San Francisco Bay Times - September 24, 2020 by San Francisco Bay Times

BAY TIMES S

LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area

CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2020)

(1933–2020)

PHOTO BY JUAN R. DAVILA

The Glorious Notorious RBG

COURTESY OF JOAN BAEZ AND SEAGER GRAY GALLERY

September 24–October 7, 2020 http://sfbaytimes.com

The Glorious Notorious RBG GLBT Fortnight in Review What Now?

Courtesy of Joan Baez and Seager Gray Gallery

If we are to survive the crisis brought on by the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, we must win both the presidency and the Senate. And then we must go to war. I believe in incremental change, as long as the increments are significant and as long as they keep moving in the right direction. But assuming the Republicans fast forward a hard-right nominee and place him or her on the High Court, I’m all for massive change. I’m all for ending the filibuster and expanding the Court, possibly reforming it with term limits and/ or some of the other arcane suggestions we’ve heard. I also support making Washington, D.C., a state, and Puerto Rico as well, with the islanders’ consent. Then let’s pass a buttload of progressive legislation. Let’s make the New Deal and the Great Society look like the breakfast buffet at the Days Inn compared to the feast we produce for the coming generations. Eggs Benedict, brioches, quiches, bacon, grits, and pancakes with every fruit you can imagine. Endless bellinis with just a tiny bit of fresh peach and cases of cold Bollinger. Let’s let Amy Barrett or whomever Trump picks add her voice to a larger choir, where she and her ilk won’t block out the sound of reason or hope. Let’s watch the Republican Party destroy itself and let’s watch something different rise from the ashes. A loyal opposition that may still be conservative, but contains within it a degree of sanity that recognizes climate change, inequality, the value of immigration, and the need for health care and infrastructure. On the eve of this election, it already feels like a turning point in American history. Let’s turn sharply then, all of us together—or most of us if you don’t count the QAnon brigade. Let’s make America great again, for real. Any Hope Here? Is there a chance the Republican Senate will fail to seat a Trump nominee? Yes, I think there is that chance. But I’ve also had my optimism crushed in the past, and I can’t bear to push my heart into the middle of the table on that particular scenario. Mel and I have been busy trying to research congressional rules. What if none of the Democrats show up for hearings?! What if people abstain? What if this? What if that? We don’t really know. Our hasty internet searches don’t tell us. We watch MSNBC for clues, and find it too depressing. And what happens if a Trumper makes it onto the Court and we can’t or won’t expand the number of justices? The results are so horrific, for our community and our country, that it’s hard to speculate. Hmmm. I wonder what would happen if we stood in the middle of the interstate at one in the morning? Perhaps the oncoming traffic would swerve to avoid us. Maybe only a few cars and trucks would be out at that hour. Maybe we’d get sideswiped and wind up on the median, bruised but basically okay. But we don’t really have to

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go down the list of possibilities for a 6–3 conservative Court, do we? In the end, we know we’re going to be roadkill. Overturning Roe v Wade won’t make abortion illegal overnight, but it will in some states. We’ll have to rely on the conscience of state lawmakers to preserve a routine procedure that is supported by a majority of Americans and which gives women agency over their own lives. Gay and trans rights won’t be overturned or revoked perhaps, but they will be superseded by individual and corporate “faith” that will create, not a loophole, but a giant gap in civil rights laws and policies. Affirmative action will be gone. Gun rights will be completely unchecked. Environmental rules and workplace regulations will be off the table. A new justice is not likely to be in a position to hear oral arguments on Obamacare, which are scheduled a week after the election. But a 4–4 tie will effectively send the case back to the highly conservative lower court that has suggested that the (now-dead) individual mandate presents a fatal flaw in the Affordable Care Act. If Democrats don’t win the Senate and the presidency, that could end health insurance for, what is it? Twenty million people? I don’t feel like looking that up. Even if this case slides through somehow, the next challenge could kill it and the Republicans could offer one of their “skinny” replacements. Well, you can see the headlights racing towards us. Hold My Beer Do you wish Ginsburg had retired under Obama? I suppose, in hindsight, that would have been nice. But she would have had to do it early. Can you imagine if McConnell had held her seat open too and then let a seven-member Court preside for ten months? Would you have put that past him? Four years ago, I was one of those people who wasn’t that upset about Merrick Garland, the moderate nominee whom Obama suggested as a strategic choice. I was waiting for President Clinton to name a younger, more liberal candidate. As for Ginsburg, by the time the election year rolled around, I also wanted Clinton to name her replacement. Sometimes, I think about smug Jim Comey and I just want to belt him. Ditto Jill Stein. No, this disaster wasn’t Ginsburg’s fault. I won’t try to add to the many eulogies we are seeing in the media, although I recommend the piece by Linda Greenhouse in The New York Times. Of the many cases Ginsburg brought before the Court, however, the one that stands out at the moment is the 1976 sex discrimination case of Craig v Boren, a challenge to an Oklahoma law that banned men from buying 3.2 beers until they were 21, but allowed women to buy this watered down abomination at age 18. I had thought Ginsburg argued the case, which wasn’t true, but she sat at the counsels table, wrote

