San Francisco Bay Times - March 11, 2021

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LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area

CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2021) March 11–24, 2021 http://sfbaytimes.com

Theo-patra Lee, Queen of the Vineyard

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THEODORA LEE, THEOPOLIS VINEYARDS

Celebrating Women’s History Month: See pages 2–6

Celebrating

Women's History Month 2021

Women’s History From Lizzo to Hell and Back

Andrea Shorter Remember the glorious days and times of Lizzo? It all seems so way back now—the pre-pandemic days when Lizzo was unapologetically taking over the world as the “Good as Hell” positively queer, queer positive, body positive, trained flutist turned mega-hip hop star flaunting her juice and getting loose to the luscious bouncy beats of her own drum. With her growing legions of Lizzbians, Lizzo was emerging as the moment’s popular and sometimes controversial glam cover girl anthem of new female empowerment, a young Black woman who against all odds became wildly, award winning, game changing successful in her field of dreams. It was all so terrific. Then, in the real world, all hell broke loose. In the few years before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were certainly many points herald-

Stacey Abrams’ stellar strategic organization to aggressively push back against voter suppression and mobilize coalitions of Black voters as well as young, white, college-educated voters and others will be the model franchise for years to come. The election of the first woman, who is also a woman of color, as vice president became the paramount milestone of the century-long quest to elect a woman into the Executive Branch. Of course, there is much more to the strides, setbacks, and accolades celebrating progressive women’s political empowerment during the Trump years than can be fully explored here. Still, as getting good as hell gains were being made on U.S. political and electoral fronts, the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the status of women are proving hellishly severe. Prior to COVID-19, the global economic status of women was already

dire, particularly for poor and marginalized women, which includes transgender women. According to UN Women, economic crises such as presented by this pandemic hit women particularly hard because women tend to earn less, have fewer savings, are disproportionately more in the informal economies, have less access to social protections, are more likely to be burdened with unpaid care and domestic work (and therefore often have to drop out of the labor force), and make up the majority of single-parent households.

The ongoing political gains being made by women could prove more crucial to closing the gender gap and enabling economic and social recoveries once the COVID-19 pandemic ends. The consequences and impacts of the pandemic on women, however, are forecast to outlast for generations the actual pandemic itself. As shortsighted partisan political games over an extensive, comprehensive American COVID-19 recov-

WOMENSHISTORY.ORG

UN Women further advises that “while everyone is facing unprecedented challenges, women are bearing the brunt of the economic and social fallout of COVID-19. Women who are poor and marginalized face an even higher risk of COVID-19 transmission and fatalities, loss of livelihood, and increased violence. Globally, 70 percent of health workers and first responders are women, and yet, they are not at par with their male counterparts. At 28 percent, the gender pay gap in the health sector is higher than the overall gender pay gap (16 percent).”

Lizzo

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Cross Currents

ing women’s political empowerment. The ever-regressive Trump years inspired record scores of women to run for state and local offices, Congress, and U.S. president. The import of the voting power of Black women in the Democratic Party was being finally recognized and taken seriously beyond an amusing novelty, and proved the saving grace for not only a fading presidential primary candidate and eventual voter record shattering landslide winner in Joe Biden, but also for other key races in the South to tip the balance of Democratic majority power, particularly in the Senate.

ery—including a long overdue push to raise the federal minimum wage standard—carry on, now is the time to plan and start acting for long-term recovery efforts that will directly impact particularly vulnerable women and girls such as with direct income support, bridged gender pay gaps, support for women-owned businesses, and support for women workers. A post-pandemic recovery will not lead to long-term gains if it re-establishes norms that engendered genderbased inequities, impoverishment, and exposure to violence. How we respond seriously to the burgeoning global and national economic and social economic burdening women is essential and central to any manner of post-pandemic recovery. There is no “good as hell” for any of us without improving the status of women as a primary directive. As is the case during any Women’s History Month, there are thousands

of women—heroic, courageous, trailblazing, innovative, creative, surviving women—who will and should be spotlighted and celebrated in our communities, and across the nation. I look forward to sharing in those celebrations as this March progresses. All the while, I will continue to enjoy what I can of my cool millennial queer people’s playlist as a budding Lizzbian. Bless you, Lizzo. No matter how great the challenges ahead, your beats make this Lesbian/Lizzbian feel as good as hell. Andrea Shorter is a Commissioner and the former President of the historic San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women. She is a longtime advocate for criminal and juvenile justice reform, voter rights and marriage equality. A Co-Founder of the Bayard Rustin LGBT Coalition, she was a 2009 David Bohnett LGBT Leadership Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

LGBT Women in Business Making History: LGBT Community Women Entrepreneurs During Women’s History Month, the San Francisco Bay Times is recognizing women in our community who are making a difference in their chosen fields. Here we present a number of women we congratulate for their initiative, leadership, and success in business. You are invited to send us the names of any women entrepreneurs you would like to see recognized in the pages of our next issue. E-mail: publisher@sfbaytimes.com

Beth Hoffman Alternative Mortgage Sources 866-861-5708 https://bit.ly/2OhRhwj Susan Bluer, Esq. Bluer & Bluer, LLP 415-989-1281 http://www.bluerlaw.com

VFMS Janitorial Service Veronica Calzada 888-973-8647 http://www.verosfms.com

Lenore Chinn Artist lenorechinn@sbcglobal.net http://www.lenorechinn.com/ Crista Luedtke Boon Eat + Drink 707-869-0780 http://www.eatatboon.com

Dawn Prince Dawn Prince Insurance 415-552-6200 https://tinyurl.com/47uc6zwh

Delores Rodgers Realtor/Construction Manager 415-531-9592 https://tinyurl.com/2wr4c2d6 (continued on page 6) 2

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Celebrating

Women's History Month 2021

Trailblazing Winemaker Theodora Lee and the Little Grape That Could events, both virtual and in person, and will be participating in an upcoming virtual Women’s History Month celebration to be held later this month. Please share more about it.

the first Black woman winemaker in Northern California. I was delighted to recently speak with her for the San Francisco Bay Times. Liam Mayclem: Please tell us more about Theopolis.

Liam’s LGBTQI List Liam P. Mayclem “My Papa told me, ‘Be the best you can be, whatever it is; a garbage collector, be the best at it; a nurse, be the best. I am making wine and I am striving for it to be the best it can be. I have taken that as a way of life, setting the bar high and striving for excellence.” —Theodora Lee of Theopolis Vineyards Just two generations removed from sharecroppers, Theodora Lee had faith in her skills, and, with dedication, passion, and hard work, has reached new heights in her professions while shattering glass ceilings along the way. Now this multitalented visionary is the one and only Theo-patra, Queen of the Vineyards. Born in Texas to parents who were educators, Lee learned to drive her father’s tractor at age eight. Academics and law, however, lured her to the big city. The journey for this groundbreaking winemaker first took her to Washington, D.C., to work for Senator Sam Nunn early in her career, and later in 1987 to San Francisco where she is now a senior partner and trial lawyer at Littler. Wine became part of her story in 2001 when she purchased sheep land in the Yorkville Highlands of Anderson Valley and began to develop her vineyard. The process proved to be quite complex—from clearing land, doing soil tests, and obtaining permits, to removing some trees, drilling an agricultural well, and terracing the property. In 2003, Lee planted 5 acres and established Theopolis Vineyards, becoming

Theodora Lee: I’m a small producer. I have a small vineyard in the highlands of Anderson Valley, which is in Mendocino County. Because I’m a small producer, I have to take my wine one bottle, one person at a time and sell it. It’s finally paying off. Liam Mayclem: As this is Women’s History Month, who has inspired you most over the years? Theodora Lee: Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She is a true inspiration. In fact, upon her death, I contributed $10,000 in her honor to the American Bar Foundation. That’s how moved I have been throughout my life by what she has accomplished. Also, Cleopatra—she was Greek and went to Egypt and dominated. I see some comparisons with her. It is funny that I have been dubbed Theo-patra, Queen of the Vineyard. There is a lot of her in me. She did not take no for an answer, and nor do I. Liam Mayclem: You produced your first commercial vintage in 2014 and have received many awards since. What makes you feel proud about your work now?

Theodora Lee: On March 27 from 4:30 pm–6:30 pm, three Black female winemakers, including myself, will come together for a Ladies Night In. I will be joined by Donna Stoney, the first Black woman winemaker in Oregon, and Shae Frichette, the first Black woman winemaker in Washington. I have created a special package for Ladies Night In. There is a 3-pack featuring three of our finest wines and it includes free shipping. (For more information about these wines and to register for Theodora Lee (second from left) with Leslie Sbrocco and guests on the set of KQED's Check the event, go to: Please, Bay Area https://tinyurl.com/ tzkcmbjn ) Liam Mayclem: The last supper question: What would you eat and drink, and who from the past or present—preferably famous—would join you at the table?

Theodora Lee: Great wine starts in the vineyard, and, quite frankly, we create a great product. We just received 96 points for our 2018 Petite Sirah. That makes me proud. What’s more, the wine bars and wine shops that once rejected us are now calling to carry our wines and that feels good.

Theodora Lee: Oprah would be my first choice. I love her. She is brilliant and I respect brilliant women. She paved the way for so many. I would share a Pinot with her and some rabbit. Then Catherine the Great, who was a big bold woman with whom I would share a 2018 Petite Sirah and a filet mignon. Then political trailblazer Barbara Jordan. I met Jordan when I was at the University of Texas Law School. I would share my [Yorkville Highlands] Symphony with her, like champagne without the bubbles, and we’d eat a Cornish hen.

Liam Mayclem: I know from our prior conversations that, although you are a history-making Black woman winemaker, you want to be acknowledged more for your work, and especially for the little grape that could: Petite Sirah. Your estate grown Petite Sirah, including a Rosé of Petite Sirah, have won high praise from wine critics. Theodora Lee: I don’t like to be focused on because I’m a woman, because you know what? I want to be the best wine maker. I don’t want to be the best Black winemaker. The best woman winemaker. I want to be the best wine maker. And this recent article that Jim Gordon put out called “The California Winemakers Turning a Blending Grape into a Standalone Success” ( https://tinyurl.com/jdpe5w5c ) was, to me, a great accomplishment because I was acknowledged for my work not because of my race, not because of my sex, or anything like that. I was featured along with five other winemakers, growers of Petite [Sirah]. That, to me, is significant. Liam Mayclem: You host many

Theodora Lee is a tour de force, and, just like her wine, she is most memorable and leaves quite the impression. Her impressive wines bring the party to your palate. Cheers to Theodora! Theodora Lee in the vineyard during a wine event

More About Theopolis Wines In addition to bottling the richly intense and flavorful Petite Sirah and Rosé of Petite Sirah, Theopolis Vineyards strikes a lighter note by bottling a Symphony, a white wine, which is a crossing of Muscat and Grenache Gris. Theopolis Vineyards also bottles an Anderson Valley Pinot Noir, a Yorkville Highlands Pinot Noir, and a Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir. Explore the wines of Theopolis Vineyards in Anderson Valley to see what the fuss is all about. Check the website for special events including March’s Women’s History Month Celebration: https://www.theopolisvineyards.com/events

Emmy Award-winning radio and television personality Liam Mayclem is regularly featured on KPIX as well as KCBS, where he is the popular Foodie Chap. Born in London, Mayclem is now at home in the Bay Area, where he lives with his husband, photographer Rick Camargo. For more information: https://www.bookliam.com/ Theodora Lee with then presidential candidate Joe Biden

The State of Women-Owned Businesses The following statistics are according to the latest State of Women-Owned Businesses report, as summarized by the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO): Women Owned Businesses in the U.S. More than 11.6 million firms are owned by women, employing nearly 9 million people, and generating $1.7 trillion in sales as of 2017. Women-owned firms (51% or more) account for 39% of all privately held firms and contribute 8% of employment and 4.2% of revenues. With Liam & Theodora: Shelley Lindgren of A16 Restaurant and Stuart Morris of PABU

Businesses Owned by Women of Color 5.4 million firms are majority-owned by women of color in the U.S. These firms employ 2.1 million people and generate $361 billion in revenues annually. Million Dollar Businesses One in five firms with revenue of $1 million or more is woman-owned. 4.2% of all women-owned firms have revenues of 1 million or more. To learn more: https://www.nawbo.org/

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GLBT Fortnight in Review Kids Say the Darnedest Things! Here’s a situation that reminds me why I enjoy legal news. On the surface, it’s a made for TV movie, a little girl in South Carolina who has a GLBT grandfather writes a short essay about trans rights for a school project. The mean teacher won’t include it in the booklet, and the girl’s mother sues in federal court on First Amendment and other grounds. What’s not to like? Earlier this month, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled in favor of the school censors in a decision that, frankly, makes sense to me. Much as I find this little girl’s story charming and touching, I also think public schools must have the ability to control the content of their sponsored communications. After years of reporting on school issues, I can tell you that, for every sweet GLBT-supportive ten-year-old, there is an adorable antigay eight-year-old out there trying to spread The Word on campus. Public schools, as we have seen this past year, act “in local parentis,” legally acting as parents, charged with navigating a world where children must follow school rules and teachers must care for them all. This school decided that age ten was too young to discuss transgender issues, even in a short paragraph. Even if we might disagree, it’s not a crazy decision and the school did not seem anti-gay. Presumably, the same authorities would reject an essay about how transgender people are horrible from the ten-year-old at the next desk with a bigoted grandmother. And, keep in mind, no one told the girl not to have these opinions; she was only prohibited from including them in the school-published essay collection for mass distribution under the school’s authority. No one said her views were wrong, and indeed, she was allowed to amend her essay to protest bullying in general rather than anti-trans discrimination. The case became complicated, but, in the end, what would you have the court do? And if you think they should have overruled the school district, again I ask you: what about the pre-teen kid who wants to write about how God says marriage is between a man and women and put his or her essay in the school handout?

