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CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2020) June 25–July 15, 2020 | http://sfbaytimes.com
PR IDE 2020
SF PRIDE’S 50-YEAR FIGHT FOR RIGHTS CONTINUES
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LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2020)
Pride 50 Is Not What We’d Hoped For, But It Gives Us Hope By Fred Lopez
While SF Pride had to cancel our in-person events in the wake of the ongoing pandemic—including the Parade and Celebration that were set to commemorate a five-decade struggle for LGBTQ+ equality—Pride 50 is anything but canceled. We’re charging ahead with a full slate of events online: 13 hours of programming all weekend, headlined by none other than Big Freedia and Thelma Houston. After months of shelter-in-place, I get it; all we want to do is to embrace our friends and be in community, but public health remains our paramount concern. So, the Pride team has worked hard these past few months to provide San Francisco and the wider Bay Area with opportunities to see some incredible performances, hear some defiant and uplifting speeches, and to generally experience a rewarding #PrideAtHome beneath the mesmerizing glow of a Pink Triangle, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary on Twin Peaks with 2,700 LED lights in lieu of an acre of hot-pink canvas.
PHOTOS BY RINK
This was supposed to be a full-on celebratory Pride month, but 2020 had other plans.
San Francisco Pride’s Fred Lopez addressed the crowd gathered during the Pulse nightclub Memorial Rally at Jane Warner Plaza on June 12.
Still, it has been difficult at times to say that we are “celebrating” Pride 50. Granted, we certainly have reasons to do so. On June 15, the Supreme Court issued a ruling with effects that may be even more widely felt than the 2015 decision that legalized same-sex marriage. We can no longer be fired for being gay, or lesbian, or transgender. And after the heartbreaking, but hopefully temporary, closure of The Stud, which opened during the same year as the Compton’s (continued on page 30)
On the 50th Anniversary of SF Pride By Senator Kamala Harris More than 50 years ago, the movement for LGBTQ+ equality was born out of protest and Black trans women standing up to police brutality. Recently, that same movement secured a victory at the Supreme Court protecting LGBTQ+ people from workplace discrimination. But that landmark victory was won against a backdrop of violence targeting Black trans women and trans women of color. On the 50th anniversary of Pride, we recognize and honor their contributions to the movement for LGBTQ+ equality by speaking the truth that Black Trans Lives Matter. As we celebrate the LGBTQ+ community’s hard-fought progress, we must rededicate ourselves to building a world in which all members of the LGBTQ+ community can live without fear. Our country has made incredible progress in the fight for full equality, but our fight remains until every American is treated with equal dignity, no matter who they love or how they identify.
PHOTO BY RINK
Kamala Harris is the junior Senator from California since 2017. Previously she served as the 32nd Attorney General of California (2011–2017) and the 27th District Attorney of San Francisco (2004–2011).
Senator Kamala Harris in the San Francisco Pride Parade (2019) S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES
JUNE 25, 2020
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LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2020)
Fighting for a More Just and Equitable World marches earlier this month in San Francisco to seek justice and demand change. I also participated in an event at the State Capitol, kneeling in silence for eight minutes and 46 seconds, the time Floyd struggled to breathe before he died.
Assemblymember Phil Ting Like so many of you, I was horrified by the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis law enforcement. A life taken over a counterfeit $20 bill. People have taken to the streets around the world to peacefully protest the police brutality and racism on display not only in this case, but also countless others that should never have happened. With my face covering on, I joined a couple of Black Lives Matter
As we approach the 50th anniversary of Pride, I can’t help but see the parallels of today’s demonstrations to those that gave rise to the annual LGBTQ celebrations. The progress LGBTQ activists have made since the 1970s is rooted in a juncture of time when a marginalized community began defending itself against hostile police tactics. The Pride movement was born out of the Stonewall Riots of 1969, which are often regarded as the start of the modern gay rights movement. New York City police continually harassed and brutalized the gay community as they hung out at the Stonewall Inn. It reached a boiling point on June 28 of that year, resulting in days of riots and protests. The following year, on
the same date, advocates organized an anti-police march, which later evolved to parades and other commemorative events. Fast forward to 2020, and law enforcement has continued its long history of aggression and violence against certain groups. In particular, we’ve seen over and over again the deaths of unarmed black men at the hands of police. But one notable difference today is the prevalence of cellphones to document and share such behavior by officers. As a California State Assemblymember, I am in a unique position to make a difference and am committed to taking steps that will transform the system into one that’s more just and equitable for everyone. With respect to LGBTQ rights, I authored the nation’s first law mandating that single-user restrooms be available and accessible to all gender identities. I have also tackled our criminal justice system that disproportionately
incarcerates people of color. One of my reforms, AB 2942, took effect last year, allowing local district attorneys to review convictions resulting in excessively long prison terms and to reduce one’s sentence with court approval. I also pushed to close two state prison facilities through the budget process and focus more resources on rehabilitation. Lastly, I’m proud of my legislation to increase police accountability and reduce the potential for abuse. Beginning in 2019, AB 748 requires law enforcement agencies to release body camera footage within 45 days of a critical incident following a serious injury or death. The hope is that, with increased transparency, the relationship between officers and the communities they serve will improve. My other bill, AB 1215, bans the use of facial recognition software in those body cameras. Because this technology has a high rate of error, especially among people of color, it would have subjected folks to perpetual police lineups.
But ultimately, you don’t have to be an elected official to exact change. I encourage you to do something— even if it seems small—to move us forward. You can talk more openly about race with friends and family, join advocacy groups, and/or vote for candidates who best represent you. We must keep the attention on this movement. Like we’ve seen in the fight for LGBTQ rights, change won’t happen overnight. Just this month, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that gay and transgender workers are protected by anti-discrimination laws, proving the battle for equality is really not over. We have to keep pressing on, working toward a better world for all. Phil Ting represents the 19th Assembly District, which includes the Westside of San Francisco along with the communities of Broadmoor, Colma, and Daly City.
Just Works for Pride 2020
Cross Currents Andrea Shorter COVID-19 might have rained on this year’s Pride parade, but the march for freedom grew stronger, louder, more diverse, and more resilient, making this June 2020 hotter than any July in the past half century. Since the May 25 murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers, days and weeks long protests and uprisings placing calls for an end to anti-black police brutality at the red hot core rage for justice through dismantling various forms of systemic
Photos by Rink
racism upon which institutional, political, economic, and cultural norms were built and endured for centuries remain, albeit at a simmer.
embedded in the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as prohibiting discrimination based on sex to include sexual orientation and gender identity.
Meanwhile, the predicted uptick in COVID-19 cases after premature, mismanaged, or disregarded reopening policies and practices across the nation presents further challenges to safeguarding both restless rule followers and blatant deniers venturing more frequently into public spaces during the summer months. Add to the mix an officially declared economic recession, and the continuing antics of a dangerous, unhinged wannabe autocrat POTUS released from bunker protection to stadium rally his apparently dwindling MAGA troops towards apparently diminishing chances of re-election, and we have a near picture perfect dystopia, of America coming apart at the seams.
Even with the most conservative Supreme Court in modern day history—including two Trump appointees—freedom and justice could not be further denied nor delayed to embattled LGBTQ persons simply seeking the right to, and dignity of, work without fear of discrimination, retaliation, or fire.
Then, similar to the historic U.S. Supreme Court ruling on June 26, 2015, that the Fourteenth Amendment required all 50 states to grant and recognize same-sex marriages, there was, 5 years later, another June Pride surprise: a 6–3 decision by SCOTUS affirming federal law
A large crowd of protesters gathered at City Hall on June 19 to commemorate Juneteenth 2020.
Upon hearing the news, amidst the tears shed amongst the pain and grief of more lives lost to police brutality since George Floyd, or the government sanctioned militia terror visited upon peaceful protesters on the now Black Lives Matter Plaza in front of the White House, finally, tears of joy also flowed. Finally, there were some just works in the midst of uncertainty and upheaval. I experienced a particular gladness when this ruling landed four days before this year’s Juneteenth celebration on June 19. Juneteenth 2020 has now passed, and in the midst of today’s cries for freedom and justice, perhaps gained wider notoriety since its origin date when remaining slaves and slaveholders in deep, deep south Texas received news of emancipation in 1865—two and a half years after President Lincoln’s official Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863. This Juneteenth was all the more special along with the SCOTUS ruling affirming the LGBTQ protections under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as well as affirming that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) cannot be
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shut down by xenophobic Trump. Juneteenth as a day of celebrating freedom has existed among African Americans for generations, not secretly shared so much as sacredly shared. Perhaps because for African Americans, after 400 years, freedom still remains as something to aspire to; for white Americans, freedom is something already possessed, and therefore must safeguard against being taken away. When freedom remains tenuous, fragile, under fire, and elusive, celebrating what freedom means within a particular suffragette, diaspora, or journey can understandably become sacred. By next June 2021, we should all share in and elevate the import of the histories of the Gay Freedom March and Juneteenth to every American. Let’s continue to do away with any remaining silos of celebrating common cause for progressive movement toward freedom and justice. Just as LGBTQ Pride embraces all, Juneteenth belongs to all. Just as we celebrate July 4 Independence Day, we should all—not just descendants of slaves—be celebrating and commem- Protesters acknowledged the significance of the date June 19, orating the official emanci- which is known historically as Juneteenth. pation from slavery. Andrea Shorter is a Commissioner Parade or no parade, the march and the former President of the towards freedom and justice is on its historic San Francisco Commisbest footing when we not only share sion on the Status of Women. She the burdens of our common chalis a longtime advocate for criminal lenges, but also share in the celeand juvenile justice reform, voter brations of victory, triumph, and rights and marriage equality. A Coovercoming together. As Americans, Founder of the Bayard Rustin LGBT what could be greater, more prideful, Coalition, she was a 2009 David freeing, and just than sharing those Bohnett LGBT Leadership Fellow celebrations and pursuits of happiat the Harvard Kennedy School of ness together? Government.
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2020 Community Grand Marshals and Commemoration Awards
Unofficial Gatherings + Guide to Virtual Pride 2020
SF Pride’s Grand Marshals and Honorees represent a mix of individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to the LGBTQ community. With the help of community input, Pride selects these groups and individuals in order to honor the work that they have put into furthering the causes of LGBTQ people.
A People’s March & Rally, “Unite to Fight!,” will take place on Sunday, June 28, after a call to action was made by Juanita MORE! and Alex U. Inn. Participants will gather at 1800 Polk Street at 10:30 am before a march to the Civic Center at 11 am. The event will be “at the site of the very first Pride March, 50 years ago” where participants “will roar our voices in solidarity with our Black, Brown, Indigenous Trans and Queer family, friends, lovers, and neighbors,” the organizers write. “We stand in protest of racial injustice, police violence, unjust healthcare, and inadequate unemployment relief. We demand changes!” There will be numerous speakers and entertainers. https://www.facebook.com/events/916899325492684/
2020 Community Grand Marshals
Terry Beswick
StormMiguel Florez
Rev. Dr. Janie Spahr
Another unofficial event has also been scheduled for June 28. There will be a “Pride Is a Riot” gathering at Dolores Park, with participants asked to arrive at noon and then march at 2 pm. The organizers write: “Wear a mask. No collaboration with the police.” https://bit.ly/2zSMfPA
Lance Toma
And here are just some of the many virtual Pride events taking place this month:
2020 Commemoration Awards
LGBT Asylum Project (organization)
Frameline44 Pride Showcase - June 25–28 https://www.frameline.org/ Trans March 2020 - June 26, 11 am–7 pm https://www.facebook.com/events/1687557028049358/ Pride Brunch 2020 - June 27, Noon https://bit.ly/2YWQ8f6
Lifetime Achievement Grand Marshal Lenn Keller
Cleve Jones
Gabby Rivera
Gilbert Baker Pride Founders Award
José Julio Sarria History Maker Award
Mike Wong Audrey Joseph LGBTQ Entertainment Award
Tim Seelig (Artistic Director of the SF Gay Men’s Chorus) Reads from His New Memoir June 27, 2 pm–3 pm https://www.facebook.com/events/1167874110224284/ Illuminate the Pink Triangle - Global Grand Lighting on June 27 https://illuminatethepinktriangle.org/
Congratulations to all of the Community Grand Marshals and Honorees of this important 50th anniversary year for SF Pride!
SF Pride Main Stage Livestream June 27, 1 pm, and June 28, 2 pm https://www.sfpride.org/ Dykes Go Digital - June 27 https://www.thedykemarch.org/ Global Pride - June 27, 7:30 am https://www.globalpride2020.org/ NYC Pride - June 28, 9 am https://www.nycpride.org/ Youth Pride Extravaganza - Through June 29 https://hmi.org/get-involved/pride2020/ype2020/ For more information about these and other virtual Pride events—local, national, and international—go to https://bit.ly/2YWQ8f6
Sister Dana Sez: Words of Wisdumb from a Fun Nun
By Sister Dana Van Iquity Sister Dana sez, “Welcome to the official 50TH ANNIVERSARY of the SF LGBTQ PRIDE CELEBRATION & PARADE! It’s a whole lot different on June 27 and 28 this year because we are sheltering in place. But we are no less proud to be queer— just stuck inside with our pride.” And yes, I will miss the yearly PARADE privilege being perched high atop the San Francisco Bay Times cable car gaily traveling down Market Street dressed in full-on rainbow nun drag. I will miss blowing kisses and sending peace signs to the joyful crowd, and joyously receiving them back. That is gone for now. But it will return one day. Meanwhile quarantine-while, some of us have to celebrate online as best we can. We can do that, because we are proud LGBTQs and our allies. WE HAVE PRIDE! The mission of the San Francisco Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Pride Parade & Celebration Committee is to educate the world, commemorate our heritage, celebrate our culture, and liberate our people. Go to the SF PRIDE PARADE website for all the info you need to proudly properly participate virtually at home: http:// www.sfpride.org/ SAN FRANCISCO PRIDE is partnering with KPIX 5 8
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The Board and Staff of SAN FRANCISCO PRIDE states, “We are outraged by the acts of anti-Black violence. We acknowledge that all of these deaths happened because of a culture of policing that encourages extra scrutiny and policing of Black bodies. We stand firmly against all of these actions—and in the names of Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, we stand in solidarity with the protestors who say, ‘No more!’ to this terror that is repeatedly visited upon Black people. As Will Smith stated, ‘Racism is not getting worse. Racism is being videotaped.’" Sister Dana is an old nun and just can't risk protesting in person with hundreds of demonstrators gathering in Dolores Park on Pride Sunday noon for PRIDE IS A RIOT. This is separate from and not sponsored by the SF Pride Committee. Sister Dana sez, “We can be proud that the Supreme Court ruled on June 15 in favor of LGBTQ rights in the landmark decision, 6–3, stating ‘an employer who fires an individual merely for being gay or transgender violates Title VII’ of the Civil Rights Act!” Witness the glorious global grand lighting of EssEff’s PINK TRIANGLE streaming live on June 27, 8 pm with 2,700 pink lights! (For more information on the 2020 Pink Triangle, see pages 16–17.) https://tinyurl.com/y9l4zxko Hosts Gary Virginia and Donna Sachet will bring their legendary PRIDE BRUNCH to your home as they get saucy and battle it off in J U NE 2 5 , 2 0 2 0
the kitchen, competing for the title of Pride Brunch Top Chef. Featuring Parade Grand Marshals. All proceeds support PRC’s integrated legal, social, and health services for those affected by HIV/AIDS, mental health issues, and substance use. https://tinyurl.com/yaeeqwgg ART + PRIDE 2020 was a fabulous Virtual Kickoff Party for HARVEY MILK PHOTO CENTER streamed on June 19, hosted by Peaches Christ, Sister Roma, and STUD Bar. Check out the Center GALLERY. https://tinyurl.com/y9jmqd43 LGBTQ VICTORY FUND reminds us that it might feel odd, at a time when America is reeling and bleeding from more violent assaults on Black lives, to contemplate celebrating PRIDE. It may seem there is so little to celebrate and so much to grieve. But remember that the first Pride was a riot. The modern LGBTQ civil rights movement was born when Black and Brown trans people, drag queens, and queers had enough. Enough of the police raids and abuse, enough of homophobic and transphobic leaders who had no desire to protect their constituents. Days of justified anger boiling over against a system that devalued and erased LGBTQ lives is the origin of PRIDE. We see the same anger right now from Black Americans—including LGBTQ Black Americans—and their allies. FRAMELINE44 PRIDE SHOWCASE—LGBTQ films that are usually in local movie theaters— is now only online: https://www.frameline.org/festival The mission of EQUALITY CALIFORNIA is to create a world that is healthy, just, and fully equal for all LGBTQ people. This is only achievable when we also unite to create a world that is healthy, just,
PHOTO BY PHYLLIS COSTA
News to produce PRIDE 50: GENERATIONS OF HOPE, a three-hour special on June 28 from 5 pm–8 pm on KPIX sister TV station KBCW/Cable 12, as well as live streamed at the SF Pride website and https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/
Sister Dana aboard the open top Gray Line vehicle in the San Francisco Bay Times SF Pride Parade contingent (2017)
and fully equal for all Black people. LGBTQ people will not achieve full, lived equality until Black people achieve full, lived equality, too. The latest GLBT HISTORICAL SOCIETY online exhibition, LABOR OF LOVE, follows the first 10 years of PRIDE in San Francisco, as activists, organizers, and community members negotiated what this annual gathering would mean. https://www.glbthistory.org/labor-of-love Born out of protest, the SAN FRANCISCO LESBIAN/GAY FREEDOM BAND stands in solidarity with our community in the call to end violence against Black people. They grieve for the loss of George Floyd, whose name joins far too many others: Eric Garner, Breonna Taylor, Philando Castile, Ahmaud Arbery, Nina Pop, Tony McDade, Rayshard Brooks, and more. Theirs are just a few names of countless others lost from over four hundred years of systemic, violent racism. TRANS MARCH 2020 is only online this year on June 26, with details TBD.