(1933–2020)

By Ann Rostow

an amicus brief, and designed the strategy that built on her earlier efforts. The majority not only ruled for the hapless male plaintiff, but they also ruled that sex discrimination must be examined with heightened scrutiny, and be substantially related to the achievement of a specific and important government objective. Three months ago, in ruling that GLBT discrimination was a form of sex discrimination, the 6–3 Court effectively raised our community to that higher level of legal scrutiny, a goal towards which GLBT lawyers have been aiming for years. We got there via Ginsburg, not just via her vote last June, but via her life’s work. Climate Change A few commentators have remarked that Ginsburg was once thought too wishy washy on feminism by the left wing of the day back in 1993. After Roe, she wondered whether the justices had gone too far. As Greenhouse quoted her in a speech just prior to her nomination to the Court, Ginsburg noted: “The framers of the Constitution allowed to rest in the court’s hands large authority to rule on the Constitution’s meaning” but “armed the court with no swords to carry out its pronouncements,” she said, adding that the court had to be wary of “taking giant strides and thereby risking a backlash too forceful to contain.” It’s true that the courts must rely on at least some consensus between the three branches of government. In the most obvious instance, the Brown Court needed the president to send troops to Little Rock to enforce desegregation. As for the right to an abortion, which Ginsburg also called “central to a woman’s life, to her dignity,” the Roe Court has left us with a political issue that has riled the country for nearly half a century. Today, the intensity of this debate has jumped the shark into pelagic depths of illogic, where the lives of immigrants, COVID-19 patients, and impoverished children seem to matter not at all, while a zygote, or even a swimming sperm, has become an individual cherished by God. Abortion has become a litmus test for Christianity and family values, even as those values are seemingly ignored in dozens of other contexts. It’s possible that this now-mindless culture war will decide our fate as single-issue evangelicals head for the polls. But I’m guessing that some of them, along with some GOP leaders, may start to feel like the dog that caught the car. Do they have daughters who might become teenaged mothers? Do they have sons, who might be paying child support before they graduate from college? Do they have grandchildren who might be alive to watch some of the great cities burn or flood? Do they have preexisting conditions? In another quote from Greenhouse’s obituary, Ginsburg herself quotes constitutional law professor Paul Freund: “Judges do read the newspapers and are affected, not by the weather of the day, but by the climate of the era.”