By Ann Rostow

tinued ad infinitum. In the end, I had to wrench myself away. I’m not addicted to online media, but sometimes it scares me to see huge chunks of time simply vanish after a mindless visit to cyberspace. And what do I have to show for it? At least when I spend time on a news site or reading an article, I might learn something. Honestly, it was more like 45 minutes. Not just watching cats. Watching cats sleeping. Let the Games Continue So, usually around this time I make a point to say that anti-GLBT state legislative efforts are a lot of sound and fury, signifying nothing. Year after year, lawmakers propose absurd bills, gay rights groups send out crazed fundraising emails, and nothing happens. One or two bad bills get through, and are usually brought before a federal court before they can do much damage. This year, it feels as if we’ll see many more anti-GLBT proposals actually become law, particularly two types of anti-trans laws: laws against playing sports for the team with which you identify, and laws against drugs that temporarily block puberty. The other day, Mississippi’s governor signed the first anti-trans law of the season, a measure that bans trans athletes from competing according to their gender identity in public education. As I understand it, transgender college athletes are already required to complete a certain amount of hormone therapy before hitting the courts with their cis-teammates, but increasingly, states like Mississippi are trying to keep them out of sports altogether unless they revert to their birth sex. Much like those who push bathroom bills without considering the impact of forcing transmen into the ladies’ lounge, few people seem to recognize that making transmen and boys play against cisgender females (as I assume these bills must do) will upset the competitive spirit of girls’ games far more than allowing trans girls and women on the field.

Sleeping Cats

You might remember Mack Beggs, a trans boy who was forced by Texas high school policies to wrestle with the girls’ team after he transitioned in his last two years. Beggs won every match during this period of time, amid nasty articles and jeers from the audiences. He recently told the press that many people who saw photographs of him wrestling at the time lacked such an understanding of transgender kids that they thought he himself was a heavily muscled transgender female, unfairly being allowed to overrun the sport. (He now wrestles on the men’s team in college.)

There are a couple of things I’d like to say before we really start this week. How on Earth could that repellent Borat movie win several Golden Globes? It was not just ridiculous; it was gratuitously gross. And it wasn’t even funny.

Last summer, Idaho passed one of these sports bans, which was put on hold by a federal court. And in Utah, where a bill is stalled in the state senate, the governor, Republican Spencer Cox, has said he will not sign it if it reaches his desk.

Second, I just saw a commercial for “Lemonade Health,” some online service that delivers medical services. Really? Would you trust your health decisions to a company that deliberately selects a “fun” fruit name? Would you delegate your legal problem to “Blueberry Law?” Would you spend serious tuition to attend “Pineapple University?” I don’t think so!

“These kids are ... they’re just trying to stay alive,” Cox said at a recent news conference. “I just think there’s a better way. And I hope there will be enough grace in our state to find a better solution. I don’t understand all of this. I don’t. But I’m trying to understand more. I’m trying to listen and learn and, again, trying to help kids figure out who they are and keep them alive.”

Also, before I launched into this column, I spent 30 minutes watching videos of cats sleeping in awkward positions. I wondered why when it was over. It was one of those presentations where I had to repeatedly hit “next,” and I think I thought there were only a few more. But they con-

Keep in mind as well that Republicans tried to sneak a trans sports ban into the coronavirus rescue package during the marathon debates on amendments earlier this month. Although it failed to win the required 60 votes, Joe Manchin voted yes to it, as did Susan Collins,

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Non sequitur, but speaking of South Carolina, did you read that they’re thinking about bringing back firing squads for capital punishment? What’s next? A guillotine?

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who has been our ally in other contexts. On the positive side, Lisa Murkowski voted against the measure. Low T? Interestingly, I just had a conversation with my brilliant stepdaughter, who has a doctorate in sports economics, and who immediately disturbed my complacent happiness at having finished the relatively simplistic segment above by reminding me that the entire subject of sport and gender is a fraught pile of difficult complexities. Thanks for that, Sarah. I was going to ignore my vague feelings of “not doing enough” and move on to another subject when I stumbled over news that 800-meter gold medal track star Caster Semenya has just filed another legal appeal over gender, this time with the European Court of Human Rights. Semenya is intersex, or a DSD athlete (athletes with differences in sex development) and has higher than average levels of testosterone. According to ground rules seemingly invented just for her, she is now required to take drugs to reduce her testosterone levels in order to compete in events in the 400-meter range and up. And here’s the dilemma. Let’s say we all agree that it’s not discriminatory to place men and women in separate categories for sports. Given that, let’s say it also makes sense to ask transgender athletes to wait until their hormone levels at least begin to match their gender identity before competing against their gender peers. So, why shouldn’t the authorities ask someone like Semenya to put a damper on her testosterone levels before she takes the track? There are several overlapping issues here. As Sarah pointed out the obvious, Semenya is not transgender; she is a woman, has always been so, and has never questioned her gender. Unlike a transitioning trans athlete who is deliberately taking hormones to begin with, Semenya is being asked to physically mess around with her own body against her will. Further, the fact that she has extra testosterone does not automatically translate into an advantage. It’s not clear, for example, that her body uses testosterone the same way it would if she were biologically male. Plus, there are a range of non-genetic conditions that increase testosterone in women that are not subject to the rules that are being imposed on Semenya. As one commentator put it, she is being treated as if she is a man in a woman’s body, while other females are given a pass. Finally, testosterone levels are just one of many sex features that contribute to advantage in sports. Semenya’s times are about 2 percent higher than most, while men generally operate at a 12 percent advantage. Indeed, there are numerous physical distinctions that might make a person stand out as an athlete, such as extra lung capacity, or a natural increase in red blood cells. No one is penalized for this sort of thing just as the NBA is not going to put a height limit on basketball players. Leveling the playing field does not put every athlete on an equal footing, nor should it. Bye, Felicia! In unrelated animal news, I just read about animal sanctuaries where you can relieve your pandemic stress with a “cow cuddle.” According to The Washington Post, “cow cuddling is also popular in the Netherlands, (continued on page 22)

Making History: LGBT Community Women Entrepreneurs (continued from page 2)

Audry deLucia & Fran Herman Ella Print 415-205-2060 http://www.ellaprint.com

Helen Russell & Brooke McDonnell Equator Coffees

800-809-7687 http://www.equatorcoffees.com

Jackie Cuneo Exception Lending 415-948-5390 https://www.exceptionlending.com/

Kathleen Kennedy, O.D. For Your Eyes Only 415-626-0858 http://www.castrovision.com

Kelly McCown, Esq. McCown + Evans LLP 415-432-5300 http://www.mccownevans.com

Laura Martell & Danielle Clements Real Estate 415-948-1282

https://winklerrealestategroup.com/ Lorraine Bannister JF Finnegan Realtors 650-455-1300 https://tinyurl.com/kk8k4dye

NaNoshka Johnson Nosh’s Dirty Popcorn 800-884-6505 x601 http://www.noshsdirtypopcorn.com Rachel Herbert & Dana Oppenheim Park Cafe Group Dolores Park Cafe, Duboce Park Cafe, Precita Park Cafe Paradise Park Cafe (Oakland) http://www.parkcafelife.com

When emergencies can’t wait. Let’s face it: No one wants to go to the ER. But if you need emergency medical care, it’s reassuring to know that Dignity Health is taking every precaution to keep you safe. And with our online arrival system, our emergency care team will be alerted that you’re on your way. So you can spend less time in our ER—and more time at home. See available arrival times at DignityHealth.org/ER.

Want to Be a Better Investor? Think Like a Woman Here’s what women do right when they invest that you can learn from:

Money Matters Brandon Miller March is Women’s History Month. Like Black History Month, it seems sad that so many people have been erased from U.S. history that we have to set aside months to help tell their stories. But it’s also heartening that compelling narratives are finally coming to light from a much wider diversity of the movers and shakers from our past. It seems to me that ignoring the contributions of any of us diminishes all of us. There is so much to learn from each other if we can just acknowledge that no one group has a monopoly on intelligence, creativity, or courage. Take, for example, how men can learn how to invest better from women. Seriously. Study after study (see the last section of this piece) shows that women investors generally outperform male investors. We’re talking earning higher returns while taking on less risk, an ideal combination. So, what’s their secret? Turns out, some of the things that women seem to do naturally are perfectly suited to successful investing. Getting in touch with your feminine side then can potentially help you achieve better investment results.

• Save more. The best thing women do for themselves as investors is to put aside more of their earnings than men generally do. This may be a bit surprising, given that they usually bring home less of the proverbial bacon. But women often take the long view, which means that they have the patience to let the miracle of compounding turn small, regular contributions into hundreds of thousands of extra dollars down the road. • Focus on goals. Perhaps women save more because they tend to view investing as a way to accomplish life goals for themselves and/ or their families. Men too often view investing as a competition, a perpetual game of “beating” the market. Rather than make investing decisions based on whether they advance life goals, too many men want to find the next big thing and score fast wins. • Take less risk. A tendency to be more risk-averse than men is another trait that works in women’s favor for investing. Women are apt to use an asset-allocation strategy—just as every financial professional suggests—in an effort to protect their money and maximize the efficiency of their investments. Target funds are particularly popular among women, perhaps due to their simplicity of managing risk based on when you need the money. Men, on the other hand, often suffer from overconfidence that can lead them to take on more risk than is appropriate for their circumstances, or is needed to achieve similar results. They’re also more prone to commit the financial sin of chasing returns, which too often results in “sure things” fizzling out without profiting the investor. • Buy and hold. Patience is a virtue, as the saying goes, though, for

some reason, it is considered a feminine one. Wouldn’t you know it? Patience is exactly what you need for the buy-and-hold strategy championed by financial professionals. Men, perhaps in an ongoing attempt to beat the market, have a tendency to buy and sell investments more often than women— about 35% more often, according to one Fidelity Investments study. Endless trading can lead to higher fees and a lower return, which is obviously no one’s goal. • Admit they don’t know it all. Women are much more likely than men to ask questions, do research, and consult with friends and professionals before making decisions about their money. Too many men plunge right in and buy or sell an investment without always understanding if it actually benefits them. Of course, these attributes can also have a negative side. Not taking on enough risk to let investments grow adequately or being paralyzed by too much information and indecision can work against women—and any investor, for that matter. That is why I advocate for everyone to become an informed, confident investor. And why I write this column! In a nutshell, if you want a healthier portfolio, try taking a long-term view, saving more and trading less— just like women naturally do. And don’t be surprised if, one March day in the future, you hear a story about some incredible woman who revolutionized the investment industry. Recent Studies Stevens, Pippa (2020), “Womenmanaged funds are outperforming as tech exposure pays off, Goldman finds” https://tinyurl.com/zaspr3bx (continued on page 24)

Two Crossovers for Off-Roading Development) sprang up in the 1970s and has amassed impressive wins, both on and off the blacktop. So, both brands have a pretext for the extreme four-wheeling versions of the Cherokee and RAV4 I recently sampled. By contrast, Hyundai sticks primarily with grades of luxury for its comparably-sized Tucson.

Auto Philip Ruth Credentials can take a long time to develop. In the case of developing a crossover that could do some serious off-roading, the brands we’ll check out this time have spent years honing them. Jeep is on top, with an image developed during wartime that is indelible and elemental to the identities of its fans and admirers. Alternately, Toyota’s TRD (Toyota Racing

Pricing shows that Jeep and Toyota figure these trail-seeking buyers to be prosperous. Using 2021 pricing including destination charges, RAV4s start at $28,520, and the TRD Off-Road is the top of seven trims at $36,955. The 2021 Cherokee has eight trims spanning about the same range, and the Trailhawk is one from the peak at $36,845. Only $110 separates their base prices, which makes these buyers a finely targeted demographic. Off-roaders are also figured to be fashionable. Jeep charges $245 for every color that isn’t white, but there is a broad array, from “Olive Green” to “Spitfire Orange.” Toyota offers black, white, and shades of grey with

Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk

Toyota RAV4 TRD

no charge, but then it asks $425 for “Ruby Red Flare” and then $500 for a combo like the tester’s, a “Lunar Rock” body with an “Ice Edge” roof. Vivid imagery in those names. Then it’s on to the options list, which in this Jeep’s case added nearly $11,000 to the bottom line. The Toyota’s can add $8,000 or so, but it excludes availability of some options like the panoramic moonroof, probably for a stiffer body structure. Both have rugged-looking tires and purposeful suspension settings, with Jeep raising the Trailhawk an inch. The eighteen-inch wheels on the Toyota and the seventeens on the Jeep leave the showy nineteens to poseurs on the pavement, where potholes and curbs are the worst threats. Both the Cherokee Trailhawk and RAV4 TRD Off-Road make strong cases for themselves, with their upgrades in hardware and styling. The good news is that they don’t demand compromises that one might (continued on page 24)

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Message from Leadership Celebrating Black LGBTQ+ Pioneers GGBA CALENDAR

By Anna Colibri Black History Month is observed during the shortest month of the year, yet the celebration is such an important one that merits attention all year long. This March and beyond, let us take time to remember, respect, and honor the people who paved the way for the rights, privileges, and culture we have today. Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and Rosa Parks are just some of the famous figures who are typically (and rightfully) celebrated. Innumerable Black trailblazers also broke barriers in the fight for LGBTQ+ recognition and equality. This column honors and recognizes just a few of the many Black LGBTQ+ pioneers who are worthy of remembrance and appreciation as well. It is helpful to learn about the diverse facets of the Black LBTQ+ experience in America because it can broaden our thinking and help us understand our modern society. Actors, writers, entertainers, civil rights activists, congresspeople ... Black LGBTQ+ people were renowned in all professions and fields in the U.S.

GGBA New Member Orientation Wednesday, April 7 Noon–12:45 pm Whether you’re a brand-new member or a seasoned networker, you may attend this event! This session will help you: - Learn more about the history of the GGBA; - Introduce you to new members in your cohort; - Learn simple ways to get involved to grow your business and relationships. Register: https://tinyurl.com/42yrmcnb

Here are just some of those inspirational individuals, past and present, to learn about and appreciate: Angela Davis Davis is an activist and educator who rose to fame in the late 1960s for her prominent involvement in both the Black Panther Party and the Communist Party. Her passion for racial equality and advocacy on behalf of workers has made her a political lightning rod for her entire career. She was dismissed from a teaching position at UCLA due to her involvement with the Communist Party. She published many papers and books on themes of gender, race, and class, specifically examining the lives and impact of other famous Black lesbians, such as Ma Rainey. She continues to teach at the University of California at Santa Cruz to this day.