See: https://tinyurl.com/y8t7j8j6 MODERN MILITARY ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA comments that PRIDE is about celebrating authenticity and demanding equality for the LGBTQ community. And that demand for justice and change must include addressing the ugly reality of racism. LGBTQ people come from all walks of life and skin colors, and unless all of us are equal, none of us are equal. GLAAD tells us that social change is often built on the pain and outrage of moments like the ones we are seeing in America today. It is important to remember that the revolutionary riots at STONEWALL in 1969 were spearheaded by many LGBTQ people of color, and that none of the progress made for the acceptance and equality of LGBTQ people over the past five decades would be possible if not for the action and courage of those protestors. This PRIDE, we queers will be centering and lifting up the voices of Black people. There can be no Pride if it is not intersectional. We are Together in Pride. (continued on page 26)
S U PR E M E COU RT R U LINGS What We Won and What We Owe
Kate Kendell, Esq. At 7:30 am on Monday morning, June 15, I got a text from a cousin that said: “Oh my! Just saw the news. Don’t sprain your wrist or ankles when you’re doing your cartwheels today!” That’s when I knew. We’d won. I realized in that moment that I had not even let myself dream. Unlike when we’d won marriage in 2015, I wasn’t up at 6 am furiously refreshing SCOTUSBlog for the marriage ruling where my hopes were both high and confirmed. I realized I was actually afraid of the ruling about whether LGBTQ people were pro-
tected under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
from being fired for being who we are. Until now.
In 2015, I believed. In 2020, I despaired. And then. WE. WON.
The Bostick ruling surprised me and so many, because the current Supreme Court is the most conservative in my lifetime. Even more surprising was the author of the majority opinion: Justice Neil Gorsuch. But, for Justice Gorsuch, this case did not seem difficult. He understands that if you suffer discrimination because you fail to conform to societal norms of what it means to be a man or a woman, that IS discrimination based on “sex.”
We have all been in the throes of so much horror, hate, death, and killing. I almost forgot what it feels like to see justice on full display. Bostick v. Clayton County consolidated three cases: two involving gay men, one a transgender woman. They had all been fired from jobs based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. They claimed that their terminations violated Title VII, which prohibits discrimination in employment based on “sex.” For decades, advocates, including my former employer the National Center for Lesbian Rights, have argued that “sex” in Title VII includes sexual orientation and gender identity. The U.S. Supreme Court had previously rejected that argument. Then, through the Obama years, we won lower court cases and cases at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). But we still faced discrimination in employment in many states. There is no federal law protecting LGBTQ employees
To be clear, Justice Gorsuch is no friend to LGBTQ people, but he can read. And that is how we won. We also won because of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. This Act was primarily a response to Jim Crow and rampant discrimination based on race. Our community won because of a law that was finally enacted after centuries of enslavement, the terrorizing of Black communities, and generations of degrading laws and treatment of Black and Brown communities. (continued on page 30)
A Supreme Court Decision We Can All Take Pride In
6/26 and Beyond Stuart Gaffney and John Lewis Over six decades ago, courageous queer Americans fought for their dignity and livelihood in the face of the so-called “Lavender Scare,” the 1950s federal government witch hunt that cost some 5,000 LGBTIQ federal employees their jobs. In the words of historian David K. Johnson, they began a movement in which gay people “could stand up for themselves and demand equal rights as ‘homosexual American citizens.’” Last week, the activists’ nearly 70-year-old dream came true when the U.S. Supreme Court outlawed employment discrimination against LGBTIQ people nationwide. By living as authentically, courageously, compassionately, and openly as possible, LGBTIQ people together won this great victory. We bow to all the brave LGBTIQ people who did not live to see this day, but whose steadfast efforts and commitment made it possible. Today, we are particularly happy for the millions of LGBTIQ people who live in one of the 29 states that lack full statewide protection from employment discrimination. Queer people living in those states must no longer worry that if they get married on a Saturday, they could find a pink slip on their desk Monday morning. 10
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The Supreme Court’s decision is straightforward and clear. Employment discrimination against LGBTIQ people constitutes unlawful sex discrimination in violation of Title VII of the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Court is unambiguous: “An individual’s homosexuality or transgender status is not relevant to employment decisions. That’s because it is impossible to discriminate against a person for being homosexual or transgender without discriminating against that individual based on sex.” The reason is that “[a]n employer who fires an individual for being homosexual or transgender fires that person for traits or actions it would not have questioned in members of a different sex.” The ruling will likely have significant impact nationwide on LGBTIQ equality in areas such as housing, education, and health care—indeed, any matter upon which federal law prohibits sex discrimination. The decision could have worldwide impact as high courts in other countries sometimes look to the U.S. Supreme Court for guidance. LGBTIQ activists in other nations can now point to the U.S. as a model and put greater pressure on their own governments to pass antidiscrimination laws. The Court’s opinion demonstrates personal respect and understanding of LGBTIQ people, particularly transgender plaintiff Aimee Stephens, who tragically passed away just weeks before the decision was announced. Without qualification, the ruling refers to Stephens as a woman and uses her pronouns “she” and “her” and her surname title “Ms.” It describes Stephens’ “despair and loneliness” living contrary to her true gender and how “clinicians diagnosed her with gender dysphoria and recommended that she begin living as a woman.”
Remarkably, conservative Trump nominee Neil Gorsuch authored the decision, and John Roberts joined it. The six-member majority consisted of Clinton, G.W. Bush, Obama, and Trump nominees. Sadly, Kavanaugh dissented, but he wrote almost a gay pride statement at the end of his dissenting opinion: “Millions of gay and lesbian Americans have worked hard for many decades to achieve equal treatment in fact and in law. They have exhibited extraordinary vision, tenacity, and grit—battling often steep odds in the legislative and judicial arenas, not to mention in their daily lives. They ... can take pride in today’s result.” Although it’s fantastic that Gorsuch and Roberts voted in favor of LGBTIQ equality in the recent cases, we have no assurance how they will vote in future cases. The Title VII cases pertained to interpretation of a federal statute, not to LGBTIQ constitutional rights. Fortunately, Roberts, who vigorously dissented from the 2015 Obergefell marriage equality decision, did not dissent in a 2017 case pertaining to birth certificates that applied Obergefell as precedent. Gorsuch, however, dissented in the 2017 case, taking an ill-considered and unprincipled position. The State of Indiana last week asked the Court to hear another birth certificate case. Further, Gorsuch suggested in his 2018 Masterpiece Cakeshop concurrence that he might support religious exceptions to antiLGBTIQ discrimination laws. Kavanaugh’s vote in the Title VII cases also does not mean he will necessarily vote against us in constitutional cases. Next term, the Supreme Court will decide whether Catholic Social Services can take local taxpayer money to provide foster care (continued on page 30)
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LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area
CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2020)
GLBT Fortnight in Review Did That Really Happen? This one was bigger than marriage equality. You know what I’m talking about, right? Do I really have to write a lead sentence announcing the Supreme Court’s Title VII ruling? No, I thought not. On Monday, June 15, when the Court’s jaw-dropping 6–3 GLBT workplace discrimination victory was announced, many commentators agreed that the opinion was the most consequential in our civil rights history. Marriage equality only helped committed gay and lesbian couples, they all reasoned. But workplace discrimination affects everyone with a job! Really? Who sent that simplistic yodel through the cable news echo chamber? It’s true that the Title VII ruling eclipses the marriage decision, but that fact is a matter of law and has nothing to do with a head count of how many individuals might benefit. For one thing, let’s not forget that while gays and lesbians have enjoyed the Supreme limelight, this is the first transgender rights victory out of the nine justices. More importantly, although Justice Anthony Kennedy’s 2015 marriage opinion had profound consequences in many of our lives, he wrote it up in vague terms that did little to advance our legal status going forward. Like his previous gay rights
decisions, Kennedy hedged his bets and left plenty of room for conservative courts to reimagine his intent. He wrapped his conclusions in warm fuzzy words of dignified blather, while dodging important legal questions—in particular, the key question of whether or not gays should be treated as a protected class under constitutional law. He was happy to save us from social harm, but reluctant to lift us up to true equality. Well, Kennedy’s off the bench, and astonishingly, it fell to my secondleast-favorite justice, Neil Gorsuch, to secure our future. (I have officially raised Gorsuch to an unspecified higher status. Alito remains at the bottom of my list.) You won’t find any happy talk about gay or trans people in his fairly short opinion. Instead, you will find an explicit declaration that both sexual orientation and gender identity bias are a form of sex discrimination. Sex discrimination, in turn, is outlawed in countless federal statutes, and perhaps more importantly, sex discrimination is subjected to heightened (intermediate) scrutiny under constitutional law. Although Gorsuch’s opinion came in the context of Title VII’s workplace coverage, it arguably applies throughout the federal law books. As for our long-sought status as a protected class, we are all now effectively recognized as such. Our adversaries will certainly contest these implica-
By Ann Rostow tions in court, arguing that Gorsuch’s words apply only to one section of one law, but they will lose thanks to Gorsuch’s clean, definitive reasoning. Make no mistake, this is the beginning of the end of GLBT discrimination in our country. So Glad to Be So Wrong I suppose I should grovel a bit for my complete failure to anticipate this victory. The best I thought we’d get was a narrow opinion by John Roberts, which would be easily twisted into an anti-gay weapon by our legal foes. I also thought we might get one of those complicated plurality rulings, with several separate opinions and a stirring Ginsburg dissent. The last thing I expected was for Gorsuch to take the lead and for the Chief to go along for the ride. Up until now, Gorsuch has shown zero affinity for GLBT legal arguments. To the contrary. He has also been noted for a pretentious, flowery writing style, which was not in evidence last week. At oral arguments last October, several analysts pointed out that Gorsuch, a “textualist” concerned with the exact language of the law, probed the antigay lawyers on the definition of sex. Would Gorsuch perhaps swing to the liberal side in view of his affection for legal wording, observers wondered?
Supreme Court Ruling Celebration in the Castro, June 15
Nonsense, I scoffed to anyone who would read or listen to me. After all, it was Gorsuch who mused that a decision in favor of the transgender plaintiff might cause “massive social upheaval.” Did he not realize that courts have been ruling in favor of transgender Title VII plaintiffs for years? As for his questions about the wording of the law, I dismissively chalked that up to his delight in hearing himself bloviate from the bench. I’m so sorry, Neil. And I apologize to you as well, dear Reader. If I am honest, I don’t completely agree with the Gorsuch reasoning, which is partly why I never guessed it would hold sway. Don’t get me wrong. I think sexual orientation and gender identity are definitely a subsection of “sex” when it comes to civil rights law. The Court had already ruled 30 years ago that when you disfavor a man or a woman because he or she does not live up to your stereotype of how a man or woman should behave, you discriminate on the basis of sex. Surely both transgender and gay men and women defy traditional gender roles, and surely their mistreatment therefore violates laws on sex discrimination. But Gorsuch ignored this obvious precedent and went for the logician’s rationale. If Mary and Tim are both attracted to males, he figured, their employer discriminates if he treats
Tim badly because Tim is male. If John and Jane were both born male, the employer discriminates when he treats Jane badly because Jane is female. The fact that Tim is gay or Jane is trans makes no difference, because the law forbids sex discrimination regardless of whether other types of bias are in evidence. I could write a lengthy section on whether we are best served by what feels to me like a semantic gimmick here, but please stop me before I start. Whatever frigging works, for God’s sake! Plus, as I said before, the clarity of Gorsuch’s opinion is one of its great strengths. He kept it simple, which makes it much more difficult to distort. So, What Now? What now? Well, we can expect to spend a lot of time in court. The High Court has said that sex discrimination includes GLBT bias in the workplace. Oh, but but but, our adversaries will bleat. That doesn’t mean sex discrimination includes GLBT bias in education! Um, yes it does, but we’ll have to slog through obvious legal arguments to prove it. The same goes for the many other areas where sex discrimination is illegal. Do you remember that the Trump administration recently formalized a policy to exclude (continued on page 30)
Photos by Paul Margolis
On June 15, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the 1964 Civil Rights Act barring sex discrimination in the workplace protects LGBTQ employees from being fired because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Given the conservative-dominated Court, the ruling was unexpected and led to a hastily-planned evening celebration in the Castro at Jane Warner Plaza. Speakers included Afrika America, Carolyn Wysinger, Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, Honey Mahogany, Susan Stryker, and others. In addition to the celebration, the event included a demand for justice and full equality for black and trans individuals. It also called for access to health care for all, and for a continuation of advocating for workers' rights. For this and other recent events held at Jane Warner Plaza, many viewers from around the world watched via the 24/7 live-streaming Castro Street Cam: http://sfbaytimes.com/castro-street-cam/
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As San Francisco’s LGBTQ elected officials we are proud to support the campaign to ensure that the San Francisco Bay Times continues to provide outstanding coverage of the LGBTQ community. If you can, please join us in this effort through their fiscal sponsor Use The News Foundation: www.usethenews.org or 415-601-2113 Pride unofficially began when transgender women of color led patrons of the Compton Cafeteria and the Stonewall Inn to stand up against police harassment and brutality In 2020, we show our Pride by fighting in solidarity with the Black Community, united against racism, transphobia and police violence
Black Lives Matter Black Trans Lives Matter Black Queer Lives Matter Treasurer José Cisneros
Senator Scott Wiener Supervisor Rafael Mandelman Mark Sanchez, President, Board of Education Alex Randolph, City College Trustee Shanell Williams, President, City College Board of Trustees Tom Temprano, Vice President, City College Board of Trustees Bevan Dufty, BART Board of Directors Janice Li, BART Board of Directors Pride Face Masks are available at Knobs and Cliff’s Variety on Castro Street
Photo: Steven Underhill
Message from Leadership
Happy Pride: We Hold These Truths to Be Self-Evident
By Gina Grahame “I’ve talked with our Legal Department and they’ve instructed me to inform you that this is an at-will state, meaning you can be fired at any time, for any reason, and there’s nothing you can do about it. You can’t even sue.”
Simply put, to deny gender identity is real is to deny trans people exist. This action, taking place during a worldwide pandemic, and during Pride Month, and on the anniversary of the Pulse nightclub massacre where 102 LGBTQ people were killed or wounded, was a blatant attempt to eliminate trans people. To eliminate me and people like me. Period.
Those were the first two sentences that the general manager of the Marriott Hotel where I worked said to me as I sat in his office on the day I came out as transsexual. It was 1992.
Three days later, the most astonishing and wondrous thing happened. On June 15, the Supreme Court delivered a ruling securing LGBTQ rights and protections in the workplace in a manner on par with the legalization of gay marriage.
After a moment of shock, I replied, “Oh, I can sue. I may not be able to win, but I can always sue. I don’t think either of us really wants the publicity that would come with that, so now that we’ve both got that out of the way, can we really talk?” The wry tone of my voice must have registered with him as he smiled lightly and answered, “Yes, of course.”
The case involved 3 LGBTQ Americans: • Gerald Bostock was fired for “conduct unbecoming” shortly after he began participating in a gay recreational softball league;
I’m happy to tell you that not only did I keep my job, but also that the general manager turned out to be a strong supporter of mine over time.