So, what is the climate of the era? Is it as bleak as it seems? Or is this the dark before the dawn? How frustrating to be trapped in moments of time when we’re so desperate to see the future. Game Over! I just checked my last column to make sure I don’t repeat one of the topics I covered previously, and it was like looking through a time warp. First, I mused about the transgender rights case involving Gavin Grimm heading back to the High Court. Subsequently, I breezily noted that the High Court was never going to support whatever crazy bull crap Trump might send them in a last-ditch effort to steal a second term after he loses to Joe Biden. You may recall that Gavin Grimm won his Title IX discrimination case before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit last month. Normally, the same Court that just ruled 6–3 that transgender Americans are protected under laws against sex discrimination would not be inclined to dispute that Fourth Circuit victory if they were to review it. Now, who knows? Normally, Trump’s baseless legal fireworks fall harmlessly into the sea, Now, who knows? Reviewing my list for this week, I had planned to write some more about transgender discrimination at the Department of Education. I also thought Jerry Falwell, his wife, and the cabana boy deserved a line or two. I saw that the San Antonio airport will be allowed to ban Chick-Fil-A after all. And there’s a case or more about faith-based excuses to discriminate; always a favorite subject in these pages. Now, I’m indifferent to these and other snippets of GLBT news. Even as I’ve been writing this morning has come more bits of depressing information; Mitt Romney has gone to the dark side. Trump will name a successor by Saturday. I find it nauseating that, just as George H.W. Bush replaced the civil rights giant, Thurgood Marshall, with his ideological opposite, Clarence Thomas, Trump plans to nominate a female conservative who will be the antithesis of Ginsburg on the Court. How wrong to put Thomas in for Marshall, or Someone Female in for Ginsburg, keeping up a Black Seat or a Woman’s Seat as if those adjectives somehow made up for the disparity in conviction. I’d almost rather he name a white male. Our only hope now is Trump puts someone forward, and Democrats manage to stall for a few weeks, after which it emerges that the nominee had a roll in the hay with Betty Falwell and the pool boy, in black face, while Jerry watched. The process stalls, we have a massive landslide victory on all counts, Mitt Romney wavers on a lame duck confirmation, and we hold out while Mark Kelly is sworn in to replace McSally on November 30. A girl can still dream. arostow@aol.com

BAY TIMES S

LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2020)

Kate Kendell Reflects on the Life and Legacy of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Photos courtesy of Liam Mayclem

Liam’s LGBTQI List Liam P. Mayclem

Liam Mayclem: When you hear the name Ruth Bader Ginsburg, what comes to mind? Kate Kendell: She made it possible for women to pursue fields that had previously been closed off to them, and one of those fields was the law. What she contributed to the field of justice around gender, sex equality, the rights of LGBT people, and the rights of immigrants was immense. Liam Mayclem: Where were you when you heard the sad news, and how did you react to her passing? Kate Kendell: I was in San Francisco at home and about ready to head to the airport to go to Seattle for a friend’s wedding. A friend called and said, “Have you heard

the news?” And then she told me. I just cried out, “NO, NO, NO!” It was like the loss of a family member. Even though I never met Ruth Bader Ginsburg, I felt like I knew her. I was lucky enough to see her in court twice, first for the 2013 challenge to the Defense of Marriage Act, the Edie Windsor case. I taught her cases to multiple classes at law school as an adjunct professor. She felt like someone dear to my life. Liam Mayclem: What were the landmark decisions she made on the bench that stand out most to you? Kate Kendell: Well, I want to go to 2013 first, only because it was the very first time I was ever at an argument at the Supreme Court.

PHOTO BY MARGOT SCHULMAN

To learn more about this remarkable jurist and one of the LGBTQi community’s greatest and most influential allies, I recently spoke with former NCLR Executive Director and fellow San Francisco Bay Times columnist Kate Kendell, who is now the Legal Director for the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Kate Kendell, Esq., standing in front of the Supreme Court in April, 2015, discussed the oral arguments related to marriage equality.

So, for me, it was just electrifying to be there. And keep in mind this was not just a challenge to the Defense of Marriage Act to federal DOMA, but it was also a challenge to Prop 8. Both cases were argued that bright spring morning.

Justice Ginsburg officiated the wedding ceremony of Michael M. Kaiser (left) and John Roberts in a ceremony held at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in August of 2013.

I felt the sense of reverence. You know, it really can’t be overstated, and as a lawyer who has seen the court very often vindicate the rights of those who have been dispossessed or oppressed. It was just a tremendous experience when the justices walked out. There is literally this large bench that’s in a horseshoe shape, where they all sit around. It’s big and it’s imposing. And RBG was a tiny woman, and she was even tinier as she got older. And when she sat down, you could barely see her forehead, but when she spoke, the entire room held their breath wanting to hear what she had to say. The U.S. solicitor general then, Paul Clement, was defending DOMA and saying that it was perfectly appropriate for couples who have been married by their

PHOTO BY JUAN R. DAVILA

Tributes continue to pour in from all corners of the world, including here in San Francisco, for Supreme Court Justice, civil rights pioneer, and pop icon Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The tributes have been especially evident in the Castro, where a candlelight vigil was held on the evening of her passing, September 18. A cardboard sign with the letters “RBG” now hangs at the corner of 18th & Castro. At Cliff’s Variety, there is even a window mannequin sporting Associate Justice Ginsburg garb.

