LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area
CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES Est . 1978
August 28–September 10, 2025 http://sfbaytimes.com
See pages 2–5
Children’s Fairyland Oakland Saturday, September 6 6–10 pm 21+
Sunday, September 7, 2025
https://bit.ly/4lVyoJy Fairy Proud Pride Night Oakland Pride Parade & Festival
11 am–1 pm Parade 12 pm–6 pm Festival
https://www.oaklandpride.org/
Children’s Fairyland in Oakland is the OG theme park for kids and those of all ages who remain young at heart. As a writer for San Francisco Magazine once commented, it is “as miniature and uncynical as a toddler’s beating heart.” Walt Disney made a beeline for it, likely during an April 17, 1954, visit to the Bay Area with colleagues Nat Winecoff and C.V. Wood. He was so impressed that he used Fairyland as an inspiration for Disneyland, which opened on July 17, 1955. Disneyland, in turn, led to many other such parks for youths worldwide.
Although Fairyland will turn 75 this September—it opened on September 2, 1950—the park still feels like a magical discovery that retains a certain pure and humble spirit, especially when compared to the more commercial and brightly hued Disney parks. Don’t get us wrong. Members of our team enjoy those parks too, but let’s face it. Oakland is a perpetual underdog. The entrance to Oakland from the Bay Bridge runs directly past the East Bay Municipal Utility District Main Wastewater Treatment Plant, giving this section a bleak look and an often-stomach-churning smell. It’s enough to
make visitors want to turn back as fast as possible.
For those who get past Oakland’s rough exterior and reputation, they will be rewarded with some of California’s—and the nation’s—greatest and most soul-satisfying treasures, including Fairyland. It is little wonder that the park has reached this 75th milestone year.
On Labor Day, Monday, September 1, 2025, Children’s Fairyland in Oakland will throw a big birthday bash to mark its nearly eight decades of imagination, play, and community. The festivities will begin with a sidewalk parade starting at 9:30 am from BART’s 19th Street Station and will end with a warm welcome at the park’s Fairy Gates.
Once inside the park, kids of all ages and their families will be able to enjoy a full day of entertainment with two performances by DJ Lance Rock, bubble play with Daisy the Clown, circus acts from Prescott Circus, a brand-new Spanish-English bilingual puppet show (Fairyland’s first-ever bilingual puppet show!), Tío Conejo’s Big Wish, hands-on arts & crafts, food truck bites, cake moments, and delightful surprises around every corner.
At the root of many of our greatest pleasures—music, films, online diversions, and more—is storytelling. Oakland nurseryman Arthur Navlet (1893–1981), like many of us back in the day, grew up enjoying Brothers Grimm fairy tales and Mother Goose nursery rhymes. Several of these tales were included in beautifully illustrated books, such as 1916’s The Real Mother Goose, which included at least 140 “rimes” like Little Bo-Peep and Wee Willie Winkie. The tales would usually be read aloud, often by a parent, at bedtime.
Navlet in 1947 during a trip to Detroit went to a children’s zoo in Belle Isle Park. There, he happened to see a collection of small nursery rhyme-themed buildings and a lightbulb went off. He envisioned creating an entire park in Oakland—where he was a member of the Business Men’s Garden Club of Oakland, tied to the Lake Merritt Breakfast Club—with large sets that children could climb in and interact with, allowing
There will be a free San Francisco Bay Ferry at 7:50 am from the Downtown San Francisco Ferry Terminal that will transport travelers to Jack London Square at 8:15 am. From there, guests can transfer to the AC Transit Line 12 at 8:28 am. (A Fairy Princess will greet people at the AC Transit bus stop!) Travelers will then arrive at the 19th Street BART Station at 8:45 am, providing plenty of time to get settled before the parade.
Oakland Pride Week Celebrations Too!
To paraphrase the old Ginsu Knife commercials: But wait. There’s more! Fairyland’s Pride Family Weekend will take place on September 6 and 7, from 10 am to 4 pm on both days. This will include, as the park shares, “family-friendly Pride fun with a dash of fairy dust and a whole lot of love!” The two joyful days will feature colorful crafts, community partners, and special performances that will reflect the imagination, inclusivity, and magic that make Fairyland shine. Highlights include “bubble painting in
them to literally step into fairy tales.
He took his ideas to William Penn Mott, Jr., who was then the Director of Oakland’s parks department. Mott and the Breakfast Club were able to raise $50,000 from Oakland citizens to realize the vision. That amount was equivalent to well over a million dollars today, which is still a drop in the money bucket for construction, but yet had more purchasing power then. Also, Fairyland was a park within a park, helping to reduce costs. Contributing sponsors included some names familiar to drivers in the East Bay, such as Earl Warren (Warren Freeway), Joseph Knowland (Knowland Park Zoo), and Thomas Caldecott (Caldecott Tunnel).
Navlet hired fantasy artist and architect William Russell Everritt (1904–1978) to design the park’s original 17 sets. Everritt originally presented models that followed a standard fantasy architecture: straight-sided,
“precious” buildings in gingerbread and candy. When told his models were too staid, he delightedly destroyed them and came back with buildings with no straight sides and outré colors and textures. They were exactly what Navlet had envisioned.
The expansive park at 699 Bellevue Avenue near Lake Merritt opened on September 2, 1950. Admission was 9 to 14 cents, depending on age. The original guides to the park were a dwarfish iconic married couple, Victor and Edna Wetter, who dressed in glamorous Munchkin-style costumes. (There was some controversy about spotlighting individuals of short stature, as for The Wizard of Oz, but the couple nevertheless were appreciated by guests.) The original sets included Pinocchio’s Castle, Thumbelina, Three Billy Goats Gruff, The Merry Miller, The Three Little Pigs, Willie the Whale, and several others. The entrance to the park was through the home of the Old Woman in the
Miss Muffet’s Garden,” a drag story hour with Per Sia on the Emerald City Stage, outdoor games at the Teddy Bear Picnic Area, and a performance by magician Blake Maxam.
And what if your favorite gay bar turned into an amusement park? Poof—Fairy Proud! On Saturday, September 6, from 6–10 pm, Fairyland will be transformed into a live-outloud Pride celebration bursting with queer joy and fierce fantasy. Guests can ride the Jolly Trolly, dance under the Fairyland stars with three live DJs, savor local flavors in the Fairy food court, dive into delicious libations, and catch jaw-dropping, spectacular drag shows curated exclusively for Fairy Proud by the Bay Area’s premiere drag collectives. There will be three stages, three DJs, and three drag collectives for this one very enchanted night.
For more information about Fairyland’s 75th birthday celebration, Pride Family Weekend, and Fairy Proud, go to: https://fairyland.org/
Shoe. Only kids could walk upright through the shoe, which required adults to bend over to proceed.
The park thrived, and in 1956, the City of Oakland Parks and Recreation Department hired Burton Weber to promote the wonders inside Fairyland’s gates. Weber created a program for young children called Fairyland Personalities, which is still part of Fairyland’s Children’s Theater program.
Fairyland is also home to the original “Magic Key,” and some members of our San Francisco Bay Times team who grew up in the Bay Area still have these coveted keys saved. The keys open up Talking Storybook Boxes, and years ago, certain special keys could be won in contests. Bay Times co-publisher Jennifer Viegas won a kids’ art contest—a painting of a rotund smiling whale—that earned her a big colorful key. She recalls that it was like seeing
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A “prehistoric era” for children’s entertainment with limited options, as Disneyland and Nickelodeon TV did not yet exist. Amusement parks primarily catered to teenagers, with few options for young children.
1950
Fairyland opened its doors as one of the first parks designed for children, featuring fairytale sets, a carousel, pony rides, and a cotton-candy stand. Admission was between 9 and 14 cents, with costumed guides leading children through a fairytale landscape. All storybook sets were crafted by architect William Russell Everitt. Businessman Arthur Navlet, who owned a nursery, designed the park’s gardens, with some original plantings still thriving today.
Walt Disney’s Visit(s) to Fairyland in the 1950s
Depending on the source, Walt Disney either visited Fairyland in 1954 or 1956, or perhaps multiple times during that period. What is clearer is that, after he experienced Fairyland firsthand, he incorporated some of its ideas into Disneyland, which opened in 1956. Disney also hired Fairyland’s first executive director, Dorothy Manes, and one of its puppeteers, Bob Mills.
the golden ticket in a Willy Wonka chocolate bar.
The park, aside from the Talking Storybook Boxes and the sounds of happy kids, is relatively quiet, and especially when compared to other similar sites. The staff at Fairyland describe it as being low tech, or as they like to say, “kiddie tech.” Whenever possible, they strive for simplicity, to enable visitors to fill in the blanks with their own imaginations.
The Beloved Gay Man Who Helped Develop Fairyland’s Puppet Theatre
Fairyland inherently valued Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) long before that acronym existed. Oakland for decades has had one of the Bay Area’s most racially diverse populations, so that has been reflected in visitors to the park. While the sets originally highlighted European folktales, there is an ongoing effort to bring in greater diversity. Now there is a Chinese dragon slide, a Japanese party area, a mini Ferris wheel based on Anansi the Spider (a protagonist in certain Ghana and West African folktales), and more.
Fairyland’s Storybook Puppet Theater has, since its opening in 1956, perhaps better
Burton Weber, from the City of Oakland Parks and Recreation Department, created a program for young children called “Fairyland Personalities.” This program is still part of Fairyland’s Children’s Theatre.
On August 29 and 30, 1970, in honor of the park’s 20th anniversary, former Fairyland puppeteer and later Sesame Street legend Frank Oz paid a return visit, accompanied by his Muppet characters Bert and the Cookie Monster, as the culmination of “Happy Week.” Local newspapers touted the fact that Oz was one of the theme park’s earliest patrons, attending on opening day at the age of five.
With the help of the Lake Merritt Breakfast Club, Fairyland achieved 501(c)(3) nonprofit status. This allowed the park to apply for grants, receive bond funds, and accept donations to continue providing a family-centered, imaginative environment for children.
Children’s Fairyland remains true to its mission as a magical fantasy world where young children can create, imagine, play, and learn. The park continues to offer affordable admission, with financial support allowing 4,000 low-income children to attend for free each year. Fairyland looks forward to a future filled with community support and joy for children.
reflected cultural diversity from day one. Depending on the season, guests might enjoy a Vietnamese Cinderella story, Baba Yaga from Slavic folklore, or Mexican folktales. A long-anticipated addition—to be debuted during the 75th birthday celebrations—will be the park’s first bilingual (Spanish and English) puppet show.
The theater structure was designed by the park’s original architect, Everitt, with the assistance of members of the San Francisco Bay Area Puppeteers Guild. It accommodated hand and rod puppets. For the theater’s 50th anniversary, in 2006, the building was redesigned with a storage area, workshop, and higher ceiling for dramatic effects.
Many accomplished puppeteers have worked at Fairyland’s puppet theater, including Tony Urbano, Luman Coad, and Frances and Isadore (“Mike”) Oznowicz. The Oznowiczes’ son, Frank, performed at the theater when he was a teenager. He later shortened his name to Frank Oz and went on to perform with The Muppets and to direct many Hollywood films. Within The Muppets, he was the voice of Miss Piggy,
Fozzie Bear, Animal, Sam the Eagle, Bert, Cookie Monster, Grover, and others. He was also the voice of Yoda in several Star Wars films.
Muppet performer Alice Dinnean also got her start at Fairyland’s Storybook Puppet Theater. Some of her Muppet characters have been Sherry Netherland, the owner of the Furry Arms Hotel; and Phoebe, a member of the Monster Clubhouse Lewis Mahlmann (1927–2014) served as the puppet theater’s director for decades and largely helped to shape its programming. Morgan Rothenbaum, Senior Director of Marketing & Communications for Children’s Fairyland, told the San Francisco Bay Times, “Lewis Mahlmann, who served as our puppeteer from 1967 to 2006, shared a 50-year partnership with David C. Jones. Upon Mahlmann’s retirement from Fairyland in 2006, Mahlmann entrusted his puppets and stories
to Randal Metz, who continues his legacy as Master Puppeteer. Together, they created many of Fairyland’s beloved shows. After Mahlmann’s passing in 2014, Fairyland hosted a beautiful celebration of life.”
As Mahlmann’s memoriam in the San Francisco Chronicle mentions, “he co-wrote four books of puppet plays with his partner in puppetry and in life, David C. Jones, who passed away 10 days after Mahlmann, also of pneumonia.” The men were inseparable and known for their kindness, generosity, and mentoring of others. In large part because of that, Metz and others have been able to continue the theater’s evolution, garnering it international acclaim.
In 1994, with help from the Lake Merritt Breakfast Club, Fairyland applied for and received 501(c) (3) nonprofit status to allow it to apply for grants, receive bond funds, and solicit donations. Please consider helping keep this Oakland treasure going, either with a membership or donation. When you support Fairyland, you support an inclusive community oasis where the magic, joy, and transformative power of storytelling and play are unlocked for generations of children and families. Donations power all of the park’s programs, from maintaining the 10 acres to providing access to everyone of any income level through the Fairyland for All program. We hope you will join us in wishing Fairyland a Happy 75th Birthday, and that this warm and welcoming destination will be around for another seven-plus decades.
https://fairyland.org/donate/
By Christina Klingenberger-Valdez
My wife and I have deep roots in the Bay Area. I grew up here, it’s where I met my wife Emily, and it’s where we live today. Coincidentally, our families are from the same town—Fremont—even though Emily actually grew up in Bakersfield.
We both have sweet childhood memories of Fairyland and collecting those iconic keys: me with my parents and younger sister, and her during visits to her grandparents. So, when it came time to plan our wedding, we knew we wanted a venue that was unique and connected to the Bay Area community we love so much.
We were lucky enough to be married by Sister Kay Sera Sera of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, and the whole day turned into the colorful, whimsical disco wedding of our dreams. Our family and friends embraced it fully, unleashing their inner child and dancing the night away.
Christina Klingenberger-Valdez is the Senior Manager of Advertising and Promotions at the California Academy of Sciences.
Oakland-based photographer Lindsey Shea is a lover of all things film and the outdoors. Her images reflect inclusivity, experiences over things, quality over quantity, and nature whenever possible. Shea says, “Foremost, I am interested in creating magic. The kind of magic you associate with nostalgic film photos from your grandma. I love to create and capture artful moments—both for relationships and intimate portraits.” Here at the San Francisco Bay Times, we believe she created just that with her photoshoot of the Klingenberger-Valdez wedding at Fairyland. https://www.lindsey-shea.com/
Photos courtesy of Visit Oakland
Oakland Pride 2025 will mark the 15th anniversary of this popular East Bay event that is really more like a week-long celebration than a single day’s observance. In addition to the Children’s Fairyland events highlighted in this issue of the San Francisco Bay Times, there will be an LGBTQ+ film shorts festival at the historic Grand Lake Theatre on Wednesday, September 3. Reel Queer Flix will include, not only the film showings, but also an after-party at a nearby bar with the details to be announced at the event (keeping that a fun mystery!).
