August 29, 2019 Edition of the Bay Area Reporter by Bay Area Reporter

SJPD unveils safe place

Healdsburg in the fall

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Fall Arts Preview

Natalie Douglas

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Vol. 49 • No. 35 • August 29-September 4, 2019

Police chief apologizes to LGBTQ community Courtesy GLBT Historical Society

The GLBT Historical Society, which operates its small museum in the Castro, received funding from Grants for the Arts.

SF arts orgs awarded $12M in city grants

At an August 26 meeting at Glide Memorial Church, San Francisco Police Chief William Scott apologizes directly to Joanne Chadwick, left, for abusive treatment by the police department against the LGBTQ community. Chadwick attended the New Year’s Eve party in 1965 at California Hall that was raided by the police and led to widespread criticism of the police department.

by Veronica Dolginko

rts organizations in San Francisco recently got a boost, as Mayor London Breed and City Administrator Naomi Kelly announced $12.9 million in funding from Grants for the Arts for fiscal year 2020. At a time when a lot of people are concerned about the culture of the city, it looks like good news for a long list of recipients. Grants for the Arts is headed by Matthew Goudeau, a gay man who took over in February as the city was gearing up to determine the grant funding process under Proposition E, which voters passed last November. Prop E provides a 1.5% reallocation of the existing 8% hotel tax for arts and cultural services that includes Grants for the Arts. In an August 20 news release, Goudeau said he was grateful “to the many organizations that took the time to apply and that are providing cultural resources in San Francisco.” “We’re here to make sure they succeed,” he added. Established programs like the Frameline Film Festival were among the recipients. It received $109,000 for its annual LGBTQ film festival and other programming. The Castro Street Fair received $18,000. To people who don’t work in artistic fields the logistics of how art and artists survive in an expensive city can be a mystery. Even people who would consider themselves patrons of the arts often ask how exactly organizations like People in Plazas or the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus manage to remain an integral part of the city’s fabric. While some art forms are able to generate revenue from ticket sales or donations, many important and beloved institutions rely heavily on Grants for the Arts for the continuation of their work. “The support we get from the city and other government sources is vital to our operations,” said Terry Beswick, a gay man who’s executive director of the GLBT Historical Society, which received $75,000 for 2020 compared to 2019’s $58,000. “Without it, we would not be in a position to contemplate establishing a full-scale museum and research center.” The Gay Men’s Chorus received one of the largest amounts on the list: $152,510. The chorus has a roster of over 250 people and performs regularly at various venues. Earlier this See page 14 >>

Untitled-2 1

by David-Elijah Nahmod

an Francisco Police Chief William Scott apologized to the LGBTQ community at a reflection and reconciliation session Monday. The meeting was held in the sanctuary of Glide Memorial Church to commemorate the 53rd anniversary of the Compton’s Cafeteria riot. The Compton’s riot, which

preceded the Stonewall riots by three years, was “the first known instance of collective militant queer resistance to police harassment in U.S. history,” according to transgender historian Susan Stryker, who codirected the Emmy Award-winning 2005 documentary “Screaming Queens” about the incident. Scott apologized on behalf of the department.

“I and the men and women of this police department are truly sorry,” the chief said to the crowd of about 100 people. “We’re sorry for what happened and we’re sorry for our role in it and we’re sorry for the harm that it caused. Some here tonight may ask, why now? Why are we doing this now? And for those of you that might wonder why, I say it’s because we are listening. We hear you. And because it’s time.” See page 14 >> Photo

Concord LGBT center ED settles into new role by Matthew S. Bajko

ithin weeks of being named the new executive director of the Rainbow Community Center of Contra Costa County this spring, Jack Rednour-Bruckman found themself arguing to city councils across the East Bay why it was important for their cities to fly the rainbow flag in honor of Pride Month in June. For some cities, this year marked the first time that they agreed to fly the symbol for the LGBT community. Antioch was one such municipality, and the city asked RednourBruckman and Dorann “Dodi” Zotigh, president of the Concord-based center’s board of directors, to assist in raising the Pride flag. At the same time, Rednour-Bruckman was working with the center’s staff, board, and supporters on hosting its own annual Pride celebration the first weekend of June. In addition, they were focused on filling a number of staff positions at the center and recruiting new members to serve on its governing body. While juggling the public advocacy and managerial concerns, Rednour-Bruckman was also dealing with the fallout sparked by the sudden firing in February of most of the center’s counseling staff. It caused an outcry among supporters of the center concerned over its leadership and led to the resigna-

Courtesy RCC

Rainbow Community Center Executive Director Jack Rednour-Bruckman

tion in April of former executive director Kevin McAllister less than a year in the job. He was hired in June to be executive director of Meals on Wheels by ACC in Sacramento County. Amid the controversy, the center’s former board president Ken Carlson stepped down from the oversight body, and Zotigh, who has served on the board since 2015, took over the leadership role. Rednour-Bruck-

man, who uses gender-neutral pronouns and had joined the board earlier this year, initially was hired as an interim executive director but then was given the job on a permanent basis as of May 1. “It feels like we have some good momentum and things are moving in the right direction,” Rednour-Bruckman, 54, who identifies as nonbinary and a butch queer, told the Bay Area Reporter in a recent interview. They grew up in Contra Costa County and now resides in Antioch with their wife, Shar Rednour. The couple, together 26 years, has three children ages 27, 14, and 13. Their oldest, adopted out of foster care, came out as gay while in high school. Leading a nonprofit agency is a new role for Rednour-Bruckman. They previously had worked for a number of different companies in various management positions and at one point was a worker-owner of the retail sex emporium Good Vibrations. Most recently Rednour-Bruckman had launched their own consulting firm and worked with both corporate and nonprofit clients. When not at their center job, RednourBruckman is the lead singer for the all-queer band LadyKillers, which is releasing a new single, “Smash(the)Patriarchy,” Friday (August 30) through Die Laughing Records/ See page 14 >>

{ FIRST OF THREE SECTIONS }

8/26/19 11:59 AM

<< Pride 2019

2 • Bay Area Reporter • August 29-September 4, 2019

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year after permitting snafus canceled much of the event, Russian River Pride organizers have yet to receive a permit for a parade that’s being promoted for Saturday, September 7. Unlike last year, when a conflicting event caused the California Highway Patrol to say it couldn’t provide security for the Pride parade, the agency told the Bay Area Reporter this week that it doesn’t see any problems providing personnel to monitor the event. As of press time, Russian River Pride still does not have an approved permit for the parade. Maggie Fleming, communications manager at Permit Sonoma, said in a phone call Wednesday morning, “We received the application yesterday; it’s still in review but not approved yet.” Fleming said she doesn’t anticipate problems. “We are waiting to hear back from the CHP if they approve because the event will be using roads we don’t have jurisdiction over. We will probably know by end of day [Wednesday.]” Barring unforeseen issues, Rodger Jensen, one of the organizers, said that the Pride parade will be held September 7, featuring grand marshal Cleve Jones, a longtime gay and AIDS activist who now lives in San Francisco. Jones founded the Names AIDS Memorial Quilt. Russian River Pride was first conceived in August 2018 after what had been called Sonoma County Pride was moved to Santa Rosa from its former Guerneville location, in the hopes of attracting more people to a more central location. But those plans, which included a parade down Guerneville’s Main Street, were abruptly scaled back when the CHP would not issue a permit to close the street. “The CHP said they did not have enough officers to cover both the Vineman (triathlon) race and our parade,” explained Larry Boeger, coowner of Timberline Restaurant and Bar and the person assigned to get the permit last year. But Jensen vowed to try again this summer and has organized the upcoming celebration with the theme, “Flooded with Love,” a reference to the destructive floods that submerged much of Guerneville and the surrounding area in February. Some of the participating resorts are still only partially reopened. River Pride 2019 kicks off Friday night with a Pre-Pride Party at the R3 Hotel, located at 16390 Fourth Street, starting at 8 p.m., and featuring “karaoke and cocktails.” Jensen said there will be no cover charge for events at the R3. This will be the first event for the

damaged R3 Hotel since the winter floods. Jeff Bridges, 58, general manager of the R3, revealed, “We are planning a soft opening for Labor Day weekend, contingent on all equipment arriving before then.” Most River Pride events are scheduled for Saturday, September 7, starting at 10 a.m. when the Rainbow Cattle Company, located at 16220 Main Street, opens early for cocktails and a “light breakfast,” similar to the spreads at the Rainbow’s weekly fundraisers called Give-back Tuesday. On the street out front, the organizers have planned music presented by DJ Loren Henry from Reno, Nevada. Jensen expects the largest crowd for the Pride parade down Main Street, which starts at 11. Diva D. and Berlin Fisher will serve as hosts. Diva, who uses only one name, is a local resident and entertainer. Fisher, 52, is a gay man and owner of West Sonoma Style Bar hair salon on Third Street. In 2002, he was crowned 30th emperor of the Imperial Court in San Francisco. Jensen predicted 30 or more parade contingents will march, ranging from nonprofits to individual businesses. Sonoma County Supervisor Lynda Hopkins and Sheriff Mark Essick confirmed they will participate. The sheriff’s department provides local law enforcement as Guerneville is unincorporated. After the parade has ended, two parties will start at 12:30 p.m. The Timberline will partner with the Woods Resort, located at 16484 Fourth Street, to host a Retro Party around the Woods pool with music by DJ McBayne, according to Boeger and Woods co-owner Michael Preaseau. Cover will be $5; food will be on sale and there will be a cash bar. At the same time, the R3 Hotel will also host a pool party with DJ Henry, which they are calling Contemporary Throw Down; vendors will sell River Pride merchandise. Both parties run until 5 p.m., when Boeger said Timberline will open for dinner and stay open for dancing starting at 9. Billed by organizers as the main event, “A Gaylactic Celebration” will start at 8 p.m. Saturday at the R3 Hotel. Produced by “The Star Queen” Cockatielia, the show features Heklina from San Francisco’s Oasis nightclub and will include performances by the Starlettes of the Divashere: Miss Rahni NothingMore, Deana Dawn, Pippi Lovestocking, Suppositori Spelling, and drag king Kit Tapatia. On Sunday, from noon to 5 p.m. around the R3 Hotel pool, Jensen said organizers have planned one more event they are calling De-compression Sunday. For more information and parade applications, visit http://www.russianriverpride.org. t

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<< Open Forum

4 • Bay Area Reporter • August 29-September 4, 2019

Volume 49, Number 35 August 29-September 4, 2019 www.ebar.com PUBLISHER Michael M. Yamashita Thomas E. Horn, Publisher Emeritus (2013) Publisher (2003 – 2013) Bob Ross, Founder (1971 – 2003) NEWS EDITOR Cynthia Laird ARTS EDITOR Roberto Friedman BARTAB EDITOR & EVENTS LISTINGS EDITOR Jim Provenzano ASSISTANT EDITORS Matthew S. Bajko CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Ray Aguilera • Tavo Amador • Race Bannon Roger Brigham • Brian Bromberger Victoria A. Brownworth • Philip Campbell Heather Cassell • Belo Cipriani • Dan Renzi Michael Flanagan • Jim Gladstone David Guarino • Liz Highleyman Brandon Judell • John F. Karr • Lisa Keen Matthew Kennedy • Joshua Klipp David Lamble • Max Leger David-Elijah Nahmod • Paul Parish Lois Pearlman • Tim Pfaff • Jim Piechota Bob Roehr • Gregg Shapiro • Gwendolyn Smith Sari Staver • Tony Taylor • Charlie Wagner Ed Walsh • Cornelius Washington • Sura Wood ART DIRECTION Max Leger PRODUCTION/DESIGN Ernesto Sopprani PHOTOGRAPHERS Jane Philomen Cleland • FBFE Rick Gerharter • Gareth Gooch Jose Guzman-Colon • Rudy K. Lawidjaja Georg Lester • Dan Lloyd • Jo-Lynn Otto Rich Stadtmiller • Kelly Sullivan • Fred Rowe Steven Underhil • Bill Wilson ILLUSTRATORS & CARTOONISTS Paul Berge • Christine Smith ADVERTISING/ADMINISTRATION Colleen Small Bogitini VICE PRESIDENT OF ADVERTISING Scott Wazlowski – 415.829.8937 NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE Rivendell Media – 212.242.6863

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GLAAD’s quixotic quest must end

GBT and allied organizations are often loathe to criticize one another, so it’s noteworthy when it happens. Last week, HuffPost reported that leaders from the Human Rights Campaign, American Civil Liberties Union, National LGBTQ Task Force, National Center for Transgender Equality, and the Center for American Progress sent a joint letter to GLAAD president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis imploring her organization to stop its campaign and fundraising for an LGBTQ constitutional amendment – basically an Equal Rights Amendment like the one that failed back in the 1970s, except this one would include sexual orientation and gender identity. GLAAD is promoting the idea, and, more importantly, raising money for it at the expense of a strategy that the other groups say is more realistic. GLAAD first floated this idea in June 2018, in an op-ed in the Advocate written by Ellis. At the time we said it was a dumb plan and now, others agree. Passing a constitutional amendment is exceedingly difficult. Of the 27 amendments that were ratified, the first 10 are commonly known as the Bill of Rights. The last amendment in 1992 was in regard to congressional compensation. In order to adopt an amendment Congress first has to pass it with a two-thirds vote, then it must garner support from three-fourths of the states, or 38. To be clear, Congress, with the Senate currently controlled by Republicans, will not pass an LGBTQ amendment. Even if Democrats manage to retake control after the 2020 election, it will likely be by a slim margin, meaning such an amendment could not muster the necessary super-majority vote. Representatives from the five groups spoke with Ellis about their objections before they wrote their letter. “While we certainly believe that the challenges facing the LGBTQ community require bold action, we also believe that advancing an amendment campaign is a harmful approach to our community,” read the August 17 letter to Ellis, signed by executives at the five LGBTQ and progressive advocacy groups. “As some of us discussed in a recent conversation with you, we have both process and substance concerns,” continued the letter, which was leaked to HuffPost. “GLAAD’s campaign has lacked meaningful engagement with the broader

Courtesy GLAAD

GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis.

movement representing the LGBTQ community – particularly state and national organizations that would be responsible for doing the work to pass such an amendment – and presents a serious risk to the community’s work at the state and federal level.” The five organizations asked that GLAAD not launch or cease engagement on the constitutional amendment campaign “to talk with us and key stakeholders about the campaign.” Aside from the political reality that an amendment would not pass, there are other, more harmful effects to consider, as HRC, ACLU, and the other groups noted. Powerful individuals or organizations hostile to civil rights want to amend the Constitution for their own purposes. Any serious push for an amendment likely would trigger the introduction of other amendments. Constitutional conventions, another, even more difficult way to amend the Constitution, open the door to potential amendments beyond the immediate topic at hand, the leaders wrote in their letter to Ellis. Since Ellis started promoting the amendment, political calculations have changed. First, Democrats retook the House of Representatives in last November’s midterm elections. Then, within months of the new session’s start in January, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) managed to get the Equality Act passed in the House.

This piece of legislation, not to be confused with the GLAAD constitutional amendment, would amend the 1964 Civil Rights Act to extend protections to include sexual orientation and gender identity. It’s a new attempt to include federal protections for LGBT Americans after the yearslong failed efforts to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. If Democrats keep control of the House, take back the Senate and President Donald Trump is voted out of office next year, there is a clear shot at seeing the Equality Act becoming the law of the land. “For the last 10 years, national and state LGBTQ advocacy organizations have been doing the hard work of coalition building, relationship building with non-LGBTQ and civil rights organizations, community consultation, and electoral engagement to lay the groundwork for significant movement on landmark legislation, culminating in the historic passage of the Equality Act last spring through the U.S. House of Representatives,” the LGBT groups’ letter to Ellis stated. “The Equality Act would have broad, lifesaving and immediate impact in the daily lives of LGBTQ people, from governmental action to private employment and public spaces.” Right now, at the national level, the LGBTQ community needs to focus on ousting Trump and getting Democrats elected to the Senate. It’s that simple. We need a Democratic president and Senate so that fair-minded people are nominated for federal judgeships and the Supreme Court. We don’t need constitutional conventions where homophobes blather on about wedding cakes and who can buy them. We don’t need our LGBT organizations – which, by the way, have budgets that pale in comparison to the National Rifle Association or the numerous Republican political action committees – spending resources on a perpetual campaign that has no chance of becoming reality. Again, we ask Ellis and GLAAD to drop their work on a constitutional amendment. It does not appear to fall within GLAAD’s mission of being a media watchdog, although we’ve argued it has sometimes strayed from this role to the point of irrelevance. GLAAD should cut its losses and work in support of the Equality Act; or, better yet, exit politics all together and stick to keeping an eye on popular culture and Hollywood. t

A call for solidarity with Palestinian queers by Rabab Ibrahim Abdulhadi, Mary Salome, Kate Raphael, and Deeg Gold

News Editor • news@ebar.com Arts Editor • arts@ebar.com Out & About listings • jim@ebar.com Advertising • scott@ebar.com Letters • letters@ebar.com Published weekly. Bay Area Reporter reserves the right to edit or reject any advertisement which the publisher believes is in poor taste or which advertises illegal items which might result in legal action against Bay Area Reporter. Ads will not be rejected solely on the basis of politics, philosophy, religion, race, age, or sexual orientation. Advertising rates available upon request. Our list of subscribers and advertisers is confidential and is not sold. The sexual orientation of advertisers, photographers, and writers published herein is neither inferred nor implied. We are not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or artwork.

n August 18, the Palestinian Authority Police Force issued a statement banning the activities of alQaws for Sexual and Gender Diversity in Palestinian Society and encouraging Palestinians to police, criminalize, and report on alQaws activities. Since its creation in 2001, alQaws has worked tirelessly to raise the consciousness of Palestinian society about LGBTQI+ people and groups throughout historic Palestine. In so doing, alQaws has deliberately and intentionally sought to decolonize Palestinian sexual history and expose colonial legacies that criminalized sexual activities through a Victorian code of morality that did not exist earlier in Arab and Muslim communities. AlQaws links sexual and gender justice with the anti-colonial struggle for justice in and for Palestine, refusing Israeli efforts to divide Palestinians from the West Bank, Gaza, Jerusalem, and 1948 Palestine. In 2010, they helped form Palestinian Queers for BDS, calling on queers worldwide to join the movement for boycott, divestment, and sanctions against Israel. AlQaws and Aswat Palestinian Feminist Center for Gender and Sexual Freedoms have committed to continue “to fight patriarchy, colonialism and homophobia across historical Palestine,” rejecting the PA’s ban as well as Israel’s attempts to divide the Palestinian people into separate zones of occupied existence. The Palestinian Authority is only the latest “government” to scapegoat queers for its own incompetence and corruption. Instead of fighting Israelicreeping annexation and violation of Palestinian rights, the PA reinforces Israel’s colonial and racist designs to present Palestinian

Courtesy NYC Queers Against Israeli Apartheid (https://bit.ly/2HFXZ95)

A banner displayed by New York City Queers Against Israeli Apartheid

society as exceptionally homophobic and misogynist. We in the U.S. are very familiar with and reject these divide and conquer tactics. The Palestinian Council of Human Rights Organizations rose quickly to defend alQaws. With the same vigor with which they denounce Israeli war crimes, Palestinian civil society groups have called on the Palestinian Authority to respect the indivisibility of human rights, equality, and democracy. Progressive Congresswomen Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota), whom Israel has barred from visiting Palestine, responded by declaring what we all know to be just and right, “LGBTQ rights are human rights” and looking to Palestinian queers for leadership in how to support them. AlQaws posted the following statement on its Facebook page, asking the international

community to support the group in five ways: “1) Center Palestinian LGBTQ voices in your reporting: We are constantly talked about but our voices are rarely heard. When reporting on issues that pertain to LGBTQ Palestinians, just ask yourself: whose voice does this story center? If it doesn’t center the voices of LGBTQ Palestinians, then your actions might lead to more harm even if your intentions are to help. Come talk to us and hear our perspective. Do not simply copy and paste translated Hebrew/Israeli media to tell our story. AlQaws activists and staff always provide our names when interviewed, so if you read an article/ post with a claimed quote from us with no name attributed, you should know it is not from us. “2) Realize that colonialism, patriarchy, and homophobia are all connected forms of oppression. Singling out incidents of homophobia in Palestinian society ignores the complexities of See page 15 >>

Politics >>

August 29-September 4, 2019 • Bay Area Reporter • 5

Rick Gerharter

Mayor London Breed, shown here waving at spectators during the June Pride parade, was endorsed for a four-year term by the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic club, while the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club withheld its support.

SF LGBT Dem clubs weigh in on Nov. ballot by Matthew S. Bajko

an Francisco’s two main LGBT Democratic clubs found themselves largely aligned during last year’s June special elections for mayor and the District 8 supervisor seat. Both the Alice B. Toklas and the Harvey Milk clubs backed gay candidates Rafael Mandelman for supervisor and Mark Leno for mayor. A year later and the clubs find themselves diverging in several of this fall’s local electoral contests. While Alice endorsed Mayor London Breed’s bid for a full four-year term, Milk withheld its support in the race, which has Breed fending off challenges from six little known opponents. In the open contest for sheriff, due to Sheriff Vicki Hennessy’s decision not to seek re-election, Alice endorsed the only candidate in the race, Paul Miyamoto. Milk, however, again withheld its endorsement. Kevin Bard, president of the Milk club, told the Bay Area Reporter that Miyamoto did not seek the endorsement. He had reached out to the candidate in several emails but never received a response. “I don’t know why. Did someone tell him to blow us off? It was really strange,” said Bard, who was unsure if the club would have endorsed Miyamoto. While he wouldn’t reveal the vote count, Bard did tell the B.A.R. that Breed received hardly

any votes when Milk members met August 20 to decide the endorsements in various races. Her campaign did not answer the questions that the Milk club had sent it, instead sending Bard a list of her achievements since becoming mayor last July. He chalked up the mayor’s lack of support within the Milk club to her actions during last fall’s election. Breed opposed Proposition C, the local ballot measure aimed at addressing the city’s homelessness crisis through a tax on large businesses. She also came under withering criticism from Milk club members for supporting a school board candidate who had spoken out against rights for transgender students in the past. “Let’s just say Milk club members have a long memory,” said Bard. Alice co-chair Gina Simi declined to comment when asked why the club endorsed Miyamoto and to characterize the deliberations on this year’s mayoral endorsement. “We don’t comment on how or why PAC recommendations are made,” responded Simi, referring to the club’s political action committee that recommends the endorsements that are then voted on by Alice members. In the two hotly contested races for the District 5 supervisor seat and district attorney, the two clubs are firmly in opposite camps. Alice has thrown its support behind

Letter-writer Joseph Barrett calls Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota) a “fraud and a hypocrite” for not condemning the Palestine Authority’s ban on some LGBT activities, and “hold[s] her accountable for her myopic fixation on Israel at the expense of all other human rights violators across the world” [Mailstrom, August 22]. But Israel is very much her business, in a way the Palestinian Authority and most other countries aren’t. Israel, with per capita income of over $41,000, is the largest recipient of U.S. foreign aid, over $3 billion a year, and holds another $3.8 billion in U.S. loan guarantees (promises to repay debt if Israel defaults). The next largest aid recipient, Egypt, with per capita income of $2,573, receives $1.4 billion, less than half what Israel does. “Strong congressional support for Israel has resulted in Israel receiving benefits not readily available to other countries,” states Wikipedia.