About Our Cover “Fight for the things you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.” —Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933–2020) Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was not just an iconic jurist. She was also, as Human Rights Campaign President Alphonso David recently said, a force for good. This was particularly true for the LGBTQ community. She helped to improve our lives through her decisions on numerous landmark cases in our civil rights history over the past three decades. Here are just a few examples: • Romer v. Evans (1996): a landmark case dealing with sexual orientation and state laws; • Lawrence v. Texas (2003): established that U.S. laws prohibiting private homosexual activity between consenting adults are unconstitutional; • Obergefell v. Hodges (2015): a ruling that the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples by both the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution; • Bostock v. Clayton County (2020): held that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects employees against discrimination because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. While we all knew that Ginsburg was well into her senior years and battling cancer for the fifth time, the announcement of her passing on September 18 still came as a heartbreaking shock to many of us. The associate justice was just 5’1”, but seemed larger than life given her mental fortitude and ability over the decades to overcome both personal and professional challenges. A candlelight vigil was quickly organized by local politicians and community leaders in the Castro, where hundreds took to the streets to mourn her passing, honor her legacy, and vow: “We won’t let you down, RBG.” The photo from the September 18 nighttime vigil was taken by Juan Davila of the San Francisco Bay Times. The portrait of Ginsburg, The Glorious Notorious RBG, is courtesy of the artist, legendary singer Joan Baez, and Seager Gray Gallery. Baez shared: “Although Ruth Bader Ginsberg outlived herself by far, her death still comes as a seismic shock to this country. What she couldn’t know is that her passing would energize people of all ages and genres and persuasions to strive with renewed purpose for equality and social justice. RBG’s fervent last wish was that she not be replaced until a new president is in office. On November 3, we can help make her dying wish come true. Action is the antidote to despair. VOTE!”

state not to have the right to federal benefits. She said something like, “So, it sounds to me like you’re talking about this thing called full marriage and that gets full benefits, including federal benefits. And then you’re talking about this skimmed milk marriage where you only get state benefits; you don’t get federal benefits.” And, of course, the whole room erupted in laughter. She did that often during an argument. She would just have a quip that would be particularly witty or clever, and I was just so grateful to be in the room. And just to walk in knowing that she was our champion, that she would be on the right side of history and justice. Liam Mayclem: What did you make of RBG’s last wish that the sitting president does not replace her, and what can we do to honor her and that wish? Kate Kendell: Her last wish revealed how concerned she was about corruption, party over country, and the toxic culture by both the administration and the GOP-led Senate. She was a woman who deeply loved democracy, believed in the rule of law, and believed in the court. And to think she was on death’s door and had to be concerned by this administration and their actions, jamming through yet another unqualified nominee. It’s infuriating to me that she had to have that be her last wish. On the second part, what I think we need to do as a community who values our democracy, cares about justice, and deeply, deeply

loves RBG—we need to do everything we can to stop an unjust nomination from going forward again. We must win the White House and take back the Senate, based on their complete trashing of every democratic norm. We need to add justices to the court to delude the vote of whoever this horseman of the apocalypse will be. Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, Alito, and Thomas have an ideological bent that cares nothing about the Constitution unless it’s in service of their own political and ideological views. That is not who we need on this court. “San Francisco Bay Times” columnist Kate Kendell is the Legal Director of the Southern Poverty Law Center and the former Executive Director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), a national legal organization committed to advancing the civil and human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their families through litigation, public policy advocacy, and public education. NCLR’s legal, policy, and legislative victories set important precedents that improve the lives of all LGBT people and their families across the country. Emmy Award-winning radio and television personality Liam Mayclem is regularly featured on KPIX as well as KCBS, where he is the popular Foodie Chap. Born in London, Mayclem is now at home in the Bay Area, where he lives with his husband, photographer Rick Camargo. For more information: https://www.bookliam.com/