• Donald Zarda was fired days after he mentioned being gay; • Aimee Stephens was fired when she informed her employer that she planned to “live and work full-time as a woman.”
The fear of losing one’s job is real for everyone. The fear of being fired for simply being who you are is truly understood by people who have been marginalized for generations: women, people of color, and the LGBTQ community.
Justice Neil M. Gorsuch wrote for the majority in the 6-to-3 ruling: “An employer who fires an individual merely for being gay or transgender defies the law ... . It is impossible to discriminate against a person for being homosexual or transgender without discriminating against that individual based on sex.”
The institutional persecution of trans people was driven deeper into our souls just days ago on June 12, when Obamaera gains in trans rights were reversed. The Trump administration’s elimination of “Overbroad Provisions Related to Sex and Gender Identity” allowed medical providers to openly discriminate and deny treatment of any kind to transgender people simply because they are transgender.
GGBA Member Spotlight
This ruling was completely unexpected given the 5–4 conservative makeup of the bench and Chief Justice Roberts’ memorable dissent against gay marriage a few years ago. That Justice Gorsuch and Chief Justice Roberts both joined the
minority on this opinion is astonishing and will have tremendous reverberations for equality in this country. This ruling is a death blow to the Trump administration’s and conservatives’ agenda to roll back LGBTQ rights, and gives new hope to those who feared the rolling back of women’s rights as well. The timing of this affirmation of equality could not be better. While we remain embroiled in the debate as to the depth of systemic racism in our society and how we, as Americans, will strive to correct the injustices Black Americans have suffered for hundreds of years, this singular SCOTUS ruling restores my faith in the American heart and spirit. And I hope it does for you as well. I leave you with another foundational statement of American purpose and pride that resonates as deeply today as it did in 1863: “[W]e here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” –Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address, 1863 Happy Pride, everyone. A very happy Pride, indeed! Gina Grahame, the Founder and CEO of the Grahame Institute of Strategic Communication, is the President of the Golden Gate Business Association (GGBA). Grahame also serves as a Communication Coach at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and is a member of the Board of Advisors for the Transgender Advisory Committee of the City and County of San Francisco.
Elizabeth Bachman: Strategic Speaking for Results
Elizabeth Bachman is the go-to trainer for speaking, presentation skills, sales, and leadership. She works with high-level people who need to make presentations but aren’t getting the results they need. GGBA: Please describe your business and its mission and values. GGBA: How has being a member of GGBA helped your business so far?
GGBA: Why did you decide to create your business?
Elizabeth Bachman: I have made wonderful friends and connections. I go to the GGBA to learn how to make my business better.
Elizabeth Bachman: It was tough to leave opera, but I knew that if I stayed too long, I would lose the ability to be enthralled by the music. I went full-time as a presentation skills trainer in 2016, after helping friends with their pitches since 2010.
GGBA: Do you go to the (now virtual) GGBA monthly Make Contact networking events? Have they benefited you and your business, and would you recommend them to others?
GGBA: Who are some of your role models, and especially those who helped to influence your business?
Elizabeth Bachman: I go whenever I can. Showing up is important.
Elizabeth Bachman: Too many to name! I’m always reaching out to smart people for advice.
GGBA: What other advice would you give to someone who is thinking of starting their own business?
GGBA: Why did you decide to join the GGBA, and how long have you been a member?
Elizabeth Bachman: You don’t have to do it alone. Reach out to create an unofficial board of advisors.
Elizabeth Bachman: When I worked in opera, I did most of my work away from home. I didn’t have many local business contacts. I joined the GGBA to get to know a group of powerful business leaders. I think I joined in 2010, although it feels like I have always been a member!
GGBA: Is there anything else that you would like to share? Elizabeth Bachman: Be PROUD of who you are! For more information: https://elizabethbachman.com/
GGBA Virtual Make Contact
GGBA President Gina Grahame (third from left) and guests Susan Boone and Gaye Quinn, welcomed featured speaker Elizabeth Bachman (left) to the GGBA Power Lunch IV on Friday, March 6.
PHOTO BY RINK
Elizabeth Bachman: As a former opera director and presentation skills trainer, my mission is to help women and minorities master a message that brings 1. The Funding you need, 2. The Allies you want, 3. The Recognition you deserve.
GGBA CALENDAR For more information about this and other Golden Gate Business Association (GGBA) events, please visit the association’s website ( https://ggba.com/ ) or email events@ggba.com
Vice President Krystal Drwencke
Nancy Geenen
President Gina Grahame
July Make Contact – Showcasing Members Who Provide PPE Products and Services July 14, 5 pm–6 pm, Via Zoom, link to be sent privately If you have a need for PPE in your business, and we all do, then this is an event not to be missed! If your business provides PPE equipment and services and you’d like to be highlighted during the event, please reach out to events@ggba.com for more information.
Olga Garcia
Michael Gunther
Amoura Teese
Jay Greene
Be prepared to present to 2 minutes (you can show slides), take questions live, and distribute a pdf of your business one-sheet to attendees.
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AIDS Walk San Francisco 2020 Will Be Bi-Coastal, Celebrity-Packed Whitman, Matt Bomer, Tea Leoni, Laura Linney, and Alan Cumming, with amazing performances by stars like Bette Midler; Gloria Estefan; Skylar Astin; Alex Newell; Betty Who; Megan Hilty, Shoshona Bean, and Katharine McPhee; and Nina West, The Vixen, Ginger Minj, Jackie Cox, Chi Chi DeVayne, Latrice Royale, Willam, and Alexis Michelle ... just to name a few.
Roland Schembari and Bill Hartman, Co-Founders Randy Alfred, Founding News Editor 1978 Kim Corsaro Publisher 1981-2011
2261 Market Street, No. 309 San Francisco CA 94114 Phone: 415-601-2113 525 Bellevue Avenue Oakland CA 94610 E-mail: editor@sfbaytimes.com www.sfbaytimes.com The Bay Times was the first newspaper in California, and among the first in the world, to be jointly and equally produced by lesbians and gay men. We honor our history and the paper’s ability to build and strengthen unity in our community. The Bay Times is proud to be the only newspaper for the LGBT community in San Francisco that is 100% owned and operated by LGBT individuals. Dr. Betty L. Sullivan Jennifer L. Viegas Co-Publishers & Co-Editors
Beth Greene Michael Delgado Abby Zimberg Design & Production
Kate Laws
Business Manager
Blake Dillon Calendar Editor
Kit Kennedy Poet-In-Residence J.H. Herren Technology Director Carla Ramos Web Coordinator Mario Ordonez Distribution
CONTRIBUTORS Writers Rink, Sister Dana Van Iquity, Ann Rostow, Patrick Carney, Kate Kendell, Alex Randolph, Heidi Beeler, Gary M. Kramer, Dennis McMillan, Tom Moon, Tim Seelig, Cinder Ernst, John Chen Rafael Mandelman, Jewelle Gomez, Phil Ting, Rebecca Kaplan, Kin Folkz, Leslie Katz, Philip Ruth, Peter Gallotta, Bill Lipsky, Liam Mayclem Karen Williams, Donna Sachet, Gary Virginia, Zoe Dunning, Marcy Adelman, Stuart Gaffney & John Lewis Brandon Miller, Jamie Leno Zimron Michele Karlsberg Lyndsey Schlax, Randy Coleman, Debra Walker, Howard Steiermann, Andrea Shorter, Lou Fischer, Karin Jaffie, Brett Andrews, Karen E. Bardsley, David Landis, Jan Wahl Photographers Rink, Phyllis Costa, Jane Higgins Paul Margolis, Chloe Jackman, Bill Wilson, Jo-Lynn Otto, Sandy Morris, Abby Zimberg, Deborah Svoboda, Kristopher Acevedo, Morgan Shidler, JP Lor ADVERTISING Display Advertising Standard Rate Cards http://sfbaytimes.com/ or 415-503-1375 Custom ad sizes are available. Ads are reviewed by the publishers. National Advertising: Contact Bay Times / San Francisco. Represented by Rivendell Media: 908-232-2021 Circulation is verified by an independent agency Reprints by permission only. CALENDAR Submit events for consideration by e-mail to: calendar@sfbaytimes.com © 2020 Bay Times Media Company Co-owned by Betty L. Sullivan & Jennifer L. Viegas
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From the Frontlines Brett Andrews Our world is rightly serious, and we are piercing through the veil of secrecy, racism, homophobia, sexism, and “other”-ism to bring power and justice forward for the most vulnerable among us. I’m holding on to the bright spots—a Supreme Court victory for LGBTQ employee equality, felony murder charges for shooting unarmed black men, and an international community rising up to acknowledge Black Lives Matter— as I stand up for more accountability and actionable systems change. I also hope to share some lightness and celebration with you all on July 19. We’ve teamed up with AIDS Walk New York to bring the strength of PRC’s longstanding collaboration with GMHC (Gay Men’s Health Center) to an amazing bi-coastal AIDS Walk: Live at Home celebration. The result is a jaw-dropping roster of talent, not to be missed. Livestreamed on ABC7, and your favorite online platform, we’ll hear from Vanessa Williams, Tan France, Karamo Brown, Bobby Berk, Ross Mathews, Peter Gallagher, Mae
So, don’t wait. If you have not yet joined a “walker team,” or registered your own, it’s not too late. I encourage you to join me in fundraising for Team PRC to take part in this exciting new chapter in AIDS Walk history. All funds raised through AIDS Walk San Francisco (AWSF) support local Bay Area organizations, and the Community Grantee Program is unchanged. Every dollar we raise together supports those living with HIV/AIDS, pushes back against homophobia, racism and xenophobia, and champions the complementary services our community needs to end the HIV epidemic once and for all. Inequities in healthcare access and root conditions fuel the spread of HIV/AIDS today and, in this particular moment, are intensifying vulnerabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. African American and Latino men have the highest rates of HIV diagnosis in the Bay Area, in grossly unrepresentative proportion. In 2018, homeless patients accounted for 20% of newly diagnosed HIV cases, despite only representing 1% of the City’s population. Born out of the Bay Area’s last health crisis, AWSF remains a seminal opportunity to support a strong,
vibrant community and those living with HIV. Right now, that’s more than 31,000 people living with HIV in the Bay Area. Half of those—16,000— live in San Francisco and more than three quarters—that’s over 12,000 people in San Francisco—earn less than 50% of the area median income. They are at high risk for homelessness, are food insecure, and need our community’s help. In the HIV/AIDS advocacy community, we have long seen the direct correlation between the conditions where people live, learn, work, and play and vulnerability to the spread of HIV as well as HIV-related health challenges and mortality through our tireless Getting to Zero efforts. That’s why PRC teamed up with AWSF. As the primary beneficiary in 2020, we’re shining a light on the increasingly urgent need to target the root causes of poverty in order to advance our community and its health. Against the backdrop of COVID-19, it’s more important than ever to raise awareness and funds that not only support HIV care and prevention services for the most vulnerable, but also address mental health, substance use, housing, workforce, and other critical social services that meet real people’s needs. While there have been many advancements in treatment of HIV/ AIDS, there still is no cure. Many people with HIV do not receive the treatment they need because they are
experiencing poverty, homelessness, exclusion, substance use, and mental health issues making stabilizing and managing their health issues increasingly hard. At PRC and the essential frontline HIV/AIDS organizations funded by AWSF, our doors are open and we’re ready to do the work. But we need you to fundraise—and then to celebrate madly with us! Find out more and register today at https://sf.aidswalk.net/ Then join us July 19 at 10 am PST for an action-packed livestream of top entertainment, an optional neighborhood walk, and other special surprises. You don’t want to miss it, on ABC7 or your favorite online platform. Leading PRC since 2003, Brett Andrews has overseen PRC’s evolution from a small HIV/AIDS legal service agency to an integrated social and behavioral health provider bent on fighting poverty, stigma, and isolation by uplifting marginalized adults and affecting the social conditions of health. He holds an M.A. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from George Washington University, received the San Francisco Pride Celebration’s Heritage Award for 10+ years of service in 2017, and was appointed to the San Francisco Mayor’s Methamphetamine Task Force. https://prcsf.org/
Pride Month Tributes to Phyllis Lyon Lyon passed in April, not The activism of Phyllong after the Bay Area lis Lyon (1924–2020), went into shelter-in-place together with her wife due to COVID-19, which Del Martin (1921– limited the ability to orga2008), helped to lay nize in-person memothe groundwork for the rial events for her this modern LGBTQ movePride. On Wednesday, ment. Both women— June 24, however, Carproud lesbians—were PHOTO BY IRENE YOUNG ing for an Icon by Evan Roberts also founding contributors to the ran on KALW public radio 91.7. San Francisco Bay Times and who For the piece, Roberts interviewed often supported “Betty’s List” many people involved in Lyons’ events.
care and attended a care team meeting to create this program about the unique care system of a feisty woman who insisted that she did not need or want any help over the many years of her care. The piece will be archived at the KALW Crosscurrents show at https://www.kalw.org/#stream/0 On Thursday, June 25, a Virtual Rainbow Celebration will recognize Pride month by honoring Lyon and commemorating the 40th
Anniversary of Lyon-Martin Health Services. Mayor London Breed and Supervisor Rafael Mandelman are among the many speakers. The virtual event will be hosted by HealthRIGHT 360, which operates a number of community health services, including Lyon-Martin, and will feature numerous other community leaders and activists. To attend and receive additional information, go to: https://give.classy.org/HR360pride
It’s About Time
Aging in Community Dr. Marcy Adelman A generation united is demanding an end to racial injustice and police violence. I have been involved in movement politics almost all of my adult life; at 73 years of age that’s a very long time. Never have I seen a movement and a moment quite like this. Black Lives Matter has sparked a multiracial protest across America and in places all around the globe. In the middle of a pandemic and economic chaos, a generation of young black, brown, white, and multiracial protesters have mobilized day after day and night after night to end systemic racism. J U NE 2 5 , 2 0 2 0
Local governments are responding with long overdue police reforms and policy changes that reconceptualize the role of police as guardians rather than enforcers. In San Francisco, Supervisor Shamann Walton, working with Mayor London Breed, has proposed defunding the police department by shifting an unspecified amount of dollars from the police budget to invest in the city’s Black community. At a recent press conference, the Supervisor said, “In these times of continued systemic racism and systematic oppression of Black people, we have to be innovative and strong with our solutions. In order to change this dynamic and provide real opportunity for equity, we need to repurpose resources and give them to black-led organizations and communities in order to level the playing field and achieve successful outcomes.” Typically, police officers rarely are held accountable for excess of force. Not so this time. In Atlanta, the police officer who shot and killed Rayshard Brooks has been charged with murder. The Minneapolis police officer who killed George Floyd has also been charged with murder.
The Democrats, led by the Congressional Black Caucus, have taken up serious legislation in the House, The Justice in Policing Act, would ban racial profiling, chokeholds, and noknock warrants in drug cases. The bill also calls for the creation of a national database of police brutality. Corporations are publicly pledging their commitment to ensure equity and inclusion in hiring practices and on boards. Philanthropic foundations are reviewing their practices to understand how they contribute to institutional racism and what they can do to change that. These positive changes made and proposed are important first steps. Still, there is much work to do as systemic racism impacts everyone and everything in American life—from the staggering number of incarcerated Black people to the longstanding health, employment, and income disparities in Black and underserved communities.
My hope is that this year, and in the years to come, Pride can be a time for our community both to celebrate the progress our community has made with respect to our civil rights and to reflect on the issues of racial injustice within and without our community and what we collectively and individually can do to make a difference. 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 well-being of LGBTQ+ older adults.
Alegre Home Care is proud to support Dr. Marcy Adelman’s Aging in Community column in the San Francisco Bay Times.