GGBA Member Spotlight

James Baldwin Baldwin was a novelist, poet, essayist, and social critic who shot to fame with the 1953 release of his first novel Go Tell It on the Mountain. His career spanned 34 years as he explored racial, sexual, and spiritual identities in America. Using his sharp intellect, he deconstructed political and cultural understandings of race and sexuality in essays that appeared regularly in popular magazines such as Harper’s, Esquire, and The New Yorker. His work continues to survive today, with a growing number of television and movie (continued on page 24)

Andrew Lee of OTIS Dental Photos courtesy of Andrew Lee

As the Founder and CEO of the oral care company OTIS, Andrew Lee is dedicated to protecting the health and beauty of his clients’ smiles. There are many, given the quality care that they receive. Lee recently took time to explain more about his Bay Area-based company founded in 2017. GGBA: Please tell us about OTIS and the service it provides. Andrew Lee: OTIS Dental provides the same premium-quality custom night guards as dentists, but we’re doing it in an easy and affordable way. With our directto-consumer approach, you can skip the office visits and pay 80% less than the dentist mark-ups. Simply use our easy-touse modeling kit to take your own teeth impressions in the comfort and privacy of your home. Send your impressions to us, and we’ll have your custom night guard made and delivered to your door in just a few days. Our custom night guards are made with premium-quality bio-acrylic materials that are BPA-free, gluten-free, non-allergenic and recyclable. Good for you, your wallet, and the planet. It’s a good thing. GGBA: Why did you decide to create OTIS? Andrew Lee: In this current climate of the COVID-19 pandemic, racial conflict, political divide, and environmental instability, I’m sure that everyone is dealing with unprecedented levels of stress. But what most people don’t realize is that this stress is also taking a destructive toll on our teeth. In dentistry, this condition is called Bruxism: the involuntary clenching and grinding of teeth that mainly occurs while we sleep. If left untreated, we’re at higher risk of tooth decay, gum recession, and permanent jaw joint damage—this means a lot of painful and expensive visits to the dentist. Night guards are a noninvasive way to protect against Bruxism damage, but the two current options available come with challenges and limitations. There are the inexpensive over-the-counter drug store brands, but they come in a bulky, one-size-fits-all design and are made with poor quality materials that result in a poor fit and poor night’s rest.

The highquality alternative is to purchase a custom night guard from a licensed Andrew dental proLee vider, but this requires several office visits and an out-of-pocket cost of $500– $900. And, when the custom night guard gradually wears down, you’ll have to repeat the process and pay the excessive out-of-pocket price again. As a dental hygienist and oral health educator for over 10 years, I’ve found it troubling that the dental industry remains unethically stagnant in making one of the most important dental therapeutics, like the custom night guard, more accessible and affordable to their patients. From personal experience, I’ve dealt with OTC and custom night guard challenges, as well. Several years ago, I was the victim of a hate-crime that left me in the ICU for two weeks. Upon being discharged, I had developed PTSD that included severe bedtime Bruxism. I can still remember the migraines from clenching so hard, and the grinding caused one of my teeth to chip. I tried several OTC night guards, but the ill-fit and poor-quality materials made it difficult to sleep with them and provided little-to-no relief. When I was finally well enough to work again, I asked my employer (a dentist) if he would make me a custom night guard. I thought, “I’m his employee ... he knows what I just went through ... I’m sure he’ll take care of me. I mean, the dental lab only charges him $50—I’m sure that’s all he’ll charge me, if anything.” Boy, was I wrong. Instead, he offered a 50% discount, which meant that I’d still have to pay $300. I had no other options, at that point, so I paid the $300.

With a young patient at UCSF (2012)

Volunteer dental services in Nepal (2011)

I eventually resigned from this private practice and worked with other dentists in the following years. Sad to say, many other dentists were just like my previous employer—focused on over-selling and price-gouging their patients, just to meet their annual goals. A few more years went by, and I could tell that I was starting to lose my love for dentistry, so I decided to apply for graduate school. I decided on an MBA program that included a specialization in healthcare and biotechnology. Upon completing the program, I felt something change within me. Something calling me to make a greater impact in the dental industry, and that’s when I started OTIS Dental. Since then, the company has made significant traction, and I was inspired to take the company one innovative step further by inventing a Bruxism sensor technology that enhances the protective function of our custom night guard into a stress therapy device as well. GGBA: That took great creative vision. Who are some of your role models?

April Make Contact - Finding Financial Happiness in Good Times and Bad Tuesday, April 13 5:30 pm–6:30 pm The pandemic has made people recalibrate and reevaluate their measure of success. Join us for guided networking breakout sessions as members share how they have shifted intention in their businesses and thrived in the last year. We’ll also explore ways to get more involved and make some connections that keep our community so vibrant. We’ll hear from member Pamela Schmitz of Brio Financial Group as she explores how planning can create a road map for financial freedom and success. Register: https://tinyurl.com/ab2w9k4n Power Lunch 2021 Virtual Experience Wednesday, May 26 11:30 am–1 pm $75, but $40 Early Bird ticket for registrations before March 31 All GGBA members will receive a free booth at the Power Expo valued at $500. Once a year, we have an opportunity to experience the power of connecting, the power of learning and the power of our diverse community coming together. Our Power Lunch event this year is even more important in laying a solid foundation in building resilience and strength in our GGBA community. Join us for an elevated, interactive virtual experience that will provide opportunities to network with other businesses, pitch your business to our corporate partners, have an online exhibit space with your own company video, be inspired by leaders, and learn from the experts. Register: https://tinyurl.com/4scb5ymz Andrew Lee: I would not be where I am today if not for the love and support from my parents and friends. I would also like to give credit to my dental mentor, Dr. Molly Newlon, who has given me nothing but the best guidance, encouragement, and wisdom to keep pushing through. GGBA: We'd now like to ask you about the GGBA. Why did you decide to join, and how long have you been a member? Andrew Lee: I joined the GGBA in the fall of 2019, and it’s been such a blessing to be part of a network that not only lifts you up, but also empathizes with the struggles faced by LGBTQ business owners. GGBA: How has being a member of GGBA helped your business so far? Andrew Lee: There are amazing people at GGBA, like Gina Grahame and Michael Gunther, who have provided such a wealth of knowledge and support. I have PTSD, so meeting someone new can be quite a challenge, especially in public. But it was the complete opposite when I met Gina for my GGBA membership interview—the best way to describe it was like meeting up with a beloved family member whom I hadn’t seen in a while. Her personable demeanor and mindfulness to what I had shared with her made the entire experience so easy. It was then that I knew that the GGBA was right for me. Since then, I met Michael who was basically the cherry on top of the cake. His business acumen and mentorship helped put in focus my priorities and what I would need to do in order to grow and succeed. (continued on page 24) S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY   T IM ES

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Supporting Small Businesses in the Castro & Beyond

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LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area

CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2021)

La Méditerranée Noe 288 Noe Street 11 am–8:30 pm Tuesday–Sunday 415-431-7210 Contact: Alicia Vanden Huevel information@lamednoe.com http://www.lamednoe.com 2021 marks the 40th anniversary of La Méditerranée Noe, which opened two years after the successful launch of its sister restaurant on Fillmore Street and remains a Castro favorite. Levon Der Bedrossian, David Wright, and Ellen Sinaiko were the visionaries behind what is affectionately known as La Med, which serves cuisine inspired by Levon’s Armenian and Lebanese family recipes. PHOTO BY JUAN R. DAVILA

PHOTO BY RINK

The Middle Eastern and Mediterranean dishes, made from scratch daily, include now-iconic entrées such as the Middle Eastern Plate with four mouth-watering dishes over a rice pilaf and served with La Med’s incredible hummus plus pita and a choice of soup, an organic green salad, or Armenian potato salad. The meats are local and high quality. The chicken in the succulent chicken pomegranate, for example, is sustainably sourced, while the lamb in the lamb lule is grass-fed from Superior Farms. Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options are also made with great care using quality ingredients.

Kudos to the founders and staff who have devoted years to bringing the finest food and beverages in addition to a catering menu you have no doubt enjoyed selections from at events of all sizes over the past four decades. Pandemic-related adjustments include a colorful parklet expanding the already existing outdoor seating, ongoing sanitization, masks required, HVAC air filtering, and appointments set to alleviate customer overlap. You’ll receive 10% off when you mention the San Francisco Bay Times.

PHOTO BY JUAN R. DAVILA

Chef Michael Levy joined the team at Noe in 2007, the same year Levon’s son, Vanick, became executive chef at the Fillmore location. With Levon’s guidance, together with long time general manager, Alicia Vanden Heuvel, (who has been with La Méditerranée since 1997), and Jennifer Fleet, (who has been with Noe since 2000), the management team strives to uphold the motto, “The smallest things make the biggest differences!”

Hand Job Nail & Spa

Kevin Nguyen and Kristie Phung founded Hand Job with the vision of creating a fun, relaxing, and professional salon and spa. The Spa Services Menu is extensive and unique. For example, there is the “Deluxe Mani and Foot Fetish Fix” that offers a peel (callous treatment), organic sugar scrub, mask, and warm paraffin dip for super soft hands and feet. For Skin Care there is the “Burning Man Recovery Facial” and the “Organic Orgasmic Facial” complete with deep cleansing, exfoliation, facial massage, and customized mask with botanical extracts imported from Hungary. These are just a few of the many offerings. Hand Job also sells a complete line of spa products for total body care. Éminence is a featured line and is known for its elegant “natural, organic goodness.”

PHOTO BY JUAN R. DAVILA

565 Castro Street 10:30 am–6:30 pm Monday–Sunday 415-863-2243 or 415-470-8675 Contact: Kevin Nguyen and Kristie Phung handjobspa@gmail.com http://www.handjobspa.com

Appointments are available online and by phone. Now that San Francisco is reopening, keep in mind that Hand Job offers gift certificates that make for the perfect, and often romantic, treat for that special someone in your life. They also offer party services for bridal showers, baby showers, wedding anniversaries, birthdays, weddings, and more. As the coronavirus vaccine rollout continues, social events will become more commonplace again, helping numerous small businesses like Hand Job and enriching our lives.

Bebebar Juice and Sandwiches

Bebebar offers a taste of Brazil in the heart of Dolores Park! There you will find authentic Brazilian antioxidant-rich açaí, organic fruit & vegetable juices, and superb smoothies. Bebabar also offers pão de queijo, empanadas, bolo de mandioca, Brazilian cappuccino, and mate. The flavors recall Copacabana and Ipanema beaches, Pão de Açúcar and Guanabara Bay; as well as the sounds of samba, the flash of Capoeira, and the beautiful natives of Rio de Janeiro, called “Cariocas.” Celinha Moreira—owner, creator, and barista—hails from that “City of God,” so the recipes are authentic Rio-style, mouth-watering delicious & detoxapproved nutritious. Bebebar’s colorful decor includes custom-crafted tables from Argentinian artist and San Francisco resident Alex Garcia, one of a kind, rainbow pendant lighting from German jewelry & lamp designer and local resident Regine Pfanz, and monthly art exhibits from local San Francisco photographers, painters, and more. Mention the San Francisco Bay Times for 20% off açai bowls, juice, and smoothies during the month of March.

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3809 18th Street 11 am–5 pm Monday–Friday; 10 am–5 pm Saturday & Sunday 415-874-9896 Contact: Celinha Moreira bebebarsf@gmail.com http://www.bebebar.com

PHOTO BY TRISH TUNNEY

Christophoer Vasquez (third from right) with (left to right) Peter Gallotta, Alex Randolph, Juanita MORE!, Tom Temprano and Supervisor Rafael Mandelman at the NCLR Anniversary Gala

My story as a gay man starts as many do for queer youth in less-than-progressive Central Florida two decades ago— deeply in the closet and afraid that family and high school friends would find out the secret that I had been hoping for a long time was just a mistake. But as I came to realize in myself that what I was feeling wasn’t actually a mistake, but was actually a part of who I was and something I couldn’t change no matter how much I hoped and prayed, I knew that I needed some way to cope, some people to be open around. Luckily that desire to find other people who were in the same situation as I was, who could understand the internal strife I was dealing with, but, most importantly, who I could be honest and out with, led me to find a youth support group at the LGBTQ Center in Orlando. It was there, at the Gay and Lesbian Idea eXchange for Youth (GALIXY), that I found my first chosen family, the first place I ever felt comfortable telling someone outside of an anonymous internet chat room that I was gay. Finally, I had an outlet. It felt refreshing to have peers my age whom I could open up to and share joint feelings of fear, but also more prescient feelings of hope. As I opened up to them, I found the support that I needed to start blossoming. As I opened up to these fellow queer youth, I felt comfortable learning from their shared experiences, and by proxy, more comfortable with myself. But this time with the support group didn’t just introduce me to youth who were just like me; it gave me the conduit to meet LGBTQ adults and elders who all had their own stories of, and paths to, coming out to share. And was I ever eager

to learn from them! Their stories gave me hope, provided me guidance, and taught me the history of the community where I was starting to find my home. Through these LGBTQ “elders” (I dread the thought that a youth my age then thinks a person my age now might be considered an elder), I learned about the story of Stonewall, the birth of the queer liberation movement, the legacy of Harvey Milk, the devastation of the AIDS epidemic, and the resiliency of the LGBTQ community. It was through this transfer of knowledge from their generation to mine that my nascent activism was fostered. See, I had always had progressive views. Having grown up poor with a single

Christopher volunteering for the Biden/ Harris Campaign at Manny’s

the moment I was asked if I wanted to take part in a Youth Lobby Day taking LGBTQ youth to the Florida capital with Equality Florida (EQFL) to advocate on behalf of a non-discrimination bill that would ban bullying based on sexual orientation and gender identity in the state’s public schools. I think my exact response was, “[Expletive] yes, I want to go!” PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRISTOPHER VASQUEZ

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PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRISTOPHER VASQUEZ

Coming Out Stories

I think it’s safe to say that most queer youth don’t imagine their coming out story to take place in the press. It’s very safe to say that I did not imagine mine would take place in the pages of The New York Times, on the air on NPR, or on people’s TV sets during MTV News. But that’s where my journey as a young, newly-out LGBTQactivist youth started.

