The Ven. Miguel Bustos and Olga Talamante
Olga Talamante and The Ven. Miguel Bustos to Co-Emcee Honoring LGBTQ+ Bay Area Latine Leaders on October 24, 2025
With co-producer Olga Talamante, the San Francisco Bay Times will present the inaugural Honoring LGBTQ+ Bay Area Latine Leaders on October 24, 2025, from 6 pm–8:30 pm in the Mission District. Talamante will co-emcee the event with The Ven. Miguel Bustos. Both are legendary leaders in their own right whose LGBTQ+ activism has made a significant positive impact, not only here in the San Francisco Bay Area, but also internationally.
Olga Talamante
Olga Talamante recently completed her position as Interim President and CEO of
the Greenlining Institute, where she served for the last eight months. She will now continue to serve on the institute’s board. She is additionally the Executive Director Emerita of the Chicana Latina Foundation (CLF). She became the first Executive Director of CLF in January 2003, serving in that position until March of 2018. CLF’s mission is the Empowerment of Chicanas/Latinas through their personal, educational, and professional advancement. In her position, she oversaw the granting of thousands of dollars to Latina college students and founded the organization’s pioneering Leadership Institute that has graduated over 700 Latina social justice leaders. Prior to those fifteen years with CLF, she held various positions, including Regional Vice President, from 1986–2002, at INROADS, a career and leadership organization for students of color.
Talamante’s family migrated from Mexico to Gilroy, California, in the early 1960s where they worked in the farm fields for several years. Those formative years formed the basis for her activism as an organizer and supporter of the nascent United Farm Workers labor union.
progressive political movements.
She is widely respected for her community activism and leadership. During the midseventies, she became well known for her experience as a political prisoner in Argentina. As a result of a successful grassroots campaign, she was released after spending 16 months in prison. Since her return to the United States, she has remained active in the Chicano, Latin American Solidarity, LGBTQ, and
Some of her awards include the Cesar Chavez Legacy Award, the San Francisco Latino Heritage Award, the GLBT Historical Society Award, the Horizons Foundation Visionary Award, and the Commonwealth Club Distinguished Citizen Award. She served as co-chair of the Horizons Foundation Board, the National Center for Lesbian Rights Board, and, in addition to now serving on the board of the Greenlining Institute, currently serves on the boards of El Concilio of San Mateo County and the CLF, and is co-chair of Caravan for
As Our Communities Face Brutal Attacks, We Rise to Celebrate Us
By Olga Talamante and The Ven. Miguel Bustos
We are honored to co-host the inaugural celebration of LGBTQ Latine leaders, in partnership with the San Francisco Bay Times
As our communities face brutal attacks bent on intimidating us, dehumanizing us, and erasing us, we rise to celebrate us. We uplift this magnificent inaugural group of LGBTQ Latina honorees, recognized for their trajectories of activism, career success, and unshakable commitment to advancing the rights of our communities.
As part of the festivities for Hispanic Latine Heritage Month (September 15–October 15), we come together to rejoice in our shared herstories of resistance and joy.
We are also honored to highlight El/La Para TransLatinas, which works towards a world where TransLatinas are protected, celebrated, and loved, and where trans/intersex/gender diverse Latinx people are welcome, safe, represented, and valued in all spheres of life.
Olga Talamante is the past President and CEO of the Greenlining Institute and the Executive Director Emerita of the Chicana/Latina Foundation. The Ven. Miguel Bustos is the Archdeacon and Director of the School for Deacons of the Episcopal Diocese of California. Both have, for decades, provided significant leadership and support to global LGBTQ+ communities and particularly in the Bay Area.
the Children, which advocates for the reunification and healing of children who are separated from their families at the border. She holds a B.A. from the University of California Santa Cruz, and an Honorary Doctorate from the University of San Francisco.
The Ven. Miguel Bustos
The Ven. Miguel Bustos was installed as Archdeacon of the Diocese of California on Sunday, September 29, 2024, at Grace Cathedral. Earlier that month, he began his role as Director of the School for Deacons. He also serves as Cathedral Deacon at Grace Cathedral and Manager for Racial Justice and Reconciliation for The Episcopal Church.
Bustos is one of the diocese’s two archdeacons, along with the Ven. Cn. Nina Pickerrell. The archdeacons coordinate the
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Rev. Miguel Bustos (now The Ven. Miguel Bustos), Olga Talamante, and Ani Rivera at the 36th San Francisco Health Center Show of Hope at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco on April 29, 2023
Olga Talamante and The Ven. Miguel Bustos
Accompanied by a young immigrant friend, Olga Talamante spoke at the San Francisco Women’s March (2018).
Rev. Miguel Bustos (now The Ven. Miguel Bustos) hosted a reception for candidate Kamala Harris. (2018)
Honorees for the Inaugural Honoring LGBTQ+ Bay Area Latine Leaders
The inaugural Honoring LGBTQ+ Bay Area Latine Leaders, co-produced by Olga Talamante with the San Francisco Bay Times, will take place on October 24, 2025, benefiting the Use the News Foundation and El/La Para TransLatinas. Since there are numerous accomplished, inspiring leaders within the local vibrant LGBTQ+ Latine community, next year’s event is already in the works. This year’s honorees represent many different fields, cultures, and more. They are all exceptional leaders who continue to beneficially contribute to the Bay Area LGBTQ+ community and beyond.
Adriana Ayala
Adriana Ayala, Ph.D., is the Executive Director of the Chicana Latina Foundation, an organization started in 1977 to empower Chicanas Latinas through personal, educational, and professional advancement.
Ayala has more than 20 years of experience in higher education. She has taught in community college, four-year university, and high school settings. Besides teaching History and Ethnic Studies, she has extensive experience as an administrator, having served as Vice Provost, Department Chair of Liberal Studies and General Education at the National Hispanic University, and Interim Dean of Student Success at Evergreen Valley College.
She is proud of having served as a professor and administrator at The National Hispanic University in San Jose, a historical institution and the only one of its kind west of the Mississippi. Ayala believes in guiding the next generation of conscientious leaders and guiding them to find their voice and their place in the community.
Her educational accomplishments include a Ph.D. in History, University of Texas at Austin; and a B.A. in History with a minor in Ethnic Studies, University of California at Berkeley. She is a former board member of the Chicana Latina Foundation; Mujeres Activas en Letras y Cambio Social (MALCS), where she served two terms as national Chair; and board member of San Francisco Bay University.
On the personal side, she is the mother of two very energetic children who keep her super active in San Jose, California.
Noemi Calonje
Noemi Calonje was born and raised in Managua,
Nicaragua. At the age of 14, her family immigrated to the United States due to the unstable political climate in her country of origin. Her family applied for political asylum in 1982, and it was granted ten years later.
After earning her B.A. in Spanish and a B.S. in Psychology from the University of California at Davis in 1991, Calonje worked as a counselor at FamiliesFirst, a non-profit organization serving troubled youth in the Bay Area.
In 1994 she joined the National Center for LGBTQ Rights (NCLR) and founded what would become their Immigration Project, Hogar (Home), which she is the Director of today.
As the Director of NCLR’s Hogar, Calonje has dedicated herself to assist and support the LGBT immigrant community. Under her leadership, the project has grown to include a full-time project associate, a staff attorney, and contract attorneys. Calonje continues to respond to LGBT immigrants seeking information and assistance from NCLR, represents NCLR at conferences and workshops nationwide, and acts as NCLR’s liaison to the broader immigration rights community. She has provided legal assistance to hundreds of immigrants in her time at NCLR, including many whom she initially helped obtain legal status all the way until they became naturalized U.S. citizens. Calonje completed her Paralegal certification and graduated from San Francisco State University with High Honors. She is currently working on becoming a Department of Justice Accredited Representative.
Dulce A. García
Dulce A. García is a bilingual queer Chicana femme who was born in Mexico City, raised in East Los Angeles, and who has rooted her life and work in the Bay Area, calling it her home for the past 19 years.
With over two decades of experience in community organizing, policy, and non-profit leadership, Dulce’s work is rooted in an anti-oppression framework and centers underserved communities, including BIPOC, LGBTQ+, immigrants, and low-income populations. She currently serves as Co-Chair of the Board of Directors at the National Center for LGBTQ Rights (NCLR), a feminist-founded organization advancing racial, economic, civil, and human rights for LGBTQ people and their families.
García was the inaugural Policy Director for the Office of Sexual Harassment and
Assault, Response and Prevention (SHARP) at the City and County of San Francisco, where she led survivor-centered initiatives and advanced accountability measures. Today, she is a Grant Administrator at San Francisco Public Works, managing contract administration for workforce development grants.
A former state-certified Rape Crisis Counselor, García has provided crisis intervention, holistic healing, and educational workshops on sexual violence prevention, bystander intervention, and survivor advocacy. As a consultant, she has trained and advised state agencies, nonprofits, and universities nationwide, integrating cultural competency with equity-driven approaches. She earned dual bachelor’s degrees with honors and Order of Merit from UC Irvine and a master’s degree in Ethnic Studies from San Francisco State University, where she was recognized as a Sally Casanova Scholar. Her creative work includes the award-winning documentary With Conviction, which earned the first-ever Audience Choice Award at the Queer Women of Color Film Festival and screened internationally in Paris, France, at the International Lesbian and Feminist Film Festival.
García’s leadership and advocacy reflect her unwavering belief in building equity, advancing justice, and dismantling systemic oppression to create thriving communities where all people can live with dignity and self-determination.
Marga Gomez
one of the first out lesbians in comedy. She got her start in queer comedy in San Francisco’s Valencia Rose and Josie’s Cabaret. She has been honored numerous times by readers of The Bay Guardian/48 Hills and the Bay Area Reporter as “Best Comedian.” Her work has also been recognized and supported by the San Francisco Arts Council, United States Artist Fellowship, and The Cultural Center for Innovation. Gomez is excited to be one of the LGBTQ+ Latine Bay Area leaders honored by the San Francisco Bay Times Carla Lucero
Marga Gomez (she,her,they) is a GLAAD Award winning writer/ performer of fifteen solo plays that have been presented nationally, OffBroadway, internationally and in the Bay Area at The Marsh, Brava Theater, Theater Rhinoceros, Playground, and The Magic Theater. Her 15th solo play, Spanish Stew, will have its world premiere run in San Francisco from October 17 through November 23, 2025, at The New Conservatory Theatre Center. Her website is https://www.margagomez.com/ Gomez’s other 2025 theatre role was one made famous by Lily Tomlin in Jane Wagner’s The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life (Aurora Theater, Berkeley, CA). Past acting credits include The Vagina Monologues with Rita Moreno and Vicki Lawrence, and film and television appearances on Netflix’s Sense 8, HBO’s Tracey Takes On ..., and the Warner Brothers films Batman Forever and Sphere As a stand-up comedian, Gomez was a founding member of the legendary Latiné Comedy ensemble Culture Clash and was
Originally from Los Angeles, Bay Area Composer and Librettist, Carla Lucero, studied composition at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). Her operas, WUORNOS (2001 San Francisco); Juana (with Co-Librettist, Alicia Gaspar de Alba, 2019 Los Angeles and 2023 New York); Las tres mujeres de Jerusalén (The Three Women of Jerusalem) (2022 and 2023 Los Angeles); The Everywhere of Her (with Librettist, Velina Hasu Houston, 2023, 2024 Los Angeles), Touch (with Co-Librettist, Marianna Mott Newirth, 2024 Birmingham); ¡Chicanísima! (2024 San Francisco and 2025, 2026 Mérida, Valladolid, and Morelia, México); and Hello, Star (with Librettist, Jarrod Lee, 2025 San Francisco and 2026 Baltimore); as well as two in development, TEA (with Librettist, Velina Hasu Houston, 2027 Honolulu) and Muriel & Anita (2027 Petaluma), challenge LGBTQ+, gender, racial, cultural, and disability stereotypes. Lucero and her work have been awarded four OPERA America grants for the commissioning and presentation of her operas throughout the country, and have received generous support from Creative Work Fund, Horizons Foundation, Meet the Composer, InterMusic SF, New York Community Trust, the California Arts Council, American Chamber Music Society, and other distinguished institutions, foundations, and wonderful individual donors.
Her work is frequently performed internationally, and she was honored in 2020 with the distinction of becoming the Inaugural Composer of the Leni Alexander Festival in Santiago, Chile. She regularly creates song cycles, art songs, dance productions, and music for films. In November 2025, Lucero will be scoring a documentary to be released in 2026 by The Purple Project, shedding light on the lack of mental health resources for the LGBTQ+ community in the U.S. Selected works by Lucero can be found on
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Navona Records, including solo piano arrangements from her opera WUORNOS; a Spanish language aria from Juana, “Sin vos”; and an upcoming song cycle, Love in Times of War
Jes Montesinos
Jes Montesinos is a native San Franciscan with roots in the Mission District. Montesinos identifies as a Latinx, nonbinary queer. They have dedicated their life toward building equity and social justice for LGBTQ communities and people of color. Currently Montesinos is Senior Director for the San Francisco Foundation, where they lead strategy, direct resources, advance policy efforts, and develop partnerships toward building equitable neighborhoods throughout the five county Bay Area region. They also serve as the foundation’s liaison to the Latine Kitchen Cabinet, which is comprised of over 25 Latine non-profit leaders in the region. The San Francisco Foundation works to advance racial equity and economic inclusion across the Bay Area, and is one of the largest community foundations in the country.
Prior to joining the foundation, they served as the Managing Director for their consulting firm Montesinos & Associates, supporting numerous clients and projects including The California Endowment, The Rockefeller Foundation, The California Reinvestment Coalition, The California Promise Neighborhood Network, Department of Education’s Promise Neighborhood Initiative, Hispanics in Philanthropy, Hispanic National Bar Association, Lambda Legal, and UnidosUS. They also directed the Making Connections Initiative for the Annie E. Casey Foundation in Oakland, and led local and national efforts with the Local Initiatives Support Corporation. Throughout their career, Montesinos has led national and Bay Area community development efforts to support affordable housing and economic mobility, advance policy and systems change, and create equitable outcomes so that all community members can lead thriving and fulfilling lives.
They have served on various non-profit boards including serving as a founding board member for the San Francisco LGBTQ Center, Frameline, Our Family Coalition, Centro Legal De La Raza, and the San Francisco Citizens Committee for the Mayor’s Office of Community Development. They earned a master’s degree in Management and Public Policy from UC San Diego and a bachelor’s degree in Political Economy from UC Berkeley.
Viviana “Viva” Paredes
Viviana (Viva) Paredes is a multimedia artist who works with glass and organic materials, especially medicinal plants, steeped in Chicano traditions.
Paredes creates sculptures and installations that highlight non-Western healing practices among Chicanos, and Latino communities, to integrate herbal remedies, spiritual elements, and cultural practices. She has exhibited across the United States including The US-Mexico Border: Place, Imagination, and Possibility (2018) featured as part of Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA at the Craft Contemporary, and Calli: The Art of Xicanx Peoples (2024) at the Oakland Museum of California.
She has held solo exhibitions including Alimentos: Glassworks (2018) at the Triton Museum of Art, and is currently working on her next show, titled Poetic Utterances (2026), at Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana. Moreover, she has also been internationally featured in exhibitions including US-Mexico Border (2017) at the Maison Folie Wazemmes, Construyendo Puentes/Building Bridges: Chicano/Mexican Art From Los Angeles to Mexico (2019), which inaugurated at Museo de Arte Carrillo Gil in Mexico City, and In Your Face: Chicano Art After CARA (2023) that was part of the Veranos de la Villa Festival at the Espacio Cultural Serreria Belga in Madrid, Spain.
Paredes’ work can be found in the prominent collections of the Mexican Museum of San Francisco, AltaMed Art Collection, and, most recently, the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture. She has been a Teaching Assistant at the Pilchuck Glass School and at the renowned Penland School of Craft in North Carolina, and has held artist residencies at the de Young Museum, Recology San Francisco, and Montalvo Arts Center. She is a recipient of numerous awards from the San Francisco Arts Commission, Fleishhacker Foundation, and Creative Work Fund.