ILLUMINATE THE PINK TRIANGLE The 25th Pink Triangle Atop Twin Peaks Will Shine as a Beacon of Hope for the 50th Anniversary of SF Pride By Patrick Carney Some traditions die hard. Sometimes we need a splash of color and a flash of light. The 25th Pink Triangle will have all of that. This quarter-century tradition will go on this month despite a pandemic and a canceled Pride Parade. And it will be spectacularly illuminated thanks to the generous help of the group behind The Bay Lights, the LED art installation on the Bay Bridge. We are excited to partner with Ben Davis and his nonprofit Illuminate to make this year’s Pink Triangle extra special. In normal years, many cities all over the planet are festooned in rainbow flags, colorful balloons, and other décor for their Pride Weekends, but only one city has a giant Pink Triangle on a hill in the center of the city, and that is San Francisco. We are unique in the world. Part of celebrating and appreciating Pride is understanding where we have been. The Pink Triangle is one of history’s reminders of hate and brutality. The huge one-acre display is a highly visible yet mute reminder of inhumanity. It is a giant in-your-face educational tool and annual event to teach people of where hatred can lead. It commemorates one of the darkest chapters in human history, the Holocaust. The main goal and a true highlight of the Pink Triangle is educating people of the lessons of the Pink Triangle, the lesson being: what can happen when hatred and bigotry are allowed to become law, as they did in the 1930s and 40s. This is truly a “community-building event” that has brought strangers together to help construct a gigantic Pink Triangle on the side of Twin Peaks each year for nearly a quarter-century. It brings LGBTQs together with families from across the Bay Area who turn out to assemble the one-acre display and to learn about us person-to-person. Many families bring children to meet LGBTQs as individuals and to learn the “History of the Pink Triangle” during the ceremony. Unfortunately, that aspect cannot happen this year due to COVID-19, but we will make up part of that loss with spectacular illumination. This year we’re celebrating the 25th time the Pink Triangle has appeared atop Twin Peaks, however, social distancing restrictions will result in the giant display appearing much different during the daytime than in past years. Since we cannot assemble the usual 200–300 volunteers, only the 5ft wide “outline” of bright pink sailcloth, which will still be highly visible, is being installed. Nighttime lighting will then take place in the center area (between the “outline” of bright pink sail cloth). The 25th Pink Triangle will be lit up by Illuminate, the masterminds behind the Bay Lights (illumination of the SF-Oakland Bay Bridge), and its Founder & Chief Visionary Officer Ben Davis. The illumination will feature 2,700 LED nodes. The mesmerizing triangle—covering nearly a full acre–will serve as an uplifting and enduring symbol of San Francisco’s resilience. This will be the 8th time the Pink Triangle of Twin Peaks has been illuminated. The prior seven times the light shined onto the display; this time the display itself will be the light source and the light will shine outward toward the city rather than inward toward the Pink Triangle. It will be the opposite of the previous seven illuminations. There will be a small, socially-distant Global Grand Lighting Ceremony on Saturday, June 27, at 8 pm with Mayor London Breed. It will be brief with only a few speakers, and they will be widely spaced apart while wearing pink triangle masks. There will be a lectern and four separate remote microphones plus someone to wipe the lectern down between speakers. The ceremony will be short, poignant, reflective, and inspiring—and, of course, will adhere to all safe guidelines for COVID-19, and common sense. There will not be a public audience, only organizers and volunteers who help set up the stage area, and the press—all of whom will be widely spaced and also wearing pink triangle masks. As this will be one of the few remaining live events of Pride and not virtual, we encourage all to watch from your rooftop, your balcony, your window, from Market Street, or from any high point in San Francisco or beyond. It will be livestreamed too, but it is best seen in real time and in real life— just look toward Twin Peaks Saturday, June 27, shortly after 9 pm. The illuminated display will be up for three weeks. Leading up to the ceremony there will be a Pink Torch Procession starting in Oakland then over the Bay Bridge to the Ferry Building, then a solemn march by torch bearers who will head up Market Street towards Twin Peaks where the public art exhibit site of the gigantic Pink Triangle is located. The Pink Torch Procession will be one person (or a couple) walking with an iconic pink torch. Thanks to an amazing 16
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donation from two artists from Burning Man, we have a beautiful one-of-kind pink triangle LED torch. Torchbearers will be given a special Pink Triangle mask, Pink Triangle t-shirt, and pink gloves, and will be escorted by a volunteer and several motorcycles on their trek toward Twin Peaks. In Oakland, the procession will go around Lake Merritt (include highlights like the LGBTQ Center, BBQ Becky location, Black Panther historic spot) ... then make its way across the Bay Bridge. The selected torchbearers must adhere at all times to CDC recommendations keeping 6 feet apart from anyone, plus everyone involved in the small entourage must remain socially distant from each other. The time won’t be published so as not to encourage the assembly of a crowd. The community has embraced the pink triangle as a symbol of pride, though it was once used in an attempt to label and persecute. The test of any democracy is how well it treats its minorities. The Third Reich demonstrates how easily a government can devise minority scapegoats. Branding homosexuals as criminals let most Germans feel comfortable looking the other way, while the Nazis went about their persecution. Can this happen again? Is it happening now? Is a gradual process of dehumanization taking
place now in this country to stigmatize certain groups? Opinion polls show that for the first time in decades, public acceptance of LGBTQs has gone down. The education provided by the Pink Triangle display and ceremony must continue. A big motivation and inspiration for keeping the annual San Francisco Pink Triangle display going was learning that after the concentration camps were liberated at the end of WWII, and all of the other prisoners were let go, many of those with a pink triangle on their pocket were put back in prison and the nightmare continued (under Paragraph 175). The discrimination and dehumanization didn’t stop with the liberation of the camps—simply because they were homosexual. It was amazing to me that after all of the carnage and horror of the camps was revealed to the world via newsreels, and people around the globe were unified in shock and disbelief, somehow it was still okay to throw the gays back in prison. It is the same kind of senseless, irrational hatred that still haunts Gays, Jews, Blacks, Hispanics, and many other minorities today. That kind of hatred and discrimination certainly doesn’t exist much in San Francisco, but there are still plenty of places in the world where it is not only alright to discriminate against homo-
PHOTO COURTESY OF ILLUMINATE THE PINK TRIANGLE
PRIDE LOVE EQUALITY
sexuals, but also some even look the other way when we are killed. Many of us today enjoy increasing freedom and equality due to the “Generations of Hope” who risked their lives by living their truths and being their authentic-selves so future generations could be themselves and to live feely. The (pink) torch has been passed, so please guard these hard-fought freedoms and pass them along to the next generation. This duty is now yours!
For more information on the quarter-century project, including contact information, directions, and History of the Pink Triangle: www.thepinktriangle.com
Maguire, Wendy Norris, Kile Ozier, and Robin Abad Ocubillo.
Join me, Ben Davis of Illuminate, and all who participated in creating the awe-inspiring symbol for 2020. This is truly one of the most meaningful ways to show your Pride.
Patrick Carney is the Founder of The Friends of the Pink Triangle. The group, with the help of many dedicated volunteers, constructs a gigantic pink triangle on Twin Peaks each year during the last weekend in June. Carney, who worked on the restoration of San Francisco City Hall, was appointed to the City Hall Preservation Advisory Commission in 2013. For more information about the 25th Pink Triangle and how you can help: https://illuminatethepinktriangle.org/
Fiscal Sponsors for the 2020 Pink Triangle are: San Francisco Pride, The Bob Ross Foundation, The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, and Hodgkins Jewelers, with the San Francisco Bay Times and “Betty’s List” serving as media sponsors. Thank you all! Thank you to Illuminate and Ben Davis and the hundreds of supporters who have contributed to the Illuminate the Pink Triangle GoFundMe charity site: https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/thepinktriangle Thank you to the Illuminate the Pink Triangle organizational, promotional, and fundraising efforts of Ben Davis, Vanessa Inn, David Hatfield, Patricia Suflita Wilson, Gary Virginia, Gregg Cassin, Hossein Carney, Whitmire Vo, Madeleine
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Donna’s Chronicles
“Be who you are and say what you feel, Because those who mind don’t matter And those who matter don’t mind.”
By Donna Sachet
–Bernard Baruch
At noon on Saturday, June 27, the 22nd annual Pride Brunch LIVE goes online, benefiting PRC and honoring the Grand Marshals & Awardees of the SF Pride Parade. This event holds a special place in our heart since we cofounded it with Gary Virginia and have watched it grow over the years to a major fundraiser for PRC, a unique opportunity for the Grand Marshals to speak to the public, and a beloved annual gathering of likeminded, fun-loving people. Pride Brunch was born at The Edge in the Castro in 1999, undoubtedly over cocktails with Gary and Rusty Gaspard of Stars restaurant. PRC had some major financial challenges, we all agreed that the Grand Marshals needed a more intimate event where they could share their thoughts with the community, and let’s face it, there was not enough already scheduled during Pride Week! (That last line is a joke!) Somehow, we dreamt up a brunch, sandwiched between the many other events on the Saturday before the Parade, and because of Rusty’s connections, Stars became an attractive and cost-effective location. Some of you reading this column remember that first Pride Brunch. Phyllis Lyon & Del Martin were Grand Marshals and attended and much to our surprise, so did Mayor Willie Brown, always the consummate politician, even taking the crowd off guard with a salacious remark on the microphone! After one more Pride Brunch at Stars, Pride Brunch moved in 2001 to John Frank restaurant, before finding its long-time home at the Ramada Plaza Hotel, the historic temporary location of City Hall immediately after the 1906 earthquake and fire. Suddenly we had a spacious ballroom in which to entertain our guests and we added a silent auction, raffle, and other money makers. That was the first year the Dixieland Dykes + 3 provided lively music, returning every year after. Who can forget Celebrity Grand Marshal Sir Ian McKellen and actress Sharon Gless who added star power, humor, and humility to Pride Brunch? And so began a long and productive relationship with Sharon Chism of the hotel, Adam Reeves of In the Bag marketing, Randy Arnold of Barefoot Winery, and Michael Daniels of Young’s Market Company. Pride Brunch program covers and posters took on a wonderful new look with the help of Kit Tapata, and Ingu Yun saved us considerable cost and trouble by sharing his Sundance sound equipment. Balloons a Go-Go added colorful décor and Tommy Taylor festooned the room with rainbow flags. We remained at the same hotel, although the name eventually changed to Hotel Whitcomb, for the next 14 years. Over the past 21 years, we are so proud to have raised significant funds for PRC (Positive Resource Center), much of that time under the incredible leadership of Brett Andrews. Those funds come from ticket purchasers, raffle ticket buyers, and auction bidders, as well as additional generous support from individuals including Lenny Broberg, Lu Conrad, Russell Kassman, Mike Proctor & Eric Bernier, Susan Fahey, Mike Floyd & Dean Carrico, Joe Granese, Dan Joraanstad & Bob Hermann, Walter Leiss, Kent Roger, Les Natali, and the Bob Ross Foundation. Many businesses have chosen to support Pride Brunch, including Sterling Bank & Trust, Community Thrift Store, AT&T, Google, The Edge, Marlena’s, Daddy’s/440 Castro, Metro Bar, and most especially Wells Fargo, Presenting Sponsor for the past 10 years. In keeping with our goal to give Grand Marshals of the SF Pride Parade an opportunity to share their thoughts, we have welcomed famous names like Alan Cumming, Laura Linney, Graham Norton, Alec Mapa, Bruce Vilanch, Reichen Lehmkuhl, Wilson Cruz, Dan Choi, Cloris Leachman, Andy Bell, Carmen Carrera, Dot Jones, Alex Newell, and Ross Matthews. From time to time, we have been surprised by the appearance of cast members from popular movies and television shows, like Looking, Milk, The L Word, Tales of the City, Pose, Strut, and Noah’s Ark. We’ve heard from national LGBTQ figures like José Sarria, Rev. Troy Perry, Jim Hormel, Stuart Milk, Shannon Minter, Armistead Maupin, Gilbert Baker, and Miss Major; and local celebrities, activists, and personalities like Jan Wahl, Heklina, Sister Roma, Juanita More!, Page Hodel, Stuart Gaffney & John Lewis, Julius Turman, Theresa Sparks, Dan Nicoletta, Zoe Dunning, Graylin Thornton, Yigit Pura, Bishop Yvette Flunder, Al Baum, Melanie Nathan, and BeBe Sweetbriar. Frequent attendees often tell us that these moments of unfiltered remarks are the most memorable part of Pride Brunch. Although we have always tried to steer clear of overt politics at Pride Brunch, we have been honored to have in attendance elected officials Mabel Tang, Tom Ammiano, Mark Leno, Jose Cisneros, Angela Alioto, Bevan Dufty, Carol Migden, Rafael Mandelman, Susan Leal, Ed Lee, Scott Wiener, and London Breed. It really says some-
PHOTO BY RINK
an Francisco’s 50th annual Pride Parade & Celebration is this weekend, maybe not with the always fabulous parade up Market Street and thousands of celebrants in Civic Center, but nevertheless with a plethora of online and virtual events to keep you quite busy! Check out the websites of your favorite organizations to find out how they have swiveled to adjust to the COVID-19 world. From Frameline Film Festival’s broad spectrum of movies, the GLBT Historical Society’s 50 years of photos, and the Pink Triangle lit atop Twin Peaks by Illuminate to San Francisco Nightlife Fund’s Quaran-Tea Dance, KPIX/CBS’s five hours of televised historical footage, and InterPride’s 24-hour Global Pride streaming event, you may never leave the house for the first SF Pride Weekend ever!
Donna Sachet and Gary Virginia welcomed a sellout crowd to the Pride Brunch 2015 at the historic Hotel Whitcomb.
The very first Pride Brunch! 1999 at Stars with Gary Virginia to the right of Donna Sachet and with Phyllis Lyon (far left) and Del Martin
thing when busy public officeholders choose to attend Pride Brunch. That brings us to Pride Brunch 2020! Although we could have taken a year off, we put our heads together with the staff of PRC to come up with an event that would honor the goals of the past two decades and provide an enjoyable experience for our loyal supporters. On Saturday, June 27, at noon, we will join Gary Virginia in hosting our first virtual Pride Brunch with a lively program, featuring tempting auction items, cameos from special guests, recognition of some important anniversaries, like Pink Triangle’s 25th and CHEER SF’s 40th, and a hilarious Top Chef competition between the hosts. (Yes, I found our kitchen and Gary has no idea what is headed his way!) We’ll hear from Grand Marshals & Awardees of the SF Pride Parade Terry Beswick, Rev. Jane Spahr, Lance Toma, Okan Sengun, StormMiguel Florez, Lenn Keller, Mike Wong, Gabby Rivera, and Cleve Jones. In addition, our $100 ticket purchasers will receive a gift bag and the brunch of their choice delivered to their home by our new sponsor Uber Eats. This could never happen without Presenting Sponsor for the 10th year Wells Fargo, Media Sponsor San Francisco Bay Times, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Korbel California Champagne, and new sponsors Verizon and Flower to the People. And a generous 3 to 1 match challenge from two Board members and Tito’s Handmade Vodka triples all money raised during the program. What better time to support the vital work of PRC! We’ve seen many virtual events online over the past few months and we are confident that Pride Brunch will exceed your expectations, providing lighthearted entertainment, meaningful moments, and significant fundraising for PRC. We just couldn’t let San Francisco’s 50th anniversary Pride go by without Pride Brunch 2020! So, please get your ticket right away, since Pride Brunch is only a few days away. Everyone will be talking about it and you don’t want to miss out. Include Pride Brunch in your 2020 Pride celebration! 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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In Memoriam: Remembering Dixieland Dykes +3 Founder Lisa Canjura-Clayton (1962–2020) Photos and Story by Heidi Beeler One of the best people I know left the planet a couple hours before June, the universe blowing one more raspberry at 2020 Pride. Lisa Canjura-Clayton went to what she called “that big band in the sky” late Sunday, May 31, passing from liver cancer at home. None of us—least of all Sally, her life partner of nearly 28 years, or herself—were ready for her to go. Lisa was a true Renaissance person, a musician, and a scholar. A former drum major and president of the San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band, she was the founder of the Dixieland Dykes +3, Queen and co-captain of the Cosmique Krewe of Colour, and a saxophonist in Lucifer’s Strip Club Band. She was the philosophical core of the 2001 documentary American Mullet and a recipient of the lifetime achievement Jon Sims Award. She was a graduate of San Francisco State University, majoring in mathematics, and won a full scholarship to UC Davis to pursue a master’s degree. She was a proud member of the leather community and of the Unitarian Church of San Mateo. From 2000 to 2004, Lisa led the San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band as drum major, up Market Street and around the state, swinging a mace about as tall as herself. “Lisa is very proud of being able to twirl that big-ass mace,” Sally commented on a photo of Lisa standing beside José Sarria at the 2000 Emperor Norton Ceremony. “We needed to get it on a plane for an out-of-town parade, so Lisa put it in a rifle case. We were watched very carefully at the airport.” Lisa was a leader in the Band before she joined, volunteering in 1992 for a Band-hosted national LGBTQ concert at Bill Graham Auditorium to impress her new flame, Sally. Soon Lisa was roped into the bass clarinet
section and the Band leadership, and became its first webmaster in the days when you had to know HTML code. She was president from 1994– 1995, and produced the Band’s first Dance-Along Nutcracker at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in 1994. That spring, she was honored with the Jon Sims Award. She and Sally, then president of the Jon Sims Center for the Performing Arts (the Band’s nonprofit), tied for the award, the only time the board honored two recipients in one year. Lisa and Sally weren’t just a power couple; they were always getting married. Every time an obstacle to gay marriage was lifted, they rushed to line up. They registered as domestic partners at San Francisco City Hall in 1995. On March 26, 1996, when the Band played processional music for the first San Francisco Domestic Partner’s Ceremony at Herbst Auditorium, Sally and Lisa ran up the aisle in marching uniforms to take vows with nearly 200 couples. When California registered domestic partnerships that summer, they signed up under a wedding arch at Santa Cruz Pride. In 2004, Gavin Newsom announced same-sex couples could full-on marry in San Francisco, and they joined the crowds at City Hall. Sally and Lisa became the face of same-sex marriage in the San Francisco Chronicle when a frontpage photo captured them receiving a wedding bouquet from supporters in Minneapolis. They waited in line 6 am to 4 pm that Friday, and brought the bouquet back the following Monday, February 24, to finally marry under the rotunda. After Proposition 8 was repealed in 2008, their formal church wedding at the UU Church of San Mateo on October 4 was festooned with banners proclaiming “Legal at Last!”
