GIOTOGRAPHERBYPHOTOGIOTOGRAPHERBYPHOTOGIOTOGRAPHERBYPHOTOGIOTOGRAPHERBYPHOTO August 25–September 7, 2022 http://sfbaytimes.com PRIDE in OAKLAND A Week of Events for 2022
The Oakland Pride Parade will start at Broadway & 14th Street (Oakland City Hall) and will end at Broadway & 20th Street (Oakland Pride Festival Main Entrance). The Oakland Pride Festival main entrance will be located at Broadway & 20th Streets. A secondary entrance will be located at Webster and 21st Street.
The White Horse, the oldest continu ously operating LGBTQ bar in the U.S., is a destination all on its own at 6551 Telegraph Avenue. With a pool table, fireplace, and multiple screens for sports games, movies, or music vid eos, it feels like a home away from home—except a lot more fun.
Is there an age limit for entry into Oakland Pride?
2 SAN FRANCISCO BAY TIMES AUGUST 25 , 2022
Do you need a ticket to get into Oakland Pride?
OAKLANDPRIDE.ORG
Cocktails like the Sassy Sailor and ImpeachMint are very refreshing and Instagrammable and have been profiled in other publications.
PHOTOSTOCKPHOTOSTOCK PHOTOSTOCK PHOTOSTOCK
Parade Start: Broadway & 14th Street (10:30am) Parade Finish: Broadway & 20th Street
the heart of Downtown and Uptown—therefore even can seem world’s away from Piedmont Avenue and Telegraph Avenue that both branch off of Broadway at their southernmost tips.
There is no fee to watch the Oakland Pride Parade, except in the VIP/Grandstand seating along the Parade route. This seating will be available as part of Oakland Pride’s VIP Pride Pass program, or on a first-come, firstserved basis for a fee of $5 in advance and $10 at the gate. There will be free ADA access! For more informa tion about the VIP Pride Pass or Grandstand Tickets, please e-mail Generalinfo@oaklandpride.orgadmissiontothe
Oakland Pride Brings Visitors Downtown, and Uptown Oakland is like many towns in one, given its size. The city is 78.03 square miles whereas San Francisco is just 46.87. The site of Oakland Pride—in
Some members of our San Francisco Bay Times team live in Oakland. Just visiting Piedmont Avenue in Oakland on a recent Saturday evening, one stumbled on a phenomenal live outdoor Brazilian band performance, many blissful diners in the alleyway next to farm-totable restaurant Pomet (an owner is from K&J Orchards), kids holding giant ice cream cones in front of the Disney Up movie spot at Fenton’s, filmgoers exiting Landmark’s Piedmont Theatre (the friendly manager and staff at the door yelled hello, and asked how a family member was doing), and even saw another Bay Times team member exiting from the Suds Machine car wash. With its retro car sprayers and colorful giant buffers, Suds Machine is reminiscent of the classic Lily Tomlin scene where, in character as a pitchperson for the hairspray “Stay Put,” she drives on a flatbed trailer trough a mechanical car wash, getting drenched in the pro cess without any of her lacquered locks going out of place.
After a few years of virtual offerings during the COVID-19 pandemic, Oakland Pride is back for in-person events in 2022, marking the 12th anniversary of the organization in the East Bay city that has one of California’s and the nation’s largest LGBTQ populations. Oakland Pride 2022, on Sunday, September 4, will begin with the Parade starting at 10:30 am at Broadway & 14th Street. The Festival will also start at 10:30 am. It will last until 6 pm. Expanded Pride in Oakland for 2022 There has been some confusion about Oakland Pride this year, not only because of the return to in-person events but also because Pride in Oakland has expanded. In addition to the Parade + Festival there will also be Pridefest Oakland on Sunday, September 11. (See page 3 of this issue for more about ExplainingPridefest.)thetwo major efforts, Oakland Pride recently post ed via social media: “Oakland Pride has been a community-led organization that has been doing Oakland’s Pride since 2010. For years our organization has changed in many ways from our board to our vendors and volunteers! There are still a few board members still with us who have been there since day one. The last few years, the board decided to do a virtual pride due to COVID-19. Last year, we had a Pride event ready to go but due to the number of COVID cases rising, we had to go virtual once again. This year we are going live while still remaining cautious of COVID. Other members of the community have decided to start a different organization and a different event, both for the love of the community. Throughout the month of September start ing with Oakland Pride, and other events, we hope to bring joy and pride to Oakland and to the whole LGBTQ+ community. Hope to see you at Oakland Pride, Labor Day weekend!”
Oakland Pride Returns for 2022 With Parade and Festival on September 4
Oakland Pride Festival will be $10, and just $5 for children under 12. There will be a Family & Children’s Garden, so it will be a great outing for kids of all ages. Part of the proceeds will go to fund the Oakland Pride Community Partners Program. Since 2010, Oakland Pride has given back nearly $50,000 to LGBTQ-friendly organizations and charities in the com munity.
Oakland Pride would not be possible without the help of volunteers who lend their time before and during the event. There are volunteer opportunities for people of almost all skills, backgrounds, and abilities. Will the San Francisco Bay Times have a booth at Oakland Pride? Yes! The San Francisco Bay Times has been a media sponsor of Oakland Pride since its inception. Please be sure to stop by the Bay Times booth. For more information, including updates on performers and how to sign up to volunteer, go to: https://www.oaklandpride.org/
No! One of our team members even brought a baby to the event back in the day. For her, it was a mix of napping and happy socializing. In fact, Oakland Pride has been reported as being the most diverse and family-friendly Pride celebration in the nation. Do, however, keep in mind that all children must be accompanied by adults at all times. Are pets allowed at Oakland Pride? Yes, pets are allowed at the event, including service animals. However, it is strongly recommended that you leave your pet(s) at home since the event, as you can expect, will be crowded, noisy, and more— meaning not conducive to smaller animals walking on the ground. If you do decide to bring pets to the event, please make sure your pets are well trained, socialized, and comfort able with loud noises and large crowds. Please also make sure your pets are on leash and under your control at all times. Provide water and shade for them, and clean up after them, too. How do you get to Oakland Pride? You can drive and try to find street parking (good luck!) or park in any number of paid lots in the area. You can also take a bus or use a rideshare. But the best and easiest way to get to Oakland Pride is via BART. To watch the Parade, just exit at the 12th Street/Oakland City Center or 19th Street BART stations. The main entrance for the Festival will be located at Broadway & 20th Street, right outside of the BART station exit. Who will be performing at Oakland Pride 2022? As of this writing, the performers have not yet been announced. We can say, though, that over the years Oakland Pride headlining performers have been top notch and have included Chaka Khan, Martha Wash, Jennifer Holliday, Yo-Yo, Rah Digga, LaToya London, CeCe Peniston, JC Jones, and En Vogue. How can you volunteer for Oakland Pride?
PRIDE in OAKLAND 2022 BAY TIMES LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES 1978–2022)
The Port Bar is always packed, but is sure to be even more so this September Pride Month in Oakland. Here are some Q&A’s about this year’s Oakland Pride: Where is Oakland Pride 2022?
Oakland: World’s Away? Of Oakland, pioneering lesbian author Gertrude Stein (1874–1946) once wrote, “There is no there there.” She was referring in her 1937 autobiog raphy to the loss of her childhood home along Foothill and MacArthur Boulevards in the city (it was torn down), but others have used the quote to sug gest that there is not much to see in Oakland. Some diehard residents of San Francisco, Marin County, and Silicon Valley seem to think that is the case. The dis tance from San Francisco to Oakland is only just over 12 miles, but there often appears to be an aversion to all things East Bay. We get it, at least to some extent. Whoever designed the entrance to Oakland from the Bay Bridge was all about function over fashionable appearance. Instead of the welcoming Coit Tower enshrouded in romantic fog perched atop Telegraph Hill overlooking the bay—the sight that many see on the right coming into San Francisco from the East Bay—travelers venturing from the other direction see the massive Oakland Port cranes, the Wastewater Treatment Plant in West Oakland with its associated unpleasant odors (the operators seem to be doing a better job these days in reducing those), a few hospital towers near the 580 freeway, and other sights that don’t immediately spark joy for many. Oakland’s numerous treasures require going deeper into the city, making it a magical place of discovery for those willing to give it a chance. Just to name a few: Redwood Regional Park that has the largest remaining natural stand of coast redwoods found in the East Bay; Joaquin Miller Park with its rustic woodland trails and mead ows; the restaurants, coffee shops, and other public gathering spots at Park Boulevard, Montclair Village, Rockridge, and other Oakland neighborhoods (you will probably see more lesbians in an Oakland restaurant or coffee shop in one hour than you will in an entire day in many parts of San Francisco); Lake Merritt and surrounding offerings; and much more.
In Downtown there again are many treasures, such as The Port Bar: a festive LGBTQ-centric watering hole known for its potent cocktails and creative drag shows. The Port Bar at 2023 Broadway is right next door to the historic art deco Paramount Theatre and is less than a block away from the 19th Street BART station. On a recent visit, the place was spilling over with an incredibly diverse crowd and probably as many bears on that partic ular Sunday as you could find at Lazy Bear Week in Guerneville.
Stellar Team of East Bay LGBTQ Community Leaders to Present Pridefest Oakland on September 11
Crystal Waters
The second annual Pridefest Oakland, created by an impressive group of East Bay-based LGBTQ+ community leaders, will take place from 11 am to 6 pm on Sunday, September 11, 2022, on 20th Street at Thomas L. Berkley Way from Broadway to Harrison Streets. That is in the heart of Downtown up to Snow Park near scenic Lake Merritt. In addition to food and vendors, there will be three stages of enter tainment! The poster shares that Pridefest will be “Bringing Together Some of Oakland’s Hottest Promoters For a Party Like No Other.” Based on the performers already announced, that statement rings very true. For a start, there is the “Queen of Bounce,” rapper Big Freedia, whose music and videos are enjoyed by millions worldwide. Explaining twerking, which Big Freedia helped make a national sensation, Big Freedia told OkayPlayer: “We just feel liberated when we go on—wher ever we are at, on the dance floor, on the stage. We feel empowered by our dance moves. And this style of dance comes from the West Indians and Africa where it’s a cultural thing and it’s a ritual that they used to do in celebration. So, for me, it’s a cele bration of dance and of life, and I do what I do. I just love to shake my ass.” Guests at Pridefest will surely want to do that as well, once Big Freedia takes the mainstage. A favorite of the San Francisco Bay Times publishers, Crystal Waters, will also be headlining at Pridefest. The house and dance music legend is known for sexy, soulful hits such as “100% Pure Love” and Calabria.”“DestinationSongs like “Gypsy Woman” touch on challenging issues—in this case, homelessness. Crystal Waters is the daughter of famed jazz musician Junior Waters and her great-aunt was the pioneering movie star and singer, Ethel Waters, who was the second African American to be nominated for an Academy Award. The family’s impor tant entertainment legacy lives on in talented Crystal.
Pridefest Oakland: https://pridefestoakland.com/ Councilmember At-Large and Council President Rebecca Kaplan, who is the Vice Mayor of Oakland, was elected in 2008 to serve as Oakland’s citywide Councilmember; she was re-elected in 2016 and 2020. She also serves on the Alameda County Transportation Commission (ACTC). Follow Councilmember Kaplan on Twitter @Kaplan4Oakland ( https://twitter.com/Kaplan4Oakland ) and Facebook ( https://www.facebook.com/Kaplan4Oakland/ ).
pride and diversity all year long. One-hundred percent of the proceeds from Pridefest Hazy IPA will be donated to Pridefest, so come one and come all to share a pint in the name of love and inclusion!”
Pride festivals help celebrate, uplift and expand on the strength and resistance of the LGBTQ+ community in the face of abuse and oppression. The first pride festi vals honored the uprising at the Stonewall Inn in New York, where a group led by trans people of color fought back against violence, abuse, and police harassment. Over the years, these efforts have expanded across the country and beyond. San Francisco has held large Pride events for decades. Pride festivals also started in Oakland, thanks to important community efforts over multiple years. This year, Oakland Pride is back with multiple events. On Sunday, September 4, there will be Oakland Pride starting with a parade, and the following Sunday, September 11, there will be Pridefest Oakland. Uptown Oakland will be full of the celebration of the LBGTQ+ community in all of its beautiful, vibrant, diverse, resilient glory. We continue to need to spread awareness of our rights and needs of the LGBTQ+ community, to honor ourselves, and to support one another, and to continue to work for justice and equality.
By Rebecca Kaplan, Oakland City Councilmember At-Large
Oakland Pride: www.oaklandpride.org
Madame Gandhi Big Freedia
• Christie James (Pridefest Oakland Co-Chair) - a popular iHeart radio host and DJ, who was the DJ for the San Francisco Bay Times Pride Parade contin
stars are expected to be announced in the days leading up to Pridefest. As for the fest’s organizing team, it consists of:
Pro Tip: Drake’s is actually based out of a San Leandro strip mall, next to a Walmart at 1933 Davis Street, #177. Surrounded by box stores and urban con crete, it is an oasis of some of the freshest, highest quality beer in the Bay Area. Set amidst hundreds of wooden barrels, Drake’s Barrel House at the site is worth a road trip stop. You can even bring your dog to enjoy—along with your self and guests—handouts of tater tots, burger meat, and more from dishes ordered at Drake’s Brew! https://drinkdrakes.com/Kitchen.
Joe Hawkins
Welcome to Pride 2022 in Oakland!
• Joe Hawkins (Pridefest Oakland Fiscal Sponsor) - Co-Founder and CEO of the Oakland LGBTQ Community Center;
•gent;Sean Sullivan (Pridefest Oakland Co-Chair) - Co-Owner of The Port Bar in Oakland;•Val(PridefestKleinOakland Treasurer) - Vice President of Marketing + Activation at iHeartMedia San Francisco and PRIDE •Radio;Michael Barajas (Pridefest Oakland Secretary) - an HIV/AIDS educator who works as a Community Liaison for Gilead •Sciences;andanaccomplished board too. To learn more about the Pridefest Oakland team and for updates and additional information about the event on September 11, go https://pridefestoakland.com/to:
Yet another announced headliner is music producer, drummer, artist, and activist Madame Gandhi, whose music continues to energize and inspire fourth-wave feminism. Hailing from another incredible legacy—her parents are philanthropist Meera Gandhi and social entrepreneur Vikram Gandhi— Madame Gandhi was raised in both New York City and Bombay, India. Indian influ ences often permeate her award-winning Moreworks.music
Oakland's Vice Mayor Rebecca Kaplan at the raising of the rainbow flag over Oakland City Hall to honor Pride
Christie James Sean Sullivan
Drake’s Brewing Company has created a special beer, Pridefest Hazy IPA, in honor of this year’s Pridefest Oakland. In addition to being served at the festival, the unique brew will be featured at the Drake’s Dealership loca tion in the city and at participating bars in Oakland, includ ing The Port Bar. “On behalf of Drake’s Brewing Company, we are proud to announce our partnership with Pridefest Oakland to support safe and celebratory events for the LGBTQ+ community and its allies,” said Lauren Young, Marketing & Events Manager for Drake’s. “We want to share our locations as a safe space for all, where we are committed to celebrating
PRIDE in OAKLAND 2022 BAY TIMES LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2022)
SAN FRANCISCO BAY TIMES AUGUST 25 , 2022 3
Drake’s Brewing Company Creates Special Beer for Pridefest Oakland
• gay, bisexual, and trans people who have sex with men who have had more than one sexual part ner in the past 14 days; • sex workers of any sexual orienta tion or gender identity;
person to another by close physical contact with infectious sores, body fluids, respiratory droplets, and con taminated materials. Once infected, monkeypox, which is rarely fatal, can initially present as a common flu. Early symptoms appear after one to two weeks of exposure and include headaches, fatigue, and a fever. The most distinct symptom is an itchy rash, which typically appears one to three days after the appearance of flu-like Fortunately,symptoms.ourexperience with the recent pandemic can help guide our response to the monkeypox outbreak. Vaccines are key to stopping the spread, but supply has been an issue.
the newest addition to our family. Needless to say, we all are overjoyed. New parenthood is amazing and an indication of what a love-filled adven ture and honor of raising her will be. As I look into the eyes of my child, my heart is so filled with love and deter mination to create the best possible future for her and every child, more than ever before. However, I was aware that, in the midst of our pregnancy, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (the U.S. Supreme Court decision over turning Roe v. Wade) was handed down. My family had just experienced a tremendous exercise of our repro ductive freedom, as others were get ting their right to choose whether they will have a family or not stripped Andaway.let us remember that reproduc tive freedom means many things to many people. The assault on reproductive freedom is an assault on many things for many people. Much of the same technology and expertise to help people who don’t want to be pregnant not to be pregnant involve similar technology and expertise used to help people who want to be preg nant to become pregnant. The free dom of my wife and I to have a child is the same freedom that protects the right not to have a child. The protection of reproductive rights is why I support Proposition 1, a state ballot measure in the November 8, 2022, General Election that will amend the California Constitution to establish a right to reproductive free dom, which includes the right to an abortion and the right to refuse or choose contraception. All of those needs and rights are under attack. Let us all ACT UP and FIGHT BACK!