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incumbent Supervisor Vallie Brown, a former aide to Breed who appointed Brown as her replacement on the board, and former prosecutor and San Francisco Police Commission president Suzy Loftus for district attorney. Milk, meanwhile, early endorsed tenants rights activist Dean Preston’s bid to replace Brown on the board and Deputy Public Defender Chesa Boudin in the race to succeed District Attorney George Gascón, who opted not to run for re-election this year. Snubbed by both clubs in the D.A. race were Deputy State Attorney General Leif Dautch and former Deputy State Attorney General Nancy Tung, as were District 5 candidates film producer Nomvula O’Meara and Ryan Lam. The mayoral, district attorney, and supervisorial races will all be decided by ranked-choice voting, though neither club opted to issue ranked endorsements this year. Last year, the Milk club dual endorsed Leno and former District 6 supervisor Jane Kim for mayor, while Alice gave Leno a first choice endorsement and Breed a second choice endorsement. In the rest of this year’s contests to be decided November 5, Milk and Alice see eye-to-eye on how voters should cast their ballots. Both clubs endorsed City Attorney Dennis Herrera and TreasurerTax Collector José Cisneros, the only LGBT citywide municipal officeholder in San Francisco. Neither incumbent drew an opponent this year. See page 6 >>

Letters >> Applauds Omar’s stance

Barry Schneider Attorney at Law

This U.S. aid is almost all used for military purposes, including policing and assaulting Palestinians; it also goes toward juicy contracts with U.S. firms like Boeing. In return, Israel has served not only as America’s off-shore base in the Middle East, but also as its deputy around the globe in projects with which the U.S. didn’t want to be identified, like training Guatemalan death squads or developing nukes for apartheid South Africa. Israel carries clout in domestic politics, too, through the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, and other lobbying groups, which squelch criticism and oust former representatives like Paul Findley or Cynthia McKinney who criticize. I applaud Omar’s brave stand. Not she but Israel needs to be held accountable, since, as she once said, it’s all about the Benjamins, and Israel gets more of ours than any other land. Jay Lyon San Francisco

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<< Commentary

6 • Bay Area Reporter • August 29-September 4, 2019

Exist, we must by Gwendolyn Ann Smith

t’s so damned hard to be transgender right now, and just existing is a radical act. It shouldn’t have to be like this. The Trump administration recently stepped into an upcoming U.S. Supreme Court case over a transgender woman, Aimee Stephens, who worked for a funeral home in Michigan, arguing against her rights. Its goal? To use this case to abolish all transgender rights under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by disallowing “sex” to be inclusive of transgender identities. “Title VII does not prohibit discrimination against transgender persons based on their transgender status,” said the Justice Department in the filing, “It simply does not speak to discrimination because of an individual’s gender identity or a disconnect between an individual’s gender identity and the individual’s sex.” The case itself, RG & GR Harris Funeral Homes v. EEOC & Aimee

Stephens, could have far-reaching ramifications, crumbling away any and all protections of transgender people at the federal level. At worst, the case could take us all the way back to dress codes that require all women to wear dresses and skirts to work like it was the 1950s. Also, I hasten to add, with the current makeup of the court, the cards are stacked against transgender rights. Transgender people – primarily black transgender women – are being killed at higher levels than ever before. Every one of the women murdered this year has been misgendered by police and the mainstream media, having their identity stripped away just as quickly as their murderers took their last breath. Death isn’t just at the hands of others and we are not the only targets of transphobia. Maurice Willoughby, a nontransgender man, was in a relationship with a transgender woman, Faith. In a video posted online, Willoughby was harassed by a number

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of other men for loving his partner. In the confrontation, he is pelted with transphobic and homophobic abuse. According to a friend of his, this was far from the first or last time. It will not happen again, however: Willoughby recently took his life after this harassment became more than he could bear. Again, it shouldn’t have to be like this. Just existing is a radical act. Those who oppose us want to strip away our rights, make us powerless and, ultimately, erase us. It’s not just the government. Religious leaders want to warn their parishioners against the evil we supposedly represent. The pope has likened the fight for transgender rights to nuclear weapons, and every wannabe evangelical preacher has set their sights on transgender people. A small but vocal offshoot of supposedly radical feminism – just like the religious right – wants to claim that transgender people are some sort of threat, not only to them but to society in general. They claim that evil machinations are stealing away masculine women and forcing them to be transgender, and that every transgender woman is simply a rapist in disguise. This, of course, is nonsense. Even many who might otherwise be allies are retreating, deciding it’s safer to still their tongue in a time when we need them the most, when their stance could literally be a matter of life and death for so many of us. We are vilified, ridiculed, and treated like filth. Many would like us to just shut up and go away. It really shouldn’t be like this, and just existing shouldn’t have to be a radical act. Yet, it is. Every day we rise again into the sunlight is a day when we oppose those who stand against us, another day when we declare our existence in a hostile world.

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Political Notebook

From page 5

Also securing support from both clubs was community college board member Ivy Lee and Public Defender Manohar “Mano” Raju, both of who are also unopposed. Breed appointed Raju to his position earlier this year following the death of Jeff Adachi in February, while she appointed Lee last August to Mandelman’s seat on the oversight body for City College of San Francisco. Alice and Milk also both endorsed school board member Jenny Lam, appointed by Breed in January to fill a vacancy. She is facing two challengers, as Kirsten Strobel and Robert K. Coleman both qualified for the ballot. And both clubs came out with the same endorsements for the six local ballot measures this fall. They are supporting all of them except for this year’s Proposition C, which Alice and Milk both say should be voted down. Backed by e-cigarette maker Juul, Prop C would overturn the city’s ban on vaping products and instead regulate their sale in the city. “San Francisco is fortunate to have two influential LGBTQ Dem clubs representing a wide range of voices; and it isn’t unusual for Alice and Milk to take different positions – we have in the past and I’m sure we will in the future,” replied Simi when asked about the clubs’

Christine Smith

We must do more than exist, however. We need to thrive. We need to show that, try as they might, our opponents cannot, and will not, beat us down. We need to live our lives undaunted, with honesty, and show that we deserve our own space and our own time. We need to be visible, willing to be seen, willing to stand up and stand out. Our opponents are more than willing to speak against us: it is time we wrested the microphone from their hand and make some noise. We can no longer afford to wait for someone else to come in and champion our needs. It is time for us to be our own saviors, and fight back against the injustices from the Trump administration and others. This, of course, isn’t easy. It never has been, and it certainly isn’t now. Even as I advocate such boldness, I know that this is a dangerous time. It becomes all the more important that we make sure to have each other’s back, and make sure we’re all doing OK.

We need to come together as a community, and find the places we can work together. I don’t just mean among those of us who are varying shades of trans or gender-nonconforming, but we need to find our common groups in the larger LGBTQ community, and in the struggle for racial injustice, and in fight against misogyny, and in sex worker rights, disability rights, abortion rights, and anywhere where we can forge common bonds together. Those who stand against us have little problem doing so. They’ll welcome any sort of evil within their ranks if it furthers their goals. I’m not saying we need to take on that same level of bile and putrescence, but we do need to work to find the places we can be stronger as a whole, and move forward as a group, even as we work on issues specific to us. It’s so damned hard to be transgender right now, and just existing is a radical act. Yet, exist we must. t

positions this election cycle. “We don’t consider it an indication of trouble brewing, in fact, our slates agree more than not, including on Prop C, which is looking to be a rather divisive topic in this election.” As for Bard, he told the B.A.R. that “of course there are going to be divisions there” in terms of the two clubs’ endorsements. “But, overall, there are a lot of similarities.” The vaping measure was particularly controversial for the Milk club, which was convulsed by accusations that Prop C backers had stacked membership in the club in order to ensure it would endorse the ballot measure. After its PAC came out with a neutral position rather than a firm no vote on Prop C, club leaders and members opposed to the measure rallied to secure a no endorsement. So-called packing tactics are a long tradition of San Francisco politics, where candidates or campaigns pack membership in a club with their supporters in a bid to sway the endorsement vote. The Milk club will be discussing ways to curtail the practice in September and its members could be voting on a package of reforms in October aimed at preventing its membership rolls from being manipulated by future campaigns.

the Political Notebook column, gay San Leandro school board member James Aguilar learned August 23 that the East Bay Stonewall Democratic Club is presenting him with its Emerging Leader Award during its seventh annual Pride Breakfast. The event is held prior to the Oakland Pride parade, taking place this year Sunday, September 8. Aguilar, 19, is aiming to run for a state Assembly seat either in 2022 or 2024. If elected, he could become the first LGBT state legislator from the East Bay, as well as the youngest out member of the Legislature. To learn more about the LGBT political club’s fundraiser event, visit https://eastbaystonewalldemocrats.org/event-3475864.t

Postscript

A day after being profiled by

Gwen Smith lacks putrescence. You can find her at www.gwensmith.com.

Web Extra: For more queer political news, be sure to check http://www.ebar.com Monday mornings for Political Notes, the notebook’s online companion. This week’s column reported on a major endorsement for gay San Diego mayoral candidate Todd Gloria. Keep abreast of the latest LGBT political news by following the Political Notebook on Twitter @ http://twitter.com/politicalnotes. Got a tip on LGBT politics? Call Matthew S. Bajko at (415) 8298836 or e-mail m.bajko@ebar.com.

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<< Community News

8 • Bay Area Reporter • August 29-September 4, 2019

South Bay targets LGBTQ hate crimes by Heather Cassell

he South Bay is working on getting a handle on hate crimes on two fronts: a countywide task force and a new program in San Jose. Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors Vice President Cindy Chavez announced August 21 her proposal for a new Hate Crimes Task Force. The following day, the San Jose Police Department launched the Safe Place program with Starbucks and Wells Fargo Bank, which includes an identifying decal posted at the business’ entrance. The city and county didn’t work together to coordinate their announcements but both occurred during the South Bay’s Pride Week. Chavez and James Gonzales, SJPD’s LGBT liaison officer, both told the Bay Area Reporter that it was a coincidence, but demonstrates that hate crimes are on officials’ minds. “I would like to be able to say that there was a call for people to take action against hate crimes and 24-hours later we came up with this and responded, but unfortunately, that didn’t happen. This has been in the works for quite a long time,” said Gonzales, a gay man, about the Safe Place program. “This to me feels like an answer to what was called for,” Gonzales said. “There are a lot of different pieces of it, but this is certainly one of them.” He said the police department wanted to come up with a way to help protect people who are experiencing violence and hate. “I think this is exactly the type of thing that those council members and supervisors were hoping is going to happen,” he added, referring to the San Jose City Council and the county board.

Pride, corporations, and police

Gonzales spoke with the B.A.R. August 23, an hour after the city’s police department raised the rainbow flag at its headquarters. It is reportedly the first time a Pride flag has flown outside a major city police department. The B.A.R. questioned Gonzales about the history between the LGBT community and the police and recent calls for corporations and police to get out of Pride in cities around the country. “We are not naive that there is a history of the LGBT community and the police that is not that bright,” he said. “We are aware that this is the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots. The chief wanted to raise the flag this week to show that we stand together with the community and with all of

the officers who are part of the LGBT community.” The Stonewall riots in New York City started when patrons at the Greenwich Village bar rose up against police during a raid, sparking the modern gay rights movement. Gonzales said he did not see any protests against police at last Sunday’s Silicon Valley Pride parade. Longtime lesbian leader Wiggsy Sivertsen rode in the car with San Jose Police Chief Edgardo “Eddie” Garcia, he said. The Safe Place program was launched by the Seattle Police Department in 2015 to provide places for LGBT victims of hate crimes to receive help. Since then, the program has expanded to more than 200 law enforcement agencies in North America and, in 2018, broadened its mission to include other communities targeted by hate, according to the Seattle Police Department’s website. It is not affiliated with the National Safe Place Network, which is a youth outreach and prevention service for people under 18. The Safe Place program that originated in Seattle has been successful in more than 130 cities around the world, Gonzales said. Seattle is Starbucks’ home with its headquarters and first store at Pike Place Market. The coffee giant touts its inclusivity and LGBT-friendly policies and consistently receives a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index. San Jose is the third city in which Starbucks has been an inaugural partner in the Safe Place program. In 2017, Starbucks partnered with the Los Angeles Police Department with the launch of its Safe Place program, said Tim Dubenko, regional director of operations for Starbucks. “We are really proud to partner with the San Jose Police Department to really enhance public safety in the area for the LGBT community and other citizens who are victims of harassment or a hate crime,” said Dubenko, who’s an ally. All 62 of San Jose’s Starbucks locations are designated “safe places” for community members to seek help when needed, Dubenko told the B.A.R. Designated employees are trained on how to handle situations when customers request assistance. The corporation’s partnering in different cities demonstrates its commitment to the community and public safety “speaks volumes to how successful” the program is, he said. Adrienne Keel, director of the LGBTQ programs at the LGBTQ Youth Space in San Jose, a part of Family & Children Services of Silicon Valley, a division of Caminar, praised the new

don’t report it or we don’t have people on those beats,” she said. “I just don’t know. “That’s something that the task force can actually have a conversation about,” she added. Chavez was happy to learn about San Jose’s new Safe Place program. “I think it’s great,” she said.

Benefits

Jo-Lynn Otto

Tim Dubenko, regional director of operations for Starbucks, affixes a Safe Place sticker on a Starbucks in downtown San Jose.

program. She told the B.A.R., “We have had folks who have experienced things,” explaining the space and its staff respond according to how a youth chooses to handle the situation. The Safe Place decal at the entrance of a business is one more tool for targeted communities, like the LGBT community, to know they are supported, Keel said. “They should have as much accessibility to a safe place to report as possible,” she said. She added that it was important that Starbucks and Wells Fargo stood up for the LGBT community by participating in the program. “It’s pretty important these businesses that people frequent all of the time [are] really stepping up,” by doing this extra thing showing that “we want our communities to feel safe. We want our communities to feel supported,” said Keel. “I wish more big businesses would take it upon themselves to do more for the community, not just profit off of us, but actually do what they can to make these safe spaces.” Added Gonzales, “If you are walking down the street and you see these stickers in these businesses ... you are going to know that the police department cares and the business community cares, and they are going to do something about it.” Garcia added in an August 23 news release from SJPD, “The program is not just targeting victims – people who might consider spreading hate should take notice that this community has banded together. San Jose is not a safe haven for your bigotry.” He hopes the program will expand all over the city so that people won’t have to go too far to see one of the emblems displayed at a business and have the confidence that they can go there to report a hate crime if necessary. Four businesses applied to become safe places within the first 24 hours

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of the program’s launch, with much help from Starbucks and Wells Fargo’s brand recognition, said Gonzales, praising the corporations for showing “their value and setting an example for other companies.”

Hate on the rise

Chavez and Gonzales recognize that hate is on the rise in Santa Clara County and other cities and counties across the U.S. San Jose is the 10th largest city in the U.S., according to PolitiFact, and the third largest city in California, according to California Demographics. In 2015, the B.A.R. reported that county officials estimated that LGBTQ people account for 4% of its population, which at the time totaled 1,894,605 people, based on 2014 census figures, the most recent available. A Gallup survey released in March of that year looked at LGBT residents of the country’s top 50 metro areas, and found that the LGBT population in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara area was 3.2%, or 3,368 residents age 18 and older. In 2016, there were 40 hate crimes reported in the county, with 19 reported in San Jose. According to California Attorney General Xavier Becerra’s 2018 “Hate Crime in California” report, 58 hate crime events were reported throughout Santa Clara County, with 37 of those occurring in San Jose. Figures for 2017 indicated there were 57 reported incidents countywide, with 45 taking place in San Jose. ABC7 News reported last week that there have been at least 19 incidents of reported hate crimes in San Jose so far this year. Hate crimes are defined as “any criminal act or attempted act intended to frighten, harm, injure, intimidate or harass an individual, in whole or in part, because of the victim’s actual or perceived disability, gender, nationality, race, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation.” “The last couple of years, the numbers have been much higher than they were than, say, five years ago,” said Gonzales. He noted that San Jose’s hate crime numbers are consistent with other cities. “We’ve all sort of seen an increase in hate crimes the last couple of years.” There are a couple of reasons for the increase in hate crimes, Gonzales believes. One is there is an increase of hate in general. Second, law enforcement and local governments are pushing for people to report when they are victims of hate crimes. Chavez, the county supervisor, said she has noticed that unlike other communities, such as ethnic and immigrant communities that have experienced hate and been speaking up, the South Bay’s LGBT community hasn’t garnered as many headlines when incidents happen. “We hear about some horrendous things I’ve never seen in the paper,” she said. She doesn’t know why more hate crimes against LGBT people in Silicon Valley don’t make headlines. “I don’t know if it’s because we

Chavez and Gonzales anticipate a rise in reported hate crimes due to the Safe Place program and the new task force. San Jose’s police department is “working harder to get people to report hate crimes,” said Gonzales. “With more people reporting we will see more of them recorded.” “That’s really the goal, because we know that they are underreported,” Gonzales added. “These crimes are happening, they just are not getting reported and we are not catching the people who are doing it as frequently as we would like.” Chavez, who represents District 2, said there are benefits of the rise in reported hate crimes. First, she hopes more victims will be connected to services offered through the district attorney’s hate crimes team and perpetrators will be prosecuted. Second, she said, “We are going to have a stronger understanding of these kind of crimes and then how to stop them from happening.” Hate crimes are a community-wide issue, they both said. “Hate is a societal problem and when there are problems in society the police are not going to be the only answer to solving it,” Gonzales said. “This is a community-wide problem, so it’s going to take the community to solve it,” added Chavez. In Chavez’s view, hate crimes aren’t only crimes perpetrated due to race, status of immigration or nationality, or sexual orientation and gender identity, but also violence within families and upon women. Hate crimes are actions “intended to demean another human being to be dominant over another person,” she said. “We’ve got to be really thinking more broadly about the implications of crimes of hate in our community.” Chavez wants to identify early indicators of violent behavior and work with young people, who can lead the way to reducing these types of crimes. She also expressed an interest in considering alternatives to imprisonment, such as harm reduction programs. “We are going to need to think very creatively about how to start to really get into our communities and address these issues,” she said, talking about working with police, public health experts, community organizations, and others. “We’ve got to include all of these communities that make all of these different parts of our community ... in order to really address this.” Chavez said it was important “to make sure that we are doing something that is actually going to have meaning for the community [and] real outcome for the community.” “As a community, we want to be able to stand together and say, ‘Nope, not on our watch. That’s not going to happen here,’” she said. The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors will formally propose the Hate Crimes Task Force at its regular meeting September 10, at 9:30 a.m. at 70 West Hedding Street, first floor, in San Jose. Chavez hopes to launch the task force by the beginning of October. t Businesses can sign up for the Safe Place program at sjpd.org/cop/ safeplace. For resources for reporting and getting services for hate crimes, visit sjpd.org/reportingcrime/hatecrimes.html or www.sccgov.org/ sites/da/prosecution/DistrictAttorneyDepartments/Pages/HateCrimes-Team.aspx.

International News>>

t Serbia blocks LGBT parenting

August 29-September 4, 2019 • Bay Area Reporter • 9

by Heather Cassell

erbian officials have blocked future access to same-sex couples forming families in the country after its first lesbian prime minister and her partner became parents earlier this year. The birth of their son in February made PM Ana Brnabic the first gay world leader to become a parent while in office. LGBT Serbians applauded Brnabic and her partner, Milica Djurdjic, who had the baby, viewing their family as a sign of hope. That was until a month later, when Health Minister Zlatibor Loncar banned all family planning for same-sex couples and people with a history of being in a gay relationship in the last five years. Loncar put the kibosh on donations of reproductive cells used for artificial insemination in Serbia, in vitro fertilization, and even laboratory tests for same-sex couples. Same-sex couples adopting is banned in Serbia. However, regardless of an individual’s sexual orientation, single people can adopt in the Balkan country. Now Serbian same-sex couples have to do what Brnabic and Djurdjic reportedly did, go abroad to create their families. If a samesex couple in Serbia decides to seek medical treatment abroad to have children, the state doesn’t recognize them both as parents, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported. Only the biological mother has legal rights in such cases. Some Serbian LGBT organizations have responded by filing complaints and calling for the ministry to amend or annul the policy, alleging it a violation of the law. “This bylaw violates the Law on the Prohibition of Discrimination as well as the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia,” Dragoslava Barzut, executive director of the Belgrade-based LGBT rights group De Se Zna, told RFE/RL. He said that it isn’t in line with other laws. The ministry, Brnabic, and other government agencies have remained silent on the issue. Overall, Brnabic has been limit-

Courtesy RFE/RL

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic

ed on taking action toward LGBT rights in Serbia, but she’s also done little to defend gay rights since she was elected as prime minister by Serbian lawmakers in 2017. She is a close ally of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. Serbia hasn’t won any points in international human rights circles for challenging LGBT rights as it attempts to join the European Union. Brankica Jankovic, Serbia’s commissioner for the protection of equality, is currently reviewing the law to provide a legal opinion regarding the groups’ complaints of discrimination and whether they have merit. The bylaw didn’t have to go through a public opinion process before being passed and signed into law by the health minister. If Jankovic declares her opinion in favor of LGBT rights advocates, the ministry will have 30 days from the decision to withdraw or amend the policy. Additionally, under Serbian law, the ministry could be forced to make a public apology to the LGBT community.

SMUG files appeal to register its name

Ugandan LGBT activists are pushing forward with a case against the African country’s government, accusing it of violating their right to freedom and assembly and association. The Uganda Registration Services Bureau has refused to legally

register Sexual Minorities Uganda, which is an umbrella organization of Uganda’s LGBT organizations. According to reports, at an August 23 meeting with litigants and LGBT community members and allies in Kampala, Justine Balya, an officer with Human Rights Awareness and Promotion Forum, told them, “The judge believes registering SMUG is immoral.” She also noted that it was “highly uncommon” for a court to “award costs in public interest litigation,” she said. LGBT activists Frank Mugisha, executive director of SMUG; Denis Wamala, formerly of the LGBTI support group Icebreakers Uganda; and Ssenfuka Warry of Freedom and Roam Uganda filed a lawsuit in 2016 against the bureau with Uganda’s High Court. The court dismissed the activists’ application on June 27, 2018. The activists filed an appeal in September 2018, making five claims. The activists believe the court erred in its judgment, misconstruing the Constitution of Uganda and law. They argue in the appeal that SMUG’s work isn’t unlawful and the ruling goes against Uganda’s constitution in a number of contradictory and unlawful ways, including awarding costs to the respondent. t Got international LGBT news tips? Call or send them to Heather Cassell at WhatsApp: 415-5177239, or Skype: heather.cassell, or oitwnews@gmail.com.