PHOTO BY RINK

How My Deeply Personal Coming Out Story Wound Up on the National News By Christopher Vasquez

Christopher’s youth support group

mother raising four boys, I understood firsthand the importance of social safety nets and free lunches. But learning about the fight for LGBTQ freedom and equality gave me something more personal to fight for, something about me that couldn’t be changed, so I had to join the fight to have society change their views (and laws) on me instead. (I know, this is a winding path to a coming out story, but I’m a Southerner at heart and all y’all know we aren’t good with telling short stories or brevity. I swear, it’s coming soon.) But now I felt emboldened. I had a newfound purpose as well as a strong base of support in my coming-out infancy that allowed me to take a leap and dive earlyon into LGBTQ activism. And divein head first I did. I remember clearly

There I found myself, in a passenger van a week later traveling up to Tallahassee with 11 other queer youth who were eager to prove to our state legislators why this Dignity for All Students bill was so important to us. Newly out to a few friends, and already about to out myself to a legislator, I was terrified. I was asked by EQFL if they could attach a reporter to our little group going to our state senator’s office that day, and as fortune has it, we all were okay with this. Because what happened next will always be seared into my memory. After the four of us told our deeply personal stories of (continued on page 13)

Cleve Jones and Dustin Lance Black with Christopher Vasquez

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LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2021)

Tanum Davis Bohen, Sharon Seto Photos by Mark Rhoades In June 2020, LGBT community leader and PR strategist Mark Rhoades contacted popular artist fnnch and suggested that he paint rainbow honey bears all over the Castro. Fnnch loved the idea, and added that he would like to honor Pride by painting one specific wall, with one dynamic focus: the SF LGBT Center. Rebecca Rolfe and Roberto Ordeñana of the Center approved the mural, which is dedicated to fnnch’s late gay uncle. Now Rhoades is taking photos of LGBT leaders, well-known artists, and others in order to support the Center. In this column the San Francisco Bay Times is featuring highlights from the colorful collection of images that will be exhibited at the Center for SF Pride 2021. For More Information Mark Rhoades PR https://www.markrhoadespr.com/ fnnch https://fnnch.com/ SF LGBT Center https://www.sfcenter.org/ Tanum Davis Bohen, Chief Strategy & Operations Officer, The BIG We

Sharon Seto, entrepreneur S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY   T IM ES

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Dr. Marcy Adelman Jan is a 71-year-old lesbian and a diabetic. She lives alone and prides herself on her independence. She is quick to tell you she is a happily retired jack of all trades and now an aspiring photographer. Prepandemic she enjoyed doing portraits but COVID-19 and shelter in place (CSIP) put the portraits on hold. She is concerned that diabetes and her compromised immune system put her at greater risk for COVID-19. From March to May, Jan rarely left her apartment. By mid-May she found herself feeling stressed and out of sorts. She told me for the San Francisco Bay Times, “It was like I was anxious all the time but I didn’t know about what. I was tired no matter how much I slept. I just didn’t feel right.” In early June she decided she needed to do something new. “I thought, if I don’t get the hell out of this apartment, I am going to go crazy,” she explained. Now, most days Jan can be found on long solitary hikes in the surrounding San Francisco Bay Area countryside taking photographs of birds, redwoods, reservoirs and flowers. I asked Jan how that was working out for her and she replied, “For the most part, that tiredness and anxi-

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Studies have reported that people with previous histories of psychological distress, in particular lowand moderate-income older adults, were vulnerable to being triggered during the initial stage of the pandemic. At first little was known about the virus—how long the emergency would last, how long we would be asked to socially isolate ourselves and wear a mask, and which experts to listen to. Our lives were disrupted and delayed through no fault of our own, and every day, more and more people were dying. It is a measure

CDC data reports that BILPOC communities have been disproportionately affected by CSIP. Black, Indigenous and Latinx communities have experienced the highest rates of infections, hospitalizations, and deaths. These communities are at greater risk for severity of illness than white communities due to longstanding health disparities. BILPOC communities have higher rates of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other chronic illnesses than white communities. Historically, these communities have been underserved and underfunded due to systemic racism and economic injustice. The loss of beloved family members and friends and the increased risk of infection have weighed heavily on the BILPOC communities. Understandably, surveys have reported significantly elevated rates of emotional distress, such as grief, loss, anxiety, depression, and trauma. (continued on page 24)

Alegre Home Care is proud to support Dr. Marcy Adelman’s Aging in Community column in the San Francisco Bay Times.

There are currently no studies on the impact of CSIP on the mental health of LGBTQ+ older adults. But in a previous “Aging in Community” col-

In Memoriam Barbara Brust (1951–2021) Former San Francisco Bay Times Designer and Founder of Consider the Homeless! Barbara Brust, the founder of the Berkeley-based nonprofit Consider the Homeless! (CTH) and a former designer for the San Francisco Bay Times, died on February 25 after a long illness. She was 69. During the pandemic, a GoFundMe campaign was created to help Brust— nicknamed “the soup lady” because she often gave free meals to the homeless—and the nonprofit. The fundraiser was in response to her diagnosis of stage 4 breast cancer. Born in Queens, New York, Brust worked as a cab driver in New York City before moving to New Mexico and then eventually making her way to the Bay Area for work and for community. A self-described radical dyke, Brust founded her design and website development company Lucille Design in 1996. Shortly thereafter, she worked for approximately five years for the San Francisco Bay Times, helping during a transition time for the paper preceding its current website. Through Lucille Design, Brust worked for other LGBTQ-owned and focused businesses. Renowned singer/songwriter and lesbian activist Margie Adam, for example, hired Brust in 1998 to be her “webmaven.” Brust also was a beloved stage manager for 30 years at the Woodminster Theater in Oakland. She also worked every summer for at least two decades at the Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival. She was part of the acoustic stage and shuttle crews, did other key work for the fes-

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These are stressful times, what with the social and physical limitations imposed on our daily lives, the isolation of sheltering in place, the threat of ourselves or our loved ones being infected and killed by the deadly virus, the loss of jobs or fear of losing our jobs or our homes, and, finally, the heartbreaking loss of family and friends to the virus. Pandemic mental health research tells us that CSIP stress is a common experience regardless of age, race, ethnicity, or gender. But studies also have reported elevated levels of emotional distress in certain populations and communities, especially those communities disproportionately affected by the pandemic, such as older adult women; people with a previous history of anxiety, depression, or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD); and Black, Indigenous, Latinx and people of color (BILPOC).

During CSIP, women have reported higher rates of depression then men. Older adult women are more likely than older adult men to have poor health and to live in poverty. These two factors, poor health and economic insecurity, are related to increased levels of emotional distress. The pandemic has further exacerbated these gender differences.

of resiliency that given the chaos, uncertainty, and danger, more people weren’t pushed beyond their limits. Older adults with economic, housing, and/or food insecurities and a previous history of anxiety, depression, or PTSD are more vulnerable to CSIP stress.

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tival, and greatly looked forward to it each year before the last festival took place in 2015. An advocate for all members of the LGBTQ+ community, and particularly those suffering from poverty, malnutrition, and other severe life challenges, Brust founded CTH shortly after Thanksgiving Day in 2014, when she made and freely gave meals to people sheltering in Provo Park on Allston Way in Berkeley. Hot homemade soup was her specialty, leading to her popular nickname. Friend Ingrid Powell helped with the effort. As the CTH website shares: “Both Ingrid and Barbara agreed, that looking for those living on the streets, and offering them hot homemade soup, was a different way to approach those dealing with the stress of a homeless life. Delivering it to them in their makeshift camps, or while they remained tucked in their blankets and sleeping bags, was a way to reach out with love and respect, and perhaps warm their hearts as well as their bellies.” “Barbara and Ingrid both hoped that this act could gain the trust of the homeless, and perhaps, eventually, allow them to hear some of

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

Aging in Community

umn ( https://tinyurl.com/9vdj493a ), San Francisco LGBTQ+ senior service providers vividly described the initial distressing impact of the pandemic on the communities they serve—communities that lived through decades of oppression and trauma and now lack the mental health services to assist them through this difficult time.

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The Bay Times was the first newspaper in California, and among the first in the world, to be jointly and equally produced by lesbians and gay men. We honor our history and the paper’s ability to build and strengthen unity in our community.

Jan isn’t alone in feeling stressed and anxious. The impact on the mental health of older adults living in the time of COVID-19 and shelter in place has been well documented. In a recent Kaiser study, one in four adults age 65+ reported anxiety or depression during the early months of the pandemic compared to one in 10 older adults in a pre-COVID study. Sometimes a simple intervention can help people feel better and less stressed, such as in Jan’s situation, but for many others who are experiencing more severe emotional distress, telehealth counseling with a licensed therapist may be the treatment of choice.

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ety and feeling out of sorts has gone. I can get that way from time to time, but it isn’t an everyday thing anymore.”

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Roland Schembari and Bill Hartman, Co-Founders Randy Alfred, Founding News Editor 1978

Mental Health Services Needed to Treat Emotional Distress During the Pandemic

their stories. Their vision was to establish relationships based on trust with their brothers and sisters on the streets where they could learn more of what they wanted or how they needed help. The idea of being able to help the homeless on their path to a better life and accompany them through the incredible maze created by the ‘system’ would result in a more expedited success in reaching their goals. All done one-to-one, handin-hand.” Brust, CTH, and dedicated volunteers made such a positive difference that December 1, 2020, was declared “Barbara Brust Day” in the city of Berkeley.

Longtime friend Leykn Schmatz told The Daily Californian: “It was her absolute personal integrity about what she was doing that drew so many other people in. She just found a thing to do that was the right thing for her to do and she did it. She did not quit and nobody could make her quit, and we can all do that.” James Reagan, a board member at CTH, recently wrote that a new effort is now underway to continue Brust’s legacy. Volunteers, additional board members, and donations are sought. For more information: https://bit.ly/2PP4JbD

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The Profits of Poverty (Part 2) Politically, there appear to be two diametrically opposed views on a reality felt by many Americans—a war on the poor vs. the need for more social safety infrastructure. This inherent tension keeps us divided and distracted in eradicating the injustice of poverty. Whom does this injustice really serve?

Social Philanthropreneur Derek Barnes In last month’s column, we looked at political and economic systems that create the conditions that have institutionalized poverty for over 50M people in the U.S. Let’s examine some of the key drivers that perpetuate this continuing injustice. From an economic perspective, an embedded profit-driven structure derives benefit from a low-wage workforce that’s optimized and maintained to extract or deliver value for businesses. Unregulated forms of extreme capitalism do an inadequate job ensuring a living wage or equitably sharing benefits to all stakeholders. Thus, federal and local governments (taxpayers) are often on the hook to provide subsidies for affordable housing, decent healthcare, proficient workforce education, and gaps in adequate savings while providing corporate tax breaks. Many businesses and leaders never meet their full philanthropic obligation to the surrounding communities that provide workers, resources, and infrastructure to operate effectively.

Wealth redistribution through raising tax revenue doesn’t always help to fund sustainable upstream solutions. It doesn’t effectively reverse conditions that create poverty either. Downstream “fix” solutions never seem to get at root causes and often introduce too much overhead in bureaucratic systems that create inefficiencies—adding to overall costs. Trickle-down economics, often touted by special interests and politicians, doesn’t seem to provide the right incentives to motivate businesses or their leaders to be fully responsible for supporting the communities they are supposed to serve. A steady diet of inexpensive labor and borrowing still fuels our economic engine, as long as there is a growing population and consumer base. Here is what businesses and pro-capitalist special interests typically engage when the conditions in an area once rich with resources begin to contract or become unsustainable: 1) invest in technology to drive more productivity (automation); 2) close or downsize their business interests in waning geographies; 3) or move their operations and production elsewhere—other cities, states, countries, or continents. If businesses choose to leave or cease operations, unstable economic and geographic burdens are introduced upon their exit until the supporting ecosystem eventually implodes or collapses. An insatiable value extracting cancer or parasite moves from place to place, opportunistically. Over time, it quietly kills its host, rarely putting back into the communities an equal amount of what it consumes. Ultimately, it creates an enormous debt burden on the surviving ecosystem, which invariably fails over time.

Here lies another dilemma. People and communities languish and fall deeper into debt. They are left behind in the pursuit of more profit with a decreasing tax base that cannot support adequate community investment and social safety nets. Those individuals who are left behind become the new poor and rely more on dwindling government social services/programs that cannot keep up with the mounting need. Political rhetoric from both sides kicks in. By the time any aid is mobilized and engaged to help those left behind, it’s generally too little and much too late to be widely effective. The middle and working class, who are already struggling, are left to pay the bill ultimately. They’re also placed in an untenable position to choose to wage war on the poor or to simply ignore the poor. Neither position ever helps to resolve the systemic problem that impacts so many. Next month, we’ll look at philanthropy’s role in equalizing extreme forms of capitalism. But here’s the bottom line: America has racked up over $30T of public debt (a $90k share for each person in the U.S.) with one party that proclaims conservative fiscal responsibility. The social programs touted by the other major party are no longer working to solve our systemic poverty efficiently and effectively. The dirty little secret is that neither party addresses the real issues of a collapsing/failing economic system and how this explicitly links to the constant pursuit of cheap commoditized labor—fueling an insatiable appetite for non-distributed profits. In our current reality, you can’t take out more than you put into a system. When you do, it invariably creates a deficit somewhere in the system that must be reconciled. Derek Barnes is CEO of East Bay Rental Housing Association ( www.EBRHA.com ). He currently serves on the boards of Horizons Foundation and Homebridge CA. Follow him on Twitter @ DerekBarnesSF or on Instagram at DerekBarnes.SF

overcoming fear, depression, and, in some cases, physical bullying in our schools, our state senator thanked us for sharing and then proceeded to lecture us for a solid five minutes on why our souls were doomed to hell for all eternity because of the “choice” we had made—in front of a journalist with the state’s largest paper. It was after this “cordial” meeting with my elected representative that my coming out story really hit overdrive. Because of the reporter in the room documenting the biblical talking-down-to we had received, it instantly became newsworthy and I had to make the decision if my newfound path of advocacy was strong enough to overcome the fear of coming out publicly in the press to tell my side of the story. As you can imagine, I chose the path to move forward (with great support and encouragement from EQFL staff, including my first mentor Nadine Smith). So, there I was, 16, newly-out to friends, but about to become the chief subject of an article that within 24 hours would be picked up by the AP and turned into a national news story, making its way to outlets like NPR and the press releases of U.S. congresspeople. ( https://tinyurl.com/4m7es9cx ) My coming out story was more public and sudden than most, but I’d like to think the choice that I made that day to come out that way helped change the world for the better for at least a handful of LGBTQ youth. I would never dream of having done it any differently now. Christopher Vasquez is the Communications Director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights. He oversees the organization’s day-to-day and long-term communications that elevate key NCLR leaders, advances the organization’s initiatives, contributes to the organization’s overall strategic planning, and serves on national communications coalitions working to achieve LGBTQ equality.

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Donna’s Chronicles

“Wear a mask.” –Dr. Anthony Fauci

By Donna Sachet

hen the story of the COVID pandemic is written, we are confident that an entire chapter will be dedicated to the evolution of masks and other face-coverings. We in California, and especially in San Francisco, confronted the challenge of covering our faces to help prevent the spread of the virus early on and our personal collection of masks tells the story of our own journey.