Ámate Cecilia Pérez
Ámate Cecilia Pérez is a femme IndiQueer equity warrior whose work bridges ancient wisdom and modern justice. As founder of Decolonizing Race and the Latinx Racial Equity Project, she transforms
how social justice movements understand and dismantle power dynamics rooted in colonization.
Her journey began when she and her family fled El Salvador’s civil war in the 1980s. Growing up undocumented in Los Angeles, Pérez experienced firsthand the intersections of immigration, identity, and survival— experiences that fuel her commitment to healing and liberation for marginalized communities.
Pérez’s work reclaims and centers Latine, Black, and Indigenous values to decolonize the Latine community and reconnect people with ancestral roots. Through academic research on colonization and trauma recovery, combined with traditional healing practices, she guides Latinx communities away from white supremacy toward collective liberation.
She serves on leadership boards of transformative organizations, including the Chicana Latina Foundation, the Strawberry Circle at the Alliance for Felix Cove—a rematriation project in Point Reyes—and El/La Para TransLatinas in San Francisco. She collaborates with Native organizations across the U.S. and El Salvador, including Cacti (the ancestral council of communal territories of El Salvador) and the Minnesota Indian Women’s Sexual Assault Coalition.
Her career spans decades of civil rights and policy leadership. She has directed multiple organizations and held senior positions at CARECEN SF, Presente.org, and Global Exchange, and served as President of the Salvadoran American Network. Pérez worked as a print and radio journalist; her writing appears in The San Francisco Chronicle, Yes! Magazine, and The Wandering Song, the first anthology of Central American writers living in the United States.
She studies under Zen Priest Norma Wong and Oaxacan healer Doña Enriqueta Contreras, weaving embodiment practices, emotional intelligence, and Native healing approaches into her work. Pérez is Nahuah from Kuskatlan (El Salvador). She holds degrees from UC San Diego and UC Berkeley and lives by Tomales Bay.
Jennifer Valles
Jennifer Valles is a dedicated LGBTQ+ community leader with over two decades of experience rooted in anti-violence, environmental justice, and queer liberation. Her impact spans 20 years deeply embedded in community spaces, uplifting underrepresented voices, and shaping strategies to support & empower those most impacted by
systemic injustice.
Valles currently serves as the San Francisco LGBT Community Center’s Deputy Director, where she led the transformation of the center’s pillar programming, strengthening financial and employment services while expanding community and youth programs centered on arts, wellness, and youth mental health. By reimagining the center’s services to be more responsive and sustainable, Valles’ leadership helped create the framework for innovative, inclusive programs that meet the most urgent needs of LGBTQ+ communities today.
She was recently selected to lead the SF LGBT Center as Executive Director, beginning in January 2026. Drawing from her lived experience as a community organizer and her intersectional approach to social justice, her strategic vision centers on growing the organization’s impact as both a trusted local resource and a national leader in LGBTQ+ liberation.
Rev. Rhina M. Ramos
Rev. Rhina M. Ramos is an ordained United Church of Christ minister leading a Spanishspeaking congregation open to the LGTBQI Latinx community, Ministerio Latino. She graduated from Hofstra University Law School in 1995 and was a labor attorney for five years recuperating thousands of dollars in unpaid wages for immigrant workers. In 2003, she obtained a Masters in Divinity from the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California.
Rev. Ramos was born in El Salvador, and grew up a bold, playful, and curious kid, always asking big questions. At 14, she made the treacherous journey north with her aunt and brother to reunite with her mother in New York. Landing in Long Island brought culture shock. Over the years, she navigated law school, activism, divorce, coming out, and confronting the kind of religious rejection too many queer people face.
Her lifelong search for meaning and community led her to seminary and, eventually, to her true calling: founding Ministerio Latino in 2011. Since then, she’s become known as the “Pastor of the Queers,” offering spiritual care, mutual aid, and holy mischief wherever it is needed. In November 2024, she published her first book in Spanish, En mi Corazón un Volcán (In My Heart, a Volcano), which is a memoir about growing up during the El Salvador civil war in the 1980s and her journey north. The English
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version of this book is coming out soon, published by Riot of Roses Publishing House.
With her wife Shinobu cheering her on, she continues to build the kind of community she wishes she had growing up: one where queer, trans, and immigrant folks can be fully themselves and fully loved. In her free time, she loves long walks listening to sappy romantic music in Spanish.
Ani Rivera
Ani Rivera is a Chicana from the borderlands of San Diego/ Tijuana and has lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for over 25 years. Growing up in the duality of the U.S.-Mexico border greatly informed and
politicized her worldview and commitment to the service of justice.
For 13 years, Rivera has served as Executive Director of Galería de la Raza. Through an art and social practice lens, her work explores intersections of economic, political, and social change.
She actively volunteers in the following capacities: Vice President of the City and County of San Francisco’s Commission on the Status of Women; Board Member, GLBT Historical Society Museum & Archives; and, on the national front, Board Member, National Association of Latino Art & Culture (NALAC).
In these roles, Rivera threads advocacy and policy strategies to advance equitable and sustainable communities. Amongst her busy days she is found preoccupied by parenting Lobita—her black shepherd mix—along with her partner Sarah.
Elba Rivera
Elba Rivera is an Indigenous Salvadoran-born painter whose work spans realism, surrealism, and abstract expressionism. Her art returns to a central truth: humanity’s indifference fractures our shared world.
Born to a Pipil mother once indentured and a father from a wealthy lineage that hosted poet Rubén Darío, Rivera grew up amid rejection of the Indigenous, authoritarian rule, and rising unrest. At ten, she left El Salvador with her sister and father for San Francisco.
In the Mission District, Rivera found her voice on the city’s walls. She contributed to Maestrapeace on the Women’s Building, Si Se Puede on César Chávez Elementary, and the Pride mural at 16th and Market. She led Frida Kahlo in the Excelsior and taught mural painting with Tribute to Mujeres Muralistas on Balmy Alley. With Precita Eyes,
SF LGBT Center Appoints Jen Valles as Executive Director to Lead Its Next Chapter
The SF LGBT Center Board of Directors on September 29, 2025, announced the appointment of Jen Valles as the organization’s next Executive Director, effective January 2026. The Executive Search Committee, appointed by the Board of Directors, conducted a formal, multistage interview process before recommending Valles as the next Executive Director.
“I am deeply honored to step into this role and build on the center’s incredible legacy,” said Valles. “This is a critical moment for our community. We are facing growing attacks on LGBTQ+ rights alongside increasing demand for services, and we cannot afford to let this become our new status quo. I believe deeply in our collective power to resist, to imagine, and to drive real change, both here in San Francisco and nationally.”
She assumes the role of executive director leadership at a time when LGBTQ+ organizations are facing a sharp rise in anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, strained funding, and surging demand for services. Each year, the center welcomes over 100,000 visitors and provides direct services to nearly 7,000 people, many of them transgender individuals, youth, and immigrants.
Under Valles’ stewardship, the center aims to expand its role as both a trusted local resource and a national leader in LGBTQ+ liberation, strengthening programs and shaping solutions for those most impacted by systemic injustice.
“We are proud to welcome Jen as the center’s next
Executive Director,” said MK Johnson and Travis B. Mitchell, Board Co-Chairs. “Jen stands out for her charisma, passion, and strategic vision, as well as her ability to bring people together around shared purpose. She has earned the respect and trust of the center’s staff and the San Francisco community over many years, and we have full confidence in her ability to lead the organization into its next chapter.”
“I feel incredibly excited and confident about this transition,” said Rebecca Rolfe, outgoing Executive Director. “The Center is ready for this change, and Jen brings the leadership, vision, and values needed to carry the organization forward.
She’s deeply aligned with the community and well-prepared to guide the center into its next chapter.”
https://www.sfcenter.org/
she worked on projects honoring culture, history, and justice, often rooted in migrant and queer experience.
Her studio paintings extend this practice of witness. Family Expectations binds generations of women in color and silence. Oil Spill shows a dying bird with a human face, a stark metaphor for neglect. Eye to We turns its arctic gaze outward, implicating the viewer. Matador transforms bullfighting into allegory, the bull bearing women’s limbs, the cape a storm of red. Trees entwined with women’s figures remain her signature motif. Rivera’s work has appeared at the de Young Museum, the Mission Cultural Center, and in collections. With her wife of 30 years, attorney Brooke Oliver, Rivera protects Balmy Alley murals, co-founded Que Viva! Camp at Burning Man, and remains active in the Mission District while spending part of each year off-grid near Yosemite.
Her art, on canvas or brick, insists on presence and calls for balance between nature, community, and self.
Organizers
of Honoring LGBTQ+ Bay Area Latine Leaders Thank Sandra R.
Hernández, MD, for Her Support and Inspiration
The San Francisco Bay Times joins with Olga Talamante and The Ven. Miguel Bustos in thanking Sandra R. Hernández, MD, for her inspiration and support in creating the inaugural Honoring LGBTQ+ Bay Area Latine Leaders, which will take place on October 24, 2025. Beyond this event, all Californians have benefited from her work.
Dr. Hernández is the President and CEO of the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF), which for decades has worked to benefit the lives of many in the state and particularly in the Bay Area. Prior to joining CHCF, she was CEO of The San Francisco Foundation and also served as Director of Public Health for the City and County of San Francisco.
In February 2023, Dr. Hernández was appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom to serve on the state’s Health Care Affordability Board. From 2018 to 2023, she served on the Covered California board of directors, after having been appointed by Governor Jerry Brown. In 2019, she was also appointed by Governor Newsom to the Healthy California for All Commission. During her time at the San Francisco Foundation, she co-chaired San Francisco’s Universal Healthcare Council, which designed Healthy San Francisco. It was the first time a local government in the U.S. attempted to provide health care for all of its constituents.
Dr. Hernández practiced at San Francisco General Hospital in the HIV/ AIDS Clinic from 1984 to 2016, during some of the most challenging years of the global pandemic, and was an Assistant Clinical Professor at the UCSF School of Medicine. In 2024, UCSF awarded her its highest honor, the UCSF Medal.
Jen Valles in front of The SF LGBT Center
Sandra R. Hernández, MD
First They Came For ...
On September 25, the president issued a “National Security Presidential Memorandum on Countering Domestic Terrorism and Organized Political Violence.” And on September 30, the president and his secretary of defense stood in front of over 800 of our country’s senior military leaders and essentially declared war on Americans who don’t agree with them, designating anyone whose political views differ from theirs—including nonprofit organizations, peaceful protesters, journalists, and their supporters—as violent radicals who need to be crushed.
Nonprofit organizations, foundations, and funders are bracing for these attacks, which might include reviews of their tax-exempt status, harassment, and even criminal investigations. MoveOn, which funds progressive candidates and causes, is one of their prime targets. But any organization that supports progressive or left-leaning causes is at risk, especially those whose work supports communities already targeted by this administration, including LGBTQ+, communities of color, immigrants, and anything they have labeled as DEI.
Frameline addressed this issue head on in an email to its supporters: “By intimidating donors, the administration aims to defund the countless identity-centered nonprofits that, like Frameline, form the fabric of this country. This is censorship—a blatant abuse of power that, if left
unchecked, will silence individuals and dismantle the organizations that support our communities ... . In this fight, we will remain visible, vocal, and unified with our partners—including supporters like you.”
None of us can survive what is coming alone. We need our community-based organizations and media, especially those that serve the LGBTQ+ and other marginalized communities, more than ever—and they need us as well. Please support these organizations, and your friends and family who work for them, in any way you can.
No Kings on October 18: Be There!
Every day is a good day to protest these days, but there is an all-hands-on-deck call for everyone to show up for the next No Kings! protest on Saturday, October 18. This is a nationwide call to action to protest the authoritarian actions of the current administration. Poll after poll has shown support for the president and his policies are becoming increasingly unpopular. The No Kings! protest will bring millions of Americans into the streets for an unmistakable visual sign of that unpopularity.
The effort is organized by Indivisible and a coalition of other progressive organizations, and there will be hundreds of events throughout the country, including dozens in the Bay Area alone. Find an action near you at the link at the end of this section, and join Americans everywhere in speaking up for our country, our democracy, and our rights.
Key to the success of these protests to date has been a firm commitment to nonviolent action. If you attend, please respect that commitment, learn how to de-escalate any confrontations that may arise, and obey the law.
There will be numerous training opportunities leading up to the October 18 protest, where you can hone your organizing skills, learn about protest safety, de-escalation techniques, media and digital engagement, and more. Sign up for
an event and for trainings here: https://www.nokings.org/ Applications Open for HAN Leadership
Looking for a way to deepen your advocacy skills and grow as a leader? The SF AIDS Foundation’s HIV Advocacy Network (HAN) is accepting applications for leaders to help guide their work in health justice, harm reduction, HIV and aging justice, and housing justice. This is a great opportunity to grow as a community leader by setting direction, coordinating campaigns, community organizing, and policy advocacy.
The commitment is about 8–10 hours per month for twelve months. Successful applicants will join one of four leadership areas: Community Building, Outreach, Policy and Education, or Mobilization and Training.
Applications are due by midnight on Sunday, October 19. Learn more at an Info Session on Tuesday, October 14. RSVP here: https://tinyurl.com/HANapp10
Bearing Witness, Helping Neighbors
The actions of the current administration are challenging all of us to take a serious look at who we are, and what role we choose to play in our society. Are we going to sit back and wring our hands, merely sharing memes while our government and our society are becoming unrecognizable? Or are we going to stand up and be among the helpers, not only speaking out, but actually standing up for those who are most in harm’s way?
ICE and their enablers are becoming bolder as they remove our neighbors to unknown locations, regardless of their citizenship status or whether they have a criminal record. In September, the situation was escalated by the Supreme Court’s 6–3 vote in Vasquez Perdomo v. Noem, which gave these agencies free rein to detain and question people based solely on their appearance, their race, their language, or even what kind of work they do.
Our neighbors need our help in every way. Not all of us are equipped to provide legal or finan-
San Francisco Bay Times Columnist Joanie Juster Receives HIV Advocacy Network’s Lifetime Achievement Award
San Francisco Bay Times columnist Joanie Juster on September 22, 2025, received the San Francisco AIDS Foundation’s HIV Advocacy Network’s Lifetime Achievement Award. It “celebrates a seasoned advocate who has made significant contributions to the San Francisco HIV movement over the course of their lifetime.”
The award was presented at the organization’s Victory Celebration 2025
Cleve Jones, a Bay Times founding contributor and conceiver of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, spoke at the event that included other honorees, such as Ande Stone, who received the Larry Kramer Activist Award.
https://bit.ly/3IYABpW
cial help, but one of the most important ways we can help is literally to stand by them, and bear witness. Volunteers show up at ICE checkins, court hearings, and other types of appointments with immigration agencies in San Francisco. They accompany people to these appointments so they do not have to go alone, and to provide a supportive presence. They also bear witness to what takes place at these appointments. Conversational Spanish is a plus. There are several organizations that train volunteers to do this work; here are three to start with. Please sign up, show up, and support your neighbors:
https://tinyurl.com/FIAacc https://tinyurl.com/SJCvol https://tinyurl.com/NorCalR
Final Thoughts, Thanks to the Comedians
Bravo to the late-night comedians for providing some of the sharpest and most full-throated defense of our constitutional rights. Comedians have always had special leeway to skewer those in power, dating back to Greek comedies and medieval court jesters. But the free speech wars of the past month have proved just how valuable they are, and how much is at stake. As he accepted an Emmy award last month, Stephen Colbert spoke poignantly to the moment we are in: “Sometimes you only truly know how much you love something when you get a sense that you might be losing it.”
Let’s not lose it. Keep fighting, and keep your sense of humor.