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<< Sports

10 • Bay Area Reporter • August 29-September 4, 2019

East Bay Front Runners plan Pride Run by Roger Brigham

ast Bay Front Runners and Walkers will hold its 15th annual Pride Run and Walk this year Saturday, October 12 – the day after National Coming Out Day. The race event offers a 5-kilometer walk, and 5K and 10K runs, around Lake Merritt in Oakland. The Bay Area is rich in LGBTfriendly running clubs, ranging from track and field clubs to those for diehard marathon and ultra marathon runners. East Bay Front Runners and Walkers is one of the clubs designed for road runners, serious or casual, who love to share their interest with others through the beautiful vistas the East Bay has to offer, then unwind over brunch and coffee. Don Fritsche encountered the club in 2006. “I was running marathons at the time and was looking for a gay running group,” Fritsche, 56, told the Bay Area Reporter. “I thought San Francisco had the only one, but on the internet I found four in the Bay Area. I liked the idea I wouldn’t have to drive to San Francisco. One Saturday I decided to go and I’ve never stopped going.” The club organizes weekly Saturday runs, followed by a meal at a local eatery. It is welcoming of casual runners and walkers as well as more serious racers. It also has a better gender balance than many clubs, with about 30% of its membership female. In addition to the runs and walks, the club gets together for potluck meals, movie nights, museum tours, ballgames, wine tastings, and weekend outings. “At the time I joined, I was running about 20 marathons a year and was looking for something else,” Fritsche said. “When I went, the president at the time was very friendly and came

Courtesy Facebook

East Bay Front Runners and Walkers members gathered at their annual meeting in January.

up and greeted me. They were super friendly and it was very welcoming. And then you get to know people and start making friends and it becomes like a second family. I liked that the people weren’t too serious. I love the sport but I don’t luuuuuuv the sport.” Friendly and welcoming, indeed. Fritsche fit in so rapidly he was elected an officer six months after joining and has been a club leader ever since. Currently he is the vice president, serving on the board of directors with club president Darlene Hall, treasurer Terry Hudson, secretary Ann House, and officer-at-large Wayne Ventus. The club was founded in 1984 as part of the growing International Frontrunners movement. The 9 a.m. Saturday runs and walks rotate among six locations in Alameda,

Oakland, Emeryville, Orinda, San Leandro, and Castro Valley. The walks are about three or four miles each and the runs usually vary from about three to eight miles. Sliding annual club membership fees vary from $20 for seniors and students up to $36 for a household. “My favorite course is probably the San Leandro Marina and Lake Chabot in Castro Valley,” Fritsche said. “One is flat and by the Bay, and the other is hilly and inland. You can go to the website and check out the locations for a Saturday run. You don’t have to pay for the first one.” This year’s Pride Run and Walk will start at 9 a.m. at the Lake Merritt Boat House. Medals will be given to the top three placers in each event and rainbow socks and ribbons will be given to all finishers. Recent races have drawn around 150 to 190 entrants and this year, organizers are hoping to break the 200 mark. Online registration is open at www.eastbayfrontrun-

ners.org and costs $25. That fee goes up to $30 the day of the race. Proceeds benefit the Pacific Center for Human Growth in Berkeley and the Oakland LGBTQ Community Center.

Cal football Pride celebration November 9

The UC Berkeley men’s football team will take on Pac-12 rival Washington State Saturday, November 9, at California Memorial Stadium as part of the program’s Pride celebration. Kickoff time has not yet been announced. Special event promotional tickets cost $35 and come with a commemorative T-shirt, special section seating, and access to a party at Maxwell Field starting three hours before kickoff. Event tickets are available at http:// www.calbears.com.

Turkey bans LGBT sports festival

Organizers said this week that

the third annual Queer Olympix, scheduled to be held last weekend in Istanbul, was canceled at the last minute by Turkish officials. Volunteer organizer Elif Kaya told Agence France-Presse that when workers started to set up the event on Saturday, August 24, “We saw police and two water cannons. We were told that we did not have permission to do our event. They waited until the last minute to prevent us from appealing.” Soccer team Atletik Dildao confirmed the cancellation through its social media accounts, writing on Instagram, “This morning, we learned that our event Queer Olympix was banned by the Kadıköy district as a precaution against the provocations that may occur due to social sensitivities. The reason given is to prevent possible crimes, to protect public health, public order, and public morality in accordance with the law.” Atletik Dildao continued its protest on its Facebook page, writing, “We learned that if we do the long jump, it threatens public health, public order, and public morality. The decision was issued in the last minute while it could have been done anytime throughout the year.” Turkish authorities have been increasingly intolerant of LGBT rights in recent years. A Pride parade in Istanbul, which had been staged successfully since 2003, was banned starting in 2014. Organizers had anticipated 130 participants in sports from beach volleyball to soccer. Atletik Dildao said police followed participants gathered for the event back to their homes. “All of this demonstrates one thing: These bans are to oppress us not only physically, but also psychologically, to ignore our efforts, and to reject our existence,” the group said. “We invite the state to use its resources to prevent hate crimes instead of using it to prevent LGBTQ athletes from taking the field.”t

EQCA to hold womxn brunch in SF compiled by Cynthia Laird

visit www.youthspace.org/donate and in the comments section mention LGBTQ rotary. For those unable to make the October 5 drop-off, contact Renee Johnson at (408) 832-8723 or renee@reneejdesigns.com with questions or to arrange a pick-up.

alifornia Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis (D) will be the special guest speaker at Equality California’s Womxn brunch Saturday, September 7, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Manny’s, 3092 16th Street in San Francisco. Lesbian former San Francisco supervisor and current EQCA board member Leslie Katz is co-chairing the brunch, along with Valerie Ploumpis, the group’s national policy director. This is a new series of events that the statewide LGBT advocacy organization is holding. Others are planned for Palm Springs around its Pride weekend in November and in Los Angeles next year. Tickets are $100 and include brunch and a hosted bar. To purchase tickets, go to https://one.bidpal.net/womxnsf/welcome.

Tenderloin Pride coming up

Tenderloin Pride will celebrate the unique culture of the San Francisco neighborhood and its place in queer history with a benefit reception and street fair next weekend. Aja Monet-Ashton, an organizer of the Pride events, said the reception takes place Saturday, September 7, at the Tenderloin Museum, 398 Eddy Street. On Sunday, September 8, the public is invited to a free street fair and festival on Vicki Mar Lane (on the 100 block of Turk Street). Both events run from noon to 4 p.m.

LGBTQ adult prom in San Mateo

Drew Altizer Photography

Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, speaking at her inauguration in January, will headline Equality California’s brunch.

Monet-Ashton said that proceeds from the fundraiser will go to the Compton’s Transgender Cultural District. It is sponsored by Kima Exclusive, Krewe de Kinque, the House of W, the Cinch Saloon, Dalda’s Grocery store, and Aunt Charlie’s Lounge. Tickets for the reception are $25. VIP tickets, which include beverages and an exclusive gift bag, are $50. For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/ events/2438208679749856/.

Donation drive for LGBTQ Youth Space

The Rotary Club Silicon Valley LGBTQ (forming) is seeking support for its first project – a donation drive – that will benefit the LGBTQ Youth Space in San Jose during September. People can make a monetary donation online or drop off items Saturday, October 5, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the parking lot at West-

minster Presbyterian Church, 1100 Shasta Avenue in San Jose. Items on the Youth Space’s wish list include feminine and masculine underwear (various sizes); bras, including sports bras, in a variety of back sizes but smaller cup sizes; compression garments (aka binders), the recommended brand is GC2B; reusable water bottles; backpacks and duffle bags; tennis shoes; non-perishable food items; and monetary donations for genderaffirming haircuts. Organizers noted that all donated items should be new and in their original, unopened packaging. Donations are tax-deductible and the Youth Space can provide a letter to comply with a company’s giving standards. To make a financial donation,

The San Mateo Pride Center will hold what it said is the first LGBTQ adult prom on the Peninsula with “Somewhere Over the Rainbow – A Peninsula MasQueerade,” Saturday, September 14, from 8 p.m. to midnight at Three Craft Kitchen and Bar, 50 East Third Avenue in San Mateo. Organizers said that it will be a night of dancing and joyous celebration in support of LGBTQ people. With the success of its youth prom the last couple of years, the adult prom came about from community requests to reclaim the prom experience for people who didn’t have the chance to be their authentic selves in the past and who are ready to celebrate now. The event is for those 21 and over. Tickets are $75. For tickets and more information, visit https://sanmateopride.org/.

SF Pride annual meeting

The San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration Committee will hold its annual general membership meet-

ing Saturday, September 21, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the LGBT Community Center, 1800 Market Street. According to SF Pride officials, nominees running for three open seats on the board of directors will be introduced. Attendees can hear why they want to take on this role and can ask questions. Members in good standing (dues paid and enrolled by July 24) will be able to vote for the candidates. In other news, SF Pride will be moving its offices to 1663 Mission Street, Suite 305, as of October 1. SF Pride’s phone number will remain the same at (415) 864-0831.

Celebrate with GLBT Historical Society

Come celebrate high above it all at the GLBT Historical Society’s annual gala, “Reunion: Chosen Family,” Friday, October 18, from 6 to 9 p.m. on the Ohana Floor at Salesforce Tower, 415 Mission Street in San Francisco. There will be food and drink by Betty Zlatchin Catering, entertainment by Juanita MORE! and a silent auction featuring artifacts, fine art, and unique experiences. Attendees must purchase tickets in advance, as none will be available at the door due to Salesforce security policies. The Bay Area Reporter is the LGBT media sponsor of the event. Tickets are $175 per person and can be purchased at https://one.bidpal.net/reunion/welcome. t

Travel >>

August 29-September 4, 2019 • Bay Area Reporter • 11

Healdsburg offers a luxurious fall escape by Heather Cassell

onoma is one of my favorite getaways anytime of the year, but in the fall, wine country truly comes alive with the harvest and crush season. The vines neatly lining the rolling hills between the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Mayacamas Mountains to the east – that divide Sonoma and Napa valleys – are quite picturesque and awash with green, gold, and burnt red. The landscape, with plump clusters of burgundy grapes peeking out from beneath the shade of the autumn leaves, charms, seduces, and takes your breath away. Even locals born and raised in the region, and long used to the pastoral setting, fall for Sonoma’s natural beauty year after year. Gay residents of Healdsburg gushed about the beauty of the wine town and Sonoma County. A favorite thing for couples to do is simply go on a drive, or, if they are lucky enough to have a view of the vineyards from their backyard, sit and soak in the scenery. “It’s the prettiest time of the year,” said Osvaldo “Ozzy” Jimenez, 32, a gay man who was born and raised in Santa Rosa, south of Healdsburg. Jimenez co-owns Mustache Baked Goods (https://moustachebakedgoods.com) and Noble Folk Ice Cream & Pie Bar (https://thenoblefolk.com) with his business and life partner, Christian Sullberg, 31, who was born and raised in Healdsburg. “Growing up here, my favorite time is just going out and checking out vineyards,” said Jimenez. “You can just literally go on a drive in Dry Creek Valley and just see like rows and rows of peaceful autumn vineyards. It’s just a really great time of the year.” Chris Kren-Mora said the countryside is beautiful. “You can drive up and down from the north side to the south side and it’s gorgeous,” said Kren-Mora, 44, a gay Sonoma County native who’s director of marketing and technology for Sonoma County LGBTQI Pride (www.sonomacountypride.org) and the Pinot on the River festival (http:// pinotfestival.com). Eric Hall, founder of Pinot on the River, said, “Sometimes, when I get back from out of town ... I don’t know why I go anywhere.”

Courtesy Healdsburg Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau/Barbara Bourne

Harvest season in Healdsburg brings vibrant fall colors.

Hall, a 58-year-old gay man, is owner and winemaker of Roadhouse Winery (www.roadhousewinery. com). He likes to simply sit outside his house overlooking his vineyards and the Dry Creek Valley. “It’s glorious,” he said. If beauty isn’t enough to entice you to visit Healdsburg and Sonoma County, there are also an increasing number of LGBT people and queerowned businesses located in towns throughout wine country. Gary Saperstein, owner of Out in the Vineyard (http://www. outinthevineyard. com), said he believes Sonoma’s LGBT community “is just blossoming.” “I see more and more LGBT people moving up to Sonoma County,” said the 59-year-old gay man who is originally from New York but has claimed Sonoma as his home for 24 years. “I think it’s really amazing.” These are all good reasons to head to Healdsburg, the heart of Sonoma’s wine region. Hall calls Dry Creek Valley “Rodeo Drive,” as it has nearly 50 of some of the best wineries to visit, including his own and its newly opened tasting room. Another wine tasting route near Healdsburg is the Alexander Valley, which offers 30 wineries to explore, according to Wine Road (http:// www.wineroad.com), the area’s wine association.

An emerging destination is Westside Road, with nearly 20 wineries listed on the Westside Road Wineries Association’s website (http://www. westsideroadwineries.com). Saperstein said that taking a casual road trip is the best way to enjoy the scenery and discover a variety of wineries. “You can just go driving along these one-lane roads and there are all these small little wineries that most people have never even heard of and I love that. I absolutely love that,” he said. Overall, Sonoma boasts of 254 wineries derived from 17 designated American Viniculture Areas, the latest being the Fountaingrove District named earlier this year. The region continues to recover from the wildfires during the past two years that have caused a drop in

visitors, Hall noted, but wine country is rebounding. It doesn’t take much to convince my girlfriend and I to pack up the car and escape Silicon Valley and head north on Highway 101, which we do several times a year. “Every region in Sonoma County has something to offer that’s different than the other [regions],” said Saperstein. However, Healdsburg, he added, “stands out.” “Healdsburg definitely has that upscale luxury or hip kind of vibe to it than other communities here in Sonoma County,” he said. There are also a growing number of gay-owned businesses around the square in town, including the gay-owned Kobler Estate Winery (https://koblerestatewinery.com) and the aforementioned Roadhouse Winery, Mustache, and Noble Folk.

Jimenez and Sullberg recently expanded Noble Folk, opening a store on the square in Santa Rosa. They are proud of the fact that their team is made up of talented mostly queer and nonbinary-identified people, Jimenez said. For the first time this year, their Healdsburg businesses raised rainbow flags for Pride Month in June and haven’t taken them down. “We’ve never really flown a Pride flag outside of our business, but we did this year and they are staying up,” said Jimenez, who added that when he and his partner were growing up, they did not see positively reaffirming LGBTQ imagery in the area. I definitely see the change. Not that LGBT people haven’t been welcomed and embraced in Sonoma, as Saperstein pointed out to me, but community members are welcomed everywhere in wine country. Healdsburg is a great destination for queer travelers. Earlier this year, I ventured out on a solo journey to Healdsburg to discover what was new in the wine town.

Where to eat and sip

Food is the perfect pairing with wine. Healdsburg’s wine scene has been stellar for quite some time and, now, the foodie scene is heating up, too. “They have a great culinary scene going on up there, no doubt about that, they really do,” Saperstein told me. “Their dining scene is really just phenomenal.” The plaza in Healdsburg offers travelers a sampling of what they can find venturing out along the wine country roads, with about 20 wine tasting rooms. Another 11 new wine tasting rooms are located not See page 12 >>

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<< Travel

12 • Bay Area Reporter • August 29-September 4, 2019

Healdsburg

From page 11

far from the town’s center at the Old Roma Station and are within walking distance of each other. More than 30 restaurants also line the square and surrounding streets. Earlier this year, Healdsburg got its first Michelin 3-star restaurant, SingleThread Farm Restaurant and Inn (http://www.singlethreadfarms. com), which I noted to check out with my girlfriend on another trip. For a long time the Michelin honor was held by the Madrona Manor (www.madronamanor.com/healdsburg-restaurant), which consistently received a 1-star rating from 2008 to 2017. Two restaurants have received Michelin Bib Gourmand stars: Bravas Bar de Tapas (https://starkrestaurants. com/stark-restaurant/bravas-bar-detapas), which I’ve visited, and Chalkboard (www.chalkboardhealdsburg. com), which I haven’t tried yet. Bib Gourmand stars are reserved for smaller, local favorite eateries that offer a good value. Michelin rated or not, overall, Healdsburg and Sonoma are a foodies’ paradise. To get a sampling of Healdsburg’s gastronomical scene, I joined Savor Healdsburg Food Tours (https:// savorhealdsburgfoodtours.com) as a guest for a morning of restaurant hopping. The tour stopped in some of my favorite dining spots around the square, but I was also introduced to some new places, such as Journeyman Meat Company (https://journeymanmeat.com). The meat company was founded by members of the Seghesio Family Vineyards (http://www.seghesio. com), which has been rooted in Healdsburg since 1886. The technique of curing the fine artesian salumi, sausages, and cured meat sold at the shop was learned from the masters in Italy and brought back to California. The meats are incred-

ibly delicious, especially when paired with a new line of wines that have the Seghesio signature craftsmanship. I also enjoyed the chef specialty, Dungeness crab cioppino, which was messy deliciousness with fat, sweet crab and other seafood, as a guest of Spoonbar (https://spoonbar.com) at the trendy h2 hotel (https://h2hotel. com) on the plaza. On the other side of the square, I was pleasantly surprised when I checked out a highly unique Japanese tea house, the Taste of Tea (http:// thetasteoftea.com). The tea lounge offers guests unique teas from Japan, China, and Taiwan and tea therapy in its intimate spa. There is also a Japanese menu that includes a variety of gourmet ramen and a selection of sake and sake cocktails.

What to do

Certainly, eating and drinking around the plaza offers plenty to do during a weekend getaway to Healdsburg, but Sonoma County offers a wide variety of events year-round, especially during harvest season. In the fall, pinot lovers gather for the Pinot on the River festival, now in its 16th year and at a new location. More than 1,000 pinot noir lovers and their friends come out annually to the one-day event to taste and enjoy more than 50 wineries celebrating the grape varietal, along with a variety of food vendors, said Hall. This year the event is Saturday, October 5, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Santa Rosa’s Old Courthouse Square. The spacious new location will allow for more people, including children and pets, than its previous location, he said. Hall hopes that the easy access to the event, the larger venue, and making Sonoma County LGBTQI Pride the main beneficiary organization will inspire more people to come and experience the wine tasting event. “It’s like a big block party really ... where you get a chance to try a lot of very fine wine and there are a

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Courtesy Roadhouse Winery/Brian Watson

Roadhouse Winery owner and Pinot on the River founder Eric Hall examines clusters of pinot grapes to be crafted into fine wine.

lot of food options there too, so it’s a very pleasant day,” said Hall, a fan of pinot noir long before the movie “Sideways” popularized the grape 15 years ago. The cherished varietal and the movie inspired not only his winery after he escaped the hustle and bustle of San Francisco’s dot-com boom in 2000, but to launch Pinot on the River. “This is a nice way to shake it up a little bit and expose some new people to our beautiful area and the wines we make up here,” Hall said. “Pinot remains popular.” The move from Healdsburg to Santa Rosa has received a positive response, said Kren-Mora, who has worked with Roadhouse Winery sponsoring smaller events for Pride. Early bird tickets to the event are $50 per person (https://bit. ly/2Hk642Y) and on sale until September 15.

Gay rodeo, Women’s Weekend

Wine is a big draw for LGBT oenophiles and their families, but there’s also the Best Buck in the Bay gay rodeo, happening September 1315 at Duncans Mills in the Russian River Valley. The all-volunteer three-day rodeo, now in its 28th year, is an all-inclusive event produced by the Bay Area Rodeo (http://bayarearodeo.com), one of two chapters in California’s Golden State Gay Rodeo Association. Up to 850 spectators typically come out to watch dozens of contestants demonstrate their skills with lassos, riding horses, “tackling bulls,” and other traditional animal-friendly rodeo events on Saturday and Sunday, said Bruce “Grumpy” Roby, rodeo director of the Bay Area chapter of the Golden State Gay Rodeo Association. It costs about $60,000 to produce the event, which raises money for charity.

This year’s community organization hasn’t been selected yet, he said. “The rodeo is very family-friendly,” said Roby, adding that the full rodeo happens on both days so you won’t miss anything if you decide to go wine tasting on one of the days. “It is really a great time for the weekend. It’s a beautiful part of the country.” The 59-year old gay man, who has been a part of the rodeo for 22 years, added that there’s also a country western dance party under the stars Saturday night. This year’s event will be unique because contestants from across the United States will be competing for prize money and buckles due to several states not hosting rodeos this year, said Roby. Even the judges are coming from as far away as Washington, D.C. and other states to score and award the prizes to rodeo winners, he explained. “It’s going to be quite a great experience,” he said, listing states where contestants will be traveling from, such as Illinois and Texas, to compete. “There’s going to be a lot of good competition, with some of the Texas horse riders and rough stock riders coming to California,” he noted. Tickets are $10 per day Saturday and Sunday. Children under 12 years of age get in free. The following weekend, women will take over Guerneville for the 39th annual Women’s Weekend Russian River (http://www.womensweekendrussianriver.com) at the R3 Resort, September 20-22. Tickets are $60 (http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/4070866). At Christmastime the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus will perform its annual concert at the Green Music Center at Sonoma State University (https://gmc.sonoma.edu/sfgmc/) on December 15. Tickets are $25 to $85.

Staying in the luxury of Healdsburg and attending events in Guerneville or Santa Rosa is only a short 20- to 30-minute drive to each town.

Where to sleep

Depending on your taste and purpose of your adventure in Healdsburg you can find the perfect accommodation to make your trip to wine country memorable. Each hotel where I was a guest or toured is unique, from artsy to sleek minimalism to high-tech to classic to modern wine country. Most of these hotels were either on the square or a block off of the square with one exception – the Honor Mansion. For a classic luxury romantic getaway, I suggest Hotel Healdsburg (www.hotelhealdsburg.com) and Honor Mansion (www.honormansion.com) with its cabins and suites that include a backyard hot tub and sitting area to relax and enjoy with a glass of wine. For a more modern luxury romantic escape, the Duchamp Hotel (www.duchamphotel.com) and the recently opened Harmon Guest House (https://harmonguesthouse. com) are excellent options. For a simple getaway with the gang, the Duchamp Hotel, Harmon Guest House, and the aforementioned h2 hotel offer suites that can accommodate small groups and families right in the heart of the action in Healdsburg. Healdsburg made it easy to create your perfect visit to the town with Stay Healdsburg (http://www. stayhealdsburg.com), which was launched in the spring.

Getting there

Healdsburg is conveniently located off of Highway 101 and is an easy drive. It’s about an hour and 15 minutes from San Francisco and Oakland and nearly two hours from San Jose. t

We’ve expanded our services and kept the spirit and tradition.