In March of 2020, we cooperated with Mayor London Breed’s precautions first by utilizing scarves, which were still in use as cool weather persisted. How hard was it to wrap a piece of fabric a bit higher on the face, effectively blocking any exchange of virus-carrying fluids? We even rediscovered some neglected luxurious pashminas in the back of the closet and met COVID with style and comfort. As this unexpected and undefined flu quickly escalated to an epidemic and then a pandemic, we realized that some research and investment in face masks was necessary. As the International LGBT Brand Ambassador for Stoli vodka, Patrik Gallineaux had invited us to join him in Key West the year before for the Bartender Contest where we were introduced to the marvelous drag queen Sushi who ushers in the New Year by descending from a balcony in a colossal high heel; think Times Square’s mirrored ball, but more fabulous! He mentioned that Sushi was meeting the coming COVID crisis by making and selling masks made of colorful scraps of cotton fabric. Well, if we had to wear a mask, why not one created by a fellow drag queen? We ordered our first three masks and they were delivered within a couple of weeks. Their simple pleated design, white elastic bands, and bold prints were exactly what we needed. Soon we discovered that a good friend of ours, Cockatielia, had worked out a deal to take over the ground floor space below the restaurant Poesia in the Castro to construct and sell masks. Anyone who knows her knows that Cockatielia has created fantastic costumes for many in the Imperial Court and they flocked to The Mask Shop, knowing that these would be creative, eye-catching, and very Gay masks. Within weeks, two sewing machines became eight, the design assortment multiplied, friends joined the team, and appointments for fittings became essential. These masks involved personal measurements and optional wires to assure the best fit. In the absence of sanctioned public gatherings, The Mask Shop became a community gathering place and a social outlet for many. We continue to wear our first rainbow mask and bring out the gold, silver, or red sequin one for special occasions. In April, State Senator Scott Wiener hosted Masks Are Fierce, an online event where the public was invited to submit creative mask designs to be judged by Sister Roma, BeBe Sweetbriar, Peaches Christ, and this humble columnist. The competition was lively and we demonstrated that, even in such serious times, San Francisco knows how to have a good time while taking appropriate precautions. Soon, masks began to appear on public statues, like Abraham Lincoln in front of City Hall and on the Burning Man installation in Patricia’s Green in Hayes Valley. Colorful posters created by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence encouraged mask use with photos of elaborately made-up sisters with mouths and noses covered. Let’s get through this together! As spring came to a close and the pandemic continued, several organizations began to promote their own logoed masks, including the Imperial Court. The first displayed the seal of the Imperial Court of San Francisco on a field of black with a quote from founder José Sarria: “United we stand; divided they catch us one by one.” Later, they added another design with José’s famous lyrics: “God save us nelly queens!” We wear these proudly in memory of that pioneer and in support of this organization. It was about that time that we remember seeing a post by San Francisco emigree to Japan Jason Brock, television’s X-Factor finalist, frequent Richmond/Ermet Aid Foundation guest, talented singer, and good friend. He was comparing the responses to the call for face masks in the United States and Japan, where facial coverings especially in crowded cities have long been a habit. That video stuck in our head as various states here handed down different and conflicting directives and photographs of crowds of unmasked people appeared on the nightly news. We remember frequently reflecting on the numerous national leaders featured on television who were making no effort to wear masks, including our own president. If a drag queen in San Francisco could find a way to cooperate with established scientific precautions, why couldn’t they? But what could we expect from a president who glibly removed his eye protection on the balcony of the White House and gazed directly at a solar eclipse? Were California and San Francisco being too cautious? For us, the simple act of wearing a mask became routine. We purchased a few more utilitarian masks and stuffed them in a drawer by the front door and into the pockets of jackets. Frequent updates from Governor Gavin Newsom made us proud to live in a place that was responding responsibly and aggressively. As summer arrived with no relief from the pandemic in sight, we met the sad news of a suspended Pride Celebration with shock. Some events proceeded virtually, like Pride Brunch benefiting PRC, but Patrick Carney found a way to install his Pink Triangle atop Twin Peaks, partnering with Illuminate and working with San Francisco’s Mayor and Mayor Libby Schaaf in an Olympic style passing of a pink torch across the bay and up to the display for a ceremonial lighting. We were proud to carry that torch part of the way with Gary Virginia wearing customized black face masks emblazoned with a pink triangle, a tangible memento of a significant event. As summer dragged into fall, our mask collection continued to grow, even to include a clear plexi full face mask, purchased in order to do drag more comfortably. Although these occasions had become far less frequent, the smearing of lips and erosion of make-up, not to mention the frustration of not being able to display the result of hours of preparation, quickly grew tiresome. Personally, we can’t recommend the plexi mask, which we found uncomfortable, confining, and prone to fogging, despite advertising to the contrary. We experimented with doing a full face minus the lips

Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Calendar

a/la Sachet Thursday, March 11 SF Gay Men’s Chorus’ Angels When We No Longer Touch AIDS Requiem’s 30th anniversary Includes video premiere celebrating the Artist Portal in the National AIDS Memorial Grove of Golden Gate Park 6 pm Free, contributions welcomed www.sfgmc.org Saturday, March 13 Splish Splash: A Wet & Wild Fundraiser Imperial Crown Prince Andrew Hirst Munrose & Grand Duke Manny Santos Benefits the LGBT Asylum Project 6 pm Free, contributions welcomed www.imperialcouncilsf.org Thursday, April 8 Nelly Queen: The Life & Times of José Sarria Online screening of the new film by Joe Castel 7 pm Panel Discussion 8 pm Screening $10 for pre-registered guests Free for GLBT Historical Society members www.glbthistory.org Saturday, April 10 SF LGBT Center’s Virtual Soirée Inspiration, entertainment, community Hosted by Liam Mayclem & Sister Roma Entertainment by Juanita MORE! 6 pm Sponsorships available, donations welcomed www.sfcenter.org so that festive masks wouldn’t cause damage and met with limited success. Kudos to the drag queens who continued to perform at outdoor venues, on pavement, in full face! Through the end of the year, we picked up additional masks, some related to the November election, some more medical looking from our first tests for the virus, some gifts from other concerned mask-wearing friends, and one reflecting the logo of The Academy where we co-hosted with Liam Mayclem the induction of Juanita MORE! into the Legends Archive. Our collection of masks reflects nearly a year of facing the reality of this pandemic, joining the fight to stem its spread, and proudly doing our part as a responsible San Franciscan. When the COVID story is written, as it will be by many different people, wearing a face covering must be featured prominently. And if we dare to write such a book, our drawer and pockets of masks will remind us of people and events along the way. Whether we eventually dispose of masks, even with ceremonial bonfires as in Boise, Idaho, they tell the tale of an emergency that demanded action. How we responded to that emergency, how we adopted such an easy and mundane habit as wearing a mask, and how we groused endlessly or simply took it all with a sense of humor and creativity, will say much of who we were. Donna Sachet is a celebrated performer, fundraiser, activist and philanthropist who has dedicated over two decades to the LGBTQ Community in San Francisco. Contact her at empsachet@gmail.com

PHOTO BY SHAWN NORTHCUTT

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This Month at the Castro Farmers’ Market Castro Farmers’ Market Re-opens on March 17!

PHOTO COURTESY OF DEBRA MORRIS

By Debra Morris

Asparagus

The Castro Farmers’ Market is back for the season! Stop by and pick up your greens on March 17—St. Patrick’s Day!—and welcome all your favorite farmers and other purveyors of fine foods and products. The market, located on Noe Street between Market and Beaver, will be open every Wednesday from 2:30 pm to 7:30 pm with the first hour for seniors and those most at risk for coronavirus, and will run through November 17. Allen Moy, Executive Director of Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association (PCFMA), says, “This farmers’ market is here for the community, a place where you can get outside and see your neighbors in a safe environment, select great produce, and help farmers at the same time.” More than two dozen California farmers and other local food producers are expected to sell their products in the market on opening day. Mia Simmans, Manager of the Castro Farmers’ Market, said, “We are very much looking forward to kicking off the season. We have a terrific selection of California produce to keep you healthy this year.” The Castro Farmers’ Market will observe all pandemic safety guidelines, such as mask requirements, social distancing, and controlled access to the market, until further notice. The quality and freshness you’ll find at the Castro Farmers’ Market cannot be surpassed. The farms are local and the produce is picked and delivered to the market as soon as possible after harvest. Plus, you’re helping small farms keep farming.

STRAWBER RY

1 bunch rainbo w chard 1 pint strawberr ies Dressing: 1/2 cup strawbe rries 2 tablespoons st rawberry jam 2 tablespoon o live oil (use less oil to start with and ad d more if the m ix seems too chun ky) 1 tablespoon dri ed thyme Few fresh basil leaves 2 tablespoon vi negar Chop up chard . (Please eat th e stems! They’re not only pretty but yummy.) Slice st rawberries. Ble n d or use a food pro cessor to mix d ressing ingredients unti l desired consist ency. Drizzle dressin g over salad an d serve.

You’ll find Fifth Crow Farm out of Pescadero with a new crop of spring artichokes, Brussels sprouts, and root vegetables. Home Maid Ravioli will have wonderful Italian olives, sauces, and ravioli. BerryLicious will be there with abundant strawberries. Also don’t miss Shelly’s Farm with fresh eggs, and Feel Good Bakery with yummy baked goods. There are many more of your favorite producers and gourmet food vendors that will be there throughout the season. The market, which is sponsored by the Castro Merchants, provides Castro residents a convenient way to support local California farmers, and access to the constantly changing variety of fresh seasonal produce. In addition, the market will feature locally-grown orchids, locally-caught fresh seafood, and locally-made baked goods. Come join us for the return of your neighborhood farmers’ market with the best produce around!

Strawberries

Debra Morris is a spokesperson for the Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association (PCFMA). Check out the PCFMA website for recipes, information about farmers’ markets throughout the region and for much more: https://www.pcfma.org/

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Artichokes

Dykes

with drills

Tip of the Week By Julie Peri

(Dykes With Drills is a group of queer womxn who empower people with the tools to build. We first introduced you to talented Founder and Director Julie Peri in January 2021, when she shared her coming out story, and now we are proud to launch the new Dykes With Drills Tip of the Week column! While the San Francisco Bay Times is a bi-weekly, new content is in the works for our other digital platforms, so stay tuned for more information about that. In the meantime, this column will provide you with useful tips that you can apply to your own DIY projects. Sometimes such skills solve basic needs and can save you a ton of money, such as tackling simple plumbing problems. In other cases, they may enrich your life with art, or even lead to small business ventures. We are excited by the possibilities, as Dykes With Drills can seemingly tackle any fix-it or make-it project with ease.) In 2013, I started working at Habitat for Humanity. We didn’t use nail guns, and instead framed our walls the old-fashioned way—with a hammer and nail. This was to keep the volunteers safe, but it didn’t always keep my fingers safe! When I first started, I would hit my thumb and forefinger all of the time when setting my nails. They would hurt so bad, and I would try to play it off like it was no big deal.

Finally, one of my coworkers saw me hit my hand and said, “Let me show you a better way.” She said, “Place the nail between your pointer finger and middle finger with your fingernail side down, and fleshy side up. That way, if you hit your fingers you will hit the softest, most padded part.” I tried it and it was a dream! I grew more confident because I wasn’t afraid to hit my hand, and eventually didn’t have to worry about it anymore. Learn more about woodworking with us in person in San Francisco, or online from the comfort of your own home. Here is what we have coming up next! Learn Advanced Wood Burning, March 13, Online Make Beautiful Veneer Art, March 20, Online Make your own Charcuterie Board, March 27, Online Build your own Loom and Weaving workshop, April 10 & 17, Online For more information about these and other events, go to: https://www.dykeswithdrills.com/workshops Julie Peri is the Founder and Director of Dykes With Drills. https://www.dykeswithdrills.com/

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BAY TIMES S

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LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2021)

Sally Gearhart Recognized in Documentary Film-in-Progress

Photos courtesy of Deborah Craig

concerns—violence against women and environmental devastation—are more relevant than ever. Her fantasy novel The Wanderground—with its flying, mindreading lesbians and “remember rooms” where women share their experiences of male violence—foreshadows current events like the Women’s March and #MeToo movement.

In 2014, while shooting a short documentary about lesbians and aging, Bay Area filmmaker Deborah Craig stumbled across octogenarian Sally Gearhart living alone in a remote and ramshackle cabin in the Northern California woods. Craig was charmed by this outrageous and mischievous character—who sported rumpled t-shirts, paintstained jeans, and bright pink lipstick—and then realized that in the 1970s and 80s she was a beloved lesbian-feminist icon. Dismayed that she had barely heard of Gearhart, Craig began to research and record her story.

And Gearhart’s fears about the destruction of the earth are coming true right before our eyes, with California frequently on fire, other states under water, ice melting, sea levels rising, and climate change deniers in the very highest ranks of our government until just months ago.

Spanning ten decades, from the 1930s to the 2020s, the feature documentary Sally is a humorous, thought-provoking, and inspiring American road-trip in search of iconic lesbian-feminist activist Gearhart. Brilliant, charismatic, provocative, and visionary, Gearhart worked sideby-side with Harvey Milk, was a heroine to the first generation of open lesbians, and was one of second-wave feminism’s most radical voices.

Gearhart has a critical message for us: She battled fiercely for justice with humor and authentic inquisitiveness about the other side. She was a radical lesbian separatist who delighted in the company of men; a revolutionary who purposely forged friendships with Republicans; and an environmentalist who reached out to loggers, smoked like a chimSally with filmmaker Deborah Craig ney, and subsisted on Pepsi.

She was the first “out” lesbian to obtain a tenuretrack faculty position, a founder of one of the first women’s studies program in the country, and a popular science fiction author. During one of the most terrifying, thrilling, and revolutionary periods in the gay rights struggle, Gearhart was literally center stage. Yet her crucial role in the fight against the 1978 Briggs’ Initiative, which sought to ban homosexuals from working in California’s public schools, has been virtually erased.

PHOTO BY SILVIA TURCHIN

Outside lesbian circles, too few people know her name. The film Sally takes us on a hilarious, complex, and surprising journey to discover how a “good Southern girl” became an “outrageous” lesbian separatist leader and ended up living alone in the woods, largely forgotten by history. But while Sally starts as the story of a “hidden figure”—a key historical actor omitted from the mainstream narrative—it deepens into a broader exploration of the complex relationship between icons like Gearhart and movements for social transformation. These movements seem to need their heroes, and she certainly relished that role and delighted in the ruckus.

The Wanderground.