Joanie Juster is a long-time community volunteer, activist, and ally.
In Case You Missed It
Joanie Juster
Cleve Jones and Joanie Juster
Cycle to Zero Builds on AIDS/LifeCycle Legacy
The San Francisco AIDS Foundation (SFAF) is excited to announce Cycle to Zero, a new 3-day fundraising event benefiting the programs and services of SFAF that builds upon the three-decade legacy of AIDS/LifeCycle. Registration opened for the event on October 6.
“We are honored to share the name and event details of Cycle to Zero with our community, so many who have been supporters of SFAF, long-time participants of AIDS/ LifeCycle, and champions for our HIV and LGBTQ communities,” said Tyler TerMeer, Ph.D., CEO of SFAF. “As our systems of public health care and funding for HIV and LGBTQ+ services continue to come under attack, now is the time for our communities to come together to protect and prioritize the health care and services we need.”
The name “Cycle to Zero” was selected with significant input from community members and previous AIDS/LifeCycle participants.
Cycle to Zero is not only about cycling in order to reach zero new HIV diagnoses, but it also speaks to SFAF’s larger goals of achieving health justice for all and reaching zero stigma, zero overdose deaths, and zero inequity.
“More than 40 years into the epidemic, we know that HIV prevention and care can’t operate in a vacuum,” said TerMeer. “HIV is driven by the contexts in which we live—
fostered by racism, homophobia, transphobia, and inequity—and linked to overlapping issues related to substance use, mental health concerns, and more. That’s why our approach and mission must encompass these overlapping issues while keeping us laser focused on reaching an end to HIV.”
Cycle to Zero, with a fundraising minimum of $2,500, will take riders north from San Francisco, to Guerneville, Sonoma, and then back along the coast to San Francisco. On the second day, riders may choose a 38-mile, 65-mile, or 104-mile route starting in Guerneville, or stay and play in the Russian River Valley for the day. Riders may sign up to join the event for only one day, on Saturday, May 30, for a registration fee of $175, with no fundraising minimum. The event will be held May 29–31, 2026.
All funds raised by Cycle to Zero will benefit the HIV, sexual health, substance health, overdose prevention, and community support programs and services of the SFAF. https://cycletozero.donordrive.com/
California Can Lead on Offshore Wind, But Only If Communities Are at the Table
As Washington retreats from environmental justice, California has a chance to show what real clean energy leadership looks like.
Offshore wind is a powerful tool in our climate arsenal. It has the potential to deliver reliable, zero-carbon electricity to millions of homes in California, while creating tens of thousands of high-quality, union jobs. But for offshore wind to succeed, it must be built on a foundation of trust and inclusion.
Communities need to be engaged from the beginning.
Many communities in the Bay Area and across the state are already feeling the impact of federal rollbacks on clean energy
and equity priorities. Recent cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency’s environmental justice grants have taken away vital resources from communities that rely on them to fight pollution and prepare for climate change. San Francisco and San Mateo Counties, which I represent, are some of the most vulnerable places in the state when it comes to sea level rise. As these rollbacks continue, California has the responsibility to lead.
I approach this work not only as a legislator, but also as a parent. My daughter is in high school, and she reminds me every day why this fight matters. Before I left for Sacramento, she gave me one simple instruction: “Do your part on environmental issues. Help save the Earth.” I promised her I would.
That promise is what led me to introduce Assembly Bill 1417. This bill is about making sure that California’s offshore wind development is not just fast and ambitious, but also fair and inclusive. AB 1417 takes an important step toward building a clean energy future that lifts up the communities most affected by climate change and most impacted by this growing industry.
The bill increases transparency around voluntary donations from offshore wind developers and helps the state plan to match those resources through existing programs. It ensures a clear, public way for developers to
support local communities and prepares the state to meet them with meaningful investment.
AB 1417 is also about setting the right precedent. If California wants to lead on offshore wind, we must also lead on how we involve and support local communities. That means building a strong foundation for early and ongoing participation by Tribal Nations, frontline neighborhoods, and those most directly affected. We cannot wait until construction is underway to bring these voices to the table.
The economic opportunity is enormous. Offshore wind has the potential to generate up to 65,000 high-quality jobs across California. More than 70 different professions will be needed to build and maintain the infrastructure. This means long-term careers in construction, manufacturing, marine services, engineering, operations, and more that can support families and bring long-term economic benefits to communities. But we have to make sure those benefits are shared. AB 1417 helps lay the groundwork
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Catherine’s Corner
Catherine Stefani
Assemblymember Stefani and other new members of the California State Assembly in Sacramento on September 11, 2025
Building Bridges in Oakland: From Classrooms to Coffee Shops
Leading With Pride From Oakland City Hall
Oakland City Councilmember
At-Large Rowena Brown
In Oakland, the work of building stronger communities happens everywhere—in City Hall chambers, in classrooms, and just as often across a café table in our neighborhoods. This past September, I was reminded of the power of connection as I had the privilege of convening conversations that brought government, schools, and neighbors together around a shared purpose: shaping a brighter future for our city.
On September 22, I chaired the first meeting of the Education Partnership Committee in 2025. This new committee unites City Councilmembers, OUSD Board members, and student leaders to focus on one goal: ensuring our young people have the resourc-
es and opportunities they deserve. From student artwork that welcomed us into the Council Chambers to powerful performances by Oakland’s Youth Poet Laureates, the meeting was a vivid reminder that education is not just about policy; it’s about culture, creativity, and community.
We heard from leaders across the district on everything from school safety to new pathways in computer science. What stayed with me most was the call from Superintendent Denise Saddler: “There is nothing more important than doing this work together. I call upon all of us to continue the dialogue, continue the support, continue listening to our students.” That call for collaboration is exactly why this committee exists.
But collaboration doesn’t only happen in formal meetings. It happens at the Grand Lake Farmers’ Market, in neighborhood coffee shops, and during walks through our local parks. That’s the spirit behind my Oakland Community Engagement Tour—a series of gatherings designed to meet neighbors where they are. From conversations at Thornhill Coffee and Yosi’s Café to stopping by the Courtland Creek cleanup, each event has been a reminder that policy isn’t made in a vacuum. It’s shaped by the stories, questions, and hopes of the people who live here.
As we move toward the end of 2025, my commitment is to keep listening and keep building these bridges. Whether through
committee meetings or community conversations, the message is the same: Oakland’s future is strongest when we shape it together.
To contact my office, please email atlarge@oaklandca.gov or call 510-238-7008.
Rowena Brown, recently elected as Oakland’s At-Large City Councilmember, is an African American queer leader and lifelong East Bay resident. A former community organizer, civics educator, and State Legislative District Director, she has spent her career advancing equity, opportunity, and inclusive policies at both the local and state levels. As Councilmember, she is centering community voices and bridging grassroots movements with City Hall to build a more resilient, just, and thriving Oakland. https://bit.ly/4m3rMJ2
San Francisco Bay Times Publishers’ Letter of Support for the Commission on the Status of Women
(Editor’s Note: In November 2024, San Francisco voters approved Proposition E, which created the Commission Streamlining Task Force to review all of the city’s appointive boards, commissions, and public bodies. The Task Force is charged with recommending ways to modify, eliminate, or consolidate these entities to improve how the city runs. Final recommendations will be submitted by February 1, 2026, in advance of the November 2026 ballot.
nificantly less than men.
The Commission on the Status of Women is scheduled to be reviewed at the October 15, 2025, Task Force meeting at San Francisco City Hall. In advance of that meeting, the publishers of the San Francisco Bay Times submitted this letter in support of the commission.)
Dear Commission Streamlining Task Force, The San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women is needed now, perhaps more so than ever before in its history, and we urge members of the Commission Streamlining Task Force to maintain it as a standalone body with its full powers intact.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, California women who are fulltime wage and salary workers still earn sig-
The Chamber of Commerce in 2024 even found that San Francisco is among the cities with the largest gender pay gaps— over $20,000.
Financial concerns can compound threats to healthcare, including medication access, as well as to housing, and many other basic needs. These problems, in turn, can threaten childcare and also put women at greater risk of sexual abuse both within their personal and professional lives.
Women are often the caregivers in families, providing the grounding for neighborhoods and entire communities. There is very little support for women who must take care of older relatives, and with San Francisco having one of the largest aging populations
according to the U.S. Census Bureau, related challenges are only going to increase in the future.
Sex trafficking, maternal mortality, attacks on LGBTQ+ women, problems related to Project 2025, and uncertainty over Equal Rights Amendment protections are just some of the other threats women face now.
As Jennifer Siebell Newsom says, “Women are being attacked on so many fronts by [the Trump] Administration, from reproductive freedom and access to care, to cuts to the public institutions that support families—like
our parks, libraries, and schools.”
While we fully support accountability, sound financial management, and sensible streamlining of operations—problems that we too face as small business owners—we are very disheartened that the San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women is now having to fight for its survival.
The Commission over the years has secured millions of dollars in grant funding for dozens of community-based organizations that
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Members and supporters of the San Francisco Department on the Status of Women on the steps of San Francisco City Hall
New Digital Jewish History Resource: Honoring Our Queer Elders Online Exhibit
Timed with the first day of LGBT+ History Month, on October 1, 2025, the University of San Francisco’s (USF) Swig Program in Jewish Studies and Social Justice officially launched
Honoring Our Queer Elders, the newest online digital exhibit of its Jewish history resource website Mapping Jewish San Francisco.
Honoring Our Queer Elders is a curated exhibition of legacy videos comprised of oral histories from a diverse group of LGBTQIA+ elders living in the Bay Area, including San Francisco Bay Times columnist Dr. Marcy Adelman and former Bay Times columnist Kathleen Archambeau, as well as Pam David and former State Senator Mark Leno, who have contributed to the paper. Each
video featured in Honoring Our Queer Elders, distilled from about 12 hours of total footage, consists of in-depth interviews conducted by USF undergraduate students who were enrolled in a groundbreaking community-engaged learning Jewish studies course
taught by the first Rabbi-in-Residence in school history, Camille Shira Angel. These autobiographical, narrative-based interviews are a reservoir of information, wisdom, and encouragement for students and leaders, historians and activists. As these elders have been in San Francisco for decades, they are living sources of invaluable history. They contain irreplaceable insight into many of the profound experiences that shaped the queer nexus that San Francisco has become over the last half century.
About Mapping Jewish SF
Mapping Jewish San Francisco is a digital humanities project of USF’s Swig Program in Jewish Studies and Social Justice. The project takes a collaborative approach to
examining the complex history and unique religious, cultural, and political identity of Jewish San Francisco.
Top scholars and experts—including university faculty, undergraduate and graduate students, and community leaders—are contributing exhibitions to tell stories of the Jewish individuals and institutions that have shaped and are shaping the San Francisco Bay Area. Along with the partners of the project, including other academic institutions, libraries, archives, and leading Jewish organizations, Mapping Jewish San Francisco aims to bring the past to life, making it possible to travel back in time to visually explore the rich Jewish history of the Bay Area.
https://bit.ly/4nZLiHM
Castro Street Fair 2025
A beautiful fall day was enjoyed in the Castro at the 51st Annual Castro Street Fair on Sunday, October 5, 2025. A large crowd of attendees enjoyed the music, dance performances, information and merchandise booths, and more. The San Francisco Bay Times booth was located near The Castro (Theatre) and received many visitors of all ages. The Bay Times team at the fair was led by Volunteer Coordinator Juan Davila, and lead photographer Rink was among those capturing images.
The event was supported by LGBTQ+ community organizations, large and small businesses, and City of San Francisco agencies. The San Francisco Bay Times was honored to continue its long record of service as a media sponsor. Congratulations to Board of Directors President Redge Roberts, board members, and volunteers on a big success for the 2025 edition of this beloved community festival that is held annually on the first Sunday in October and was founded by Supervisor Harvey Milk in 1974.
https://castrostreetfair.org/
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GLBT Fortnight in Review
Rocky Mountain High
This week the U.S. Supreme Court is considering whether or not Colorado, and, by implication, another couple dozen states, have the right to outlaw conversion therapy—the type of intervention that aims to switch gay kids into heterosexuals. The process is widely discredited, but championed by groups like the antigay Alliance Defending Freedom and its client, evangelical Christian therapist Kaley Chiles.
In Colorado and elsewhere, church leaders and other avuncular guides have every right to counsel GLBT kids, but mental health therapists may not use therapy to try to turn them straight. Conversion therapy, as you must know, leads to years of “depression, anxiety, and self-destructive behavior, since therapist alignment with societal prejudices against homosexuality may reinforce self-hatred already experienced by the patient,” said the American Psychiatric Association years ago. Basically, it doesn’t work, it makes the kids miserable, and miserable kids are more likely to kill themselves, drink, take drugs, or undermine their near-term future in other ways.
At issue, legally, is whether or not the Colorado law steps on the Free Speech rights of therapists, or whether the law merely restricts medical practice. You may recall from earlier this year that the Supreme Court has no problem with laws that restrict how medical practitioners can treat minors because the Court said Tennessee and other states can continue to ban treatment for transgender youth. No problem!
But would we be surprised if the Court strokes its chin and decides that, unlike Tennessee, this is a case where constitutional rights take precedence? If so, it’s likely that the Court would then ask Colorado to explain why its law survives “strict scrutiny,” a virtually impossible legal test that guarantees that our constitutional rights are not easily weakened.
One hopeful sign is that National Center for Lesbian Rights Legal Director, Shannon Minter, thinks the Court may be impressed with the range of briefs in support of Colorado, which include conservative and Catholic voices. Also, since Kaley Chiles has never actually practiced conversion therapy, she may lack standing to bring this case in the first place. The Court could always use that as a so-called off ramp to avoid taking a stand.
As the Court’s new session continues, we’ll be determining whether Trump’s executive order mandating two sexes requires us all to pick an F or M for our passports. In January, Trump had mandated we all use our sex “at conception” on our travel documents, but the American Civil Liberties Union sued and got the order suspended while litigation proceeded through the First Circuit and into the Supreme Court.
We’ll also be watching the Court deliberate over when, whether, and how transgender girls can be kicked of the public school or college sports fields. And we’ll see if the justices decide to review the Kim Davis chal-
By Ann Rostow
lenge to marriage equality, which I’m betting they will decline.
Gay Carcinogens
Here’s a headline from The New York Post: “Plane forced to land after wacko wearing ‘15 masks’ screams that gay people were giving him cancer.” For some reason, I’m attracted to the various stories we see about nutcases on airplanes having fits over stale pretzels or armrests. (I particularly liked the one where JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater, after getting hit in the head with a piece of luggage and having an argument with the unapologetic passenger, said with expletives that he’d had enough, grabbed a few beers, and slid down the escape slide onto the tarmac before departure.)
In this case, a small Sun Country flight from Minneapolis to Newark included a passenger who started shouting about being chased by gangs of gay people. A witness told the Post that the lunatic “also screamed he was being ‘radiated’ and ‘cooked’ by gays, and that they were giving him cancer.” After each explosive comment, the man would play a game of Candy Crush, and at one point he announced that “Trump is here.”
When the raving passenger, who was wearing “at least” fifteen face masks, started talking about how the plane was going to crash, the crew had finally had enough and the plane made an emergency landing at O’Hare, where the MAGA madman was removed from the cabin by Chicago police. Upon reflection, I’m not sure why I threw in this fraidy cat rando who was clearly off his meds. I gravitate towards MAGA people behaving badly, just as I cringe when some shooter has a transgender girlfriend or some lone wolf spent time on Grindr. GLBT compadres! Stay out of trouble, hear me?
That said, we are all capable of madness and there’s no point in pretending otherwise. We’re all capable of violence, and while I believe firmly that violence is more prevalent from the gun-toting, macho MAGA right, there’s not much to gain in arguing about which political side of the aisle is more destructive. It’s like a continuing domestic fight in a family that has become dysfunctional. Someone has to step out, step ahead, get the shopping and the cleaning done, and change the pattern.