In midst of COVID-19, another virus has emerged as a public health threat: monkeypox. Three weeks into August, there were more than 15,000 con firmed cases in the United States with California accounting for almost 20%. Los Angeles and San Francisco are seeing the highest infection rates in the state.
Assemblymember Phil Ting
• persons who have had close con tact within the past 14 days with someone with suspected or con firmed monkeypox;
Local Politicians Respond to Governor Newsom’s Veto of Safe Consumption Sites Litigation
Councilmember At-Large and Council President Rebecca Kaplan, who is the Vice Mayor of Oakland, was elected in 2008 to serve as Oakland’s citywide Councilmember; she was re-elected in 2016 and 2020. She also serves on the Alameda County Transportation Commission (ACTC). Follow Councilmember Kaplan on Twitter @Kaplan4Oakland ( https://twitter.com/Kaplan4Oakland ) and Facebook ( https://www.facebook.com/Kaplan4Oakland/ ). (continued
On August 22, Governor Newsom vetoed Senate Bill 57, a bill authored by State Senator Scott Wiener that would have legalized safe consump tion sites in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Oakland. The decision comes as speculations builds over Governor Newsom’s possible efforts to lay the groundwork for a presiden tial campaign even as he insists he has no interest in running for the nation’s top political seat. Many political ana lysts believe the veto signals that the governor, who has supported other progressive measures, was concerned about alienating moderate voters in other Senatorstates.Wiener released the following statement in response to the veto: “Today, California lost a huge oppor tunity to address one of our most deadly problems: The dramatic esca lation in drug overdose deaths. By rejecting a proven and extensively studied strategy to save lives and get people into treatment, this veto sends a powerful negative message that California is not committed to harm reduction. SB 57 is not a radical bill by any stretch of the imagination. It simply gives permission to cities— each of which has requested that per mission—to pilot safe consumption sites to save lives and get people into treatment. The coalition behind SB 57 is massive, including physicians, health experts, frontline health work ers, and local elected officials.” He continued, “We don’t need addi tional studies or working groups to determine whether safe consumption sites are effective. We know from decades of experience and numerous peer-reviewed scientific studies that they work. Safe consumption sites have been in operation around the world for approximately 30 years, with great success and literally zero overdose deaths. These sites are a proven strategy to reduce overdose deaths, pressure on emergency rooms, and public drug use, while expanding access to drug treatment.”
While data from the Centers for Disease Control indicates the mon keypox virus (MPV) is disproportion ally impacting gay and bisexual men, it is important to note it’s not a “gay disease.” Anyone can contract the virus, as it is transmitted from
4 SAN FRANCISCO BAY TIMES AUGUST 25 , 2022
As a result of the Biden administra tion declaring a public health emer gency over monkeypox, federal agen cies now have the power to quickly direct money toward developing and evaluating vaccines and drugs, access emergency funding, and hire addi tional workers to help manage the ris ing caseload. On the state level, the Legislature is considering ways to ramp up California’s own response, including more funding for resources. We hope to approve impactful measures by the end of the month. Governor Gavin Newsom, too, has declared a state of emergency, increasing the distribution of monkeypox vaccines to local public health departments. The declaration also expands outreach and education about the MPV and ways to limit its Localspread.actions are just as important. San Francisco officials announced a local public health emergency a month ago to strengthen the city’s response, which expedites and stream lines the availability of resources. So far, the city has received approximate ly 23,000 doses of the Jynneos vaccine from the federal stockpile and it is only available to the following people who live and work in San Francisco:
All Families Should Choose Their Blessing Out of the Closet and into City Hall
“Other states and cities in the U.S. are already moving forward with this proven health model,” he added. “New York City, with the vocal sup port of Mayor Eric Adams, has suc cessfully implemented safe consump tion sites. Indeed, Mayor Adams is advocating to expand the sites to operate 24 hours a day, due to their success in reducing public drug use. Rhode Island passed a law authoriz ing safe consumption sites, and Massachusetts is moving in that direc tion. Philadelphia is on the verge of settling with the Biden Administration to potentially allow it to open safe consumption sites consistent with fed eral law. Today’s veto is tragic. For eight years, a broad coalition has worked to pass this life-saving legisla tion. Each year this legislation is (continued
on page 14)
Oakland City Councilmember At-Large, Rebecca Kaplan
to Monkeypox
GovernmentoneResponse
On July 15, 2022, my wife gave birth to our daughter, expanding our circle of love. My parents and my motherin-law were all in town to welcome
on page 14)
“For as long as I could remember, the small cottage on Castro Street had been home.” One of my favorite books when I was a girl was Mama’s Bank Account, a heartwarming memoir of growing up in a close-knit Norwegian immigrant family on Castro Street in the 1920s. A com memorative brass plaque, part of the Rainbow Walk of Fame, was embed ded in the sidewalk on Castro Street, near Castro Tarts, to mark the site of the family’s Whyhome.do I mention this? Castro Street today would be unrecogniz able to that immigrant family. And today’s Castro Street might be unrecognizable to some one 100 years from now. The theme of change continues this week. It’s rarely easy, often emo tional, but also, of course, inevitable.
A recent event made it clear that if you want to get peo ple passionately engaged in an issue, propose changes to something they love. On August 11, a town hall was held at the Castro Theatre. This was the first opportunity the general public had to hear about the proposed changes to the theatre from Another Planet Entertainment, the business that has taken over manage ment and programming of the 100-year-old theatre, and is also over seeing the repairs and renovations to the Thebuilding.event,originally scheduled from 6–7:30 pm, ran more than an hour overtime in order to provide an opportunity to speak for everyone who wanted to. And they certainly did want to. Dozens of people stood in line to wait for their 2-minute turn at the microphone. Many introduced themselves by sharing their Castro Theatre bona fides, sharing that they had been coming to the Castro for films and queer events for 10, 25, 50 years. Many spoke with nostalgia and passion of their experiences in the theatre. Some asked very specific questions about the plans for seating, programming, accessibility, and affordability for both local producers and patrons. And many expressed concerns that the theatre would no longer be a welcoming space for queer culture, community, and film.
For 43 years, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence have supported the com munity with exuberance and compas sion. While their outward appearance may be theatrical and fun, they take their mission of service to the
Changes at Shanti
Joanie Juster (continued on page 14)
Charlie came to Shanti in 2019 with an extensive background of 20 years in nonprofit administration and fund raising, after beginning his career in the social services sector, at a home less shelter in Des Moines, Iowa. Kaushik started with Shanti as a vol unteer, in 2004, then joined the staff in 2006. During his long tenure, Shanti expanded its services to include women with any kind of can cer, welcomed Pets Are Wonderful Support (PAWS) to its program of ser vices, and created the LGBTQ+ Aging & Abilities Support Network (LAASN), which addresses social isolation as well as
A poster presenting a view of proposed modifications of the Castro Theatre’s interior was displayed at the Castro Theatre Community Meeting on August 11 hosted by Another Planet Entertainment.
One of San Francisco’s longest-stand ing community-based nonprofits sup porting people with HIV/AIDS and cancer is also going through a major change. On August 12, Kaushik Roy left Shanti after 14 years as Executive Director. Charlie Meade, who has served as Shanti’s Chief Development Officer, is currently serving as Interim Executive Director until a permanent replacement can be found.
There were many questions posed, but not many answers, as this was pri marily a listening session. But one thing was clear from the meeting: the public wanted more transparency and more community input into the future of the beloved theatre. More meetings will be announced shortly; stay tuned for details. Good Times for Good Causes It may still be August, but Save-theDate cards are already coming in for fall galas for nonprofits including Shanti (Compassion is Universal, October 13), PRC (Mighty Real, November 4), Transgender Law Center (Spark, October 13), the Transgender District (Riot Party, August 28) and more. But in between these major events, grassroots fundraising goes on in this community every day. I recently attended two events that underscored for me the hard work and big hearts that keep this community going: the Imperial Council of San Francisco’s monthly fundraiser for their annual Charity Fund, and the Grand Ducal Council of San Francisco’s Anniversary Gala. These folks—and many others like them—are always raising money at ground level through drag shows, raffles, silent auctions, and many more creative means. And their hard work keeps many of our smaller nonprofits going, one check at a time. Their requests are often modest, but the good they do in the community is immeasurable. Please support them whenever you can.
RINKBYPHOTO
SAN FRANCISCO BAY TIMES AUGUST 25 , 2022 5 The Times They Are a-Changin’
beingsureinglongwithpeopleandtoShantiCOVID-19ties.andLGBTQ+challengesbehavioral,emotional,andhealthfacedbyolderadultsadultswithdisabiliDuringthelockdown,alsosteppeduphelpcoordinatemealgrocerydeliveriestoinquarantine,Kaushikspendinghourshimselfstaffthephonestomakeclients’needsweretakencareof.
Fundraising in Leather Speaking of grassroots fundraising, with LeatherWalk coming up next month (September 18), the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District will be hosting a launch party on Tuesday, August 30, at the SF Eagle, featuring treats from Mamabear’s Kitchen, and entertain ment. For https://tinyurl.com/lwalk2022info:
Time to Give Back
We wish Kaushik well as he pursues new adventures and more time with his family. Changes at the Castro Theatre
In Case You Missed It
Interest remains high in the District 6 supervisor race to be decided in the upcoming election on November 8. Candidates include the openly LGBTQ and HIV-positive Matt Dorsey, who was appointed by Mayor London Breed to complete the term of Matt Haney, who now holds the State Assembly seat formerly occu pied by City Attorney David Chiu. Dorsey previously was a communica tions director for the San Francisco Police Department and has a long record of civil service.
Supervisor Matt Dorsey with fellow candidates Honey Mahogany, Cherelle Jackson, and Ms. Billie Cooper at the first 2022 District 6 debate at the Main Library on August 6
The 2021 data revealed that 93% of trans and nonbinary youth feared being denied access to genderaffirming medical care, 91% feared access to appropriate bathrooms, and 83% worried about being pro hibited from playing sports. Trans and nonbinary youth who were not legally able to change legal docu ments were over twice as likely to attempt suicide than those who had actually done so, as well as being higher than those who were plan ning to change documents but had not yet, according to the 2020 data.
Making
Data released by The Trevor Project in 2021 and 2022 further underscores the importance of legal equality, respect, and acceptance to the well-being of queer youth. Tragi cally, however, this is because the data lay bare the devastating effect of the recent wave of anti-LGBTQ legislation. Persistent right-wing political attacks on LGBTQ youth, particularly transgender and nonbi nary adolescents, have not only undermined students’ access to inclusive education and affirming medical care, but also have had a deleterious impact on their emotion al health and sense of self-worth.
A few years ago, a remarkable study conducted by researchers from the prestigious Johns Hopkins and Har vard schools of public health revealed the profoundly positive impact that marriage equality appears to have on the mental health and well-being of LGBTQ youth. The study found that over 134,000 fewer adolescents attempted suicide annually in states that adopted mar riage equality from 2004 to the beginning of 2015, while states that rejected equality saw no similar Indecrease.marriage equality states, the rate of attempted suicide of lesbian, gay, and bisexual students dropped a stunning 14%. The study also found that reductions in suicide attempts were sustained over time with lower rates remaining two years after legal ization. Significantly, the reduction in suicide attempts did not occur in the years leading up to the legal vic tory, but only after marriage equality actually passed. The implication of the data seems clear: Marriage equality saves lives. Equality and dignity under the law matter not just to the legal rights of same-sex couples and their children, but to the core sense of safety, happi ness, and satisfaction with life of LGBTQ youth. The study’s lead author, Julia Raifman, observed, “These are high school students so they aren’t getting married any time soon, for the most part”; however, “[t]here may be something about having equal rights—even if they have no immediate plans to take advantage of them—that makes stu dents feel less stigmatized and more hopeful for the future.”
Evidencing the tightness of the race: the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club has endorsed Mahogany, and the Alice B. Toklas LGBTQ Democratic Club has ranked Dorsey as #1 and Mahogany as #2.
Stuart Gaffney and John Lewis Race for District 6 Supervisor
Dorsey is opposed by Honey Mahogany, who was formerly on staff for Haney who has endorsed Mahogany. In just four years, Mahogany—a RuPaul’s Drag Race alum and former entertainer who identifies as queer and gender non conforming trans—has become a Democratic Party leader of note, becoming the first transgender person to serve on the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee (DCCC) in 2018. In 2021, Mahogany was elected chair of the DCCC. That year, Mahogany also was elected as the first Black and transgender chair of the San Francisco Democratic Party. Mahogany is a self-described “practi cal progressive,” while Dorsey has described himself as being an advo cate for “authentically progressive Alsourbanism.”seeking the office in District 6 are labor leader Cherelle Jackson and activist Ms. Billie Cooper.
Overall, 45% of LGBTQ youth aged 13–24 considered suicide and 14% attempted it, according to data The Trevor Project collected from September to December 2021. Rates appeared highest for transgender, non-binary, queer, questioning, and pansexual youth. Further, 36% of queer youth reported that they had been physically threatened or harmed based on their sexual orien tation or gender identity. Those who had were nearly three times more likely to attempt suicide that those who had not.
The importance of supportive schools, which multiple legislative efforts seek to undermine, was also evident. In 2021, 55% of LGBTQ youth reported school as an affirm ing place, while only 37% reported the same of their families, with transgender youth reporting slightly
a Difference for Queer Youth: Marriage Equality, Lil Nas X, and a First Binder 6/26 and Beyond
The impact of recent political attacks and legislation was unmistakable. A staggering 94% of queer youth stated “that recent poli tics negatively impacted their mental health,” according to data collected in September–December 2020 and released in 2021. Data from both 2020 and 2021 showed that well over 70% of LGBTQ young people had experienced discrimination, and those who had were also significantly more likely to attempt suicide than those who had not.