But did she also pay a price for her fame and notoriety? Moreover, to focus solely on Sally with Harvey Milk Gearhart the way the movie Milk made a hero of its namesake seems to miss the point. Sally questions such a patriarchal approach to history, aiming instead to encapsulate the hopes, triumphs, missteps, and failures of a whole community striving to dismantle the existing oppressive system and build a better world.

POP QUIZ

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Craig’s core film team includes Ondine Rarey (co-producer and editor), Jörg Fockele (coproducer), Jenni Olson (archival producer), Silvia Turchin (director of photography), and Lauretta Molitor (sound recordist). They are halfway through production and getting ready to film the final interviews (remotely, due to COVID-19), dive into archival research, and animate

To find out more about the project, the people behind it, and how you can get involved, check out the Sally Kickstarter campaign at https://tinyurl.com/c4e5enyd Note that the filmmakers raised their Kickstarter goal within the first 48 hours of their campaign and are now hoping to use the momentum to finance post-production (editing, music, etc.) through a “stretch goal” on Kickstarter. You can also follow the film on Facebook (https://tinyurl.com/yvm3mkva ) and check out the “Sally” webpage at https://www.documentaries.org/sally

Fundamentally, Craig’s film hopes to show Gearhart’s continuing relevance. Although she’s now almost 90, and somewhat isolated in the California woods, Gearhart and her key

QUEER

Ultimately, she shows us that reaching across the political and philosophical divide is more powerful than preaching to the choir—as much as she loved a pulpit! Her skill and delight in conferring with her adversaries might be her most relevant message for our fractious and polarized era. We stand firmly upon her shoulders and need her spirit now more than ever!

GAY USA According to a recent Gallup poll, the majority of LGBTQ Americans identify as:

A) bisexual

B) gay

C) transgender

D) queer

ANSWER ON PAGE 26

Ed Decker and His Team Have Reinvented The New Conservatory Theater Center

Robert Holgate & Jennifer Kroot Ed Decker is the Founder and Artistic Director of The New Conservatory Theater Center (NCTC) in San Francisco. Since 1981, NCTC has presented high quality, queer, and allied theatre productions, as well as youth education programming. Just prior to the shutdown, we saw their incredible productions This Side of Crazy and Head Over Heels. We wondered how NCTC is surviving the pandemic, so we looked in Robert’s rolodex and gave Ed a call. J&R: Hi Ed, thanks for speaking with us. How’s NCTC doing after a year of sheltering in place? Ed Decker: We’ve navigated through this unexpected time and reinvented ourselves. We felt our community and our audience needed our voice, even if the voice was in a format that none of us understood, and we didn’t always know what the hell we were doing! J&R: So, how have you reinvented NCTC? Ed Decker: Last April, we created a radio serial, In Good Company, about a little, queer theatre company in San Francisco that gets shut down because of a health pandemic. Sound familiar? We made ten 15-minute episodes and aired them weekly. At the time, Trump was still in office, and then we had the murder of George Floyd and many other things that we simply couldn’t ignore. Since we were telling a story in real time, everything became part of it. Usually, theatre is told a little bit more in hindsight! Patricia Milton’s play, The Law of Attraction, was supposed to be in our season last year, but got canceled, so we reimagined it as a two-hour radio play. And over the holidays we put together The Mighty Queer Virtual Variety Show. We invited young, queer

PHOTO BY LOIS TEMA

Out of Left Field

We also revamped our education program. Now kids can continue training online, since we can’t tour schools in person. We produced a series of video lessons for SFUSD teachers to use free of charge. It’s based on the book Puppy Mind, by Andrew Nance, about mindfulness for kids. We created five, four-minute lessons that teachers can use to help settle their classroom. Filming was an adventure because everything’s done remotely. When we filmed the scenes between the puppy and the kids, we shot them separately, then edited them together. And we’re not even a film company!

Ed Decker

PHOTO BY LOIS TEMA

PHOTO BY WILL ZANG

artists of color to create five-minute performances around the theme, “hope is where the art is.” We had spoken word, composers, a Middle Eastern dancer, and local drag artists hosted it.

J&R: How has your audience responded?

Ed Decker: We shattered Ed Decker on stage at The New Conservatory Theater Center the boundaries that confined us, in terms of audience. For J&R: And how about you? Has our podcast, In Good Company, around sheltering in place affected you 4000 folks have invested in listening personally? and they’re from all over the world. Ed Decker: I’ve been with my husIt’s clear there are not enough queer band for 34 years, and was worried stories being told out there. We’re that being at home together might launching a whole new aspect of proimpact us. I’m a theater guy and the gramming, creating LGBTQ+ jourgood thing about being married to neys that can be listened to around a theater guy is that he’s at the thethe globe. ater a lot. Suddenly, like many folks, J&R: Can you tell us about we were thrust into the same fate, some upcoming projects? for an extended period of time. At first, I kept thinking at any minute Ed Decker: We’re creating he’s gonna strangle me. However, we another virtual show for spring, realized that our 34 years together The Transnational Cabaret. It features are built on a solid foundation of trans artists, locally and from across love, caring, and kindness towards America, looking at the trans expeone another. That’s been a magnifirience through a variety of different cent discovery. creative disciplines. And we commissioned another audio play called Interlude, by an author we’ve worked with before, on This Bitter Earth, about a young, queer, black playwright. Interlude goes back to that story and looks at what it’s like to be living in America in this moment.

For more information about NCTC, visit: https://www.nctcsf.org/

J&R: The pandemic has hit many local arts organizations financially. How’s NCTC doing?

Jennifer Kroot is a filmmaker, known for her award-winning LGBTQ themed documentaries, including “The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin” and “To Be Takei.” She studied filmmaking at the San Francisco Art Institute, where she has also taught. She is a member of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Ed Decker: We’ve done everything in our power to keep our small team employed. Thanks to the generosity of our community, we’ve kept 80% of our staff. But, we had to lay off two positions: our house manager, because there’s really no house to manage, and our master electrician. That broke our hearts.

A humanitarian, as well as a designer, Robert Holgate is dedicated to critical social issues. With his hands-on approach to philanthropy and social justice, he supports the advancement of local and national social causes. For more information: https://www.rhdsf.com/

The Community Women’s Orchestra persented its annual International Women’s Day Concert, “Courage & Hope,” as a virtual performance on Sunday, March 7. The concert featured original works by women composers. A highlight was “Pam Dam Demic Blues” (2020) by CWO member Dorothy Moskowitz Falarski. Co-presidents Karen Tyger and Beth Voge spoke on behalf of the organization, recognized composers and thanked viewers. To see the entire concert, visit: https://bit.ly/3cjv2hC

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Herbert Howe and Ramón Novarro: A Hollywood Love Story

Faces from Our LGBT Past Dr. Bill Lipsky Theirs was one of the great romances of the golden age of the silent screen. The movie-going public, however, who then wanted to know everything about the stars, never learned about it. Had Hollywood publicist and widely popular fan magazine correspondent Herbert Howe written of his ongoing affair with Ramón Novarro, one of the era’s most celebrated and desired film personalities, he would have had the biggest scoop of his career. He also would have ended both their professional lives. During the 1920s and 1930s, Howe not only wrote about the stars, but he also appeared in stories others filed. He was a major Hollywood personality himself, who “knows everybody worth knowing in pictures.” Readers regularly learned about his imaginary girlfriends and his invented romances with some of the most famous leading ladies of the time. He was, according to Adela Rogers St. Johns in a 1923 article in Photoplay, a “Lothario, this playboy of the movie world,” but she added, “He is a bachelor—from choice.” Although he always maintained his image as a sophisticated, urbane

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Hollywood boulevardier, Howe was born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on September 28, 1893. After graduating from the State University, he first worked as a film publicist, then turned to writing for “the fannies.” Even with competition from the Parsons, Louella and Harriet, and such literary luminaries as Somerset Maugham and Theodore Dreiser, some believe he was “the best fan magazine writer of the time—arguably of all time.” Howe knew exactly what the stars were doing, both inside and away from the studios. He could not always state exactly what that was, but he could imply it and did. As early as 1923 he was writing about “the movie boys” who were “all racing around wearing spit curls, bobbed hair, and silk panties.” Perhaps Valentino, the great “Latin Lover,” could get away with it. The screen’s other leading men, he advised, needed to stop. “The public can stand just so many ruffles and no more.” To support his case, Howe singled out happily married Charles Ray, famous for portraying young, wholesome “country bumpkins” in silent comedies; leading man Richard Barthelmess; and up and coming “heart throb” Ramón Novarro, who “is Scaramouching around Hollywood dressed up like Caesar’s pet horse.” “The boys,” he concluded, “had better walk up one flight and get some blue serge nifties. It’s a cinch if they don’t change their panties some of the producers are going to lose theirs.” Late in 1923, Howe sailed to Europe on the Majestic. Novarro, born on February 6, 1899, also was on board, traveling to Tunis to make The Arab on location. Silk panties or not, by the time the production finished, the two men were lovers. Speaking with a smitten heart, he told his readers

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in the May 1924 issue of Photoplay, “Of all the young cinema celebrities Ramón Novarro is ... the most worth knowing,” calling him “our finest romantic actor.”

women must be wooed long and ardently under balconies” and is “rather taken back when the fair ones hurl themselves over the balustrade at the first romantic glance.” Indeed.

Howe, who also became the actor’s “Think of any great role,” Howe publicist, eventually wrote a series of wrote of his new dear friend, “and four long articles about him for Moyou’ll think of Novarro: Romeo, Ben tion Picture Magazine in 1927. Titled Hur, Dorian Grey [sic], Galahad.” “On the Road with Ramón NovarHe was equally effusive about Noro,” they supposedly told the story of varro’s physical beauty and sensual the actor’s life. At the same time, he charisma. “If he ever visits the Vatitold those who could read his meancan, the Apollo Belvedere is going to ing the truth, giving them at least get down from his pedestal and apolsome of the reasons he ogize for having taken up so much saw Novarro almost evtime.” Many of his readers, mostery day and they even ly women, agreed, although he did not mention that where they failed to romance him, he Below: Herbert Howe, at MGM, 1920s had succeeded. Novarro never played the part of Dorian Gray, but he did get the title role in Ben Hur, the most coveted part in the most prestigious—and most expensive—motion picture of the 1920s. He and Howe returned together to Europe on the Leviathan in 1925 to film it, traveled the continent, and were presented to the king and queen of Italy. “The Italian girls went wild over [him],” Howe informed his readers, but “the romantic young Above: l to r, Rex Ingram, Herbert Howe, Alice Terry, and Ramón actor never gave them Novarro a tumble.” vacationed together. The reason? “He was too busy trying to make a success of his role.” Meanwhile, he found the time to visit Paris, Monte Carlo, Naples, and Florence with his new intimate companion. Women pursued him everywhere, but according to Howe, Novarro remained aloof because he “holds an idealistic, almost fanciful regard, for [them].” He “believes that

Howe remembered how their friendship began: “I must have touched a secret spring to his confidence, for that evening was one of charmed revelation,” although he did not mention who charmed whom or what was revealed. He also shared Novarro’s ongoing allure, describing his eyes as

“a brilliance in black and white ... illuminating a face of Spanish pallor. [They] so mesmerize a mood that you forget to listen.” Of course, he also “has looks, manliness, physique, high ideals, and common sense,” in that order. Howe never mentioned in any of his reporting when and why their romance ended. After 1935 he only published occasionally, but once again became Novarro’s publicist in the mid 1950s. He died on October 12, 1959. Novarro never retired from acting, but his career faded to ever smaller parts in less and less successful Left: Novarro - Motion Picture magazine cover

Above: Ramón Novarro, working out on a rowing machine, in preparation for his star-making role in the 1925 film Ben-Hur

films across the 1930s and 1940s. He was lost on October 30, 1968, murdered by two hustlers in a scandal more shocking than any his love affair with Howe would have caused 40 years earlier. Bill Lipsky, Ph.D., author of “Gay and Lesbian San Francisco” (2006), is a member of the Rainbow Honor Walk board of directors.

From Fedoras to Cloches to Cowboys: Hats!

Off the Wahl Jan Wahl It takes guts to wear a fabulous hat. Or, they may just be a cool way not to have to style your hair. I’ve always loved them. The serious affair with hats began with two movies. In Now, Voyager, Bette Davis goes from mousy to marvelous in a large picture hat as she is disembarking a ship. Ingrid Bergman says goodbye to Bogart in Casablanca, a hat perfectly hiding some tears. I began a search for great hats on film, and they were, and are, everywhere! It doesn’t get better than the happy hat opening to the wonderful musical Easter Parade. Fred Astaire is going down the most stylish street in Manhattan, ready to buy Easter gifts for Ann Miller, his dancing squeeze. The first stop is a hat fashion show, with gorgeous and colorful spring hats. He chooses a white feathered number, but they are all divine. It’s a hat movie all the way through, along with incredible Irving Berlin tunes. Watching it around Easter may just encourage you to join in singing and rocking a flowered Easter bonnet. Hats can be used to define characters and situations. One of the most obvious is from steamy 9 1/2 Weeks. To the raucous tune of Joe Cocker’s “You Can Leave Your Hat On,” Kim Basinger does a strip. In Mel Brooks’ underrated Spaceballs, Helmet is the name of a dumbass bad guy, his hat as large as his ridiculous ego. Charlie Chaplin’s bowler as The Tramp gives him the class he is longing for, while his colleague Buster Keaton had a porkpie hat as a trademark. Once in a while, the hat leaves people talking about it after the movie. Oddjob’s bowler in Goldfinger is a weapon that completely freaked me out when I first saw the 1964 James Bond classic. To demonize a hat didn’t seem right, but it does stay with us and is an excellent way to dismember an offensive statue.

My Fair Lady Ascot

take hats to black and white beauty. It always helps to add Audrey Hepburn to the mix, and her iconic hat as she eats a bagel in front of the window at Breakfast at Tiffany’s lets us know Holly Golightly is on the make. Cloches are some of my favorites, especially in roaring twenties movies like Chicago, Some Like It Hot, and Singin in the Rain. Hat veils were used from Marlene Dietrich to Myrna Loy, adding mystery and allure. Period films like Downton Abbey, Marie Antoinette, and Bridgerton had lavish designs that took us back to a time when hats were complicated (Queen Marie even had a birdcage with living birds in one) but stunning. Fedoras are for men and women. Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark started a new fad, but go back to Bogart, Alan Ladd, and just about every Hollywood heavy for the start of this great fad. The Blues Brothers used fedoras as part of their coolness, while no private detective or gangster on film would ever be caught dead without one.