Call (415) 771-0717 One Loraine Court between Stanyan & Arguello

Courtesy Bay Area Rodeo/Lisa Gray

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<< From the Cover

14 • Bay Area Reporter • August 29-September 4, 2019

Concord LGBT center

Arts grants

From page 1

year it announced it has purchased its own LGBT center for the arts, which it said will also be used by other arts groups. “It’s very exciting to be part of this. I feel so lucky that something like this can exist,” said Kenan Arun, a gay man who has been a member of the chorus for several years. He discussed the reality of art versus how people perceive art, mentioning that art costs money “even when you do it because you love it.” A common refrain to people working in artistic disciplines, especially in a gold rush city that has seen two major tech booms in about 25 years, is that art is not profitable and therefore not important. Artists who complain about not being paid fairly for their labor are often told to grow up and get real jobs. “It’s stunning how dismissive people can be,” said Patrick Simms,

“We are there sharing information and making sure certain populations are counted and factored in when allocations are made for funding and services,” they said. The rent for the El Cerrito location, said Zotigh, was “way too high” and had become a “financial drain” for the center. It is working with other agencies in west county, she said, to partner with on providing services in the area.

Four months into their tenure, Rednour-Bruckman has impressed many who had raised questions about the direction of the center and worried that it could shutter. Among them is Benicia resident Melitta Rorty, who co-founded the center in 1995. Rorty, a lesbian who works at PG&E on environmental remediation, began attending center board meetings after learning about the staff layoffs earlier this year. She joined with a number of people who helped start and run the center over the years to press for changes this spring, including the formation of a community engagement subcommittee to advise the board. It is waiting for a board

member to be appointed to it, said Rorty, in order to hold its first official meeting. “I have a huge vested interest in the center and I want to see it continue on and thrive,” said Rorty, who told the B.A.R. this week that under Rednour-Bruckman’s leadership, “I absolutely feel things are going in the right direction.” She credited Rednour-Bruckman with addressing the concerns of the center’s staff and implementing “good systems” to ensure the agency is well managed. She also feels the board members “took seriously” the issues people raised following the firings in February. “Jack is definitely putting systems and processes in place to really shore up the center and make it better,” said Rorty. “It is a challenging time, but I am absolutely pleased with what I see.” Ben-David Barr, Ph.D., who

in December 2017 retired due to health reasons as the center’s executive director after 10 years, also told the B.A.R. he has faith in Rednour-Bruckman and their ability to lead the agency. He has also been involved with the emeritus group of center officials that also includes another co-founder, Dr. Kent Sack. “My own assessment is I think Jack has done an excellent job stabilizing the organization,” said Barr. “Jack has rebuilt a lot of trust with the staff but still needs to do lot of outreach and connecting with the agency’s funders. I am still getting telephone calls from my old contacts in the county asking where is Rainbow. They just aren’t at the meetings that determine priorities and funding for the county.” One recent cost-cutting move saw Rainbow shutter its satellite location in El Cerrito August 15, which Barr and others acknowledge made financial sense. But he said it puts pressure on LGBT service agencies in nearby Alameda County to now see clients who had been going to Rainbow’s location even though they are not funded to do so by Contra Costa County. “There could have been so much funding and support for the west county office,” said Barr, who oversaw its opening in August 2017. During their interview with the B.A.R. Rednour-Bruckman had said that the center “has a seat at the table” when it comes to how Contra Costa County allocates resources for mental health and homelessness services.

the artistic director of People in Plazas, which received $19,900 for 2020. “Especially considering how much art everyone consumes on a daily basis.” People in Plazas is a nonprofit that puts on free concerts all over the Financial District starting in June and running through October. In the past year, the number of venues has expanded to include Salesforce Tower. “People are so grateful for it,” Simms said, when asked how professionals working in the area react to the music. “A lot of people act like artists should be happy with whatever they get even when they’re dancing like kids during their lunch break.” Grants are vital to nonprofits and spaces that revolve around artistic endeavors. Some organizations don’t need offices but others, like the many small theaters around San Francisco, not only require a certain amount of square footage but put money and time into creating a usable stage with all the lighting, sound, and safety

requirements that entails. Theaters like Z Space on the Mission-Potrero border, which received $95,570, have managed to make a place for unusual and experimental shows. “I think sometimes people are in favor of high art but shake their heads at a lot of the weirder stuff,” said Liv N. LaVida, a drag performer who has been part of several shows at Z Space. “I guess it’s always a question of what art actually is and who gets to decide what it’s worth.” In a news release, Breed said a review of the city’s grantmaking now better supports small- and mediumsized arts organizations. “As the former executive director of the African American Art and Culture Complex, I saw the need for this type of funding firsthand,” she stated. “I am excited that we’re able to support these organizations that bring so much culture and vibrancy to our community.”

Kelly praised Goudeau’s new position. “Under the leadership of Matthew Goudeau, Grants for the Arts is making significant investments in arts groups that have the greatest needs and serve our city’s diverse communities,” Kelly said in the release. “Together with the San Francisco Arts Commission and the broader arts community, we are taking a new look at the city’s funding priorities to ensure equity.” According to the list provided by the city, other LGBTQ organizations that received funding include: Folsom Street Events, $75,000; Fresh Meat Productions, $47,620; Lesbian and Gay Chorus of San Francisco, $8,700; New Conservatory Theatre Center, $72,070; Queer Rebel Productions, $7,000; and the Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project, $47,200. The San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band (the city’s official band) received $25,000, while the San

Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration Committee received $100,000. The Transgender Film Festival was awarded $15,000. The list of organizations ranges from the more traditional version of art such as choruses and ballet companies to theaters and groups a bit off the beaten path. There are even a few that fall under the umbrella of self-expression while not being entirely focused on art like the Dyke March ($6,500) and several historical societies. With over $12 million being distributed, the creative types in San Francisco have a fighting chance of making a living in their own city, several said. “Our archive is one of the few that is community-based,” said Beswick when asked why the GLBT Historical Society is important. “Our aspirations ... are about dedicating enough space and resources to showcase those incredibly rich stories in San Francisco so we can share them with the world.” t

protesters at our own parade,” said Cheryl Rosenthal, a 58-year-old lesbian. “For me it was a call to action that our community needs to mobilize to make sure we’re safe in our own city and prepare for how we are currently being targeted.” Longtime gay activist Tre Allen suggested that there be two Pride marches, one in which the police take part and another without the police for those who do not feel safe in the police’s presence. Attendees described other examples of mistreatment by police. “I’ve been homeless on both coasts and submitted to domestic violence at the hand of my ex-husband,” said one woman. “I got slammed to the ground by the cops at Ocean Beach. People were filming it and egging the police on. The bullying must stop.” Scott listened attentively to all the speakers, assuring everyone that the safety of all parties involved was his top priority. “You all police us,” said the chief. “Our department is set up where we have the civilian oversight board. And we have the Department of Police Accountability, which is separate from the police department. Any complaint

that comes from a resident or a member of this community goes to the Department of Police Accountability. It’s not investigated by the San Francisco Police Department. As the police chief I can impose discipline up to a 10-day suspension. Anything above that goes to the police commission, which is the civilian oversight board.” Breanna, a transgender woman who said that she’s bipolar and declined to give her last name, expressed concern for how the police handle calls in which someone was in a mental health crisis. “We spend a lot of time to get better at that and we’ve been doing that for a number of years,” Scott said. “Our department has invested a lot in training to deal with those types of issues, and we’ve made a lot of progress. In the past year we’ve had over 50,000 of those types of calls and there is less than half a percent of those calls which resulted in any kind of force being used. It’s not perfect, but I want to emphasize how much work we put into that issue. We still have some more work to do. We have more officers that need to be trained, but everyone who comes into this department today gets that training.”

One African American woman who did not give her name pointed out that blacks are treated differently by the police. She also called on the police to take inventory of the police sweeps against homeless people. The public comment section of the meeting lasted about 75 minutes, with many people thanking the police chief for his apology and for organizing the meeting. The evening included a history lesson in which the Reverend Dr. Megan Rohrer, a trans person who is a volunteer chaplain with SFPD, spoke of the harassment and criminalization faced by LGBTQ people in the past. Rohrer also showed two videos in which people who lived through those times recalled and shared their experiences. Scott told the Bay Area Reporter that he was pleased with the way the meeting turned out. “I feel good about it,” he said. “The fact that we were allowed by members of the LGBT community to listen, to hear them, and to be heard. This moment is overdue,” he said. “This is a starting point to get to those difficult conversations. We need to continue to hear, to reconcile our past and to address the present.”

Members of Scott’s command staff were also at the meeting. “It’s a start to a larger conversation,” said Commander Teresa Ewins, a lesbian who used to oversee the station in the Tenderloin. “I felt that there was a lot of positive things being said. It’s important for the command staff and other members to hear the community and understand the pain they have. Their experiences and viewpoint are very important to us.” Those who attended generally gave the police department credit for addressing the community. “It’s good to see the dialogue on how the police are interested in holding themselves accountable,” said William Walker, a 40-year-old gay man. “I think that putting everyone’s safety first is key but police have to keep in mind that they are always in a more powerful position.” “I feel less afraid of the police,” said Attakai Yazzie, a 22-year-old gay man. “I think the night was productive. I saw a young peer of mine voice his opinion and I saw police of color listen to him and I’m glad to see this interaction. I’m extremely grateful to live in a period where it’s OK to be queer.” t

From page 1

Sony Red. The group will be performing at both Oakland Pride in September and Solano County’s Pride event in October. Their professional experience combined with their personal connection to Contra Costa County led Rednour-Bruckman to believe they would be a good fit as leader of the area’s main provider of services to the local LGBTQ community. “I thought my skill set could definitely help things in this new phase of the center,” said RednourBruckman. “With the leadership transition and changes, I definitely wanted to help step in and keep the momentum going and help make the center very successful.” Zotigh, who lives in Concord, told the B.A.R. that the board was impressed with Rednour-Bruckman’s leadership style and felt they were the right person to lead the agency at this moment. “In this transition Jack was agreeable to take on the challenge of growing the organization and identifying what we need to address, from staff concerns and community concerns to where we needed to add additional programming,” said Zotigh, 36, a lesbian mom of two young children who is the coordinator for allied health and pathway development at Mt. Diablo Adult Education’s Career and Technical Education Center. “One thing Jack did was they met with staff one-on-one to see what they needed and what their

Police chief

From page 1

But not everyone in the room was buying it. “If you want to truly apologize for something, you have to stop what you’re doing,” said one activist, as he referenced the police sweeps of homeless people. The meeting was the first in a series between the police and community members. Scott said that he hopes these meetings will build bridges between the SFPD and the LGBTQ community. While some thanked the chief for reaching out, others expressed trepidation, pointing to the protesters at June’s San Francisco Pride parade who held up the march for 50 minutes with a list of demands that included keeping the police and corporations out of Pride. One of the protesters was allegedly slammed into the pavement and dragged across the street, according to organizers. “I showed up at the first Pride board meeting after the parade because I was devastated by the way the police violently removed peaceful

Courtesy RCC

Hip-hop dance troupe FunkMode performed at the Rainbow Community Center’s Pride on the Plaza June 1.

strengths were in order to see how to build them up or move them into positions that suit their skills.”

Impressive start

Board improvements needed

Barr puts a lot of the onus on Rainbow’s board rather than the executive director, who reports to the governing body. The board is fairly new and lacks people of color “unfortunately,” pointed out Barr. The center’s board could also do a better job at communication and transparency, said Barr. As an example, the board did not publicize that it had given Rednour-Bruckman the executive director position on a permanent basis, having initially said it would conduct a search for someone in an April press release announcing Rednour-Bruckman had been hired on an interim basis. Their salary is similar to that of McAllister’s, said Zotigh, who was reportedly earning $93,000, a significant increase from the $80,000 Barr had been paid. The center’s annual budget had been $1.2 million last year and is set at $1.3 million this fiscal year. “The number one job of the board is fiscal oversight. It can’t do it if it is not transparent,” said Barr. See page 15 >>

t <<

Community News>>

Concord LGBT center

From page 14

Overall, Barr said he believes the center is on stable footing and he no longer fears about its immediate ability to keep the lights on. “I think the agency has battled the worst. It has good stability now,” he said. “But there are still a lot of lessons for it to learn about communicating with the community and about communicating with funders and about fiscal oversight. They are not quite there yet; I hope they will get there.” Zotigh told the B.A.R. that she felt confident in taking on the board presidency role. “I think I have a different ability to see the bigger picture and take on the needs of the organization both at the staff level, the community level and the county leadership level,” she said, adding that she is “feeling very confident and positive and really excited about where Rainbow is moving.” Recruiting people of color to serve on the board remains a top priority for Zotigh, who said anyone interested in serving on it should reach out to the center. Nicole LaPointe, who is Latinx and has been involved with the center, recently joined the board, she noted. It is a matter of finding the right people with certain skills needed on the board, said Zotigh. “We are looking to have a board that reflects our community,” said Zotigh. Concord resident Robyn Kuslits told the B.A.R. that she believes in the agency’s new leadership. So much so that Kuslits, who formerly worked at the center as a volunteer facilitator for the Gender Voice group, its food pantry manager, and a program director, joined Rainbow’s board in June. “I felt that, with my experience from business school and as a former staff member at Rainbow, I could bring a lot of organizational expertise to the board,” said Kuslits. “I also felt that my experience as a trans woman could help the organization better serve the transgender community.” Kuslits and Rednour-Bruckman served together as board members of the Lambda Democratic Club

August 29-September 4, 2019 • Bay Area Reporter • 15

Guest Opinion

From page 4

Israel’s colonization and military occupation being a contributing factor to Palestinian LGBTQ oppression. We have been living under more than seven decades of Israel’s military occupation. We see the Israeli occupation of our land and bodies as connected to and amplifying the diverse forms of oppression experienced in every society around the globe. AlQaws believes the way to truly counter homophobia in Palestine is by understanding and applying the broader political context in any soli-

Cynthia Laird

The Rainbow Community Center in Concord is undergoing changes and new leadership.

of Contra Costa County, which Kuslits now leads as its president. Rednour-Bruckman left the political group’s board due to their job at the center. Asked about the center’s leadership changes this spring, Kuslits replied, “My only comment on the last part is I believe Jack is committed to the mission of the organization, and we are fortunate to have them as executive director moving forward.” Vance Drouillard, a gay man who was let go earlier this year as the center’s former HIV program manager and case manager, told the B.A.R. this week that he believes things are improving at the agency. In time, he believes it will be able to move beyond the controversies it has weathered. “I think they are making progress,” said Drouillard, who returned to college as he looks for a new job. “They also have done a lot of damage and I think it is going to take a lot to recover from.” Ensuring that the center remains open and providing services is critical, he said, for the LGBT community of Contra Costa County. “It is greatly needed for our community. The center is the only thing out there for us,” said Drouillard.

Youth a big priority

The center has recently brought on 10 counseling staff, some parttime, and will be training three students seeking master’s degrees this fall. It received a $20,000 grant from the Johnson Family Foundation to provide internetbased therapy to clients. As the center covers a sprawling county where public transit options can be limited, it is a critical way for its counseling staff to reach people who otherwise would be unable to come to its physical location, noted Rednour-Bruckman. “We can have somebody log in from wherever,” they noted. Providing services to local LGBTQ youth is a big priority for Rednour-Bruckman and the center, though how or if it should also be working with straight youth has prompted heated discussions this year as it pursued contracts with area school districts to provide counseling and other services to their students. The center is currently focused on finalizing agreements with a number of East Bay school districts as the fall semester gets underway. In past years it has sent counselors for a half or a full day each week to work with students in Pittsburg, Walnut Creek, Lafayette, and other cities.

“We don’t know if the students are LGBTQ. We are not making it a requirement,” explained RednourBruckman. “Folks know a clinician from Rainbow is there and that Rainbow is an LGBTQ center.” Because gender identity and sexual orientation “can be a fluid thing,” said Rednour-Bruckman, they don’t believe the center should have a resolute policy that it will only work with self-identified LGBTQ youth. “Who knows if some kid comes to us at 15 and they identify one way and 10 years later they identify a different way. Who are we to judge and to prejudge,” asked Rednour-Bruckman. “Given we are an LGBTQ community center, we have a proclivity for even more sensibility and compassion given what we all have to go through in any given day.” A program that RednourBruckman said is “near and dear” to them is Rainbow’s emergency housing program for young people ages 18 to 24. With $287,500 from the county’s Office of Emergency Services the center can provide 18 young adults with relocation assistance, from providing them a hotel voucher to getting them into housing. Through another initiative it is aiming to provide 200 youth ages 12 to 24 with

darity activities. We ask that you situate Palestinian LGBTQ oppression within the larger context of Israeli occupation, colonialism, patriarchy and homophobia at large. “3) Steer clear of pinkwashing. Perpetuating tiresome tropes of presenting Palestinians as inherently oppressive and Israel as a liberal state that protects LGBTQ rights is counterproductive and factually baseless. Israel is a settlercolonial state that offers no rights to Palestinians, queer or otherwise. Our struggle as queer Palestinians is against Israeli colonialism as much as it is against homophobia and

patriarchy in Palestine. Israel uses pinkwashing tactics to lie about ‘saving’ LGBTQ Palestinians from their society. We ask that you steer away from these lies that are intentionally used to justify their colonization of Palestine ... “4) Understand our commitment to our local community organizing. ... We are a small team of dedicated activists who believe change comes from working within our local context. We put enormous daily and strategic efforts in our local grassroots advocacy organizing in Palestine. ... Please be patient with us as we respond to your media inquiries.

“5) Support our work and vision. ... Some practical ways you can help amplify our vision for change is by educating yourself and your networks on the work that we do at alQaws. Follow us on social media, share our resources, talk to your friends and family about the importance of standing up against bigotry toward LGBTQ people, and make sure that your vision of liberation and freedom in Palestine includes us all.” All of us in the international queer and human rights communities who want freedom and justice for Palestinian queers must honor their clear and simple requests. To do anything

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food, clothing, school supplies, or medicine. The center has already assisted six young adults find housing, from a studio or small apartment to renting a room in someone’s house, Rednour-Bruckman told the B.AR. The center is looking for additional apartment owners with a vacant unit or homeowners with an extra room and are willing to rent to an LGBTQ young person. “We are able to help LGBTQ youth who are experiencing homelessness or previously have been victims of violence,” said RednourBruckman. “We helped six young adults get into permanent housing, which is huge given the roadblocks for housing in the county.” In the future, Rednour-Bruckman would like to see the center launch its own emergency LGBTQ youth shelter. “My vision or dream is we are able to buy a building, one that has room for 20 to 30 beds,” they said. The center also contracts with various educational institutions, whether K-12 school districts or local colleges, as well as businesses and other groups, to provide LGBTQ cultural competency training to teachers, administrators and staff. “You make a lot of change when you reach out to folks who are curious or want to know LGBTQ 101,” said Rednour-Bruckman. While the overall mission of Rainbow is to provide a safe and welcoming space to the LGBTQ community, Rednour-Bruckman said they also believe that the center has a duty to work with straight allies who can also fight on the behalf of LGBTQ individuals. “With how divisive things are and trans folks getting targeted left and right by federal legislation and the current administration, we need allies to advocate on our behalf,” they said. The center this Friday, August 30, from 5:30 to 10 p.m. is holding a fundraiser called Rise Up Fest to raise money for its LGBTQ homeless youth program. It will be held at the Walnut Creek United Methodist Church at 1543 Sunnyvale Avenue. Tickets cost $5 to $50. t For more information about the event, or the Rainbow center itself, visit its website at https:// www.rainbowcc.org/.

else is to undermine their struggle. Palestinian liberation is a queer issue. LGBTQ liberation is a Palestinian issue. Silence = death. Zionism = racism. We who love justice will not be divided. t Professor Rabab Ibrahim Abdulhadi is the director of Arab and Muslim Ethnicities and Diasporas Studies, College of Ethnic Studies, San Francisco State University; Mary Salome is a media activist; Kate Raphael is with Queers Undermining Israeli Terrorism; and Deeg Gold is with LAGAI – Queer Insurrection.

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<< Legals

16 • Bay Area Reporter • August 29-September 4, 2019

Legal Notices>> NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF MERAH PAYNE CARVELO IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF ALAMEDA: FILE RP19026771

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of Merah Payne Carvelo; Merah P. Carvelo; Merah Carvelo; Merah Payne. A Petition for Probate has been filed by Suzanne P. Mathieson in the Superior Court of California, County of Alameda. The Petition for Probate requests that Suzanne P. Mathieson be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. The petition requests the decedent’s will and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The will and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court. The petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority. A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: August 26, 2019, 9:31 am, Rm. 201, Superior Court of California, County Of Alameda, 2120 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Berkeley, CA 94704, Berkeley Courthouse. If you object to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney. If you are a creditor or contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the latter of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined by section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law. You may examine the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk. Attorney for petitioner: Bryan R. Walters (SBN#309780), Gregory F. Dyer (SBN#114486) Jones & Dyer, APC, 3031 F St #101, Sacramento, CA 95816; Ph. (916) 552-5959

AUG 01, 08, 15, 22, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038729400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SUMMERBERRY COACHING, 154 MIDDLEFIELD DR, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94132. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed KIRIN KAUR PARMAR. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/23/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/23/19.

AUG 01, 08, 15, 22, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038730700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LITTLE HANDS DAYCARE, 1523 LA SALLE AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ASHLEY BERKLEY. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/24/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/24/19.

AUG 01, 08, 15, 22, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038728900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: STANALAND & COMPANY, 500 WASHINGTON #475, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed RUSSELL STANALAND. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/01/13. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/23/19.

AUG 01, 08, 15, 22, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038729000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: STANALAND & ASSOCIATES, 500 WASHINGTON #475, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed RUSSELL STANALAND. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/01/13. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/23/19.

AUG 01, 08, 15, 22, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038716900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TAQUIRA DEMOLITION & HAULING SERVICES, 149 GOETHE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JONATAN TAQUIRA COYOTE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/11/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/11/19.

AUG 01, 08, 15, 22, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038713900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HIGHER SELF ADVENTURES, 2423 45TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DAVID COGAN HOLT. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/10/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/10/19.

AUG 01, 08, 15, 22, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038735500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TRUSTED DENTAL, 1868 VAN NESS AVE, COMMERCIAL UNIT 2, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed NONNA VOFSON DDS, PROFESSIONAL CORP (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/29/19.

AUG 01, 08, 15, 22, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038735200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HOME, 455 GRANT AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed HOME COFFEE COMPANY, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/29/19.

AUG 01, 08, 15, 22, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038733800

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038731300

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038731500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE DENTAL PRACTICE/SF, 187 PINE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed RATHOD DENTAL, INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/23/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/24/19.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: DO GOOD STUFF, 600 PORTOLA DR #15, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94127. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed P. TYRONE SMITH LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/15/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/24/19.

AUG 01, 08, 15, 22, 2019 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-038673200

AUG 08, 15, 22, 29, 2019 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-19-555102

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: LITTLE HANDS DAYCARE, 330 HOWTH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business was conducted by an individual and signed by ASHLEY BERKLEY. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 05/30/19.