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S EPT EM BER 24, 2020

BAY TIMES S

ELECTION 2020

LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area

CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2020)

No October Surprise for the 2020 Presidential Election

Cross Currents Andrea Shorter An October surprise is defined as a news event deliberately created or timed, or sometimes occurring spontaneously, to influence the outcome of an election, particularly for the U.S. presidency. In other words, it’s a big tabloid reveal or announcement aimed at upsetting or toppling an opponent’s advance or win in November. There’s nothing like a jaw-dropping October surprise to get the electorates’ attention. Spoiler alert: there will be no October surprise for this 2020 presidential election. There have been some doozie October surprises over the centuries, including accusations or rumors of an opponent being secretly Black and homosexual (FDR versus Harding), an unexpected and premature Vietnam peace agreement (incumbent Nixon), sex scandals, DUIs (Bush 43), videotaped releases showing candidates speaking badly of minority voters (Romney), or of their own self-described predatory sexual assaults on women (Trump). Sometimes surprises land the intended effect—there is no President Mitt Romney, for example. But sometimes they do not—we do have a President Donald Trump. While the debate continues concerning

Why no October surprise for 2020? Because every day is an October surprise with this president. Save for confirmation or direct evidence that this president is, in fact, an official Russian asset, there appears to be little else that can be revealed by another book, high ranking official’s resignation, indictment, breaking news report, or even taped recording about Trump, his character, and his truly dangerous aims, which can possibly be of any real surprise to anyone. Sadly, even if it were confirmed that this already impeached president is compromised—a bought and paid for asset doing the bidding of a foreign arch-adversary—at this point, would anyone be that surprised? While Trump’s credibility as a shady businessman, impeached president, or a caring human being is shot as being a narcissist and pathological liar, frighteningly, his intended effect of confusing, casting doubt upon, and undermining any fact—scientific, historical, institutional norms, rule of law—that he sees as a disservice to his desired alternative reality is working just well enough where reporting and commenting on the harmful impacts of his presidency requires constant factchecking, deconstruction of his barrage of lies, and speculation on his possible motives. This forces by default and necessity severely adversarial relationships to President Trump, which is exactly what he desires and seeks to prove as an aspiring autocrat. Anyone who dares to question, disagree with, or rebuke him is clearly suspect: a threat, a danger, and an outright enemy to be dealt with severely. How can there be a real October surprise regarding this president when he has been reported to dispar-

Why no October surprise for 2020? Because every day is an October surprise with this president. age our military with grave prejudice as “losers” and “suckers”? What could possibly top that? Perhaps it will be further revelation from Bob Woodward’s 9 hours of taped interviews with a president who clearly admitted to and bragged about his knowledge of the threat of COVID19, yet purposefully misled the American people about its severity— that it could, in fact, sicken millions, take the lives of hundreds of thousands of people as it has six months after his interviews—so as to not cause panic? Who does he think he is fooling? We’re all too painfully familiar with his work. Trump lives to cause and incite panic about one thing or another that only he alone can protect Americans from caravans of rapist-killer Mexicans marauding towards the border to angry Black protestors taking over the suburbs. Ensnaring everything into his 24-7 crazy-making, level orange, def con 4 alert is his #1 hustle. Trump is panic personified. Fact: this president is a self-serving pathological liar and cheat at all costs. His downplaying the threat of COVID-19 had nothing to do with mitigating against widespread panic; downplaying and disregarding the threat of a pandemic had everything to do with forcefully managing reaction so as not to spoil his chance of re-election. We have a 1,000 person per day death toll as fact to back up that reasonable assertion. By the end of this calendar year, it is projected that nearly a quarter of one million people will have perished from COVID19 since March 2020. Furthermore, if you can imagine adding more insult to injury along his No Apologies, No Regrets on