Life as a Male Prostitute in Haiti Sounds Great!
I just read on Fox News Digital that Louisiana Senator John Kennedy blamed the government shutdown on bizarre Democratic priorities: “The lawmaker listed out nearly $20 million in foreign aid funding that he alleged Democrats had their eyes on, including, $4.2 million for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex people in the Western Balkans and Uganda, $3.6 million for pastry cooking classes and dance focus groups for male prostitutes in Haiti, $6 million dollars for media organizations for the Palestinians, and $3 million for circumcisions and vasectomies in Zambia.” But even Fox News digital pointed out that Kennedy was unable to produce any evidence or further information about these projects.
Speaking on the Senate floor, Fox reports that he also “accused congressional Democrats of seeking hundreds of thousands for electric buses in Rwanda, transgender people in Nepal, a pride parade in Lesotho, and for social media and mentorship in Serbia.”
“We took all that out,” he boasted. Kennedy’s moronic statements are nothing new, but I can’t be bothered to look his history up right now. He seems to think that the name of a foreign country makes an expenditure look kooky, as in “electric buses in Rwanda” or vasectomy in Zambia.” Yet, by destroying USAID and canceling all sorts of lifesaving programs like PEPFAR (which will reportedly be transitioning out of existence in a few years), our country has eroded its soft power and increased suffering throughout the world for the price of a couple of Air Force jets. I don’t know that for sure, but I do know that we spend a ton on military stocks and keeping the Trump tax cuts in place while the cost of some of our lifesaving foreign ventures is comparatively small.
I also know that Democrats are keeping the doors closed so that millions of Americans don’t see their Obamacare premiums double or triple, and others don’t lose other government health programs. I’m not familiar with the fun money for gay male prostitutes in Haiti, but speaking again of USAID and PEPFAR, Haiti was a beneficiary of both foreign aid services and male prostitutes were considered a marginal group in need of assistance, particularly PEPFAR’s help with AIDS prevention and relief.
Lastly, as I tried to check for pastry classes for Haitian prostitutes paid for by the U.S. government, I found tons of other references either to Kennedy’s comment or to some other vague source. Everyone from golfer Phil Mickelson to Congresswoman Nancy Mace is making fun of the pastry classes that no one seems to be able locate in our budget.
Kash Patel Hits New Lows
Amid the blatant violations of the Constitution, like say killing people in international waters because they might be drug dealers (or might be fishermen!), denying birth right citizenship, or deporting refugees who are waiting legally for hearings, a seemingly small FBI case has caught the nation’s eyes because it’s simply so infuriating.
During the Biden administration, in 2024, an FBI staffer working in L.A. had a small rainbow flag on his desk. The staffer, who subsequently became a probationary agent, had won an Attorney General’s Award in 2022. I guess that’s high recognition for investigative work.
Moving on, the agent relocated to Quantico, presumably to finish training. Like many GLBT federal staffers, he no longer flew rainbow flags—GLBT employees throughout the government were warned to be discrete as the Trump administration came into power. Somehow, FBI Director Kash Patel became aware that this agent or staffer had a little rainbow flag on his desk back in the day, and, taking advantage of the firing spree that Trump has instigated during the
shutdown, he gave the guy the ax.
“After reviewing the facts and circumstances and considering your probationary status, I have determined that you exercised poor judgment with an inappropriate display of political signage in your work area during your previous assignment in the Los Angeles Field Office,” wrote Patel as the shutdown began. “You are being summarily dismissed from your position as a New Agent Trainee at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, and removed from the federal service.”
For all intents and purposes, this individual was fired for being gay, which not only is against the law, but it’s also against the law according to a 6–3 Supreme Court ruling written in 2020 by Neil Gorsuch. Commentators have every expectation that this guy will sue for wrongful termination. But the galling thing is that something like this can take place in spite of the fact that it’s blatantly against the law. Much like the murder of people on boats whom we don’t like, it’s the federal government performing criminal or illegal acts and letting the chips fall where they may, months or years down the road in some dusty courthouse where the facts of the matter have already started to fade towards history. They don’t care. And all we can do is to keep going to those dusty courthouses.
I just asked Google how many officials went to prison after Watergate (which looks like a small government misstep compared to these guys). The AI summary said “close to 40,” including the Attorney General and Chief of Staff. I would hope some of this constitutional bloodbath will stick to some of these self-satisfied mandarins once we all emerge from the horrors of the Trump years.
Dark Times in The Sunshine State
I’ve been writing about those rainbow crosswalks in Orlando, which were established as memorials to the Pulse nightclub shooting. Recently, under Governor’s orders, the crosswalks were paved over because they were “political” or some such nonsense. Meanwhile, individuals and small business owners with private property rights painted the rainbow colors on their driveways in protest.
I thought this phenomenon was an Orlando thing, but I guess it’s statewide. Apparently, all street art was ordered removed a couple of months ago, and recently, the city of Miami lost an appeal, and its iconic Ocean Avenue brick rainbow crossroad was dug up. Miami Beach Commissioner Alex Fernandez said the paving stones will be saved and repurposed.
The governor, of course, is creepy Ron DeSantis, who will have to leave office under term limits in 2027. For a time, he and his ambitious, domineering wife, were considering a campaign to put the wife in the governor’s seat, but I think they’ve both lost a great deal of momentum ever since DeSantis tried and failed miserably to win the 2024 presidential primary, while wife Casey appeared to have funneled ten million in state money to some political slush fund.
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PRC Mighty Real Fundraiser 2025
Mighty Real, the annual fundraiser for PRC, took place on October 3, 2025, at The Pearl near Chase Center. The evening marked the first for PRC with new CEO Dr. Deborah Hawkes at the helm, and was a great success.
The itinerary included a VIP reception, cocktail reception, seated dinner, event program and award presentations, and an After Party with DJ Adrian Loving. Chief Development Officer Randi Paul and her colleagues did an amazing job with the event that included creative fundraising activities such as “The Mighty Real Treasure Chest” that had guests purchasing blinky rings for a chance to win a collection of high-end experiences and luxury goods. There was also “The Mighty Real Wine Pull,” where a donation could score a delightful red, a crisp white, or a sparkling surprise— with funds for this and the exciting live auction all going to support PRC’s life-transforming services.
The San Francisco Bay Times is proud to be a media sponsor of this annual important event and Bay Times team members at the benefit included sports columnist Beth Schnitzer of SpritzSF, drag legend Donna Sachet, President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors Rafael Mandelman, and columnist Joanie Juster.
Juster presented PRC’s Sylvester Community Pillar Award to Gert McMullin, who has helped with the AIDS Memorial Quilt for decades and is known as the “Mother of the Quilt.” Juster later commented, “It was wonderful to hear the crowd cheering for her, and leaping to their feet to honor her decades of extraordinary service.”
Other awardees honored at the event included Margot Kushel, who received The Vanguard Leadership Award, and Seyfarth Shaw LLP, which was named this year’s Outstanding Corporate Partner. Thanks also go to the Mighty Real chairs, Gia Jung and Michael Niczyporuk, and to the Mighty Real committee: Colin Hartke, Michael Kyle, Jacob Schaaf, Brian Schneider, and Nichole Wiley.
https://prcsf.org/
SBy Donna Sachet
an Francisco’s “summer” that happens in early fall, however brief and fleeting, is celebrated with street fairs and we joined the throngs at both a record-breaking Folsom Street Fair and Castro Street Fair. The earlier street fair may not have had the sunshine most pined for, but SoMa was warm enough to unleash all kinds of flesh and related activities. Folsom always falls on the last Sunday of September, but in recent years the weekend has grown increasingly complex, first with Grand Ducal activities and now Imperial events.
Thursday night, September 25, we joined the panel of judges for the new Imperial Leather titles, an idea that has floated around for years, but finally saw its birth with a contestant each for Mr., Ms., and Mx. Imperial Leather. The Powerhouse hosted and a supportive crowd cheered on Pup Menudo, Bernadette Bubble, and Matty Z.
Saturday night, September 27, saw us at the new Chan National Queer Arts Center for a Day of the Dead themed Grand Ducal Coronation. Kudos to their leadership for trying a new venue! Several hundred attendees enjoyed great entertainment, imaginative costuming, and court walks to signal the end of a productive year for Regent Grand Duke David Herrera Romanoff and Grand Duchess La Rosa De Los Gallos. The evening ended with the crowning of Grand Dux Menorah Woodcock Johnson Manschevitz and Grad Duchess Josefina.
But our evening was just beginning! We then headed to SVN West for the premier Folsom dance party, Brian Kent’s Magnitude! The sprawling venue once again featured the best in sound, live visuals, laser lights, and overall atmosphere, not to mention the hottest guest list, barely dressed and dancing into the night with DJs Pagano, GSP, and Russ Rich. We welcomed the occasional break on the open-air roof, surrounded by the lights of the city.
After that work-out on the dance floor, it was time for a costume change for the annual Folsom Leather Brunch at the beautiful home of Briggs Hawley with excellent catering by Mark Paladini. A small, loyal group of friends, including Gary Virginia, Don “Ho” Tse, and other volunteers makes sure that every year’s party exceeds the year before. We loved greeting guests as they arrived on the sidewalk out front with tireless Ray Tilton who made sure all Leather titleholders were there from all over California, the United States, and as far away as Italy, South America, and Canada. But our favorite moment was when Ray gestured for us to turn around and there coming up the sidewalk, six people wide and at least four deep, were the men of the Bare Chest Calendar! For over 40 remarkable years this all-volunteer project has been raising money for local charitable causes, now totaling over $3,000,000! And they were there for our brunch, started over 25 years ago as a thank you to the Leather Community.
Later that day, we witnessed the completion of the new Imperial Leather title contest at Folsom Street Fair on the Stud Drag Stage. All three contestants won their respective titles, while raising thousands of dollars for the charitable causes of the Reigning Emperor Ashlee Blow and Reigning Empress Afrika America. We wandered through the many blocks of Folsom Street Fair in amazement at the many celebrants, the common feeling of freedom, and the variety of booths until our supply of energy finally waned and we meandered home.
The next weekend began with PRC’s annual Mighty Real gala Friday at The Pearl, offering a spacious rooftop deck with hundreds of supporters dressed elegantly, yet with a nod to the summer weather. We love how the name of this event every year reminds us of the unparalleled Sylvester and his generous gift of music royalties to local causes, including PRC. After chatting with Lance Toma, Jacques Michaels & AJ Jones, Randi Paul, Seth Abrahamson, Beth Schnitzer, and others, we descended the stairs to the cavernous dining area for an excellent meal and wines, meeting new supporters of PRC at our table. The Vanguard Leadership Award was presented to Margot Kushel, the Outstanding Corporate Partner Award to Seyfarth Shaw legal firm, and the Sylvester Community Pillar Award to Gert McMullin, often called the Mother of the AIDS Quilt. The crowd echoed their approval. All night, generous donors raised money with silent and live auctions, a creative wine package, and glowing disco rings. Finally, it was time to hear from new PRC CEO Deborah Hawkes. Her applicable qualifications and job commitment became quickly evident and her passion and drive came across as a powerful promise of great things to come.
We had an early start on Saturday at the Castro Country Club for Gary McCoy’s announcement of his campaign for District 8 Supervisor. With an incredible personal backstory of struggles and success and the unwavering support of Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi who was there, as well as lots of prominent Union representatives and Supervisor Matt Dorsey, this looks like a competitive race and Gary won our endorsement.
With limited space left, suffice it to say, the Castro Street Fair was bigger and better attended than ever with sunshine to boot! We met the Board of Directors of the Rainbow Honor Walk to install our booth, complete with Phyllis Lyon’s actual bronze plaque on display, soon to join Del Martin’s on 19th Street. We wandered up Castro Street, 18th Street, and Market sharing smiles with lots of sunshine lit faces. Harvey Milk would be so proud of what the street fair he created has become!
“Count your garden by the flowers, never by the leaves that fall. Count your days by golden hours; don’t remember clouds at all! Count the night by stars, not shadows. Count your life with smiles—not tears. And with joy on today’s birthday, count your age by friends—not years!”
In Life’s Garden by Dixie Willson, printed on a 1927 birthday card
Sunday, October 12
Heroes & Villains
53rd Mr./Miss/Ms./Mx Gay San Francisco Pageant Imperial Court of San Francisco Hotel Zeppelin, 545 Post Street 1–5 pm $35 & up www.imperialcouncilsf.org
Saturday, October 18
Annual Empress Show Empresses of San Francisco Beaux, 2344 Market Street 4–7 pm Free! www.imperialcouncilsf.org
Saturday, October 18
Reunion 40
GLBT Historical Society Gala Westin St, Francis Hotel, 335 Powell Street 6 pm $275 & up www.glbthistory.org
Saturday, October 18
Halloween Cabaret
Dr. Dee Spencer & Jason Brock Popular duo welcomes Halloween
Martuni’s, 4 Valencia Street 7 pm
As many of our readers no doubt know by now, there was a sad pall over Sunday’s events as the news of the death of a great community leader spread. Absolute Empress XXV Marlena the Magnificent leaves an outstanding legacy. The Bay Times will publish much more about this sad news in upcoming issues and plans for an Imperial State Funeral are being made. Meanwhile, let’s all reflect upon a life well-lived and a leader who will be sorely missed. 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
National AIDS Memorial Kicks Off 35th Anniversary Year with Al Fresco in the Grove
The National AIDS Memorial launched its 35th Anniversary year with Al Fresco in the Grove, a unique outdoor gathering where more than one hundred community members—volunteers, long-time board members and alumni, community partners, donors, and public officials—came together at a single-family table set within the National AIDS Memorial Grove in Golden Gate Park.
The event served as both a celebration and a call to action, highlighting the grove’s role as the nation’s only federally designated memorial to AIDS and reaffirming its mission to remember, heal, and inspire. Guests shared a meal, raised toasts, and reflected on the grove’s legacy and future.
“Thirty-five years ago, during the darkest days of the AIDS crisis, this grove was created out of grief, courage, and love,” said John B. Cunningham, Chief Executive Officer of the National AIDS Memorial. “Today, it continues to stand as a sanctuary of hope and healing—a physical place where our community can gather, remember those whose lives were cut short, and find the inspiration to keep building a more just and healthy society.”
“Thirty-five years ago, the AIDS Memorial Grove was created as a place of remembrance, renewal, and action,” Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi said. “This sacred grove is always new and always full of life—a wonderful tribute to all whom we have lost, and the perfect place to renew our commitment to banish HIV to the dustbin of history.”
To further help commemorate this 35th anniversary year, the National AIDS Memorial will host multiple events and programs, including Light in the Grove on November 30, 2025, and the World AIDS Day National Observance on December 1, 2025.
https://www.aidsmemorial.org/
Dykes on Bikes® Tales From Two Wheels
This September marked a special time for our organization as the Board of Directors voted to welcome three Prospects into our organization as Active Patch Holders of San Francisco Dykes on Bikes®. Each has demonstrated the commitment, dedication, and heart that embody what it means to ride with Dykes on Bikes. All three were voted in during the same mid-September meeting, but their patching-in moments were celebrated over two weekends: Maria and Sue at Russian River Pride, and Lexi the following weekend at Folsom Street Fair. While we cannot fully recreate the moment, here are some
Dykes on Bikes® Welcomes New Patch Holders
By Kate Brown, Ph.D.
highlights from each of their Prospect journeys.
Lexi has grown with us as a rider and a sister, sharing her skills in motorcycle maintenance, protecting pedestrians with care at the San Francisco Pride Parade, and participating in many of our events and fundraisers. Living farther south did not stop her from showing up with dedication, from Pride parades to track days at Laguna Seca. She brings courage, generosity, and pride to everything she does, and now we are proud to welcome her into the lineup as a full Patch Holder of Dykes on Bikes.