Importantly, the location for this year’s Pride on September 7 will move to Oakland City Hall and Frank Ogawa Plaza. The festival entrance will be at 14th & Broadway, with the parade from 11 am–1 pm starting at 22nd & Broadway and finishing at 12th & Broadway. The festival will then take place from noon–6 pm.
As of this writing, the Grand Marshals have not yet been announced, but many of the entertainers have been revealed. The mainstage headliners will be music legends CeCe Peniston, Martha Wash, and Kamaiyah. Superstar Christian Chávez, of the band RBD and also an actor in telenovelas, will be the Latin Stage headliner. That popular stage is produced by Valentino Presents and Club Papi.
The Mighty Real Stage is another one not to miss. It is curated by legendary Bay Area DJ and producer David Harness.
Among the artists who will be featured are Charles Hawthorne, Nina Sol, Black Panda, and Steven Kelly.
The organizers of Oakland Pride share: “Since 2010, we have been an influential coalition dedicated to educating the greater Bay Area and promoting equality, social justice, civic involvement, and responsibility within Oakland and neighboring communities.
Historically, our events have attracted over 50,000 attendees and have raised $3.3 million for the Oakland community as we continue to live and buy locally.”
“Our organization has a shared vision of providing an equitable platform, safe spaces, and events for the entire Oakland community,” they continue. “Our events celebrate Oakland’s rich and diverse queer community, support Oakland’s BIPOC businesses & nonprofits, and highlight the resources available to the community through a series of events throughout the year that lead up to Oakland Pride Weekend—a Festival and Parade.”
The San Francisco Bay Times is once again a media sponsor and will have a booth at the festival. We hope to see you there and at other great Oakland events.
https://www.oaklandpride.org/
By George J. Smith III
As we prepare to come together once again on Sunday, September 7, 2025, I’m honored to share this year’s Oakland Pride theme: “In Unity, We Thrive.” With everything happening in the world, this theme couldn’t be timelier. Now more than ever, we must unite. We must come together as a community—to stand up, speak out, and show up—for equality, for justice, and for one another.
June may be nationally recognized as Pride Month, but here in Oakland—and across the Bay Area—we celebrate Pride every day. In a country where our basic human rights are still being debated and challenged, we are proud to live in a region that has long stood strong, fought hard, and led the way in the movement for LGBTQ+ equality.
Pride isn’t just a party. It’s a powerful tradition rooted in resistance, visibility, and love. And when we move together, we create real change. When we support each other, we thrive. This year, we’re calling on our community to get involved: Donate to Oakland Pride to help us keep this event safe, inclusive, and accessible for all. Employers stand in solidarity by supporting your LGBTQ+ staff and showing up as a sponsor or community partner. Local businesses and community groups, we see you. Whether you’re feeding our incredible volunteers, donating services, or sponsoring our VIP areas—your support helps keep the heart of Oakland Pride beating strong.
And to every person who needs to hear this: You are not alone. We see you. We hear you. And we’ll stand with you.
George J. Smith III is the President of the Oakland Pride Board of Directors. https://www.oaklandpride.org/
Brandon Miller
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA)— yes, that’s really what it’s called—was signed into law on July 4, 2025, and it’s packed with changes. We’re talking permanent tax cuts, updates to Medicare and Medicaid, energy policy overhauls, even changes to immigration and defense spending. It’s a lot.
Rather than try to unpack all several-hundred pages of it, we’ve pulled out the most relevant highlights, especially the tax changes that could affect your planning.
1. Tax cuts that stick around The lower tax rates from the 2017 Tax Cuts
and Jobs Act are now permanent. That includes the Qualified Business Income (QBI) deduction and the current estate tax exemption—so no looming expiration dates to stress about. Of course, “permanent” really just means Congress didn’t give it an end date; they can still change things down the road.
2. Bigger standard deduction
Starting in 2025, the standard deduction jumps to:
• $31,500 for joint filers;
• $23,625 for heads of household;
• $15,750 for single filers. These amounts will continue to adjust for inflation.
3. Charitable giving gets a shakeup Beginning in 2026:
• For non-itemizers, you can now deduct up to $2,000 in cash donations if married filing jointly ($1,000 if single). This is similar to 2020 and 2021 when you were able to deduct $600/$300.
• For those who do itemize, only donations over 0.5% of your adjusted gross income count. Smaller gifts won’t make the cut.
4. Estate tax exemption expands The estate tax exemption rises to $15 million per person in 2026 and will be indexed for inflation. No expiration on this one (for now).
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Jay Greene, Esq., CPA
Hey there, Californians! If you are starting to think about what’s ahead—retirement, healthcare costs, or maybe helping out your aging relatives—one thing you should know about in California is Medi-Cal. Not sure what it is? No problem, I’ve got you covered.
Medi-Cal is California’s version of Medicaid. It’s a program that helps people with lower incomes cover healthcare costs— like trips to the doctor, hospital stays, or even long-term care. It’s a big deal for anyone who needs support to afford medical expenses as they get older. But heads up: some changes are coming to Medi-Cal that
could affect you or your loved ones, so let’s talk about what’s happening and how you can get ready.
As of January 1, 2026, California will bring back the “asset test” for Medi-Cal. This means they’ll check what you own—think savings, a second car, or an extra property— to see if you qualify. The limits are set at $130,000 for single folks and $195,000 for couples. Your main home and one car don’t count, but other stuff like cash or a vacation home does. If you’re over those limits, MediCal might not be an option unless you plan ahead with an experienced estate planning firm.
Picture this: you’re thinking about your future or maybe your loved one’s needs— like care at home or in a nursing facility. Those costs can add up fast, and Medi-Cal is often the safety net people rely on. With the asset test back in play, having a bit too much saved up could mean you’d need to spend it down before getting help. That’s not a great spot to be in if you’ve been working hard to build some security that you would like to supplement your needs.
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By Aaron Boot-Haury
Over the past several months, many of you have asked me about the future of supplier diversity programs. The question is timely—and urgent. Recent executive orders from the Trump Administration have directly targeted Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, creating uncertainty for both federal contractors and the private sector. Programs that once opened doors for minority-, women-, and LGBTQ+-owned businesses to fairly compete are being rolled back or reframed under new restrictions.
For LGBTQ+-owned businesses in particular, this shift has sparked questions, including: Does the LGBT Business Enterprise (LGBTBE) certification still matter?
The short answer is yes. While federal actions have dismantled some long-standing frameworks, the National LGBT Chamber
of Commerce (NGLCC) and its partners continue to build merit-based, transparent pathways for certified LGBTQ+-owned businesses to access contracting opportunities. Certification is not a guarantee of contracts (and it never has been), but it remains one of the most powerful tools for visibility, access, and connection in today’s procurement networks.
I was reminded of that power last week in Las Vegas, where GGBA Board Member Joy Baucom, myself, and many of our members joined over 1,000 LGBTQ+ business owners, affiliate chamber leaders, and corporate executives at the NGLCC International Business & Leadership Conference.
The energy was undeniable. Educational sessions tackled the most pressing issues of our time, affiliate chamber leaders shared best practices, and intentional networking events created direct lines between small business owners, chambers, and corporate
procurement teams. Importantly, the NGLCC still has over 400 corporate partners, many of whom were present. These are not symbolic relationships; these corporations continue to invest millions into supplier diversity, including underwriting much of the conference itself.
I personally met with Bay Area-based corporate partners who reaffirmed their commitment to working with the GGBA and supporting our local LGBTQ+ business community. These conversations confirmed what many of us know: while the political climate has shifted, the business case and moral imperative for inclusion remain as strong as ever. Companies recognize that diverse suppliers bring innovation, resilience, and market insight. That isn’t going away.
So, what does this mean for us here at home? As I wrote in last month’s column, the GGBA’s Board of Directors and an increasing number of volunteers (thank you!) are laser focused on our mission: to empow-
er LGBTQ+ and allied business owners by creating opportunities for business growth through marketing, networking, procurement, and education, while advocating for inclusive policies and economic equality across the Bay Area and beyond.
Even in the face of political headwinds, our charge is clear. We will continue to educate our members, advocate for equitable policies, and create spaces for business owners to connect and thrive.
Finally, I want to thank our entire community for standing with us as we build the GGBA stronger than ever. My door is always open for your feedback, your ideas, and your partnership as we navigate these times together.
In solidarity, Aaron Boot-Haury, President & CEO Golden Gate Business Association (GGBA) president@ggba.com
https://www.ggba.com/
7x7 Executive Transportation has nearly a 5-star perfect rating at Yelp, and for good reason. At a time when personalized service is a rarity due to AI and other factors, this business that offers tailored ground transportation counters trends such as autonomous vehicles and slapdash rideshares in favor of ultimate comfort, convenience, security, and some of the most skilled drivers in the Bay Area. Here, Will Nickerson, who is the Director of Customer Success at 7x7, shares more.
GGBA: What is unique about 7x7 Executive Transportation, and what are the values of the business?
Will Nickerson: At 7x7 Executive Transportation, LLC, we provide a curated selection of boutique, customized transportation and concierge services tailored to meet the unique needs of our clients. Our team takes pride in understanding and catering to each client’s individual preferences. If the trip or event requires arrangements outside of our listed offerings, we are up for the challenge of crafting the perfect solution.
Whether it’s a seamless airport transfer or a coordinated fleet of 56-passenger coaches for a large corporate event, we have the expertise and resources to accommodate every request with precision and care.
Our 7 Core Company Values
1 - Customer-Centered Service: Always put our passengers first by anticipating their needs and personalizing every trip.
2 - Safety First: Maintain the highest safety standards using well-trained chauffeurs, and meticulously maintained vehicles.
3 - Professionalism: Deliver on our commitments with integrity, courtesy, discretion, reliability, and punctuality every time, without compromise.
4 - Excellence in Quality: Uphold top-tier service quality through clean, well-equipped vehicles and attentive chauffeurs.
5 - Sustainability: Where possible, adopt eco-friendly practices, from fuel-efficient vehicles to responsible operations.
6 - Teamwork, Respect & Inclusion:
Value our team members and foster a positive, respectful, growth-oriented work culture that champions diversity, equity, and inclusion.
7 - Innovation: Embrace new technologies and processes to enhance customer experience and operational efficiency.
GGBA: Who are some of your role models, and especially those who helped to influence your business?
Will Nickerson: Coming out of the pandemic, we witnessed a sharp decline in cus-
tomer service across the transportation industry—and beyond. Instead of accepting this as the new standard, we made a deliberate choice to raise the bar and redefine the experience. Inspired by world-class brands like The Ritz-Carlton and Disney, we built our model around the same principle that drives their success: creating unforgettable moments through exceptional service.
For us, it’s not just about getting you from point A to point B; it’s about delivering an experience that feels seamless, personalized, and memorable. This commitment to service
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There is no denying that these are dangerous times, and it is all too easy to get sucked into the vortex of despair. From troops overrunning the streets of Washington, D.C., to the antidemocratic strongarm tactics of Governor Abbott in Texas, to Governor DeSantis ordering the Pulse Memorial rainbow walk to be painted over in Florida, to out-of-control ICE agents stealing people off the street, to starvation in Gaza, to whatever the heck is going on with the Ukraine negotiations, it sometimes it feels like the forces of hate and oppression that are currently rampant in our country are unstoppable, and we have no chance of reclaiming our democracy.
I know too well what that despair feels like. I recently found myself burned out, over-
whelmed, and depressed, with nothing left to give. So, I unplugged for a week: picked up a book instead of my phone, and spent a week with my husband soaking up the stunning beauty that California has to offer. Instead of watching the news, I watched waves on the shore, otters playing, pelicans soaring, towering redwoods, and the night skies. I started to breathe again and regain perspective. My soul began to heal.
But the biggest surprise came one afternoon in the Santa Cruz Mountains, when I accidentally took a wrong turn off Highway 9. GPS led us astray, up a terrifyingly narrow, rutted, steep, and twisty road. I started panicking as the road led higher and higher into the woods, with no sign of a way out, and steep drop-offs on the sides. I had no choice but to keep going forward, finally lurching up one especially steep stretch—only to find it was a dead end.
I was in full panic attack mode. I stopped the car, paralyzed by fear. The only way out was
to back my wimpy little rented Corolla down that dangerous hill, and I knew I didn’t have the skill to do it. My husband (who doesn’t drive) tried to calm me down, then got out of the car to look for help.
Within minutes, neighbors appeared out of nearby houses. Larry and Peter and Mark—folks who live in those seemingly inaccessible places in the mountains and therefore have all the necessary skills to survive there— came to our rescue. With great patience and competence, they gently helped me out of the car, then managed to carefully back it down that steep hill to a place where I could safely get back on the main road. They could have scorned us city folks who got stuck up there; they could have turned their backs and told us we were on our own. But they didn’t. They simply resolved the situation, while treating us as neighbors, with kindness and respect.
and Mark for not only rescuing us that day (and not treating me like an idiot for my lack of driving skills), but also for restoring my hope in our country, and our future.
Hope is where you find it.
And that’s when I regained hope. America is filled with kind neighbors like Larry and Peter and Mark—people who, when their neighbors need help, step up and pitch in. I will forever be grateful to Larry and Peter
The monthly workshops where you can help repair panels of the AIDS Memorial Quilt
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have found a new home. Having outgrown their previous locations in the Castro, the workshops in August moved to the San Francisco Public Library in Civic Center, to the Steve Silver Room on the 4th floor. All are welcome, and no previous sewing experience is necessary.
Workshops are held in San Francisco on the first Saturday of each month from 12–4 pm.
