!” And I threw a glass of water in his face. He gave me a black eye. I cried for days I was so horrified, and trespassed.

Gary M. Kramer: Wow! What was your relationship with your mother and your grandmother like?

Lily Tomlin: I was close to my mother and grandmother. My grandmother died in the 1980s. She had a lively personality. She was sweet and docile. My mother, who died ten years ago, was very witty and kind and everybody loved her. She was never ridiculing or sarcastic—very upbeat. I wouldn’t have gone to her with anything like Sage does. I would have taken care of it myself, or gone to my friend who was a mature woman. © 2015 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 BAY T IM ES S EPT EM BER 3, 2015

17

To Manifest What You Desire, Mean What You Say

Astrology Gypsy Love In an experiment called “The Sci-

ARIES (March 21–April 19) Unleash your inner child, Aries. The planets implore you to play with abandon now. Look for new ways to illuminate your wonderful one-of-a-kindness. Color outside the lines.

LEO ( July 23–August 22) Don’t neglect the details, Leo. Introducing more “nuts and bolts” to current financial dealings will pay off largely in the long run.

The more you know, the more you’ll grow.

TAURUS (April 20–May 20) No ast rolog ica l forecast could come close to describing the fantastical freedom you’re about to experience. Assuming, of course, that you choose forgiveness over fear. Well, Taurus? What will it be?

VIRGO (August 23–September 22) Worry not, sweet Virgo. Unseen allies are actively rallying in support of your most precious dreams. All that matters now is that you rise to meet them with a resounding, “Yes!”

ence of Honesty,” researchers at the University of Notre Dame measured whether truthfulness impacts one’s health. The results were remarkable.

Over time, subjects instructed to tell the truth when tempted to lie reported significantly less sore throats,

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Speak from the heart, Gemini. Your listeners are quick to criticize when communication is unclear. Thank goodness you’ve cornered the market on meaningful discourse. Be you, and be true.

headaches, nausea, and anxiety.

They also cited profound improvements in their intimate relationships and social interactions. Cosmic messengers make a similar mandate now.

To manifest what you most desire, all you must do is mean what you say.

CANCER ( June 21–July 22) Impromptu awakenings in your career sector compel you to reevaluate what makes life worth living. What’s calling you, Cancer?

Have you given it a voice? Speak up!

LIBRA (September 23–October 22) Mind your manners, Libra. Recent f lareups in the community have caused you to reassess your social circle.

While changes are inevitable, it’s also best to avoid burning bridges.

SCORPIO (October 23–November 21) Hone your special skills, Scorpio. The Universe is nudging you toward greater professional fulf illment.

How do you want the world to see you? Develop your personal “elevator pitch.”

SAGITTARIUS (November 22–December 21) Stay focused, Sagittarius. Hiccups in your creative process are designed to ensure long-term success. What may seem like a major delay is likely a small price to pay for soulful satisfaction.

CAPRICORN (December 22–Januar y 19) W hen it comes to keepin’ it real, your sign can’t be beat. Still, Capricorn, the stars suggest that your definition of “reality” is currently under construction. Keep your mind open.

AQUARIUS ( January 20– February 18) Relating to others isn’t always easy, Aquarius. Rumblings in your house of partnerships reveal unresolved issues around intimacy. Be honest about your needs now. Your power of attraction is potent.

PISCES (February 19–March 20) The idea that there’s only one answer could prove counterproductive, Pisces. You’re not meant to know it all now. Confusion is an important component of your divine destiny.

Gypsy Love Productions is dedicated to inspiring love and unity with music, dance, and astrology. www.GypsyLoveProductions.com

As Heard on the Street . . . What is the gayest place to visit in the East Bay?

compiled by Rink

Rahn Fudge

Nicholas Renault

Katy Birnbaum

Maria Konner

“The White Horse Bar”

“The Wormhole in Oakland is an electric dance music event which is straight, gay, and bi. The boys like to kiss everyone.”

“Ships in the Night”

“The Bench and Bar night club”

Steven Underhill

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BAY TIMES SEPTEMB E R 3 , 2 0 1 5

Junk in Your Trunk

MoveLoot: (www.moveloot.com) Move Loot is a startup that serves as a used furniture warehouse and marketplace. To set them apart for buyers, Move Loot actually picks up the items that are approved for sale and holds them for up to 60 days at a warehouse until they sell. After that, sellers can either pay to have the item returned, or donate it to a local charity. Items are reduced 40% after 30 days, and buyers have the option of offering a lower price at any time that the seller must approve.