Dixieland Dykes +3 at the annual Pride Brunch (2019)
Dixieland Dykes was Lisa’s brainchild. After watching the Krewe King parade to recorded music at a gay Mardi Gras party, Lisa cornered a few Band mates to play music live. In 1995, the Dixieland Dykes +3 performed at their first Cosmique Krewe of Colour party, and within weeks began playing gigs in support of nonprofits, eventually becoming the longtime house band for the Positive Resource Center’s Pride Brunch. You can’t talk about Lisa without mentioning her big brains. She dropped out of UCLA, but was a voracious reader and never waited for a curriculum to tell her what to study. Her first job in San Francisco was data manager for a UCSF lab researching cervical cancer. Although Lisa had no degree, she was listed as a contributing author on 10 or so papers published from this lab. Working nights, she completed her undergraduate degree in mathematics at SFSU in 2006 and was granted a full scholarship to UC Davis to pursue a master’s degree. Lisa’s brains were showcased in her thoughtful observations in the 2001 documentary American Mullet, featured at the 2002 Frameline Film Festival. “I think my haircut really is an expression not just of my sexuality, but also is an expression of my
Wives Sally and Lisa
transgenderism, meaning transcending gender as a category, period,” Lisa said intercut with segments of her twirling the mace in leather chaps and wrist bands at the Dyke March. “I love the mullet because ... it’s kind of a genderless haircut.” “If I want to influence other people, I want to shock them, or I want to make them think,” she continued. “I want them to watch a very kind of clean-cut, American-looking marching band walk down the street and then realize they’re all homosexuals, just queer as all hell. And that makes them think, because there’s this conflict going on in their mind. That’s
one of the reasons I wear my hair this way, because it’s not fashionable, and it screws with people’s ideas.” Lisa’s birthday was June 19, and it was a running joke that the Pride Parade was her birthday party. “We threw a parade for you! Aren’t you happy?” was Sally’s running tease. This year, with Lisa gone, it feels like it makes special sense to pause the Pride Parade. Lisa, we’re listening for you in that big band in the sky! Former “San Francisco Bay Times” columnist Heidi Beeler has been a member of the San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band since 1991.
Lisa with Mike Mehr and Dot Marie Jones at Pride Brunch (2012)
Lisa with Gary Virginia (2009)
San Francisco Pride (2003)
Dyke March (2000) 22
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Lisa and Billy Green
Reno Pride (2001)
County Behavioral Health Directors Urge Action Against Injustice and Funding for Behavioral Health Services During Pride Month
SF Sketch Randy Coleman Randy Coleman hails from New York, but has lived in San Francisco since 1975. “All of my life I’ve been an artist,” Coleman says. “To know me is to know that I have a passion for art and architecture. I love this project for the San Francisco Bay Times, and hope that you enjoy my sketches.”
The County Behavioral Health Directors Association of California (CBHDA) recognizes Pride Month by denouncing systemic racism and acknowledging the fact that the LGBTQ+ movement has benefited from Black transgender leadership, and urging action to confront all forms of systemic injustice that harm Californians’ mental health. While policymakers are struggling with a difficult budget outlook, vital mental health and substance use disorder services are under threat of significant defunding, at a time when Californians are pleading with state and national leaders to invest more in mental health services. As state budget negotiations came to a close, we recognized that racism and homophobia are bad for behavioral health, and without adequate funding, LGBTQ+ lives are at risk. “This Pride Month, I stand in solidarity with the communities that continue to experience harassment and discrimination daily,” said Dr. Jei Africa, Director of Behavioral Health and Recovery Services in Marin County and the first openly transgender person to hold such a position in California. “Recognizing June as Pride Month isn’t just about the celebrations and waving the rainbow flag. It is a reminder to act with urgency to ensure that all people in our communities can be safe and thrive.” “LGBTQ+ individuals, including LGBTQ+ people of color, experience disparities which reflect the harms of discrimination, and the fact that more must be done to ensure services are culturally relevant and accessible,” said Michelle Doty Cabrera, Executive Director of CBHDA. “The public behavioral health safety will require intentional investment to
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Dr. Jei Africa
ensure those services are available and accessible.” California’s county behavioral health leaders have sounded the alarm this year as funding for behavioral safety net programs has plummeted, and need has grown. The Legislature proposed $1 billion in their latest state budget proposal to help save vital county behavioral health and social service programs. The proposal was finalized earlier this month. “Our commitment to end inequities needs to be measured not through words but action. We embrace the role of grassroots community members and activists in leading change that is so needed in our society,” added Dr. Africa. “As a transgender leader of color within County Behavioral Health, I’m incredibly proud that the current Black Lives Matter movement was started by LGBTQ+ leaders who recognized that none of us are free until we are all free of the harms of racial injustice.” For more information about the California state budget, go to: http://www.ebudget.ca.gov/
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© Randy Coleman, 2020
SISTER DANA (continued from page 8) SF LGBT CENTER points out that this year we have an opportunity to return to the roots of PRIDE—a grassroots uprising protesting police brutality and harassment—and to build on those roots to address the injustices that we experience today. While we do not know what the future will bring us, we know that it will be brighter if we move forward together. Senator Scott Wiener has a message regarding PRIDE: “Let’s never forget: even in our moments of celebration, massive work lies ahead to create a world of justice and equity for all. And, even in our deepest despair, there‘s a light at the end of the tunnel, as long as we’re willing to fight to get there.” Governor Gavin Newsom stated, “We honor the resilience of LGBTQ Californians, and in this challenging moment for our nation, also recognize the struggles of so many of our state’s diverse communities. While COVID-19 is preventing PRIDE celebrations from happening as they normally would, we still celebrate the progress we’ve made toward equality, and commit ourselves to the important work that lies ahead.” Sister Dana sez, “Once again, Presi-dense Trump did not issue a Pride proclamation to honor LGBTQ citizens; but that hasn’t stopped him from selling an ‘exclusive Make America Great Again’ RAINBOW T-shirt on his campaign website. As if!” However, former Vice President Joe Biden, presumptive Democratic nominee, did issue a thoughtful PRIDE statement: “Fifty years ago, a group of courageous individuals took their first steps towards pride in the Christopher Street Day Liberation March. One year after Stonewall, the world’s first pride march was an act of rebellion, a protest for LGBTQ+ people to be treated as human beings, and a demand that America live up to its founding principles.” “We’ve made remarkable progress towards LGBTQ+ rights in the decades since, from Harvey Milk’s historic election to the first openly gay major presidential candidate,” he continued. “During the Obama-Biden Administration alone, we signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act into law; repealed Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell; addressed the epidemic of bullying in schools; established the advancement of LGBTQ+ equality as a foreign policy priority; and the White House beamed bright with the colors of the rainbow to mark the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision recognizing marriage equality.” Read the entire statement at: https://bit.ly/3hO68bQ Eye Zen Presents announces the return of OUT OF SITE: SOMA, its performance-driven, queer history tour of San Francisco’s South of Market neighborhood, this time as a live-streamed but still interactive event. It will continue to run June 26, 27, and 28, 7 pm: https://www.eyezen.org/out-of-site Senator Scott Wiener and Joseph Abbati, curator, welcome you to their online photographic exhibit celebrating fifty years of Pride. “SF PRIDE 2020
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– 50 YEARS” features nine San Francisco Bay Area photographers and filmmakers with over 900 photographs and seven films spanning five decades documenting SAN FRANCISCO PRIDE parades and events. The photographers include many of my faves: Arthur Tress, Gooch, Ron Williams, Tommy Wu, Darryl Pelletier, Jim James, Rink Foto, Rich Stadtmiller, and Charles Roseberry. Each photographer brings a wealth of history to create a narrative about the celebration of LGBTQ+ lives at our SF Pride Parades from the 1970s to 2019. Check out this fascinating collection: https://sfpride2020.gallery/ For 30 minutes of the top 15 of Randy Rainbow’s hilarious SONG PARODIES: www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiM-ODV_9ps The historic AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) is still organizing and protesting for the rights of marginalized people and for accountability from the government and corporate America. In a statement reminding people that “PRIDE is a Riot,” ACT UP NY continued, “We are here to say that enough is enough. We are tired of seeing members of the Black community senselessly murdered by police.” As the LGBTQ community marks the 51st anniversary of the STONEWALL REBELLION during this year’s PRIDE Month, gay bar owners and queer activists still find themselves being targeted by police amid the George Floyd protests. In fact, one attack by NYPD officers occurred following a rally at the Stonewall Inn, the historic site where the modern-day LGBTQ rights movement began after it was raided by police on June 28, 1969. This year on June 2, queer activists staged a peaceful rally outside the Stonewall Inn to highlight deadly violence targeting Black transgender people. Shortly after they left the rally, police brutalized and arrested them. https://tinyurl.com/y8xcv3hp On Saturday, June 27, Pride organizations from across the world will celebrate GLOBAL PRIDE 2020 with musical and artistic performances, speeches from activists and campaigners, and addresses by public figures. They will stream 24 hours of content that reflects and celebrates the beautiful diversity of LGBTQ+ people everywhere. https://www.globalpride2020.org/ Sister Dana sez, “Have a safe and insanely fun Pride Celebration! Cheers, queers!”
San Francisco Bay Times wishes you a happy and safe PRIDE 2020 http://www.sfbaytimes.com
Ode to Mark by Howard M. Steiermann
We met in Oglesby dormitory. You wore the biggest, most authentic smile. A forestry major. Who needed that? We were suburban Chicago kids.
Coming Out Stories
We enrolled in a racquetball class. For credit! Your thick blonde hair always in place. You were so considerate as you gently reminded me I still owed you for last week’s pizza.
(Editor’s Note: For this special Pride edition of the San Francisco Bay Times, we are launching a new column to highlight coming out stories. Thank you to former Bay Times columnist Howard M. Steiermann for sharing this heartfelt piece that inspired the new column.)
I was never friends with a jock before. It was 1977. I was fascinated by your waffle sole Nikes. And your daily runs. You were outgoing. Gregarious. Joined a frat. We remained friends. Even after graduation. Even after you moved to Hawaii and I to Virginia. You told me about your friend and roommate. I was so deeply closeted it didn’t occur to me he was far more. You flew out for my wedding. And came out to me. I should’ve invited your partner too. You laughed it off, sharing you were both HIV+ and he was too weak to travel. That’s the last time I saw you. The news of your death propelled my life forward. Coming out to my wife. Family. Friends. Coworkers.
Mark Scheffel
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PHOTO COURTESY OF HOWARD STEIERMANN
My proud, queer life is thanks to you. My freshman year buddy. Thank you, Mark Scheffel. Thank you. Former “San Francisco Bay Times” columnist Howard M. Steiermann is an Ordained Ritual Facilitator based in San Francisco. For more information, please visit www. SFHoward.com
Love in the Time of COVID-19 By John-Manuel Andriote Love is precisely what Ruth Brinker put into action in San Francisco, starting in 1985, when the retired food-service worker began cooking nutritious meals for seven of her neighbors who had AIDS and were malnourished because they couldn’t cook for themselves. Her deliveries of healthy food, a friendly smile, and a dose of neighborly love were the beginning of Project Open Hand. Like the other nutrition agencies, Project Open Hand continues to serve people with HIV-AIDS, and has expanded its outreach to elders and people fighting cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and many other serious illnesses. Today the agency daily prepares 2,500 medically tailored meals and 200 bags of healthy groceries, and delivers them to clients throughout San Francisco and Almeida County— and that isn’t counting the increased calls for meals to feed people recovering at home from COVID-19. Marking Project Open Hand’s 35th anniversary this year, CEO Paul Hepfer told me that he took the job a year ago specifically because of Ruth Brinker’s legacy. “There are so many nonprofits in America that start for a number of reasons,” he said. “But when there’s a nonprofit organization that starts because of a need in the community—and the community rallies behind it and sustains it for 35 years? I thought, I have got to be a part of that. How could I not be part of something so valuable? We don’t have a lot of heroes these days, and she is one of mine.” Hepfer often thinks about Ruth Brinker and the simple kindness that gave birth to Project Open Hand. “When we got
the first calls asking if we could provide care to people at home recovering from COVID-19,” he said, “it was like there was this voice in my head saying, ‘What would Ruth do in a situation like this?’ Clearly, she would have found a way to make this happen.” In the short-term, Hepfer said the agency is doing everything possible to “get out in front” and make sure people have food during the shelter-in-place crisis. This includes figuring out how to store 20,000 to 30,000 frozen meals. “Heaven forbid if we shut down in a couple of weeks,” he said. “How would we get the food to people?” For the longer term, the need will certainly be there but, as always, it will be about having the resources to meet the need. Hepfer mentions that the agency has experienced a difficult couple of years and budget deficits. But the hope is that health insurers will wake up to the fact that they can save a tremendous amount of money by reimbursing an organization like Project Open Hand to serve their clients at home rather than pay expensive medical bills. “I’m confident,” said Hepfer, “that having tighter relationships with health care companies, we’ll be able to grow to the demand, make sure our legacy clients have what they need, but also expand. We’re preparing to double or triple our meal production over the next few years.” John-Manuel Andriote’s most recent book is “Stonewall Strong: Gay Men’s Heroic Fight for Resilience, Good Health, and a Strong Community.” He writes the Stonewall Strong blog on resilience for “Psychology Today.” Please visit http://jmandriote.com/
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KENDELL (continued from page 10)
ROSTOW (continued from page 11)
We should rightly celebrate this landmark, historic win. And we should understand on whose shoulders we stand, especially as white LGBTQ people; we have a moral imperative to show up, fight back, and speak out. We should not have civil rights hang by such a tenuous thread. We should not be on pins and needles wondering if we will be regarded as worthy of protection.
transgender citizens from Obama Care’s ban on sex discrimination in health care? Now, that effort has effectively been struck down by the justices, but again, we will have to enforce that in court. Lambda Legal has already filed a lawsuit against Trump and company in the wake of the High Court’s opinion.
We are in a truly revolutionary moment. Do not stop. Keep pressing. Keep marching. Keep the pressure on. If we come and stay together. If we keep storming the streets. If we VOTE. We all win. We all feel how sweet it is to believe we matter.
Justice Gorsuch also pointed out that his decision came in a certain context:
Kate Kendell, Esq., is the former Executive Director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights and now works with Take Back the Court and the Southern Poverty Law Center.
STUART & JOHN (continued from page 10) placement services when it flagrantly violates local anti-discrimination laws by refusing to place children with loving same-sex couples because of its homophobic religious views. In Kavanaugh’s recent dissent, he expressly endorsed prior Supreme Court precedent, that Roberts, Gorsuch, and Alito also signed onto, proclaiming that LGBTIQ people could not be treated “as inferior in dignity and worth.” Kavanaugh and the rest of the Court will have to ask themselves what dignity LGBTIQ people have if their hard earned tax dollars are allowed to go to an organization that slanders them as unfit foster parents and deprives abused and neglected children of safe and nurturing homes. This Pride week, we as a community celebrate this month’s enormous nationwide victory for LGBTIQ equality—even as we and our nation continue to confront additional issues of urgent concern. Now is the time for LGBTIQ people and all fair-minded Americans to seize the moment and press boldly for further long-overdue change to bring about dignity and equality for all. Happy Pride to all! John Lewis and Stuart Gaffney, together for over three decades, were plaintiffs in the California case for equal marriage rights decided by the California Supreme Court in 2008. Their leadership in the grassroots organization Marriage Equality USA contributed in 2015 to making same-sex marriage legal nationwide.