AUG 01, 08, 15, 22, 2019 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-19-555070

In the matter of the application of: SHALLY SHALINI IYER, 3520 20TH ST #8, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner SHALLY SHALINI IYER, is requesting that the name SHALLY SHALINI IYER, be changed to SHALINI IYER RANA. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514, Room 514 on the 17th of September 2019 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

AUG 08, 15, 22, 29, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038742500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MATT STYLING STUDIO, 315 SUTTER ST 4TH FLR, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MATTHEW SITHIRAJVONGSA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/05/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/05/19.

AUG 08, 15, 22, 29, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038741500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: RANDIE INN, 493 YALE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed AUREA MIRANDA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/05/19.

AUG 08, 15, 22, 29, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038734700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CALEF LIVE WORMS GALLERY, 1345 GRANT AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by an individual and is signed NANCY CALEF. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/01/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/26/19.

AUG 08, 15, 22, 29, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038731400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NORTH BAY WINDOW TINT & AUDIO, 4199 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed CARLOS ANTONIO QUIJADA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/24/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/24/19.

AUG 08, 15, 22, 29, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038740100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ONE MAIN WEST, 1317 EVANS, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed OREN ZAKHRABOV. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/02/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/02/19.

AUG 08, 15, 22, 29, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038735400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: KOKYLLOS CATERING SERVICE, 75 DORE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MANUEL ARAUJO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/24/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/29/19.

AUG 08, 15, 22, 29, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038719200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FOCUS TRAVEL SERVICE, 1539 21ST AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ZHI XIONG HE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/20/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/12/19.

AUG 08, 15, 22, 29, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038734300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: INNOVATION PROPERTIES GROUP, 181 2ND ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed INNOVATION REAL ESTATE GROUP (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/26/19.

AUG 08, 15, 22, 29, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038729600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: DRIVEZY, INC., 63 BOVET RD #316, SAN MATEO, CA 94402. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed DRIVEZY, INC. (DE). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/19/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/23/19.

AUG 08, 15, 22, 29, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038718600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: UNION DOOR, 167 TOLAND ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed UNION ROLLING DOOR COMPANY (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/18/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/26/19.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SAN FRANCISCO DHARMA COLLECTIVE, 2701 FOLSOM ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed SAN FRANCISCO DHARMA COLLECTIVE (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/12/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/12/19.

AUG 01, 08, 15, 22, 2019

AUG 08, 15, 22, 29, 2019

In the matter of the application of: NAI QUN BAKER, 4736 MISSION ST #A, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner NAI QUN BAKER, is requesting that the name NAI QUN BAKER AKA NAI QUN LIAO, be changed to NAI QUN LIAO BAKER. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514, on the 24th of September 2019 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

AUG 15, 22, 29, SEPT 05, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038753700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: KIND EARTH PRODUCTIONS; THE BOYS WHO SAID NO!; COLORADO JONES PRODUCTIONS, 139 CORBETT AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JAMES PRINCE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/12/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/12/19.

AUG 15, 22, 29, SEPT 05, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038746400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THE GENIE MUSIC, 16 LUNDYS LN, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LUIS MONTERROSA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/07/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/07/19.

AUG 15, 22, 29, SEPT 05, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038733000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CCS ALERTS, 1461 PINE ST #501, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ANDREW GABLE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/10/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/26/19.

AUG 15, 22, 29, SEPT 05, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038744500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FILLMORE FLORIST SAN FRANCISCO, 1880 FILLMORE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed FARAMARZ TABAR. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/06/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/06/19.

AUG 15, 22, 29, SEPT 05, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038741000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BAKE LOVE, 2948 FOLSOM ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JIRAPORN HALVERSON. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/02/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/02/19.

AUG 15, 22, 29, SEPT 05, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038743000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: WCI PROJECTS, 555 MISSION ROCK ST #415, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94158. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ELIZABETH WARBURTON. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/01/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/06/19.

AUG 15, 22, 29, SEPT 05, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038743200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CHATFUEL, 490 POST ST #526, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed 200 LABS INC. (DE). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/09/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/06/19.

AUG 15, 22, 29, SEPT 05, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038737300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PENANG GARDEN RESTAURANT #3, 728 WASHINGTON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed FORTUNE FAMILY SIX INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/31/19.

AUG 15, 22, 29, SEPT 05, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038741200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CHINA CENTRAL SERVICE, 1235 STOCKTON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed CHINA CENTRAL SERVICE (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/20/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/05/19.

AUG 15, 22, 29, SEPT 05, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038745900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: OSBELIA HAIR SALON INC., 4699 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed OSBELIA HAIR SALON INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/07/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/07/19.

AUG 15, 22, 29, SEPT 05, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038733400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: RAE VINO, 1387 DE HARO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed RAE VINO LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/26/19.

AUG 15, 22, 29, SEPT 05, 2019

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038749300

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038743500

AUG 15, 22, 29, SEPT 05, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038748500

AUG 22, 29, SEPT 05, 12, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038759200

AUG 15, 22, 29, SEPT 05, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038753800

AUG 22, 29, SEPT 05, 12, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038758500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: OZ BURGER, 4092 18TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed EYLUL LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/08/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/08/19.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NAKED CHICKEN, 11218 PADDOCK AVE, BAKERSFIELD, CA 93312. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed NAKED CHICKEN GROUP LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/07/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/08/19.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: QUICK CLIMB CREDIT SOLUTIONS, 1535 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed THE LOVE EXTENSION PROJECT LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/12/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/12/19.

AUG 15, 22, 29, SEPT 05, 2019 SUMMONS (STATE OF MICHIGAN) ALLEGAN COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT, 113 CHESTNUT ST, ALLEGAN, MI 49010 NOTICE TO DEFENDANT: MOBOLAJI ADENIRAN KUDEHINBU, 200 CORONADO AVE, DALY CITY, CA 94015, YOU ARE BEING SUED. PLAINTIFF’S NAME IS KRISTINE ANN KUDEHINBU 630 HIGHPOINT DR #2, ALLEGAN, MI 49010. CASE NO. 19-61087-DO

DOMESTIC RELATIONS CASE There are no pending or resolved cases within the jurisdiction of the family division of the circuit court involving the family or family members of the person(s) who are the subject of the complaint. CIVIL CASE There is no other pending or resolved civil action arising out of the same transaction or occurrence as alleged in the complaint. SUMMONS: NOTICE TO THE DEFENDANT: In the name of the people of the State of Michigan you are notified: 1. You are being sued. 2. You have 21 days after receiving this summons and a copy of the complaint to file a written answer with the court and serve a copy on the other party or take other lawful action with the court (28 days if you were served by mail or you were served outside this state). 3. If you do not answer or take other action within the time allowed, judgment may be entered against you for the relief demanded in the complaint. 4. If you require special accommodations to use the court because of a disability or if you require a foreign language interpreter to help you fully participate in court proceedings, please contact this court immediately to make arrangements. Issue date 07/01/2019, Expiration date 10/02/2019

AUG 22, 29, SEPT 05, 2019 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-19-555122

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TOTALLY CLEAN, 1772 DOLORES ST #3, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed TODD V. GRAHAM. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/06/19.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: THAI COTTAGE RESTAURANT, 4041 JUDAH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed HILDA SAHESALAEH. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/23/10. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/14/19.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: OOZIE LIGUS, 875 VERMONT ST #101, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SLAWOMIR LIGUS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/14/19.

AUG 22, 29, SEPT 05, 12, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038740900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FENIX CONSTRUCTION, 321 TURK ST #5, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed FRANCISCO ESPARZA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/05/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/02/19.

AUG 22, 29, SEPT 05, 12, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038756100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LET’S ABACUS, 2125 EL MANTO DR #4, RANCHO CORDOVA, CA 95670. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SOUFIANE SAOUAF. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/13/19.

AUG 22, 29, SEPT 05, 12, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038748600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BF TAX SERVICES, 2423 27TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed BORIS FUDYM. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/15/02. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/08/19.

AUG 22, 29, SEPT 05, 12, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038739700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: POLO’S DENTAL LABORATORY, 1484 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LEOPOLDO A. LOPEZ. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/02/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/02/19.

In the matter of the application of: BETH SUZANNE DOWNEY, 885-1/2 FULTON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner BETH SUZANNE DOWNEY is requesting that the name BETH SUZANNE DOWNEY aka BETH DOWNEY, be changed to BETH SUZANNE BARTLETT-DOWNEY. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514, Room 514 on the 8th of October 2019 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

AUG 22, 29, SEPT 05, 12, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038754600

AUG 22, 29, SEPT 05, 12, 2019 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-19-555123

AUG 22, 29, SEPT 05, 12, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038762700

In the matter of the application of: LISA LYNN SMITH, 885-1/2 FULTON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner LISA LYNN SMITH, is requesting that the name LISA LYNN SMITH aka LISA SMITH, be changed to LISA LYNN DOWNEY-BARTLETT. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514, Room 514 on the 8th of October 2019 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

AUG 22, 29, SEPT 05, 12, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038764000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ECOGREEN CARPET CLEANERS, 615 BRUNSWICK ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed HANG LY. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/01/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/19/19.

AUG 22, 29, SEPT 05, 12, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038747600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MIRALOMA CLUB, 749 PORTOLA DR, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94127. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed HOSSEIN KAJOUEE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/13/08. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/08/19.

AUG 22, 29, SEPT 05, 12, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038747700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HYDE OUT, 1068 HYDE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed HOSSEIN KAJOUEE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/13/08. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/08/19.

AUG 22, 29, SEPT 05, 12, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038763700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CRYSTAL’S PRECIOUS COLLECTIONS, 1657 CLEMENT ST #4, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed BARON LEE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/19/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/19/19.

AUG 22, 29, SEPT 05, 12, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038752800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FC PARTNERS, 2517 MISSION ST #5, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed KA LAI CHOW. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/05/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/12/19.

AUG 22, 29, SEPT 05, 12, 2019

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ROCK JAPANESE CUISINE, 614 PINE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed ROCK ENTERPRISE (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/08/14. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/13/19.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BOOMERS MEDICAL TRANSPORTATION, INC., 626 22ND AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed BOOMERS MEDICAL TRANSPORTATION, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/01/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/16/19.

AUG 22, 29, SEPT 05, 12, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038753300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PACIFIC EDGE REAL ESTATE GROUP, 4040 24TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed ALEC MIRONOV INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/15/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/12/19.

AUG 22, 29, SEPT 05, 12, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038755900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: M/ OPPENHEIM EXECUTIVE SEARCH, 253 CERVANTES BLVD, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed MCAM LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/13/19.

AUG 22, 29, SEPT 05, 12, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038763300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: MONKEY BRAINS, 286 12TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed ANOTHER CORPORATION ISP, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/18/06. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/16/19.

AUG 22, 29, SEPT 05, 12, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038762800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PAWLYPAL, 350 ARBALLO DR #M-L, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94132. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed JUMU LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/15/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/16/19.

AUG 22, 29, SEPT 05, 12, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038754300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LOVE SHACK; LOVE SHACK BY SPARC; 502 14TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed LOPARC, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/13/19.

AUG 22, 29, SEPT 05, 12, 2019

Fringe Fest

Fall Films

Fall TV

Fall Books

Vol. 49 • No. 35 • August 29-September 4, 2019

The Hepworth Wakefield, courtesy FAMSF

www.ebar.com/arts

Fall Preview: Bay Area Art Museums by Sura Wood

his Fall art season you’ll find plenty of edifying opportunities, from a preponderance of eclectic photography shows and a brilliant 19thcentury French painter not nearly as well-known as he should be, to a tumultuous slice of the American past. Here’s a glimpse of what’s down the road. See page 22 >>

Fall Preview: San Francisco Symphony by Philip Campbell

he San Francisco Symphony knows how to throw a classy party. Opening night 2019-20 approaches, and expectations, not to mention ticket sales, are running high for the celebration of Michael Tilson Thomas’ 25th and final season as Music Director. See page 26 >>

Michael Tilson Thomas will lead the San Francisco Symphony in his 25th and final season as Music Director.

{ SECOND OF THREE SECTIONS }

AT THE NEW SEASON INCLUDES:

MAURICE HINES

FAIRMONT VENETIAN ROOM

3/8 - Tony nominee MAX VON ESSEN (American in Paris, Falsettos)

10/13 - Tap legend MAURICE HINES w/DIVAJazz Orchestra 11/10 - Tony, Emmy winner LA CHANZE (Color Purple, Summer)

5/10 - Tony winner STEPHANIE J. BLOCK (The Cher Show)

SUBSCRIBE FOR BETTER SEATS AND DISCOUNTS (415) 927-4636 BAYAREACABARET.ORG

Stefan Cohen

James Tissot, “On the Thames” (ca. 1876), oil on canvas, part of “James Tissot: Fashion & Faith.”

<< Out There

18 • Bay Area Reporter • August 29-September 4, 2019

Bring on the Fall Arts!

by Roberto Friedman

“A TOUCHINGLY HONEST ODE TO THE INNER LIFE OF ALL ARTISTS” –Los Angeles Times

Written & Directed by

Rodney Evans

Four artists impacted by blindness. Four different paths to the imagination.

STARTS FRIDAY, AUGUST 30 SAN FRANCISCO LANDMARK OPERA PLAZA 601 Van Ness Ave (415) 771-0183

Q&A with filmmaker Rodney Evans Fri 8/30 7:10pm show and Sat 8/31 2:30pm & 7:10pm shows

SF BAY AREA REPORTER THURS 8/29 DUE MON 6PM PT

3.75 X 3

his week begins our modest effort to offer a Fall Preview in the Arts & Culture pages. In this issue find previews of the fall season in Bay Area art museums, at the San Francisco Symphony, in Film, TV, Poetry and Prose. Next week, we continue with preview pieces on Art Galleries, more Film and Theatre, Pop Music and the San Francisco Opera. In these, our own dedicated column inches, we offer a few highlights that might not appear in those categories. To launch its 2019-20 season, Cal Performances at UC Berkeley welcomes back longtime collaborator the Mark Morris Dance Group for reprise performances of an audience favorite, Morris’ “Mozart Dances” on Fri., Sept. 20, 8 p.m.; Sat., Sept. 21, 2 & 8 p.m.; and Sun., Sept. 22, 3 p.m. in Zellerbach Hall. Pianist Inon Barnatan will serve as soloist in performances of Mozart piano concerti with the Berkeley Symphony conducted by MMDG music director Colin Fowler. “Mozart Dances” was last performed by the company in 2016, and CalPerf will be the exclusive presenter of the work in 2019-20. Other CalPerf highlights include ambitious pianist Jonathan Biss performing all 32 of “The Complete Piano Sonatas of Ludwig van Beethoven” with concerts Sept. 21 & 22, then continuing through the season. Composer Bryce Dessner considers photographer Robert Mapplethorpe’s erotic work in “Triptych (Eyes of One on Another),” with a libretto by Korde Arrington Tuttle featuring words by poets Essex Hemphill and Patti Smith, directed by Kaneza Schaal, and featuring Alicia Hall Moran, Isaiah Robinson, vocal ensemble Roomful of Teeth and the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, Sept. 28. Much more on the CalPerf schedule in Berkeley; go to calperformances. org. Cuchi, cuchi! The inimitable Charo will be coming to San Francisco for a one-night engagement at the Herbst Theatre on Fri., Sept. 20. The music and pop culture icon,

SA N F RA N C I SCO’S PR EMI ER QUEER AND ALLIED THEATRER COMPANY

NEW CONSERVATORY THEATRE CENTER’S 2019-20 SEASON » SEVEN EXCEPTIONAL STORIES » THREE WORLD PREMIERES » TWO HIT MUSICALS » FIND IT ALL AT NCTC THIS SEASON

Head over Heels E A N

This Side of Crazy

The Cake

By Del Shores | World Premiere SEPT 20–OCT 20, 2019

By Bekah Brunstetter | Regional Premiere OCT 25–DEC 1, 2019

You’ll Catch Flies

The Book of Mountains and Seas

By Ryan Fogarty | World Premiere JAN 17–FEB 23, 2020

By Yilong Liu | World Premiere MAR 6–APR 5, 2020

SIC

Stephanie Berger

Mark Morris Dance Group performs “Mozart Dances” Fri.-Sun., Sept. 20-22, in Zellerbach Hall.

queen of kitsch and serious virtuoso Flamenco guitar player returns to town for the first time in over 10 years. Tickets at www.cityboxoffice. com/Charo. Bay Area Cabaret presents its 2019-20 season at The Venetian Room in the Fairmont San Francisco, including Maurice Hines, “Tappin’ thru Life” with the Manzari Brothers & DIVA Jazz Orchestra, Sun., Oct. 13; and La Chanze, Nov. 10. bayareacabaret.org. AXIS Dance Company is tackling the subject of homelessness head-on in their home season this year, in a piece called “Alice in Californiland” created by gay UK choreographer Arthur Pita. When his “Bjork Ballet” was recently danced by San Francisco Ballet, Pita came to SF and was astonished to find how many homeless are living in this wealthy city. AXIS press materials call the dance “a voyage into a Lewis Carroll-like, upside-down world of being present but ignored by society, what it’s like to both exist yet try to resist the surreal realities of being homeless.” Completing the triple bill are “Flutter” from Robert Dekkers and a new world premiere from Jennifer Archibald. “Alice in Californiland” is the company’s first international commission under the artistic direction of Marc Brew, Oct. 25-27 at Z Space; tickets ($20-$50) at Z Space.org. For Litquake, poet and dancer Ian Spencer Bell is dancing two works with poems, “Duet + Marrow,” on Oct. 14, 8 p.m. at CounterPulse, 80 Turk St., SF. The New York Times has described Bell’s work as

“autobiography, written in bodies, physical sentences inseparable from verbal ones so what results is not dance and not poetry but some third medium.” “‘Duet’ is a 25-minute work about my relationship with a dancer who concealed that he was HIV+,” writes Bell in an email. “The piece began as a 200-page work of nonfiction. After many years of writing and rewriting, it’s now a five-page poem in couplets that I perform with dancers Joshua Tuason and Gary Champi. “‘Marrow’ is a 25-minute work about growing up queer in Virginia. Through solo dance material and 10 confessional poems, I explore my relationship with my mother, abusive stepfather, home, and dancing.” $20 tickets are online at litquake.org and ianspencerbell.com. Critically acclaimed, platinumselling, global pop star Mika will make a long-awaited return to North America with his “Tiny Love Tiny Tour” this fall. The tour sets the stage for his highly anticipated new album, “My Name Is Michael Holbrook,” out Oct. 4. The English recording artist and singer-songwriter was named the #1 predicted breakthrough act of 2007 in an annual BBC poll of music critics. He will be performing at the Fillmore in San Francisco on Sun., Sept. 18. Finally, Hat & Beard Press, the San Francisco Rock & Roll Book Club, and Litquake present “The Velvet Underground Experience,” an evening about The Velvet Underground, Thurs., Oct. 17, 7 p.m. at City Lights Bookstore, 261 Columbus Ave., SF. Queries by the public can be directed to (415) 3628193 or staff@citylights.com. t

Head Over Heels

Creator & Book by Jeff Whitty. Adaptation by James Magruder. Music & Lyrics by The Go-Go’s. DEC 6–JAN 12, 2020

Sugar in Our Wounds

By Donja R. Love | West Coast Premiere APR 3–MAY 10, 2020

Become a subscriber and save Fun Home

Music by Jeanine Tesori, Book & Lyrics by Lisa Kron, Based on Graphic Novel by Alison Bechdel MAY 15–JUN 14, 2020

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Dancer-poet Ian Spencer Bell will appear at CounterPulse.

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<< Theatre

20 • Bay Area Reporter • August 29-September 4, 2019

Jump into the SF Fringe Festival by Jim Gladstone

veryone’s got a story to tell, and everyone’s a critic. Both of these truisms will be in full effect, celebrated and elevated, at the annual San Francisco Fringe Festival, which returns to the Exit Theatre for a 28th year with an eclectic mix of memoir, magic, music and movement on three small stages from Sept. 5-14. Among the productions, each running under 60 minutes and playing four times over the length of the festival, are several shows with queer creators and content. “Hick: A Love Story” is about the relationship between Eleanor Roosevelt and reporter Lorena Hickock. “I Favor My Daddy” is a tragicomic, Southern-fried monologue about uncovering family secrets. “My Will and My Life” is a unique take on Father Mychal Judge, the gay Catholic chaplain to the New York Fire Department and first certified fatality of 9/11; and “Grief Is Horny” is a knotty, nutty biographical tale of mourning and masturbation. The Bay Area’s most democratic annual theater event, the SF Fringe is entirely uncurated. This year’s 21 productions were selected from over 100 shows entered into a random lottery by their creators for a $40 entry fee. Beyond that fee, artists pay only travel costs and a small facilities charge. Exit’s production and promotion are supported by grants and donations, with 100% of ticket sales going to the artists. To encourage audience experimentation, tickets are no more than $13 a show. “Hick” creator Terry Baum, an internationally acclaimed lesbian theater-maker who has participated in the SF Fringe as both an artist and an attendee, says the format rewards adventurous audiences. “It’s for people who love theater and people who enjoy trying something new.

It’s fun to just indulge yourself and pick things at random. It’s not criticdriven.” “Some press critics do come the first weekend,” says Exit publicist Nicole Gluckstern, “but there’s practically no way a single reviewer can weigh in on every show to tell you what they think is best.” Instead, Gluckstern explains, patrons are encouraged to help each other curate their schedules. “In our hallways and café between shows you see a lot of conversation about what to see next.” Attendees are also encouraged to provide heads-ups to fellow showgoers – and constructive criticism to the artists, many of whom use Fringe performances to help develop new work – via a dedicated page for audience reviews on the Exit Theatre website. SF Fringe is one of over 30 North American members of the Canadian Association of Fringe Festivals (CAFF), whose core tenets state, “Our festivals are designed to put artists and audiences in direct contact, fostering experimentation and discovery on both sides of the fourth wall.” “San Francisco is one of the smaller Fringe festivals, which has its benefits,” says New York-based Jamie Brickhouse, a Moth storytelling champion whose “I Favor My Daddy” is a follow-up to a monologue about his mother that sold out its performances at last year’s SF Fringe, and has since been produced in Colorado and New Jersey. “Some of the others are so spread out around a city. In San Francisco, with three theaters in the same building, I have much more of a chance to meet other artists, see other shows and make connections.” While autobiographical performances like Brickhouse’s are a Fringe staple, there are plenty of other forms in this year’s SF Fringe, including “Fingertips,” based on songs

by They Might Be Giants; a magic show by Sausalito’s Ryan Kane; and a blues-rock mini-musical, “Why My Unicorn Left Me.” Then there’s “My Will and My Life,” with a script by Harry Cronin performed by East Bay actor John Tranchitella, which offers a multilayered palimpsest of documentary, telling the story of Father Mychal Judge through the eyes of George, a fireman whom Judge sponsored in AA. “When I first read the play,” says Tranchitella, “I felt like George’s story was very much like mine: being Catholic and in the closet, full of shame. I related to him as much as to Father Judge.” More traditionally autobiographical is the local debut of Jonathan Euseppi, a nonbinary writer-performer from Chicago’s improv and stand-up scenes. His show, “Grief Is Horny,” springs from the disorienting confluence of his father’s death and the onset of puberty when Euseppi was 13. “When I started to write the material,” says Euseppi, “I was doing stand-up open mics. But you only get four minutes in those shows and it just didn’t feel right, because it was all jokes. I needed this format to be

able to mix a combination of emotionally heavy stories with very funny stories. Among the latter is the tale of a communal pink dildo shared by several teenage boys hidden from prying parents in a Hot Wheels box. “I really unwound a lot of childhood trauma in writing this show,” Euseppi says. “I resisted the parts about my father until literally a week before I first performed it, then I just started writing and crying. It turns

out I got a lot of peace from writing those stories.” For Euseppi, taking a creative risk paid off handsomely. The SF Fringe invites audiences to jump into the unfamiliar and take some risks of their own. t SF Fringe Festival, Sept. 5-14, Exit Theatre, 156 Eddy St., SF. (415) 673-3847, sffringe.org

SF Fringe Fest

Terry Baum in “Hick: A Love Story,” about the relationship between Eleanor Roosevelt and reporter Lorena Hickock.