Additional workshops are held the fourth Saturday of each month at the Quilt’s home in San Leandro, also from 12–4 pm. They are led by the legendary Gert McMullin, known as “The Mother of the Quilt,” along with National AIDS Memorial staff and longtime volunteers. These workshops not only repair the Quilt, but they also stitch together communi ty. They are healing, they are fun, and there is pizza. What more can you ask for? For more info: https://tinyurl.com/QuiltSFPL
See the Golden State Valkyries on September 2
For a deeper understanding of the Quilt, and Gert’s extraordinary connection to it, see the new documentary Gert’s Boys, currently showing at film festivals, and available to watch online: https://tinyurl.com/GertsBoys
The Valkyries are the hottest ticket in town this summer. In their inaugural season they seem to be doing everything right—selling out every game, their merchandise flying off the shelves, and, of course, playing exciting basketball. And they are also working hard to connect with the community. On September 2, they are hosting a Breast Health Awareness Night. As we approach October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, this is a good time to schedule your checkups, review your health history, and know your personal risk factors. And in the meantime, go see a Valkyries game!
https://valkyries.wnba.com/
Don’t Give Up, Especially in Advance
Yes, it’s scary out there, but remember that they can only win if we stop fighting. So, let’s make it harder for them. Don’t give up in advance. Don’t say, “What’s the use?”
Americans who love peace and democracy far outnumber those who are trying to take those things away, so please: stay loud, and stay focused. We can win, together.
Joanie Juster is a long-time community volunteer, activist, and ally.
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Stuart Gaffney and John Lewis
Over 820,000 married same-sex couples live in the United States today, according to the latest figures from the UCLA Williams Institute. That’s over 1.6 million queer people falling in love and tying the knot. When you add the nearly 300,000 children being raised by married samesex couples today, along with countless parents, grandparents, grown children, and other loved ones, that means many millions of people are directly touched by marriage equality. In addition, countless LGBTIQ+ people may wish to marry someday or simply take pride in the fact that they have the same fundamental right to marry under the U.S. Constitution that everyone else does.
Not surprisingly, fear and apprehension arose with the news that Kim Davis, the outlier former Rowan County Kentucky clerk who, 10 years ago, refused to marry same-sex couples after the U.S. Supreme Court made marriage equality the law of the land, had asked the Supreme Court to hear her last-ditch appeal in a lawsuit she has been fighting for over a decade. Davis’ Supreme Court petition focuses on her claim that her conservative Christian religious beliefs should have enabled her to disregard the Obergefell nationwide marriage equality decision when it was issued and to refuse to permit her county to marry same-sex couples. She also requested that the Court overturn the landmark decision itself.
The vast majority of legal observers believe it highly unlikely that the U.S. Supreme Court will take her case. One reason is that, in the course of the litigation, Davis has already lost three times at the Sixth Circuit Federal Court of Appeal, and, five years ago, the Supreme Court rejected a request for it to hear similar issues in her case. Although Clarence Thomas, joined by Samuel Alito, issued a statement misrepresenting and maligning the Obergefell decision, even they acknowledged that her petition did “not cleanly present” the issues they believed the court should consider.
In that appeal, the Sixth Circuit held that for “a reasonable official, Obergefell left no uncertainty” about its force and effect. Even Judge John Bush, a Trump nominee to the Sixth Circuit, concurred, stating that, even under the most lenient
standard of review, Supreme Court precedent “clearly established that Davis could not deny marriage licenses to [same-sex couples] based on their sexual orientation.” Bush squarely rejected Davis’ religious claims, stating that “it was not permissible for Davis to take the law into her own hands” and “self-create an accommodation.” Significantly, Davis in face of the Obergefell decision did not seek a personal exception just for herself; she refused to allow any deputy clerk in the county to issue a marriage license to any couple as a means to ensure that no same-sex couple would marry in Rowan County.
In the 2025 Sixth Circuit decision, which Davis now asks the Supreme Court to review, the federal appeals court identified “dire” implications if Davis’ argument were accepted. State or local officials could abridge any constitutional right of anyone as they saw fit according to their own personal religious beliefs or conscience. “A county clerk who finds interracial marriage sinful could refuse to issue licenses to interracial couples. An election official who believes women should not vote could refuse to count ballots cast by females. A zoning official personally opposed to Christianity could refuse to permit the construction of a church.” Furthermore, if every county clerk in a given state were free to choose whether or not their county would marry same-sex couples, county clerks collectively could ban same-sex (continued on page 22)
Dr. Bill Lipsky
“Imagine a tall, handsome man, of fine bearing; thin, mere muscle and bone, a suntanned face, blue eyes, and black curly hair. A pure Irishman he is, with a captivating voice and singular charm of manner. A man of distinction and great refinement, highminded and courteous, impulsive and poetical. Quixotic, perhaps some would say, and with a certain truth, for few men have shown themselves so regardless of personal advancement.” Imagine the great and good man who was Roger Casement ((1864–1916).
Herbert Ward’s description of his dear friend Roddie, as he called him, captured the special appeal, the force of personality, and the shear attractiveness of the individual often named
the “father of twentieth-century human rights investigations.” “No man walks this earth at the moment who is more absolutely good and honest and noble-minded,” he wrote to E. D. Morel, who supported Casement’s work to abolish the systematic inhumanity willingly being imposed by Europeans upon the people of Africa.
In 1884, barely 20 years old, Casement became an employee of the African International Association, founded by Leopold II of Belgium to explore and “to civilize the Congo,” which was neither unexplored nor uncivilized. The organization’s stated goal “to free its inhabitants from slavery, paganism, and other barbarities” was simply a hypocritical fig leaf used to hide a naked economic truth: the land and its people were being ruthlessly exploited for the enrichment of a king who claimed he personally owned both.
It was rubber that made the Congo the most profitable colony in Africa. To gather and transport it, Leopold condoned a reign of terror that controlled and abused its people through deprivation, starvation, and murder; many workers who failed to meet their assigned quotas were punished by having a hand or arm chopped off. Millions died. Dear Daisy may have looked sweet upon the seat of a bicycle built for two, but she rode on tires soaked with the blood of once free Africans.
During Casement’s many years in Africa, he became thoroughly disillusioned with Europe’s supposed “civilizing” colonialism. When the British government appointed him its consul at Boma in the Congo in 1903, he began investigating the extreme human rights abuses there. The result: a 50,000word report that included eyewitness accounts exposing “the enslavement, mutilation, and torture of natives on the rubber plantations,” a damning exposé that made Casement famous as “the world’s first human rights investigator.”
In recognition of his service, Casement received the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George in 1905, but his time in Africa not only changed conditions there; it also changed his view of colonialism and his view of himself. “I had accepted Imperialism,” he wrote in 1906, because he believed “it was the best for everyone under the sun.” The Boer War (1899–1902), however, “gave me qualms at the end.” Finally, “up in those lonely Congo forests where I found Leopold, I found also myself, the incorrigible Irishman.”
Casement was rapidly becoming an ardent Irish nationalist. Meanwhile, the British appointed him to several consular posts in Brazil before making him consul-general in Rio de Janeiro in 1909. There, he took up an investigation of human rights abuses by the Peruvian Amazon Company (PAC), an organization whose board of directors and
major stockholders were British, but whose local administrators were destroying the indigenous people of the Putumayo to profit from the world’s demand for rubber.
Traveling at great personal risk far into the Amazon, Casement observed mistreatment that, he reported, “far exceeds in depravity and demoralization the Congo regime at its worst.” His findings outraged public opinion, causing the PAC eventually to collapse, although its manages were never prosecuted for their crimes against humanity. In 1911, he was knighted for his great work. Two years later, exhausted by almost 30 years’ service in Africa and South America, he retired from the consular service.
to Ireland, advocating first for Irish Home Rule, then for Irish Independence. When the Great War between Britain and Germany began in 1914, he began negotiating with Berlin for assistance. Two years later, the Kaiser’s government finally agreed to send some arms, but the British intercepted them before they arrived. Returning at the same time to Ireland on a German U-boat, Casement was captured, moved to London, imprisoned in the Tower, tried for treason, convicted, and sentenced to death.
As “a humanitarian figure of astonishing international reputation,” appeals for clemency arrived from all over the world. In
Now thoroughly disillusioned with the realities of empire, he devoted his attention
(continued on page 16)
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5. Child tax credit boost
The child tax credit increases to $2,200 for 2025 and gets indexed to inflation. Income phaseouts stay at $400,000 for joint filers and $200,000 for single filers.
6. Green energy tax credits rolled back
A few clean energy incentives are on the chopping block:
• The $7,500 electric vehicle credit ends for cars bought after September 30, 2025.
• Residential energy credits (think solar panels or new windows) go away after December 2025.
7. 529 plan upgrades
529s now cover more K–12 expenses like tutoring, curriculum, and dual-enrollment college courses. The annual cap for K–12 withdrawals increases to $20,000 in 2026.
Bonus: You can also now use 529 funds for job training, credentialing, or licensing programs like HVAC certifications or CPA exams.
A Few More Notable (and Sometimes Temporary) Changes
State and local tax (SALT) deduction cap raised
For 2025, taxpayers earning under $500,000 can deduct up to $40,000 in SALT. That limit increases slightly each year until 2029, but reverts back to $10,000 in 2030.
No federal tax on tips (for now)
From 2025–2028, tip income won’t be federally taxed if you’re under the income threshold ($150K single/$300K joint). The IRS will release a list of “tipped” occupations before the end of 2025.
LIPSKY (continued from pg 15)
Great Britain, Arthur Conan Doyle circulated a petition signed by a who’s who of eminent, loyal subjects of the Crown: novelist and playwright Arnold Bennett; G. K Chesterton, creator of the Father Brown detective stories; John Galsworthy, author of The Forsyte Saga; and many others, including the editors of such important publications as The Nation, The Contemporary Review, and The Manchester Guardian
Perhaps his most loyal and ardent defender was Irish suffragette, feminist, and human rights advocate Eva Gore-Booth, then living in London with her life partner Esther Roper, who was actually granted an audience with King George V to plead for Casement’s life. His Majesty simply claimed he was powerless to act, although his views can well be imagined; during the 1931 scandal that engulfed William Lygon, 7th Earl Beauchamp, he reportedly said, “I thought men like that shot themselves.”
Support for Casement in the United States was widespread and diverse. Author Mark Twain (née Samuel Clemens) called for leniency; he had been so deeply moved by Casement’s 1904 report that he wrote King Leopold’s Soliloquy, published the next year, an undisguised condemnation of the imperialist’s extremely cruel and brutal administration in the Congo. Publisher
Overtime pay gets a break
Overtime earnings from 2025–2028 are taxfree up to $12,500 per person ($25,000 per couple), with the same income limits as above.
New “Trump Accounts” for newborns Babies born from 2025–2028 to U.S. citizen parents will automatically get a $1,000 deposit into a federal savings account. Parents can contribute up to $5,000 annually, and the account grows tax-deferred.
Extra deduction for seniors
If you’re 65 or older, you’ll get an extra $6,000 deduction between 2025–2028 ($12,000 for couples). This starts to phase out at $75K income ($150K joint).
Deduct car loan interest
Buying a personal-use vehicle between 2025–2028? You can deduct the interest, provided the car was assembled in the U.S. (leases don’t count).
If you’re wondering how any of this might affect your situation, don’t hesitate to loop in your tax advisor for the nitty-gritty.
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William Randolph Hearst used his extensive newspaper empire to lobby the U. S. Senate to pass a resolution calling for Casement’s reprieve from death.
The African American community was especially sympathetic. The Negro Fellowship League, founded in 1910 by human rights activist Ida B. Wells and her husband Ferdinand Barnett, sent an appeal for clemency directly to George V. “Because of [his] great service to humanity, as well as to the Congo natives,” it said, “we feel impelled to beg for mercy on his behalf. There are so few heroic souls in the world who dare to lift their voices in defense of the oppressed who are born with black skins.”
The Senate passed Hearst’s resolution 46–19 and the Ancient Order of Hibernians, on behalf of its 280,000 members, sent a telegram calling for clemency, but the White House opposed it. Even after being told that “a personal request from the president will save his life,” Woodrow Wilson refused to act; the Senate’s resolution was not delivered officially to the British government until an hour after Casement’s execution. Not that it would have mattered. None of the appeals made a difference.
From the beginning, the British government had been determined not only to convict Casement, but also to destroy him
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completely. Shortly after his arrest, investigators seized his diaries, which included both descriptions of his work on two continents and shockingly detailed notes about his sexual relationships with men. Although the information was not used as evidence at his trial, the government began sharing it with many individuals, including the American ambassador and other influential leaders, to deliberately stain his character and undermine the campaign for a reprieve
He was stripped of his knighthood, which has never been restored, and on the day he was sentenced to death, the British authorities transported him to London’s Pentonville Prison, where Oscar Wilde served part of his sentence for “gross indecency” some twenty years before. He might have used his homosexuality to plead that he was “not guilty by reason of insanity,” possibly saving his life, but he refused. After his death by hanging on August 3, 1916, his executioner called him “the bravest man it ever fell to my unhappy lot to execute.”
Bill Lipsky, Ph.D., author of “LGBTQ+ Trailblazers of San Francisco” (2023) and “Gay and Lesbian San Francisco” (2006), is a member of the Rainbow Honor Walk board of directors.
Somewhere Over the Rainbow
I think we can agree, dear Readers, that we are disgusted and angered by the continuing assault on efforts to promote equality and diversity in our social, political, and business institutions. Equality and diversity are good things.
But the backlash against the progressive left came from somewhere, didn’t it? I’ve mentioned my favorite pet peeve— the call for tampon machines in the men’s rooms at a women’s college. And although I understand where the notion of micro-aggression arose and why it can be a useful idea, I’ve always thought we should focus more on big giant horrible aggressions first. If not, we look like idiots.
With that in mind, here’s a combination of what I consider a misplaced focus on GLBT identities, combined with the worst in academic argle-bargle:
“We are calling for papers that will link queer lives and queer theory to corporate law and governance, with the goal of publishing an edited collection or special issue publication,” writes a trio of international thinkers. “‘Queer’ can mean different things to different people,” they explain. “For some, it is part of a personal identity. Here, connecting the queer to corporate governance involves providing spaces for queer people within corporate life. For others, it is an approach to thinking about social institutions. Here, connecting the queer to corporate governance involves questioning concepts and practices underlying corporate life, which may include interrogating the very concepts of identity which shape the focus on creating queer spaces. There can also be a playfulness to queer, to challenge preconceptions by subverting the established.”
You know what? You can parse brilliant ideas down to meaningless pablum, just as you can dump a gourmet French dish into a blender and hit liquify. It’s worth repeating this phrase: “connecting the queer to corporate governance involves questioning concepts and practices underlying corporate life, which may include interrogating the very concepts of identity which shape the focus on creating queer spaces.” Ladies and gentlemen, these are English words strung together into a senseless pretense of erudition.