Marie Antoinette

Women look good in them, too. It’s a shape that can work and enhance any face and provide shade from that desert sun. Fascinators are easy to wear, basically headbands with hopefully wild attachments like birds, flowers, sequins, feathers. The royals have made them popular and they can be far more comfortable than the Ascot hats, if less fascinating. Hats off to hats themselves!

Jan Wahl is a Hollywood historian, film critic on various broadcast outlets, and has her own YouTube channel series, “Jan Wahl Showbiz.” Cowboy hats are just about the sex- She has two Emmys and many iest, in my humble opinion, and not awards for her longtime work on just because of the taste and beauty behalf of film buffs and the LGBTQ community. Contact her at in Brokeback Mountain. They lend a swagger and style to any guy. www.janwahl.com

Glamour and hats are made for each other. Cecil Beaton’s designs for the Ascot sequence in My Fair Lady

Downton Abbey

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Take Me Home with You! “My name is Pepper! I’m super affectionate and love to cuddle up with my favorite humans. If you’ve got a tennis ball and want to play fetch, we’ll quickly become best friends! I’m full of energy and love to romp around. I’m also very food motivated, and with the right tasty treats, I could probably be convinced to learn some new tricks! My ideal home would be somewhere quieter, where I’m the only dog. If you’re looking to add a fun-loving shepherd mix to your life, I’d love to meet you!” Pepper is presented to San Francisco Bay Times readers by Dr. Jennifer Scarlett, the SF SPCA’s Co-President. Our thanks also go to Krista Maloney for helping to get the word out about lovable pets like Pepper.

Artshot Abby Zimberg

(Above) Colorful buoys or bumpers on the Centerville River, Cape Cod MA

Dr. Jennifer Scarlett and Pup

To apply to meet Pepper, visit https://www.sfspca.org/adoptions/

(Left) Noyo Harbor at Fort Bragg, CA

Abby Zimberg is a licensed California Marriage Family Therapist with training in art therapy. She formerly worked as a graphic designer and has always been a photographer. https://theartoftherapysf.com/

ROSTOW (continued from page 6) where it is called “koe knuffelen.” Indeed, the phenomenon is not a one-off invention by some farmer with some particularly affectionate cows. It’s an actual thing, much like the goats we wrote about that you can arrange to join your Zoom meeting. The practice involves friendly cows who enjoy people and will put their head in your lap and look at you with their big brown eyes as you wrap your arms around their thick necks. It sounds like fun, although it might put you off cheeseburgers for a week or so. And finally, it’s with some satisfaction we learn that Biden has fired EEOC general counsel Sharon Gustafson, a religious freedom activist of the Trump years who was technically appointed to a four-year term in 2019. For some reason, Gustafson seemed to believe that she was entitled to remain in place, overseeing the legal arm of the agency that litigates and sets policy on behalf of victims of workplace bias. According to The Washington Post (which seems to have replaced The New York Times this week as our favorite source), Gustafson was asked to resign but refused, forcing Biden’s hand. In an email to staff on her last day, March 5, Gustafson conflated her dismissal with that of a typical Title VII plaintiff. “I have for the first time, after 50 years of employment, had my first opportunity to experience what my terminated clients experience,” she wrote. “Whatever else it is, it’s good to have this firsthand perspective.” Really? In her relatively short term, Gustafson initiated a “Religious Discrimination Work Group” that, in turn, organized a series of “Listening Sessions,” which included a mix of religious actors. She then posted a final report on this subject to a government website that was promptly removed when Biden and company took office. Last month, she posted an 8-minute podcast on the subject that was also removed, in her view as “a suppression of our work promoting religious freedom.” The term “religious freedom,” once a clarion call to acceptance of all faiths, has devolved into a carryall for those who are upset that they can no longer “freely” discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in the workplace and the public square. So, yes, suppress that all you want, Joe. Meanwhile, I think Sharon needs a koe knuffelen. arostow@aol.com

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Sister Dana Sez: Words of Wisdumb from a Fun Nun orientation, such as queer or samegender-loving,” Gallup mentions.

By Sister Dana Van Iquity Sister Dana sez, "Happy St. Patrick's Day (March 17)! Even though I'm Irish and will surely drink green beer and Irish whiskey on that day, I still will never quite understand why we celebrate a man who drove the snakes out of Ireland." UNITED NATIONS’ observance of INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY was held on March 8. The theme was “Women in Leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world, on the way to the Generation Equality Forum.” This was a way of celebrating the tremendous efforts by women and girls around the world in shaping a more equal future and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. March is WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH. Accordingly, NGO CSW/NY organizes the civil society side of the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). The NGO CSW Forum runs parallel to the official session taking place at the U.N. Headquarters. This provides civil society the opportunity to engage in the processes and CSW sessions without ECOSOC-accreditation or a U.N. grounds pass. Over the two weeks of the U.N. CSW, NGO CSW/NY organizes more than 500 free events that inform, engage, and inspire grassroots efforts and advocacy needed to empower women and girls. This year, the NGO CSW65 Forum will be entirely virtual from March 14–26. https://ngocsw.org/ngocsw65/ Sister Dana sez, "Beware the Ides of March! Do people say that anymore? It's literally March 15, the day Roman Emperor Caesar was assassinated. So now you know. So?!" The number of adult Americans who identify as part of the LGBTQ community continues to grow, according to a new GALLUP poll. 5.6% identify as part of the queer community, up 1.1% from the last survey. (See the Queer Pop Quiz on page 18.) 86.7% identified as straight. “An additional 3.3% volunteer another non-heterosexual preference or term to describe their sexual

Here’s an encouraging note from LGBTQ VICTORY INSTITUTE Director of Domestic Programs Sarah Pope: “In every training I attend, I’m reminded that LGBTQ people continue to defy the predictions of bigots. In fact, there are more out leaders than ever before— over 978 LGBTQ elected officials (many of whom trained with Victory Institute!) currently hold office— there are nine out members of Congress, and only three states have never elected an out state legislator.” Miss bear hugs? So do we Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence! The Sisters are excited to partner with the BEARS OF SAN FRANCISCO on the inaugural BEARRISON STREET FAIR. Although we can’t predict the future, we are pushing forward with plans for October 30 at Harrison and 11th Street in SOMA. Depending on the damn-demic. https://www.bearrison.org/ TRANS VOICES was a virtual night of poetry, comedy, and music on February 26 by STRUT, SAN FRANCISCO AIDS FOUNDATION, and Pearl Teese. We were warmly welcomed by Community Events Manager at San Francisco AIDS Foundation Baruch Porras Hernandez, who happily announced that Strut is now giving the Moderna vaccine (I like to call it “the Dolly Parton vax”) to anyone 65 years and older. Call their vaccine hotline at 628-877-1035. Our charming host was Strut artist-in-residence Pearl Teese. Twospirit Mason J. recited their original three riveting poems. Lisa Evans gave their sometimes ghostly, other times BLM, and still other poems with a hint of alchemy. Empress Mimi Osa joined in to brush us up on Imperial Court history and announce her and Emperor William Bulkley’s official stepping down date on April 24. LA comedian of “Women Who Kill” podcast Kai Choyce cracked us up with contemporary comedy—edibles, dog walkers, Karens, etc. Mikaelela Kendrick spoke of her journey from romance to abuse and back in poetry, and then wowed us with an original blues song that eventually turned into a powerful self-affirmation for all of us. Pearl Teese closed this stunning show with a sashay shantay killer drag fashion promenade for days! Look for the next Trans Voices on May 26, 7pm—hopefully live at Strut at 470 Castro! Sister Dana sez, "Has ANY fellow Repugnican Congress person called out Rep. Marjie QAnon Greene for mocking the Transgender Pride Flag?? Anyone?!”

PHOTO BY SISTER X-PLOSION

Great news for fresh veggie and fruit lovers! The annual CASTRO FARMERS’ MARKET will reopen on March 17. (See the feature on page 16.) The Castro Farmers’ Market is open Wednesdays, March 17 through November, 2:30 pm–7:30 pm at Noe and Market Streets. It’s the best place to shop for seasonal fruits and veggies, as well as other local goods like honey, eggs, or artisan cheese. https://bit.ly/3btdWyv

Sister Dana (front right) and other Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence appeared in a publicity photo, taken in Golden Gate Park, for the annual Easter Anniversary Party. (1990)

Eureka Valley Neighborhood Association (EVNA) public meeting, Panel on the Future of Transportation in San Francisco, is Thursday, March 25, 7 pm–8:30 pm. Featuring SFMTA Executive Director Jeffrey Tumlin, Super-

visor and Transportation Authority Board Chair Rafael Mandelman, Activist and SF Bike Coalition Board Member Meaghan Mitchell, and more. https://www.facebook.com/evna.org Sister Dana sez, “CPAC? More like TPAC, since TRUMP became the official IDOL of the Conservative Political Action Conference on February 28 in Florida with his gigantic GOLDEN STATUE available for worship!” Artists love to capture their furry, feathered, fishy friends. This collection of sincere, original art includes treasured pets, exotic creatures in the wild, and animals that exist only in the artist’s imagination. So, go visit the MOBA ZOO. The Museum of Bad Art (MOBA) is the world’s first and foremost museum dedicated to the collection, preservation, exhibition and celebration of bad art. Warning: it did say “bad art.” You were warned. Wednesday, March 24, 4 pm. https://tinyurl.com/9v4brey

tory buffs and show off their knowledge of the vast queer past. The top-scoring teams will win fabulous prizes, including a private museum tour, complimentary memberships, and limited-edition merchandise. All ticket sales go directly to supporting their archives, museum, and public-history programs, furthering the society’s mission to preserve and share LGBTQ history. Become a member and receive discounted access to this event and all of their programs. https://www.glbthistory.org/ “RISE UP WITH THE SISTERS!” is the annual (virtual) Easter celebration by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence 04/04. I will write more in my March 25 column, but for now, here follows

the contest info. For the HUNKY JESUS/FOXY MARY CONTEST: send us two photos in good quality and a short bio describing your Hunky Jesus/Foxy Mary personification. Be bold, be creative, be fun! Don’t forget to think of a name! For the EASTER FACE MASK CONTEST: customize a face mask with an Easter theme and send us two pictures in good quality of you actually wearing the mask. Bonus points if your mask matches an Easter bonnet! Please send everything via e-mail to: eastercontest@thesisters.org Sister Dana sez, "Proving that Republican’ts can only win by cheating, they have introduced 253 bills in 43 states to restrict voting rights! Horrifying!”

SAVE THE OASIS TELETHON was hosted by D’Arcy Drollinger and friends—12 hours streamed live March 6–7 to support the legendary SOMA nightclub/cabaret that is currently at risk of closure. Drollinger was joined by a cavalcade of stars and SF luminaries including Maureen McVerry, Mario Cantone, Heklina, Juanita MORE!, Glamamore, Peaches Christ, Alaska, Lady Bunny, Ben De La Creme, Jane Wiedlin, Leigh Crow, Jackie Beat, Sherry Vine, Trixie Mattel, Honey Mahogany, Mocha Fapalatte, Snaxx, Matthew Martin, Chyna Maykit, The Baloney Boys, Mario Diaz, Patty from HR, and many many more marvelous performers who have graced the Oasis stage over the years. March 6 was a very long, very busy day for Sister Dana, because also happening that day was FAUX EVER YOUNG - Fauxnique’s Birthday Show! It was an excellent event by the Stud, Monique Jenkinson, and Mica Sigourney. Hosted by legendary faux queen Fauxnique, Vivvy, and Peaches Christ. The fabulous lineup included Ana Matronic, Heklina, Glamamore, Vinsantos, Ms. Rahni Nothingmore, Raya Light, Trixxie Carr, Falsetta Knockers, Valentine, Katya Smirnoff Skyy, Qween, Miguel Gutierrez, Kochina Rude and Lisa Frankenstein, Lambert Moss, Larry Arrington, Jesse Hewit & Keith Hennessy. Happy 50th Birthday, dearest Fauxnique! I fondly recall those days enjoying you performing so flawlessly as a fantastic faux queen. The SAN FRANCISCO MIME TROUPE virtual fundraiser, THE RED STAR AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL, celebrating 25 Years of SFMT’s beloved Youth Theater Project (YTP), will be an hour of music and comradeship featuring keynote speaker Colman Domingo along with SFMT tales from past & present, Troupers, and a special live performance of the next installment of their criticallyacclaimed radio/podcast series ʺTales of the Resistance!ʺ This event will be Saturday, March 13, Noon–1 pm. RSVP for free, but donations requested at the end. https://tinyurl.com/a3ab42bn To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the opening of the GLBT HISTORICAL SOCIETY MUSEUM and the 36th anniversary of the GLBT HISTORICAL SOCIETY’s foundation, the society is hosting a virtual LGBTQ history trivia evening on March 26, 6 pm. Participants will mix and mingle with other queer hisS AN F R ANC IS C O BAY   T IM ES

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GGBA MESSAGE FROM LEADERSHIP (continued from page 9)

MILLER (continued from page 8)

adaptations of his novels and poems. He decamped to France in 1963 to escape the racism and homophobia that plagued him in America.

S&P Global (2019), “The Financial Future Is Female” https://tinyurl.com/3uktn8n2 Wells Fargo Investment Institute (2019), “Women and Investing: Building on Strengths” https://tinyurl.com/wtp3fz2b Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (2017), “Why women are better at making investment decisions” https://tinyurl.com/tha6za8y Fidelity Investments (2017), “Fidelity Investments Survey Reveals Only Nine Percent of Women Think They Make Better Investors than Men, Despite Growing Evidence to the Contrary” https://tinyurl.com/v33jemhp

Marsha P. Johnson Johnson has come to well-deserved recognition in recent years due to her central presence in the Stonewall Riots in New York City in 1969. She was an outspoken transgender rights activist who was instrumental in kicking off the gay rights movement of the late 20th century. She helped to form and lead radical political organizations that served the transgender and sex worker communities in Manhattan. She continued her activist career into the 1990s as an AIDS activist for ACT UP, taking her radical and effective actions to combat the deadly virus. She lived with HIV for two years before being found drowned in the Hudson River under mysterious circumstances. Alvin Ailey Ailey is one of the most celebrated choreographers in American history. He overcame racism and classism to become a preeminent leader in the field of dance, opening up the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1958. He was an unforgettable figure in the dance world, for the color of his skin, his sexuality, and his undeniable genius. He celebrated Black bodies, traditions, and music in his troupe, fighting for social justice and equality on the stage. Though he died in 1989 at the age of 58, his impact is still seen across dancers and stages today. Gladys Bentley Bentley was referred to by The New York Times as “Harlem’s most famous lesbian” during the height of her fame in the 1930s ( https://tinyurl.com/8ajatrca ). She achieved fame during the Harlem Renaissance, challenging gender norms and stereotypes by wearing men’s clothing. Her gender-bending act did not shy away from sexuality, delighting audiences in venues like The Cotton Club and The Apollo. Her deep voice was perfectly suited to the blues, adding to the playful and contrarian act she rode to fame and fortune. Her career languished after the repeal of Prohibition and changing attitudes about homosexuality. She would never again achieve the gender-bending heights during her time in Harlem in the 1930s. Bayard Rustin

Rustin was an adviser to Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., advocating for LGBTQ+ rights as well as civil rights. Rustin was openly gay and lived with his long-term partner, facing multiple forced resignations and firings due to his unwillingness to hide his truth. Though he is often overshadowed by other towering figures in the civil rights movement, he organized the 1963 March on Washington, at which Dr. King gave his famous speech. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013 for his actions. Audre Lorde

The opinions expressed in this article are for general informational purposes only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual or on any specific security. Brio does not provide tax or legal advice, and nothing contained in these materials should be taken as such. To determine which investments may be appropriate for you, consult your financial advisor prior to investing. As always please remember investing involves risk and possible loss of principal capital; please seek advice from a licensed professional.