Sue has been supporting us from the beginning of her Prospect journey, driving hours from Lake County to join parades, parties, and even Pacific Pride with the same energy she brings to San Francisco Pride.
Take Me Home with You!
Meet Moose: A Goofy Cattle Dog Ready for Her Forever Family Moose, a five-year-old Australian Cattle Dog mix, has become a staff favorite at the SF SPCA—and with her adoption fee fully sponsored, now is the perfect time to meet this lovable girl.
Moose is a wonderful mix of energy and affection. She’s always up for an adventure, whether it’s a stroll through the neighborhood or a longer walk to explore new sights and smells. Back inside, she’s just as content to curl up on the couch, ready to keep you company through every TV marathon.
Like many dogs, Moose takes a few days to adjust to new routines, but once she feels secure, her goofy personality shines. She’s affectionate, loyal, and quick to make friends. On walks, she greets other dogs politely and enjoys a good play session, though she prefers to have her home space to herself for now.
Her time in foster care revealed just how special she is. Her foster mom described her as “a loving, clever, and food-motivated companion who makes me laugh every day.”
Back at the SF SPCA, Moose is waiting patiently for her forever home. With her fee already covered, all she needs is someone ready to welcome a lifetime of love and laughter.
Come meet her at the SF SPCA Mission Campus, 201 Alabama Street, Wednesday–Sunday 11 am–6 pm., or Tuesday 1–6 pm. https://www.sfspca.org/
When she arrives, she’s all in! She’s ready to lend a hand, ready to ride, and never holds back. She is the kind of Dyke on a Bike you can count on. She is committed, humble, and brings her own style, from Pride-colored stick figures on her bike to the custom-welded flag mount she built to proudly fly the Dykes on Bikes flag. Today, we are just as proud to see her wear the patch on her vest. Maria, affectionately known as “Big Butch,” brings a big smile, a warm spirit, and a willingness to give as much time as needed to support her fellow riders. She jumped into her Prospect journey (continued on page 22)
Let’s Go Home!
A Tiny, Gentle Tripawd and a Playful Kitten Duo Who Love People
Olivia and Finn are a 3-month-old bonded pair of social butterflies who are always on the go. Whether they’re chasing toys, exploring new spaces, or following you around the house, these two are full of life and curiosity. They love people, crave attention, and are always ready to play. Finn is energetic, outgoing, and endlessly entertaining. Olivia is equally playful with a gentle side that will steal your heart.
This 7-year-old, 7-pound Chihuahua mix may be tiny, but she’s got a brave little heart. Cori is a gentle, shy girl who takes a little time to warm up, but once she does, she’s an absolute darling. She’s content being held, gets along well with other small dogs, and even handled her nail trim like a champ! Cori is a tripawd but she gets around just fine. She’d love a cozy spot to relax and would thrive in a patient, quiet home where she can build trust at her own pace.
The OAS adoption process focuses on matching you with a pet who is a good fit for you and your family. Come by during open adop-
tion hours Thursdays 12–7 pm and Fridays/Saturdays/Sundays 12–3 pm to adopt your new best friend, or to learn more about the OAS adoption process. Please see the OAS website to learn more about how you can help by adopting, fostering, volunteering, and donating: www.oaklandanimalservices.org
Olivia & Finn
Moose
Cori
Photos courtesy of Dykes on Bikes®
Maria (left) and Sue (right) displayed their Dykes on Bikes® patches at Russian River Pride on September 20, 2025.
San Francisco Dykes on Bikes® welcomed Lexi as a Patch Holder on September 28, 2025.
TALAMANTE/BUSTOS (continued from pg 3)
work of the diocese’s deacons, help active and retired deacons stay connected, and serve as chaplains for the Bishop of California.
As Director of the School for Deacons, Bustos works closely with the Ven. Hailey McKeefry, Director of Deacons Formation at Bexley Seabury.
Born and raised in San Francisco, Bustos was an appointed official to local and national elected officials. He served as Policy Advisor for former President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore at the White House, as Deputy District Director for former Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Director of Boards and Commissions for former San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, and Director of Intergovernmental Affairs for former Oakland Mayor Ronald Dellums.
His nonprofit and philanthropic career highlights include serving as Executive Director of the California Latino Civil Rights Network, and serving as Program Officer for the Marguerite Casey Foundation (MCF). As a member of the MCF team, he held responsibilities that included researching and evaluating potential grantees, working with Latino, Native American, Asian, African-American, and LGBT communities and organizations, and analyzing and educating grantees on public policy. His regions included California, the Southwest, U.S./Mexico Border, and Native American reservations and communities. He also worked as Community Relations Advisor at the California Community Technology Foundation of California (later renamed ZeroDivide).
He served as Senior Vice President, Community Relations and Outreach Regional Director at Wells Fargo in San Francisco. He also was the Senior Program Manager for the Americas for the Levi Strauss Foundation. There he managed grantmaking in the foundation’s global giving areas of HIV/AIDS, asset building, and workers’ rights in the regions of Latin America and Canada. He was additionally responsible for HIV/AIDS grantmaking domestically in the United States and for Levi Strauss & Co.’s Community Involvement Teams in Latin America and Canada.
Bustos still lives in San Francisco, with his partner Alexander Rivera, in the house he grew up in.
The San Francisco Bay Times is grateful to these remarkable leaders, and to the 12 honorees who will be celebrated at the inaugural Honoring LGBTQ+ Bay Area Latine Leaders on October 24. For information, including sponsorship opportunities, contact publisher@sfbaytimes.com
STEFANI (continued from pg 10)
by creating transparency around investments in community capacity. It helps align both private and public resources with the real needs of the people who live near proposed projects.
Offshore wind could power 25 million California homes with clean electricity. It can reduce our dependence on polluting fossil fuels, strengthen our energy grid, and bring real investment to the places that need it most.
But none of that will happen without careful, community-centered planning. That is exactly what AB 1417 is designed to deliver, which is why it is crucial for Governor Newsom to sign it into law. At a time when federal leadership on environmental justice is fading, California has a responsibility to lead. We have the chance to shape offshore wind, not just in terms of energy output, but in a way that reflects our values and puts communities first.
Assemblymember Catherine Stefani represents California’s 19th Assembly District, which encompasses the West Side of San Francisco and Northern San Mateo County.
LETTER OF SUPPORT (continued from pg 12)
provide everything from transitional housing to legal assistance. It has passed groundbreaking anti-discrimination legislation, and serves as a national model for addressing human trafficking and family violence. What happens here in San Francisco now will therefore have powerful repercussions, not only throughout the Bay Area, but also nationwide.
Mayor Daniel Lurie has stated that the late great Senator Dianne Feinstein was a role model, and it was with her leadership that the initial Commission on the Status of Women flourished before the Department on the Status of Women became permanent, by a City Charter, in 1994.
Senator Feinstein once said, “I recognize that women have had to fight for everything they have gotten, every right.”
And so we are fighting now to preserve the San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women, including its independent voice, governance authority, and nominating power.
Dr. Betty Sullivan and Jennifer Viegas are the Co-Publishers of the “San Francisco Bay Times.”
ROSTOW (continued from pg 17)
Explaining the attack on rainbows, DeSantis said: “I think the street art got out of hand. I think it’s much better that we use crosswalks and streets for their intended purpose.” Say what? Rainbow crosswalks are “out of hand” and defeat the intended purpose of showing where to cross the street?
According to Axis, one DeSantis insider said that there “was a time when every Republican in the nation wanted to have a beer with Ron DeSantis. The problem is that the governor didn’t act like he wanted to have a beer with them, and it showed.” But while it’s nice to watch the DeSantis couple spiral into irrelevance, I don’t have much confidence in whomever Floridians might pick to succeed him.
arostow@aol.com
DYKES ON BIKES® (continued from pg 21)
with energy, immediately planning a ride down the Peninsula to Santa Cruz, which was a perfect day of riding capped off with a well-timed stop for pizza. From the East Bay to her summers in Finland, she has shown her dedication, even waking in the early hours overseas to join Prospect meetings on Zoom. Her commitment, generosity, and presence make her a true asset to our riding family, and we are proud to welcome her as a full Patch Holder of Dykes on Bikes.
All three have demonstrated their dedication to the road, community, traditions, and values that define us. We are honored to ride alongside them and to see them earn their rightful place in the lineup with the Dykes on Bikes Patch. We look forward to them sharing their voices and stories in future articles.
Kate Brown, Ph.D., is the President of San Francisco Dykes on Bikes® Women’s Motorcycle Contingent. https://www.dykesonbikes.org/
Reading Diminishing Tea Leaves
TLC: Tears, Laughs and Conversation
Dr. Tim Seelig
While reading the proverbial tea leaves, I noticed I have fewer of them these days! Recently, I’ve found myself thinking more about the end of life. These thoughts are no doubt normal when approaching three quarters of a century. My thoughts are never in a gloomy, organ-music-playing-softly way. I don’t really like organ music. The dang algo rhythm gods have me pegged and send only memory and weight loss ads my way! A few specific things prompted me to undertake this recent reflection.
First, as you know, I started conducting a chorus of Q-plus elders and allies. The average age of our 80 singers is 70. We’re fabulous, funny, and wise—but also realistic. We’re all acutely aware that concerts aren’t the only thing we’re preparing for. Second, my husband, Bobby Jo, recently sang at a benefit concert for Swan Songs, an extraordinary organization that arranges musical performances for people at the very end of their lives. In a person’s last days, musicians show up at their bedside to sing a person’s favorite songs, whatever those are. It’s free, personal, and achingly beautiful. Talk about sending someone off in style. It certainly made me think about what music I might choose at the end of my life. That is a complete article.
Then there’s my most recent gig. I was asked to be the on-air “talent” for the Oregon Humane Society’s new webinar series about taking care of end-of-life things—estate planning, wills, trusts, and the like. Think of it as a crash course in “getting your ducks (or cats) in a row.” All of this is ultimately about peace of mind and avoiding unnecessary drama, such as who gets the rooster-themed ceramics that adorned every corner of grandma’s kitchen.
I learned a great deal from the webinar. One of the important messages was that estate planning does not require you to be wealthy. You don’t have to own an
estate or a yacht. It’s just about where you want your stuff to go. If you have a yacht, call me. I have the river.
The next part is a bit technical. I’ll try to leave out the stuff you already know and add only a few things I learned. First, everyone needs three essential documents—the starter pack. You can now complete all these tasks online for a fairly nominal charge.
1. Power of Attorney—someone to handle things if you can’t.
2. Medical Directive—someone to make health choices if you can’t.
3. Last Will and Testament—Who gets the stuff?
Without a will, the state gets to decide who gets what. Nobody wants that. A will is straightforward but goes through probate, which is a fancy word for “a year-long, expensive, public legal process.” A trust skips all that. Think of it this way: a will is like leaving directions to the state; a trust is like handing your chosen person a box of your belongings and saying, “Here’s my plan and thank you.”
I learned that designating beneficiaries is the ex-factor. Stay with me. You’ve probably named a beneficiary of retirement accounts, insurance, or bank funds. The kicker? Beneficiary designations override your will. What? If your will says everything goes to your current spouse, but your 20-year-old life insurance policy still lists your ex, well, guess who gets the payout? Hint: it won’t be your spouse, and it won’t go over well at Thanksgiving. Moral of the story? Review those forms regularly. Add a reminder to your calendar, if necessary.
One of the biggest myths is, “Once I’ve made a plan, I’m set for life.” Nice try. Your plan is not a “set it and forget it” situation. Life changes. People move, die, fall out of favor, or suddenly develop an obsession with conspiracy theories. Keep your plans refreshed. My father, who didn’t have many assets as a former Baptist preacher, kept his attorney on speed dial so he could make changes depending on which child or grandchild called him that week! He was a planner. He had printed “brochures” ready for distribution at his funeral. My friend Dan noticed he had beautiful photos of his horses, but had forgotten to include his children. Oops. Back to the drawing board. It can all be amended.
Most importantly, don’t forget your pets. Pets can’t inherit money or property directly (sorry, Bucky). You can leave funds to a caregiver who has agreed to take responsibility for your pet(s). Leaving the caretaker and name of your pet(s) in your will ensures your pet gets the food, toys, treats, and Halloween costumes they
need. Bucky’s toy of choice is a stuffed lamb that squeaks. He believes one should always be available. His health insurance is better than mine.
In all of this—whether it’s estate planning, end-of-life music, or looking out for your puppy—the message is the same: planning is a gift you give to those you love, sparing them from arguments, paperwork, and confusion.
Organizations like Swan Songs remind us that the end can be full of beauty and music. The Oregon Humane Society reminds us that our animals deserve the same consideration as our kids and grandkids. Portland Sage Singers remind me every week that growing old together—with humor, grace, and a little bit of sass—is one of life’s greatest joys.
Here’s my message: Don’t wait. Put your plans in place now, update them as needed, and make sure everyone knows what you want. Include your pets, your people, and, yes, even your prized rooster ceramics. When the time comes, your loved ones won’t be scrambling, fighting, or guessing. They’ll be free to do the more important things: tell-
ing your stories, remembering your jokes, singing your favorite songs, and maybe even tossing around a squeaky lamb toy in Bucky’s honor.
What am I going to do?
1. Get my documents done.
2. Keep singing with my peeps.
3. Get Bucky set for life.
4. Ponder what music I’d want Swan Songs to sing.
Be well. Be ready.
Dr. Tim Seelig is the Conductor Laureate of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus.
http://www.timseelig.com/
Dr. Tim Seelig filming a webinar for the Oregon Humane Society
Bucky Bobby Jo Valentine at the Swan Songs benefit concert
Photos courtesy of Dr. Tim Seelig
Kiss of the Spider Woman Is at Times Spellbinding
featured a Nazi propaganda movie, this Kiss showcases a technicolor musical featuring Ingrid Luna (Jennifer Lopez) as Aurora, a woman caught in a web of love and betrayal. Her story mirrors what is happening in the jail cell, which is less subtle and arguably more effective. The male actors, Tonatiuh and Luna, both play double roles as Aurora’s executive assistant and lover, respectively, in the vivid color scenes.
Out gay Writer/Director Bill Condon’s film version of the Tony-winning musical, Kiss of the Spider Woman, opening October 10 in theaters, has moments of seduction and is at times is spellbinding—most notably in the scenes between cellmates Luis Molina (out gay Tonatiuh) and Valentin (Diego Luna). The story, based on the late, great, gay Argentine writer Manuel Puig’s book, shares the same DNA as the Oscar-winning 1985 film, but is very much its own version, with changes that enhance this tale of isolation and liberation, and a few distracting elements.
One positive update from the previous film is specifying that the action takes place in an Argentine prison in 1983, during the country’s Dirty War. This political context is powerful, especially in the final sequence. As the film begins, Molina, who has been sentenced to 8 years for public indecency, enters the jail cell of a political prisoner, Valentin. (In the musical, Valentin enters Molina’s cell; in the film, they are already cellmates.) Whereas Molina is chatty, and wants to talk, Valentin is more interested in silence; he reads a biography of Lenin to pass the time. These very different men eventually come to develop a close bond as Molina recounts his favorite movie, Kiss of the Spider Woman, to Valentin. The film-within-the-film is meant to be pure escapism. Whereas the original film
The stylishly executed musical numbers, however, lack a wow factor.
The music by John Kander, with lyrics by Fred Ebb, doesn’t really have any showstopping highlights. But it may also be because Condon stages many of the big production numbers in a theatrical way. This approach might have worked well on stage, where there is limited space, but here they feel stagey, like a high-energy performance at the Oscar telecast.
though he does berate him at times—and more upset that Molina allows himself to be humiliated. Molina, however, knows himself and seems to have a realistic perspective on his life, but he comes to appreciate Valentin’s integrity.