Style Courtney Lake We all have a place in our home that just seems to be in a perpetual state of disarray. It is where things that should have been given away, tossed or burned have gone to take up permanent residence. Essentially, you are paying a premium to house junk.

One person’s junk, however, is another’s treasure, so why not get some cash for things that would otherwise be destined for the curb? Thanks to the Internet, you can now turn that furniture mishap into some serious vacation money. Here are the sites I direct clients to when they have furniture, accessories or home goods that they are looking to turn into cold, hard cash: Cha ir ish: (w w w.cha ir ish.com) Chairish is an online marketplace for buying and selling home goods. Sellers use the Chairish app to upload a photo of what they are looking to sell, along with a description of the item.

Chairish’s team reviews the item to see if it’s a good fit, and, if approved, sellers get 80% of the sale price. Even

Enhanced Option sale will be split 50/50.

better is that Chairish arranges shipping. Be warned, however, that buyers have a 48-hour window to return items.

Previously Owned By a Gay Man: (previouslyownedbyagayman. com/) Don’t let the name fool you.

Not everything on the site was owned by a decorating diva with a passion for paisley. Previously Owned is the brainchild of two women who have some pretty fabulous connections to the interior design world. Sellers complete an online form that takes the pertinent information and then upload a picture of the item. If the item is selected, sellers will receive 80% of the listed sale price. Even better is their “Enhanced Option,” where a member of staff will come onsite to measure, photograph and write the product descriptions on your behalf. But this concierge level service comes at a price—proceeds from any

Lush Pad: (w w w.lushpad.com/) Love modern furniture but hate spending all your hard earned coins on a fabulous piece? Well, the folks behind LushPad feel your pain. They want to take the angst out of buying beautiful and well-crafted modern pieces. It’s completely free to list on LushPad—yes, free! They do not charge a listing fee, or a commission on anything sold on the site. The reach is smaller than some other sites, but it’s a great way to connect with like-minded design lovers across the U.S. Courtney Lake is the interior designer and lifestyle expert behind Monogram Décor (www.monogramdecor.com) and its celebrated blog, Courtney Out Loud. His work and writings have appeared on television and in writing including Today.com, “The Wall Street Journal,” “The Nate Berkus Show,” “The San Francisco Chronicle,” “Life & Style Magazine,” “RUE Magazine,” “Real Simple,” “This Old House” and “7x7 Magazine.”

For Better, For Worse

Our Second Annual

S TOMPCAPADES!

Sonoma County’s Gay Grape Stomp Competition

join us!

S AT U R DAY SEPTEMBER

12

th

Wi n e s | M u s i c | Ta s t y Fo o d | C o s t u m e C o n t e s t

4 to 7 pm

Grab your friends and join us at the winery for our Annual Harvest Kickoff Party & Gay Grape Stomp Competition.

Words Michele Karlsberg Michele Karlsberg: What is the best and worst part about being a writer?

Michael Graves: I have always been a fiction writer. My father and I, when I was a child, would sit together in his La-Z-Boy recliner and he would teach me how to form letters. I recall that “c” was always tricky, and “s” was simply stubborn. My father encouraged me to practice, practice, practice. At seven years old, I debuted my first literary effort. It was a short story that involved the Easter bunny, some sort of romantic drama and baskets of treats. I must confess, it was no masterpiece.

I love the writing life. Most paramount is my affection for the characters I create. Each one is special and sacred to me. They are the vehicles that assist me in revealing my stories. Through them, I can become anyone. A roller rink DJ star. A pop icon from the nineties, or a whiskeyslugging senior. I can saturate myself in the world of an Iraqi soldier. I can be a former child actor, or a ghostly grandmother. Most recently, with my new novel, Parade, I am able to mash my feet into a pair of high heels and transform into Reggie Lauderdale, a boy preacher who fashions his own glamorized religion. Hallelujah! I often think of my characters as my

children. However, I relish in their misbehavior.

When pressed, I have to admit that my least favorite aspects about being a writer are common calamities. This includes form rejection letters, paper cuts and the constant need for pricey printer cartridges.

(But) it’s a wonderful life.