Lorde was a self-described “Black, lesbian, feminist, mother, poet, warrior,” who made indelible contributions to the theoretical fields of gender, sexuality, and race through her writing. She published 12 books during her life, focusing on the struggles of marginalized communities. She did not shy away from her race or her sexuality, challenging social roles of the time with her fierce conviction and passionate writing.

Brio Financial Group is a registered investment adviser. SEC Registration does not constitute an endorsement of Brio by the SEC nor does it indicate that Brio has attained a particular level of skill or ability. Advisory services are only offered to clients or prospective clients where Brio Financial Group and its representatives are properly licensed or exempt from licensure. No advice may be rendered by Brio Financial Group unless a client service agreement is in place.

Takeaways

GGBA: Do you go to the GGBA monthly Make Contact networking events that are now virtual? Have they benefited you and OTIS, and would you recommend them to others?

To the surprise of no one, Black Americans represent a rich and diverse community and history. Black achievement is American achievement. America would not have the economic power, diversity, and cultural influence it has today and every day without Black Americans. GGBA celebrates and remembers the contributions and sacrifices of the Black LGBTQ+ advocates who came before us, and who fought for our rights, shaped our culture, and made our lives safer. Consider learning about our shared history, so you can educate others and honor them by continuing their legacy of strength, courage, and sacrifice. Find more resources here: With Pride: Uplifting LGBTQ History on BlackPast https://tinyurl.com/rjrae6df GLAAD Black History Resource Kit https://tinyurl.com/25evzy88 16 Queer Black Pioneers Who Made History https://tinyurl.com/ejt29daw Anna Colibri, a member of the GGBA board of directors, is the founder and CEO of Colibri Digital Marketing, San Francisco’s first and only full-service B Corp certified digital marketing agency. https://colibridigitalmarketing.com/

Brandon Miller, CFP®, is a financial consultant at Brio Financial Group in San Francisco, specializing in helping LGBT individuals and families plan and achieve their financial goals. GGBA MEMBER SPOTLIGHT (continued from page 9)

Andrew Lee: Business has taken up most of my time, so I am not able to attend as much as I’d like to. But that’s what’s so great about the GGBA events: they’re every month, so I can trust that the GGBA will always have another one for me to attend, if/when I’m able. When I do, it’s such a worthwhile opportunity to meet new entrepreneurs who can teach me something new to improve and grow my business, and I can give back by sharing my experiences with others who may be looking for resources and solutions to help their businesses as well. I highly recommend it. GGBA: What other advice would you give to someone who is thinking of starting their own business? Andrew Lee: • Take everything step-by-step—don’t rush into it. • Create a chart to help keep track of your milestones. • You’ll make tons of mistakes, but don’t take them as a failure. Learn from them and pivot. • Find a group of supportive people who will lift you up. This will be your lifeline during many episodes of self-doubt. • Know those you’re bringing on board. Your business can crash in an instant if they’re not thoroughly vetted. • Join the GGBA—you won’t regret it! To learn more about OTIS, visit https://hellootis.com/

ADELMAN (continued from page 12) We can do something about this mental health crisis. We need to see more accessible, affordable, and culturally informed mental health services for all older adults, but especially women, low to moderate income older adults, and underserved communities, such as the BILPOC and LGBTQ+ communities. State and local governments and philanthropic organizations need to fund senior-centric, coordinated mental health programs and services to those most impacted by CSIP: low- and moderate-income women, and BILPOC and LGBTQ+ communities. Dr. Marcy Adelman, a psychologist and LGBTQ+ longevity advocate and policy adviser, oversees the Aging in Community column. She serves on the California Commission on Aging, the Governor’s Alzheimer’s Prevention and Preparedness Task Force, the Board of the Alzheimer’s Association of Northern California, and the San Francisco Dignity Fund Oversight and Advisory Committee. She is the Co-Founder of Openhouse, the only San Francisco nonprofit exclusively focused on the health and wellbeing of LGBTQ+ older adults.

RUTH (continued from page 8) expect; they still ride well and handle pretty much as other Cherokees and RAV4s. There is an extra firmness in each, and the aggressive treads take some worry out of gashing a wheel on San Francisco’s many asphalt irregularities. The Jeep’s main advantage is V6 power, with almost 70 more horses than the Toyota, though it weighs nearly 400 pounds more. Inside, the Cherokee Trailhawk and RAV4 TRD Off-Road are as comfortable and accommodating as you’d expect two mainstream crossovers to be. The Toyota’s infotainment system appeared more modern than Jeep’s evergreen Uconnect interface, but both worked well. You’d choose the Jeep for its comparatively traditional-American feel, while the Toyota is more refined. Both are ready to take you off-road, at least in your mind. Philip Ruth is a Castro-based automotive photojournalist and consultant with an automotive staging service.

QUEER POP QUIZ ANSWER (Question on pg 18)

A) bisexual More than half of LGBTQ adults (54.6%) identify as bisexual, according to the new Gallup poll. About a quarter (24.5%) say they are gay, with 11.7% identifying as lesbian and 11.3% as transgender. 24

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Two Lesbian Dramas Available for Streaming This Month

Film Gary M. Kramer Two lesbian dramas set in the past— one stirring, the other enervating— are available on demand this month. The World to Come is a beguiling film set in upstate New York, 1856. Abigail (Katherine Waterston) is mourning the recent loss of her daughter and eking out an unhappy life with her husband Dyer (Casey Affleck) on a farm. Her dull life changes, however, when she meets her new neighbor Tallie (Vanessa Kirby), the wife of Finney (Christopher Abbott). Director Mona Fastvold chronicles how these two oppressed women find a measure of happiness together. As the two women continue to meet, they become more intimate, silently testing the waters of their forbidden attraction. Viewers will feel a spark of electricity between them. The World to Come is leisurely paced and provides a strong sense of time and place. The film generates most of its interest in the tender scenes between the two women. Abigail offers to warm Tallie’s feet one day when she arrives during a snowstorm. And when the women later give in to their pent-up desires and kiss each other hungrily, Fastvold depicts an ecstatic moment of Abigail experiencing “astonishment and joy.” Even better is a scene where the women talk about their relationship. Both women are empowered, albeit in different ways, giving them imagination, courage, and agency, however limited. Fastvold emphasizes the social constraints these women must endure and, while The World to Come does feel stifling at times, that is to the film’s credit. When Dyer catches Abigail in a lie, he suspects something is going on between his wife and Tallie. But his response is not nearly as severe as Finney’s concerns that Tallie is acting inappropriately. Of course, the film builds its dramatic tension on the affair being discovered, but there is also hope that the love between these women can survive. The actresses are lovely together, and both give excellent performances. Waterston is luminous as Abigail. As Tallie, Kirby displays a confidence—she often speaks with conviction—but also exudes an air of mystery about her that is attractive. The tender scenes of the women kissing and caressing each other in bed flash briefly across the screen, but they suggest the depth of the women’s passions.

The World to Come time for Liesel, but Hana is troubled. When she soulfully admits that she cannot have children, Liesel is sympathetic. The affection between these two women during this tender moment is profound, but The Affair downplays it. The film’s first act instead concentrates on Viktor’s infatuation with Kata (Alexandra Borbély), a governess who comes to care for the couple’s children. When Liesel discovers her husband’s affair, Hana comforts her. Alas, the vulnerable Liesel jerks her hand away from touching Hana’s breast, and she breaks her would-be lover’s necklace. The beads bounce along the floor in a portentous moment of heavy-handed, slowmotion obviousness.

The Affair Alas, The Affair keeps the women apart for most of the rest of the film. That narrative strategy should build desire for the characters to reunite and consummate their love, but director Julius Sevcik fails to get viewers deeply invested in their lives. Moreover, the narrative shifts away from Liesel once the Nazis come to power (both women are married to Jewish men). Viktor and Liesel leave for Switzerland, while Hana stays in Czechoslovakia. However, Hana does not engender much emotion; as she experiences passions or hardships, they fail to have any impact. Van Houten is stranded by a screenplay that makes Hana mostly passive, even in her most compelling moment—when she is summoned by Soviet authorities regarding the love letters she has been sending to Liesel. In contrast, Hanna Alström captures the fragility of her character well, but she is off screen for too long. Viewers will likely want more of her and more scenes of Liesel and Hana together. When the women do eventually reconnect, Sevcik inexplicably edits their reunion, cutting twice to Liesel's adult son Martin (Vladímir Polívka) in a nightclub, a scene that serves no real purpose. It may be that The Affair has been edited down from a longer version, because there are several head-scratching moments like this. Most of The Affair is dreadful. But it looks glossy, and the house is fabulous. The actors are also very good looking, and the film is handsomely made. But, overall, this is a flavorless dish of Europudding.

The Affair, however, is a stilted adaptation of Simon Mawer’s novel, The Glass Room. It depicts the lives and relationship between two friends, Liesel (Hanna Alström) and Hana (Carice van Houten), which begins in the 1930s in Czechoslovakia.

© 2021 Gary M. Kramer

As the film opens, Liesel is marrying Viktor (Claes Bang), and they plan to live in an extravagant house built for them, with rooms of glass, and a wall of onyx stone that glows red when the sun hits it. It is a glorious, happy

Gary M. Kramer is the author of “Independent Queer Cinema: Reviews and Interviews,” and the co-editor of “Directory of World Cinema: Argentina.” Follow him on Twitter @garymkramer S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY   T IM ES

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Round About - Open for Business!

Photos by Rink

On 18th Street, the Mix bar has its sidewalk seating area open for business. The new Aegean Delights shop, located at 565 Castro Street near 18th, offers a combination of speciality dessert and souvenir items. Be sure to check out the display window featuring table topper soldiers dressed for battle.

Castro Street’s Tanglad Vietnamese restaurant features popular sidewalk seating.

Sidewalk seating at the historic Twin Peaks bar has reopened with food offerings available in conjunction with Orphan Andy’s.

Stylist Bon Tran is ready to welcome customers to Louie’s Barber Shop on Castro that has served the neighborhood since 1947.

Festive home accessories are featured in the front window display at the lifestyle shop Picnic located on Polk Street.

Harper & Rye cocktail bar on Polk Street, offering its own popular version of the Manhattan, is collaborating with the Co Nam restaurant located next door, with sidewalk seating now open. A fire pit provides heat in the outdoor seating area at Dunyā Food & Wine Bar on Polk Street where lamb burgers and salmon provencal are menu favorites.

Abigail’s Flowers on California Street on Nob Hill offers bouquets, plants and event decoration services.

Oz Burgers on 18th Street near Castro has revived its sidewalk seating area.

As Heard on the Street . . . Which woman would you like to honor in March, Women’s History Month? compiled by Rink

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Veronika Fimbres

Robert Huston

Phillip Ruise

Nicole Whitten

Michael Petris

“My mother Emma Cord, who is my inspiration in becoming a nurse. She headed a nursing organization and was a beloved elementary school nurse.”

“Lady Diana, for her capacity for caring. I miss her and her compassion.”

“Belly dancer and dance teacher Jill Parker”

“My grandmother Lois Whitten, who said, ‘Don’t let anyone tell you who you are.’ She also sent me on my way to become the woman that I am.”

“My grandmother Delphina and my great grandmother Magdelena who taught me how to cook.”

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Round About - Open for Business!

Photos by Rink

CASTRO STREETCAM presented by

Specialty foods available for St. Patrick’s Day at Mollie Stone’s Castro include Irish soda bread, Celtic drops cookies, chocolates and a green version of the traditional pink princess cake.

Photographer Cabure Bonugli presented a selection of artistic carpets for sale at his Mr. Tuft Guy table in the Shared Spaces area on Noe Street.

http://sfbaytimes.com/

Outdoor diners placed their orders and enjoyed the sunshine in the Shared Spaces area on Noe at Market Street. Bartender Johnnie Wartella, with a bottle of Milagro Tequila, reopened the Pilsner Inn on Church Street where guests are seated on the patio area with plastic dividers now installed separating the tables.

Items of the week Gardening time is coming, and you just might need a Goddess in the garden.

The Midnight Sun’s outdoor sidewalk seating, with tall heaters keeping the area warm, is drawing a crowd of happy customers.

Everyone seems to be downsizing, so how about a tiny room for your tiny home? Micki Vo, owner of Nail Me, the new beauty shop at 4051 18th Street, welcomed guests to a “soft opening” reception on March 7. The shop’s Grand Opening is set for Friday, March 12.

pring has hit San Francisco early; I think that groundhog was confused. I can’t believe we are at the 1-year mark of the pandemic. It is easy to remember all the activities we miss doing. As things open up more and more, it is important to remember that if we all do our best to be safe now, we will get to the other side of “normal” that much faster. And I really need to get back to hugging, so let’s all do our part.

The Castro’s popular seafood restaurant Catch has seating for dining now open on the front and adjacent sidewalk areas. Be sure to say hello and tell the owner, Sanjay, that you saw this item in the San Francisco Bay Times.

Angus beef burgers, mac and cheese and French onion soup are favorite menu items at Chez Maman restaurant in Hayes Valley.

Acme Floral in Hayes Valley is known for the creative excellence of its bouquets and event displays.

“Just Keep Swimming” is the message of the mural featured on the protective exterior at Hayes Street Grill. S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY   T IM ES

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