COVID-19 Tour de Force, his suggestion that herd immunity (or “herd mentality,” as he clumsily refers) will save us from COVID-19 is as ghastly as his downright neglect of, and dis- Since 2016, the Trumpkins–pumpkins carved in a distinctly recoginterest in the pandemic nizable style–have returned each year prior to Halloween. and its impacts. In lieu of a tested and effective vaccine, herd threatening public health crisis is one thing. Intentionally misleading and immunity would require at least 60 misinforming a public facing a clear million of our 328 million populace and present life-threatening panto be exposed to the virus to organdemic for his own self-serving politiically develop the antibodies to beat cal interests? Criminal. Genocidal. the virus. Such exposure for “herd immunity” would also likely result in What isn’t hyperbolic about Trump the deaths of approximately 6 milor his presidency? Very little. What lion people. Therefore, it is a wholly is credible about Trump or his presirresponsible, misguided, and callous idency? Nothing. Little else can be prescription for serving and protectpresented as a surprise finding about ing the American people. the ridiculousness or dangers of a If there is any October surprise concerning Trump, it will be a countdown towards election without one commentator, one politician, one doctor, and one activist summing up this president’s actions and inactions regarding COVID-19 as bordering on genocidal. Is genocidal a hyperbolic inference? Trump’s gloat begs the question: what does one call a president who knowingly, calculatedly, deliberately, and forcefully misleads, misinforms, disrupts, disputes, and disregards what he privately acknowledges and accepts as clear scientific facts of a looming deadly pandemic upon his own people? Is there a threshold for how many people have to die largely due to his admitted deception and lies before we examine the consequences as genocidal? Is it 250,000 people? 500,000? One million? Mistakenly mismanaging what should be critical response to a life-

Trump presidency. Trump hyperbole might be the new normal—for now. A president whose purposeful deceptions and delusions knowingly result in massive deaths of Americans not in wartime is unspeakable. Trump’s October surprise started months ago when he actively decided to lie, rather than lead, to prevent hundreds of thousands of deaths from a pandemic. Trump should not be surprised when he is certifiably voted out of the White House in November. Andrea Shorter is a Commissioner and the former President of the historic San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women. She is a longtime advocate for criminal and juvenile justice reform, voter rights and marriage equality. A Co-Founder of the Bayard Rustin LGBT Coalition, she was a 2009 David Bohnett LGBT Leadership Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

Help Spread the Word: Critical Need for Poll Workers in Major U.S. Cities I knew I had registered and resolved at that moment that Cook County, Illinois, infamous for rigging elections in the 1960s under the influence of Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley, would not deny me the right to vote. Voting was sacred to me.

6/26 and Beyond John Lewis I’ve been a “political junkie” since I was 10 years old and followed every presidential election closely ever since. Naturally, I was very excited when I could vote myself in the 1980 presidential primary in Illinois, where I was attending college in Evanston, just outside Chicago. I rose early to vote before going to class, but when I arrived at the polling place, the head poll worker greeted me with some very disturbing news: she had no record of my being registered to vote. I handed her my voter registration card to prove I was. She examined her voter list again and consulted with her fellow poll workers, but still found no record of my being registered. 4

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The poll workers were very sympathetic and helped me in every way they could. I skipped my classes to make numerous phone calls and trips back and forth to the polling place, trying to prove I was legally registered. I had known that the City of Evanston could be somewhat hostile to students’ interests. I learned that day it also tried to make voting difficult for students in order to protect vested local interests. Local authorities conducted canvasses to verify voters during the summer to effectively cleanse voter rolls of many students, like me, who were away at that time of year. Unbeknownst to me, my name had been removed the previous summer. It took all day, but at 5 pm, I received a call from Cook County telling me that I had prevailed and was, in fact, entitled to vote. The County called the local poll workers separately as well. As soon as I stepped into the polling place to actually vote, all the poll workers rose spontaneously to give me a standing ovation. I’ll never forget that moment. I’m sure the other S E PT E MB E R 2 4 , 20 2 0