SF Fringe Fest

Jamie Brickhouse in “I Favor My Daddy, a tragicomic monologue.

SF Fringe Fest

Jonathan Euseppi will perform “Grief Is Horny.”

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Film>>

August 29-September 4, 2019 • Bay Area Reporter • 21

Fall Preview: Award-season movies by David Lamble

eading into the Fall awards season, film critics and fans alike have to scramble not only to locate the choicest viewing fare, but also to decide just how many film and video portals they must purchase to get the “good stuff.” “Becoming Nobody” is director Jamie Catto’s summation of his

decades-long interest in the life arc that took Dr. Richard Alpert from a Harvard classroom to LSD experiments with Timothy Leary, to a total identity change as guru/philosopher Ram Dass. In a series of conversations with the director, Ram Dass displays showmanship and the ability to handle life’s big questions. (Sept.) “The Irishman” Here’s a duel between a celebrated filmmaker and a

Love Serve Remember Films

Scene from director Jamie Catto’s “Becoming Nobody,” a bio-pic about guru-philosopher Ram Dass.

Sony Pictures Classics

Isabelle Huppert stars in director Ira Sachs’ thoughtful dramedy “Frankie.”

hungry “streaming service” that’s defending its subscriber business model while coveting a Best Picture Oscar. Director Martin Scorsese is debuting his latest crime-family masterwork at the New York Film Festival. This inside story on how the Mob got rid of former Teamster President Jimmy Hoffa marks the return of Scorsese’s longtime partner Robert De Niro and the first appearance of veteran Al Pacino in a Scorsese film. According to The New York Times, if Scorsese gets his way, “The Irishman” will have at least a three-month window in movie theaters before being fed into the streaming maw. “Raise Hell: The Life and Times of Molly Ivins” Raised by a no-nonsense Texas dad, sent to a prestigious college where she became a rebel (“It’s really hard to be a Beatnik at Smith”), Molly Ivins was six-feet-tall and a thorn in the side of establishment figures, from an authoritarian Times editor to a fratboy US President. An audience awardwinner at Sundance, Janice Engle’s witty bio shows the Pulitzer Prizenominated force of nature as she takes on Republicans for their wicked deeds and Democrats for “their gutlessness.” Ivins’ 40-year career saw her puncture the inflated egos of politicians while hanging out with Texas Governor Ann Richards. (Sept.) “Ms. Purple” In Justin Chon’s heartfelt family drama, a young woman trapped in a taboo profession (Koreatown karaoke hostess) reaches out to her long-estranged brother as their elderly dad lies dying. With Jake Choi, Mark Krenik and Crystal Lee. (Sept.) “Britt-Marie Was Here” BrittMarie’s orderly life is turned upsidedown when her husband is caught cheating on their 40-year marriage. She begins anew in Borg, a small community where youth football reigns supreme. (Sept.)

“Jim Allison: Breakthrough” Maybe the only Nobel Prize winner in Medicine to have jammed with Willie Nelson, James Allison’s research into the body’s immune system in battling cancer is at the center of this in-depth documentary. (Oct.) “Midnight Traveler” Afghan director Hassan Fazili’s film is the product of his encounter with a dangerous band of critics: members of the Taliban. After the terrorists put a bounty on his head, he fled the country with his wife and two young daughters. Fazili documents a harrowing trip across borders, the dangers facing refugees seeking asylum, and bonds of love shared inside a family on the run. (Oct.) “Pain & Glory” An aging filmmaker (Antonio Banderas) grapples with a shaky future and the circumstances that shaped his successful but troubled life, in Pedro Almodóvar’s self-reflective consideration of identity and desire. (Oct.) “Serendipity” The story of Prune Nourry, a French multi-disciplinary artist and breast cancer survivor. The film combines the artist with the cancer patient, providing an assessment of her oeuvre and its relationship to her illness. (Oct.) “Where’s My Roy Cohn?” The late Roy Cohn stood for the dark arts of American politics, producing dangerous demagogues. He went from 1950s anti-communist bully Sen. Joseph McCarthy’s sidekick to enabling the White House reign of Donald J. Trump. Director Matt Tyrnauer’s thriller-like exposé connects the dots, revealing how a troubled master manipulator shaped our current American nightmare. (Oct.) “Mister America” follows Tim Heidecker’s delusional attempt to enter politics. After escaping a murder charge for selling defective e-cigarettes at an EDM festival, Tim runs an ab-

surd campaign to unseat the San Bernadino D.A. Fueled by ego and ignorance, he tries to surmount a lack of experience, funds and likeability by connecting with constituents. It does not go well. (Oct.) “Frankie” An aging actor (Isabelle Huppert) summons her extended family on a fateful holiday in Ira Sachs’ thoughtful dramedy co-starring Marisa Tomei, Brendan Gleeson, Jérémie Renier, and Greg Kinnear. (Nov.) “Scandalous” For over 60 years, the National Enquirer has pumped out salacious stories, stretching the limits of journalism and blurring the lines between truth and fiction. This is the no-holds-barred story of how the supermarket tabloid wields power in the age of Trump. (Nov.) “Little Joe” Alice (Emily Beecham) is a single mother and plant-breeder at a corporation that develops new species. She has engineered a crimson flower remarkable for its beauty and its therapeutic value: if kept at the ideal temperature, fed properly and spoken to, this plant makes its owner happy. Against company policy, Alice takes one home as a gift for her teenage son, Joe. They christen it “Little Joe.” But as the plant grows, so does Alice’s suspicion that it may not be harmless. (Dec.) “Cunningham” explores fabled dance star/teacher Merce Cunningham’s artistic evolution over three decades of taking chances (1944-72), from his youth as an aspiring dancer in postwar New York to his triumph as visionary choreographer. 3D technology weaves his story together with dance, music, and never-before-seen archival material. (Dec.) “Shooting the Mafia” We watch up-close as Italian photographer Letizia Battaglia documents the life and crimes of the Mafia. (Dec.) t

Fall Preview: Prose & Poetry by Gregg Shapiro

ummer has come and gone, but don’t be sad. Autumn means a harvest of new books to read throughout the season. Nonfiction shelf: “I’ve Seen the Future and I’m Not Going: The Art Scene and Downtown New York in the 1980s” (Pantheon) is a memoir on par with Patti Smith’s “Just Kids.” Gay visual artist Peter McGough writes about his longterm creative and troubled romantic partnership with David McDermott, “modern artists making a living performance about time.” “Year of the Monkey” (Knopf), Patti Smith’s third memoir, finds the poet and punk godmother making the political personal. She writes about the 2016 election, “24% of the population had elected the worst of ourselves to represent the other 76%. All hail our American apathy, all hail the twisted wisdom of the Electoral College.” Who better than lesbian musician Jamie Anderson to chronicle the groundbreaking story of women’s music? In “An Army of Lovers” (Bella Books), Anderson explores and celebrates the history of the genre, beginning in the 1970s with Maxine Feldman, Cris Williamson, Meg Christian and Olivia Records, and bringing us to the present day. Nonbinary “seeker”-actoractivist-recovering addict-tattoo enthusiast Nico Tortorella, possibly best-known as the younger lover of Liza (Sutton Foster) in the TV Land dramedy series “Younger,” spills the beans and then some in his memoir “Space Between: Explorations of Love, Sex and Fluidity” (Crown). Described as “haunted and haunting”, poet Saeed Jones’ memoir “How

We Fight For Our Lives” (Simon & Schuster) follows him on his journey to establish an identity as a young, black, gay Southerner – observations on “race and queerness, power and vulnerability, love and grief.” A Y/A book for readers of all ages, “Troublemaker for Justice: The Story of Bayard Rustin, the Man Behind the March on Washington” (City Lights Books) by Jacqueline Houtman, Michael G. Long and Rustin’s former life-partner Walter Naegle is an historical celebration of Rustin, a mentor to Martin Luther King, Jr., and the strategist for the 1963 March on Washington. “My Life on the Line: How the NFL Damn Near Killed Me and Ended Up Saving My Life” (Akashic Books) by former New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs right tackle Ryan O’Callaghan (with Cyd Zeigler) details not only the football player’s professional sports career, but also his self-destructive battle with depression and opioid addiction, as well has his path to recovery. Educator, editor, performer and

author E. Patrick Johnson has made it his life’s work writing about being queer and African-American in the South in books such as “Sweet Tea: Black Gay Men of the South” (2008) and “Black. Queer. Southern. Women.: An Oral History” (2018). He continues this tradition with “Honeypot: Black Southern Women Who Love Women” (Duke Univ. Press). Focusing on another part of the U.S., “Voices from the Heartland, Vol. II” (Univ. of Oklahoma Press), edited by Sara N. Beam, Emily DialDriver, Rilla Askew and Juliet Evusa, a sequel to 2007’s “Voices from the Heartland,” compiles 38 essays dealing with issues faced by women in modern-day Oklahoma, including “racism, sexism, homophobia, poverty and addiction.” Speaking out “against homophobia and the outdated ideas of masculinity demanded by life in Appalachia and the American South,” award-winning gay writer Jeff Mann’s new personal essay collection “Endangered Species: A Surly Bear in

the Bible Belt” (Lethe) features writing by Mann originally published between 2009-17 in a wide range of literary journals and anthologies. Poetic pages: The late gay poet Karl Tierney, a Massachusetts native with an MFA in Creative Writing, moved to San Francisco in 1983 and lived there until he committed suicide in 1995 at the age of 39. “Have You Seen This Man?: The Castro Poems of Karl Tierney” (Sibling Rivalry Press), edited and with a revealing introduction by Jim Cory, admi-

rably collects Tierney’s work, some previously published in literary magazines Christopher Street, American Poetry Review, Court Green, Modern Words and James White Review, now published in book form for the first time. If Pulitzer Prize-winning poetry goddess Sharon Olds didn’t already have a sizable queer following, one way to draw in readers from the community is to title a book “Arias” (Knopf). Among Olds’ arias you will find Breaking Bad, jockey shorts, Vermont, California, Rasputin and a silver spoon. Her “My Father Happened on a Poem of Mine in a Magazine” strikes the right balance between humor and shock. Lesbian poet and educator Jill McDonough returns with her fifth fulllength collection, “Here All Night” (Alice James Books), covering a lot of ground with wit and grace, including squeezing into Jordache and Gloria Vanderbilt jeans (“Our Father”), poetry and social media (“In Which I Am Accused of Sleeping My Way to the Top”), zombie movies (“Also, Homemade Flamethrowers”) and a couple of sonnets. t

<< DVD

22 • Bay Area Reporter • August 29-September 4, 2019

Decadent aristocrat by Brian Bromberger

n the last decade, Britain’s aristocracy has experienced a kind of nostalgic golden age, not in real life but onscreen, notably in “Downton Abbey” and “The Crown,” which highlight their glamorous lives but also their humanity, despite their wealth and status. So consider the recent Showtime miniseries “Patrick Melrose” a reality check. After viewing the program, you won’t be pining for the Earl of Grantham trying to preserve his palatial estate for posterity. The five-part series, now available on Blu-ray from Acorn, based on the highly lauded five autobiographical novels of Edward St. Aubyn (the 21st-century Evelyn Waugh, well worth reading), is primarily about addiction and abuse, but the undercurrent is a scabrous attack on the upper class, not only how banal and cruel they can be, but in one case, the embodiment of pure evil. It’s 1982, and Patrick Melrose (Benedict Cumberbatch) receives word that his father David (Hugo Weaving) has died. He travels to New York to collect the ashes. Despite resolving to give up drugs, he winds up using heroine, cocaine, speed, alcohol and Quaaludes, not

to mention sexual hookups with women, to deal with his mixed emotions, mostly euphoria tinged with volcanic pain. The hour culminates in a botched suicide attempt to get relief from the misery of his existence. It is not until the second episode that we begin to comprehend how his scurrilous behavior masks the traumatic horror undergirding his damaged psyche. In flashback he recalls growing up in France, with his father (“only the best or go without”) raping him at age 8 (pitch-perfect Sebastian Maltz), while his mother Eleanor (Jennifer Jason Leigh) turned the other way. Steeped in her own denial-induced alcoholism to ward off the prison and agony of her marriage, she is terrified of her husband, who humiliates and abuses her, and intimidates the staff. The rest of the series shows how Patrick struggles to remain on-and-off sober as he becomes a lawyer, marries Mary and produces two children, continues to have affairs, leading to an emotional meltdown at his mother’s memorial, in often-vain attempts to cope with the gaping wound that has defined his life. The five episodes correspond to each of the five books spanning 40+ years, with director Edward

Berger commenting in a DVD interview that “every episode looks different and has its own visual style, representing the psychological development of the character and reflecting the decade.” The series has the arduous task of trying to get the audience to feel sympathetic to a wealthy, aristocratic cad. Grim subject matter combines with savagely funny social satire. Patrick, while imbibing all the perks of aristocracy, is also a self-loathing victim of its condescension, self-indulgence, decadent callousness, and moral rot. This perilous balance is exemplified in the third episode. During an opulent 1990 birthday party at a country mansion of well-bred, backbiting snobs, a caustic Princess Margaret humiliates the French ambassador and belittles the hosts’ daughter with icy put-downs. This is contrasted with the simple refreshments and honesty of a Narcotics Anonymous meeting that a resistant Patrick briefly attends. Such tightrope emotional acrobats would never work without the searing brilliance of Cumber-

batch’s performance, which won a BAFTA award for best dramatic actor. Cumberbatch’s mood-swinging, self-destructive, dexterous physical acuity ricochets between body-shaking, slurred speech, hallucinations, talking to himself in monologues as he struggles with the voices in his head, and passing out during a conversation, all within a

few minutes. He vacillates between self-deprecating charm and crackling black comic wit. Opening his father’s coffin he quips, “It’s just what I wanted! You shouldn’t have!” When a waiter asks if he would care for a dessert, he replies, “How do you care for a dessert? Feed it? Visit it on Sundays?” Not only is Patrick Melrose Cumberbatch’s best acting since his much-praised Sherlock Holmes, it may be the best portrait of a drug addict/alcoholic committed to film. The thesis of “Patrick Melrose,” long familiar to LGBTQ audiences, is how we become free by confronting and understanding our past, though that involves the exhumation of traumas long buried. So the miniseries is ultimately a tale of survival and redemption in the form of a truce. In its venomous satire of the upper British crust, the series declares that one’s class or past doesn’t determine your fate or whether you will be a good person. You must strip away your illusions. For some viewers this will be a punishing show to endure, but for the hardy in spirit, it’s an opportunity to witness a Master Class performance. t

Fall Art Museums

From page 17

The Legion of Honor’s “Alexandre Singh: A Gothic Tale” was inspired by supernatural elements of the 19th-century European Gothic literary tradition, the fatalism of film noir, and San Francisco’s role in the history of that cinematic genre. For the installation, which includes objects from the museum’s collection and an accompanying short movie about mistaken identity and doppelgangers, Singh devised a fantastical universe and a mystery thriller involving a dead novelist. (Sept. 7-April 12). For “James Tissot: Fashion & Faith,” one of the most anticipated shows of the year, FAMSF and the Musée d’Orsay collaborated on a major reassessment of the life and career trajectory of the artist who captured the inner lives and outer beauty of Parisian women while commenting on resplendent 19th-century fashion, religion and politics. The society paintings of this complex, cosmopolitan artist, who had long relationships with Degas and Manet, are so brimming

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with life that one can almost hear the tinkling of expensive crystal, the rustling of taffeta and the murmuring of well-heeled party guests. (Oct. 12-Feb. 9). legionofhonor.famsf.org de Young Museum: “Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power” is an historical show focusing on art produced during the volatile decades between 1963 and 1983, when issues of race, identity, bigotry and the fight for civil rights, equality and social justice dominated American culture and public and private debate. Works in a range of media are by artists from cities across the country. (Nov. 9-Mar. 22). deyuong.famsf.org Asian Art Museum: “Changing and Unchanging Things: Noguchi and Hasegawa in Postwar Japan” is an exhibition of over 100 objects that recounts the story of the remarkable friendship between Japanese American artist Isamu Noguchi, renowned for his paper Akari lamps, furniture designs and iconic wood, stone and metal sculptures, and Japanese painter, calligrapher and philosopher Saburo Hasegawa, who made abstract monochromatic artworks and experimental photo collages while contributing to an array of art movements such as the Beats. Shaped by similar European influences (Noguchi worked in Brancusi’s atelier) and their experiences of wartime, both men helped forge a mid-20th-century modern aesthetic. (Sept. 27-Dec. 8). “Lost at Sea: Art Recovered from Shipwrecks” is a voyage into the past and the depths of the ocean that

gave up secrets and a trove of Vietnamese artifacts that had lain undetected on the bottom of the sea for over a century. (Nov. 26-March 22). asianart.org The GLBT Historical Society Museum’s “Performance, Protest and Politics: The Art of Gilbert Baker” offers a dimensional portrait of the dynamic life and work of Baker, an activist best-known as the creator of the Rainbow Flag. Among the show’s highlights: paintings, videos, excerpts from his posthumous memoir “Rainbow Warrior,” and hand-sewn costumes that represent the personas he inhabited, such as Betsy Ross and the Statue of Liberty. Opens Nov. 1. glbthistory.org Check out SFMOMA, where a pair of companion photography shows that opened earlier this summer will run through Dec. 1. “April Dawn Alison” features photos made over 30 years, starting in the late 1960s, that reveal the many guises and female personas of an Oakland-based photographer who lived as a man. After her death, she left behind an archive of more than 9,000 Polaroids, most of them self-portraits, that evolved into an obsessive exploration of self informed by pornography, Hollywood and advertising. A repository of good and bad photography and modernist images by the likes of Man Ray and Lisette Model, “Don’t! Photography and the Art of Mistakes” is filled with double exposures, lens flares and motion blurs. Technical errors once deemed failures are viewed

SFMOMA

April Dawn Alison, “Untitled” (n.d.), part of “April Dawn Alison.”

by another generation as revelations of process or mere stumbles on the road to greatness. If you believe there’s no accounting for taste and that the best things in life are accidental, this is the show for you. Since its inception in 1967, the SECA Art Award program has recognized Bay Area contemporary artists and included them in shows like this one. 2019’s three winners, Kenyatta A.C. Hinkle, Sahar Khoury and Marlon Mullen, have each been given a dedicated gallery in which to exhibit their creations. (Nov.16-April 12). sfmoma.org MoAD is mounting a group of photography shows, and here’s a rundown. Subscribing to the idea that the continent is as much psychological and physical territory, the group show “Africa State of Mind” revolves around three major themes: Hybrid African cities; Zones of Freedom, which addresses the fluidity of gender and sexual identity as well as the legacy of slavery, colonialism and apartheid; and Inner Landscapes, where the artists draw on personal memories and interpretations of Africa, past and present. “The Sacred Star of Isis and Other Stories” showcases the mixed-media photographic works of American-born Adama Delphine Fawundu, who explores the tension between her family’s tradi-

tional Mende (Sierra Leone) beliefs and Western values. (Sept. 4-Nov. 15). In “Baye Fall: Roots in Spirituality, Fashion and Resistance,” NYC-based documentary photographer Laylah Amatullah Barrayn engaged with the Mourides, a subgroup of Senegal’s Sufi Muslims. (Nov. 27- March 1). moadsf.org BAMPFA: The core works in “The San Quentin Project: Nigel Poor and the Men of San Quentin State Prison” came out of an unusual collaboration between Poor, a visual artist and photographer, and inmates of the infamous institution. For her classes and workshops Poor assembled photographs by established artists as well as images from the prison’s historical archive, which her students annotated with comments on daily life behind bars (through Nov. 17). French-Algerian artist Kader Attia has been consumed by healing from the trauma of war. “J’accuse,” his seminal 2016 installation, which takes its title, in part, from Abel Gance’s 1938 anti-war film, is comprised of 17 enigmatic busts of WWI soldiers whose faces were disfigured and later resurrected by plastic surgery. Carved from teak and mounted on tall pedestals, they’re like mini-Easter Island statues, or a convocation of the dead, testifying to the evil men do. (Sept. 18- Nov. 17). bampfa.org. t

CAMOU FL AGE . AR MOR . IDENTIT Y.