Michael Graves is the author of the forthcoming novel, “Parade,” as well as the collection of stories, “Dirty One.” He is a lambda Literary Finalist. Connect with Michael at www.michaelgravesauthor.com Yvonne Fly Onakeme Etaghene: The best part of being a writer— there are so many best parts, I’m not sure how to choose one. The best part is…that I can take a moment, no matter how hard or perfect, delicious or horrid, and I can sculpt it with words, I can draw, paint, build a world of words that resurrects that one moment, any moment I choose. And that moment, which otherwise might have melted into some ethereal wisp of smoke in the back of my mind that

Prizes

I barely remember, instead becomes something eternal and concrete that I can hold on to. Forever. Because I’ve written it, documented it.

The worst part of being a writer is… if that moment is a painful one, if that moment is something I wasn’t sure I could live through, something I don’t want to remember I survived, then I—mesmerized by words as I am— still want to build a temple of words to honor that pain. Once I have painstakingly documented that pain with all of these syllables of mine, there will be a place where the worst I’ve seen lives, dressed in the best words I could find. That’s a kind of strange torment—the beauty of a lyrical articulation of rage, angst, heartache.

There. Forever. Whenever I want to remember what I’ve lived through.

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Yvonne Fly Onakeme Etaghene is an Ijaw and Urhobo Nigerian dyke poet and performance activist. She’s published four collections of poetry, produced four solo art exhibitions and her first novel, “For Sizakele,” addresses transcontinental identity, intimate partner violence and queer gender. www.myloveisaverb.com, twitter.com/myloveisaverb Michele Karlsberg Marketing and Management specializes in publicity for the LGBT community. This year, Karlsberg celebrates twenty-six years of successful book campaigns.

BAY T IM ES S EPT EM BER 3, 2015

19

See many more Calendar items @ www.sfbaytimes.com

compiled by Robert Fuggiti

• 3 : T HURSDAY

Drugs in the Tenderloin Tenderloin Museum. $10. 6:30 pm.

(398 Eddy St.) Robert Zagone’s 1966 KQED documentary Drugs in the Tenderloin returns to the museum for one night only. www.tenderloinmuseum.org Queer Comedy Night - Leo’s Music Club. $10. 7 pm. (5440 Telegraph, Oakland) Enjoy a night of stand-up comedy with Sampson McCormick and Karen Williams. www.qcomedy.com Switch Tango Class - SF LGBT Center. Free. 7 pm. (1800 Market St.) A queer-led/all-welcome free class and practice session in Argentine Tango with a hint of Fusion Social Dance. www.sfcenter.org

• 4 : F RIDAY

In Plain Sight - The Metal Shop Theater. $30. 8 pm. (2702 Regent St.) In Plain Sight features two vastly different versions of the Cinderella story: the whimsical comedy Palace Watch by Kat Meads and the darkly realistic Pankhadi and the Prince by Patricia Reynoso. Through September 20. www.thosewomen. brownpapertickets.com The Mystery Of Irma Vep California Shakespeare Theater. $15-$84. 8 pm. (100 California Shakespeare Theater Way, Orinda) In an unparalleled theatrical feat, Cal Shakes favorites Danny Scheie and Liam Vincent will make 35 costume changes to play eight different characters, ranging from a nobleman to an Egyptian princess.

“Paternity Leave” screens at the SF Film Festival on September 11 at the Castro Theatre.

Through September 6. www.calshakes.org She, Who Can See - Bindlestiff Studio. $15-$30. 9 pm. (185 6th St.) She,Who Can See tells the story of a 4th generation Filipina American, and her struggles with her shamanic inheritance. September 4, 5, 11 & 12. www.kularts.org

• 5 : S ATURDAY

Women’s Dance Night - Lake Merritt Dance Center. $10. 7 pm.

(200 Grand Ave., Oakland) Come out and dance the night away, no partner necessary! countrynightsdance@sbcglobal.net.

Bay Area Rainbow Symphony - San Francisco Conservatory of Music. $15-$35. 8 pm to 10 pm. (50 Oak St.) Join Music Director Dawn Harms conducting Ravel’s Piano Concerto In D Minor with pianist Keith PorterSnell. www.bars-sf.tix.com Billy Joel - AT&T Park. $64-$125.