That said, there are a few fabulous dance sequences, and Jennifer Lopez has the pipes for her two parts—Aurora and the titular Spider Woman—but she is best when she shuts up and sings. Her scenes of spoken dialogue are disappointingly flat. And while her costumes can be gorgeous, her appearance can sometimes seem too artificial.
Kiss of the Spider Woman is best when Molina and Valentin confide in each other about their dreams and fears or discuss gender roles and what it means to be “macho” or “a man” or “a woman.” Valentin is less concerned that Molina is a homosexual—
It is revealed early on in the film that Molina is being asked by the warden (Bruno Bichir) to get Valentin to talk and disclose his revolutionary contacts. That creates dramatic tension as Molina struggles to get Valentin to open up, but Molina also protects Valentin, who is beaten up in their cell and tortured by the guards.
The film emphasizes how these two cellmates transform each other. It is not just that Molina is kind to Valentin in the hope of getting him to divulge the information the warden wants; it is how both men appeal to the other’s dignity. Molina is incredibly tender towards his cellmate, cleaning Valentine up after he soils himself having eaten poisoned food, or sharing some groceries the warden procured for them. There is a very tender scene of Molina washing Valentin’s scarred back that is more intimate than them sharing a bed one night. Kiss of the Spider Woman also shows how Valentin politicizes Molina, getting him to care about things other than movies. The love and respect they develop form the backbone of the film.
But this is why the musical sequences are less engaging despite some moments of razzle dazzle. Having Aurora sing “Gimme Love” is not nearly as poignant as Molina asking Valentin for a kiss. And a pas de deux the two men perform—with Molina in a dress—is more exciting than the
Spider Woman poised to kiss and kill. It may be that Jennifer Lopez is just trying too hard at times, but, as good as she can be, she never generates the emotion that Molina has for her character.
Tonatiuh is very impressive in both his singing and speaking roles. He captures Molina’s complexity well as he falls for— and is inspired by—Valentin and his idealism. And he is also charming as Kendall in the fictional film. His number, “She’s a Woman,” is a musical highlight. Likewise, Diego Luna is superb as a prisoner who refuses to capitulate to the authorities. Valentin delivers a speech about his sister that is quite moving.
Even with all its strengths, an episode depicting Molina’s crush on a waiter, Gabriel (Augusto Gordillo), which was more detailed in the previous film, feels superfluous here, and the ending feels rushed even though it remains impactful. Perhaps the film’s split personality can be likened to how Molina wants entertainment and getting lost in the emotions of the story he recounts, while Valentin is a realist who wants to know what happens next. Kiss of the Spider Woman is both enjoyable and dramatic. It does not always generate big emotions, but it is mostly diverting.
© 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
Film
Gary M. Kramer
Ingrid Luna (played by Jennifer Lopez) in Kiss of the Spider Woman
A scene from Kiss of the Spider Woman
Interview With Kiss of the Spider Woman Writer/ Director Bill Condon and Actor Tonatiuh
Gary M. Kramer: What favorite film would you recount to me if we happened to be sharing a cell together?
Tonatiuh: Probably a Pedro Almodóvar film, like All About My Mother, or Bad Education.
Writer/Director Bill Condon and actor Tonatiuh, who plays the dual roles of Molina and Kendall in Kiss of the Spider Woman, spoke with me about their new film.
Gary M. Kramer: Tonatiuh, your performance is, pardon the pun, spellbinding. Both Molina and Kendall are, in various ways, loyal but also deceitful. [Tonatiuh laughs] What can you say about developing the layers to your dual performances? And can I trust your answer?
Tonatiuh: You can trust my answer. I have the neurodivergence that makes it very difficult for me to lie. With Kendall, there are some nuggets that Molina says—the actor who played him was a tortured soul who was closeted. Well, who was a closeted actor at that time? Montgomery Clift. Let’s bring in the tortured soul of Montgomery Clift. So, I watched The Heiress to get that emotional texture and throughline. But there were little droplets of getting Errol Flynn’s hair, and I wanted him to move like Gene Kelly. I was constantly absorbing that mid-Atlantic 1940–1950s style film to embody that.
For Molina, because of their lived reality in the prison, I lost about 45 pounds in 50 days, so it became this fasted moment. But I mapped it out where, in that time, I would be shooting the musical, so I could put it into overdrive for Molina. My commitment was on creating Molina in this genderqueer, genderless form, because I wanted their physical form to be less of the conversation than their spirit or personality.
Gary M. Kramer: There is a real power when you sing “She’s a Woman.” Can you talk about the demands of the musical performances?
Tonatiuh: That was a whole different beast for me. I’ve never done a film musical before. But the beautiful part is that the music carries you through, down to the choreography. You would hear a ding on set when they are playing and think, “This is a perfect moment for me to look up at the camera or connect in this way.” During “She’s a Woman,” in particular, it seems like a very simple number, but there was a choreography between the dance and the mirrors, and all of the props.
Gary M. Kramer: Why do you think Kiss of the Spider Woman has endured for nearly 50 years? It was a book, then a film, then a musical, and now a filmed musical. What about this story resonates with you?
Tonatiuh: I think the resilience in both the Latino and queer community is timeless. The struggle for freedom never seems to end.
Bill Condon: This is a little bit like The Wizard of Oz. [Author Manuel Puig] created something that is deceptively simple. The idea of taking these two men who are so different— their sexuality and gender issues—and putting them together and then taking everything away from them so they are forced to see themselves as individuals, that is the power of it. I think that is what we all fantasize about right now. I hope that, if those two can connect in this way, maybe we can connect with people we
don’t agree with also.
Gary M. Kramer: What decisions did you make in adapting the story to the screen? Your version deviates from the previous film and
from the musical in places.
Bill Condon: [My film version] is closer to the book, I think, than anything else.
One of the big decisions in making the movie was that Molina narrates one film. In the novel, there were six movies. Also, there has never been a movie called “Kiss of the Spider Woman” in any of the other versions. Another deviation from previous adaptations, but not from the novel, is making it a true love story and not a transactional connection. The lovemaking and kiss. when they finally happen, all have a sense of slight manipulation on Valentin’s part. That doesn’t happen in the novel.
Gary M. Kramer: In addition, the film’s style shifts from realist to technicolor to a kind of fantasy. How did you conceive of the film’s multiple layers?
Bill Condon: You see the film, and you think the Hollywood musical and the grittier prison drama exist in different worlds, but, actually, the challenge here was making sure that they merged—that you feel it like one story you are watching. Molina sees himself as Aurora, and Aurora is someone who has never been able to experience love. The same is true with Molina. The film is very much in his imagination, and he may be changing things based on what he might like it to be. That became the essential idea. How do they grow towards each other? As Molina becomes more vulnerable, the lighting in the prison suddenly becomes very romantic. When the Spider Woman (Jennifer Lopez) steps off the screen and enters the gritty world of the prison, she goes to the infirmary, so that takes a character from a technicolor movie and puts her into a dark world. To me, that was more fun. I hope when people see it, or let’s hope, see it again, they will notice, not that these two worlds are so different, but that they connect more and more.
© 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
Film
Gary M. Kramer
Bill Condon
Tonatiuh
Off the Wahl
Jan Wahl
The documentary Stripped for Parts: American Journalism on the Brink is now streaming on PBS through the end of the year, and I highly recommend it. Watching this film, viewers follow journalists as they battle vulture capitalist hedge funds. These hedge funds buy up local newspapers and gut their staff and resources. Finally, I understand what a hedge fund does!
Rick Goldsmith’s full-length documentary exposes the strategy behind the closure of hundreds of newspapers across the country. It shows how hedge funds actually drain newspapers rather than save them. Now it all makes sense to me. But it is as sad as our disgusting prez,
Engulf and Devour: How a Hedge Fund Has Been Plundering America’s Newspapers
reminding that a crucial connection is cut off whenever newspapers go out of business. Since 2005, more than 3,200 U.S. print newspapers have shut down or merged, so support this newspaper all you can! We Bay Area residents desperately need it.
I take my hat off to narrative films that remind us of the importance of newspapers. 1976’s All the President’s Men is the true tale of two Washington Post reporters who uncover the Watergate break-in and bring down a sitting president. A web of corruption, surveillance, and dirty tricks from the president’s office (sound familiar?) combined with detailed mechanics of investigative journalism make this a classic. Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman were perfectly cast, and deepthroat took on a new meaning.
Spotlight (2015) gets the boots-on-theground drudgery of journalism. In this biographical drama, a Boston Globe team uncovers the Catholic Church child sexual
abuse scandal. The reporters trace it all from Boston to the Vatican. Denial, outrage, and religious pressure all move swiftly together, while the reporters knock on locked doors and build their case one piece at a time. Spotlight reveals why the team at the Globe won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service.
A special hats off to the San Francisco Bay Times. It is an honor to write for this paper, and for you.
Jan Wahl is a Hollywood historian and film critic on various broadcast outlets. She has two Emmys and many awards for her longtime work on behalf of film buffs and the LGBTQ community. Contact her at www.janwahl.com
Leave Signs
When Sheridan Le Fanu first published his classic novella Carmilla in 1872, I don’t imagine he thought he was producing a lesbian vampire story that would inspire lesbian writers and readers for more than a century. I’m not sure the word “lesbian” was even in the OED (Oxford English Dictionary) yet. He was simply writing, in the Gothic mode, a scary story in a grim setting that happened to feature two young girls. At the end of his novella, Le Fanu writes: “One sign of the vampire is the power of the hand.” Unwittingly (I think), the author
Jewelle Gomez
The Power of the Hand
captures the iconic idea of lesbians’ hands as places of power and pleasure. It certainly has been central to my thinking as I wrote The Gilda Stories and as I finished the sequel.
Now that Carmilla is in the public domain, several publishers have brought it back into print, but none so cleverly as Aunt Lute Books
( https://www.auntlute.com/ ).
It packages the novella with my tribute story “Caramelle,” also about two girls, but they meet when one is escaping from slavery by way of the Underground Railroad. Both pieces taken together portray a contemporary perspective on what it meant to be a lesbian historically. They also do my favorite thing: render vampires within a recognizable context.
I’m proud of the Aunt Lute book, but the most exciting thing for me was the book launch party appropriately titled “Wild Tongues Can’t be Tamed.” The event also
Top of your stack
RECOMMENDATIONS FROM BOOK PASSAGE
Soul Searching
(fiction - paperback) by Lyla Sage
The first of a duology taking place in the fictional town of Sweetwater Peak, Soul Searching is a small-town romance with a paranormal twist. The elusive Collins Cartwright has returned to Sweetwater Peak and is nothing like Brady Cooper expected when he agreed to have her lease his upstairs apartment. This is the perfect read for fall, with meddling ghosts and an eerie atmosphere. This is also The Romance Book Society subscription pick of the month.
The Cost of Being Undocumented (non-fiction - hardcover) by Alix Dick and Antero Garcia
In The Cost of Being Undocumented, Alix Dick and Antero Garcia count the costs of living an undocumented life in America and present what is owed to the immigration community. Dick tells her story as an undocumented immigrant, highlighting the reality of structural oppression.
What a Time to Be Alive (fiction - hardcover) by Jade Chang
Jade Chang’s new novel, What a Time to Be Alive, stars Lola Treasure Gold. Lola is grieving her friend’s death and is unemployed and broke when she is thrust into internet fame. She embraces her new role as a self-help guru while stumbling through her own issues. What a Time to Be Alive will have readers laughing out loud.
Upcoming Events
Saturday, October 11 @ 1 pm (non-ticketedCorte Madera store) Julie Berry, author of If Looks Could Kill
Printz Honor-winning and New York Times bestselling author Julie Berry’s new novel, If Looks Could Kill, pits Jack the Ripper against Medusa. Set in 1888 New York, Berry’s novel follows two Salvation Army volunteers as their lives become entwined with Jack and Medusa.
Tuesday, October 14 @ 5:30 pm (non-ticketed - Ferry Building store) Hugh Nini and Neal Treadwell, authors of Loving II: More Photographic History of Men in Love, 1850s–1950s
The stunning new companion to Loving: Photographic History of Men in Love, 1850s to 1950s, features all-new photos from the Nini-Treadwell collection. These photos were collected over 25 years and showcase men in love dating back to the 1850s. This will be a meet & greet event with a signing line.
Wednesday, October 15 @ 6 pm (non-ticketed - Corte Madera store) Julie Fraga, author of Parents Have Feelings Too Parents Have Feelings Too is a guide for parents in understanding and processing their emotions. If parents are empowered and able to navigate their feelings, they can pass down this valuable life skill to their children. Fraga will be joined in conversation with Nina Kaiser. https://www.bookpassage.com
celebrated the birthday of the late Gloria Anzaldúa, whose seminal book Borderlands/La Frontera was also published by the press. The Sunday afternoon event was a reminder of how much was accomplished by women’s publishing, not simply as “preachers of the word,” as James Baldwin would say, but also as sparking points ... places where women activists gathered to express concern about the state of the union and to initiate actions to beat back the continued oppression of women.
There were books, of course, and a reading by Dr. Aída Hurtado, author of Voicing Chicana Feminism: Young Women Speak Out on Sexuality and Identity. And food ... now I know how many slices of sweet plantain I can eat before I regret it! And, unlike the old days, there was Zoom! So, in addition to the room full of women in Oakland, there were scores more from around the country watching and participating, especially in the fundraising auction.
(continued on page 40)
Lit Snax
Twice Lost, written by Phyllis Paul and originally published in 1960, is an unusual gothic mystery that begs to be rediscovered. It’s an especially great find for fans of Shirley Jackson.
This collection of essays on occult subjects with a queer twist is by a self-initiated witch and is sure to take its place alongside the great magickal classics.
Brooke Palmieri will be in conversation with Michelle Tea at Fabulosa Books, 7 pm, October 17.
Moonflow by Bitter Karella
Here is a transtastic queer splatterpunk phantasmagoria full of Eldritch psychedelia. Oh, the horror!
Jewelle Gomez
Bargain WItch by Brooke Palmieri
Bay Times Dines
Farmers’ Market Finds
Stella Singer
The Castro Farmers’ Market is nearing its seasonal closure on November 19, 2025. The summer season at the market brims with stone fruit, tomatoes, and melons, but, now that we are in early fall, it is time to turn our sights to the variety of produce that October brings. From squash, nuts, and artichokes, to apples, pomegranates, and persimmons, fall is an exciting time at the farmers’ market! And remember that, once the Castro Market closes, you can still get your farmers’ market fix at the Divisadero Market, which takes place at Fell Street and Baker Street on Sundays 9 am to 1 pm or the Fillmore Market, at
Fall Colors Include the Bright Hues of Persimmons, Pomegranates, Apples, Squash, and Chard
O’Farrell and Fillmore Street on Saturdays from 9 am to 1 pm.
Market Highlights: Persimmons, Pomegranates, and Apples
With such a sweet, distinctive flavor and gorgeous orange color, persimmons are a fall fruit superstar. Hachiya and Fuyu persimmons are the most commonly grown varieties in California and have a short season lasting from September to December and peaking in October.
Fuyu persimmons are round can be eaten fresh like an apple. They are ripe when they are firm and yellow-orange and stay good on the counter for 2–3 weeks.
Hachiya persimmons are pointed like an acorn and are best when fully ripe and incorporated into a recipe. Hachiya persimmons are ripe when they have the squishy texture of a water balloon and their skin is a deep orange. This indicates that the fruit’s tannins have broken down, making it super sweet with a jelly-like texture. Once ripe, Hachiya persimmons
When you have worked as a monger for a long time, you can see a long trajectory in certain cheeses. At first, no one knows their name and you have to suggest it over-andover, offering samples and telling the story. Then—if it’s a good cheese—it develops a following and it sells itself. Your mongering efforts can go to other cheeses that need support because you cannot count on the fact that an appropriate number of pounds or wheels will just fly out the door on the momentum already built through the loyalty of their fans.