voters in line were confused about what was going on, but it was clear to me that the poll workers cared about my right to vote as much as I did. Forty years later, our nation faces an unprecedented shortage of poll workers because of the COVID19 pandemic. We need people who care deeply about democracy to step up, just like the poll workers stood up for me back in 1980. The need is especially critical in cities like Philadelphia, Milwaukee, and Detroit. A staggering 77% of polling places were closed in Philadelphia during the June 2020 Pennsylvania primary because of a shortage of poll workers. Closed polling places mean extraordinarily long lines and wait times to vote, and long distances to travel to vote. The result is thousands of people effectively being denied the right to vote. A repeat of the primary in Philadelphia at the general election would strike a mortal blow to American democracy in its very birthplace. Philadelphia needs thousands of city residents to sign up as poll workers as soon as possible. Likewise, in Milwaukee, only 5 of 280 polling places were open for the April 2020 Wisconsin primary. Meagan Wolfe, Wisconsin’s chief election official, announced

last month that the state “needs thousands of its citizens to step up and become poll workers for November.” To actually serve as a poll worker in Philadelphia, Milwaukee, or Detroit, you must be an American citizen who lives there. Specific requirements and compensation vary from city to city. However, all of us who care about democracy can help to spread the word. Stuart and I are volunteers for a grassroots effort based here in Northern California, to support local efforts to recruit poll workers in those cities. We’re spreading the word in every way we can, and in the internet age you can do so as well. Our local group’s efforts have already resulted in hundreds of Philadelphians signing up as poll workers. Anyone may sign up to be a poll worker in any location and get more information through the nonpartisan organization Power the Polls at https://bit.ly/35ZDLEd My namesake, the late, great Congressman and life-long voting rights champion John Lewis, wrote

in his posthumous New York Times essay: “The vote is the most powerful nonviolent change agent you have in a democratic society. You must use it because it is not guaranteed. You can lose it.” Together, we must help to ensure that our fellow citizens do not lose that most powerful change agent— the vote. Please spread the word. Power the Polls: https://bit.ly/2FUuDpc John Lewis and Stuart Gaffney, together for over three decades, were plaintiffs in the California case for equal marriage rights decided by the California Supreme Court in 2008. Their leadership in the grassroots organization Marriage Equality USA contributed in 2015 to making same-sex marriage legal nationwide.

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the actual effects and influence of October surprises, particularly on undecided voters one month or less before E-Day, we can expect not to expect any real October surprise for 2020.

Welcome to Soirée 2020 By Rebecca Rolfe As we work together to find a new, safe normal and brace for the election, we are keeping our eyes firmly on the prize: making sure San Francisco continues to be a sanctuary for all those in need. COVID-19 knows no bounds, and our community is shouldering a tremendous burden as this pandemic continues to claim lives and livelihoods. It is critical that we acknowledge the significant damage caused by this virus and come together to protect the systems we’ve built that help the LGBTQ+ community thrive in San Francisco. So far, the Center has managed to weather this crisis without cutting any of our critical services, though we have experienced significant financial losses related to COVID-19 while community need continues to increase. Many of our programs have moved online, and we’ve implemented some new ones to make sure LGBTQ+ people continue receiving services that are more essential than LadyRyan ever. This includes a new food security program, as well as ongoing work like employment, housing, and small business services. This year’s Soirée will be virtual, and no doubt will feel a bit different from past celebrations. But you can expect the same fabulous entertainment team, which features Sister Roma as Emcee, Juanita MORE! as Entertainment Director, and LadyRyan as Party DJ. Most importantly, Soirée will continue to be a place where we take a moment to uplift the impact of our work and raise funds to ensure that San Francisco has a safe, welcoming space and vital resources for LGBTQ+ people for years to come. We hope you will join us on October 10th as we celebrate our victories and prepare for the year ahead. Together, we will make our way through this crisis and build a stronger, healthier, and more equitable world for LGBTQ+ people in San Francisco and beyond.

Juanita MORE!

Rebecca Rolfe is the Executive Director of the SF LGBT Center https://www.sfcenter.org/

SF LGBT Center Helps Small Businesses, Including The Nick Ricardo Collection Small businesses are a fundamental part of San Francisco’s heart and soul, and have been one of the hardest-hit groups during the pandemic. The Center’s small business services have supported LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs for years, and is continuing to offer support services virtually through this incredibly economically challenging time.