“Under Title VII, too, we do not purport to address bathrooms, locker rooms, or anything else of the kind,” he wrote. “The only question before us is whether an employer who fires someone simply for being homosexual or transgender has discharged or otherwise discriminated against that individual ‘because of such individual’s sex.’” It’s not hard to imagine how our legal enemies will attempt to deploy that passage. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 bans sex discrimination in public schools and universities. Now, as a consequence of our Title VII decision, it also bans GLBT discrimination, which means that schools may not send trans students into special facilities. So, although Gorsuch didn’t specifically “address bathrooms, locker rooms or anything else of that kind,” he nonetheless effectively outlawed discrimination in public schools. But we’ll have to keep filing the lawsuits in order to make that point. Gorsuch also finessed the matter of “religious freedom,” noting that none of the employers in the Title VII cases raised the issue, and reminding us that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) already protects religious employers and in some cases “might supersede Title VII’s commands.” Again, you can be sure that anti-GLBT litigants will be throwing these disclaimers around like confetti in an effort to distract judges from the key conclusions. Yet in the famed Hobby Lobby case, Justice Alito made clear that the RFRA could not trump race-based and other civil rights laws. Now, GLBT plaintiffs can argue that our civil rights have the same protections against faith-based employers as well. If a company can’t ban Black employees based on “faith,” neither can they ban women or GLBT workers. But there’s more! Keep in mind that public accommodation laws do not cover “sex discrimination.” All those wedding cake-type lawsuits loom ahead, which is where we will benefit from the constitutional advantages we just received. The category of sex discrimination is considered a quasi-suspect classification and is subjected to heightened scrutiny under the Equal Protection Clause. Can a city enact a “religious freedom” ordinance that allows the local baker to pick and choose his or her clients? Not in theory. Let’s just say, however, that here we will be obliged to prove our cases over and over again. That’s the bad news. The good news is that the Supreme Court has spoken in no uncertain terms and instead of a lost generation of lawyers fighting uphill battles, we have the wind at our back and a glide path to success. I should add that we will no doubt encounter dozens of weird Trump judges as we traverse the federal bench.
Not only are they conservative, but also a number of them are underqualified ideologues. Yet most of these future cases will reach the appellate courts, where we have a better chance of avoiding these oddballs. And, of course, the final arbiter will be the Supreme Court itself, which would be unlikely to undermine its own ruling a few years down the road. And Another Thing It feels a bit strange to devote an entire column to GLBT legal news when our country is simultaneously united in solidarity and isolated by contagion; experiencing an historic period of enlightenment, outrage, and fear. Our confidence in the near future has been replaced by uncertainty and hopefulness. We sense America’s plate tectonics shifting. But I’m doing it anyway. There were several other notable elements of the decision. For one thing, the Court combined all three lawsuits into one opinion, even as the trans case and the two gay cases were argued separately. Many of us worried that the Court might split the difference, ruling that gay employees were protected in one opinion but transgender workers were not in a separate ruling. Or vice versa. Instead, the justices did what our own community took years to accomplish. They put the T into GLBT and treated us all as one. Second, how odd was it that none of the four liberals wrote a concurrence? Much as I would have enjoyed reading a full-throated paean to GLBT equality from Ginsburg or Sotomayor, a second opinion would have diminished the Gorsuch opinion by comparison. Instead, we saw a united six-justice majority, with two dissenters (Alito and Kavanaugh), who themselves could not agree on a common argument. Finally, what do we make of Chief Justice John Roberts, the man who five years ago wrote in strong opposition to marriage equality? Not only did he join the majority, but he also assigned the opinion to Gorsuch, which I’m guessing was the key to coming up with the solidarity from the six justices. Don’t underestimate the difference between a 5–4 vote and a 6–3 vote. The first is a split verdict. The second is a consensus. In a recent article, CNN’s legal analyst Joan Biskupic quoted the Chief, comparing the legacies of Chief Justice John Marshall—the man who defined and consolidated the power of the third branch of government—and the racist Roger Taney, who presided over the Dred Scott Court. “You wonder if you’re going to be John Marshall or you’re going to be Roger Taney,” Roberts had said. “The answer is, of course, you are certainly not going to be John Marshall. But you want to avoid the danger of being Roger Taney.” I’d bet dollars to donuts that it was to avoid the danger of being Roger Taney that John Roberts led the Court to this decision, with full knowledge of where it would lead. arostow@aol.com
LOPEZ (continued from page 3) Cafeteria Riot (1966), the community rallied to raise $100,000 for Aunt Charlie’s, the last remaining queer bar in the Tenderloin. That speedy (in only a few days) act of salvation was heartwarming like few other things this year have been. But we cannot ignore the wider context—or, rather, the strong connections between the very first Pride and the anti-racism protests and street actions of now. The entire Pride movement was born from a moment in which Black and Brown trans folks had had enough and pushed back against a system that oppressed them. Pride, as we are all reminded today, began as an expression of anger, of frustration, of rage. Half a century later, we are seeing that outrage on the streets of our nation—and we feel it, too. Our goal at SF Pride has always been to address the needs of everyone under the LGBTQ+ umbrella. While we don’t get to feature 20 community-programmed stages in Civic Center this year, we’re putting even more focus on lifting up the voices of Black Queer people who have struggled to be seen and heard since the first brick was thrown at Stonewall. Our online programming will showcase exciting performances by Brazilian transgender artist Urias, the genre-spanning indie musician Krystle Warren, and budding pop star VINCINT. Our hosts for the weekend’s celebrations are returning local favorites Honey Mahogany and Sister Roma. Imani Rupert-Gordon, the Executive Director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, will discuss Black Lives Justice, while Dear White People creator Justin Simien and cast member Griffin Matthews will be in conversation on the intersection of Black and gay issues. Let’s be honest: none of us expected a global health emergency, a struggling economy, and nationwide protests against racism and police violence in 2020. But as LGBTQ+ history teaches us, it is these surges of unrest and demonstrations of resilience that always are what create lasting change. They are what give me hope, and I hope you find hope in them as well. We stand with you in solidarity, and we wish you a very happy Pride 50. Fred Lopez is the Executive Director of San Francisco Pride. 30
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Our special thanks to the San Francisco Bay Times for supporting our vision of showcasing our Black LGBTQ Leaders. See back page for collage of black LGBTQ leaders.
Thank you to our sponsors:
SOUL OF PRIDE COLLAGE 1. Carolyn Wysinger, Kerby Lynch, Lisa Williams, Calvin Gipson, Ken Jones, Joshua Smith 2. Alex Randolph, Alex U Inn, Alicia Garza, Honey Mahogany, Andrea Shorter, Angelique Mahan 3. Anietie Ekanem, April Silas, Bebe Sweetbriar, Bill Barnes, Zwazzi Sowo 4. Billy Curtis, Billy Cooper, Brett Andrews, Christiana Remington, De’Anthony Jones 5. Duane Cramer, Chandra Xian Redack, Cheryl Dunye, Earl Plante, Edaj, Imani Brown 6. Fresh White, Fern Stroud, George Smith, Janette Johnson, Javarre Wilson, Jeff Myer 7. Jewelle Gomez, Joe Hawkins, Iowayna Pena, John Weber, Julius Turman, Karen Roye 8. Keith Baraka, John Newsome, Ken Monteiro, Kin Folkz, Lawrence Shine, Marian Abjullah 9. Mary Midget, Monique LeSalle, Mawuli Tugbenyoh, Melonie/Melorra, Nia Collective 10. Pat Norman, Paul Henderson, Peggy Moore, Perry Lang, Reggie Johnson, Pamela Peniston 11. Shanelle Williams, Tuquan Harris, Veronika Fimbres, Ron Vinson 12. Samuel Gray, Shaun Haines, Sydni Peeler, William Walker, Bishop Evette Flunder, Bill Beasley
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Photos courtesy of Liam Mayclem
10. Castro Theatre
Liam’s Personal Pride List Liam P. Mayclem (Editor’s Note: This issue marks the launch of “Liam’s List,” a new column for the San Francisco Bay Times by Emmy Award winning radio and TV journalist Liam Mayclem. We are honored to introduce the column in this Pride issue, especially given Mayclem’s many years of covering the San Francisco Pride Parade. Currently featured on KPIX and KCBS, Mayclem previously hosted the television series Eye on the Bay and was on the Travel Channel show World Access. In addition to being known for “Liam’s List,” he is “The Foodie Chap” on KCBS radio, where he celebrates culinary stars. Mayclem is also a keen fundraiser. Just some of the organizations that he has supported over the years include the AIDS Emergency Fund, Healthright 360, Family House, Food Runners, Project Open Hand, San FranciscoMarin Food Bank, The Northern California Cancer Center, The 1990 Institute, Raphael House, and San Francisco CASA.)
Seeing a film here is always a magical experience. From film festivals, to premieres to one-night screenings, this is always the best place in the world to see a movie. When the organist pumps the pedals of the Wurlitzer and the audience sings along to “San Francisco, open your Golden Gate,” you know you are home, like Dorothy when she found Oz. I have had the joy of interviewing some Oscar-nominated stars here, including Rami Malek for Bohemian Rhapsody and Taron Egerton for Rocket Man. Another memorable highlight for me was interviewing Randy, the cowboy from the Village People, and going for drinks at 440 Castro after! http://www.castrotheatre.com/
_________________________ 6. GLBT History Museum Our local story is told here through video, sound, and exhibits. The exhibits change often, so it’s always worth returning for more to see and learn. Check out the 50 Years of Pride currently online. https://www.glbthistory.org/museum _________________________ 5. Orphan Andy’s
_________________________ 9. The EndUp This is the first bar I walked into when visiting San Francisco on holiday from the U.K. in 1992 as a shy, curious 22-year-old. The energy and vibe, stiff drinks, and memorable & magical Sunday tea dances made it a fave of mine for years. Armistead Maupin’s Tales of The City books led me here. Thanks, Armi; I’m forever indebted. This bar changed the course of my life. I decided to move to San Francisco after falling for a blond-haired, blue-eyed Californian! The rest is history. http://theendupsf.com/ _________________________ 8. Pink Triangle Park This secret little gem of a park at the top of Castro where Market intersects with 17th Street is an important part of our LGBTQ history, the holocaust, and our brothers and sisters whom we tragically lost. https://pinktrianglepark.org/
Liam Mayclem outside the Castro Theatre during a visit to San Francisco in 1992.
wig offerings and drill bits make this a store you will want to visit time and time again. https://cliffsvariety.com/
https://bit.ly/37MltVM
This 24/7 diner until recently had never closed. It’s where I would go for a 6 am breakfast in the nineties after an hour dance shift at The EndUp or Club Universe. Imagine the reaction when, upon moving here from England, I asked for a “Chip butty”!
_________________________ 4. Rainbow Honor Walk
2. Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence
These Sisters are not doing it for themselves but for community. From the day I first stepped foot in the Castro, I saw Sisters on the sidewalks rattling tins for AIDS research. The Sisters show up and show up big time for everyone and every single LQBTQ cause there is. They are to be applauded for their fundraising and raising of awareness of all causes near and dear. Special props to Sister Roma, Sister Dana & Sister Kitty whom I have known man and boy. They have stories. https://www.thesisters.org/ _________________________ 1. SF Pride Parade & Celebration
This is our Hollywood Walk of Fame. Walk along Castro Street and check out the brass plaques of our history makers: the artists, filmmakers, and writers who paved the way for us all. Stop to pay respects, take a moment to be grateful, and know that it is upon those brave trailblazing shoulders we stand. From Frida Kahlo to Randy Shilts to Sylvester ... thirtythree more are featured along the walk with more to come. http://rainbowhonorwalk.org/ _________________________
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3. SF LGBT Center
7. Cliff’s Variety
This is our gathering place, our meeting place. It’s a resource center too for those seeking legal advice or council. Check out the new Pride mural by artist fnnch. Pose and post with hashtag #SFLGBTCenter https://www.sfcenter.org/
Everyone and anyone shops at Cliff’s for household items, Pride, costumes for Halloween, or just for weekend needs. This family owned businesses is the heart of the Castro’s business community. The staff are knowledgeable and super friendly. The
Liam (right) with his husband, photographer Rick Camargo
This year marks the 50th Pride and the first time in five decades we will not be marching down Market Street and partying after at Civic Center. I have had the joy of being in the parade marching or in a float many times and have done so with Pride in my heart and a spring in my step. There is no more joyous day in San Francisco when the entire city comes together to tell the world who we are. I have worked as a roving reporter for QTV, KRON4, and KPIX. I will be a part of the Pride Parade coverage Sunday, June 28, on KPIX https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/ http://www.sfpride.org/ _________________________ That’s my Pride list, one and all—a personal list of the things that make me feel so very happy to be out and proud and a part of the most welcoming and most diverse community on Earth. To do so with my partner Rick Camargo and my family of friends and allies at my side makes me feel so very rich at heart. Be safe and good to each other. Happy Pride!
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/
KIT’N KITTY’S
QUEER POP QUIZ
LEGENDARY BLACK REVOLUTIONARY Renowned political activist and author Angela Davis is a professor emeritus at which University of California campus: A) UC Berkeley
B) UC Davis
C) UCLA
D) UC Santa Cruz
ANSWER ON PAGE 47
Karin Jaffie, aka Kit/Kitty Tapata, won the title of Mr. Gay San Francisco in 2011 and has earned many other honors since. Connect with Jaffie via Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/pg/ktapata S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES
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OurTownSF LGBTQ Nonprofit Expo 2020 The world’s largest LGBTQ resource fair will take place online on August 15 from 12:30 pm–4:30 pm. Now in its fifth year, OurTownSF LGBTQ Nonprofit Expo is free to attend and offers Bay Area groups serving the LGBTQ community the opportunity to attract new clients, volunteers, board members, and donors. These groups are going through tough times like never before. Over 150 groups are expected to participate and thousands are expected to attend to offer much-needed support. Follow the Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/2201298380166099/ And check out the frequently updated list of participants: https://bit.ly/2YhPwRS After an intro by Mayor London Breed and Supervisor Rafael Mandelman— plus entertainment by The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, the SF Lesbian/ Gay Freedom Band, and a member of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus—attendees will be directed to links in order to reach participants, receive discounts at various Castro businesses, and to win door prizes. Links to several forms of health consultations and insurance registration will also be available.
Getting Ready for Pride 2020 Photo Shoot on June 27
Photos courtesy of Juan Davila and Leticia Lopezz Juan Davila of the San Francisco Bay Times and Leticia Lopezz, leaders of the Bay Times Latin dancers in our annual Pride Parade contingent, are making plans to celebrate this year with a special photo shoot at noon on Saturday, June 27. Face masks are required. To join them, meet at Pier 39 and walk to the front of the historic Ferry Building, starting at 12:20 pm. An optional lunch will follow. Recent photos depicting Juan and Leticia preparing for Pride 50 are shown here. For more information, e-mail: juanrdavila@yahoo.com
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Ahead of the Curve Shines Light on Groundbreaking Lesbian Magazine Curve The 50th anniversary of SF Pride doesn’t look like any of us thought it would, and neither does the 44th Frameline Film Festival. Luckily for the Bay Area, Frameline couldn’t fathom a June with no festival and created a fabulous four-day virtual Pride Showcase event that offers nearly 20 features and shortfilm packages, including several world premieres. Many films include Q&As with directors and actors, and a virtual party takes place after the upbeat San Francisco-set Stage Mother concludes the festival on June 28. One of the brightest spots in this Showcase is the live, in-person world premiere of Ahead of the Curve at the West Wind Solano Drive-In in Concord, CA, on Saturday, June 27. Frameline Executive Director James Woolley says of the drive-in screening: “Everyone wanted to make sure the world premiere screening was as big as it could possibly be while maintaining social distance. It’s going to be the most fun event we’ve held in forever.” Ahead of the Curve follows Franco Stevens through the evolution and uncertain future of her groundbreaking lesbian magazine. “What made Curve (first published in 1991 as Deneuve) ahead of its time wasn’t just the radical choice to boldly print ‘lesbian’ on the cover next to out and proud figureheads such as Melissa Etheridge, Wanda Sykes, and k.d. lang. Curve was filled with diverse, unapologetic images and stories that radiated community and dignity from cover to cover, quickly becoming a cornerstone of lesbian culture,” Frameline Programmer Sophia Lanza-Weil notes. When Franco learns that the magazine is on the verge of collapse, she is left with two questions: Is a lesbian magazine still important for lesbian visibility? And, what does that visibility look like today? Filmmakers Jen Rainin (in her directorial debut) and Rivkah Beth
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Medow craft a personal journey that follows Franco as she seeks out an intersection of bold, young activists to help her understand what her community needs now. Linking lesbian histories with contemporary viewpoints, the film moves between interviews with LGBTQ+ tastemakers and “celesbians,” including Melissa Etheridge, Jewelle Gomez, Kate Kendell, and Lea DeLaria; rich archival footage; verité; and interviews with Franco, early magazine staff, and today’s activists, including educator Kim Katrin, social justice advocate Amber Hikes, and slam poet Denice Frohman. Throughout the documentary, Rainin and Medow share a story that underscores the need for platforms that amplify queer stories. “We made this film because, despite the recent Supreme Court ruling that bars employment discrimination, LGBTQ+ rights remain under attack, and visibility is one of our most powerful tools to combat discrimination,” says Rainin. Medow adds, “We wanted to shine a light on the beautiful history that surrounds Curve magazine and look at the intersection of queer BIPOC women lighting our path forward now." With Ahead of the Curve, Rainin and Medow lovingly uplift the personal and political struggles, adventure, and community that birthed an institution, honoring its visionary legacy while exploring whether a groundbreaking print publication remains relevant in a digital age. Ahead of the Curve June 27 at 9 pm, West Wind Solano Drive-In Theater, Concord Same date and time online Q&A afterwards; $24–$25 drive-in, $9–$10 online Tickets on sale now at https://frameline.org/
The Cinematic Rainbow
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discriminatory anti LBGTQ laws, our own San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus members go to the American Deep South. I was worried for them. The movie surprised me on every level. The healing power of music and making peace with one’s personal past are just two of the themes that engross and enlighten us in this beautiful film. Dr. Tim Seelig leads the group with clarity and compassion.