Think about this. Over the last week, the Florida Department of Transportation removed the rainbow colors that memorialized the Pulse shootings on an intersection in Orlando. Local people repainted the intersection, but the authorities removed the rainbow a second time, replacing it with crosswalk markings. This despite the fact that the Department itself approved the rainbow colors years ago as a testament to the 49 people who were killed in the antigay mass shooting back in 2016.
Florida governor Ron DeSantis insisted that Florida “will not allow our state roads to be commandeered for political purposes.” This is the type of assault we are facing today. Not bruised feelings or contrived psychic injuries. But gut punches from the bullies on the right and indifference from the cowards who watch them from the sidelines.
Oh, and you can’t say: “to challenge preconceptions by subverting the established.” I sup-
By Ann Rostow
pose the author means, “by subverting the established preconceptions,” but that’s not clear. It just reads as though the writer forgot to finish the sentence.
Appellate Courts Rule, for the Moment
Do you remember the case of Gavin Grimm, the transgender student who won the right to use the boys facilities at his Virginia high school? It was a complicated case that went to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, went up to the Supreme Court, came back to the Fourth Circuit, and back to the Supreme Court where the justices declined to review the transgender victory, letting the Fourth Circuit ruling in Grimm’s favor stand as binding precedent throughout the region.
Let me digress to point out that the Fourth Circuit initially deferred to the Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights policy, which interpreted Title IX’s ban on sex discrimination in public education to cover transgender bias. The High Court questioned whether or not that political deference (“Auer deference”) was appropriate, and sure enough, the justices later ruled that deferring to agency interpretations of law (under a similar legal standard “Chevron deference”) was not necessary. At any rate, the Court sent the Grimm case back to the Fourth Circuit, which issued another transgender victory on different grounds. In 2021, the High Court effectively upheld that ruling by declining to hear an appeal.
Got that?
Also keep in mind that this was not too long after the Supreme Court ruled that sex discrimination by definition encompassed sexual orientation and gender discrimination. That 2020 opinion would have been upended if the Court suddenly were to rule that Title IX did not reach transgender students, so the Court just sidestepped the whole issue!
Fast forward back to today, when the Trump Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights decided on its own that the Fourth Circuit decision in Grimm should no longer protect the public school students of Virginia or elsewhere in the region. The Fourth Circuit covers Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Courts (and school districts) in these states have no choice but to follow Fourth Circuit rulings.
Fighting back, the authorities in five northern Virginia school districts have replied to the Trump administration by pointing out that they are required by law to protect transgender students under Title IX. Of course, now the Office of Civil Rights has a completely new interpretation of the 1972 statute, one that excludes transgender kids from civil rights protections, but ironically, agency interpretations no longer carry the weight they once did, thanks to ... the Supreme Court. I can see you all shaking your heads. Ann, you ask, was it really necessary to delve into ancient history and refer to arcane rules about federal agency legal standards in order to give us the lowdown here? Um, maybe not. And why haven’t you explained how the Trump administration has managed to simply ignore the Fourth Circuit here! I mean, that’s crazy, right?
Right! I was just coming to that! Apparently, the Trump legal eagles are claiming that the High Court’s decision in Skrrmetti v U.S. has
some implications for transgender bathroom use. That’s interesting given that Skrmetti concerned whether or not Tennessee and other states had the power to limit health services to transgender youth. Not only was the case about a completely different area of law, but John Roberts made (absurdly) clear in his majority ruling that Tennessee was not discriminating against transgender citizens, but merely making a distinction based on age. In short, there’s no legal connection between Skrmetti and Title IX except for the fact that both involve transgender people. Apparently, that’s enough for the Trumpies, and we’ll see what happens next.
Speaking of Skrmetti, we’ve just seen the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit give Arkansas the right to ban gender-based health care for trans kids four years after putting the Hog State’s law on hold. The 8–2 decision was based on the High Court’s ruling and covers Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota in addition to Arkansas. Well, since Skrmetti, basically all states are free to remove health care options from transgender kids and their parents.
Grandchildren 101
Did you read that Snoop Dogg took his grandson to see the 2022 Disney movie Lightyear, only to get bent out of shape by the animated film version of a lesbian couple with a baby. According to the press, Snoop’s grandson “kept asking” about the situation, pestering granddad over how and why two women could become parents. “Oh, s--t, I didn’t come for this s--t,” Snoop remarked. “I just came to watch the (another expletive) movie.”
Earth to Snoop Dogg: your grandson refused to drop the lesbian baby issue because you were clearly uncomfortable with the discussion, which is catnip for small children who can sense when an adult has encountered a sore subject and will pursue it relentlessly. Had you just said that the situation was no big deal, the child would have moved on. And while you’re at it, watch your language if you really care what your grandkids might be picking up from the media. Jeeze Louise.
I just took a break and found Mel watching a British cop show, one of our favorite activities. I stayed long enough to see something that always bothers me, a common trope in all sorts of detective programs from all countries—it’s the chase scene with the car.
You know what I’m talking about. One cop is chasing the bad guy over hill and dale, while the other cop inexplicably gets in the car even though the foot race is all over the map. The chase goes through alleyways, onto rooftops, into people’s backyards, through their houses, over the river and through the woods until finally the car drives up and cuts the bad guy off. It’s infuriating. There’s no way the cop in the car can track the situation and miraculously wind up at the exact point where the chase will come to an end. And not only does this happen once or twice in a show, it happens regularly in show after show! C’mon, people. The whole premise is bad enough, but then half the time the driver knocks the bad guy unconscious by opening the car door at the precise moment he comes racing around a corner at full speed or by flat out hitting him with the car.
Oh, and another thing. I think I’ve complained about this before, but why don’t the cops ever finish their drinks, their meals, or their cigarettes? One puff and they’ve got to go. One sip, a phone call, and off they rush without even taking a last slug. They order food and then jump up and dash out without paying or canceling. It’s one thing if a new body has been discovered. But most of the time it’s nothing.
“What a day! Hey, Tony, I’ll have a French 75 ...” [ding ding ding]
“Boss?”
“We got the PM. It looks like blunt force trauma.”
“I’ll be right there.”
Why leave the bar? You already saw that it was likely blunt force trauma at the scene of the crime. You’ve been working nonstop for days. Finish your drink!
The Good Old Days Are Over
Moving on, I noticed that James Dobson died the other day. I hadn’t thought of him in years. Dobson was the founder of Focus on the Family as well as the Family Research Council and one of the leading antigay voices in the chorus of late 20th Century far-right Christian conservatives. After marriage equality triumphed at the Supreme Court in 2015, Dobson told one of his buddies in an interview: “We lost the entire culture war with that one decision.”
I remember feeling as if we’d all turned a corner at that point, before we lost the Supreme Court. Before we lost the 2016 election. Before Covid, before inflation, before the backlash, before the astonishing reversals of American values and the chaos of lawless executive antics we’ve seen out of Trump Two. How quickly things can change.
Speaking of change, I was just reading an Advocate article described as “an exploration of how gentrification of New York City’s West Village has affected its queer community, especially its queer elders.” The magazine quoted one long-time resident, Donna Aceto, who bemoaned all the straight people who have moved in over recent years. “I miss the old places. I miss the things that used to be here,” Aceto says. “There were a lot more gay bars and lesbian bars.”
As an official “elder” and also someone who lived in the West Village for several years, can I point out that neighborhoods change, cities change, people change, and the days when we all needed gay and lesbian bars as a safe retreat from a hostile society are thankfully over. Yes, you younger generations missed out on some of our wilder nightclubs and parties. You also missed out on being fired for being gay, hiding in the proverbial closet and listening to gay bashing jokes without saying anything. And guys? You missed out on dying in your twenties.
I remember one joke from those days. “What’s the worst thing about having AIDS?” (And yes, I got this one from my guy friends.)
“Trying to convince your mother you’re Haitian.”
Ah, the good old days.
arostow@aol.com
WBy Donna Sachet
e’ve become acquainted of late with a concept called a “soft night out.” As opposed to so many of our alcohol-fueled evenings, the focus here is on wellness and community, while still enjoying social interaction and connection. This trend seems particularly popular among Gen Z and younger individuals, a group with which we have very little contact, but find increasingly curious and even puzzling. Could this be part of the problem with struggling clubs, facing decreasing popularity? Is this impacting attendance at live entertainment venues? Is there a way to merge changing interests with challenging business models? Much has been written about the impending closing of Oasis and other businesses that are suffering with economic realities. Are there ways to encourage soft nights out within our existing entertainment structure? It’s a question that intrigues us.
Did we recently enjoy a soft night out without realizing it in advance? Last Saturday, we set off on a sailing adventure with seven friends, not without liquor refreshments, certainly, but primarily to enjoy their company and to indulge in the beautiful San Francisco Bay. At the Queer Life Space gala back in May (about which you surely read in Donna’s Chronicles in the San Francisco Bay Times), we made the high bid on a sailing adventure and subsequently gathered a willing group of participants for the experience. Sharing two different cars, we were whisked to Redwood City to regroup at Hurrica restaurant at Westpoint Harbor, a beautifully appointed space with a wraparound bar, extensive wine wall, glassed-in sparkling kitchen, and incredible two-sided fish tank, featuring graceful jellyfish. We shared light hors d’oeuvres and cocktails with Gary Virginia, Ben & Moxie Penn, Cody Dapper, Michelle Jester, Ralph Hibbs, and Salvator Tovar, while taking in the sweeping bayside views. Then it was time for the real adventure!
A representative from Peninsula Youth Sailing Foundation met us at the dock for a brief safety lesson before hopping into inflatable rafts that took us to fresh-faced teenaged skippers. In their experienced care, we then boarded several 18-foot sailboats and glided out onto the glistening water. Yes, there were awkward lifejackets and a couple of sharp tilts along the way with plenty of ducking to avoid contact with the main sail’s boom, but within minutes, we were entranced by the smooth trek, and the sparkling water lit by a quiet sunset. Our skipper enthusiastically answered our many questions, anxious to share his sailing expertise.
After what seemed like only minutes, our sailing came to an end and we returned to Hurrica to be greeted by the Executive Director of Queer Life Space, Ryan MacCarrigan, who joined us for a conversation-filled gourmet dinner of beautifully prepared dishes and attentive service. Wine and cocktails flowed, but we remember the dinner much more for the culinary delights and the stimulating conversation.
Both the Peninsula Youth Sailing Foundation and Hurrica are partners with Queer Life Space, having offered this experience as an auction item at the May gala. LGBTQ+ youth are offered sailing adventures and instruction as part of Queer Life Space’s programs. Check out their website for a more complete picture of their outreach and client testimonials.
So, have we now experienced a soft night out? We did enjoy alcoholic beverages, but not to excess. We spent time with long-time friends and newer ones as well. We left the safety of familiar surroundings, stepping out of our comfort zone and delving into more meaningful conversations. But many of those same experiences are possible in the Castro with a bit of planning and intention. Maybe the lesson is that an occasional soft night out with people we like can provide a refreshing alternative to the routine, bridging the gap between what we typically look for in an evening and what Gen Z and others are seeking. Just some food for thought ... .
Sunday afternoon found us back at 440 Castro, but for a celebration of life for John Harrington, frequent patron of the bar and its parklet, which he was instrumental in creating. The bar and street were crowded with friends. Gary Virginia outdid himself with decorations, flowers, an extensive buffet, and a short program, all reflecting John’s proud Irish heritage. DJ Jim Hopkins played perfect retro music and had gathered photos and videos from John’s life that played on all the video screens.
“Don’t just count your years; make your years count.”
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Thursday, September 4 Rainbow Honor Walk fundraiser
Celebrating Roger Casement plaque
Irish music, food & drink Casement’s, 2351 Mission Street 5–8 pm Free! www.rainbowhonorwalk.org
Friday, September 12
2025 Hand to Hand Gala Project Open Hand celebrates 40 years SF Design Center Galleria 101 Henry Adams Street 6–10 pm $300 www.openhand.org
Saturday, September 13
Myths & Legends: GAPA Runway Pageant LGBTQ+ Asian & Pacific Islanders Miss, Mr., & Mx GAPA Herbst Theatre 401 Van Ness Avenue 7 pm $30 & up www.gapa.org
Sunday afternoon at 440
Among the speakers were Reverend Lyle Beckman, former Supervisor Tony Hall, Mark Abramson, and assorted friends, each with a unique memory of this generous and much-loved gentleman. A video from the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus performing Grace provided a touching musical tribute, followed by our own rendition of “Danny Boy,” an Irish favorite of John’s. We were especially aware of how this crowded bar stayed hushed with attention throughout the pro-
gram. Each attendee left with a small Irish keepsake as they hustled out into the night. This was an event full of joy and remembrance for a man who left his mark on his community.
Donna Sachet is a celebrated performer, fundraiser, activist, and philanthropist who has dedicated over two decades to the LGBTQ Community in San Francisco. Contact her at empsachet@gmail.com
I was honored to attend the 74th edition of the Concours d’Elegance, making the 2 1⁄2hour drive from San Francisco to Pebble Beach with my sister, Kris, who was visiting from out of town.
It was a gorgeous, sunny day in the 60s, and guests came dressed to impress in attire befitting one of the world’s premier collector car competitions. Having attended 15 years ago, I knew to expect rare Ferraris, Maseratis, and Aston Martins, but I was still struck by the sheer range and beauty on display. Established in 1950, the Concours is now recognized globally as the top event of its kind, and it drew enthusiasts, designers, collectors, and even the artist who designed the awards themselves. We met guests from the Bay Area, Tahoe, Los Angeles, Texas, Florida, New York, Italy, and Germany.
We especially loved walking around the
Concept Lawn, where futuristic dream cars and prototypes dazzled onlookers. We learned that one Italian concept car was sold to six different buyers in one day for over $1 million, proof of the passion and prestige surrounding these automobiles. We were especially drawn to the elegant Bugattis, Porsches, and Alfa Romeos, each judged not only for style and technical merit but also for history, originality, and accuracy of preservation or restoration.
The hospitality elevated the experience to another level. We thoroughly enjoyed the Club d’Elegance—from incredible seafood to omelet stations, meat-carving tables, and a make-your-own Bloody Mary bar, and dessert station—every detail was decadent.
All in all, we loved our experience. It was a day of elegance, artistry, and celebration— both for the cars and for the guests—for one of the most iconic automotive events anywhere.
Bay FC Takes Oracle Park by Storm With Record-Breaking
Bay FC and the Washington Spirit delivered an action-packed match at The Show at Oracle Park, played in front of a sold-out crowd of 40,091 fans—a new NWSL attendance record and it set a new high mark for any U.S. women’s professional sports league. The energy outside the park was palpable. Fans of all ages—men, women, kids, and families—were decked out in Bay FC gear, music pulsed from a DJ, and soccer ball sculptures by local artists celebrated the diversity and creativity of the Bay Area.