Sometimes, there is another cycle. Especially if a cheese is local, it may even get a little oversaturated: on so many restaurant menus and cheese boards that cheese eaters may start finding it
only stay edible for 2–3 days. Stop by Allard Farms, started in 1909 in Byron, for both pomegranates and persimmons. Arata Fruit, a fourth-generation farm that handpicks all their fruits and vegetables, is another great stop for persimmons.
October also ushers in the pomegranate season in California, bringing these marvelous fruits to many farmers’ market stands. What’s better than cracking open
a juicy pomegranate and munching on the seeds? These fruits make a delicious snack, salad topping, or juice. Pomegranates are abundantly used in Persian cooking, and their juice and molasses are a refreshing and unique way to enhance many different recipes.
When selecting a pomegranate at the market, keep in mind that the juiciest fruits are heavy with deep red skin. Ken’s Top Notch makes the trek from their farm in Fresno to bring a variety of produce, including pomegranates and persimmons, to the market each week.
Other quintessential autumn fruits are apples. Baked into a pie or snacked in slices, they come in so many different varieties and especially at farmers’ markets where you will find many more than you’ll see at most grocery stores. With many farmers returning to growing traditional (continued on page 40)
Cowgirl Creamery’s Mt. Tam Is Still a Really Awesome Cheese
too obvious or ubiquitous to serve to friends. That’s when mongers need to step in again.
We promoted Cowgirl Creamery’s Mt Tam last month and this month are reminding people how good it is. For us, it started with a phone call. Cowgirl had a little too much on hand and asked if we could take a large amount for a good discount. We accepted and sold our first twenty cases so fast (at $9.99/each for 7 oz., regularly 16.99/each) that two days later I called and asked for more. Then, a week later, I asked how long we could keep going. The answer I got was, “Until November,” when the food holidays would require them to spread the cheese around.
Mt. Tam is a triple cream, soft ripened cheese. “Triple cream” means that extra cream is added to the extent that the next step on the scale of fatty dairy products is
butter. Soft-ripened is the cheese category that “brie” falls under, though Mt. Tam is distinctively firmer than many other styles.
For years, Mt Tam was our #1 American artisan cheese in terms of sales (if not weight). The original founders Sue Conley and Peg Smith retired from the company a few years back and sold it to Emmi, a Swiss cheese company that has been buying up American artisan cheese companies as their owners retire. I think Mt. Tam lost some fans along the way, such as when Emmi closed the Ferry Building store and the Point Reyes cheese plant. There were times over
the last few years when the cheese suffered a little for various reasons, as happens with cheese sometimes.
Mt. Tam, however, is still a locally-produced cheese from local organic milk and, honestly, it is back to tasting as good as it ever has. It’s rich, buttery, luscious, and grassy. It’s a great dessert cheese with bubbly drinks and it makes a great decadent sandwich if you are into that kind of thing. It has a relatively firm texture for its style— it’s still a soft cheese, just not an oozy one— which gives it more versatility and more opportunities for creativity in your use of it.
Our $9.99 sale will only last through October, so come on down and remind yourself how good Mt Tam really is. It deserves its reputation as a local treasure.
Gordon Edgar loves cheese and worker co-ops and has been combining these infatuations as the cheese buyer for Rainbow Grocery Cooperative since 1994. He serves on the American Cheese Society Judging and Competition Committee and is a member of the Guilde Internationale des Fromagers. Edgar has written two books on cheese—”Cheesemonger” (2010) and “Cheddar” (2015)—and lives in San Francisco with his adorable white mini schnauzer named Fillmore Grumble. He writes about grief, and sometimes cheese, at https://bit.ly/42IwYf0
Over the Rainbow Cheese Counter
Gordon Edgar
The entire Rainbow cheese deparment visits Cowgirl Creamery in July 2025
The Gay Gourmet
David Landis
My pal Olive Corya-Pace, who works at AF&Co, smartly identified a new trend in restaurants that she calls “maxxing.”
As she explained to me, “In today’s chaotic hospitality landscape, I’ve noticed more and more restaurants doing what I’m coining as ‘restaurant maxxing.’
With tighter wallets, rising rents, and increased costs of goods, simply serving amazing food is not always enough. Think of the sandwich window in the latest season of The Bear: a clever, street-facing extension of a fine dining restaurant which absolutely kills it!”
So, I asked her for some examples. One that quickly came to mind for her is Meyhouse, a Turkish restaurant in Palo Alto (they have a second location sans jazz in Sunnyvale), which besides serving Turkish cuisine in the front, has a jazz club with a full food menu in the back. I asked Co-Founder Koray Altinsoy what the impetus was for such an idea. Here’s what he had to say:
Koray Altinsoy: When we opened Meyhouse, our mission was simple: to share authentic Turkish cuisine and hospitality with the community in Silicon Valley. But from the very start, Meyhouse has been about more than food. In the Turkish tradition of the meyhane,
Maxxing: Making A Restaurant More Than Just an Eatery
music, food, and conversation are inseparable. That’s why music has always been integral to our identity. We curated playlists, hosted monthly live music nights tied to culinary themes, and created evenings where our guests could experience the spirit of Turkey through both sound and taste. These gatherings quickly became one of the most beloved traditions of Meyhouse.
My partner Omer Artun and I both come from tech and corporate backgrounds, and that shaped how we look at potential. In those worlds, you are always asking: How can we get more out of what we already have? That mindset carried over when we opened our Palo Alto location. At the back of the building was a room that could have been used for storage. Instead, we saw possibility. We asked: What if this became a place where food and music lived side by side? That idea became Meyhouse Jazz, an intimate live music venue that feels like a natural extension of our restaurant.
Some have called this approach “restaurant maxxing”: making the most of a restaurant’s footprint by layering multiple experiences under one roof. To me, it’s about staying true to the heart of the restaurant while giving guests more ways to connect. Meyhouse Jazz doesn’t feel like an add-on; it feels like what Meyhouse was always meant to be.
Today, that once-quiet room is alive with sound and energy. On one night, guests may hear a Grammy-winning artist. On another, they’ll discover rising local talent. Every performance is paired with our
full menu of Turkish specialties and beverage program, making each evening as much about dining as it is about music. The space itself was designed with intention. We worked with SFJAZZ sound engineers to ensure worldclass acoustics in an intimate setting.
The result is a multi-layered experience that has deepened the identity of Meyhouse. Guests don’t just come to eat; they come to share in culture, community, and creativity. A space that could have been overlooked has instead become a place to bring people together in ways that extend far beyond the table.
Meyhouse Jazz is proof that when a restaurant fully embraces its potential, it can transform from a dining destination into something greater: a living, breathing experience of culture. For us, that is the most rewarding
part: seeing how warmly our guests have embraced it as part of the Meyhouse tradition.
So, are there any other examples of maxxing? Well, yours truly has a few additional thoughts:
The York Street Collective, a pop-up that recently opened in the former Lucca Ravioli space in the Mission, embraces this idea with a coffee shop and rotating art gallery during the day, while programming poetry readings, artist panels, and performances with mocktails at night. “We have the opportunity to offer something that doesn’t fall into a traditional bucket of businesses,” owner Anand Upender told The San Francisco Chronicle. “York Street Collective is a hybrid community gathering place that is being built and run by an ecosystem of musicians, fine artists, food business owners, poets, furniture builders,
(continued on page 35)
Interior at Meyhouse
Photos by Joseph Weaver
(continued from page 34)
and more—all platforming their ideas for our curious, local neighbors.”
Manny’s, operated by gay owner and District 8 supervisor candidate Manny Yekutiel, carries maxxing and the idea of a community “hub” one step further. A coffee shop operates in the front. But, in the back, the comfy space dotted with old sofas showcases national and local politicians, community activists, artists, and civic leaders who want to make their mark and engage with the community.
Drag brunches have become a way for restaurants to make that middle of the day meal come alive, enticing new audiences to get out of the house even on a rainy day. Honestly, what’s better than a liquid Bloody Mary paired with a reallife Bloody Mary singing “Bloody Mary is the girl I love”? When drag meets brunch, anything can happen! Some of the best are now occurring on a semi-regular basis at Starbelly (hosted by one of my all-time favorite queens, Bobby Friday), Midnight Sun, Lookout, Hotel Zeppelin, and Beaux.
Over in Oakland, Friends and Family, which my San Francisco Chronicle colleague MacKenzie Chung Fegan turned me onto, not only has a rockstar chef cooking in the back, but they also offer up “Queer Speed Dating,” where you can (potentially) meet the spouse of your dreams.
Back in San Francisco, Chouquet’s French bistro on Fillmore Street presents jazz trios to accompany delicious weekend brunches (including a yummy Croque Madame) on the outdoor patio. And, yes, you can bring your pooches, too!
At Mission Bowling Club, you can reserve a lane and bowl to your heart’s content while you munch on mac and cheese bites, chicken wings, or taquitos. Plus, you can swill it down with craft cocktails, beer, or wine—or your favorite zero-proof mocktail.
Keys Jazz Bistro in North Beach has a full bar in the front and an upscale cabaret in the back where, among other bites, you can order Australian meat pies and a chocolate charcuterie from Z Cioccolato for dessert. Upcoming shows include Lavay Smith and her Red Hot Skillet Lickers and the indomitable Mary Stallings.
And, of course, there’s the classic supper club cum jazz club, Bix, in Jackson Square. It’s like being transported back in time with comfy booths, oysters, juicy steaks, and, of course, the smooth stylings of jazz singers and performers entertaining nightly.
So, when next you decide to go out to eat, pick a place that does double duty. You’ll have twice the fun!
Meyhouse: https://www.meyhouserestaurant.com/ York Street Collective: https://www.yorkstreetsf.com/ Manny’s: https://welcometomannys com/ Starbelly: https://www.starbellysf.com/ Midnight Sun: https://www.midnightsunsf.com/
Hotel Zeppelin: https://tinyurl.com/4nejrahd Lookout: www.lookoutsf.com
Beaux: https://www.beauxsf.com/ Friends and Family: https://www.friendsandfamilybar.com/ Chouquet’s: https://www.chouquets com/ Mission Bowling Club: https://www.missionbowlingclub.com/
Keys Jazz Bistro: https://keysjazzbistro.com/ Bix: https://bixrestaurant.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
Drag Brunch at Starbelly
STARBELLY
The Blue States: A Toast to Gridlock
Cocktails With Dina by
Dina Novarr
Here we go again. As of this writing, the federal government has shut down. Lawmakers have dug into partisan trenches and essential services have ground to a halt. Meanwhile, our Mobster-in-Chief is more interested in exacting revenge against states that voted against him than he is in trying to lead our country. During these troubling moments, I am inspired by a shot, neat, representing America’s bluest states. Meet “The Three Blue States,” an alternative whiskey reinterpretation of the “Three Wise Men” shot, except I have swapped out corporate whiskey for artisanal American spirits. In times we are blue, drink from those who vote blue.
The original Three Wise Men united Jim Beam, Jack Daniel’s, and Johnnie Walker in a throat-burning trinity of mass-market whiskey. But this shutdown-inspired version tells a different story—one of innovation, craftsmanship, and the democratic strongholds fighting for the benefit of all Americans, red and blue.
Redwood Empire Pipe Dream (California) forms the foundation. This Northern California bourbon, crafted in the shadow of ancient redwoods, represents the Golden State’s progressive backbone. Governor
Gavin Newsom, who has made a sport of torching Trump while casting the state as America’s great rebel, channels that same energy. And that energy is winning. “Pipe Dream” is a fitting name for a bourbon to drink during a political gridlock. It’s what bipartisan cooperation has become.
Koval Bourbon (Illinois) brings Chicago grit to the glass. Founded by a husbandand-wife team, Dr. Sonat Birnecker Hart and Dr. Robert Birnecker, who both hold Ph.D.s, pioneered this craft distillery in 2008, making it the first distillery in Chicago since the mid-1800s. Koval represents the kind of educated, forward-thinking entrepreneurship that seems to provoke an
anaphylactic reaction from the current administration. In a shutdown where science agencies are furloughed and research grants are frozen, this doctorate-distilled bourbon feels especially reverent.
Hudson Whiskey “Do the Rye Thing” (New York) completes the trinity. From the Hudson Valley, this rye whiskey embodies New York’s no-nonsense attitude with its cheeky name that dares you to do what’s right. As NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani notes, “[O]vernight, Trump and Republicans in Congress shut down the federal government ... because they’re determined to strip healthcare from millions of Americans, to enrich the billionaires they serve, to continue the assault on our rights. We must fight back.” He represents the kind of resistance to federal strong-arming that defines “doing the rye thing.”
Where the original Three Wise Men was a blunt instrument designed for collegiate oblivion, The Three Blue States offers unexpected nuance. The Redwood Empire brings notes of caramel and oak, softened by Northern California’s coastal fog influence. Koval’s grain-forward profile adds a distinctive spiciness—their use of organic grains and unique distilling process creates something that doesn’t taste like anything else in American whiskey. Hudson’s rye kicks in last with a peppery finish that lingers like an unresolved appropriations bill. Together, these spirits create a shot that’s simultaneously smoother and more complex than its predecessor. It’s refined without being precious, powerful without being punishing—much like the states they represent.
As federal workers face furloughs, national parks close their gates, political leaders trade blame across cable news, and the Epstein Files remain tightly locked away, The Three Blue States offers liquid solidarity. It’s a toast to small-batch resilience, to Ph.D.-holding distillers choosing entrepreneurship over academia, to Hudson Valley farmers growing rye, to California’s entrepreneurial spirit.
This isn’t a drink for wisdom that the original Three Wise Men never claimed to offer. This is a drink for endurance—for those
nights when the news cycle feels like a broken record, when “unprecedented” becomes precedented, and when you need to remember that, even during shutdowns, somewhere in America, someone is still making something beautiful.
So, here’s to the Three Blue States. May they flow more freely than federal appropriations bills, and may they remind us that, while Washington might be gridlocked, the American spirit distilled, drop by careful drop, still burns bright.
Please drink responsibly. The government shutdown might come back to haunt us.
Note: For those seeking a less intense experience, try “The Blue State Highball”— equal parts of all three whiskeys, topped with club soda and a lemon twist. Democracy doesn’t always have to burn going down.
San Francisco-based Dina Novarr enjoys sharing her passion for fine wines, spirits, non-alcoholic craft beverages, and more with others.
The Three Blue Staes
Equal parts (½ oz each):
Redwood Empire Pipe Dream
Bourbon
Koval Bourbon Hudson Whiskey “Do The Rye Thing”
Combine in a shot glass. No chaser. No apologies. Serve at room temperature, ideally while waiting for Congress to return from recess.
Soprano Breanna Sinclairé Presents World Premiere of Trans Requiem in New York
By David Perry
San Francisco-based soprano Breanna Sinclairé on September 18, 2025, was the featured soloist in the world premiere of cellist-composer and twotime Grammy winner Andrew Yee’s Trans Requiem The powerful performance, at Trinity Church Wall Street in New York City, continues to gain national acclaim, especially since key moments were shared via Sinclairé’s social media, such as at Facebook: https://bit.ly/46YBVRJ and Instagram: https://bit.ly/4mXBnS2
The deeply moving piece was written for and inspired by transgender voices. For Sinclairé, it was testimony. She says, “It was about finding beauty in struggle and giving voice to those who have been silenced.”
Finding Her Own Voice
Born in Baltimore, Sinclairé received a Bachelor’s of Music at the California Institute of the Arts and earned her master’s degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where she became the first trans woman in the opera program under the guidance of Ruby Pleasure.
“I always knew my path was in music,” she has said. “Opera gave me the language to express who I truly am.”
Since then, she has built a career that spans both classical and contemporary works, including roles in Carmen, The Magic Flute, West Side Story, and Meredith Monk’s Songs of Ascension.
Breaking Barriers
In 2015, Sinclairé became the first transgender woman to sing the National Anthem at a professional sporting event in the United States, performing for the Oakland A’s. She has since appeared at the Kennedy Center, with the San Francisco Symphony, and with opera companies and choruses nationwide.