Off the Wahl Jan Wahl There are so many great movies about Pride! In earlier issues of our fine paper, I’ve written about these: • 2014’s Pride is an under-seen movie about gay men and lesbians joining with striking miners during the restrictive years of Thatcher’s England.
• Alice Wu’s romantic Saving Face (2004) unfolds secrets between generations.
Albert Nobbs is one of those movies that not enough people have seen. It’s the 1800s in Ireland, a time when women have very few choices for employment, civil rights, or contentment. A painfully shy butler (Glenn Close) hides her gender, finding it far easier to live life as a man. When she meets another woman doing the same ( Janet McTeer), her life and outlook change forever. Both actresses were nominated for Oscars; both should have won. McTeer has long been one of my favorite actresses. Give yourself the gift of her other films.
• Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994) is joyful yet poignant and has an amazing father/son moment at the end. How much more could I love this film?
Paris Is Burning (1990) is Jennie Livingston’s documentary chronicling New York City’s drag ball culture of the 1980s. The film highlights African American, Transgender and Latino performance artists, both in celebration and competition. This is one of those rare documentaries that should be revisited, and would make a fascinating sequel.
• The crossover hit Brokeback Mountain is a beautiful love story that remains another classic. None of us will ever forget it.
Carol (2015) is a provocative adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s daring novel of a lesbian affair and all of its complication. Okay ... what affair isn’t complicated? But this one is told with so much yearning and longing that it stays with you. Elegant Carol (Cate Blanchett) and Therese (Rooney Mara) develop a relationship, a deep and romantic love during the restrictive 1950s. Both of these actresses were nominated for Oscars, and, as for Albert Nobbs, both should have won. Also up for Oscar gold were the film’s amazing period costume design, cinematography, and screenplay.
• The beyond-brilliant The Celluloid Closet (1995) illuminates LBGTQ Hollywood history. It’s a true classic.
Gay Chorus Deep South easily made my Top Ten List for the year in 2019. In response to the
So many great films ... so much Pride to celebrate! Emmy Award-winner Jan Wahl is a renowned entertainment reporter, producer, and teacher. A member of the prestigious Directors Guild of America, she is regularly featured on KPIX television (every Monday morning starting at 6:15 am) and on KCBS AM & FM and other media outlets. To read and listen to her reviews for KCBS, go to: https://kcbsradio.radio.com/authors/jan-wahl For more info about her remarkable life and career: http://www.janwahl.com/ Check out her entertaining and informative videos at http://sfbaytimes.com/
Spotlight Film for SF Pride 50: La Cage aux Folles (1978) By Jan Wahl
Anytime a movie can breathe life into our sense of celebration and pride, I’m there! This one is from 1978, but remains as youthful and alive as a movie made today. La Cage aux Folles is a French film that inspired Jerry Herman to write the great musical of the same name. Do not think The Birdcage. This is just as funny but is a far more serious film with a real sense of the family that develops with two men or two women as parents. Ugo Tognazzi and Michel Serrault star as a showbiz couple who have raised a son. The merde hits the fan when the possible in-laws come visit. Find this one on YouTube. You will love it!
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Four Films to Inspire Pride
Film Gary M. Kramer It’s Pride, yeah! Or, yeah? With COVID-19 canceling the parade, and the unrest in the wake of George Floyd’s death and the stirring activism that followed, what films can we look to for inspiration? Here are four inspiring LGBT options. Disclosure
Disclosure, ( just out on Netfilx), is out trans director Sam Feder’s engaging, affirming documentary that evaluates how transgender characters are presented and consumed by both trans and non-trans viewers. Laverne Cox, Jen Richards, and dozens of other trans actors, filmmakers, and writers discuss representation on screen. Often trans characters were seen as the butt of jokes, or they caused straight (male) characters to vomit (see The Crying Game, or Ace Ventura: Pet Detective). Trans characters were psychopaths (Dressed to Kill, Silence of the Lambs) or playing victims and/or sex workers in ratings-grabbing police and medical shows on TV. Transpeople were also exploited on talk shows where they were meant to educate audiences. Disclosure also addresses the whitewashing of black transpeople (in the 2005 film Stonewall, and the Oscar-winning Boys Don’t Cry). In addition, Feder validates the strides being made, especially on TV with Pose, Chaz Bono’s appearance on Dancing with the Stars, and even Caitlyn Jenner’s reality show that gave positive visibility to accepting parents of trans youth. Disclosure provides a critical awareness about how we are defined by what we watch. A feel-good film, Pride, from 2014, chronicles the efforts of an LGBT group in 1984 to raise money to support striking Welsh miners. This rousing period drama, based on a true story, shows the power of activism and how the LGBT community found solidarity with—and rallied to support—another oppressed group in Thatcher’s England. Joe (George MacKay) is a closeted 20-yearold student who lives at home. At a gay pride march on June 30, 1984,
he is unexpectedly asked I Am Not Your Negro by Mike ( Joseph Gilgun) to help hold a banner. He soon finds a makeshift family in Mark (Ben Schnetzer), the group’s leader, and Steph (Faye Marsay), the lesbian member, as well as Jonathan (Dominic West), and his lover Gethin (Andrew Scott), a Welsh man. On Mark’s direction, this ragtag group of queer activists creates “Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners” (LGSM). They eventually donate the funds they raise to the Dulais Valley miners, in South Wales. This prompts Dai (Paddy Considine) to pay the LGSM group a visit. While there are members gles back and forth in time to conof the community, including Hefina trast history with current events to (Imelda Staunton), Cliff (Bill Nighy), show how things have—or sadly, and Sian ( Jessica Gunning), who have not—changed in the decades appreciate the efforts of the LGSM, since Baldwin wrote his books and Maureen (Lisa Palfrey in a one-note gave his speeches. One of the best role) is a union leader who strongly qualities of I Am Not Your Negro is how objects to the queer group’s support. Baldwin gets audiences (both those A battle of wills quickly escalates. when he first wrote and spoke as well Pride shows, in slick, inspirationalas viewers today) to think about repmovie fashion, how the LGSM eduresentations of African Americans cated the miners and their wives, in popular and political culture. For bonding with the very different comexample, when he unpacks the image munity. If many of the exchanges in of Joan Crawford in Dance, Fools, the film play on stereotypes, what Dance, admiring her beauty and talis important is that the different ent, he also questions the (lack of) groups find common ground against roles for African Americans in the a shared enemy. The lessons of unity musicals of that era. Baldwin cerare heartfelt, and while they may tainly questioned and critiqued what be preachy, they go down smoothly. he saw and spoke out about it. Peck’s Viewers may find themselves fightastonishing film I Am Not Your Negro ing back tears during some of Pride, is sure to continue the conversations which gets increasingly more emoBaldwin started. tional as it marches to its climacAnother inspiring, admirable doctic gay pride parade. When a Welsh umentary, How to Survive a man comes out to one of his colPlague, from 2012, takes viewleagues (who suspected he was queer ers into the meetings and onto the all along), or an LGSM member streets with ACT-UP members and stands up to prejudice, it is extremely their allies. The impressive footmoving. Although the film is quite age—of people demonstrating and sentimental, and there are few drabeing arrested—is as compelling as matic surprises—Maureen will fight the various talking heads’ emotionunfairly to exclude the LGSM and ally rousing testimonies about the its supporters; a queer character will need for AIDS research and treatbe gay bashed—there is still somement. The indomitable spirit of these thing undeniably endearing about people with AIDS, who became clithis story and these people becoming nicians, researchers, lobbyists, and empowered. Pride may offer familiar messages of tolerance and dignity, drug smugglers fighting for health care rights and rapid approval of but they ring out loud and clear, and drugs, comes through in the incrednever hurt to be heard. ible archival clips and interviews. The extraordinary 2016 documenAnd some viewers will watch the tary I Am Not Your Negro uses very moving Plague through their text from James Baldwin’s unfinished tears. This not-to-be-missed film work, Remember This House, along crystallizes the importance and effiwith archival footage of the author cacy of community advocacy and from his speeches at Cambridge civil disobedience. It provides a University, to his appearance on The lucid history of the strides these Dick Cavett Show, to reflect on the way sometimes-dying men and women African Americans are oppressed in made—and setbacks they faced— America. Director Raoul Peck judias they risked everything demanding ciously uses these texts and intercuts the help they deserved. them with images of school inte© 2020 Gary M. Kramer gration and from Hollywood films as well as contemporary footage of Gary M. Kramer is the author Rodney King and the Black Lives of “Independent Queer Cinema: Matter movement. The result is a Reviews and Interviews,” and the sobering, stirring discussion of race co-editor of “Directory of World in America. As Baldwin eloquently Cinema: Argentina.” Follow him on is seen stating in the film, “To be a Twitter @garymkramer Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a rage almost all the time.” The film togPride
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You Should Write a Book Photos Courtesy of Tim Seelig
TLC: Tears, Laughs and Conversation Dr. Tim Seelig March 12, 2016, was a red-letter day. It changed a lot of things for me. On that day, this appeared in the San Francisco Bay Times: “We are tremendously honored to be launching a new column authored by Dr. Tim Seelig.” I’m not exactly sure why the folks at the Bay Times decided to invite me to do that. They may have heard me sitting in my corner of San Francisco singing the refrain of a favorite ABBA song, “Take a Chance on Me.” And they did. I have no idea why. It was a risk. They took the chance. I also had no idea what I was doing. They thought I could do it. I started writing. Three specific things prepared me for that task: I had written 5 books before that, but those are all about singing and choral music. That’s easy to do! I talk a lot! A family trait is that we can talk until we think of something to say. I would soon find out that the same trait applies to writing. I can also write until something
good or important comes out. Fortunately, that’s where early drafts and an amazing editor comes in. I have always had a quirky view of life and events, humor being the major tool in my arsenal. I didn’t know any better, so I just started. I didn’t have an overstuffed chair or a smoking jacket or a pipe. I didn’t use a quill or parchment paper. Nope, just me and a laptop and a small dog staring at me and hoping the story would end soon so she could go outside. I wrote about things in my life and in my surroundings. I wrote about the San Francisco I had grown to love so deeply. I wrote about my kids and grandkids, boyfriends, my husband, and my divorce. I wrote about local heroes. I wrote about life and death, and often music. I like quirky titles. Doing a search of “Tim Seelig” on the San Francisco Bay Times and reading them doesn’t give much hint at the content. I love that. Some of those included: “Corona Float Tank,”
“Lazy Sluggard,” “Priscilla Meets Dixie,” “Mormon Gay Pride?” and “Alphabet Tent.” Here we are, four years later, and they are still printing what I write each month! What did that do for me? For one thing, it taught me brevity. I was given a desired approximate word count that, in four years, I don’t think I have ever met. Yikes. Rules are hard. It changed the way I looked at the world because I started paying closer attention. My life has been full of some pretty dramatic events. It was never “normal.” At many turns of the roller coaster, people would say, with a little chuckle in their voices, “You should write a book!” Of course, I would chuckle with them and laugh it off with a shrug and said something like, “Oh please, my life hasn’t been all that interesting.” Or sometimes, “I’m not old enough to look back and write a memoir.” Well, both were not true. Interesting and old! Then, even with all of the wonderful and painful life events I have experienced, one of these changed everything: the death of my daughter. Grief is personal. No one can tell you how it will affect you or for how long. This was to be life-long. I felt completely unmoored. When I could not seem to get a grasp on it, I took a 3-month Sabbatical. Looking forward to that, I began to gather my thoughts by journaling. When the time away finally came, I was ready to write. With encouragement from the Bay Times and close friends who just wanted me to shut up with the stories already, my writing miraculously turned into a memoir. Actually, it is an autobiographical memoir. I knew that, to come to any kind of clarity, I would have to “start at the very beginning.” Turns out, it was a very good place to start. The writing was another form of therapy to deal with my grief. Once I had it in some kind of readable form, I shared it with about six close friends to do their thing: Dan, Elliott, Michael, Justin, Gary, and Jen. Sometimes I would email them a chapter. “I’m talking about AIDS. Here’s the one on molestation. Maya Angelou, vodka, and the kitchen floor. And finally, here’s the Corianna story.” They were both honest and encouraging. They were also invaluable in the final draft I sent to the publisher.
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San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus’ first virtual chorus performance, “Truly Brave,” launched the new virtual initiative SFGMC TV. Dedicated to first responders and healthcare workers on the front line of COVID-19, the video features an inspiring rendition featuring more than 150 singers, of Cyndi Lauper’s hit “True Colors” written by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly; “Truly Brave,” arranged by Mac Huff; and “Brave” by Sara Bareilles, written by Bareilles and Jack Antonoff. To learn more about SFGMC TV, please visit http://www.sfgmc.org/sfgmctv Soloists: Vinney Le and Ray Fletcher Link to excerpt from A Tale of Two Tims read by the author: https://www.facebook.com/SFGMC/videos/963283137458297/
Over the months, the overarching theme came to me, not like a lightning bolt or a burning bush, but close. I had spent 35 years in the closet, in the church, searching for God’s will, as we fundies are taught to do. And, soon, I will have spent 35 years out of that closet, with the gays, and, if truth be known, perhaps really doing God’s will. A life, split in half by time.
huge undertaking. I am so grateful that one of my best friends, Lucio Maramba, is a fabulous sound engineer and producer in Los Angeles. He volunteered to do the whole thing for me. It’s done! He did an incredible job. And singer/songwriter Bobby Jo Valentine plays guitar sporadically throughout. More magic.
Then, the title came: Tale of Two Tims. Big Ol’ Baptist. Big Ol’ Gay.
It is hard to describe how it feels to put your whole life out there for everyone to read. One of my friends, after reading it, asked, “Did you never want to go back to Texas again?” Of course, I do. Three of my grandkids are there! It’s really not that bad or salacious. I was just honest about some very difficult and glorious days in Texas. OK, not days. Almost 60 years.
And shock of shocks, I got a publisher. I spent the last month of Sabbatical writing in Bodega. It was not hard to do! Many of you will remember that when SFGMC went on tour, the climax of that amazing adventure was our concert at First Baptist Church, Greenville. I’ve written a lot about that and about the pastor, Dr. Jim Dant. He is remarkable in every way. So, when I got near the end of writing, I asked Jim, a widely published author, about a publisher. He said, “Well, my publisher is a progressive Christian group, and maybe they are progressive enough to help tell your story.” I was doubtful. I told him there is cussing and homosexual sex in it. I sent it in. They said “yes.” Thus began the last six months of bringing it to fruition. The publisher is Nurturing Faith. I still have a shocked face when I tell that story. One thing that definitely came from my column experience: quirky chapters. “Gutter to Glitter”; “Eating Jewish Crow”; “Catholics, Baptists, and Mormons, oh my!”; “Cesspool Behind the Baptistry”; “Blue Tiles and Abortion”; “Death Comes Knocking. Again.” Once the book was finished and in galley proof form, several close friends said, “You need an audio book. And you need to read it!” I was hesitant for at least 30 seconds. And thus began the second
When I came out, my parents asked what they had done to make me gay. Like all parents. I told them, of course, they had done nothing to make me gay. What they had made me was someone who valued the truth more than anything and who somehow found the courage to tell it. On the day I came out, at 35, I vowed to be a truth-teller and, equally important, to have fun for the rest of my life. And there you have it. Tim has written an autobiographical memoir. It’s really not as grand as it sounds. It’s still just me talking/ writing whatever falls out of my head. I am so grateful that you like reading it. Being a columnist for the Bay Times helped me to cut my teeth. I’ll be writing this column until the dentures arrive. I hope. Dr. Tim Seelig is the Artistic Director of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus.