For me, it was my very first Bay FC match, and the atmosphere was electric. The iconic baseball diamond was transformed into a soccer pitch, and the sea of fans created an unforgettable moment of unity and celebration. I stopped with my Spritz colleague, Sofia, to take pictures, soaking in the energy before heading inside. Once in the stands, it was clear that this wasn’t just a soccer game; it was a cultural moment for the Bay Area.
As someone who has worked in sports marketing for much of my career, I took particular note of the sponsors who have rallied behind Bay FC. Visa presented the match, Trader Joe’s adorned the jerseys, and Sutter Health, Invisalign, and others made their presence felt. While Bay FC ultimately fell 3–2 to the Spirit, the experience was magical from start to finish.
I was also delighted to see Senator Scott Wiener at a post-event Bay FC reception and to note his visible support of women’s sports. I heard that our mayor, Daniel Lurie, was there for the start of the match as
well, though I didn’t see him personally. Their presence highlighted the growing momentum and civic pride behind women’s sports in the Bay Area.
The Future of Women’s Sports: Insights From Women’s Panel—Not a Moment, But a Movement
On Friday before the Bay FC match, I attended the “Future of Women’s Sports” panel at Oracle Park, featuring an impressive lineup of voices. The conversation was as energizing as it was insightful. What resonated most with me was the repeated theme that women’s sports are not
just a moment; they are a movement. The panelists emphasized the importance of creating connections and cultural moments for both fans and players. Innovation is happening across the board, from digital engagement to creative activations pre-, during, and post-game.
Bay FC leadership, in particular, underscored how crucial it is to partner with brands that share authentic values. It’s not just about sponsorship—it’s about strategic alignment, co-creating stories, and connecting with communities in meaningful ways. Panelists also stressed that agility and creativity are key to sustaining momentum.
Another important takeaway was the critical need for investment in women’s sports right now—not only in global platforms and media, but also in facilities and infrastructure. The U.S. and Mexico will co-host the Women’s World Cup in 2031, and the panel made clear that the investments we make today will determine how strong the ecosystem is by then. To support and advance the movement, it’s vital that we continue to grow resources, visibility, and opportunities for women athletes worldwide.
Golden State Valkyries Unveil Mascot ‘Violet’: A Nod to Norse Mythology
Although I didn’t see the reveal firsthand, the Golden State Valkyries’ new mascot is already making waves across the bay. At halftime of their game against the Connecticut Sun, the team unveiled Violet—a bespectacled purple raven who cartwheeled onto the court.
The Valkyries had been building suspense for weeks, first announcing “an egg” of undetermined bird species. The reveal exceeded expectations, and reactions from fans, players, and media have been overwhelmingly positive. I love
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Violet’s bright feathers, playful personality, and the way the character adds another dimension to the Valkyries’ gameday experience.
The team continues to weave Norse mythology into its identity, creating a sense of heritage and storytelling that make the franchise unique. With playoffs approaching, Violet will be a spirited addition. Go, Valkyries!
creative model that may shape the way future Games are funded.
By Richard Kwok of FITNESS SF
My sister Jaimie Westley, who lives on the East Coast, attended the U.S. Open’s new mixed doubles format last week and came away raving about the experience. She described the energy as absolutely incredible; the crowd was buzzing, the talent on the court was outstanding, and the fans were fully engaged throughout. Even with some controversy around the new format, particularly with top singles players stepping into the spotlight, the consensus seemed to be that the innovation brought a fresh spark to the competition.
I loved hearing her describe the excitement and enthusiasm, especially about the faster scoring format. From everything I’ve heard, the debut was a tremendous success, and I suspect that other Grand Slam tournaments will soon adopt similar changes to elevate the profile of mixed doubles. It’s telling that, even in a sport rooted in tradition, innovation and reinvention can create new cultural moments for both athletes and fans. I’m excited to follow the U.S. Open the next few weeks.
I always like to include a bit of Olympic buzz, and this month’s update is especially groundbreaking. For the first time in the history of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, LA28 will introduce a venue naming rights program.
The move builds on sponsorship precedents set in Paris, where premier partner LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy) was woven into the Opening Ceremony, and Samsung mobile phones were placed on the victory platforms for medalists.
The Comcast Squash Center at Universal Studios will host the Olympic debut of squash, while the Honda Center in Anaheim will host indoor volleyball—both keeping their names intact during the Games. Personally, I’m especially excited about squash’s long-awaited Olympic debut along with cricket.
This venue naming approach not only reflects innovation but also ensures a significant economic impact for LA28. It’s a bold,
From classic automobiles along the 18th fairway to women’s soccer filling Oracle Park, from the rise of Bay Area women’s sports leaders to the playful debut of Violet the Valkyrie, it’s clear that our region continues to embrace innovation, inclusion, and excellence. Even at the U.S. Open, where tradition meets reinvention with a new mixed doubles format, and looking ahead to the sponsorship innovations of LA28, the spirit of sports shines through. The Bay Area remains a place where history and progress coexist beautifully—on the pitch, on the court, on the fairway, and on the open road. These experiences remind me that sports are more than games; they are shared moments that become memories, and those memories together create movements.
Signing off from the Bay, where passion meets the play. See you next month!
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance pebblebeachconcours.net
Bay FC
bayfc.com
NWSL nwslsoccer.com
WNBA wnba.com
Golden State Valkyries https://valkyries.wnba.com/ ESPYs https://www.espn.com/espys/ V Foundation https://www.v.org/
IOC https://www.olympics.com/ioc Milano Cortina
https://milanocortina2026.olympics.com/en LA 28
https://la28.org/en.html
US Open
https://www.usopen.org/index.html
Beth Schnitzer, the former President of WISE (Women in Sports and Events), is the Co-Founder and President of Spritz: https://spritzsf.com/
When doing seated hamstring curls, lean slightly forward to put your hamstrings in a greater stretch, increasing muscle activation and improving the effectiveness of the exercise.
Troy Macfarland at FITNESS SF shares monthly tips that he has learned from colleagues, fellow professional trainers, and more. For additional information: https://fitnesssf.com/
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The silver lining? You can take steps now to protect your longterm care needs without losing everything you’ve saved. How Estate Planning Can Save the Day Estate planning isn’t just for millionaires; it’s for anyone who wants to keep their finances and family secure. With Medi-Cal’s changes, it could be a game-changer to start planning now. One option is setting up an Asset Protection trust. Think of it as a safe box for your money or property, managed by someone you pick (called a trustee). If it’s done right, Medi-Cal might not count what’s in the trust, letting you qualify while holding onto your assets.
You could also spend money on things that don’t count toward the limit, like home improvements, or carefully pass some assets to family. It is important to find someone with experience when considering a stacked gifting plan. Just watch out, because there are rules about giving stuff away, and you don’t want to trip over them. We’ll talk more about stacked gifting in 2026 in our next article.
Get Some Professional Help
This can feel a bit overwhelming, right? That’s where estate planning attorneys, especially elder attorneys, come in. They’re pros who know the Medi-Cal ropes and can tailor a plan for you— whether it’s setting up a trust or figuring out other smart moves. And if you go with an asset protection trust, you might want a trustee to manage it—someone dependable, who can make sure you don’t have to worry about the stress as you age.
Take Action Now
These Medi-Cal changes are on the way, but you’ve got time to prepare. Think about where you stand. Do you have savings or property that might push you over the limit? Are you concerned about long-term care and healthcare costs down the line? If so, scheduling a consultation with an estate planning attorney now could be your next step toward protecting your future. Planning now means less worry later. With a little effort, you can keep your long-term care costs and healthcare covered. This will make sure that your finances remain intact.
Statements in Compliance with California Rules of Professional Conduct
This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Consult an estate planning attorney for personalized guidance.
Jay Greene, Esq., CPA, is the founder of Greene Law Firm, P.C., in San Francisco, dedicated to helping LGBTQ+ individuals and families secure their future. For more information, visit: https://www.greenelawfirm.com/
excellence is what sets us apart, and it’s why our clients trust us time and again for their most important travel needs.
GGBA: Why did you decide to join the GGBA, and how long have you been a member?
Will Nickerson: I joined just under a year ago, looking for the camaraderie and support of America’s first and largest LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce, with its strong history of championing inclusivity and economic empowerment in the region. I wanted to contribute to GGBA’s advocacy for economic, social, and political change that benefits the LGBTQ+ business community.
GGBA: How has being a member of GGBA helped your business so far?
Will Nickerson: Being a member has allowed me to tap into a powerful network, access resources to grow my business, and support equity and inclusion within a vibrant group of professionals.
GGBA: Do you go to the GGBA monthly Make Contact networking events? Have they benefited you and 7x7, and would you recommend them to others?
Will Nickerson: Whenever my schedule allows, I make it a priority to attend GGBA’s networking events.
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They provide invaluable opportunities to connect, learn, and find inspiration alongside the LGBTQ+ community and its allies of innovative startups and influential leaders.
GGBA: What advice would you give to someone who is thinking of starting their own business?
Will Nickerson: Use LGBTQ-specific business resources: organizations like the Golden Gate Business Association (GGBA), and tap into their programs for guidance on marketing, finance, law, and more. Seek out grants and funding support with programs that provide grants for LGBTQ+ owned businesses. Get certified: Consider certification for your business from NGLCC (National LGBT Chamber of Commerce), which can open doors to supplier diversity programs and corporate contracts. Sharpen your sales and rejection skills. “No” is just the start of the journey toward the next “yes.” Persistence turns rejection into opportunity. Lastly, use your passion and skills to sculpt your future!
I truly believe San Francisco is experiencing a powerful comeback like we haven’t seen in years. Now is the time to take action and be part of the city’s exciting resurgence!
https://www.7x7executive.com/
marriage statewide in blatant violation of LGBTIQ+ people’s constitutional rights, guaranteed by Obergefell
Another Sixth Circuit Trump nominee, Judge Chad Readler, concurred with that decision, stating that “right or wrong, the fact remains that we all must follow Obergefell, the law of the land. That includes Kim Davis, in her role as Rowan County Clerk.” Describing Davis to have acted “in the most extreme way,” Readler articulated a clear legal principle: “a government employee, acting in the scope of that employment, does not have a unilateral free exercise right to use an arm of the state to infringe on a clearly established equal protection right of the public.”
As we’ve written before, most legal observers believe that there are not five votes on the Supreme Court to overturn Obergefell. In addition, Congress enacted the bipartisan 2022 federal Respect for Marriage Act to protect nationwide marriage equality in the event Obergefell were undermined, although that legislation would undoubtedly be the subject of litigation itself. We are not naïve about the effects of the Supreme Court’s deeply flawed anti-transgender decision earlier this year or their expansion of the ability of individuals and religious organizations to claim religious exemptions from state anti-discrimination laws.
Nevertheless, public support for marriage equality remains very high, with a 2025 Gallup Poll showing a “steady 68%” in favor, down slightly from a peak 71% in 2022 and 2023, but well within the sampling error of 4 to 5%. Majorities in all 50 states, including those in the most conservative parts of the country, support marriage equality, according to the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) 2024 survey. Marriage equality has been carried out smoothly nationwide now for over a decade, with essentially no county clerks’ offices interfering with LGBTIQ+
couples getting married.
And one of the 1.6 million married LGBTIQ+ people is Donald Trump’s hand-picked Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, one of the most important members of the Cabinet and fifth in line to the presidency. Bessent and his husband John Freeman married in 2011 and are raising two children, both born through surrogacy.
Regardless of one’s opinion of Bessent’s performance as Treasury Secretary or the Trump administration itself, Bessent’s ascendancy to become the highest-ranking openly LGBTIQ+ government official in American history speaks to the depth and breadth of the nation’s acceptance and embrace of marriage equality. And Bessent’s marriage underscores the vital importance of Obergefell; the Treasury Secretary’s marriage would not have been recognized in his own home state of South Carolina, but for the landmark decision.
As many of us endeavor to do all we can to protect and even expand LGBTIQ+ rights during these challenging times, it can sometimes feel difficult to find effective means of resistance. Our Chinese activist friends tell us that, in the face of the concerted crackdown on LGBTIQ+ rights there, the one thing the government cannot do is stop us from coming out. When it comes to marriage equality in the U.S., one thing no one can stop us from doing is simply falling in love, a continuing radical— and joyful—act of queer resistance.
John Lewis and Stuart Gaffney, together for over three decades, were plaintiffs in the California case for equal marriage rights decided by the California Supreme Court in 2008. Their leadership in the grassroots organization Marriage Equality USA contributed in 2015 to making same-sex marriage legal nationwide.
Sir Kippy Marks
Picture Kimberly Clark standing at the helm of a sailboat, the wind catching her hair as she guides a group of foster youth across the San Francisco Bay—not just steering the vessel, but also anchoring each moment in love, presence, and possibility. As the seventh PMLE, Practice Makes Love Easy recognition champion, Kimberly exemplifies what it means to show up with heart and purpose.
Kimberly’s journey reminds us that love isn’t just something we feel; it’s something we do, again and again, until it becomes second nature. As you read her story, may you be inspired to practice love wherever you are: with consistency, with courage, and with the quiet power of showing up.
In the rhythm of the San Francisco Bay, where wind meets water and resilience meets joy, her practices exemplify how PMLE teaches us: through consistency, courage, presence, and action. A lifelong community builder, she is a living testament to the truth that love isn’t just a feeling; it’s a practice. It’s showing up, listening deeply, and creating spaces where healing and hope can take root.
Recently recognized by California State Senator Josh Becker for her courage in sharing her lived experience and her unwavering commitment to advocacy, Kimberly continues to uplift the transformative power of community-based rehabilitative programs. But her real recognition comes from the youth she mentors—justice-involved teens, foster youth, and young people from marginalized communities—who find safety, joy, and empowerment aboard the sailboats of the Blue Water Foundation.
With every sail she organizes, Kimberly invites young people into a space where they can just be kids. They laugh, learn, and discover their own strength. Her “position” isn’t defined by a title; it’s defined by her presence. She’s a connector, a mentor, and a quiet force of love in motion.
Kimberly’s journey began in her early twenties, not with a formal decision, but with a simple instinct to help. Whether coaching youth sports, providing gear for those in need, or mentoring young people through life’s crossroads, she was practicing love before she had a name for it. Inspired by everyday heroes like her daughter’s track coach, Mike Hammerquist, who led with compassion even while battling illness,
Kimberly learned that leadership is about showing up, even when it’s hard.