Now open in English, Español, 繁體中文, Filipino Discover the superpowers of skin at this brand new, multi-sensory exhibit. Touch amazing specimens— from scales to feathers to fur. Plus, learn how our perceptions of skin shape human identity and culture. Buy ahead and save at calacademy.org

29743-CAS-Skin-Bay Area Reporter-9.75x16-06.18.19-FA.indd 1

6/18/19 4:47 PM

<< Fall TV

24 • Bay Area Reporter • August 29-September 4, 2019

Fall Preview: The Lavender Tube by Victoria A. Brownworth

h, summer, we hardly knew ye. Gone in a flurry of Trump horrors, mass shootings and too many Democratic contenders for the 2020 nomination, summer 2019 is now merely another for the climate-crisis record books. So we turn to TV for respite as the autumnal equinox approaches. TV has never, thankfully, been better. Not necessarily gayer, but definitely lit. There are some superb shows just waiting to debut, and others are soon to be at your streaming, binging fingertips on Netflix. The fall season begins with a Climate Crisis Town Hall on Sept. 4. Only 10 Democratic candidates have qualified for the event, which will be a live broadcast on CNN. They are, in order of their current polling rankings, Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, Cory Booker, Beto O’Rourke, Amy Klobuchar, Andrew Yang and Julian Castro. With the Amazon rainforest, which provides a fifth of the world’s oxygen, on fire, and July having been the hottest month ever recorded in history, the timing could not be more critical. Noticeably absent will be Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, who withdrew from the race on Aug. 22. Inslee, who had made climate action his main platform, had never got above 1% in the polls. But it was Inslee who had campaigned for a climate summit, so the CNN town hall is largely his doing. The political spillover into TV was never more apparent than with the announcement that former Trump press secretary Sean Spicer would be a contestant on the latest season of “Dancing with the Stars.” The decision, which hopefully paves the way for at least one “SNL” skit featuring Melissa McCarthy’s genius portrayal of Spicey Spicer, was met with univer-

sal opprobrium. Host Tom Bergeron slammed the casting on Twitter, noting that he had requested of producers that “the 28th season of ‘DWTS’ be a joyful respite from our exhausting political climate and free of inevitably divisive bookings from any party affiliations.” Bergeron said he had understood that he and the producers were in agreement. “Subsequently, a decision was made to, as we often say in Hollywood, ‘go in a different direction.’” “DWTS” has previously cast several other well-known Republicans, notably Energy Secretary Rick Perry – bet you forgot he was Energy Secretary, or that we even have one, didn’t you?; journalist and Trump pal Geraldo Rivera; Bristol Palin, daughter of former Alaska governor and Tea Party founder Sarah Palin; and Fox News anchor and white nationalist cheerleader Tucker Carlson. Spicer will be getting a big payday, too, proving once again that straight cisgender white male privilege rises. Variety reports that contestants on the ABC competition series make $125,000 for the show’s rehearsal period and their first two weeks on the air. Should contestants go to week three and beyond, they earn more each week. Variety reports the top money is $295,000. According to a White House report released in 2017, Spicer made just under $180,000 during his time with the Trump administration. We look forward to Spicer adding to his personal humiliations and being the first one voted off the dance floor. In better fall season news, the powerhouse gay producers and showrunners extraordinaire Greg Berlanti and Ryan Murphy have more TV for us this season. Berlanti just made TV history. The gay wunderkind of the Arrowverse now has a record 18 shows on the air. We won’t list them

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In the latest Greg Berlanti creation, Ruby Rose stars as an out lesbian “Batwoman.”

all, but wow. His latest, “Batwoman,” is probably the most hyped series for fall. In Berlanti’s iteration, Kate Kane, Batman’s cousin, is an out lesbian fighting the social justice fight in Batman’s absence. Batwoman will be the first lead lesbian superhero on TV. The latest Berlanti creation stars Ruby Rose as the iconic Batwoman. Rose herself has been an out lesbian since she was 12, and has been outspoken about her own gender nonconformity. She says she had previously considered transition from female to male, but for now uses female pronouns. “I am very gender fluid and feel more like I wake up every day sort of gender neutral,” Rose said. Rose caused a furor when she joined the cast of “Orange Is the New Black” and straight ladies worldwide fell in love with her sexy, butch, tatted androgyny. Some LGBTQ activists argued that the “I’d go gay for Ruby Rose” wave was homophobic, but Rose herself said in an interview with Cosmopolitan that “people should not nitpick who can or cannot identify as genderqueer, gender-neutral, bisexual or trans, or tell them how to live their lives,” adding, “People should let others say what they want to about their sexuality, and this is a message the LGBT community should be supporting.” Casting Rose as Batwoman was a definite pro-queer choice by Berlanti. The show and Rose are destined to be wildly popular, and “Batwoman” is positioned on the top ratings night of the week, Sunday. On the CW, debuting Oct. 6. “You don’t have to be a good person as long as you do good things.” That line will repeat in your head to infinity as you settle into Ryan Murphy’s glorious new series and his Netflix debut, “The Politician.” It’s fabulous in a way that made us fall in love with “Glee” and “American Horror Story” when they were new and not like anything else. “The Politician” is not like anything else except the best of Ryan Murphy. It has everything you could want, but especially it has a deliriously good Ben Platt in the title role as Payton Hobart, a young politician, and an incomparably good Jessica Lange. “The Politician” is so good, our hatred for Gwyneth Paltrow, who plays Payton’s mother Georgina in a perfect parody of herself, momentarily ebbed. Netflix describes the eight-episode series as “the politician aspirations of Platt’s Payton Hobart, a wealthy Santa Barbarian. Every season will revolve around a different political race his character is involved in.” It brings the gay, it brings the funny, it brings the camp, and you will love it. Also starring Zoey Deutch as Infinity Jackson, with guest stars Bette Midler and Judith Light. Light previously tore through the scenery in Murphy’s ode to Gianni Versace. We can’t wait to see her here. Murphy signed a $300 million deal with Netflix, and “The Politician” is his first series with them. In the brand new trailer, Platt’s character warns his classmates not to get in the way of his presidential aspirations. The scene

where he freaks out on his running mate Infinity Jackson (who has cancer) after discovering a video of her using a gay slur (not the one you’re thinking of, which is what makes the scene hilarious rather than awful) is priceless. The trailer also teases something dark and dangerous about the show as Payton asserts he will win at all costs. Murphy told The Hollywood Reporter the show “is meant as a satirical class takedown with a modern twist,” and noted, “It’s wealthy people behaving badly. All of this has been percolating in the culture, particularly under this president and this idea of Ivanka and Jared as the sort of satanic poster boy and girl for privilege and nepotism.” Dark, funny satanic poster boy and girl TV is just what we were looking for this season.

Stabs in the dark

Remember all those slasher movies set in summer camps that splattered the 1980s? So does Ryan Murphy, and the 9th season of “American Horror Story” is a paean to those films. Murphy always closely guards details of his “AHS” series, so it’s always a shocker when the series finally debuts. From the various trailers and Murphy himself, we know that “American Horror Story: 1984” is set in a wooded camp, there’s lots of “Psycho”style stabbiness, and one teaser showed a group of counselors arriving at “Camp Redwood” to set up. Cast members include Emma Roberts, Sarah Paulson, gay Olympian Gus Kenworthy, “Pose”’s Angelica Ross, Cody Fern and more. “American Horror Story: 1984” premieres on FX Sept. 18. So remember “Lost?” Remember how much you loved it before it went completely off the rails? Remember how fabulous “The Leftovers” was? Well, Damon Lindelof, “Lost” cocreator and creator of “The Leftovers,” is the creator of “Watchmen,” which is arguably the most-talked-about new series of the fall season and may be what HBO was looking for to fill the vacuum left by “Game of Thrones” ending. Based on the graphic novel series “Watchmen,” the TV series takes place in what HBO describes as “an alternate contemporary reality in the US, in which superheroes and masked vigilantes were outlawed due to their violent methods, but some of them gather around to start a revolution while others attempt to stop it.” Lindelof, who knows how to tease the unteasable, described the series on Instagram, saying it was neither a reboot nor a remake of the original 1987 12-issue story. Rather, he said, it will be wholly new, but with the canon of the Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons graphic series embedded. “Those original 12 issues are our Old Testament,” he wrote. “When the New Testament came along it did not erase what came before it. Creation. The

Garden of Eden. Abraham and Isaac. The Flood. It all happened. And so it will be with ‘Watchmen.’” Wow. The series stars Emmy-winner Regina King, who is a veritable shapeshifter of an actress and pure genius in everything she does. Co-stars include Don Johnson, Frances Fisher, Louis Gossett, Jr., Jeremy Irons and Sara Vickers. Music by the great Trent Reznor. It’s gonna be lit. In October on HBO. On Sept. 6, Sacha Baron Cohen changes it up in “The Spy.” The Netflix original drama series is based on the real-life story of Israeli Mossad agent Eli Cohen. The series is created by Gideon Raff, who is openly gay. Raff has won an Emmy as well as the Israeli version of the Oscar. Noah Emmerich, who starred in “The Americans,” co-stars. If you liked Netflix’s “Bodyguard,” this series is for you. “BoJack Horseman” is one of those animated series that you tell yourself you’ll just try one or two episodes to see what all the fuss is about, then it hooks you, and you realize you really did need animated queer characters. The creator of that series, Raphael Bob-Waksberg has a new series, “Undone,” debuting Sept. 13 on Amazon Prime. The series is described by Amazon as exploring “the elastic nature of reality through its central character, Alma [voiced by Rosa Salazar]. After getting into a near fatal car accident, Alma discovers she has a new relationship with time, and uses this ability to find out the truth about her father’s death.” In addition to “AHS” alum Salazar, “Undone” also stars Bob Odenkirk (“Better Call Saul”), Angelique Cabral (“Life in Pieces”) and “Teen Wolf” cutie Tyler Posey. Also on Sept. 13, Netflix drops a new Chelsea Handler documentary, “Hello Privilege, It’s Me, Chelsea.” Handler focuses on how white privilege has impacted American culture as well as talking, of course, about herself. Handler is always hilarious and arch, and spends her free time gutting Trump on Twitter like so much road kill, so definitely worth viewing. There are many more new series which we will preview and let you know what is and isn’t worth viewing, but set your DVRs for ABC’s creepy thriller “Emergence,” which debuts on Sept. 24, and the new CBS supernatural thriller series “Evil,” on Sept. 26. “Evil” is created by Robert and Michelle King, who created “The Good Wife” and “BrainDead,” two series we loved. “Evil” stars Mike Colter, Michael Emerson and Christine Lahti among other stellar actors. We want to add here that we sure are glad the networks and cable finally got the message that people of color can be leads in series, because this is looking like the most racially diverse, if not queerest fall season in forever. One of our faves, “Will & Grace,” is set to return for its final season on NBC in October. Presidential candidate Joe Biden said of the series that “‘W&G’ probably did more to educate the American public” on LGBT issues “than almost anything anybody has ever done so far.” And we wonder why a reality TV star is president. Three much-loved guest stars will reprise their roles on “W&G” for the 11th season. Out gay actor and perennial gorgeousness Matt Bomer returns as Will’s boyfriend, TV journalist McCoy Whitman. “SNL” alum Vanessa Bayer reprises her role as bakery owner Amy. Golden Globe nominee Blythe Danner returns as Will’s mother Marilyn Truman. Danner has garnered two Emmy nominations for her acerbic role that says so much about how Will became Will. See page 26 >>

Books >>

August 29-September 4, 2019 • Bay Area Reporter • 25

Stars come out by Tim Pfaff

he brightest star of Amanda Lee Koe’s debut novel “Delayed Rays of a Star” (Nan A. Talese/Doubleday) is Amanda Lee Koe. The queer, Singapore-born, New York-based Koe’s book is one of those astronomical rarities people get up in the middle of the night to behold, natural spectacles yet as assured as the collaboration of high-energy physicists. The novel is a time-hopping riff on three silver-screen luminaries – Marlene Dietrich, Anna May Wong and Leni Riefensthal – whose stars crossed in real life but here explode in a wildly imaginative take on what could have been. Koe, a born cinephile and seasoned, expert cinemaniac, takes the kernels of historical events, turns up the heat and makes them pop. She says the germ of her novel was seeing an Alfred Eisenstaedt “snapshot” of the three women at the 1928 Berlin Press Ball. Recreating that scene, she peppers it with details from her own fecund imagination with the result that it somehow seems more realistic than made up. It will be said that her book is cinematic, and it is to the toes of its dancing shoes; but the most cinematic thing about it is that the special effects play out on the flat surface of the page. Koe’s complete mastery of the sentence not only holds this madcap juggernaut together but also gives it fuel, drives and steers it. Even if you sometimes can’t believe what you’re reading, it’s not for any lack of clarity in the prose. At their wildest Koe’s sentences are diagrammable; they do the work so the reader can read the stars. Then there’s the pacing. What initially seem like exhibitionist stunts – on the part of the luminaries, but equally on Koe’s – are braided with studio-quality hairand-makeup professionalism as we see the women cross paths and indulge their lesbian desires. Only after the skeins are thoroughly knotted does Koe lead us back to the individual women in chapters that read like career lookbacks, some in first person, some in third. Koe is the unreliable narrator you’ve been waiting your life for. Concealing her immaculate craftsmanship, Koe steps into sex scenes with the aplomb of a prima ballerina, hot takes produced less by noise than by the unlikely fusion of over-the-top action with deep feeling, however fleeting. This marks the first time I’ve read a lesbian sexcapade set in the bathroom stall of an elegant restaurant, and it has the impact of the tearoom rumble at the beginning of Garth Greenwell’s “What

Kirsten Tan

“Delayed Rays of a Star” author Amanda Lee Koe.

Belongs to You” combined with the droll commentary of pre-stardom bathroom custodian Wong and the revelation of the inner lives of two women stepping back into public with metaphorical toilet paper stuck to their shoes. There’s also man-man sex, with all its complexities, between two soldiers from the Nazi North African front drafted by Goebbels as extras in Riefensthal’s sentimental, pre-propaganda Alpine weeper “Tiefland.” Then there’s the ventriloquism. Wong makes herself a pen pal to the eminent cultural commentator (and homosexual) Walter Benjamin as he dithers about escaping the Gestapo by scaling the Pyrenees. In its own chapter, Koe gives us Die literarische Welt essay about her, in fluent faux-Benjaminese. Wong (“too Chinese to play a Chinese” in Hollywood, despite co-starring with Dietrich in “Shanghai Express”) is probably the least-known of the trio today, but Koe eschews cliches about the Asian-American experience to depict fleet-footed desperation at its most individual. In “An Urgent Task for Top Scientists at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute in Berlin,” Koe buries the Nazi propagandist Riefensthal beneath her lesserknown brilliance as an actor, dancer and director. A voluble if mad Leni is heart-breaking in an imaginary media interview the day after her 101st birthday. With Dietrich, Koe presents every intimate facet of a woman the rest of the world regarded as a magnetic persona. She meets the adolescent JFK in a swimming pool, then reconnects with the Presidential Kennedy in 1961, “on a day trip to receive an honorary peace prize.” Here’s Koe at her most richly comic: “Jack, she protested. I never did it with your daddy. “I knew the old devil was lying, he said, patting her rump twice. That’s the only door I got in first. “She had not made him wear a condom. Not because he was the president – it was an indiscriminate favor she extended to any man she bedded.” We also see Marlene in final decline in her blacked-out Paris apartment (hiding out on the Champs Elysees), her maid BeBe arousing, then attending to some all-but-forgotten sexual needs while also emptying the elegant porcelain bedpans. I can’t wait to read “Delayed Rays” again, to catch whatever I might have missed on the rocket-propelled first line-reading. t

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8/26/19 11:56 AM

<< Music

26 • Bay Area Reporter • August 29-September 4, 2019

Grand Finale for Merola Opera grads by Philip Campbell

nstead of returning to campus this fall, the Merola Opera Program class of 2019 has already graduated from the organization’s prestigious “summer school.” A recent evening-long “commencement” concert at the War Memorial Opera House presented the 29 young artists, selected from over 800 applicants, in the Merola Grand Finale, the final event of the yearly Summer Festival. The gala, conducted by George Manahan and directed by 2019 Merola Apprentice Stage Director Greg Eldridge, offered the participants a closing opportunity to demonstrate the Program’s inestimable worth. Countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen (Merola 2016) is a fine example. He was first onstage at the concert, making a heartfelt opening statement about his own experience and thanking his mentors. He gratefully attributes the launch of his rocketing career to the high focus of Merola training. Framing and flavoring the performance with a Shakespearean theme and some actual quotes, director Eldridge cleverly segued between musical styles. A few awkward stops robbed singers of applause, but the three-hour show moved briskly and looked surprisingly at home on the set of San Francisco Opera’s upcoming production of “Billy Budd.” The

Lavender Tube

From page 24

Finally, as the summer season draws to a close, the Aug. 23 episode of ABC’s “What Would You Do?” brought TLC’s Jazz Jennings in for a segment on how cisgender people should treat trans people in public.

Fall SF Symphony

From page 17

He is convalesced from “a cardiac procedure” this summer “in continuation of treatment for a heart condition,” which husband Joshua Robison has called a “complete success.” The treasured legend-in-ourown-time is back where he belongs at Davies Symphony Hall, leading colleagues and fans through the coming festivities. Single tickets for all concerts have been available since late July, so timing is important. We are previewing concerts through the winter holidays, but there will be many exciting events to follow. International stars, guest soloists and conductors are visiting during MTT’s final season. The Opening Black Tie Gala on Sept. 4, which benefits the Symphony’s many artistic, community, and education programs, is sure to sell out. Equally pricey tickets for “S&M2: Metallica and the San Francisco Symphony at Chase Center,” a joint concert by rock band Metallica and the SFS with conductors MTT and Edwin Outwater, at San Francisco’s new Chase Center on Fri., Sept. 6, are available online. The venue holds 18,064, and I’m thinkin’ the dress code is probably looser. Sept. 12-15 finds MTT back in DSH conducting four performances of his signature composer Mahler’s Symphony No. 6. The Orchestra’s 2001 recording followed the Sept 11 terrorist attacks, launching the SFS Media label. The release earned the first of seven Grammy Awards for the renowned Mahler Project. The cathartic effect of those concerts remains vivid after almost two decades. September continues with the world premiere of a new work by John Adams, co-commissioned

Kristen Loken

Esther Tonea and Michael Day performed selected scenes in the Merola Opera Program’s Merola Grand Finale, Aug. 17 at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco.

brought Anna Dugan back to affirm her range, with strong-voiced tenor Victor Starsky (Richmond Hill, Queens, NY) equaling her intensity. Tenor Brandon Scott Russell (Springfield, MO) filled the auditorium with ringing clarity as the Prince in Dvorak’s “Rusalka.” Quieter moments resonated, too. An ensemble scene from Poulenc’s “Dialogues des Carmelites,” featuring lustrous soprano Amber R. Monroe (Youngstown, OH), was touching. Soprano Chelsea Lehnea (Chattanooga, TN) dazzled again, after her debut in the Merola season’s opening Schwabacher Summer Concert, with her portrayal of Elisabetta in Donizetti’s “Maria Stuarda.” Two especially well-staged scenes, from Mozart’s “Cosi fan tutte” and Donizetti’s “The Daughter of the Regiment,” added cheery good humor to the bill. Soprano Esther Tonea (Buford, GA) and tenor Michael Day (Rockford, IL) paired perfectly in the Mozart. Soprano Elisa Sunshine (San Clemente, CA) charmed in the title role of Donizetti’s confection. The packed program offered too many superior performances to describe. All of the talented participants distinguished themselves throughout the season, and no one is ever there by chance. The annual Merola Grand Finale sets the seal on well-deserved diplomas. t

cross-section of HMS Indomitable was a little menacing as the Marschallin’s boudoir in the opening segment from R. Strauss’ “Der Rosenkavalier,” but mezzo-soprano Cara Collins (Amarillo, TX), fresh from Merola’s recent Heggie/ Scheer commission “If I Were You,” and soprano Anna Dugan (Cranford, NJ) still created an atmosphere of sensuous intimacy. Scenes taken from Shakespeare adaptations – “Romeo and Juliet” by Bellini and Gounod,

“The Merry Wives of Windsor” by Verdi and Nicolai, and Ambroise Thomas’ often dismissed “Hamlet” – fit the show’s idea well. Mezzo-soprano Brennan Blankenship (Klein, TX) in Gounod’s “Romeo and Juliet”; soprano Anne-Marie MacIntosh (British Columbia, Canada), Diana in the Heggie/Scheer opera, in an aria from Bellini’s “The Capulets and the Montagues”; and baritone Edward Laurenson (Auckland, New Zealand) and bass-baritone

Rafael Porto (Sao Paolo, Brazil) singing a duet from Nicolai’s “The Merry Wives of Windsor” added thematic continuity. Mezzo-soprano Alice Chung (Loma Linda, CA) was an imposing Gertrude, giving sympathy to a difficult role, and baritone Timothy Murray (Whitefish Bay, WI), memorable from “If I Were You,” brought matching sensitivity to Hamlet. A demanding scene from Samuel Barber’s passionate “Vanessa”

(Your casual reminder that there is only one answer: with civility, just like you treat everyone else. We will never understand why this is so hard for some people.) A trans woman asks directions to the ladies room. A woman with a small child at a nearby table says, “You asked for the women’s bathroom? Aren’t you a man? That’s

disgusting.” Two men at a table speak up and tell her not to do that. The woman says, “Why are you defending ‘him?’” “Because what you’re doing is not right.” More people in the restaurant engage, radical politics ensues, then Jazz comes in along with host John Quiñones and says, “I’m Jazz Jennings,

I’m transgender myself. You guys restored my faith in humanity.” This show always makes us tear up because whatever the moral quandary of the week, most people (ordinary people) do the right thing. But whenever it’s a queer thing, it really makes us feel like the possibility exists for LGBTQ people to one day live without fear

in the straight cisgender world. If you missed it, you can watch at ABCgo. com. We highly recommend that. So for all the great new series about to debut, the old faves back for a last hurrah, and climate action on the table, you know you really must stay tuned. t

by SFS and Carnegie Hall, on a bill that also features Russian pianist Daniil Trifonov playing the gorgeous Rachmaninoff Concerto No. 4. The program closes with Schumann’s melodic Symphony No. 3, “Rhenish.” The month comes to an exciting conclusion with MTT conducting another favorite composer, one he could actually count as a friend! Stravinsky’s “Symphony of Psalms” and the lush Symphony in Three Movements frame a performance of Haydn’s delightful Cello Concerto No.1 by Oliver Herbert. Tenor Nicholas Phan solos with Ragnar Bohlin’s SFS Chorus in Stravinsky’s “Canticum sacrum.” MTT goes on hiatus in October. Conductor Marek Janowski makes a welcome return to DSH to collaborate with violinist Maria Duenas (SFS

debut) in the ever-popular Mendelssohn Concerto. Janowski takes the spotlight for Hindemith’s stirring Concert Music for String Orchestra and Brass, and Mozart’s Symphony No. 41, “Jupiter.” SFS Principal Percussion Jacob Nissly solos the following week in the World Premiere of composer Adam Schoenberg’s SFS Commission, “Losing Earth.” I marveled at a duet performance in the SFS 2018-19 Chamber Music Series between Nissly and SFS Principal Viola Jonathan Vinocour. The youthful virtuosos’ expressiveness was amazing. Guest conductor Cristian Macelaru leads the orchestra in Mussorgsky’s evocative “Pictures at an Exhibition.” Chief Conductor of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra Karina Canellakis makes her SFS

debut next in an enticing concert of music by modern Russian masters. Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 1 played by Ukrainian Alexander Gavrylyuk (SFS debut) and Shostakovich’s boldly hypnotic Symphony No. 7, “Leningrad,” pack powerful punches that command attention and deserve wider currency. Conductors Ton Koopman and Antonio Pappano (SFS debut) have November covered with two wildly contrasted concerts. Early music specialist Koopman gets SFS Concertmaster Alexander Barantschik off first chair to essay J.S. Bach’s Violin Concerto No. 1. More Bach and wonderful Haydn are also on the program. Pappano conducts Wagner’s perfect Act I from “Die Walkure.” Soprano Emily Magee, tenor Stuart

Skelton, and bass Ain Anger sing. If ever there was a stand-alone operatic excerpt, it is the stunning first act of the second opera in Wagner’s mighty “Ring” Cycle. R. Strauss’ “Metamorphosen” serves as curtain-raiser. Thanksgiving closely follows late November performances conducted by Manfred Honeck of Bruckner’s Symphony No. 4, “Romantic,” and returning favorite pianist Leif Ove Andsnes plays Mozart’s Concerto No. 22. We will look again at MTT’s Season of Celebration in December, but word to the wise: hit the website now if you want to assure a place at the party. t sfsymphony.org

Terrence McCarthy

Dario Acosta

Russian pianist Daniil Trifonov will play the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 4.