8 pm. (24 Willi Mays Plaza) Iconic piano man Billy Joel comes to the Bay for one night only! www.ticketmaster.com

• 6 : S UNDAY

Company - SF Playhouse. $20. 2 pm. (450 Post St.) Steven Sondheim’s game-changing musical, is a sophisticated and honest look at modern, adult relationships.

Through September 12. www.sfplayhouse.org 10th Anniversary Fundraising Experience Edge SF. $10. 4 pm to 7 pm. (4149 18th St.) Mr. Heart Throb 2011, Troy Brunet, presents the 10th Anniversary Fundraising Experience with proceeds benefiting the AIDS Emergency Fund and Breast Cancer Emergency Fund. www.aef-sf.org What is the Scandal? - Victoria Theatre. $35. 6 pm. (2961 16th St.) Award-winning actress, Eliana López, returns to the stage to introduce her one-woman show that explores the human side of the political scandal and the subsequent trial against her husband, San Francisco Sheriff, Ross Mirakarimi.

Closing Night. www.elianalopez.net 20

BAY TIMES SEPTEMB E R 3 , 2 0 1 5

• 7 : M ONDAY

Labor Day Concert - Golden Gate Park. Free. 1 pm. (Golden Gate Musical Concourse Bandstand) Enjoy a special Labor Day celebration with concert featuring music by American composers saluting the American Worker. www.goldengateparkband.org Romeo and Juliet - Presidio Main Post Lawn. Free. 2 pm. (103 Montgomery St.) Celebrate Shakespeare’s remarkable genredefying play, which soars to the heights of romantic comedy before plunging into heartbreak. Through September 27. www.sfshakes.org LGBTQ Buddhist Meditation - SF LGBT Center. Free. 5:30 pm.

(1800 Market St.) Explore mindfulness, meditation, and spiritual practice while focusing on cultivating an open awareness. www.sfcenter.org

• 8 : T UESDAY

Moving Sale - Cartoon Art Museum Bookstore. Free. 11 am to 5 pm. (655 Mission St.) Almost everything in the store will be 20 to 40% off. Through September 12. www.cartoonart.org September Make Contact SPUR. Free for members of GGBA/$20 non-members. 5 pm.

(654 Mission St.) Connect with LGBT & Allied business professionals at the Golden Gate Business Association’s monthly Make Contact event. www.ggba.com The Country House - Theatre Works. $19-$69. 7:30 pm. (500 Castro St., Mountain View) A revered stage and film star summons her show-biz family to her Berkshires home for a summer stock season soon overstocked with memories. Through September 20. www.theatreworks.org

• 9 : W EDNESDAY

Between Riverside And Crazy - A.C.T.’s Geary Theater. $20-$100.

2 pm. (415 Geary St.) The winner of the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Between Riverside and Crazy tells the story of ex-cop and recent widower Walter “Pops” Washington, who is desperately trying to hold on to his rent-controlled apartment while battling his inner demons. September 2-27. www.ac-sf.org 10 Years with Marketplace’s Kai Ryssdal - Commonwealth Club. $25. 6 pm. (555 Post St.) This fall marks Rysdall’s 10-year anniversary hosting the evening broadcast of Marketplace, the most widely heard program on business and the economy in the country. www.commonwealthclub.org Free Quit Smoking Class - SF LGBT Center. Free. 6:30 pm. (1800 Market St.) A free class that welcomes all those seeking freedom from nicotine addiction, including those using cessation programs and nicotine withdrawal aids. Happening every Wednesday. www.sfcenter.org

• 10 : T HURSDAY

Life Healing Project - SF Women’s Building. Free. 5:30 pm to 9:30 pm. (3543 18th St.) Join LBTQ Women of Color in a Circle of Learning & Healing to build increased awareness of the factors contributing to violence in our communities and foster increased commitment to reducing, preventing, and ending violence experienced by LBTQ women of color. www.sfwar.org Tenderloin - Tenderloin Museum. $10. 6:30 pm. (398 Eddy St.) A documentary theater piece commissioned in 2012 by Cutting Ball

Theatre, Tenderloin brings the people and places of the neighborhood into the theater. www.tenderloinmuseum.org

help members grow their referralbased business. www.ggba.org Transgender Tuesdays: A Clinic in the Tenderloin Tenderloin Museum. $5. 6 pm. (398 Eddy St.) A documentary film about the first public health clinic in the country to provide medical care to transgender patients, which opened 20 years ago in the Tenderloin neighborhood.www.tenderloinmuseum.org

• 11 : F RIDAY

18th Annual California Independent Film Festival Castro Theatre. $10-$100. 1 pm.