6 SAN FRANCISCO BAY TIMES AUGUST 25 , 2022
(continued on page 14) RINKBYPHOTO
SAN FRANCISCO BAY TIMES AUGUST 25 , 2022 7 Property Listings Steve Gallagher Laura Martell 33 Mountain Spring Avenue, SF, Clarendon Heights, Mediterranean Revival style, 5bd, 5.5ba, 5928 sq ft, city/bay views, in-law. ColdwellDREListedhttp://www.33MountainSpring.com$4,500,000bySteveGallagher#01193002Banker REAL ESTATE Do you have a property listing for this page? Email us: publisher@sfbaytimes.com 5661 Clinton Avenue, Richmond Heights, Mid-century modern, 4bd, 3ba, chef’s kitchen, tile and stone floors, office, family space or in-law, deck, views. Winkler$1,048,000Real GroupWinklerDREDanielleGroupWinklerDRELauraListedhttp://www.5561clinton.comEstatebyMartell#01401840RealEstateClements#01910218RealEstate Kinta AI seeks Director of Finance & Operations in San Francisco, CA to oversee financial operations & provide financial & operational recommendations for enterprise SaaS company developing production planning software. Master in BA, Finance or related & 3 yrs experience in financial mgmt, product mgmt or related & extensive knowledge of strategic financial planning, reports & acctng reqd. Email resume to careers@kinta-ai.com Lorraine Bannister 1800 46th Avenue #302, SF, modern built 1991, 2bd, 1.5ba, 1 car parking, skylights, fplc, W/D, storage, 950 sq ft, shared outdoor space, Muni stop outside. 2$899,999bedrooms, 1.5 baths Listed by Corcoran Global Living For more info, contact Lorraine CorcoronListedDREhttp://www.LorraineBRealEstate.comBannister#01119087byLorraineBannisterGlobalLiving
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 first and only LGBTQ newspaper in San Francisco to be named a Legacy Business, recognizing that it is a longstanding, community-serving business that is a valuable cultural asset to the city.
In the 1980s when I still lived on the East Coast, I read the work of Elana Dykewomon and admired her writing as well as the creativity it took to adopt a name that was sure to be reviled in mainstream culture. In a recent interview with The Jewish News ( https://tinyurl.com/4x25f4hd ), Elana said, “I figured if I called myself Dykewomon, I would never get reviewed in The New York Times Which has been true.” With or without a NYT review, DykewomonElana (1949–2022) had a phenomenal career as a novelist, poet, teacher, philanthropist, and activist. Her book Beyond the Pale remains one of the most signifi cant novels about early 20th century Jewish women immigrants. When leading a poetry workshop, I always use her poems because of their precise lan guage and rich emotionality. When we finally met in the early 1990s, I was a bit intimidated as femmes sometimes are in the compa ny of butches who are lightning rods for straight society’s disdain. So, there I was with my same old patronymic name (carrying not only my father’s surname, but also his first name!) and Elana having taken on the world! The culture’s stereotype of the grim feminist might have infected even me, but it dissolved when we met. Elana and I became dear friends who shared our writing and political hopes with ease and laughter. We regularly used to have lunch at MoMo’s across from the seemedbecauseballparkGiants’itlike a halfway point between her home Oaklandin and my then home in Francisco.San I loved sitting near the huge heart painted to look like a martini olive as we reviewed the state of world politics and the state of our current literary projects with equal fervor. Her name embodied all that Elana was committed to in her activism and her literary life: the liberation of women from patriarchal shadows and the autonomy of lesbians in a world that fears us. In taking her name Elana, she inspired other activists and drew to her a family of women who loved her for many years. As her health failed, they cared for her with the tenderness and strength that befit the name Dykewomon. The early Chinese philosopher Confucius said: “If names are not correct, language will not be in accordance with the truth of things.”
For African Americans in the U.S., names have been the scarlet letters reminding many that we are discon nected from our heritage and are the property of other humans. Thus, Malcolm Little liberating himself became Malcolm X. Naming has been used similarly against women. A girl would bear her father’s sur name until she married when it was expected that she would take on her husband’s surname. This rendered a female economically invisible—no credit cards, no mortgages, etc.— except when under the shadow of a male relative; at least until recently.
Staff Who Have Passed on Over the Years
Nuestra Voz Eduardo Morales, Ph.D.
When Juliet asks Romeo, “What’s in a name?” her implication is that a name is just words that carry no weight. Well, we know how that turned out!
Throughout this nearly three-decadeslong time, four of them died with the most recent being Israel NievesWhenRivera.I first met Israel in the mid 1990s, he was a Program Director working to help youths in San Francisco. With his striking, youthful good looks and salt and pepper hair, he was a warm, approachable, and friendly person who was dedicated to his career in public service. Outside of work, he frequently spent time at Café Flore on the corner of Market and 16th Streets talking with friends. As we got to know each other, I was impressed with his interests and great sense of humor. Since we were both raised in New York and from Puerto Rican families, we had much to share. In 1992, he obtained a B.S. degree from the State University of New York College at Oneonta and majored in social sci ence and secondary education. While in New York, he was a high school history teacher and became active in HIV/AIDS work.
CONTRIBUTORS WRITeRS Rink, Sister Dana Van Iquity, Ann Rostow, Patrick Carney, Carolyn Wysinger, Leslie Sbrocco, Heather Freyer, Kate Kendell, Heidi Beeler, Gary M. Kramer, Joanie Juster, Julie Peri, Jennifer Kroot, Robert Holgate, Eduardo Morales, Dennis McMillan, Tim Seelig, John Chen, Rafael Mandelman, Tabitha Parent, Jewelle Gomez, Phil Ting, Rebecca Kaplan, Leslie Katz, Philip Ruth, Bill Lipsky, Elisa Quinzi, Liam Mayclem, Karen Williams, Donna Sachet, Gary Virginia, Zoe Dunning, Derek Barnes, Marcy Adelman, Jan Wahl, Stuart Gaffney & John Lewis Brandon Miller, Jamie Leno Zimron, Michele Karlsberg, Randy Coleman, Debra Walker, Howard Steiermann, Andrea Shorter, Lou Fischer, Brett Andrews, David Landis PhOTOgRaPheRS Rink, Phyllis Costa, Jane Higgins Paul Margolis, Chloe Jackman, Bill Wilson, Jo-Lynn Otto, Sandy Morris, Abby Zimberg, Joanie Juster, Darryl Pelletier, Vincent Marcel aDVeRTISINg Viegas
With feminism, it was exciting to con sider how we might change the course of our lives by dropping paternal ref erences and adopting a matronymic name or one related to the earth. A woman, Mary Smith, could honor her mother by becoming Mary Maychild. Mainstream magazines and television often derided such changes as laugh able; with the same arrogance of people in the U.S. who don’t want to bother learning names with “too many” vowels. Still, the practice of self-naming continues.
During the second wave of feminism in the 1970s and ‘80s, activists
What’s in a Name?
Leave Signs
Jewelle Gomez
Given my academic position and research interests in HIV/AIDS, I obtained two research grants to com pare strategies for HIV/AIDS preven tion designed for Latinx and African American gay/bisexual men. I invited Israel to apply for the Research Coordinator position at the California School of Professional Psychology, where I was a member of the faculty. Luckily, he applied and was offered the position. There, we developed a warm and collegial relationship. When the research project ended, a position at AGUILAS became avail able for Director of Programs and Operations through another grant I obtained from the Centers of Disease Control (CDC). We were able to work together implementing various HIV prevention interventions, training interns, and conducting many out reach efforts to engage Latinx gay/ bisexual men with our program. His suitability was extraordinary in that he had knowledge concerning both administration and policy develop ment. He was a member of the New York State Prevention Planning Council and Co-Chaired the Stimulant Prevention Task Force for the San Francisco Community Substance Abuse Services. While at AGUILAS, he was a member of the San Francisco HIV Prevention Planning Council and was twice elect ed Co-Chair of this Council. In 2005, he left AGUILAS and accepted the position of Director of HIV Prevention Policy for the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH), where he provided ongoing input for framing a National HIV/AIDS strategy. As part of the management team in the HIV Prevention Section, he helped to com plete several comprehensive HIV pre vention plans ensuring alignment with national goals. He was instrumental in managing the implementation of key CDC-funded initiatives for the SFDPH, including the Program Collaboration and Service Integration (PCSI) grant, Project Pride, and the Maven Project. He was promoted to serve as the Policy Director for the SFDPH Population Health Division. In that
LAMBDALITERARY.ORG-SOURCE
interrupted that tradition. Some women, especially those with careers, attached their husband’s name to their own or just maintained their “maiden” names after marriage. (This discussion always reveals laughably archaic terms like “maiden.”)
Jewelle Gomez and Elana Dykewomon together as panelists at a literary conference Elana Dykewomon Elana with her partner Susan Levinkind
Jewelle Gomez is a lesbian/femi nist activist, novelist, poet, and playwright. She’s written for “The Advocate,” “Ms. Magazine,” “Black Scholar,” “The San Francisco Chronicle,” “The New York Times,” and “The Village Voice.” Follow her on Instagram and Twitter @VampyreVamp
Jewelle Gomez
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Remembering Israel Nieves-Rivera and Other AGUILAS
Israel Nieves-Rivera Jorge Sanchez
R emembe R ing e lana D ykewomon (1949-2022) ag U ila S R emembe RS (continued on page 14)
8 SAN FRANCISCO BAY TIMES AUGUST 25 , 2022 Roland Schembari and Bill PublisherKim1978FoundingRandyCo-FoundersHartman,Alfred,NewsEditorCorsaro,1981-2011 2261 Market Street, No. 309 SaN FraNciSco ca 94114 PhoNe: 415-601-2113 525 Bellevue aveNue oaklaNd ca 94610 e Mail:www.sfbaytimes.comeditor@sfbaytimes.com
dr. Betty l. SullivaN JeNNiFer l viegaS co-PuBliSherS & co editorS Beth greeNe, Michael delgado, JohN SigNer, 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 JuaN r davila voluNteer coordiNator taBitha PareNt SPecial aSSigNMeNt 2022
In my over 28 years at AGUILAS—a community-based nonprofit serving Latinx LGBTQ+ persons—I have had the pleasure of working with wonderful, dedicated staff.
SAN FRANCISCO BAY TIMES AUGUST 25 , 2022 9
Isn’t that what you thought? I ran a little test and typed “I hate,” which turned up “I hate ada shelby,” (a char acter on Peaky Blinders), “I hate U,” (a song) and some generics like “I hate my life,” and “I hate myself.” Who would google “I hate myself?” I just checked and it sends you to articles about insecurity and low self-esteem, so I guess it serves a purpose. At this point I had to stop my Google research and continue on with our main subject, starting with ... the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit! One of our favorite appellate (Nowcourts.Google thinks I hate myself, I want to shoot transgender men and women, and I watch Peaky Blinders Can’t wait for the embedded ads.)
The panel, two Obama judges and a Trumpy one, split in favor of a trans woman prisoner in Virginia, who was thrown in the men’s population and sued under several legal arguments, all of which were dismissed by the lower court. The Fourth Circuit rein stated the lot, and even the Trumpy judge agreed that a claim of gross negligence against the sheriff and another prison honcho could proceed. But the main advance was in the scope of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), passed in 1990 under the auspices of Bush One. The ADA excludes a range of aberrations, including: “transvestism, transsexual ism, pedophilia, exhibitionism, voy eurism, gender identity disorders not resulting from physical impairments, [and] other sexual behavior disorders” as well as “compulsive gambling, klep tomania, pyromania, or psychoactive substance use disorders resulting from current illegal use of drugs.”
GLBT Fortnight in Review
I decided to lead this column with the interesting victory out of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, which ruled that gender dys phoria is covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act. A big decision! I started out by asking Mr. Google more about the case, but after I typed “transgender,” Google filled in the most common searches that start with that word, beginning with: “transgender people should be shot.” I typed it again to confirm and then clicked on “transgender people should be shot” to see what the hell Google was talking about. Happily, I didn’t find a whole lot. Most of the stories involved the fact that a lot of trans gender people, specifically women, were shot, not that they should be shot. But still. I was under the impression that the automatic fill-inthe-blank on a Google search reflected the most common queries of ordinary users.
In other trans news, I read that some parents in I-Forget-Where, Utah, got bent out of shape when their little girls lost a sports contest of some sort, and launched an investigation into the sex of the girl who won. The winner, by the way, was not transgender, but the crazed reaction of the parents cries out for a B-movie script. Really? Your child lost the hundred-meter dash so the faster girl must have male hormones? Okay, okay. Let me check the Well,details.togive myself some credit, the location and sport in question have not been made public, so I’m not as oblivious as I first thought. A spokes man for the Utah State High School Activities Association told the state legislature about the incident, in which one girl “outclassed” the field in an unidentified state-wide sports contest. The parents of the second and third place finishers asked for an investigation, which took place with out informing the parents of the win ner. The spokesman, testifying during a review of the recently passed ban on female trans athletes, said that similar complaints have been sent in to his association, including some complain ing that certain young sportswomen don’t seem very feminine.
By Ann Rostow Why Do We Hate Ada Shelby?
Meanwhile, that same bill, which passed after the legislature overrode a veto from Governor Spencer Cox last March, was put on hold by a state court on August 19. The law will be unenforceable while the parents of three trans-girls fight it out in a law suit filed by the American Civil (continued on page 14)
According to New York law professor Art Leonard, the court noted that the term “gender dysphoria” post-dated the 1990 law, and was not synony mous with the vague language of those original ADA gender exclusions. Indeed, the court said, the term “gen der dysphoria” represented a better understanding of what could be cate gorized as a physical or mental impairment of the sort covered by law. Further, a 2008 amendment to the ADA itself asks courts to construe its terms as widely as possible. The interpretation does not mean that being transgender is a disability; only that having a diagnosis of gender dys phoria could possibly be litigated under the ADA. This is the first appel late court decision on the subject and could be appealed to the full Fourth Circuit (which leans to our side) or to the High Court (which doesn’t).
You Win Some, You Lose Some
10 SAN FRANCISCO BAY TIMES AUGUST 25 , 2022 San Francisco Bay Times Honored as Best Newspaper for Media Excellence & Community Service
SACHETDONNAOFCOURTESYPHOTO
Donna Sachet with Nichelle Nichols (Star Trek ’s Lt Uhura) at a San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus concert where she performed as a guest artist in 2001.