SFS Principal Percussion Jacob Nissly will solo in the World Premiere of composer Adam Schoenberg’s “Losing Earth.”

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Shining Stars

Vol. 49 • No. 35 • August 29-September 4, 2019

Natalie Douglas

Singer’s family reconnection & Roberta Flack tribute at Feinstein’s concerts by Jim Gladstone

“T

he First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” is one of those songs that’s pretty much guaranteed to swell the emotions. But when acclaimed vocalist Natalie Douglas sings it next weekend during her Roberta Flack tribute shows at Feinstein’s at the Nikko, expect to feel a tsunami in the room. See page 29 >>

Courtesy San Francisco History Center, SF Public Library

BARCHIVE:

ROBBIE ROBINSON MAKES HISTORY Former bartender and barber reveals a lost gay San Francisco by Michael Flanagan

I Halloween party at the Hideaway, 1960

{ THIRD OF THREE SECTIONS }

t’s always exciting to find information about disappeared history, especially when a good storyteller is sharing the tale. While working on an article about bars in the Mid-Market area last year, I found an intriguing video. A charming man by the name of James “Robbie” Robinson was talking about visiting San Francisco while stationed at Parks Air Force base in the East Bay in 1957. In the video he talks about being cruised on Market Street and how the man led him to the Silver Dollar (64 Eddy). See page 28 >>

<< BARchive

28 • Bay Area Reporter • August 29-September 4, 2019

Jump from

From page 27

“The man at the door checked my I.D., told me that it was off limits to military… He called over the waitress Lisa, who was a wonderful woman, and had her buy me a drink because it was my first visit – and of course it became my second home while stationed at Parks. Once I was discharged I didn’t know what I was going to be doing… on a Saturday night they needed a bar back and Bob asked me to do it. By the way, the guy at the door, Bob Thompson, was the owner… The rest was history. He made me a bartender and I was a bartender there until he set the place on fire.” The video was one of a group from an organization called Tell History, which recruits ‘citizen historians’ to tell their stories. In another interview, Robinson told about how the community took care of one another when he first started going to bars in the 1950s and early ’60s: “We sort of looked after one another. I could get a tear in my eyes when I think about the beauty and the closeness of the community before things started to change. You know there was a time when I could take you home with me and put my billfold on the table and it would be there when I woke up the next morning.” The videos give a perspective on San Francisco LGBT history, which is different from much of what I have read elsewhere. In a video about the Tenderloin Robinson says: “The Tenderloin was a wonderful neighborhood in the Fifties and early Sixties. It was safe, it was great and for some reason it was welcoming to people like me. As we all know, eventually that all changed.” In many ways San Francisco still seems like a small town, so you will not be surprised that shortly after watching the videos I heard a now familiar voice coming from another chair at the salon where I was

getting my hair cut. I told Robbie I had seen his videos, and after assuring him that I wasn’t a crazed stalker, asked him for more information about the bars he mentioned. He asked, “Have you read my book?”

One Gay’s Flight

He told me he had self-published his biography, My Story, One Gay’s Fight: From Hate To Acceptance and that it was available at both the San Francisco Public Library and the GLBT Historical Society. The History Room of the public library provided me with their copy. It’s an astounding read, with eyewitness information about events and places I had only read about from a second-hand perspective in the past. Regarding the Hideaway (438 Eddy, which was closed by 1962) Robinson says: “The Hideaway was a beautiful bar located at 438 Eddy Street between Leavenworth and Hyde in the basement of the Jefferson Hotel. It was not doing well in terms of patronage or sales. Damron sought me out to ask me to work at the bar. Bob Damron knew me from the time I worked for Bob Thompson at the Silver Dollar and knew the patrons liked me and that I was honest and careful where the cash register was concerned.” He also reports that he narrowly missed being arrested at the TayBush Inn. On September 14, 1961 he was out with his friend Jack Tennison: “Part of the patter and silliness between us was that Jack had the nickname of ‘Tallulah’ and he referred to me by the nickname ‘Helen.’ The names came from the radio show, The Many Loves of Helen Trent; Can a Woman Find Love After Forty? I was driving down Bush Street that morning, with a bit of a buzz from alcohol. Jack was by my side when we saw the police cars, buses and paddy wagons with all their lights on and part of the street blocked. We knew there was a ‘raid’ going on. Jack (Tallulah) shouted to me: ‘Helen, step on the

damn gas, we need to get the hell out of here, the fuzz are raiding the fuckin’ place.””

to Helen back

I knew the name ‘Helen Trent’ from the columns of both Sweet Lips and Polk Street Sally in the Bay Area Reporter. Robinson had, in fact, worked with Sweet Lips. He tells the tale of one night at the Kokpit (301 Turk) when Lips drunk-dialed the bar from home and spoke on the bar phone with Bob Patterson, a patron who told him there was no VO in the bar. Lips hung up on the customer/ “Within minutes, Sweet Lips barges through the door of the Kokpit and, pushing furniture and patrons aside, heads for the back office where the liquor supply is kept. He came back with a large bottle of expensive Seagram’s VO and slammed it on the bar saying, ‘Here’s the fucking booze; drink that like you drink the rest of my God damn liquor!’ Not caring whether he was talking to Patterson or me, I picked up the bottle by its neck and threw it right at Sweet Lips’ head with real anger and as hard as I could. It barely missed, but had it hit him in the head there would have been no more Sweet Lips.” There are many, many more fascinating and dramatic tales of this sort in the book. Robinson tells of how the Tavern Guild was initially formed by bartenders dealing with patron and police issues while he was working at the Hideaway, and how the bar owners were initially none too pleased with the organization. He also discusses working at the Fantasy when Charles Pierce performed there and being held up at gunpoint when he worked at Jacksons (2237 Powell), and of working at the Viking Barber Shop (first at 2225 Market Street and then 380 Sanchez). What is so very important about this book is that it is a first-person account of working in the gay bars of San Francisco from the 1950s on and how Robinson is so disarmingly honest and direct. Because there were no gay newspapers in San Francisco before 1961, and since early gay newspapers were only a few pages long, this is an extremely valuable perspective and fills in many blanks in our history. Robinson deserves our gratitude for preserving this legacy in pictures, video and print and for more: for pointing the way to others in the community to tell their history. We can only hope that others will preserve their stories as well as he has. t

Courtesy San Francisco History Center, SF Public Library

James “Robbie” Robinson and Bob Thompson at the Silver Dollar (in front of a Barbara Stanwyck painting).

Courtesy San Francisco History Center, SF Public Library

James “Robbie” Robinson dressed as Zorro at the Hideaway Halloween Party in 1960.

The author wishes to thank the San Francisco Public Library History Room for going out of their way to provide access to Robbie Robinson’s book before it was catalogued.

James “Robbie” Robinson’s self-published memoir.

Courtesy San Francisco History Center, SF Public Library

Friends and Employees from the Hideaway Bar celebrating Bob Thompson’s birthday in 1962.

Cabaret>>

August 29-September 4, 2019 • Bay Area Reporter • 29

for adoptees to get documentation. I was also a little conflicted. I have adopted friends who have found their birth parents and it went well for some, but not for others.” Douglas, who is generally upbeat and self-confident, comfortably put her search on the back burner to focus on her music career. A New York resident since shortly after graduating from UCLA with a Masters Degree in Psychology, she’s established herself as one of the most in-demand interpretive vocalists in the city, winning more than a dozen awards from the Manhattan Association of Cabarets (MAC), recording three acclaimed albums and performing as an artist in residence at Birdland, the world renowned jazz club.

Family findings

Kevin Alvey

Natalie Douglas

From page 27

Douglas’ biological father, the Reverend Arnold Townsend, has lived in the Bay Area for most of his life. But the first time ever she saw his face was just this past December. And these Feinstein’s shows will be the first time he ever sees his daughter perform in concert. An only child now in her forties, Douglas didn’t learn she was adopted until a few years ago, when the spouse of a cousin, assuming otherwise, let slip a long-kept family secret. “Not only did I not know,” explained Douglas in a recent interview with the Bay Area Reporter, “I’d grown up with my [adoptive] mother telling me stories about her pregnancy with me.” Her adoptive parents each had many siblings, all of whom had

been sworn to keep mum and kept that promise for decades. “When I first heard, I was stunned,” said Douglas. “I felt like I’d left my body. But a lot of things started sifting through my mind all of a sudden. It took me a while to wrap my head around it, but I got it. In some way, there was a feeling of relief, an explanation of how different from my parents I’d felt sometimes. I mean, I adore them –they gave me a great life and they gave me my love of music– but something clicked.” Douglas’ mother had passed away before this revelation, so the singer turned to her aunts and uncles, who confirmed the truth, but didn’t have much in the way of details. “I thought I wanted as much information as I could get,” the Los Angeles-raised Douglas now said. “But in California, it’s still difficult

But last summer, Douglas and her husband decided to take DNA tests on Ancestry.com. After looking at her results for geographic and ethnic background, Douglas turned to the page that reveals genetic relatives who have also taken the test and given permission for their identities and relationships to be shared. And there it was: ‘Arnold Townsend, Father.’ “You can put in a pseudonym, or just initials,” Douglas recalls, “But he’d used his full name. I looked him up on Facebook and when I saw his childhood photo, it was like me as a boy. I could see that his mother was my grandmother.” Douglas also saw that Townsend seemed to share much of her social-activist spirit: a longtime Fillmore resident and associate minister at Without Walls church, he is a Vice President of the San Francisco NAACP, has served as the board president of the San Francisco Economic Opportunity Council and a San Francisco Elections Commissioner. Last November, Douglas initiated contact by email. “He wrote back the next day,” she remembers. “He hadn’t known about me at all. He’d been on Ancestry.com to learn about what

parts of Africa were in his background, not to look for relatives. I was the result of a high school summer romance with a woman he never saw again.” Townsend eventually had another daughter, Rachel, who died tragically shortly before Douglas reached out to him. Rachel Townsend was a community activist in whose memory a Western Addition affordable housing complex was renamed by Mayor London Breed in a ceremony last December. Douglas was on hand for this tribute to a sister she’d never met, which took place during her first trip to meet their father. “We have so much in common,” says Douglas. “He’s kind of like Mister Fillmore. The whole community knows him. He moved to San Francisco after serving in Vietnam, and he was one of the founders of the black student union at San Francisco State. He led the sit-in there. He shares a lot of my political views

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Untitled-7 1

Aug 29-Sept 5, 2019 Whether you’re escaping to the ‘burbs or elsewhere, local and regional arts events should liven up your Labor Day Weekend. Listings on www.ebar.com

8/27/19 12:46 PM

Natalie Douglas: The Music of Roberta Flack. Friday and Saturday, September 6 & 7, 8pm. $40-$75 ($20 food/drink min.). Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. www.feinsteinsatthenikko.com

Natalie Douglas and her father Arnold Townsend in San Francisco, June 2019.

San Francisco:

Arts Events

and he’s sex positive like me. Honestly, it’s like there was a Match.com for parents and children.” Douglas is well-known for paying homage to other singers at her gigs, having performed acclaimed shows devoted to a remarkable range of performers, from Billie Holiday to Dolly Parton to Cher. But while next weekend’s set list will draw from the work of Roberta Flack, with Arnold Townsend and a crowd of new friends and family in the audience, it will truly be a tribute show to powers far beyond showbiz and celebrity. t

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<< On the Tab

30 • Bay Area Reporter • August 29-September 4, 2019

Nightlife Events Arts Events

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Fri Date 30

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Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band @ Paramount Theatre

THU 29

The former Beatles drummer performs classic and recent songs, along his 30th anniversary tour. $85-$175. 8pm. 2025 Broadway, Oakland. www.ringostarr.com www.paramounttheatre.com

Dee’s Keys @ Beaux Weekly live piano and open mic night with Dee Spencer. 4pm-8pm. 2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

Events @ Steamworks, Berkeley The stylish bathhouse’s DJed events take place Thursdays-Sundays. $7-$62, plus annual memberships $160. Open 24/7, every day. 2107 4th St., Berkeley. (510) 845-8992. www.steamworksbaths.com

Junk @ Powerhouse MrPam and Dulce de Leche cohost the weekly underwear strip night and contest, with sexy prizes. $5. 10pm-2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

Literary Speakeasy @ Martuni’s Enjoy cocktails and readings with writers and poets Skye Allen, Erika Atkinson, Lisa Galloway, Minyoung Lee, and Gary Pei, with host James J. Siegel. 7pm. 4 Valencia St.

The Monster Show @ The Edge The weekly drag show with themed nights and hilarious fun. $5. 9pm2am. 4149 18th St. at Collingwood. www.edgesf.com

San Geronimo @ The Chapel The band performs Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon album. $20. 8pm. 777 Valencia St. thechapelsf.com

Sandcatchers, Charming Hostess @ Red Poppy Art House The NYC Middle Eastern quartet and the Bay Area folk-Americana bands performs at the intimate community art space. $20-$25. 7:30pm-10pm. 2698 Folsom St. redpoppyarthouse.org

Star Trek Live! @ Oasis The hilarious drag king/queen parody performance of a classic episode of the scifi TV series teleports back to SoMa, starring Leigh Crow (Capt. Kirk) and a crew of queens and kings. $27.50-$50. Thu-Sat 7pm. Thru Sept 21. 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

Thursday Night Live @ SF Eagle Rock bands play at the famed leather bar. $8. 398 12th St. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com

FRI 30 Big Boy @ Lone Star Saloon 2nd anniversary party for the bear event, with DJ Boyshapedbox. $5, 9pm-2am. 1354 Harrison St. www.lonestarsf.com

The Bird and the Bee, Alex Lilly, Samantha Sidley @ Rickshaw Stop Three stylish pop/jazz bands perform. $20. 9pm. 155 Fell St. www.rickshawstop.com

DTF Fridays @ Port Bar, Oakland Various DJs play house music, and a few hotties gogo dance at the gay bar’s popular weekly event. 9pm-2am. 2023 Broadway. www.portbaroakland.com

Fabuloso @ SF Eagle Night for bears of color and their admirers. $5-$10. 9pm-2am. 398 12th St. www.sf-eagle.com

Flex @ Powerhouse Muscle fun with host Ky Martinez and flexing gogo guys. $5. 10pm2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

Lumerians @ The Chapel The spooky Oakland space rock/ psychedelic band performs; Carlton Melton and Death Cheetah open. $18. 9pm. 777 Valencia St. www.thechapelsf.com

Madonna Summer @ Oasis DJs ShyBoy and Nubar’s retro dance mix, with drag acts Sue Casa and Miss Rahni. $6-$10. 10pm-2am. 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

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Queer burlesque and cabaret show, this week with the Rebel Kings of Oakland. 6pm-8pm. 399 9th St. www.studsf.com

Saturgay @ Qbar Stanley Frank spins house dance remixes at the intimate Castro dance bar. $3. 9pm-2am (weekly beer bust 2pm-9pm). 456 Castro St. www.QbarSF.com

Scum @ The Stud Queer punk party with host Lady Forbidden, performers Dvvsk, God’s Lil Princess, Kochina Rude, Malice. 10pm-3am. 399 9th St. studsf.com

Veronica Klaus @ Martuni’s The award-winning cabaret jazz singer returns to town (see interview in last week’s edition), with the Tammy Hall Trio, at the intimate martini bar’s lounge. $40. 4pm & 7pm. Also Sept. 1. 4 Valencia St. https://m.bpt.me/event/4265338

SUN 1 Ascend @ Oasis Montreal DJ & producer Alain Jackinsky’s dance night. $20-$40. 10pm-2am. 298 11th St. sfoasis.com

Beer Bust @ SF Eagle The popular daytime party, where $10-$15 gets you all the beer you can drink, supporting worthy causes. 3pm-6pm. 398 12th St. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com

Big Gay Beer Bust @ The Cinch

Piano Bar @ Martuni’s

Benefits and plenty of beer at the historic neighborhood bar. 3pm7pm. 1723 Polk St. www.cinchsf.com

Musician extraordinaire Joe Wicht leads tasteful sing-along selections. 5:30-8:30pm. 4 Valencia St.

Dirty Musical Sundays @ The Edge

Stereo Argento @ The Stud Grooves and multiple drag acts (Raya Light, Suppositori Spelling, Celeste XXX, Laundra Tyme, Abominatrix, Roxanne Redmeat, Scarlett Letters, Nicki Jizz, Freak Andy, Mary Vice, Mandy Coco & more) at 11pm, 12am & 1am. 9pm3am. 399 9th St. www.studsf.com

Uhaul @ Jolene’s

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Qtease @ The Stud

The popular women’s dance party returns at the new nightclub, now weekly. 10pm-2am. 2700 16th St. at Harrison. www.jolenessf.com

SAT 31 Art & Wine Festival @ Millbrae 49th annual festival of music, arts, crafts, wine and food. 10am-5pm, thru Sept. 1. Broadway Avenue, Millbrae. millbrae.miramarevents.com/

Country, Americana Bands @ Fireside Lounge Beckylin & Her Druthers, Lucy & The Long Haul and The Secret Emchy Society perform at the east Bay nightclub. $5. 9pm. 1453 Webster St., Alameda. www.thefiresidelounge.com

Cream @ Lone Star Saloon DJs Marco Moreno, Chaka Quan, E. Feld spin at the bear bar. $5. 9pm-2am. 1354 Harrison St. www.lonestarsf.com

Mother @ Oasis Heklina’s popular weekly drag show, with special guests and great music themes, and MadDogg 20/20 in the Fez Room. Aug. 31 is an Elton John vs George Michael night. $10-$15. 10pm-3am (11:30pm show). 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

Onyx @ Powerhouse Men of Color leathermen and pals gathering, with raffles, shots, bootlblack stand. 5pm-9pm. $5. 10pm-2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

Sing along at the popular musical theatre night, with a bawdy edge; also Mondays and Wednesdays (but not as dirty). 7pm-2am. 2 for 1 cocktail, 5pm-closing. 4149 18th St. at Collingwood. www.edgesf.com

Glam Sundays @ Valencia Room New weekly house, funk, soul T-dance with guest-DJs and no cover. Sept 1: DJ Ruben Mancias. 3pm-9pm. 647 Valencia St. www.glamsundays.com www.thevalenciaroom.com

PoleSexual @ Powerhouse Variety show with pole dancers, queer acts, Dakota Pendant,and Ma Shugganuttz. $5. 9pm-2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

Sundance Saloon @ Space 550 The popular two-stepping linedancing, not-just-country music night, with free lessons, celebrates its 21st anniversary; free admission. 5pm-10:30pm. Also Thursdays 6:30pm-10:30pm. 550 Barneveld Ave. www.sundancesaloon.org

Teddy Bear Runway @ Lone Star Saloon Beer bust and bear fashion contest. $15. 4pm-8pm. 1354 Harrison St. www.lonestarsf.com

MON 2 Holy Divers Karaoke @ Ive Room, Albany Weekly queer LGBT karaoke night. 8pm-11pm. 860 San Pablo Ave., Albany. www.ivyroom.com

How to Die (D.I.Y.) @ The Stud Band that also does art installations invades the historic bar with its punk/intellectual focus on capital, mortality, trauma. 9pm-3am. 399 9th St. www.studsf.com

Karaoke Night @ Lookout All-day songfest, 8pm-2am. 3600 16th St. www.lookoutsf.com

Munro’s at Midnight @ Midnight Sun Drag night with Mercedez Munro. No cover. 10pm. 4067 18th St. 861-4186. www.midnightsunsf.com

Vamp @ Beaux Women’s night with a sultry vampire theme; goth, red & black, lingerie attire welcome but not required; bondage and BDSM demos, too. DJs Olga T and Jayne Grey. $5-$15. 8pm-2am. 2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

TUE 3 Cock Shot @ Beaux The weeknight party gets going with DJ Chad Bays. No cover. 9pm-2am. 2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

Retro Night @ 440 Castro Jim Hopkins plays classic pop oldies, with vintage music videos. 9pm-2am. 44 Castro St. www.the440.com

Vice Tuesdays @ Q Bar Queer femmes and friends dance party with hip hop, Top 40 and throwbacks at the stylish intimate bar, with DJs Val G and Iris Triska. 9pm-2am. 456 Castro St. www.QbarSF.com

WED 4 B.P.M. @ Club BnB, Oakland Olga T and Shugga Shay’s weekly queer women and men’s R&B hip hop and soul night, at the club’s new location. 8pm-2am. 2120 Broadway, Oakland. www.bench-and-bar.com

Chris Isaak @ Luther Burbank Center for the Arts, Santa Rosa The San Franciscan rockabilly star performs with his band. $60-$80. 7:30pm. 50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa. www.lutherburbankcenter.org

Miss Kitty’s Trivia Night @ Wild Side West The weekly fun night at the Bernal Heights bar includes prizes, hosted by Kitty Tapata. No cover. 7pm10pm. 424 Cortland St. 647-3099. www.wildsidewest.com

Queeraoke @ El Rio Midweek drag rave and vocal open mic, with Dulce de Leche, Rahni Nothingmore, Beth Bicoastal, Ginger Snap and guests. 10pm. 3158 Mission St. www.elriosf.com

Trivia Night @ Detour Games and arcade fun at the renovated former Brewcade bar/ restaurant. 7pm-11pm (free game play 7pm-8pm). 2200 Market St. www.detoursf.com

THU 5 King Crimson @ The Fox Oakland The iconic progressive rock band performs, with most of the original members. $65-$150. 8pm. Also Sept. 6. 1805 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. www.thefoxoakland.com

Latin Explosion @ Club 21 Latin beats, Lulu and Jacqueline’s drag show, gogo hotties and a packed crowd. $10-$15. 9pm-4am. 2111 Franklin St. www.club21oakland.com

Queer Karaoke @ Club OMG KJ Dana hosts the weekly singing night; unleash your inner American Idol; first Thursdays are Costume Karaoke; 3rd is Kinky Karaoke 8pm. 43 6th St. t

Seee more nightlife events on www.ebar.com

Shining Stars>>

August 29-September 4, 2019 • Bay Area Reporter • 31

Shining Stars Steven Underhill Photos by

GAPA Runway 31 @ Herbst Theater C

irque du Runway, the Gay Asian Pacific Alliance Foundation’s 31st annual pageant and fundraiser, showcased a festive array of drag and male talents at the Herbst Theater on August 24. Contestants vied for the titles of Mr. GAPA and Miss GAPA 2019 through an daring and sometimes hilarious series of talent, fantasy and fashion performances, Q&A segments were held with a panel of API & LGBTQ+ community leader judges. Miss Shu Mai and Christo Roma (Miss and Mister GAPA 2018) cohosted. As the evening drew to a conclusion, Mister and Miss GAPA 2019 SNJV (Sanjeev) and Mocha Fapalatte were crowned. See more nightlife photos on BARtab’s Facebook page, facebook.com/lgbtsf.nightlife. For more of Steven Underhill’s photos, visit StevenUnderhill.com.

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