(429 Castro St.) Enjoy various film screenings at the Castro Theatre through September 12. www.caiff.org Hills to Hollers - Sebastopol Community Cultural Center. $28.

8 pm. (390 Morris St., Sebastopol) From the hills of Bluegrass to the hollers of the African-American musical experience, features super group, Hills to Hollers (Laurie Lewis, Linda Tillery & Barbara Higbie). www.seb.org/events-home Luisa Miller - War Memorial Opera House. $72-$132. 8 pm.

(301 Van Ness Ave.) Longing only for love, a brave young woman sacrifices her own happiness in a desperate attempt to save her father’s life. Through September 27. www.sfopera.com

• 12 : S ATURDAY

Launch Party for Sinister Wisdom 97 - Laurel Book Store.

Free. 6 pm. (1423 Broadway, Oakland) Enjoy an evening of multicultural lesbian literary and art journal. www.laurelbookstore.com Night Out For DreamCatcher - Uptown Oakland Venue. $100. 6 pm.

(Location upon RSVP) Join Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, Star Comedian Marga Gomez & more entertainment soon to be announced as they stand up for LGBTQ and all homeless youth in support of DreamCatcher Youth Services. www.outfordreamcatcher.brownpapertickets.com

“King Lear” at the California Shakespeare theatre Sept. 16 tions of light, the virtuosity of his technique, and his extraordinary Romantic imagination. Through September 20. www.famsf.org Married Once Gay Men’s Support Group - SF LGBT Center. Free. 7:30 pm. (1800 Market St.) This is a support group for men who have or had significant heterosexual relationships and who are also attracted to men. Meetings occur weekly. www.sfcenter.org Longevity Explorers Discussion Group Commonwealth Club. $15. 6:30 pm.

(555 Post St.) This regular discussion group will be exploring new and emerging solutions to the challenges of growing older. www.commonwealthclub.org

• 15 : T UESDAY

Lezervations - Chouquet. $60.

6:30 pm to 9:30 pm. (2500 Washington St.) Join for a simple yet sumptuous meal, a cheeky glass of wine and a chance to get to know other women in the local LBTQ community. www.sfcenter.org

• 16 : W EDNESDAY

Meditation Group - Hormel Center, SF Public Library. Free. 12 pm. (100 Larkin St.) Take a break to practice wakefulness and tranquility. www.sfpl.org LGBT Estate Planning - SF LGBT Center. Free. 6:00 pm. (1800 Market St.) A free legal workshop for LGBT Estate Planning. www. sfcenter.org King Lear - California Shakespeare Theater. $15-$51. 7:30 pm. (100 California Shakespeare Theater Way, Orinda) Affairs of state, family, and soul entwine in this masterful, epic tale of a king who loses everything— including his sanity—only to experience the power of revenge, betrayal, and ultimately, redemption. Opening night! www.calshakes.org

This September at the Market!

SEPT 9: World-reknowned performer Michael Saga is here. Be transported to Paris with his lovely music.

SEPT 16: Enter to win a nice big jar of sweet local honey and big bag of crisp apples, a tradition for Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.

ALLARD FARMS: Check out Allard Farms for the first of the season pears. They also have grapes, apples, pomegranates, Asian pears, almonds, and walnuts.

CORACOA CONFECTIONS: Chocolate lovers rejoice!

Coracoa Confections has joined the market with their artisan chocolates. All organic, vegan, soy free, and produced in Emeryville.

RAINBOW ORCHARDS: Stop by Rainbow Orchards for late season blueberries, blackberries. Apples should be coming very soon! Try interesting varieties such as Arakansas Black and Pippin!

pcfma.org

1.800.949.FARM F

fb.com/castrofarmersmarket

DESIGN : LOGOMAN : logomantotherescue.com

Beyond Words - Stage Werx. $15.

7:30 pm. (446 Valencia St.) Beyond Words is a new series coming to Stage Werx showcasing only the best of the best solo performers. www.stagewerx.org

BEN, Castro Group - Castro Community Room. Free for GGBA members. 11 am. (501 Castro St.) GGBA’s Business Exchange Network (BEN) is a category exclusive referral group designed to

Suzanne Westenhoefer - Park Presidio UMC. $25. 8 pm. (4301 Geary Blvd.) Lesbian stand-up comedic Suzanne Westenhoefer delivers a side-splitting night of comedy. www.suzannew.com

• 13 : S UNDAY

3rd Annual Oakland Pride Breakfast - California Nurses Association. Free. 8 am to 9:30 am.