Negroni, King of the Cocktails
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Some also have “to-go” cocktails— but stay six feet away!
Castro: Twin Peaks: http://www.twinpeakstavern.com/ Beaux: https://www.beauxsf.com/
The Gay Gourmet David Landis My initial recollection of the nowpopular Negroni cocktail was during my first trip to Italy in the 80s with my dear Uncle Paul and my pal Larry. We were sitting at an outdoor café in Florence’s iconic Piazza della Repubblica during “aperitivo” (Italian, loosely translated, for “happy hour”). My uncle ordered the signature Italian drink and I tried it. I thought it tasted like cough syrup. Fast forward several decades and it’s now become a sought-after aperitif in America and one of the Gay Gourmet’s favorites. Seeing as how the Negroni is celebrating its 101st birthday this year—and since cocktails are a given when celebrating Pride this month—it seemed a good time to delve deeper into the popularity of this convivial concoction. (Unfortunately, we just missed “Negroni Week,” which was scheduled for June 1–7 this year; due to COVID-19, these celebrations couldn’t take place in California). First off: the Negroni is not for everyone. Its unique mixture of bitter and sweet is an acquired taste. But once acquired, I can assure you, it will be on your must-have list. How did this cocktail come to be? Let’s first talk about the Negroni’s predecessor, the Americano. According to Wikipedia, “[T]he Americano is an IBA official cocktail composed of Campari, sweet vermouth, and club soda, garnished with a slice of lemon. The cocktail was first served in creator Gaspare Campari’s bar, Caffè Campari (in Milan), in the 1860s. It is the direct descendant of the ‘Milano-Torino,’ which consisted of Campari, the bitter liqueur from Milan (Milano), and Punt e Mes, the vermouth from Turin (Torino)—but lacked soda water. This drink was itself a descendant of the ‘Torino-Milano,’ a concoction consisting of equal parts Campari and Amaro Cora.”
After the success of the cocktail, the Negroni family founded Negroni Distillerie in Treviso, Italy, and produced a ready-made version of the drink, sold as Antico Negroni 1919.” Orson Welles famously said of the Negroni, “The bitters are excellent for your liver; the gin is bad for you. They balance each other.” In researching this article, The Gay Gourmet found @ TheNegroniKing, an influencer of note on Instagram. With nearly 4,000 followers worldwide, we decided to get his take on this delectable drink. Here are some of his thoughts: “Yes, I’m @TheNegroniKing, but my real name is James Hall and I live in London. I didn’t start out in the drinks industry. But I have always been interested in hospitality and cocktails from a young age, when a Sicilian family friend first introduced me to Italian culture. I would experiment with making cocktails at home as a teenager. (Gay Gourmet’s note: We’re guessing laws are different in Europe than here!) [When I started going out], I would order a Negroni wherever I went. My first trip to Italy several years ago grew my love of the Italian culture further and the Negroni King was born.” “The secret to the perfect Negroni,” says Hall, “is nice and chilled fresh vermouth and dilution. When stirring with ice (never shaken!), you don’t want to over dilute the drink by stirring too long, nor do you want to use too little ice as this would result in a very strong unbalanced drink. (Though some people like their drinks strong, I know!) I’m always experimenting, but one of my go-to favorite recipes would be Tanqueray 10, Martini Rubino Special Riserva, and Campari. Or if I want exclusively Italian ingredients, I like Ondina gin paired with Cocchi Di Torino and Campari. I personally prefer my Negroni on the rocks. I do like a giant cube but also love two or three large cubes with an orange slice. In regards to the orange, it depends on whatever is in season. I love blood oranges, but they are quite hard to find in London! I also try to get only unwaxed oranges.”
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The Richmond: Violet’s: https://www.violets-sf.com/
Hayes Valley: Anina: https://www.aninasf.com/ Zuni Café: http://zunicafe.com/ Absinthe: http://absinthe.com/
Downtown: Local Edition: https://www.localeditionsf.com/
Fisherman’s Wharf: Scoma’s (their Negroni is infused with fresh strawberry): https://scomas.com/
North Beach: Original Joe’s: https://originaljoes.com/ Comstock Saloon: https://comstocksaloon.com/
Where to Find a Good Negroni in San Francisco
David Landis, aka “The Gay Gourmet,” is a foodie, a freelance writer, and a PR executive. Follow him on Instagram @GayGourmetSF, on Twitter @david_landis, email him at: david@landispr.com or visit him online at: www.gaygourmetsf.com
Here are some of my favorites, but due to COVID-19, please check and see if they’re open and serving.
Watch David Landis’s video on making a Nigroni: https://tinyurl.com/y7nqf8hx
Hall concludes: “For me, the Negroni is King. I am merely his loyal servant and ambassador.”
The Negroni, on the other hand “was first mixed in Florence, Italy, in 1919, at Caffè Casoni (formerly Caffè Giacosa),” continues the Wikipedia post. “Count Camillo Negroni concocted it by asking the bartender, Fosco Scarselli, to strengthen his favorite cocktail, the Americano, by adding gin rather than the normal soda water. The bartender also added an orange garnish rather than the typical lemon garnish of the Americano to signify that it was a different drink.
Pacific Heights: Florio: https://www.floriosf.com/
A Personal Favorite Negroni Recipe The Gay Gourmet continues to perfect his own Negroni recipe at home. Here’s this current personal favorite, with a nod to his friend Glenn, who suggests blood oranges: The Gay Gourmet’s Not-So-Classic Negroni 1 shot Loch & Union gin (from Napa Valley) A little more than a shot of Campari A little less than a shot of Cinzano red vermouth A splash of blood orange juice (available at Mollie Stone’s in the refrigerated case) Garnish with a slice of orange—blood orange, if available Stir with ice, strain, and serve “up” in a deco martini glass.
AIDS/LifeCycle @ Home 2020 In lieu of the annual AIDS/LifeCycle, which was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization for 2020 held an @ Home event from May 31 to June 6. The “Ride Love Live Experience” allowed participants to exercise at home while viewing live footage as well as photos and videos from past memorable events. The fun week included Daily Spins, a Roadside Minnie Band Performance, Dance Parties, Home Workouts, a virtual Candlelight Vigil, and much more. A sneak peek for 2021 was also included in the virtual Closing Ceremony. AIDS/LifeCycle reports that $8,134,375 has been raised to help provide critically needed funds for HIV/ AIDS-related services. For more information: https://www.aidslifecycle.org/
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Photos by Paul Margolis
Panels from the AIDS Memorial Quilt Pride is always evident on the panels of the AIDS Memorial Quilt. Whether directly, as for the colorful panel honoring Hal Marret in this block, or indirectly through the love and care required to construct each section, the quilt reflects both pride in our community as a whole and in those whose lives are represented. Many of us instantly recognize Liberace (1919–1987), the pianist, singer, and actor who became a superstar. At the height of his fame, from the 1950s to the 1970s, he was said to be the highest paid entertainer in the world. His work at the time included established concert residencies in Las Vegas and an international touring schedule. His image of flamboyant excess led to his nickname: “Mr. Showmanship.” This was a far cry from his humble beginnings as Wisconsinborn Władziu Valentino Liberace. Liberace’s path in life might have crossed with that of David Emmons, also honored in this quilt block. Emmons was a highly regarded scenic designer, as indicated by the theatrical masks on his panel. Hal Marret’s panel is bursting with pride, with his name over a rainbow burst of color. Like Rainbow Flag creator Gilbert Baker, the creator of this work must have spent hours carefully dyeing, cutting, and sewing the fabric. The words, “Time It Was It Was a Time,” bring to mind the song “Bookends” from 1968. The lyrics go: “Time it was, and what a time it was, it was A time of innocence. A time of confidences Long ago, it must be, I have a photograph Preserve your memories. They’re all that’s left of you.” https://aidsmemorial.org/the-aids-memorial-quilt/
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16th Annual Queer Women of Color Film Festival Photos by Paul Margolis
More than thirty new films were introduced during the first ever online Queer Women of Color Film Festival, held June 12–14. The 16th anniversary focus was “SafeSpace/NoPlace: LBTQ People of Color,” which expanded discussions about the meaning of safety for LBTQ+ people of color, both outside on the streets and inside homes typically thought of as safe. Although virtual this year, the Festival still allowed friends and family members to watch films, build community, and to participate in deep, lasting social change. https://qwocmap.org/festival/
KIT’N KITTY’S
QUEER POP QUIZ ANSWER (Question on pg 33) D) UC Santa Cruz
Angela Davis (1944–) was a professor in the History of Consciousness and the Feminist Studies Departments at UC Santa Cruz and Rutgers University from 1991 to 2008 before being named a Distinguished Professor Emerita. She also taught at UCLA and numerous other colleges and universities, including San Francisco State University, where she was a Professor of Ethnic Studies. For more information: https://campusdirectory.ucsc.edu/cd_detail?uid=aydavis
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Take Me Home with You! Nala
Ruby’s in Town –
Women’s Cancer Resource Center Benefit on June 14 The lead singer of Ruby’s in Town, Andrea Prichett, DJed a virtual benefit on Sunday, June 14, that was co-hosted by Janet Rachel and Jessie Ortiz. They were joined in Ruby’s Zoom Room by more than 60 women and some men friends too for an online dance party supporting Women’s Cancer Resource Center (WCRC) services. For two hours the fun continued with spotlight moments and breaks when co-hosts welcomed all, explained the role of WCRC, and thanked supporters who gave more than $1000.
“My name is Nala! I’m a six-year-old Boxer mix. I enjoy hanging out with my favorite people, but I’m not clingy. Lazy days are the best and no afternoon would be complete without a nap. But when it’s time for a walk and I see you pick up the leash, you’d be hard pressed to find a dog who’s more enthusiastic than me! I’m looking for an adopter who wants to enjoy lots of long strolls and gentle good times. Maybe you?!” Nala 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 Nala. Anyone interested in adopting Nala can email: adoptions@sfspca.org
Dr. Jennifer Scarlett and Pup
For more information: https://www.sfspca.org/adoptions
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The set included R&B, old soul, funk, and even a little disco. As the band says, “It’s the stuff that makes you want to get up and dance!” That’s especially true with Ruby’s in Town, since the band includes many seasoned vets in the Bay Area music scene. ww.rubysintown.com
Welcome Back, Orphan Andy’s Photos by Rink
San Francisco Bay Times team members were delighted to learn from Bill Pung, who co-owns Orphan Andy’s with Dennis Ziebell, that their landmark restaurant is now open for takeout from 11 am–6 pm daily. Pung informed us that social distancing dividers have been installed that separate the front window tables and booths as well as at the popular counter seats. Watch for announcements on when the restaurant’s indoor service will return. Longtime Orphan Andy’s staff member Michael, along with Pung and chef Victor, welcomed Bay Times photographer Rink on Friday, June 19, for a tour and a chance to view the tables in Jane Warner Plaza now available for the first time since the COVID-19 shutdown began in mid-March. Few places are “more Castro” than Orphan Andy’s, so we are excited about the return of those top notch pancakes and other breakfast favorites, along with the restaurant’s many other menu selections. If you haven’t already done so, treat yourself to Pung’s delicious chocolate cake, Hawaiian cake, or brownies – all served up with pride.
Remembering the Pulse Nightclub Massacre Photos by Rink
On Friday, June 12, LGBTQ community members and friends held a memorial rally at Jane Warner Plaza in the Castro on the four-year anniversary of the Pulse nightclub tragedy. Speakers included event organizer Christopher Vasquez, SF Pride’s Fred Lopez, Honey Mahogany, Sister Carry Me Away, Nicole Santamaria, Ani Rivera, Maceo Persson, and others. Partner organizations included El/ La Para TransLatinas, AGUILAS, Instituto Familiar de la Raza, Galeria de la Raza, SF Pride, Strut/SF AIDS Foundation, the Castro LGBTQ Cultural District, the Leather & LGBTQ Cultural District, Calle 24 Latino Cultural District, the San Francisco Office of Transgender Initiatives, the Alice B. Toklas LGBTQ Democratic Club, the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club, Qbar, and Danza Mexica. Following the program, there was a procession to 18th and Castro Streets, where flowers were laid in tribute and participants paid their respects to those whose lives were lost at Pulse on June 12, 2016, in Orlando, Florida. Forty-nine people were killed and 53 others were wounded during the attack, which was the second deadliest mass shooting by a single shooter in U.S. history. Democratic Rep. Darren Soto of Florida is leading efforts to make the location of Pulse a National Memorial Site.
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Round About - All Over Town
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The “PRIDE” banners are in place for SF Pride 2020 on the front of the Asian Art Museum in Civic Center.
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The Castro Theatre’s marquee announcing the Frameline44 Pride Showcase
Co-owner Maurice Darwish (right) and server Henry welcomed a customer, Larry (left) at the newly reinstalled sidewalk seating at Cove on Castro restaurant.
Barefoot Bubbly’s Limited Edition for Pride 2020 is available at Rossi’s Market on Castro Street.
A window display at Cliff’s Variety for Pride 2020
The outdoor seating at Jane Warner Plaza has returned.
Staff member Jyoti Arvey fulfilled orders at Dog Eared Books on Castro Street. The featured book, Girl, Woman, Other, has received positive reviews.
Outdoor seating is now available for customers at GyroExpress at the corner of 18th and Castro Streets.
Artists Josie M and Deirdre Weinberg added the finishing touches on their quarantine artwork at the Polk and Clay Liquor store on Nob Hill.
Comic book artist Justin Hall created a mural on the outdoor boards at 440 Castro..
Outdoor seating for guests has been installed at Harvey’s.
Super Duper Burger, located in the Castro on Market Street, has reopened its outdoor seating.
See’s Candy on Market Street has reopened and placed rainbow colored balloons acknowledging Pride 2020.
Wasabi Bistro in the Castro is now open for takeout service.
The large rainbow flag hung each year in June at Pier 1 on the Embarcadero is now displayed in the window for Pride 2020.
The array of rainbow flags at 19th and Castro Streets displayed annually is now on view for Pride 2020.
Quarantine artwork was painted on the boards covering windows at the historic Twin Peaks Bar. S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES
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The Census is about representation
LGBTQ COUNTS
COUNTING LGBTQ COMMUNITIES IN THE CENSUS The census is a count the federal government does of every person living in the United States. It happens once every 10 years and is required by the US Constitution. You can do the census online, by phone, or by mail. Most people received a letter from the Census Bureau with instructions.
Why do we do the Census?
Governments and businesses use census data to decide: • How much money each state gets for schools, hospitals, roads, and social services • Locations for new roads, transportation lines, and businesses • How many Congressional Representatives each state, including California, receives • How local and state district lines get drawn, based on population
Why is Census important for LGBTQ communities?
Census data helps determine political representation and funding for social services. Many LGBTQ people rely on these services like health care, housing, and CalFresh. When everyone does the census, LGBT communities get our fair share. This means funding for local services and the political representation we deserve. In the past, the census has undercounted LGBTQ people, immigrants, and people of color. If we do not get an accurate census count in 2020, California could lose a seat in the House of Representatives. Doing the census is an important act of claiming visibility and power. Without representation, the values, needs and interests of LGBTQ Californians will go unheard.
Do the census today.
What questions are on the Census?
The census asks 9 simple questions about you and the people living in your household. The census will ask you how many people live with you and if you own or rent your house, and your relationship to those people. It will also ask you for your name, sex, age, birthday, ethnicity and race. The census does not have a specific question about sexual orientation. But, for the first time in history, you can say if you live with a same-sex partner or spouse. The census does not provide an option for single people to identify as LGBTQ, though. The census asks your sex according to a binary. You can only select “male” or “female”. LGBTQ people should still do the census, though. When you answer according to how you best identify, you help us work toward a future with better representation for all.
Visit my2020census.gov or call 844-330-2020. To learn more, go to sf.gov/lgbtqcensus SF Counts is a campaign of the City & County of San Francisco Office of Civic Engagement & Immigrant Affairs