Kippy Marks: Please tell us more about Blue Water Foundation, and how you strive to practice love through your work there.
Kimberly Clark: I’ve been practicing love through service for as long as I can remember, but, in recent years, I’ve been living it out with Blue Water Foundation. Love, for me, is about showing up: being present, dependable, and creating safe spaces where young people feel valued. With Blue Water Foundation, that means welcoming justice-involved teens, foster youth, and youth from marginalized communities to an environment where they can just be kids—laugh, explore, and believe in themselves. Beyond the sails, my “position” is simply to be a connector: someone who lifts others, builds community, and makes people feel seen.
Kippy Marks: Who or what motivated you to become the community activist and organizer genius that you are today?
Kimberly Clark: My motivation comes from people who showed me what love in action looks like. My daughter’s first track coach, Mike Hammerquist, gave so much of himself even while battling Crohn’s disease. He poured into kids, including my daughter, and showed me that leadership is about compassion, patience, and consistency. I also think of the young people I’ve met over the years—some carrying the weight of incarceration of themselves or family members, homelessness, lack of positive influences in their lives. They remind me why I stay committed, because love can be the difference between someone giving up or moving forward with hope.
Recently, I was honored to receive recognition from Senator Josh Becker of the State of California for my commitment to
show kindness even in the smallest ways. Love doesn’t have to be grand gestures. It’s often in the everyday actions: remembering someone’s name, checking in on a friend, or encouraging someone when they doubt themselves. Love is simple when it’s real.
advocacy, my courage in sharing my lived experience, and my dedication to uplifting the powerful impact of community-based rehabilitative programs. That acknowledgment reminded me that the path I’ve chosen is not just necessary, but meaningful.
Kippy Marks: How old were you when you made that decision?
Kimberly Clark: I was in my early 20s when I knew community work was in my heart. It wasn’t a formal decision; it was just me stepping up, helping where I could, and realizing that this is where I feel most alive and purposeful. So, I coached youth in various sports, provided uniforms and gear for youth who needed financial support, and mentored some as they were making decisions about where their next step will take them. I never thought much of what I was doing. I was just being me.
Kippy Marks: What advice would you give to others on how to practice love on the daily?
Kimberly Clark: Practice love by being consistent and intentional. Listen without judgment, follow through on your word, and
Kippy Marks: If you were granted two universal wishes, what would you wish for?
Kimberly Clark: First, I’d wish for every young person to know their worth; to feel that they are enough exactly as they are. Second, I’d wish for healing and wholeness for justice-impacted individuals and their families, because everyone deserves a chance at redemption and belonging.
Kippy Marks: Where can our readers find you? And please share some practices that you follow.
Kimberly Clark: One practice I live by is intentional listening—really hearing people’s stories without rushing to fix or judge. Another is choosing joy—finding reasons to celebrate, even in small victories, and letting people know they matter.
You can usually find me on the bay with Blue Water Foundation, helping young people discover what they’re capable of. Sailing teaches lessons that can’t always be taught in a classroom: teamwork, confidence, trust, and resilience. Out there, justice-impacted youth learn to work together, take the helm, and realize that their voice and actions matter. Those hidden gems—life skills, compassion, and courage—shine through every time a sail is raised or a boat changes course. Most of all, you’ll find me wherever love and community are needed, because that’s where I’ll always show up.
If you would like to support Kimberly Clark and the Blue Water Foundation, please visit: www.bluewaterfoundation.org
Sir Kippy Marks is a spirited solo entertainer whose shows are permeated with an infectious joy. His distinctive sound arises from his heart, through his 1822 violin consort, Izabella. Marks’ rare talent, broad smile, and radiant warmth will brighten any event to create lasting impact. He is also Grand Duke XL of The Grand Ducal Council of San Francisco. He is the first ever elected African-American Grand Duke.
Cal Performances, the world-class performing arts presenter at UC Berkeley, this weekend will launch its ambitious and wide-ranging 2025–26 season. With a lineup of more than 80 performances, the new season is a compelling exploration of artistic expression across a multitude of genres, from classical music and contemporary dance to theater and global traditions.
Executive and Artistic Director Jeremy Geffen described the season as a reflection of the “curiosity and adventurous spirit” of the Berkeley community, emphasizing that the performing arts can and should provide a space for both comfort and revelation.
Of the season’s more than 80 performances, there are many noteworthy highlights within the organization’s ambitious dance programming, which will showcase a mix of legendary companies, rising stars, and groundbreaking new creations. The season will mark the long-awaited return of the legendary Paris Opera Ballet , which will perform the North American premiere of Red Carpet, a new evening-length work by choreographer Hofesh Shechter. Red Carpet will bring together brilliant dancing, captivating staging, and unique costume collaboration with Chanel to “celebrate the confusion between glamour and art” (October 2–4).
Another major highlight of the dance series will be the Cal Performances debut of A.I.M by Kyle Abraham , the company of the MacArthur “genius” grant recipient
and celebrated choreographer. As a gay Black man, Abraham’s work is deeply animated by Black and queer culture, often reflecting on themes of love, isolation, and personal and social change (February 21–22).
The dance lineup also includes the centennial celebration of the Martha Graham Dance Company in GRAHAM100, two performance programs that will combine
classic Graham works with newly commissioned dances from contemporary choreographers (February 14–15).
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater will return for its 58th annual weeklong Berkeley residency, its first under the new artistic director Alicia Graf Mack (April 7–12). And The Joffrey Ballet will perform Alexander Ekman’s Midsummer Night’s Dream, which is an exuberant and surreal work inspired by the Scandinavian summer solstice festival (April 17–19).
The season’s music programming will be equally rich and broad-ranging. Classical aficionados will be pleased to learn that the season will feature two of the world’s most esteemed orchestras: the Chicago Symphony Orchestra with Music Director Emeritus for Life Riccardo Muti (January 17), and London’s Philharmonic Orchestra in two concerts with Principal Conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali and Cal Performances 2025–26 artist-in-residence Víkingur
Ólafsson (October 18–19). Ólafsson, an internationally acclaimed pianist, will additionally give a solo recital during the season that will explore Beethoven’s Piano Sonata Op. 109 as a jumping-off point for works by other composers (April 29).
Expanding to broader musical genres, mustsee performances will include Catalan viola da gamba virtuoso Jordi Savall , who will lead his ensembles Hespèrion XXI and La Capella Reial de Catalunya, the Mexico City’s Tembembe Ensamble Continuo, and an international cast of guest musicians from Canada, Guinea, Guadeloupe, Mali, Brazil, Cuba, Haiti, and Venezuela for Un Mar de Músicas ( A Sea of Music) (April 21).
Broadway star Kelli O’Hara will make her Berkeley debut in a cabaret-style evening (January 31); and jazz vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant will make her highly anticipated return to the campus (February 5).
Celebratory programming honoring seasonal traditions will include Mexican-American singer Lila Downs in a Día de los Muertos program (October 25) and the beloved San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus will present their annual Holiday Spectacular (December 20). The Soweto Gospel Choir will also help ring in the holiday season with their performance of Peace (December 14).
Cal Performances programming continues to be elevated by a season-long Illuminations theme—this year’s being “Exile & Sanctuary”—which is designed to connect the work of the most important artists of our time with research thriving on the UC Berkeley campus to provide perspective on big ideas affecting our world today. “Exile & Sanctuary” programming will include seven distinct performances that delve into how issues of displacement can inform bold new explorations of identity and community; how profound distillations of these complex movements can be found in the creative works that originate in their wakes; and how artistic expression can offer safe harbor during times of unrest or upheaval.
Performances will include the Silkroad Ensemble with Rhiannon Giddens in
Sanctuary: The Power of Resonance and Ritual (March 19–20); Manual Cinema’s The 4th Witch, a performance that will use shadow puppetry actors in silhouette, sound design, and live music to tell the story of a girl orphaned by war who unwittingly becomes apprentice to the three witches from Shakespeare’s Macbeth (November 22); and Julia Keefe Indigenous Big Band, which will celebrate and extend the contributions of Native musicians, composers, and bandleaders throughout jazz history (March 6).
Over the months of the 2025–26 season, Cal Performances will present these artists and many more, underscoring how the performing arts remain a vibrant and essential part of our ongoing cultural conversation. The new season invites audiences not just to witness great art, but also to engage with the emotions, ideas, and humanity that have the power to speak directly to each one of us. To explore the full season, visit calperformances.org
jockey. After Remo has an accident during a race, he goes “missing.” He has reinvented himself as Dolores. Meanwhile, Abril and Sirena try to find him.
In the bold, fabulous, and queer absurdist drama, Kill the Jockey, out September 2 on VOD, Remo (out gay actor Nahuel Pérez Biscayart), a once-successful jockey, is pressured to win races for Sirena (Daniel Giménez Cacho), a mobster. Remo’s girlfriend, Abril (Úrsula Corberó), another jockey, is pregnant, but she is often flirting with Ana (Mariana Di Girólamo), another
This plot, however, is merely a framework for Director Luis Ortega to hang a series of wildly surreal, inventive, and arrestingly offbeat sequences that include a pair of fantastic dance scenes to Dolores literally climbing the walls in a prison cell. Pérez Biscayart gives a sensational performance, speaking very few words but doing some incredible physical work. The actor chatted with me for the San Francisco Bay Times about making Kill the Jockey, one of the year’s most memorable queer films.
Gary M. Kramer: How did you approach playing Remo, who wants “to die to live again”?
Pérez Biscayart: Remo/ Dolores is many beings within one being, which is a bit like what we are all about—a multiplicity of identities and beings. I didn’t approach the character as one character. I approached the whole film as a movement, as a trajectory, as something that was not meant to be stable or defined. Maybe the
The Sunflower Boys (fictionhardcover) by Sam Wachman
The Sunflower Boys is a coming-ofage novel set in Ukraine on the brink of war. Artem is a young boy struggling with the fact that he’s in love with his best friend, Viktor. This becomes the least of his problems when the Russians invade, and he and his younger brother are forced to flee. This is a heart-wrenching tale of hope, survival, and identity.
The Unbroken Coast (fictionhardcover) by Nalini Jones
Jones’ debut novel, The Unbroken Coast, spans the turbulent years when Bombay became Mumbai. The novel centers on a small Catholic fishing village, a young girl, and an elderly historian. An accident brings the young girl and the historian together, making them unlikely allies.
Clodia of Rome: Champion of the Republic (non-fiction - hardcover) by Douglas Boin
Clodia of Rome challenged her male counterparts and was a pivotal force in Roman society until a murder trial marked her condemnation. Boin modernizes Clodia’s story and challenges the typical male-dominated perspective of classical works.
Saturday, September 6 @ 4 pm (non-ticketedCorte Madera store) Peter Orner, author of The Gossip Columnist’s Daughter
The Gossip Columnist’s Daughter is a novel spanning decades that weaves together family drama with the unsolved murder of a Hollywood starlet. Orner will be joined in conversation with Mitzi Rapkin, the founder, host, and producer of the podcast First Draft: A Dialogue on Writing
Sunday, September 7 @ 4 pm (non-ticketedCorte Madera store) Guryan Tighe, author of Unmasking Fear
Guryan Tighe, known as the “Fear Technician,” wants everyone to imagine life if we embrace our fears with curiosity rather than avoidance. Her method of three gateways—curiosity, gratitude, and purpose—allows a shift in perspective to occur and create more intentional responses.
Thursday, September 11 @ 6 pm (ticketedCalvary Presbyterian Church SF) Associate Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, author of Just Shine! How to Be a Better You
In partnership with Calvary Presbyterian Church in San Francisco, Book Passage is excited to welcome Associate Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor to celebrate the release of her new children’s book Just Shine: How to Be a Better You. Her book is all about shining your brightest and helping others find their shine as well.
https://www.bookpassage.com
way I approached it was more like music or dance.
Remo was a “blooming” character. The film is about rebirth. I think the transformation starts when he falls from the mezzanine, which comes after he is told he has to die and be born again. He is coming from the mud like the lotus flower in a way—very murky. Nobody knows what he wants, or why he does what he does. After the accident happens, everything gets liberated. The idea of tragedy is inverted; what might be tragic for him is a release. Remo goes towards the feminine side where Dolores is mothering. In the prison, Dolores cares for other people, which is a way of caring for him/herself. For Remo to be born again, he has to go through all the different behaviors and attitudes we have in life.
Originally published in 1982, at the height of the Castro Clone era, this tongue-in-cheek guide provides a hilarious send-up of gender norms.
Dining Out: First Dates, Defiant Nights, and Last Call Disco Fries at America’s Gay Restaurants by Erik Piepenburg
This exhaustively researched (but never exhausting!) history of homosexual eateries is a perfect read for foodies. Yum!
The Lesbian Avengers Handbook: A Handy Guide to Homemade Revolution
This reprint (the original came out in 1993!) of the classic activist how-to belongs in the home of every rabble-rouser, radical, and revolutionary.
https://www.fabulosabooks.com/
The cabaret bar at The Marsh Berkeley: It’s a low-lit, convivial room where stories feel personal, laughter bounces off the bar glasses, and conversation lingers long after the curtain call. This fall, it’s the stage for cultural firebrand and renowned playwright Terry Baum’s Lesbo Solo: My Gay History Play, her chronicle, love letter, and rallying cry to gay revolution across five decades and counting.
Lesbo Solo brings modern audiences along for the confusion, laughter, bruises, and joys of queer liberation as Baum lived it. The show’s world-premiere presentation at the San Francisco Fringe Festival in 2024 was succeeded by a second engagement at World Pride in Washington, D.C., which drew rave responses, particularly from younger queer audiences who had never seen their history told with such raw intimacy. One described it as a thrilling moment of “having their history,” a truly relatable story that resonates across generations. Queer history is not always a struggle. That is why we celebrate the good times.
Onstage, Baum is equal parts storyteller, comedian, and griot. She opens with tales of her adolescence, when she dutifully attended synagogue and insisted she liked boys, even as her heart tugged her elsewhere.
She weaves in mythologies like the story of Lilith, banished from the Bible into the Apocrypha, later reimagined as a feminist icon. Lilith became the namesake for Lilith Women’s Theatre, the Berkeley-based feminist theatre company Baum co-founded in 1975 with two of her friends. Revelatory and a true celebration, Baum’s story gathers and delights across generations and queer factions.
“We had a hell of a lot of fun along the way,” Baum says of her journey, and that fun pulses through the performance. Her bravado lights up the cabaret room with electrifying eccentricity as she moves triumphantly from homophobic teenager to “slightly world-renowned” lesbian playwright. She clowns, she cajoles, and lets the punchlines do the political work until the audience suddenly realizes they’ve absorbed truth In a flash, she pivots again, back to laughter. The trickster spirit is her through-line and she disarms with humor so we can better face what’s been won and what’s still at stake.