(2000 Franklin St.) The East Bay Stonewall Democratic Club presents an exciting morning to honor people and organization in the LGBT community. www.eastbaystonewalldemocrats.org Paper Wings - Exit Theatre. $15.

7 pm. (156 Eddy St.) A visual-art puppetry show by talented artist Sha Sha Higby. Through September 26. www.theexit.org Minnie Driver - Feinstein’s at Hotel Nikko. $65-$80. Actress and singer Minnie Driver will perform songs off her three studio albums – Everything I’ve Got in My Pocket, Seastories, and Ask Me to Dance – as well as other fan favorites. Also September 11 & 12. www.ticketweb.com

• 14 : M ONDAY

J.M.W. Turner Exhibit - de Young. $19. 9:30 am. (50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr.) One of the greatest English painters of the nineteenth century, J.M.W. Turner was celebrated for his brilliant depicBAY T IM ES S EPT EM BER 3, 2015

21

ROSTOW (continued from page 15)

RAFAEL (continued from page 6)

Josh Duggar, the family values reality star who was already nailed for sexually abusing his sisters back in the day.

And I just read about a preacher man who had to resign from his pulpit for a year after admitting that he took a peek at the site out of curiosity (and apparently left his email address in the database).

lizing and perhaps even increasing a bit over last year. Chancellor Susan Lamb continues to enjoy broad support at the institution and appreciation for her transparent and respectful style. Our recently restored Board of Trustees continues to work well with our Chancellor and each other, meeting twice monthly and doing our best to responsibly guide the College back from the abyss.

I’m not sure how many other scandales will emerge from the leak, but it just goes to prove that nothing you do online is ever private. As another example, one of the emails that seeped out of the Hillary Clinton stockpile was a note from advisor Sidney Blumenthal, who opined after the 2010 midterms that John Boehner was a louche, lazy alcoholic whom nobody pays any attention to.

Louche? Who uses that word? I love it.

Meanwhile, on August 28, a task force convened by State Chancellor of Community Colleges Brice Harris released its report on accreditation in California. The task force found that the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges is excessively punitive in its approach, does not have the confidence of the community colleges it accredits, and

ought to be replaced with another accreditor. The direct implications for City College are limited, as any process for replacing the ACCJC is unlikely to be completed before the College’s accreditation comes up for review again at the end of next year.

But for those of us who have argued that the ACCJC has been excessively harsh in its approach to City College thus far, the task force’s findings are welcome validation. Congratulations and thanks to State Chancellor Harris, the task force members, the California Federation of Teachers, and all those who are working to reform our broken accreditation regime.

Rafael Mandelman is an attorney for the City of Oakland. He is also President of the City College of San Francisco Board of Trustees.

arostow@aol.com DUNNING (continued from page 6)

OscarUnmasked.BayTimesAd_Layout 1 8/31/15 10:34 AM Page 1

THE RICHMOND/ERMET AID FOUNDATION PRESENTS

Prop F: If you believe the short-term rental market (Airbnb, VRBO, etc.) is exacerbating our housing shortage by taking housing units/rooms that could be offered as permanent housing for residents, and instead offering them as short term rentals to tourists, then Prop F may be for you. It requires the city to “limit short-term rentals of a housing unit to 75 days per year regardless of whether the rental is hosted or unhosted; requires owners to provide proof that they authorize the unit as a short-term rental; requires residents who offer short-term rentals to submit quarterly reports on the number of days they live in the unit and the number of days the unit is rented; prohibits short-term rentals of in-law units; allows interested parties to sue hosting platforms; and makes it a misdemeanor for a hosting platform to unlawfully list a unit as a short-term rental.”