Divas & Drinks Bay Times party w/Donna Sachet Special guests: Renée Lubin & Dr. Dee Spencer SF Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band, DJ Rockaway, Bacardí cocktails, food on the house Name That Tune competition
The Academy, 2166 Market Street 6–10 https://tinyurl.com/3ymc7zha$10pmTuesday,September1
PHOTO BY SHAWN NORTHCUTT
By Donna Sachet
A short walk took us to Midnight Sun for a quick stop at Krewe de Kinque’s Summer of Puppy Love, hosted by King XVIII Colby Michaels and Queen XVIII Christina Ashton The spirit of Mardi Gras was in the air with a bountiful Cajun buffet, numerous raffle prizes, spirited performances by club members, and the presentation of a check for $5400 to South of Market Health Center, the beneficiary of a year of fundraising, accept ed by Director of Clinic Services Zeke Montejano Grand Marshal of this year’s Bal Masque, Dr. Nas Mohammed, was on hand and special guests included Kit Tapata & Lori Howes, visiting from Palm Springs. This organi zation, founded by Gary Virginia some 18 years ago, continues to bring the revelry of New Orleans to San Francisco! Up on Castro Street we stopped by the original home of High Tea, Twin Peaks, joined by several other Imperial Family mem bers, for a final cocktail in honor of Our Beloved Founder José Sarria, whose photograph is featured on the wall behind the bar. We have many fond memories in the presence and company of José at Twin Peaks, listening to her tell elaborate stories of yester day, as younger or less informed individuals leaned in to gather details of a history that opened the doors for so much that we do and enjoy today. By then, our little puppy Peanut, who had joined us for the entire marathon of events, behaving admirably, began to show her impatience and we headed home to try on a rainbow accessory gifted to Peanut by Linda Lee The following day, we returned to The Cinch, sans Peanut, for the Imperial Court’s Chili Cook-Off, hosted by Reigning Emperor Brent Daddy Munro and Reigning Empress Ehra Amaya, and benefit ing Night Ministry. Attendees were offered a variety of chili recipes, as well as side dishes and desserts. To the astonishment of many, there was even Southern cornbread from the kitchen of Donna Sachet! Yes, she has learned to do more than simply arrange Tic Tacs on a platter! A short, but outstanding show was coordinated by Mx Golden Gate 2022 John Brett, Mr. Cowboy 2022 Brandon West, and Miss Cowgirl 2022 Jubilee, concluding with prizes for chili creations. All through the event, contestants for Mr. Golden Gate Fernando Palacios and Miss Golden Gate Nikita Vega were selling raffle tickets in their bids to win those titles. This contest culminates in the Golden Gate Gaymes at the AIDS Memorial Grove in Golden Gate Park on Sunday, September 11; watch this column for more details. We can’t say enough about how welcoming The Cinch was all week end and we encourage to get over there soon! We close this column with an unusual plea for your sup port for our very talented and big-hearted friend Kippy Marks After an emergency health scare, Kippy faced the prospect of a liver transplant. Miraculously, a donor was found almost immediately and success ful surgery has put him on the road to full recov ery. Needless to say, medical bills and a com plete disruption of his burgeoning musical career have left him in a worrisome finan cial situation. Please consider donating to his GoFundMe account and/or attend ing his event tonight, Thursday, August 25, listed in the adjacent cal endar. He has given so much through his musical talent; let’s give a little back now. Donna Sachet is a celebrated perform er, fundraiser, activist, and philan thropist who has dedicated over two decades to the LGBTQ Community in San Francisco. Contact her empsachet@gmail.comat
SAN FRANCISCO BAY TIMES AUGUST 25 , 2022 11
“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.” William James of the black & white theme.
Last Saturday reminded us of the time before the pandemic, when it was not unusual to have multiple events to attend in a single day, sometimes overlapping and each calling for our attention. We started our afternoon donning a jaunty hat for High Tea with the Empresses, a tradition honoring José Sarria, who passed away nine years ago and loved the event and the fun of whimsical milli nery, and hosted by Empress Galilea Although Twin Peaks has been the venue in the past, after a few years off, this year’s renewed gathering was at The Cinch. Many shared memories of a time when scores of Gay bars and businesses lined Polk Street. No formal program is involved, but several Monarchs performed with their tips going to charitable efforts of the Imperial Court and special guests included Queen Mother Nicole the Great, King Father Terry Sidie, and Empress Nicole Diamond of Kentucky. It felt like a family reunion!
Next up was a stop at Beaux in the Castro for an event featuring this year’s candidates for Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of San Francisco, Gregory Starr and Kelly Rose. On Saturday, September 17, the public is invited to cast your votes for these worthy indi viduals who bring extensive experience and proven commitment to our community, continuing the long and respected tradition of the Grand Ducal Council of San Francisco. From the looks of the enthusiastic crowd at Beaux, these two will do a great job. Reigning Grand Duke Scott Rice and Grand Duchess Bobby Friday invite you to Coronation 49: The Black and White Ball at Grand Peterhof, Saturday, September 24, 5 pm, Holiday Inn Golden Gateway, 1500 Van Ness, a celebration of their successful year, their formal stepdown, and the crowning of the new Grand Duke and Duchess. We’ll be there, and yes, we’ll eschew the color red for the night in favor
Thursday, August 25 Nightfall: Fundraising Show for Kippy Marks 4-course dinner, great entertainment, and friends Berber, 1516 Broadway 7:30 https://tinyurl.com/yckp8wrh$115pmFriday,August26
Sing-Along Xanadu Film Screening Queer Chorus of San Francisco (formerly the Lesbian/Gay Chorus of SF) New Parkway Theater, 474 24th Street near the 19th Street BART station 7 https://www.qcsf.org/$16pm
survived until 2016. Modern Times was a legacy business, worker owned, and renowned for its radical politics. In the late 1970s while part nered with Bobbi LaNoue, Ann, as she explained in her own words, “inexplicably began childproofing the house and having never-before-considered visions of having a child.” Their son Loren was born in 1981. Soon after, Bobbi and Ann sep arated as partners but commit ted to continuing to co-parent. Much of the 1980s were spent focusing on parenting, facing her own addiction issues, and growing spiritu ally. Ann discovered Oakland’s Siddha Yoga Ashram, met Gurumayi, and was a committed devotee of Gurumayi from that time on.
In mid 1980, Ann began to develop her business operations consultant career that gave her great satisfaction and continued until her retirement in 2020. In her words, “I helped busi nesses, large and small, established and start-up, to use whatever comput er programs they might need to opti mize success of their enterprises. What a gift that gave me! And I hope it was helpful to them as well!”
On
Ann was an Arkansas farm girl, an accomplished carpenter in 1970s Massachusetts, a business operations consultant in the San Francisco Bay Area beginning in the 1980s, and throughout her life was an eloquent and outspoken political activist.
Ann registered Black voters in Birmingham, marched in Montgomery, raised funds to rebuild a burned Black church in Mississippi, and taught Spanish to Black elemen tary school students in Fayetteville, “so they would have some knowledge in middle school that the white stu dents had not yet learned.”
In m .
12 SAN FRANCISCO BAY TIMES AUGUST 25 , 2022
I know the men at Mayflower Market on Fillmore Street who would let me and my friends open a four-pack of butter and buy only one stick when we wanted to share a sourdough baguette snack before theatre rehears al. I never felt the need to branch out, because all of my people were always right there. So, when I left for college last sum mer, I felt like my world was crum bling down around me. There was no more stopping by my middle school and saying “hi” to the teachers (who all still teach the same grade, by the way), no more walking down the street from my house for a dark meat turkey sandwich, or running through the park at sunset when I knew specif ically which owners and their dogs would be out. Suddenly, my world had become much bigger. I was terrified. The number of times I cried in the airports in San Francisco and Boston would have impressed an ocean. When I finally stuffed my five checked bags full to the point of zipper break age and lugged them on one of the more painful flights of my life back to San Francisco, I could honestly say I had never been happier to share a room with my little sister again.
Memoria
BROWNKATEOFCOURTESYPHOTO
SF Dykes on Bikes® President Kate Brown (left) with Ranell W.
Ranell W. By Kate Brown, Ph.D. Dykes on Bikes® Tales From Two Wheels
My world has always been very small. I’ve lived in the same house (though it’s sported a few different paint jobs over the years), on the same block (with the relatively recent addition of a much-needed speed bump) in the same 49-square-mile city (hello, Karl the Fog!) since I was born. I went to a small preschool and met my best friend there right next to our class rabbit’s cage, amidst construc tion paper and colored pencils. When deemed able enough to make it to recess without wetting myself, I moved just slightly down the block from my preschool to an only slightly larger middle school, where I bonded with a few more pals over what happened when we pressed our pencil erasers into the ancient radiators in the bath room (spoiler alert: they melt). And for high school? You guessed it. I found myself at a school just slightly larger than my middle school (all-girls this time), making sure to drag my preschool best friend with me so that it felt a little bit smaller. In all the neighborhoods I spent time in, I knew people. Sal at Arguello Market has watched me go from being pushed around the store in a stroller to showing up on a whim with my credit card whenever I feel the need for a jar of pickles or some gum. I can tell you the names of all my pre school teachers, and I could describe exactly what the woman who worked at See’s Candies on 9th and Clement looked like—and detail to you the sigh she would hide when our pack of middle schoolers showed up after school once again.
Ann Valliant departed this world on August 4, 2022, at the age of 76, due to the progression of ALS, and bene fited by the availability of California’s “End of Life Option.”
Racial and Social Justice Activist, Proud Lesbian Bi-Coastal Tabitha Parent I am Ranell W. and I have been a proud member of the San Francisco Dykes on Bikes® for the past twelve years. Since my membership began, I have taken an active role in helping to organize the annual ride of the Dykes on Bikes® in the San Francisco Pride Parade.
(Margaret)WorldviewsAnnValliant:
During the Vietnam War years, Ann became a draft counselor, helping men to avoid the draft. After graduating college in 1967 with a political science degree from Oklahoma State University, Ann and her then husband relo cated to Indiana University in Bloomington, where Ann discov ered women’s liberation meet ings in 1968. Ann became cen tral in Bloomington’s women’s liberation movement. She and her husband soon separated. Ann met her first woman lover there in Bloomington, Cynthia Hales, who later became a wellrespected San Francisco karate instructor for many years. Other lesbian activists Ann met in those years and who became lifelong friends include Cathy Cade, a then-beginning photographer whose photos are now archived at the University of California at Berkeley’s Bancroft Library; and Ruth Mahaney, who eventually would be associated with San Francisco’s Modern Times Bookstore that opened in 1971 and
As the Chair/Co-Chair of the Road Captains, it has been my responsibility to assign and delegate the responsibilities of the other Road Captains to maintain a safe ride for the hundreds of bikers who open the San Francisco Pride Parade each year. My role as a member and as a Road Captain has been a great honor for me. Hearing the roar of the bikes each year reminds me of the strength and power of the women who make up the Dykes on Bikes® and who inspired me many years ago. My first introduction to the thrill of rid ing was in junior high school when I lived in Pennsylvania. My neighbor’s father owned a BMW motorcycle shop, where I had the opportunity to ride mini bikes and small motorcycles on their farm. I hadn’t yet realized that this would be my initiation to a lifelong love of motorcycles. It was in 1976, when I was first intro duced to the club. I had just graduated from high school in Maryland when I saw a news announcement that illustrat ed the Dykes on Bikes® riding in unison and wearing leather. I was impressed by their energy and had a desire to be like them. Little did I know that I would be moving to the Bay Area and have the opportunity to become a Prospect, a Patch Holder, and later a Board Member alongside these energetic women. My 2002 Kawasaki Vulcan Mean Streak 1200 cc cruiser was amazing. It has been the only bike I have owned for twelve years and has been with me throughout my time with the Dykes on Bikes®. Due to some personal struggles, I have not ridden in a number of years; however, I feel lucky that I have been able to remain a member of the Dykes on Bikes® and participate in the many events that do not entail me riding. My experiences with the Dykes on Bikes® have been life changing and a great pleasure. I am looking forward to my participation in the years to come. https://www.dykesonbikes.org/ .
Going to Boston wasn’t all that bad, though given that I am transferring, it was just bad enough. It did, however, solidify something for me that it seems San Francisco had been trying to teach me for a while, yet I only just got the message now. That is: the more people you take the time to know, the “more” your life will be. The people I met in Boston this year were different from anyone I’d ever met, although most came from New York, New Jersey, or Massachusetts. I’d never heard of people who weren’t allowed to pump their own gas or pre ferred baconeggandcheeses over avo cado toast. Simply meeting them opened my eyes to the vast uniqueness of the world around me. Throughout this summer, I’ve had the privilege of attending events like the reading of names for the AIDS Memorial Quilt, a Gay Men’s Chorus Performance, Pride Night at the Opera, and even walking in the San Francisco Pride Parade. I certainly “know” more people than I ever have. I’ve met more people in passing, heard snippets of their conversations, and gained glimpses into the intimate intricacies of their lives than I’ve ever had the pleasure of doing in my life time. I’ve heard people talk about what it was like to be gay during the AIDS epidemic, to be a transgender woman in business, or what it’s like being a lesbian motorcyclist, all the while in the company of a hundred or more other complex and special Sanpeople.Francisco has always been a place with an air of acceptance and toler ance; yet, in all my 19 years, I’d never truly tried to seek out the vast unique ness that exists all around me. Going to Boston taught me to be open to the extraordinary essence of every indi vidual I cross paths with. I know it will be much harder when I leave again for my sophomore year in a few weeks. Not because I am not excited to go, but because leaving once for the East Coast taught me how special it is to have a place that burns with advocacy and normalizes Eastindividualism.andWest Coasts? Check. Now off to the Midwest. Let’s see what she brings. Tabitha Parent was born and raised in San Francisco and has just completed her first year of college at Boston College. In the fall, she will be a sophomore at Northwestern University studying journalism at the Medill School of Journalism. In her free time, she enjoys writing poetry and running on trails in the Presidio.
The past two years were deeply chal lenging for her, given the ALS diagno sis and its progression. Ann’s beloved companion mariKo, co-parent Bobbi, and son Loren were major supports to her, along with a wide community of close friends. Ann departed this world with a peace ful spirit.
John Chen, a UCLA alumnus and an avid sports fan, has competed as well as coached tennis, volley ball, softball, and football teams.
SAN FRANCISCO BAY TIMES AUGUST 25 , 2022 13
Sports
John Chen
All together there were 13 practice periods each lasting 5–10 minutes. The early practice periods focused on a few specific drills for each of the on-field units, such as offensive and defensive lines, wide receivers, linebackers, secondary, etc. The middle periods saw the units run or simulate plays and situations. The final periods, in my opinion, were the most interesting and fun for the fans, as they ran mini scrimmage plays pitting offense against the Afterdefense.the final horn sounded, all the players huddled in the middle of the field to hear a few final words of wisdom and encouragement from the coaches. Waiting with great eagerness and anticipation, fans pleaded for their favorite players to come to the bleachers for photos and autographs. It was a great opportunity to get up close and per sonal with the elite athletes. After the players’ break from their huddle, I could see a group of the 10 largest of the large men heading directly for us. These men towered over everyone else in height, girth, and muscles. They were the offensive Ledlinemen.bythe very popular and charis matic right tackle, number 69 big Mike McGlinchey, the linemen one by one flashed big smiles, shook hands, hugged, took selfies, and signed autographs for virtually every waiting fan. The massive players patiently, graciously, and appreciative ly answered fan questions and requests. This was what the fans craved. And this was what connected the team and the players to the com munity, creating a special bond. After three hours in the hot sun, both the players and the fans were ready to call it a day. My first 49er training camp was a good one. I could see how passionate the fans were and how much the young fans looked up to the players. Professional athletes are not just competitors on the field; they are role models and heroes with a great sense of responsibility. I must also give props to the 49er sup port staff who ushered us, greeted us, welcomed us, and pointed us in the right direction. Collectively, they made us feel that we were family.
Bay Times/John Chen
Several years ago, the 49ers introduced the 49ers Pride Fan Club and invited the San Francisco Bay Times to participate in its activities.
Attending a 49er Training Camp Special to the San Francisco
Photos
To view and purchase 49ers Pride merchandise: https://tinyurl.com/5jrj48fa
SAN FRANCISCO BAY TIMES LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2022)
John Chen
To learn more: https://www.49ers.com/fans/pride
A few weeks ago, the San Francisco Bay Times was invited to attend a San Francisco 49er training camp session sponsored by the team’s community relations arm, Community Corner, focusing on diversity and inclusion. Although I was given the choice to partake in the event as media, I decid ed to go as a member of the LGBTQ 49er Pride Fan Club and San Francisco Gay Flag Football League (SFGFFL) so that I was able to partic ipate in the event from a fan’s per Ispective.arrived at Levi’s Stadium bright and early on a Wednesday morning, parked my car for free, and entered through Gate E to the practice facility. I was ushered to the southside bleach ers with the community group Best Buddies. From my viewpoint, I could see two full length football fields side by side where all the players, coaches, assistants, and practice staff began warmup exercises and drills. During warmups, several of the play ers such as Jimmy Garoppolo and Mike McGlinchey stopped by the bleachers and greeted the starstruck admirers. A few other players came over and riled up the excited fans base with enthusiastic chants of “let’s go!”