Baum’s credentials are etched into Bay Area theatre history. In 1975, she planted a flag for women’s voices in a cultural landscape that set aside very little room for them. By 1981, she had written and staged Dos Lesbos, the very first lesbian play by a lesbian playwright produced on the West Coast. She jokes that she missed being the “national first,” beat out by New York City just two weeks earlier.
At every turn, she’s been a rule-breaker, a rabble-rouser, and a cultural trickster with a sharp comic edge. Lesbo Solo is an invitation to a rollicking conversation with a master entertainer, complete with drinks. The Marsh’s cabaret makes that intention clear; the full bar is open before and after the show and Baum urges audiences to linger and share their “gay history.” It’s a call to enjoy a collective celebration of historical highlights. In a city where queer stages have dwindled and bars have shuttered, Baum’s energetic presence reminds us all to
remember where we have been, and look ahead with guts, gusto, and pride.
Lesbo Solo: My Gay History Play comes at just the right time: running through October 12, it overlaps with the observation of International Lesbian Day (October 8), making it a timely celebration of identity, community, and endurance. For longtime activists, Baum’s stories will rekindle the fire of marches past. For younger generations, it’s a chance to encounter queer history in the flesh, told by someone who never stopped laughing through the revolution.
Whether you’re a veteran of the movement or someone just beginning to trace your queer lineage, Lesbo Solo: My Gay History Play is more than a play. Baum goes beyond a mere recount of the history of gay liberation; she embodies it and calls in new torchbearers to pick up the baton and run with it.
Raise a glass, join us at the cabaret, and let Terry Baum remind you: before history is written, it is lived—and it’s ours to keep living, together.
Terry Baum’s Lesbo Solo will run September 7–October 12, 2025, at The Marsh Berkeley Cabaret and Theater, 2120 Allston Way. For tickets and additional information, go to: https://bit.ly/4muJAxH
By Beth Schnitzer
Transcendence Theatre Company is proud to announce its highly anticipated third production of the 2025 Broadway Under the Stars season, Ladies of Broadway, running September 4–7 and September 11–14, 2025, at the scenic Field of Dreams outdoor stage, just steps from downtown Sonoma.
With powerhouse vocals, dazzling choreography, and stories that span Broadway’s Golden Age to today’s most celebrated musicals, Ladies of Broadway shines a spotlight on the trailblazing women who have inspired audiences for generations. The cast features seven women who have starred in over 25+ Broadway shows.
“Ladies of Broadway was created to be more than a concert—it’s an evening of storytelling, heart, and discovery. Alongside the music, audiences get a glimpse into the real journeys of these extraordinary women and the moments that shaped their Broadway careers,” said Eric Jackson, Director and co-conceiver of Ladies of Broadway.
Audiences will be taken on a musical journey, with performances from Broadway
classics and contemporary favorites from Wicked, Hello, Dolly!, 42nd Street, A Chorus Line, Dreamgirls, Chicago, Sister Act, and many more.
For tickets and additional information: https://transcendencetheatre.org/tickets/ Beth Schnitzer, the former President of WISE (Women in Sports and Events), is the Co-Founder and President of Spritz: https://spritzsf.com/
5-10PM, 18TH & CASTRO
3rd Fridays Monthly thru October: September 19, October 31, 2025
The second-largest alcohol distributor in America just pulled out of California entirely, leaving 2,000 people jobless and an entire industry scrambling.
Republic National Distributing Company’s sudden exit from the Golden State sent shockwaves throughout the industry. It was like watching a massive ship decide an ocean isn’t worth the trouble.
Dina Novarr
But as my colleague Nick observed in his recent reflection on the collapse, there’s something beautifully absurd about corporate death throes masquerading as strategy.
“RNDC looked into their magic crystal ball, and, after some questionable business decisions, just decided to pull the plug on their business in the 4th biggest economy on the globe,” Nick writes with characteristic understatement. “Not just biggest in the U.S., but the whole planet.”
Imagine being so spectacularly incompetent that you voluntarily abandon a $2.8 billion market because running a distribution company got too complicated. It’s
almost admirable in its complete surrender to mediocrity. Their exit wasn’t just corporate failure; it was natural selection with spreadsheets. Darwin would have loved watching a multi-billion-dollar company voluntarily remove itself from the gene pool.
Yet, here’s the delicious irony: Nick and I have watched this industry convulse over the past three years—supply chain disasters, corporate exodus after corporate exodus, businesses failing in ways that would make a Shakespearean tragedy seem optimistic—and somehow, inexplicably, those remaining ended up better positioned than ever imagined possible.
There’s a dark humor in thriving while others burn. Not schadenfreude exactly, but something more useful: the recognition that chaos doesn’t just destroy; it also clears the table for those smart enough to stay seated. When RNDC abandoned California, they didn’t just leave behind empty warehouses and canceled contracts. They left a buffet for their competitors. Sometimes the
best business strategy is simply not being catastrophically stupid.
“Business aside, I feel for those whose lives have been thrown into a volatile state due to bad decisions by executives whose bonuses won’t be affected by their failures,” Nick reflects with the weary wisdom of someone who’s watched too many C-suite sociopaths fail upward. “I don’t cheers to them. But I cheers to those I have crossed swords with in the market over the years, but would still sit down with for a cocktail at the end of the day as peers in a competitive industry.”
Nick captures our collective existential exhaustion in his perfect cocktail meditation: “My suggested drink of choice, one of my top three cocktails of all time: A Classic Daiquiri.”
There’s brutal honesty in his last line of the recipe. He’s a man who’s tired of pretty distractions interfering with the business of getting properly drunk. Three ingredients, no b.s., served without the Instagram-worthy nonsense that clutters most modern cocktails.
We all dream of that place where Nick’s daiquiri lives: somewhere quiet where sand meets water and the horizon stretches endlessly ahead. A place where the most complex decision is whether to use Ron Del Barrilito 3 star or something else entirely, and corporate collapse is someone else’s problem happening very far away.
Until that simpler time comes—until we can escape to that beach where the daiquiri waits and corporate America can destroy itself without our participation—we’re tasked with something more immediately useful: finding the San Francisco phoenix within ourselves. Just as the city rose from the ashes in 1906, so too will an industry thrown into turmoil.
That means learning to see chaos not as a crisis, but as an opportunity wearing a disguise. Understanding that when your competitors self-destruct, you don’t need to feel guilty about picking through the wreckage for anything valuable they left behind. We’ll keep doing what California does best: turning chaos into profit, disruption into advantage, and failure into the foundation for whatever comes next.
Nick and I both know that California’s greatest strength has never been our ability to avoid disasters, but instead it’s our talent to turn disasters into a competitive advantage by studying them. We don’t just survive market disruption; we feast on it. California doesn’t just weather chaos— we’ve learned to harvest it like a crop. That’s our gift to the world: demonstrating that destruction and creation aren’t opposites; they’re a business model.
The phoenix is rising. In California, it’s been rising for 175 years. We’re getting pretty good at it by now.
As Nick wisely concluded: “My wish for everyone feeling the stress of the current economic environment is to spend a little time in nature in the sunshine and reflect on the positives before embarking on what needs to come next.”
The next chapter is beginning. It’s time to profit from it.
San Francisco-based Dina Novarr enjoys sharing her passion for fine wines, spirits, non-alcoholic craft beverages, and more with others.
A Classic Daiquiri (Shared by Nick)
2 oz of any rum, but my preference is Ron Del Barrilito 3 star from Puerto Rico
1 oz of fresh squeezed lime juice
.75 oz rich demerara simple
No garnish, and shaken and strained up. I love elaborate garnishes, but for this cocktail, I hate floating debris hitting me in the face when I take a sip.
Street Grill. Patricia Unterman’s no-frills homage to all things from the sea has some of the freshest fish, grilled to perfection, with your choice of tantalizing sauces. Her French fries are among the best in town, and the crème brulée is even as good as New York’s Odeon
I’ve been known to be an “artsy fartsy” type. Even though I prefer the term “aesthete,” I fully embrace it. If there’s a symphony concert, ballet performance, cabaret act, jazz gig, modern dance troupe, opera staging, or even a lecture, I’m there. Lucky for us, living in San Francisco, there are a multitude of artistic options nightly from which to choose. Now that it’s fall, it’s time for the arts season to begin anew.
But the question always is: where to dine before—or even after—a show?
The Gay Gourmet has some answers. If you’re headed to the symphony, opera, ballet, SFJAZZ, or the Orpheum Theatre, here are some recommendations.
My “go-to” is always Absinthe, the French-inspired restaurant at the corner of Hayes & Gough that has been there since the old Ivy’s closed. First off, they know how to get you in and out in time for the show. Second, the food quality is always consistently good and the service impeccable. Plus, they practically invented the art of the craft cocktail.
Insider’s tip: order the Petrale sole meuniere, a bottle of a medium-priced chablis, and their famous chocolate pot de crème, and you’ll be a happy camper.
Another venerable institution just steps from the Symphony Hall is the Hayes
A much-anticipated newcomer to the neighborhood on Gough Street in the former Monsieur Benjamin space is Happy Crane. It’s a new modern Chinese bistro helmed by chef James Yeun Leong Parry, an alumnus of the Michelin-starred Benu I haven’t yet had the pleasure of trying this new arrival. But I hear he’s offering a contemporary version of Hong Kong’s famous snack, the gold coin, as well as Pekingstyle duck (you need to reserve in advance), and Chinese-inspired craft cocktails.
A great casual Italian eatery is A Mano on Hayes Street, owned by restaurateur Adriano Paganini and his Back of the House restaurant group (he also owns Beretta, Wildseed, Flores, and Super Duper). Medium-priced pastas and New Yorkstyle pizza star here, but don’t underestimate the bar that makes a mean Negroni. Since it’s casual, you can always make that all-important curtain on time. A plus? They now take reservations!
A great Japanese option is Elephant Sushi at the corner of Gough and Hayes. They’re on Open Table, so you can reserve, and the service is quick, efficient, and friendly. They have unexpected appetizers like “Chips and Dip” (garlic pita chips topped with spicy tuna, scallion, masago, honey mustard sauce & sweet soy glaze) and “Beastie Boys” (sea urchin, ankimo, quail egg & shiso). Innovative sake-based cocktails like the “Hello, Kitty
Martini” (sake and lychee syrup) pair well with the mains, which include rolls, sashimi, and nigiri. Also on that corner is Teakwood, the newish outpost for the much-loved Burma Superstar. You can’t go wrong with their signature “Tea Leaf Salad,” which boasts fermented tea leaf dressing, nuts, jalapeño, lettuce, dried shrimp, tomato, and crispy garlic. It’s more than big enough to share. Another not-miss item is the “Superstar Fried Rice” with shrimp, egg, edamame, cabbage, balachaung (a spicy relish full of flavor, made with onions, garlic, dried shrimp, and chilies), and jasmine rice. Another bonus? Teakwood has a full bar!
You can’t beat the location of Uccello Lounge, housed in the new San Francisco Conservatory of Music building on Van Ness, directly across from Davies Symphony Hall. Besides the California cuisine dishes ranging from black cod to a smash burger, the restaurant features live music performed by the Conservatory’s students, alumni, faculty, and friends.
Rich Table has rightly earned numerous accolades and, while it’s a harder reservation to nab, it’s worth the challenge. Run by Evan and Sarah Rich, the restaurant sports a modern rustic interior that adds to its inherent conviviality.
Standouts include the sardine chip with horseradish cream, the deepfried porcini doughnuts raclette, the bluefin tuna tostada, and the grilled pork collar with sweet and sour cherries.
The grande dame of walkable nearby eateries is the famed Zuni Café. While it’s had its own ups and downs, it’s back with a vengeance. Start with a proper martini
at the stand-up copper bar, and then move to the airy, glass-enclosed space where you’ll enjoy the famous Zuni chicken (cooked under a brick, but requires an hour), the best shoestring fries, and the top Caesar salad in the city. The service now is terrific all-around, but ask for my favorite waiter, Gabe.
If you’re a Broadway baby like me and heading to a BroadwaySF show at the Orpheum Theatre, there haven’t always been a lot of choices. Thankfully, we’ve found a winner: Chao Pescao, on McAllister, just a couple of easy-walking blocks to the theatre. It’s a casual but lively Cuban and Colombian restaurant showcasing the flavors of the Caribbean. Start with a sampling of the empanadas vallunas (three cornmeal masa turnovers popular in Colombia’s Valle de Cauca, stuffed with either steak, pork, chicken, or veggies). Then, order the classic Ropa Viejo (shredded Angus beef, green olive, red bell pepper, tomato, bacon, and oregano). Top it off with a top shelf margarita and you’ll be more than ready for the show.
If you’re attending a performance at ODC, which besides the resident company stages theatre and dance offerings continuously, there are a couple of great restaurants nearby. Try Base Camp, a casual, friendly, and funky Nepalese restaurant offering a taste of the Himalayas a few blocks away. I loved the chatamari, a Nepalese rice crepe (sort of like a quiche) which incorporates Newari cuisine, especially found in Kathmandu Valley. This delicious dish combines rice flour, minced chicken, chopped onions, tomatoes, and eggs. Another signature dish? Momos, which are dumplings brought into Nepal by Tibetan traders. I’m told it’s now one of the nation’s most popular dishes. You have a choice of chicken, pork, or vegetarian. I
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picked the pork option, which consists of minced pork, cilantro, onion, garlic, and garam masala (a blend of ground spices popular in Nepal).
Also nearby is Mission Street Oyster Bar, which serves varieties of oysters and, as they describe it, “generous portions of the freshest fare from the sea.” What’s on the menu? Cioppino, Dungeness crab cakes, Caesar salad, prawn pastas, and creamy Boston clam chowder.
If you’ve got tickets to the Curran Theatre, San Francisco Playhouse, or Feinstein’s, I have three restaurants near Union Square to recommend: John’s Grill , home of Dashiel Hammet’s Sam Spade, which has some of the best steaks and martinis in town. For tasty Italian fare, try Zingari restaurant in the Donatello Hotel, which gives you a 10% discount if you show your tickets (plus they’re open post-performance for a latenight happy hour). Finally, there’s Fino, another terrific Italian choice with freshmade pastas, which has a cozy fireplace to boot.