But just as significant are her performances with community and LGBTQ+ organizations, from Pride festivals to collaborations with the Gay Men’s Choruses of San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C. “Representation matters,” Sinclairé notes. “When a young person sees me on stage, I want them to know there’s space for their voice too.”
Connection to Most Holy Redeemer
Here in the Bay Area, Sinclairé has an enthusiastic group of admirers at Most Holy Redeemer, the Roman Catholic church of the Castro. It was there, in the church’s choir, that Sinclairé gained confidence to affirm her gender identity and to further pursue her life as a singer.
“She is incredibly talented,” says parishioner and former San Francisco Bay Times financial advisor Nanette Lee Miller. “We look forward to when we can again hear her in person in San Francisco.”
http://breannasinclaire.com/
David Perry of David Perry & Associates is the author of the novel “Upon This Rock,” a literary thriller set in the hilltop town of Orvieto, Italy.
Folsom Street Fair 2025
Photos by Rink
Breanna Sinclairé
Petaluma Pride 2025 to Take Place on National Coming Out Day, October 11
The third annual Petaluma Pride festival this year coincides with National Coming Out Day, on October 11. That’s when, from noon–5 pm, there will be live music, food, drinks, and more at the Petaluma Fairgrounds, 175 Fairgrounds Drive, which is just a little over an hour away from San Francisco.
This year’s theme is “Pride Is Power, and Joy Is a Riot!” The orga nizers share: “All are welcome to join us in cele bration of local queer and trans communities and in solidarity with all margin alized people. Together we can build community, share culture, cross bridges, and work together to create the conditions for our collective liberation.”
Petaluma Pride has more going on this month too. On October 19, there will be a Drag Brunch starting at 10:30 am at Luma Bar & Eatery. There will be a Pride Night and Listening Party on October 24 at Paradise Records. And finally, on October 29, there
will be a Drag Trivia Night at the Griffo Distillery & Tasting Room.
Check out the impressive list of businesses that are involved in Petaluma Pride in this beautiful North Bay city that often rolls out the rainbow carpet for LGBTQ+ residents and visitors: https://petalumapride.org/
Sister Dana Sez: Words of Wisdumb from a Fun Nun
By Sister Dana Van Iquity
Sister Dana sez, “Happy NATIONAL COMING OUT DAY on October 11 to specially celebrate awareness of LGBTQ people and anyone coming out of the closet! Come out and stay out—loud and proud!”
Looking at just the final week of September, let us review only some of the actions that Dictator Trump took: threatened to sue ABC again over Jimmy Kimmel ; demanded that the United Nations arrest someone regarding: a broken escalator (when he and Melania were forced to climb stairs like common folks), a malfunctioning teleprompter, and audio problems; ordered his Attorney General to prosecute perceived political enemies; fired a U.S. Attorney for not firing perceived political enemies; fired heads of agencies; threatened to fire federal employees permanently during the shutdown; and asked permission from the U.S. Supreme Court to fire a Fed Chair appointed by former President Biden Sister Dana sez, “If that ain’t autocracy, what is? We the people gotta fight with our ballots and with our continued demonstrations in the streets! ”
And the hard truth is, if Trump has his plan, the healthcare of MILLIONS of Americans will be RIPPED away. President Barack Obama warns us: “If MAGA Republicans get their way, seniors will pay higher costs on prescription drugs and insulin, and Medicare will be weaker!”
On October 18, millions of us will rise again to show the world: America has no kings, and the power belongs to the people. Find an event near you and register at https://www.nokings.org/
So, The Government shut down on September 10, Wednesday morning at 12:01 am, amid a bitter spending deadlock between dictator Trump, his manic minions, and Democrats fighting for our human rights, which will disrupt federal services and leave many federal workers furloughed. Sister Dana sez, “All hail King Caesar and his copycat Kings. But we rebels will not bow down—NOT EVER!
Please do recall that our Senator Alex Padilla representing California had been rather recently handcuffed and forcibly removed from DHS Secretary Noem’s press conference. Senator Padilla has since said that “this Trump administration is out of control. We have to fight back and say
YES ON 50 This vote will stop Trump’s power grab and protect our fundamental rights and our democracy.” Sister Dana sez, “We who believe in human rights and just basic sanity must vote for the ELECTION RIGGING RESPONSE ACT! YES ON 50!”
But on happy news to report, a few of us queer nuns were able to attend THE MONSTER SHOW on September 25 at The Edge bar at 18th and Collingwood Streets—with several drag queens/drag kings (one was a fellow nun in her delicious drag persona as Amy BathHouse) performing when, on her birthday that night, the fabulous Kai Kai Bee Michaels both emceed and entertained. KaiKai is a beloved drag performer, activist, and tireless advocate for our community. By day, she works with our unhoused neighbors, helping them access housing, healthcare, benefits, and support. By night, she shines as a drag sensation, educator, activist, and cosplayer. For more than a decade, KaiKai has been an integral part of the Bay Area drag scene. She is a regular performer at Oasis, has hosted and co-hosted shows such as The Monster Show, volunteered with organizations such as the SF Ducal Court, Bay Area Queer Nightlife Coalition, and Bay Area Super Heroes, and produced numerous fundraisers for political causes, candidates, and community needs.
She and Otter (glorious stage manager of The Monster Show) were both ceremoniously and officially Sainted by us Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence: she is now Saint KaiKai of the Glittering Garnet Hole, Defender of the Unhoused & Cosplaying Champion for Change; and he is Saint Otter Nonsense, Majestic Maestro of Stage, Tremendous Tamer of Monsters & Wry Wrangler of Kittens. Well, all this nun can say to y’all: “Saints be praised!”
Fabulosa Books at 490 Castro Street presented another of their delightfully informative Author Talks on September 29, GO-GO BOY: “Memoirs from the Kitchen Floor to the Dance Floor” by DJ Reimer. During the lively Q&A with him that night, I got to speak to DJ. So, I found out that, yes, he was born David J by his upbringing as David; but his entire family has and still lovingly calls him as family without the need to letter him. Also, my Q&A query found that DJ, a proud owner of a college degree, wrote that, way back in his earlier days, he had been quite sadly depressed and repeatedly passed out on his home’s kitchen floor. That explains the long title of this amazing book. Anyway, he is just fine now in Northern California, but still this unapologetic and sometimes hilarious memoir reveals to us that he spent over a year unemployed and battling depression, having been trying to be a U.S. diplomat. So, after every job market disappointment, he turned to being a go-go boy, and DJ has written about his success—a journey of self-discovery, queer joy, and radical re-invention. Go-Go Boy will inspire his story for us LGBTQ readers. Buy this book at Fabulosa Books, or any way you can!
And suddenly more bad news appeared. At the official meeting of Top Generals, Admirals, and hundreds attending at Quantico, Virginia (dominated by Trump’s lies for 77 of his horrifying minutes), on September 30, the Not a Real Secretary of War Pete “Hegsmess” declared “shaping up” our War meant to not allow Generals to be fat or to be “beardos,” by which he meant any man having a beard. He was also even more anti-LGBTQ and anti-DEI than ever! He shockingly referred to having to fight “the enemy within.” Is that possibly us liberal lefties?! And T-rump suggesting the military should use cities as “training grounds”? Oh, puh-leeze, PrezzyTee, no way!!!
After Congressional Democrats fought bravely for every American citizen’s healthcare rights (not asking for special rights for illegal aliens, as Republicans claimed), the country as we all know got shut down
Later, AG Pam Bondi had the gall to explain there would not be many, many thousands of federal workers suddenly fired “if the Democrats had voted to keep the government open.” Sister Dana sez, “But don’t worry your pretty little head, Pam honeypie, because Congress and the Administration will still be paid on time and with full
(continued on page 40)
Sister Dana (right) wth Kai Kai Bee Michaels at Ms. Michael’s birthday night Monster Show party at The Edge, 18th and Collingwood Streets, on Thursday, September 25.
(continued from pg 39)
health benefits you so richly deserve! Aaargh! NOT!!!”
On October 2, Trump wrote, “I have a meeting with Russ Vought, he of Project 2025 fame, to determine which of the many Democrat agencies, most of which are a political SCAM, he recommends to be cut, and whether or not those cuts will be temporary or permanent.” Sister Dana sez, “Our once great America is now being run by MAGA, Project 2025, and its self-appointed tyrannical king. Is it time for another American Revolution?!”
For the whole month of October, STRUT at 470 Castro Street is exhibiting the art of Jordan Ramsey Ismaiel , who notes, “Using queer theory and futurity studies as the framework for my paintings and drawings, I examine concepts of disidentification and world-making as actions of radical selfcare that are conveyed through self-provided partnership.” He adds, “I strive to construct a utopic environment where these individuals exist on their own ground—fulfilling desires, longing, and this need for emotional safety. It is through this self-referential method of working that my practice ultimately becomes a mirror for myself as the painter and a glimpse into the painter’s idealized fantasy for the viewer.”
After Trump sent 300 National Guard troops to “war-ravaged” Chicago and 200 to Portland, Oregon, U.S. District Court Judge Karin Immergut ruled on October 5 what should apply to any militarization of any American city: “This is a nation of Constitutional law, not martial law,” which risks “blurring the line between civil and military federal power—to the detriment of this nation.”
And later, Representative Madeleine Dean dared to approach House Speaker (Trump butt-smoocher) Mike Johnson to warn that the President is “unhinged” and “unwell”—with kiss-a$$ Mike denying everything —as usual. Ugh.
We Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Inc. (SPI), in partnership with The Bears of San Francisco (BOSF), are thrilled to announce the return of Bearrison Street Fair 2025 ! Taking place in San Francisco’s Leather and LGBTQ+ Cultural Dis -
trict in SoMa on October 18, noon to 6 pm, Bearrison is proudly known as “A Fair for Every Bear.” Our mission is to create an inclusive celebration for adult members of the LGBTQ+ community—uplifting body positivity, embracing cultural diversity, and strengthening a vibrant, welcoming bear scene. This year promises a day packed with entertainment, music, and pure fun. Expect high-energy performances, sexy competitions, world-class DJs, and plenty of surprises that will keep the fair buzzing with energy from start to finish. Anticipate old favorites like queer contests: queer wrestling, facial hair (real and not real) contest, barbell lifting, bicep contest, twerking contest, queer entertainment, drag performances and contests, and so much more. More information and opportunities to get involved are at the Bearrison Street Fair website: www.bearrison.org
Attendees can also follow @BearrisonSF on Instagram and Facebook for updates.
Meanwhile, Trump’s administration is cancelling nearly $8 Billion in funding for energy programs, which will impact 16 states—all of which voted for former Vice President Kamala Harris in last year’s unfortunate presidential election.
As we go to press, Trump is demanding colleges commit to his political agenda regarding admissions, women’s sports, free speech, student discipline, and college affordability—among other overreaching topics—or lose their usual federal grant money. Sister Dana sez, “I am raising my hand, Professor, because I need permission to use the rest room after trying to digest all that crap you spewed!”
Adding to Trump MADministration insanity, Kash Patel has fired an FBI agent trainee (who previously worked as an exemplary FBI support specialist in Los Angeles) for displaying a Gay Pride Flag. Patel claimed this “criminal” had shown improper political messaging in the workplace during his assignment in California under President Joe Biden. Way back in the good ol’ days.
Sister Dana sez, “Well, I guess that’s what we get for being DEI these days. We do not even DARE to fly our freak flag freely!”
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heirloom varieties, you’ll discover apples with better flavor than the grocery store hybrids we’re used to.
The Gravenstein, Arkansas Black, and Pink Lady are just a few of the old varieties that farmers have returned to growing. Rainbow Orchards, a farmers’ market darling, can supply you with all your apple needs. They’ve got varieties like Honey Crisp, Pippen, and Fuji—and refreshing apple cider!
Farm-Fresh Fall Veggies Too
If it’s vegetables you’re after, stop by Fifth Crow, Orozco, or Jacob’s Farms for a wide array of fall produce including artichokes, squash, and greens like kale and chard. October marks the start of winter squash season so keep an eye out for varieties like Butternut, Acorn, and Kabocha. Look for squash with deep, saturated colors—no soft spots or cracks—and a hard stem.
So come visit the market before its seasonal closure. The Castro Farmers’ Market takes place at 270 Noe Street, off Market, on Wednesdays from 3 pm to 7 pm. After the break following the November 19 seasonal closure, the market will reopen in April 2026.
For more information, seasonal recipes, and a full list of vendors, please visit https://www.pcfma.org/castro
Stella Singer is a recent UC Berkeley graduate who writes and designs for the Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association. With a background in environmental journalism and science, she brings a keen interest in food systems and sustainability to her work.
JEWELLE GOMEZ (continued from pg 30)
As we discussed the new book and Gloria Anzuldúa’s work, it was inspiring to look at the roster of books Joan Pinkvoss, Co-Founder of the press, and Shay Brawn, the Artistic Director, have brought into the world and remember that words can be building blocks. A few books that give me a good foundation: Michele Tracy Berger’s collection Doll Seed and Other Stories adds to the amazing world of Black speculative fiction. Cherry Muhanji’s classic, Lambda Literary Award-winning historical novel Her is the one book I’d love to turn into a musical! LeAnne Howe (Choctaw) wrote Shell Shaker, winner of an American Book Award and that remains one of the most exciting Native American historical mysteries ever written.
Celebrating with us was Ginny Z Berson, a political activist and Co-Founder of Olivia Records. Her new book, Olivia on the Record, delivers an inside look at one of the most formative organizations in the lesbian feminist community and in the music business. The audio book version miraculously includes musical performances from women who are included in the narrative like Meg Christian, Linda Tillary, Teresa Trull, and Pat Parker!
Instead of letting the news headlines send us spinning or paralyze us, reading the writing of spirited, mindful activists can get us up and moving toward connection with others who won’t settle for repression. The final line in my introduction to the Aunt Lute book remains true for me: “Hands are made even stronger when holding on to the hands of others.”
Jewelle Gomez is a lesbian/feminist activist, novelist, poet, and playwright. She’s written for “The Advocate,” “Ms. Magazine,” “Black Scholar,” “The San Francisco Chronicle,” “The New York Times,” and “The Village Voice.” Follow her on Instagram and Twitter @VampyreVamp
compiled by Rink
Lito Sandoval
“The GLBT Historical Society Museum”
Vince Crisostomo “The Asian Art Museum”
Andrew Rose
“The Asian Art Museum”
David Rosales “The California Academy of Sciences”
Kathleen Golata “The Legion of Honor Museum”
25th Hardly Strictly Bluegrass
Photos by Mike Kirschner
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass —the annual free, three-day music festival at Golden Gate Park—each year presents a diverse range of music including its namesake bluegrass, but also a wide variety of American roots music like soul, rock, country, and folk. The festival’s lineup extends to other genres as well, with recent years including acts in funk, world music, and indie blues, and this year’s festival, for the big 25th anniversary, was no exception.
Festival regulars like Emmy Lou Harris and the psychedelic band Moonalice were on the schedule with newcomers like I’m With Her, Sinkane, Watchhouse, and even Scuff: Queer Line Dancing featuring the Eric Long Band.
The lineup always includes musical treasures—unexpected moments that are memorable and that often bring together multiple performers in col laborations that feel, and often are, spontaneous. One of these was the Celebration of Hazel Dickens, who was a lesbian and a relatively unknown (at least in the LGBTQ+ community) pioneering figure in folk and bluegrass music. The all-woman string band Della Mae joined forces with singer Laurie Lewis and Dickens’ longtime partner Alice Gerrard for this incredible, emotional set.
But there were many such moments at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2025. The festival remains free thanks to the late F. Warren Hellman and his wife Chris, who founded the festival and left an endowment for its continuation as a free event for all. https://hardlystrictlybluegrass.com/
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