First Call I didn’t mean to expound on abor tion for five-hundred words, but there you go. I was going to mention the Wales, Wisconsin, school district that banned pride flags, and other gay rights paraphernalia under the guise of inappropriate political speech on campus. I also planned to tell you about the affidavit that parents have to sign in Oklahoma if they want their chil dren to play sports; a sworn account of their sex at birth. And I liked the story out of Maine, where no Christian schools have yet been able to get public funding even after the Supreme Court gave them the green light, because the state has tied taxpayer subsidies to anti-bias regulations. Yes, religious schools can now qualify for the state’s tuition program. But in order to qualify, they can’t discriminate against gays or trans students or parents.
Folks, the Sisters have always been there for us, and so when they need help, it is only right that we step up to give back. They need our love, our trust, our support, and they also need help replacing the missing funds. A group of Saints—members of the community who have been honored by the Sisters for their service to the com munity—are planning The Saints Come Marching In: A Benefit for the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. Details have not been released yet, but keep an eye on this space once the date, location, and time have been announced.
Queer youth reported that “protec tive laws” and “victories for LGBTIQ rights,” along with everything from Lil Nas X and BTS to wearing a first binder to falling in love, were sources of joy for them. And 62% of LGB TIQ young people reported that they found their overall communities to be either very or somewhat accepting in 2021 data. “Seeing so much pride in others from being LGBTQ,” “con nection to others who are LGBTQ,” and merely “seeing rainbow flags and stickers in public” make a difference, according to the youth. We know what to do to support queer youth, and we must keep on doing it. Their lives depend on it.
14 SAN FRANCISCO BAY TIMES AUGUST 25 , 2022 Read More from the San Francisco Bay Times Online www.sfbaytimes.com ROSTOW (continued from page 9)
PHIL TING (continued from
Joanie Juster is a long-time community volunteer, activist, and ally.
lower numbers on each. Clearly, schools can provide a refuge to at risk queer students. Suicide attempts were higher for students who lacked affirming spaces, especially affirming Viciousfamilies.anti-trans social media cam paigns, such as the recent outrageous attack on a Boston children’s hospital, may also have a detrimental effect of LGBTQ young people. While the 2020 data showed that queer youth found LGBTIQ online spaces to be significantly more affirming than either school or home and 96% said that social media had a positive impact on their well-being, 88% also reported that social media had a neg ative impact on their lives. However, causes for hope may be found amidst all this disturbing data.
Eduardo Morales, PhD, is one of the founders of AGUILAS, where he serves as Executive Director. He is also a Professor Emeritus and retired Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Alliant International University and is the current Past President of the National Latinx Psychological Association.
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STUART & JOHN (continued from 6)EDUARDO MORALES (continued from
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Amazingly, Esk tied his rival in the house race, Gloria Banister, with roughly 36 percent of the vote each during the primary. This despite the fact that he was fired from a job at the state department of public safety in 2011 after harassing and threat ening leaders at his church. That behavior, in turn, was triggered after his wife and three sons left him, accusing him of “physical and emo tional abuse.” He is now “selfemployed” as a “courier,” and is list ed elsewhere as owning a window washing business. He has a bache lor’s degree from the University of Oklahoma and has never held elec tive office, although he tried and failed to win a house seat in 2014. It’s unclear why he threw his hat into this particular race, which involves a district in Oklahoma City. Bottom line, he sounds horrific. I am relieved to report that Esk lost the primary runoff in Oklahoma. We Are All Pro-Life Here’s an email from one of my favorite civil liberties group, head lined: “Tell your community: Abortion is a blessing!” The email flogs a flower power type sticker that you can put on your car with the four-word slogan. “It’s been almost two months since the fall of Roe, but no court can ever make us stop fighting for all people to know they are trusted and sup ported as they build their own futures and make their own preg nancy decisions,” they say. “We can not stop speaking out against cruel policies that take away our right to abortion and the full spectrum of reproductive healthcare ... . Start the conversation in your community with your FREE ‘Abortion is a Blessing’ sticker!” Hey, don’t get me wrong. The right to abortion and women’s health care is paramount. But abortion is not a “blessing.” It’s not a positive thing, a nice thing, or a fun thing or a good thing. It’s a difficult necessity. One reason we’ve lost the right to abor tion is because the debate has been controlled by the religious right, which has turned it into a contest between “life” and “babies” versus (by implication) “death,” “murder,” and basically “infanticide.” We have had to fight the uphill bat tle against people who are “pro-life” as if we ourselves by contrast are not. But everyone is pro-life. Everyone likes babies in principle. No one looks forward to an abortion or wants to be in the position where they have to have one. And the way forward in the debate is not to frame abortion as a “blessing,” even though I know what they’re trying to do. But to frame it as a profound civil liberty, and sometimes a matter of life or death for an adult. Now’s the time to stop letting the other side present themselves as sweetness and light and start hammering home the darkness of letting a bunch of over whelmingly male state legislators dictate profound aspects of women’s Partlives.of why we won the right to marry was that our side told stories of devoted partnerships, decades spent together with no legal rights, families looking for acknowledg ment. Their side had a few Bible verses and some nasty and mean things to say about gay men and les bians. Meanwhile, we were coming out of the closet in increasing num bers, which meant our families and friends became our allies. The fight to restore abortion rights will also be won by stories—not exactly the heartwarming sorts, but still, the stories we’re starting to hear of the dangers and difficulties of pregnancy, the horrors of rape and incest, and even the sadness of a teenage mistake that leaves a young girl’s dreams in pieces while a teen aged boy often cruises ahead.
But I’m bringing up Oklahoma because there’s one guy running for state representative who, not so long ago, advocated for homosexuals to be stoned to death. In a Facebook post from 2013, Scott Esk wrote that “we would totally be in the right” to execute gay men and lesbians, just as scripture recom mends. “That goes against some parts of libertarianism, I realize,” he admitted, “and I’m largely libertari an, but ignoring as a nation things that are worthy of death is very Moreremiss.”recently, Esk reassured the media that he had no plans to call for the instatement of capital pun ishment for homosexuality. “I had an opinion against homosexuality,” he said in July. “Well, does that make me a homophobe? Maybe some people think it does, but as far as I and many of the voters of House District 87 are concerned, it simply makes me a Christian.”
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Phil Ting represents the 19th Assembly District, which includes the Westside of San Francisco and portions of South San Francisco along with the communities of Broadmoor, Colma, and Daly City.
Soren Pope Poulsen sounds to me like one of those sociopaths from Star Trek who wants to destroy the galaxy so he can travel through a fis sure to a sub-space dimension and be reunited with his childhood girl Andfriend.speaking of sub-space, I’m writ ing to you during the week of the New York and Florida primaries, but it is also the week of the Oklahoma primary runoffs. Who knew? Probably everyone in the Sooner State, or at least those of us who still approve of democracy, would hope so. I gather some really unpleasant Republicans are battling for the Senate nominations, and since this is Oklahoma, a win will give someone a de facto Senate seat in November. (There are two Senate seats in play, one to replace the retir ing Inhofe’s final four years in office, and another for Langford’s reelec tion bid.)
I read (in The Philadelphia Inquirer) that women are now registering to vote in significantly larger numbers in Pennsylvania, and that 62 percent of them are signing up as Democrats versus 15 percent as Republicans, and 54 percent are under 25. The information comes from a Democratic voter data firm, so it may be biased. But still. If these trends hold for other states, there’s hope for us yet.
Sadly, they recently learned of a breach of that confidence within their own organization, as a member improperly took funds for their own personal use. These were funds raised by the Sisters for distribution to small grassroots groups that serve the community. Being strongly committed to transparency as part of their mission, the Sisters imme diately issued a press release about this breach. Immediate steps were taken to prevent any further improper use of funds, the offending member was sus pended, and legal counsel was engaged. After a demand for restitution went unanswered, a police report was Theyfiled. stated in the release: “The Sisters’ mission has always been to pro mulgate universal joy and expiate stig matic guilt, and the funds we raise and disburse to the community are a sacred trust. To think that this trust may have been violated by one of our own shakes us to our core. We ask for your contin ued trust and support as we work vigor ously to resolve this matter and make the SPI and the community whole.”
Oh, I’m sure there was some other stuff out there in the GLBT news universe, but the moving finger has writ and now looks to see if the cocktail bar is open. Good news! I hear the ice cubes tinkling even as I type these final words. community very seriously. Their record is legendary, and through their decades of hard work they have won the respect and love of the community as a trusted philanthropic charitable organization.
Staywww.sfaf.org/monkeypoxprevention,monkeypox—vaccinations,ontreatment,andmore—visit:safe,everyone.
JUSTER (continued from page 5) • persons who had close contact with others at a venue or event or within a social group in the past 14 days where a suspected or confirmed monkeypox case was identified— this includes persons who received notice from a venue or event of a potential exposure within the past 14 days; • laboratory workers who routinely perform MPV testing. If you have had a smallpox vaccine within the last three years, you are likely also protected from monkeypox, as the viruses are similar. For the latest information about vac cines in San Francisco, please visit the city’s website on Stayhttps://tinyurl.com/nswh5ucnmonkeypox:safeaswetakeurgentsteps to address our public health emergencies.
Final Words Elections are just around the corner, and the stakes have never been higher. Please consider getting involved, whether it be giving your time, your money, or both. And for the latest updates
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 mak ing same-sex marriage legal nationwide. role, he was the principal advisor and coordinator of Division-wide efforts to inform local, state, and national policy and improve the population’s health, with a key focus on reducing disparities and improv ing health equity. He collaborated closely with the SFDPH Office of Policy and Planning in this impor tant work. He also worked on cannabis policy and implementation with the SFDPH Environmental Health Branch when the cannabis business became legal. In March of this year, he championed policy work for the Environmental Health Branch and fostered the Health Commission to pass a resolution regarding refuse and garbage laws. On August 1 of this year, I received a call from one of my previous coworkers at AGUILAS that Israel had just passed away. I was shocked and deeply saddened since he was in his midlife and at the prime of his Atcareer.AGUILAS, we have lost several talented staff persons whose lives were similarly cut short during midlife.
Jorge Sanchez, M.A., unex pectedly passed away over a year ago after working for many years as the Group Facilitator and Program Evaluation Manager. Jorge was a skilled ethnographer at the SF State César Chávez Institute and worked for many years developing HIV pre vention plans for the city. Roberto Coto, M.A., was a Program Coordinator and later became a consultant who facilitated groups at AGUILAS. Julian Olivas, MSW, was a Clinical Intern who later became a member of the staff at AGUILAS providing individual and group interventions. The contributions of these men are very significant. Their passings are tremendous losses for our communi ty. We were extremely lucky at AGUILAS to have had them work with us. They were all dedicated, exceptional role models and collab orators. I cherish having known and worked with them throughout my career. May they rest in peace and remain in our memories.
Liberties Union and the National Center for Lesbian Rights. Paging Steve Kornacki I have more trans news, but let’s pause for a look at the Danish elec tions of 2023, where one of the many obscure party leaders is a gay conservative, who advocates (I read in PinkNews) for cutting taxes on the top earners and “injecting money into welfare, hospitals, and care for the elderly.” That’s considered “con servative” in Denmark? To be fair, Soren Pope Poulsen is head of the “Conservative People’s Party” that is described in Wikipedia as “green conservatism and liberal conserva tism,” so perhaps it’s not the far right, so to speak. I don’t know, because I know nothing about Danish politics and, again according to Wikipedia, there seem to be a dozen parties with at least one seat in the 179-member parliament.
When the historic Hope for the World Cure mural was revealed in 1998, it was widely praised for its theme in finding a cure for HIV/AIDS, for honoring artists who worked on the mural who had HIV/AIDS, and for how it brightened the backside of the now-closed Bagdad Café at 16th and Market Streets. During the course of a number of years, however, the mural was the victim of repeated graffiti tagging and other dam age, including a fire that ignited in an adjacent space. The damage in 2021 was particularly bad, with much of the mural defaced. A GoFundMe campaign along with support from the Castro/Upper Market Community Benefit District, Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, and other community leaders allowed for restoration work. A leader in the effort has been Susan Cervantes, the Founder and Executive Director of Precita Eye Muralists. Artist Deidre Weinberg from the Hunters Point Shipyard Artists community was one of those who worked on the restoration for three months, beginning in June 2022. In addition to professional artists like Weinberg, volunteers aided in the effort.
SAN FRANCISCO BAY TIMES AUGUST 25 , 2022 15
Check out the results here and in person, and view additional images of the acrylic on brick mural at:
Castro’s Historic Hope for the World Cure Mural Restored Photos by Rink
NEWSOM’S VETO (continued from page 4) delayed, more people die of drug overdoses—two per day in San Francisco alone. While this veto is a major setback for the effort to save lives and connect people to treat ment, we must not—and will not— let it end this movement. We’ll con tinue to fight for an end to the War on Drugs and a focus on drug use and addiction as the health issues that they are.” Mayor Breed, in turn, wrote via Twitter: “The news about SB57 is disappointing but we aren’t giving up. Overdose prevention programs save lives and help connect people to treatment and services. Thank you, Senator Scott Wiener, for your leadership in fighting overdose Shedeaths.”then added, in response to many other comments, “We will keep working with our community partners to find a way forward, and we will also continue to advocate to the federal government about this critical public health response. We’ve got work to do, but we aren’t stopping.”
https://tinyurl.com/43ax4mw7 SAN FRANCISCO BAY TIMES LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2022)
Gary M. Kramer: How do you think you would fare as a vampire? And why do you think they are they so popular in our culture?
SAN FRANCISCO BAY TIMES AUGUST 25, 2022 17 SAN FRANCISCO BAY TIMES LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2022) PRIDEFEST STAR Crystal Waters, to be featured at the 2022 Pridefest Oakland, has had this many songs reach number one on the Billboard Dance Club Chart: A)9B)10C)11D)12 ONANSWERPAGE 26 QUEER POP QUIZ
Gary M. Kramer: What about the idea of what hate does to people? Hate is why the bullies bully, but also why the vampires in So Vam kill. Alice Maio Mackay: I didn’t want the vampires, and Kurt, our protagonist, to start killing and feeding on innocent people. That can be obvious if it is used as a metaphor for coming of age, and vampires can be seen as a queer found family. I wanted to use how brutally Kurt has been bullied from early on and use that. Kurt is only hurting the ones who have hurt him earlier on and more as revenge, rather than killing random people, which would make him not a villain, but wouldn’t make it easy to get the audience on his side.
Gary M. Kramer: Can you talk about being a teenage filmAlicemaker?Maio
Alice Maio Mackay: I think Gregg Araki was a big inspiration and someone I’ve looked up to. His films come from that campy and absurd place with alien and sci-fi stuff, but this is also an earnest queer film. I knew I wanted to make it very camp at times. But at the end of the day, I wanted to make my first film so that it had everything I wanted to see in a film reflected in it.
Gary Kramer:M. Can you talk about how you filmed the drag/musical scenes, and the ideas of fantasy that drag offers that are Mackay:Alicepires?ofnaturalfromdifferentthesuper-fantasythevam-Maio
Gary M. Kramer: Do you think it’s Alicetrue?Maio Mackay: We’ll never know for sure, but I guess Dracula is very homoerotic in some ways, so it could be.
Gary M. Kramer: So Vam is a little bit gory but Mackay:Alicehowbloodting—howaboutlent.gratuitouslynotvio-Canyoutalkthebloodlet-muchtoshowandmuchtospill?Maio I just wanted—especially in the conversion camp—there to be a big show of blood and gore because it is a traumatic thing and I wanted the revenge aspect to really take over and because it’s such a brutal concept, I wanted the murder to be equally as brutal. But I wanted the violence to be campy and fun rather than horrific and scary. The character is a drag queen, so it’s very camp in general. The head-melting was supposed to provide 1980s retro kind of vibes.
With the drag sequences, I want that to be their dream and their end goal, to make that stage a special place for them—this elevated thing.