For a show at Fort Mason, there’s one standout: Greens, the famous vegetarian restaurant with a view of the Golden Gate Bridge to die for. Chef Katie Reicher has reinvigorated the menu, and it’s better than ever. Breads and pastries are now made in house, plus the restaurant also has some fun, creative, craft cocktails.
Almost directly across from the newly reopened Presidio Theatre in the Presidio is Colibri, a modern Mexican restaurant with a generous, well-heated patio. The outdoors is perfect for dogs, and the interior looks like you’re in Oaxaca. I love their top-shelf margaritas, but I also recommend their house-made guacamole, their sopa de tortilla, chile relleno, and mole poblano (chicken with a Mexican-spiced, Puebla-style chocolate sauce).
If you’re looking for a nightcap after the show near Union Square, I just found the Valley Club upstairs on Mason Street, which stays open until midnight (and 1 am on Saturdays). This quiet lounge has a Beefeater gin martini that is the best
deal in the city, priced at a very affordable $10! If you’re in the Civic Center and looking for post-show offerings, I’d recommend Phonobar, a hip DJ-focused bar in the Performing Arts Garage on Grove. They have a full bar, a cool vibe, and small bites. The best part? They are open until midnight (and 2 am on weekends)!
With upcoming performances like Dianne Reeves at SFJAZZ, Yuja Wang at the San Francisco Symphony, Les Miserables at the Orpheum, ODC at the Presidio Theatre, or Dead Man Walking at the San Francisco Opera, you’re now armed with ideas of where to dine and imbibe. Enjoy the show!
Absinthe: https://www.absinthe.com/ Hayes Street Grill: https://www.hayesstreetgrill.com/ Happy Crane: https://www.thehappycranesf.com/
A Mano: https://www.amanosf.com/ Elephant Sushi: https://elephantsushi.com/ Teakwood: https://www.burmateakwood.com/ Uccello Lounge: https://www.uccellolounge.com/ Rich Table: https://w w w.richtablesf com/ Zuni Café: https://zunicafe.com/ Chao Pescao: https://www.chaopescaosf.com/
Base Camp: https://basecampsf.com/ Mission Street Oyster Bar: https://missionstreetoysterbarsf.com/
John’s Grill: https://www.johnsgrill.com/ Zingari: https://www.zingari.com/ Fino: https://www.finoristorante.com/ Greens: https://www.greensrestaurant.com/ Colibri: https://colibrimexicanbistro.com/ Valley Club: https://thevalleyclubsf.com/ Phonobar: https://phonobarsf.com/
David Landis, aka “The Gay Gourmet,” is a foodie, a freelance writer, and a retired PR maven. You can email him at: davidlandissf@gmail.com Or visit him online at: www.gaygourmetsf.com
By Sister Dana Van Iquity
Sister Dana sez, “Be on the lookout for unauthorized ICE deputies patrolling your neighborhood—even in the Bay Area—where there is no need for this in California or anywhere that crime is statistically down! We have our own very capable police to handle criminal activity!”
If you live in California, look for big black or white Ford trucks with tinted windows and no California license plates—only outof-state plates. A bonus if you see one with the blue and white flag decal. These are new, highly paid recruits who moved here to spy and cause trouble here in our glorious Golden State.
The total number of arrests reported by the Metropolitan Washington, D.C., Police Department was actually DOWN by 8%
at the beginning of August—before the unnecessary Trump takeover into a police state mid-August. It is no coincidence that all the arrested people on August 17 nationwide had been led by Black mayors who have been making historic progress in lowering crime in their cities. I’m so proud of Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee for correctly stating, “These are cities that have large populations of Black and Brown people—and where the crime rates are going down—that happen to have Black mayors. What is this about?” Hundreds more National Guard troops keep coming to these cities, now with many of them armed. “This President is fear-mongering, wants to militarize our cities, and this is very dangerous,” Lee exclaimed. “This is despicable—and part of his efforts to dismantle our democracy!”
Don’t tell me that these days being President isn’t a money maker. The New Yorker has just informed us that the Trump family has gained about 3.4 Billion Dollars since entering the White House a second time! Sister Dana sez, “Hey, Trump, show us your damn Taxes! We wanna see ’em, dammit!”
At the monthly CASTRO NIGHT MARKET on Castro Street between 18th and Collingwood streets on August 15, Sister Roma (of our SF Order of Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence aka SPI) spoke and emceed flawlessly. Sister Shalita
Corndog owned the stage with a thrilling “Holding Out for a Hero” inspirational lip-sync and dance performance. And the gathered crowd seemed to appreciate her and our need for a hero in these terrible Trumpish times. Sister Dana wrote and recited a fun original and revised to be more inclusive, loving, politically satirical (and slightly naughty) version of the Biblical “The Lord’s Prayer”—which began, “Our Father, Mother, Brother, Binary, Trinary (Three-in-One), Thy Kingdom come! Not Trump’s kingdom! Thy Kingdom come— Not the will of the theocracy and autocracy!” Attendees seemed rather excited to hear, “Give us this day our daily bread (not just money—but ALL our needs: including food, water, human rights, civil rights, medical care, and unconditional LOVE!” And everyone cheered at “forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us: YES, that includes the haters who hate us!” Ten more nuns joined us on stage to thank everyone for coming out and celebrating the theme, “Superheroes.”
Imagine my surprise to see a booth across from the stage where super-artist Deidre DeFranceaux had bits of her clever art on display—including umbrellas with multi-faceted faces of SPI nuns and heroes such as the late great Supervisor Harvey Milk. And waving in the wind was Deidre’s newest creation, a flag with Sister Dana the Rainbow Nun welcoming one and all!
On August 21, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the Redistricting Plan for our State, becoming the first state in U.S. history to—in the most democratic way—submit to the people of our state the ability to determine their own maps by voting in the November special election. This quite simply has NOT been done before in any state. We got here because the MAGA President knew the only way that he could stay an authoritarian in ruling America was to cheat in the upcoming
election by redistricting the blue states into red—depriving anti-Trump voters of their rights—illegally and immorally. So, we in California are encouraging other states to follow our lead. Sister Dana sez, “Voting is a democratic privilege and civil right! Allow the People to vote!”
FABULOSA BOOKS at 489 Castro Street on August 21 presented another in their awesome author talks with Q&A— this time regarding SAN FRANCISCO’S TRANSGENDER DISTRICT by Rev. Dr. Megan Rohrer, featuring over 200 images with clever, highly informative captions. This incredibly fascinating book tells the Transgender District’s story in amazing, unprecedented focus and detailing; and for me, was the best history lesson from the best history professor ever! Who knew transgender art and performance (though not explicitly so) existed as far back as the 1880s?! I didn’t. Now, after hearing him talk and having purchased his book, I know quite a lot more of San Francisco transgender history. Megan Rohrer, PhD and DMin, is a social justice influencer known for advocacy with the homeless and LGBTQ communities, who has been featured on Netflix’s Queer Eye, Cosmopolitan, People, and other publications around the globe. Megan has over 20 years experience working in faithful communities as a chaplain, pastor, and as a Bishop. Historical fact: Megan was a groundbreaking leader in the church before LGBTQ individuals were allowed to fully serve. Ordained extraordinarily in 2006, Megan was one of 18 pastors ordained during the time when the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) did not allow LGBT pastors to serve openly. Megan was the first openly transgender person ordained in the Lutheran Church. One of the many pastors arrested protesting Prop 8, he has officiated at countless weddings for LGBT individuals before and after the marriages were legally
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One of the Bay Area’s most striking talents, powerhouse singer Carly Ozard, received multiple standing ovations at her incredible, intimate album release party at the GRNHS Gallery + Studio (864 Folsom Street) on Monday, August 18. She performed every track from her new album Chain of Love: A Broadway Album, which is superb and recommended for Broadway buffs or for anyone who loves beautifully crafted songs performed with care and passion.
DANA (continued from pg 40)
recognized. He is author of more than 50 other books. Go to Fabulosa Books and buy this gem for yourself!
PROJECT OPEN HAND will be marking 40 years of meals with love on September 12, 6–10 pm, with the HAND TO HAND GALA at the stunning San Francisco Design Galleria. Get ready to sip champagne, eat delicious food, celebrate community awardees, bid on unique auction items, and party the night away for a great cause.
In 2000, they expanded their reach to provide meals, not only to people with HIV/ AIDS, but also to neighbors who are battling breast cancer, heart disease, and many other illnesses. Today, Project Open Hand prepares 2,500 nutritious meals daily and provides 200 bags of healthy groceries every day to help sustain clients as they battle serious illnesses, isolation, or the health challenges of aging. They serve San Francisco and Oakland, engaging more than 125 volunteers daily to nourish our community. https://www.openhand/
The 37th annual GAPA RUNWAY PAGEANT, Runway 2025: Myths & Legends, will take over San Francisco on September 13, 7 pm at Herbst Theater, 401 Van Ness Avenue. For the 10th consecutive year, Nguyen Pham will serve as emcee of this uproarious and inclusive celebration of the queer AAPI community. Join the QTAPI folx in cheering on Mx., Ms., and Mr. GAPA contestants as they demonstrate their talents, show off their evening wear, and answer Q&A questions in competition to become GAPA Royalty. The reigning GAPA Royalty, Miss GAPA 2024 Ari Ola and Miss GAPA 2024 Kalypso, will be stepping down to welcome the next generation of titleholders. Originating in
Ozard, who identifies as non-binary, was accompanied by musicians Baker Peeples on piano, Daniel Fabricant on bass, Jerry Herrera on cajon, and Baker Peeples II (yes, the son of the pianist!) on violin. Several guest performers also joined Ozard on stage and were magnificent.
A larger party themed around the new album is already in the works for later this year. In the meantime, check out Chain of Love at https://www.carlyozard.com/
1988 as an underground house party for LGBTQ Asian & Pacific Islanders, Runway was a chance for the community to gather in safety, solidarity, and celebration to crown new GAPA Royalty as representatives of GAPA and the QTAPI community. The event has grown to become widely recognized as one of the longest continuously running QTAPI pageants, drawing celebrity judges from all over the world. As generations of contestants have battled it out through rounds of fashion, talent, and Q&As, Runway has always stayed true to its roots. https://www.gapa.org/runway
SEPTEMBER 11 is about two weeks ahead. The September 11 Attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, and the third into the Pentagon (headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense) in Arlington County, Virginia. The fourth plane crashed in a rural Pennsylvania field during a passenger revolt. The attacks killed 2,977 people, making it the deadliest terrorist attack in history. In response to the attacks, the United States waged the global war on terror over multiple decades to eliminate hostile groups deemed terrorist organizations, as well as the governments purported to support them.
Sister Dana sez, “We must always remember the unspeakable, horrible September 11 Attacks. But we must also never stop fighting for our democracy; and keep from being attacked by autocracy, theocracy, and oligarchy within our nation!”
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Gary M. Kramer: Can you talk about playing Dolores?
Nahuel Pérez Biscayart: When you spend time trying out wigs, and extensions, and costumes and skirts, and shoes, in a way, you are rehearsing, and you are trying to find your own woman. But Dolores was not something I rehearsed, or a woman I was trying to “find.” It was very soft, and organic. Luis [Ortega] said I never had to “play a woman” or “play drag”; it was about “being.” It was letting this tenderness and brightness alight on Remo in a sweet and subtle way. It was not about the pitch of her voice or other things we might fabricate. It was more embodying her. I don’t feel this film is about Remo transitioning; it was about identity and freedom. All the other characters don’t react much to the fact that Remo is now [presenting as] a woman. He was a famous jockey, and they just tell her that she is beautiful and pretty without asking, “What happened to you?” The film embraces the evolution of the character in a delicate way. We don’t think he decided to be a woman. It’s the character’s natural drifting.
Gary M. Kramer: The film has many moments you just accept. That is its magic. You just recalibrate every scene and want to see what happens next.
Nahuel Pérez Biscayart: It is like the film is moving faster than your perceptions.
Gary M. Kramer: Abril becomes intimate with Ana, Sirena kisses Remo during an auction, and there are homoerotic scenes such as one where Sirena addresses five naked jockeys in a sauna. What can you say about all the queer content? Is this all to “queer” the story and show how life can be if we go off track— as Remo does—and reject society’s rules?
Nahuel Pérez Biscayart: You said something about escaping the norms or the rules. This idea of horse racing is running in circles, and Remo’s accident takes him off that path, which is a metaphor for Remo’s
life going off track—in a good way. Gender is a violent and oppressive prison. Some suffer more than others. Even for those in heteronormativity, embodying toxic masculinity imposes violence. True liberation could be embracing “queerness,” or identity freedom and thinking of identity as a verb instead of a noun—all those things that are hard to achieve. The whole system is built on this unjust unfair structure around gender. We have to be alert to that, so we don’t fall in those traps. This film is an invitation for that. It is not a film that is indicating or proscribing things. It is posing questions for you to get lost in. You have to find your own way with the film and within your own perception. The film is trying to provoke that in the spectator.
Gary M. Kramer: Did you meet with jockeys or train racing horses for the role?
Nahuel Pérez Biscayart: I trained with a jockey, which is different from horse riding because your butt doesn’t touch the horse. You have to be flexing. It is extremely tiring. Your thighs burn so much. Spending time with jockeys, smelling the horse, feeling what muscles burn and ache—that configures how you walk. These things get impregnated in your body, and that plays a role during shooting. I trained two weeks before shooting. I got quite good, galloping and flexing on the horse and turning. But, of course, you never get up to the speed the jockeys get 70–78 kilometers (about 43–48 miles) an hour. They are like adrenaline junkies. They are crazy, naughty, and mischievous.
Gary M. Kramer: I suspect you are a little bit like that, Nahuel!
Nahuel Pérez Biscayart: I’m a little jockey in real life without riding horses. [Laughs]
Gary M. Kramer: The film can be read as an allegory, an existential treatise on identity, or possibly, it is just meaningless. What are your thoughts on the film’s message?
Nahuel Pérez Biscayart: The fact that you are mentioning questions around the message of film is a good thing. I don’t
like messages. I like films where I lose the notion of time, identity, evil, and good. They allow me as a spectator to be actively participating in the film. That is the same approach Luis takes, and it is in the theme of the film, which is about losing identity and doubting and questioning everything that is this human fiction that we all built. There is no message. Anybody can make their own reading of the film. This film creates a space for the spectator to do their own voyage. Why are we so obsessed with plot when our lives are so multilay-
ered? I want more complexity, so my life gets enriched.
© 2025 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.” He teaches Short Attention Span Cinema at the Bryn Mawr Film Institute and is the moderator for Cinema Salon, a weekly film discussion group. Follow him on X @garymkramer
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