I have a couple of objections to this approach. Yes, there is abuse because the industry is fairly new and was unregulated for so long. However, there is recent legislation that took effect earlier this year regulating short-term rentals; we have not had a chance to see if it is working. I’m also uneasy about allowing “interested parties” to sue hosting platforms—it seems open for abuse. In an effort to stick it to the hosting platform (Airbnb), this proposition will ultimately harm good hosts who need to rent out a room or a unit in order to continue to afford to stay

in San Francisco. I have heard testimony from many of these hosts, many of them widows, single moms, or retirees who need the supplemental income to pay the mortgage and to stay in this city. For many, renting their space out full time is not an option they’d consider; they want the f lexibility to have their family or guests to stay with them, and don’t want a permanent roommate/tenant. I believe this measure goes too far. Let’s give the current laws a chance to work, and then make adjustments as necessary so as not to harm good hosts.

Prop I: If you believe development is moving too fast, particularly in the Mission, and you want to focus solely on the development of affordable housing to the exclusion of all other development, then Prop I is for you.

It suspends the issuance of permits on certain types of housing and business development projects in the Mission District for at least 18 months, and directs the city to develop a Neighborhood Stabilization Plan for the Mission District by January 31, 2017.

I have heard the frustration of the residents of the Mission District, as well as other affordable housing advocates, and understand the instinct to try to “stop the madness” by issuing a moratorium on building there. At the end of this moratorium, all we will have is a plan and we will be another 18 months behind in actually building housing. The Mission is not exempt from the economic consequenc-

es of low supply and high demand.

Put a halt to housing development and watch the rent for existing housing skyrocket even further. I believe this misguided effort will result in even more displacement of long-term residents, not less. For these reasons, I am not in support.

Prop K: If you think using surplus property to build affordable housing will help, then Prop K is for you. It allows the city to expand the allowable uses of surplus property to include the building of affordable housing for a range of households, from those with very low income to those with incomes up to 150% of the area median income, depending on the size of the project. Surplus land usage is a fairly complex issue, and I’d prefer it be handled legislatively rather than at the ballot box. I don’t have a strong opinion one way or the other on this initiative.

The bottom line is that when the dust settles November 4, we will have a better sense of the blueprint for solving our housing crisis. I hope you vote and contribute to its design.

Zoe Dunning is a retired Navy Commander and was a lead activist in the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. She currently serves as the 1st Vice Chair of the San Francisco Democratic Party, as a San Francisco Library Commissioner, and as Co-Chair of the Board of Directors for the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club.

WEDDINGS (continued from page 16) tice may fill the earth, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Alternative: We give thanks for the grace and abundance that fill our lives, and for our membership in the human family.

We give thanks for (names) and the blessing of their marriage this day.

Featuring the Company of the Spectacular New Production of

The Phantom of the Opera Sep. 21, 2015, 7:30 pm Marines’ Memorial Theater A One Night Only Benefit Cabaret for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and Richmond/Ermet Aid Foundation

Tickets: 415-273-1620 or www.reaf.org

22

BAY TIMES SEPTEMB E R 3 , 2 0 1 5

We give thanks for all of the members of their beloved community—those present and those absent, including their ancestors, without whom this day, this wedding, would not be.

May (names) be lifted by this day, these people, and this precious and wonderful celebration.

May they give to one another unconditionally, expecting nothing in return, May they find in themselves and each other grace in times of conflict, comfort in times of pain and loss, courage in times of fear.

May they experience joy in their everyday lives and contentment on their path of deepening spiritual maturity.

May their mutual love grow to encompass many, bringing justice and hope and healing where they are most needed.

May they practice kindness and compassion to one another in all the circumstances of their lives.

May laughter and warmth reign supreme in their home, and may they find peace in the center of this marriage.

And may it ever be so.

Reverend Elizabeth River is an ordained Interfaith Minister based in the North Bay. For more information, please visit marincoastweddings.com

SISTER DANA (continued from page 12) AND MISS GAPA RUNWAY PAGEANT on Saturday, September 12, at the Cowell Theater (Fort Mason Center). With its bayside location, there could not be any more of a perfect venue for Runway XXVII’s theme “UNDER THE SEA”! Hosted by Miss GAPA 2012 Jezebel Patel & Mister GAPA 2013 Sir Whitney Queers (Nguyen Pham), Runway XXVII will pick up anchor and set its course as this year’s Candydates find inspiration from the oceanic world to emerge from unknown depths; and, by the end of the evening, two very fortu-

nate souls will rise with the foam like Aphrodite and be crowned our new Mister and Miss GAPA. Tix and info available at eventbrite.com/e/ gapa-runway-27 BALONEY: FOLSOM is San Francisco’s Gay All-Male Revue, choreographed by Rory Davis, directed

by Michael Phillis, starring Will Bedell, Rory Davis, Shaun Mullen, Simon Palczynski, Michael Phillis, Andrew Sheets, Andrew Slade, Alex Steinhaus, Tim Wingert & Nancy French.