Alice Maio Mackay: I think I’d be a really bad vampire. I get scared of blood. As for why they are popular, I think there was a resurgence with Twilight in the 2000s. Slasher films have a structure with a killer, but with vampires, there are so many different [paths] the story can take. There is paranormal romance, teen Vampire Academy, you have True Blood, which is ultra-gory, and ultra-sexy. It has an appeal to different audiences, ages, and demographics. With vampires, you can do anything in any subgenre you want.
Gary M. Kramer: Will you make more vampire movies? Alice Maio Mackay: I’m done with them for now unless someone gives me money to make a vampire film, in which case I’d love to! © 2022 Gary M. Kramer
Gary M. Kramer: What is the appeal of horror films for queer Aliceaudiences?Maio Mackay: Horror has always been a genre that I really love. There is something about horror that makes it easy to connect to queer things—not even undertones. It is a very queer genre, historically; look at Nightmare on Elm Street 2, with Mark Patton. I’ve done horror short films. For a first feature, there was no other option than to do a queer horror film. You could just do a drama, but it doesn’t have that same campiness to it that a horror does.
Mackay: I was 16 when I shot it. I worked on sets when I was younger, and I made some short films. I had just dropped out of school that year. I have the time, I made a few shorts, and got a distribution deal for one of them—Tooth 4 Tooth, which was also about drag queens and vampires—but I wanted to do that but better and bigger, so the next step for me was to make a feature. That was something I was passionate about.
Gary M. Kramer: I love the idea, posited by April in the film, that Bram Stoker was queer and wrote Dracula as a way of penning a gay romance. Is this idea common knowlAliceedge?Maio Mackay: I don’t think it was that common knowledge. Ben my cowriter said it would be interesting to embed this history. I did some research, but I had no idea, and I was a big Dracula/horror reader.
Teen Transgender Writer/Director Talks About Her First Full-Length Film So Vam, Which Features a Drag Queen Vampire Film
Gary M. Kramer: You play with some of the conventions of vampire legends. They are not turned to dust in sunlight, and they can erase memories. What decisions did you make about the vampire characters?
Gary M. Kramer
Gary M. Kramer: What can you say about the film’s tone, which is camp and earnest at the same time? What was your approach to the material?
Alice Maio Mackay: Originally, when Ben [Paul Robinson, Mackay’s cowriter] and I were writing the first draft of the script, these vampires were going to take on eating all these people for revenge, but then, where do the bodies go? They can’t hide them, so that’s how we came up with the bodies melting. The whole memory wipe was how vampires have different superpowers in the past. This can benefit the story well, so we went with that.
17-year-old transgender writer/director Alice Maio Mackay’s low-budget horror film So Vam, now on Shudder, provides a nifty queer twist on the vampire genre. Kurt (Xai) is a bullied gay high school student in Australia who wants to be a drag queen. When he is “changed” by Landon (Chris Asimos), who feeds on outcasts, Kurt becomes a vampire. Meanwhile, April (Grace Highland) teaches him how to use his powers to fight evil and homophobia by “taking blood from those who don’t deserve it”—such as two men running a conversion therapy camp. Kurt also finds love with Andy (Tumelo Nthupi). Mackay chatted with me for the San Francisco Bay Times about So Vam, which shows how Kurt is empowered as both a vampire and a drag queen.
Gary M. Kramer is the author of “Independent Queer Cinema: Reviews and Interviews,” and the co-editor of “Directory of World Cinema: Argentina.” Follow him on Twitter @garymkramer
The son of a Fascist army officer, Pasolini produced films that exam ine the Fascist experiment in Italy, the fervor of nationalism, and the disdain of the rich for the poor. His films often spotlight the lives of Italy’s working poor, includ ing everyday citizens as well as sex Pasolini’sworkers. early literary works attempted to resolve his Christian and Marxist ideologies. His first novel, Ragazzi di Vita (1955), on which his film Accattone is loosely based, featured a protagonist who is a young street hustler. The book caused obscenity charges to be filed against Pasolini, the first of many instances in which his art led him to interact with the legal system. A prominent player in the post WWII cultural scene in Rome, Pasolini was part of a coterie of talented artists, including writer Alberto Moravia, writer Elsa Morante, and opera star Maria Callas, whom he cast in her only film appearance in Medea. His decision, long before the modern LGBTQ rights movement, to make his own homosexuality the subject of his poetry and novels was, at the time, CinemaItaliaSFscandalous.will present a range of his work, from the sublime to the difficult, in the spirit of the freedom of expression that Pasolini passionately espoused. The Homage serendipitously coincides with the 100th anniversary of the Castro “ThoughTheatre. he was a filmmaker for just over a decade, Pasolini’s impact on cinema is profound,” shared B. Rondeau, Senior Director of Film Programs at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. “An openly gay man and outspoken critic of capitalism and Europe’s bourgeois establishment, Pasolini remained in the crosshairs of the elite for his entire career, which ended tragically when he was murdered weeks before the premiere of his most incendi ary condemnation of the upper classes: Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom. He was 53 years old.”
An entire day of works paying homage to filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini (1922–1975) on the 100th anniversary of his birth will be shown at the Castro Theatre on Saturday, September 10, 2022. Pasolini 100: Homage to Pier Paolo Pasolini will fol low the complete retrospective that Cinecittà premiered earlier this year at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. Pasolini, who was also a noted poet, novelist, journalist, Marxist, and openly gay man, passionately fought against government corruption, material ism, and social repression.
Pasolini 100: Homage to Pier Paolo Pasolini Will Be Presented at Castro Theatre on September 10
18 SAN FRANCISCO BAY TIMES AUGUST 25 , 2022 SAN FRANCISCO BAY TIMES LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2022)
“Presented almost in preserved 35mm prints, realized by Cinecittà and Cineteca di Bologna, this small selection of movies traverses Pasolini’s main periods: his rein vention of Italian neorealism as a potently lyrical vehicle for dev astating portraits of modern life (Accattone, Mamma Roma); his searing portraits of the deprav ity of European society and his shocking one-two punch of the cel ebratory Trilogy of Life, a celebra tion of the primal pleasures of sex set in antiquity, and its antithesis, the devastatingly bleak World War II horror show Salò.”
The schedule includes: 10:30 am - Pasolini, about the filmmaker’s mysterious final days; 12:30 pm - Mamma Roma, Pasolini’s second feature and star ring Anna Magnani; 3 pm - Accattone, Pasolini’s first feature, regarded as one of cine ma’s great debuts; 6 pm - Medea, starring Maria Callas in a rare non-operatic role; 8 pm–10 pm - La Roma di Pasolini Mezzanine Reception, where Rudy of C’era una Volta restaurant will create a Roman atmosphere for selected guests in the Castro 10Mezzanine;pm-Salò, Pasolini’s infamous final film. For more information and to pur chase https://tinyurl.com/yanpyreytickets:
Video Tributes to His Career at 100 https://bit.ly/3Cp5QVChttps://bit.ly/3wmmiCc
SAN FRANCISCO BAY TIMES AUGUST 25 , 2022 19
Has Jan lost it this time? Fat is some thing to be ashamed of ... hidden as best as one can and forcing one to be banished to the edges of society. I beg to differ. It is a loaded word many people dislike. It is a word that can be so hurtful that Tracy Turnblad’s mother never leaves home (Hairspray reference!). But as we know, sometimes self-acceptance is truly liberating.
Fit, Fat, and Fabulous: Kili Big Follows Plus-Sized Women’s
https://www.kilibig.com/Forhttps://tinyurl.com/jysyrm45service:moreinformation: Jan Wahl is a Hollywood histo rian, film critic on various broadcast outlets, and has her own YouTube channel series, “Jan Wahl Showbiz.” She has two Emmys and many awards for her longtime work on behalf of film buffs and the LGBTQ community. Contact her at www.janwahl.com Journey to Mount Kilimanjaro
“The dance party you see in the film was very special,” she added. “They picked me up! As a fat woman, you don’t often get that experience. It was beautiful. There were two top guys, the most experi enced guys. Andrew was amazing. There were a number of women porters. I asked the women to teach me how to say ‘fat women are amazing’ in Swahili. It was such a delight! Our director also made us feel cared for and safe. She is a great “Therefilmmaker.”weremore straight women on the trek than queer,” Bogdanove said. “Being queer was something that definitely helped. When we are marginalized and made ‘other’ and told we do not belong, we can learn a fierceness that is necessary for sur vival. That fierceness informed the trek for me: if you can meet it head on, it makes you stronger. Not everybody makes it. I hiked that mountain for everybody. It was a privilege. I brought home grace. I learned about grace in my body and in the planet.” Thank you, Eve, and to everyone who made this movie possible. The documentary has been shown at a number of festivals and has won several awards. You can catch the film via the Chicken Soup for the Soul streaming
“Fatwithgrowus.theweremostlythoughunobtrusive.pletelylowingcamerasThreeI’vechallengingmostthingeverdone.peoplewithwerefolus,comlovelyandEventheywereskinny,theynotafraidofmaterialorofIwatchedthemcomfortabletheword‘fat.’”isanadjectivebut it became a slur,” Bogdanove added. “People have attached morality, human characteristics, and judgement to the word. I don’t think there is any thing to be ashamed about. It’s an adjective, period. The impact of all that judgement is deadly for some: eating disorders, suicide, depression. All of that is unnecessary because it is only fat. People think fat is a med ical issue. It is sometimes the conse quence of an underlying disorder, like diabetes, but it is not the dis ease. I’m realistic about all that.” “I only knew one woman [from the group] before; we were tentmates on the trek,” she shared. “I got to know the others online in the year we were training. I was able to attend one in-person get together in Western New York where we tried out our winter gear. Some of them had never been in snow before! When I signed up, I assumed every one was fine with the word ‘fat,’ but it turned out all of us were in differ ent parts of our fat identity. I got to see women step into their power as a fat person. Many went from shame and fear to understand that it is just a Bogdanoveword.”continued, “The rela tionship with the porters was one of my favorites. There were guides and porters, both wonderful: 50 guides and 50 porters. They said from the beginning: ‘We are your brothers. Your journey to the top of the mountain is our prize, too.’ They loved us.”
A perfect example of 20 proud, plussized women is a terrific new docu mentary Kili Big. Directed by Ida Joglar, the film allows us to follow these women as they climb ... get ready ... Mount Kilimanjaro. In Tanzania, it is the tallest freestanding mountain in the world. From the training through the climb, this diverse group is nothing if not badass (in a most identifiable way!). It is hearty representation through per sonal stories and self-acceptance, but the documentary also dazzles with gorgeous scenery and exciting locales. Filmmaker Joglar gives us a deep appreciation for the native guides who provide the women with strength, kindness, music, and love. The featured group of women is of all ages, gay and straight, in business and at home. But even the most reti cent in terms of personality is flip ping societal expectations and stig mas. Each explains their journey, which to many of us seems insane. Their enthusiasm is infectious; their fierce commitment inspiring. Eve Bogdanove is one of those brave women. She lives in Western Massachusetts and is a trained social worker and psychotherapist. She has been out as a lesbian for 41 years. Chatting with her recently for the San Francisco Bay Times was a joy. “I had done a series of chal lenges in my life since I turned fifty,” she told me. “I wanted to improve my fitness. I have a big personality and am pretty larger than life. I had recently had my eye removed due to an illness and was feeling the fragility of being alive. I thought, I need to have a big challenge. I like to live among my peers so I thought if twenty fat women are climbing together—hey, me too.”
She continued, “I never did any kind of altitude. Fortunately, I trained and my trainer taught Off the Wahl Jan Wahl me cardio. I did become quite ill on the mountain and that was the hardest thing. Altitude sick ness distorts your thinking and zaps your Climbingenergy.that last bit was the
Eve Bogdanove Filmmaker Ida Joglar Scene from
Kili Big
Bittersweet (nonfiction- hardbound) by Susan Cain In her latest masterpiece, the author of the bestselling phenomenon Quiet reveals the power of a bittersweet, melancholic outlook on life, and why our culture has been so blind to its value. If you’ve ever wondered why you like sad music, or if you find comfort or inspiration on a rainy day, then you probably will identify with the bittersweet state of mind. Razorblade Tears (fiction/mysterypaperback) by S.A. Cosby Now in paperback in time for the end of summer travel is this page-turner that highlights a Black father, a white father, two murdered gay sons, and a quest for vengeance. Provocative and fast-paced, S. A. Cosby’s Razorblade Tears is a story of bloody retribution, heartfelt change, and maybe even redemption.
Thursday, September 8 @ 5 pm (free in store - Ferry Building) Jilian Medoff, author of When We Were Bright and Beautiful The acclaimed, bestselling author of This Could Hurt returns with her biggest, boldest novel yet: an electrifying, twisty, and deeply emotional family drama, set on Manhattan’s glittering Upper East Side, which explores the dark side of love, the limits of loyalty, and the high cost of https://www.bookpassage.com/truth. FROMRECOMMENDATIONSBOOKPASSAGE
Upcoming Events
Sunday, August 28 @ 5:30 pm (free online event) - Keith Corbin author of California Soul: An American Epic of Cooking and Survival California Soul is a sharply crafted and unflinchingly honest memoir about gangs, drugs, cooking, and living life on the line—both on the streets and in the kitchen—from one of the most exciting stars in the food world today.
Wednesday, August 31 @ 6 pm (free in store - Corte Madera) Katherine Blunt author of California Burning This book presents a revelatory, urgent narrative with national implications, exploring the decline of California’s largest utility company that led to countless wildfires—including the one that destroyed the town of Paradise—and the human cost of infrastructure failure.
Nevada by Imogen Binnie We’re partial to novels with protagonists who work in bookstores, and this is one! It’s also an edgy, funny, punky trans novel that everyone should read.
From Gay to Z: A Queer Compendium by Justen Elizabeth Sayre
Do you need a crash course in queer? If so, this is your book, with scores of witty, informative entries about iconic queeroes and cultural artifacts.
A Woman’s Battles and Transformations by Édouard Louis
All This Could Be Different (fictionhardbound) by Sarah Thankam Mathews This is a captivating debut novel of a young immigrant building a new life for herself, post college in the Midwest. She lands a new, unsatisfactory corporate job to help her parents in India, while embarking on her first love when trouble threatens her seemingly stable new life. A saga of queer love, work, and friendship, the book will sneak up on you and grab your heart.
Michele Karlsberg: LGBTQ+ activists were on the frontlines of activism throughout the COVID19 pandemic—fighting for health equity, safer sex information, prison abolition, and more. This activism is detailed in the new anthology Crisis and Care: Queer Activist Responses to a Global Pandemic (PM Press) edited by Adrian Shanker, with a foreword by Rea Carey. Here is an excerpt from one of the contributing authors, Zephyr Williams, who is the Deputy Director of the nonprofit Black & Pink National ( https://www.blackandpink.org/ ):
Michele Karlsberg
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Crisis and Care: Queer Activist Responses to a Global Pandemic Words
Writing with a precision reminiscent of James Baldwin, Louis continues his chronicles of working-class French malaise. But this book is much more upbeat, more of a How Edouard Louis’ Mom Got Her Groove Back. https://www.fabulosabooks.com/ Lit Snax are dangerously overcrowded, unhy gienic, violent, and dehumanizing institutions. It wasn’t a question of if COVID-19 would spread through correctional facilities but when. Jails and prisons are not designed for people, let alone for prevent ing the spread of a deadly virus. Social distancing is near physically impossible in an eight by six–foot cell crowded with people. Meals are mostly communal, with incarcer ated people seated elbow to elbow. Personal protective equipment and cleaning supplies were also in short supply. Frequent handwashing is dif ficult when soap is not readily avail able. Most people on the inside are not provided with soap; they must buy it from the commissary. During COVID-19, correctional facilities simply didn’t have it. In many facil ities, alcohol-based hand sanitizer is considered contraband. Like many other community organi zations, Black & Pink rallied behind our people. We raised rapid response funds and resources through crowd funding, mutual aid networks, and emergency grants. This allowed us to put money on our incarcerated peo ple’s books so they could purchase needed Post-COVID-19,items. will be a rare moment of opportunity. The mere fact that correctional facilities across the country were releasing incarcer ated people in droves signaled that perhaps just reforming prisons isn’t the answer. Maybe we shouldn’t be incarcerating this many people in the first place. Was our way of bringing people to “justice” always this way? Can we move beyond reforms to something more restorative, more Wetransformative?can,andwe are. (Copies of Crisis and Care are available through local bookstores, and online at www.pmpress.org/crisisandcare )
Topyourof stack
The first year of the COVID-19 pan demic was intense, a veritable game of social justice whack-a-mole. It felt like every time we started getting an ounce of control over one situation another one would pop up, laughing mania cally as we pivoted to restrategize. Then came George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Dion Johnson, and Tony McDade. All Black people. All mur dered by cops. Enough was finally enough. Communities across the country rose up to face down the dynamics of power, privilege, and race and demanded a new way of life. The resounding message was clear. The tools of oppression are too costly to ignore or sustain any longer. COVID-19 made visible what those of us on the ground, community orga nizations and activists alike, have known for years. Prisons and jails
WilliamsZephyr is a queer, gen der ingadvocatecreatrixliberatedandstrivtowards collective liberation and prison abo lition through a transformative jus tice practice. They bring over a decade of experience challenging the oppressive systems that perpet uate violence on the trans and queer community. As Deputy Director of Strategy & Organizational Health for Black & Pink, he organizes to dismantle the prison system and creates https://www.michelekarlsberg.compaigns.yearsThislicityManagementMichelebreak,lyzingcurledspareityloveflamesageisclearestpractices.transformativetrauma-informedcommunity-centered,restorativeandprogrammingandWilliamsbelievesthepathtocollectiveliberationbyreignitingthatsparkofcourwithineachofusthatfansourofembodiedworthinessandsowefeelsecureinourabiltoimaginepossibility.Intheirtime,Zephyrcanbefoundupwithagoodbook,ananatalcharts,havingadanceortravelingthetrails.KarlsbergMarketingandspecializesinpubfortheLGBTQ+community.year,Karlsbergcelebrates33ofsuccessfulmarketingcamFormoreinformation:
This Month at the Castro
Castro Farmers’ Market Manager Mia
At the Castro Farmers’ Market, Rink and other San Francisco Bay Times team members admired the fresh greens mixes and tomatoes at Happy Boy Farms, and the colorful selections at Fifth Crow Farm, Jacob’s Farm, Allard Farms, and more. Get to know the farmers and where their produce comes from. Allard Farms, for example, is located in Westley in Stanislaus County that lies at the base of the Diablo Range and has a population of only 603! to Castro Farmers’ Market Manager Mia Simmans at the Information Booth. For recipes and more information about the Castro Farmers’ Market and other Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association markets, go https://www.pcfma.org/castroto: Farmers’
Market Castro Farmers’ Market Brings Tastes of the Season By Debra Morris Photos by Rink
Simmans (right) Donna’s Tamales booth Third Wheel Coffee Mobile Espresso Bar Shoup booth Fifth Crow Farm booth Allard Farms booth Happy Boy Farms tomatoes
SAN FRANCISCO BAY TIMES AUGUST 25 , 2022 21
Juicy peaches, flavorful tomatoes, jewel-like eggplants, delicious watermelons, and sweet corn are just some of the produce available at Bay Area farmers’ markets at this bountiful time of year.
Be sure also to say hello
RESTAURANTGREENSOFCOURTESYPHOTORESTAURANTGREENSOFCOURTESYPHOTOKHOURINADERBYPHOTORESTAURANTGREENSOFCOURTESYPHOTO RESTAURANTGREENSOFCOURTESYPHOTO
The Gay Gourmet David
Bay Times Dines SAN FRANCISCO BAY TIMES LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2022)
The Gay Gourmet spoke recently with Chef Katie for the San Francisco Bay Times about trends in vegetarian cuisine, her rise to such an important position at a young age, and her thoughts about the role of female chefs in the industry.
Katie Reicher: When I attended the CIA, you had to complete a fourmonth internship at any restaurant of your choosing. I had never been away from my home in New York. I thought, let me go as far away as I can and find something that is vege table-based. I do eat meat, but I think it’s better for the environment to eat
Chef Katie Reicher
friendly,Everyonepartlovedoors,thesteppedmomentFromwasAnnieGreens—andappliedgreatandthingseason,longestsense.Californiavegetables.madeIthasthegrowingeveryislocal,there’saculture.ItoSomervillesoamazing.theIthroughblackwalnutIwasinwitheveryofGreens.wasandquickly
CelebratingLandis
sweet). It adds a light ness to the sunflower butter tomatillopoblanoinspiredChefpesandoriginalIt’savailableanddo.flowertoppedtomushroomsseeds,Purslane,dressing.sunflowercucumbers,andareaddedthesalad,whichiswithspicysunseedsandavocaIalsolovethecornzucchinienchiladas,atdinneronly.ahealthymixofandnewrecipesoneofthefirstreciIwroteasExecutivetwoyearsago.It’sbyourstuffedpepper—thesauceisanold recipe and the rancho gordo beans are a bit dif ferent but reminiscent, with sherry vinaigrette and cilantro. The pobla no pepper had goat cheese, so I kept that with the enchiladas. Gay Gourmet: I’d like to give a shout-out to your servers, including Becky, who delivered a first-class brunch to us.
Gay Gourmet: Is most of your produce sourced from Green Gulch Farms? Katie Reicher: A good portion is, but we have a huge network of farm ers, mostly from the Ferry Plaza. The San Francisco Zen Center opened Greens originally and the Zen Center owns Green Gulch. Their practices have shaped our kitchen culture. Gay Gourmet: What are your favorite dishes on the menu? Katie Reicher: My favorites change all the time. Right now, I love our yuba noodle salad, but it may leave the menu soon. My farmer said they were growing sunflower sprouts and it made me think of a noodle salad, because of the texture and thickness. I ran with that theme instead of peanut sauce—sunflower koji vinaigrette (fermented rice that’s
Chef Katie Reicher at Green Gulch
22 SAN FRANCISCO BAY TIMES AUGUST 25 , 2022 athlete, so nutrition made sense. I realized early on that I wasn’t inter ested in the science, so I dropped out of Cornell. While figuring out my life, I got a job at Hudson Valley Cakery, where I thought, this was what I wanted to do. I enrolled in the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) at that point. Gay Gourmet: How did you end up at Greens?
Katie Reicher: They’re phenome nal, which is no easy task these days. All of this goes back to our Buddhist roots. Greens has always treated peo ple with respect, encouraged learn ing, and supported teamwork. We moved the kitchen employees to a living wage model. The line cooks are making much more money than they did before, and they can work just one job. We’re a restaurant that Celebrating vegetables and female chefs for 43 years, Greens Restaurant in San Francisco is the gold standard for upscale, vegetarian cuisine. From its humble beginnings as part of the San Francisco Zen Center (which runs Green Gulch farms, one impor tant source for the restaurant’s pro duce), Greens sowed its roots during the hippie era of tofu, whole grain breads, and organic produce. Now that plant-based and vegetarian menus are all the rage, it’s as popular and creative as ever. Not to mention its Fort Mason location, which has sweeping views of the San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge. There are even more reasons to return to Greens after all this time: a sparkling new, covered, outdoor par klet with a peekaboo view of the bay that’s super dog-friendly; a craft cocktail program from Seth Corr that delivers vegetable-based yet tasty and innovative drinks (think Gin & Celery Tonic); a dinner series with visiting chefs (the next one is September 28 with Ethiopian chef Adiam Tsegaye of Mela Bistro in Oakland); and most of all, a vibrant, young, new Executive Chef—Katie Reicher—who’s grown up through the ranks at Greens, and is making her Let’smark.start with Chef Katie. She takes the mantle after a long line of impressive female chefs at Greens, including: founding chef Deborah Madison; recently departed Denise St. Onge; and the legendary Annie Somerville, who reigned supreme for more than 30 years, transformed America’s idea of vegetarian cooking into a class of its own, and authored numerous, best-selling cookbooks.
Buttermilk Challah French Toast
Vegetables at San Francisco’s Greens Restaurant
Gay Gourmet: Tell me a little bit about your background. What was your inspiration for entering the culinary world?
Katie Reicher: Growing up in the Hudson Valley, I had never really considered culinary to be a career in its own right. But most of my fond memories were surrounded by food. My Italian grandma would walk around the living room with a meat ball and a fork moments before din ner was ready. My mom always had a garden, chickens, bees, crops, and vegetables. I’d help her prepare mas sive holiday meals. We stuck to our traditions. That’s how I gravitated towards seasonal cuisine. I was a straight A student and went to Cornell as a nutrition major. I had always loved food and I was an
Katie Reicher: Everything panned out in a beautiful way. I started at Greens when I was 21, I was a sous chef by 24 and Executive Chef by 26. It went by quickly, but I have the training. Some people bounce around, but I was getting a crash course. I’m young, but motivated, smart, and passionate about cooking. I had a lot of strong, important experiences at Greens. Gay Gourmet: What is your vision for Greens? Are you changing the direction of the Katierestaurant?Reicher: My plan is to keep as much the same as possible. There have been a few changes. The big gest change is how often we change the menu: now, half the menu changes every month. It helps us keep things hyper-seasonal and interesting to our guests. While the bones are the same, the soul of Greens is still celebrating vegetables. But I am 28 and I use miso more than Annie did, so there are new ingredients, new methods, and dif ferent cooking techniques. Also, we have brought 100% of our bread production in-house; we’ve changed our “Greens to Go” concept: now we’re offering not just pastries or pre-packaged sandwiches, but the entire menu as well. And, we hope to keep the parklet.
Pisco & Grapefruit
Redwood sculpture by Inverness artist J.B. Blunk (1926–2002) at Greens Restaurant
I was adopted into this family. I loved it so much that I moved back the day I graduated to work with Annie as a line cook. I started in 2015 as an intern, and she retired in 2018. I learned a ton from Annie. She is the one who taught me how to think about the seasons, espe cially in California. She taught me that summer produce can last longer than one would think. She was so kind; that’s the reason I stayed at Greens as long as I did. It’s rare to find a restaurant that values employ ees. She would thank staff every day. She’d remember family members’ birthdays, and taught in a kind way. Annie now is happily retired. She’s still my cheerleader. Gay Gourmet: Greens has a long and storied history. And you’re one of the younger chefs at such an important restau rant. Is that intimidating?
SAN FRANCISCO BAY TIMES AUGUST 25 , 2022 23 Bay Times Dines SAN FRANCISCO BAY TIMES LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2022) helps one another. I’m proud to take it a step further. Having a full kitch en staff has allowed us to do well in hiring the front of house. We have had consistent business because we have the employees to manage the business. Our beverage director, Seth, and I provide ingredient lists so people are informed. We have quizzes that we do just for fun. That translates into a great customer experience. I’d like to think that having a female-owned restaurant makes the culture different; there are no big egos or one upmanship.
Katie Reicher: I do feel a sisterhood with the women with whom I work. The women I’m working with are complete and total bad-asses, full of passion. Being a lady chef takes grit. You see each other for your great accom plishments. I’m proud to be part of that. No what—whethermatter a woman or man—you can be not a nice per son. A lot of women have dealt with abuse in kitchens growing up. When you’re at the helm, it’s up to you to change that narrative. Maybe women are more like ly to be more com passionate, but it’s not a general rule. My advice to any chef, no matter their gender, is to break the cycle of toxic kitchen environ ments and embrace teamwork.
Madison Park (in New York). This expansion doesn’t change much for us at Greens. We use minimally pro cessed, high-quality ingredients to get the best result. The core of what we do is still very much the same.
Tassajara inspired meal at Green Gulch
Gay Gourmet: Following up on that, as a female chef in an industry still dominated by men, you also come from a long line of women chefs at Greens. Do you think female chefs bring a different focus to the job?
berries, nectarines, a buttermilk bis cuit, and a clean strawberry sherbet. Additionally, the cocktail menu is creative and fun and the wine list is extensive, with plenty of both California and international offer ings. Note to self: the portions at Greens are substantial and invite Whensharing.I asked Katie to sum up what’s on the docket for Greens, she reflected: “The dinner series is ongoing. Moving forward, I’d like to do a brunch series and work with other chefs as well as an artisan series where I can feature global chefs on the menu. I’m not wellknown yet; I’m a young gun who has only been at Greens. I’m focus ing on connecting with others in the Gocommunity.”now!Greens is every bit as good as the last 43 years, if not better. It’s adventurous, tasty, and healthy, and commands a spectacular view to Greensboot. https://greensrestaurant.com/Restaurant: David Landis, aka “The Gay Gourmet,” is a foodie, a free lance writer and a retired PR maven. Follow him on Instagram @GayGourmetSF or email him at: davidlandissf@ gmail.com Or visit him online at: www.gaygourmetsf.com
Now, since it’s being adopted by so many people, there’s fast food, and there’s fine dining. The theme is to make really good food. Sometimes it’s incredibly complex like Eleven
The Gay Gourmet visited Greens both for a weekend brunch and a weekday lunch on the delightful covered patio, where dogs are wel comed. Standouts at brunch includ ed: pinnacle eggs, with just the right amount of chipotle heat, black beans, potatoes, green and red onions, and homemade corn torti llas; corn and poblano pupusas with two eggs over easy, red, white and green sauce, and avocado; a goldenbrown homemade cornbread (possi bly the best ever) with honey butter; and a gooey cake with fresh straw berries and cream for dessert. For lunch, my pal Leah and I enjoyed splitting the afore mentioned yuba noodle salad (made with soy milk), which was blerwasdealmonds.andfris(yes,yogurt,Blossomthegrilledandhippieofciouslyhouse,ed-rollsgrain,bowl(Leahingmilk,madecorndayformorescrumptioussimplyandthanenoughmylunchthatandthenext;asoupofthedaywithcoconutbothtantalizandcreamylickedtheclean);wholebrownseedmadein-whichdeliremindedmebreadsfrommyyesteryears;someofthebestpeachesofseason,fromBluff,withhothoneythat’sathing!),ée,Thaibasil,toastedThepieceresistancedessertafreshfruitcobmadewithblue
Katie Reicher: Vegetarian food is taking off in a million directions, now that both vegetarian and plantbased approaches are being hon ored as their own cuisines. Part of it is environmental, some is health related. There was this stigma against vegetarian food—people thought “stale bread and sprouts.”
KHOURINADERBYPHOTO RESTAURANTGREENSOFCOURTESYPHOTO Italian Butterbean Stew
Gay Gourmet: What do you think are the lat est trends in vegetarian and plant-based dining?
Jesus Parbol “Buy a farm” Donna Marchesano “Create art collaboratives that will be a healing experience for a better world” Bobbee Trans Mooremon “It would have to be enough to not worry for the rest of my life as I would lose my housing and health coverage as a disabled person.”
Do you have a snapshot of a pet or flowers in your garden or other interesting scene? If so, please share it with us by sending to Publisher@sfbaytimes.com with SNAPSHOTS in the subject line.
Note that through the end of August, all adult dogs and adult cats (5+ months old) are free to adopt! For more information: https://www.sfspca.org/adoptions/ Take Me Home with You!