Baloney returns on Thursday

September 17, Friday September 18, and Saturday September 19, doors 7pm, show 8pm at Oasis (298 11th Street at Folsom Street). Sister Dana sez, “Don’t miss this hot ticket!”

Tickets at sfoasis.com Sister Dana sez, “Presidential candidate and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie went against the grain of his fellow Republican candidates and conservatives stating that he believes businesses should not be allowed to discriminate against LGBT customers. Color me both shocked and delighted!

But he still ain’t gonna be Prez!”

Round About - All Over Town

Photos by RINK

Community College Board candidate Alex Randolph (left) with his partner Trevor Nguyen, and Asia SF’s Larry Hashbarger and Skip Young who hosted a party on August 25 supporting Randolph.

Entertainer Simone per formed for the crowd at Asia SF during the kickoff party for candidate Alex Randolph.

A large group of community leaders and elected officials surrounded Alex Randolph (center) in support of his campaign for the Community College Board.

Asia SF staff member Kim served miniature ice cream cone desserts during Alex Randolph’s campaign kickoff party.

Candidate for District 3 Supervisor Aaron Peskin was cheered by supporters attending the Harvey Milk Democratic Club’s party benefitting his candidacy held on August 26 at Cinch bar.

Curator Melonie Green, Afro Solo Festival executive director Thomas Robert Simpson and Lyric’s Black Emerging Artists coordinator Jessica Allen at the Afro Solo Festival held at the Main Library on August 18.

The Caribbean All-Stars performed at Jane Warner Plaza on August 23, sponsored by the Castro Benefit District and People in Plazas.

Candidate Aaron Peskin (third from right) was joined by supporters at a party benefiting his candidacy sponsored by the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club at Cinch bar. Joining Peskin were (left to right) Milk Club co-presidents Laura Thomas and Peter Gallotta, Supervisor David Campos, gay activist Cleve Jones, Peskin, Rosalie Jacques and Paula Fiscal.

Volunteers at the 4th Annual Swim For Life benefit included Derrick Mapp, Melody Bartholomew, Isabel Barres, Sondra Bishop, TJ Lee, Valentin Aguirre and Mike Hickey.

Stephane Torres and Katy Birnbaum displayed the Club’s t-shirts during the Queers for Aaron Peskin party.

Swimmers Sonia Martin and Arden Lister with Lister’s mother Connie Norton at the 4th Annual Swim for Life benefit

Shanti’s Life Program director Jack Bowman rode an “orca” in the Doug Mackay, AOF’s Matthew Denckla and Magnet di- pool during the 4th annual Swim For Life benefit held at Hamilton rector Steve Gibson at the AOF party hosted by Denckla Pool on August 23. on August 22.

Beach Blanket Babylon’s Christopher Goodwin, his son George Green and wife and AOF Board member Lila Green at the Academy of Friends party hosted by board member Matthew Denckla on August 22.

Academy of Friends Board members Gil Padia, John Ferver, Lila Green, Todd Creel, John Marino, David Flynn, Matthew Denckla, Andrew Fitch and Amanda Watson at the party hosted by Denckla on August 22.

Academy of Friends supporters were welcomed by host Matthew Denckla (second from right) at a party held at Denckla’s apartment on Mint Hill.

Tom Mayer’s partner of 18 years, Luiz Netto with Fr. Matt Lick, pastor at Most Holy Redeemer Church in the Castro on August 21 after a memorial mass for Mayer, who is remembered for helping save the Fallon building at the LGBT Community Center and the Victoria Theater in the Mission.

Spontaneous poet and actor Wonder Dave with author Daphne Gottlieb who discussed her book Pretty Much Dead at Smack Dab’s open mic on August 19

Glittering comic Jesús U. BettaWork created a scene during the reception at Smack Dab’s open mic event at Magnet.

BAY T IM ES S EPT EM BER 3, 2015

23

SUNDAY 9.13.2015

Parade starts 10:30am at Broadway & 14th St. Festival: 11am-7pm at Broadway and 20th St.