“Play music all the time” John Daniel “Open an art/music store that could also be a progressive political center”
San Francisco Bay Times designer Beth Greene, visiting New York City this week with family, contributed a selfie showing the The Original Yonah Schimmel Knishery, a stop on her Lower East Side outing that also included a visit to Katz’s Deli.
Photo by Beth Greene
Baker Beach remains a favorite spot for sunbathing and other outdoor activities. This week, San Francisco Bay Times volunteer leader Juan Davila captured an image there of an artful beach sculpture comprised of stones, sticks, seaweed, and other components stacked to create an altar to nature.
“My name is Zephyr! I’m a three-year-old female, shep herd mix looking for my furever family! I am origi nally from Tulare County and arrived in San Francisco with my six puppies in tow. They’ve all found their homes and now it’s my turn. I do not have a lot of experience with human companions but eagerly await my adopter’s welcoming arms. I am known for loving my time in the sun shine and blue skies. I need a forever home with a safe backyard where I can live only with my adult human adopters. Come meet me and let’s Zephyrbond!”isfeatured in the Instagram Speed Dating livestream (10:45) at: Shehttps://tinyurl.com/yck7he5nispresentedto San Francisco Bay Times readers by Dr. Jennifer Scarlett, the SF SPCA’s CEO. Our thanks also go to Paradise Osorio for helping to get the word out about lovable pets like Zephyr. To meet Zephyr, visit the SF SPCA Mission Campus @ 201 Alabama Street. It is open for appointments from 10 am–6 pm (Monday–Wednesday, Friday–Sunday) and 1 pm–6 pm on Thursdays.
Zephyr Steven Luibrand at Fitness “DynamicMid-MarketSFmuscle tension is the key to effective workouts.” Fitness SF Trainer Tip of the MonthTore Kelly, Director of Creative & Social Me dia for Fitness SF, provides monthly tips that he has learned from professional trainers. For more information: https://fitnesssf.com/ Dr. Jennifer Scarlett and Louie
Nate Charnas
San Francisco Bay Times contributing photographer Abby Zimberg is one among many of us who appreciate pets. This calico kitty was snoozing in the sunshine streaming in the win dow of its home located on Grand View Avenue.
What would you do if you won the lottery? compiled by RinkAs Heard on the Street . . .
Photo by Abby Zimberg
Photo by Juan R. Davila
24 SAN FRANCISCO BAY TIMES AUGUST 25 , 2022 SNAPSHOTS
Sister Dana sez, “Crazy Marjorie Taylor Greene has called for the impeachment of Attorney General Merrick Garland. Apparently, she did this on BACKWARDSUPSIDE-DOWNDAY,because the A.G. should impeach MTG!”
ANIncredible!”ARTHAPPENING happened on August 14 at The New Farm, 10 Cargo Way, sponsored by ART SAVES LIVES and curator art ist Thomasina DeMaio. We danced away to live music. On this farm, there were the occasional live strutting chickens and roosters (Sister Dana loves cocks). Featured talented artists mostly on canvas were Matt Pipes, Kelly Eileen Nelson, Ed Terpening, Birdie-Bob Watt, Bill Bowers, Carl Linkhart, CJ Schake, Ramona Soto, Alan Beckstead, Rene Capone, Diane M. Nutting, and, of course, Thomasina DeMaio Mister WA took photos.
By Sister Dana Van Iquity Dennis McMillan (aka Sister Dana) joined friends at an art exhibit opening reception, “An Art Happening,” on Sunday, August 14, at The New Farm, 10 Cargo Way. The exhibit, hosted by Thomasina DeMaio and Art Saves Lives, includes the work of more than 20 artists. http://www.thenewfarmsf.org
On August 11, THE COCKETTES took their final bows (at least for now) at THE JAMES C. HORMEL LGBTQIA+ CENTER for a lovely white wine and Godiva chocolate reception. This was the final day of a months-long tribute to the wild and wonderful drag troupe and their excellently recorded book, The Cockettes: Acid Drag and Sexual Anarchy, 1969–1972 by (actual Cockette, “Fayetta”) Fayette Hauser. Testimonials were given in front of big TV screens showing vari ous classic Cockette films—my fave being Elevator Girls in Bondage. My greatest thrill that day was showing Fayette an old photograph we had posed for way back when she was my “date” to this Tenth Anniversary cele bration gala fundraiser for the SF LGBT Center—I in a temporary red feather boa and she with a fake mus tache on a stick. It gave me such joy to see her laugh so heartily!
Signed by President Joe Biden, the INFLATION REDUCTION ACT invests $370 billion in lowemission energy, extends federal health-insurance subsidies, allows the government to negotiate prescription drug prices for seniors on Medicare, and is expected to reduce the deficit by about $300 billion over ten years. Sister Dana sez, “It was passed overwhelmingly by Democrats. So, Republicans: As Janet Jackson might sing: ‘What Have You Done for US Lately?!’” I have to give props to the ALICE B. TOKLAS LGBTQ DEMOCRATIC CLUB, HARVEY MILK LGBTQ DEMOCRATIC CLUB HIV CAUCUS, and HIV ACTION NETWORK and other supporters who put on the stunning demonstration, DAAMN (DEMAND ACTION MONKEYPOXAGAINSTNOW!)
Sister Dana Sez: Words of Wisdumb from a Fun Nun
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Sister Dana sez, “BURNING MAN officially begins on August 28 this year. But this nun will not be participating in ‘That Thing in the Desert’ this time as he is just too old for camping in the dust—but wishes everyone a safe and very happy trip!”
Sister Dana sez, “Why oh why, Wy-oming, did you pick
Originally started in 1988 by GAPA as an underground house party for LGBTQ+ Asian & Pacific Islanders, Runway has been an annual event for community to gather in safety, solidar ity, and celebration. The event has grown to become widely recognized as one of the longest continuously running QTAPI pageants, drawing celebrity judges from all over the world. As generations of contestants have battled it out through rounds of fashion, talent, and Q&As, Runway has always stayed true to its roots. After a COVID-induced hiatus, Runway returned to the stage live, HARMONIC CONVERGENCE, at the Herbst Theater on August 13. Former GAPA royalty Mr. GAPA Sir Whitney Queers & Miss GAPA Jezebel Patel served as hysterical hosts. After several hours of ten con testants displaying talent, showing off couture, and being grilled over and over and over—the results were the two winners, new royalty, who both chose the title of Mx. GAPA 2022: Obsidienne Obsurd & Siam Pussie (the latter also voted by her peers as Miss Congeniality). Congratulations to all! Sister Dana sez, “Even though an astonishing 59% of Kansas voted for abortion rights, spite ful Republicans raised money to hold expensive hand re-counts resulting in very little difference.
THE SAN FRANCISCO GAY MEN’S CHORUS is pleased to announce the full time hire of Nicolas Perez as Principal Accompanist & Music Supervisor. Artistic Director Jacob Stensberg says, “Nick brings a unique blend of passion and expertise that continues to level up our standard of musical excellence. His heart of gold beats for more than music: he shares in our commitment to foster compassion, build community, and help others. His permanent add to the team bodes very well for the Chorus› future!”
On August 18, I once again enjoyed Zooming in on LOCKDOWN COMEDY with Greg Proops (from LA), Wendy Liebman (also from LA), Ngaio Bealum (from Sacramento), and show producer/ comedian Lisa Geduldig. The fun goes on Zoom every third Thursday at 7 pm. https://tinyurl.com/39hkjtpp
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Demonstrators complained that the MPX outbreak is spreading in our communities, while the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and Food & Drug Administration (FDA) prioritize bureaucracy over preventing and mitigating this outbreak and sup porting impacted communities with resources including access to treat ment. Activists protested outside the regional office of HHS in the Federal Building in downtown San Francisco on August 8, calling on Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra to immediately increase access to treatment, testing, and vaccines for those at risk. We refuse to allow government inaction to continue to cause pain in our communities. While acknowledging that recent federal and state declarations are designed to reduce red tape barriers, we need actions that yield immediate results on the ground, including expanded access to testing, vaccinations, and treatment— as well as looking ahead to longerterm needs like accelerating produc tion of vaccinations. I might add, we should be able to schedule appointments ahead— and not be forced to stand in excruci atingly long, long lines! Sister Dana sez, “We know Trump cannot be President again because of the 14th Amendment, Section 3: ‘No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress ... or hold any office under the United States or any State who ... shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against [the Constitution].’ We DO still believe in the Constitution, don’t we?!”
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Started in 1988, GAPA envisions a powerful queer and transgender Asian and Pacific-Islander (QTAPI) community that is seen, heard, and celebrated. Their mission is to unite their families and allies to build a community through advocacy, inclusion, and love. To find out more about GAPA or to join as a member, go to their website Onhttps://www.gapa.org/atJuly14,the GAPA Board announced that its marquee annual event, RUNWAY, would feature nongendered pageant winner titles. Instead of the two traditional binary categories of Mr. and Miss GAPA, all Runway contestants would compete in one category; the two winners would be determined by highest overall scores and be able to choose whatever honorific they liked after winning, including Miss or Mr. GAPA if they so chose. In divesting from the gender binary, GAPA hoped to foster in a new Runway era marked by inclusion, community-driven organizing, and abundance. The move is in line with the Board’s 2021 decision to change the GAPA name from “Gay Asian Pacific Alliance” to the “GLBTQ+ ASIAN PACIFIC ALLIANCE.” “GAPA is committed to including all of the Queer and Trans Asian Pacific Island community,” said Howard Chan, GAPA chair.
QUEER POP QUIZ
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A novelist (BenDeLaCreme) loses her man (Major Scales) to a Drag Race star (Jinkx Monsoon) and for mer friend, who is looking radiant having taken a mysterious drug from a witch (Peaches) granting eternal life. But immortality has a heavy (if not hilarious) https://www.peacheschrist.com/price.
D) One12of those songs, “100% Pure Love,” was on the charts for 45 weeks! It is still a sexy and danceable delight, as Pridefest goers will soon find out when talented Crystal Waters takes the stage at Pridefest Oakland on September 11.
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On August 20 at the Midnight Sun, KREWE DE KINQUE, a Mardi Gras-themed fundraising social club, held our monthly benefit (pro duced by Krewe de Kinque found er King I Gary Virginia) when King & Queen XVIII Colby Michaels and Christina Ashton (Jason Seneca) presented a $5,300 check to our BAL MASQUE XIX beneficiary, SOUTH OF MARKET HEALTH CENTER Zeke Montejano from the agency was present to gratefully accept the giant check. As everyone knows, it,s been extremely difficult to raise funds in the last two years during the pandemic; yet Colby and Christina and other club members found creative ways to raise funds. And many members helped to make our June Bal Masque XIX a success. Mistress of Ceremonies was Queen XIX Tawdry Hepburnn. Master of Ceremonies was King XIX Mark Hankins (who made deeelicious jam balaya and cornbread for the Beer/ Soda Bust). There was lots of live entertainment of course! The theme this month was “Summer of Puppy Love,” so we saw costumes ranging from Summer of Love to Puppy to the Mardi Gras theme and everything in-between. Beads and masks are also always welcome wear at our parties. Queen VII Sister Dana was dressed as an old hippie “flower child” nun happily taking donations at the door. Peaches Christ makes her triumphant revisit to Live Acting at the Castro Theatre, August 27, 4 pm & 8 pm in the return of DRAG BECOMES HER—an uproarious theatrical parody of the 1992 campclassic “DEATH BECOMES HER.”
DJ Lamont (right) of Fingersnaps Media Arts with friends and crew ( http://www.fingersnaps.com )A couple and their pup at Sunday Streets on Valencia Sunday Streets - Valencia Photos by Rink LGBT community members, including DJ Lamont who teaches DJ skills to those wishing to enter the field, and others were at the Sunday Streets Valencia Street event on July 10. The family friendly Sunday Streets program will host two more events in the next two months: one in the Western Addition on September 18, and Phoenix Day on October 16. http://www.sundaystreetssf.com
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Sister Dana sez, “S.O.S. in the Castro Theatre! Save Our Seats! Don’t rip out our hearts and rip out the seats! Take your muthah freakin’ mosh pit elsewhere!!!” ANSWER (Question on pg 17)
SISTER DANA (continued from page 25)
Dancers at Sunday Streets on Valencia Street, July 10
democracy-denying Harriet Hageman (‘The Hag’) over Representative Liz Cheney? As a state famous for your cattle, why are you following the likes of Trump, that horse’s ass?!”
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Krewe de Kinque Founder Gary Virginia was at the microphone during the charitable club’s Check Granting Party at the Midnight Sun on August 20. Zeke Montejano of the South of Market Health Center received the check, which was in the amount of $5300. Fundraiser Deana Dawn gave a peace sign to her friend Gary Virginia at the “Summer of Puppy Love” benefit. Artists Andrea Fuenzalida (left) and Donna Marchesano displayed artworks at their tables in front of the Friends With Benedict’s Pop Up Brunch at 1233 Polk Street on August 14.
A memorial was also posted, including many snapshots with friends, for Israel Nieves-Rivera, who was a longtime AGUILAS supporter and staff member at the San Francisco Department of Public Health. Read more about him on page 8 of this issue in Dr. Eduardo Morales’ column.
CASTRO presented http://sfbaytimes.com/by STREET CAM
Empress Marlena (second from left) wore a fancy black hat to the Annual High Tea in Honor of Empress I José Sarria. A friendly “best hat” competition is a trademark of the event.
A-Shade Portable Beach Tent: Here is a new design of a pop-up tent from Picnic Time. Large and easy to set up, it provides great shade on hot days at the beach. $120.99 WickerCanastaBasket Create your own picnic setup with this quality wicker picnic basket. The flat lid can double as a table. Two sizes are available. Starting at $96.99 Rink Remembers
Host Galilea (second from left), along with other royals, enjoyed the Annual High Tea in Honor of Empress I José Sarria held this year at Cinch Saloon on August 20.
Items of the week
Round About - All Over Town Photos by Rink
Photos by Rink
Also posted at Hibernia Beach was a tribute to Patrick Gregory Pahilga (1957–2022) who died on June 14 after battling pancreatic cancer. He was a Host Sponsor of the Sundance Stompede and supported other local events and nonprofits. His family, originally from the Philippines, was one of several from that country who formed an association at Saint Patrick’s Catholic Church on Mission Street and worked towards social justice for AAPI individuals. Pahilga’s friend Janet Liu established a CaringBridge site for him during his illness. Pahilga was buried at the Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery in Colma
Guests at the August 11 closing party for The Cockettes: Acid Drag & Sexual Anarchy exhibit at the SF Public Library’s Hormel Center wore Cockettes-inspired clothing.
Filmmaker Hassan Zee received applause from the audience when he spoke at the screening of his award-winning film Pakistani Chainsaw Massacre: A Love Story held at the SF Main Public Library on August 10.
Former Cockettes Fayette Hauser and Scrumbly Koldewyn shared a greeting during the closing party for the Cockettes exhibit held at the Hormel Center of the San Francisco Public Library on August 11.
San Francisco Bay Times lead photographer Rink visited Hibernia Beach on Monday, August 15, and reported memorials posted there, includ ing one for singer/actress Olivia Newton-John (1948–2022), who passed on August 8 after a long battle with breast cancer. The Grease star and fourtime Grammy Award winner was beloved in the LGBTQ+ community for being a longtime ally and for some of the projects she worked on. The music video for her song “Physical,” for example, with its scantily clad, buff men and colorful 1981 gym fashions, was described by PinkNews as being “literally the gayest thing on Earth.” Newton-John was also known for her support of environmental and animal rights. She served as an ambassador to the United Nations Environmental Program, and was a spokesperson for the Children’s Health Environ-Mental Coalition. She additionally supported the Red Cross, the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, the Rainforest Alliance, and Concept Cure.