Nick R. Yeast II, Founder of The Nick Ricardo Collection

The Center’s small business program has helped over 600 small businesses by assisting with business plan development, raising capital, marketing, and other business development efforts—in short, turning dreams into reality. Nick R. Yeast II, is one such small business client. Nick believes that beauty unfolds when we embrace our own truths; he launched his gender-neutral fragrance line The Nick Ricardo Collection in 2018 to break down gender barriers in the beauty and cosmetics industry and elevate the narratives of POC, transgender, non-binary, and gender nonconforming people. The collection is named in honor of his own experiences coming out to his father in rural Kentucky at age 16. Nick was featured in one of the Center’s Queer Street Marketplace events where he was able to showcase his products. Through the Center, he also received assistance in business planning, marketing, fundraising, and business development. By creating just a little bit of a runway for Nick, the Center was able to help him get his business off the ground and join the ranks of the many other successful LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs that got the boost they needed at the Center. The Nick Ricardo Collection: https://www.nickricardocollection.com/ SF LGBT Center Small Business Services: https://www.sfcenter.org/program/small-business/ Sister Roma 6

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Why I Chose to Serve on the Board of the SF LGBT Center By Maceo Persson Nineteen years ago, attending high school in Orange County, I was horrified by the overwhelming majority of “Yes on 22” signs in my community promoting a ban on same-sex marriage. So, I mobilized my friends to talk to people one-on-one and started building the support necessary to eventually strike down the ban in 2008. But my career as an LGBTQ+ activist was just getting started. I moved to Eugene, Oregon, for college, where I met a transgender man for the first time and realized that transitioning was an option for me. As I become more active in the local trans community, I saw the toll that homelessness, employment discrimination, lack of access to healthcare, and challenges with legal documents were taking on my new community. My friends and I began meeting weekly to organize support for a local gender nondiscrimination ordinance. But eventually the ordinance faced a public vote, and polling data showed that the majority of our community was not yet on our side. Our movement had not yet invested enough in the work and leaders necessary to move trans justice. That was the first time I understood the importance of people power and building LGBTQ+ movements informed by trans and POC leaders. I took these lessons with me as I served as a Field Organizer for Basic Rights Oregon and then as Operations Manager at the Transgender Law Center, where I began collaborating with the SF LGBT Center. It was easy for me to say yes when I was invited to join the SF LGBT Center’s Board of Directors. No matter where I was—Orange County, Eugene, San Francisco—I’d always sought out a place to gather with my peers. And here in San Francisco, the Center is that hub. On top of that, the Center was home to some of the first employment, housing, and financial programs for trans people in the entire country, filling the gap I’d first discovered as a young college student. As a board member, I’ve been able to get to know the Center’s staff and to watch the organization grow and shift to meet the changing needs of our community. The work that we are doing to support LGBTQ+ people of color, trans folks, and low-income community members has been critical in the face of the city’s affordability and homelessness crises, and has quickly adjusted to meet the changing needs of the community as we face a new pandemic. I’ve also seen how monthly donations allow the Center to plan ahead and make every dollar go as far as possible. That is why I give monthly as a sustainer. I know that together we can create the spaces and resources we need to thrive. Please consider joining me in my support of the Center and our community: https://give.sfcenter.org/fall-gift Maceo Persson is a member of the SF LGBT Center Board of Directors and is the Director of Communications and External Affairs for San Francisco’s Office of Transgender Initiatives.

Photos from a previous year's LGBT Community Center Soirée Photos by Rink

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S EPT EM BER 24, 2020

RBG Memorial Rally in the Castro

Photos by Paul Margolis

Castro resident P.J. Cherrin paused, while on his way to a Rosh Hashanah dinner party, joining the rally participants. In RBG's honor, Cherrin recited the Kiddush prayer at the rally, welcoming Shabbat and the Jewish New Year.

After the story broke of Justice Ginburg's passing on Friday, September 18, there was a memorial march in the Castro. Video reports of the crowd were seen globally on the web and television news. Legendary activist Cleve Jones spoke to the crowd about RBG's support of our community.

Two New Improved Hybrids Toyota is along for this ride as well, as the most recent Camry and RAV4 hybrids are also a delight to drive. Twenty years of technological evolution have made the hybrid less a question of “why” than “how much.”

Auto Philip Ruth “The New Normal” is a term we hear a lot these days, but the public health situation around which it attempts to place structure is unfolding in its own directions and in its own time. The most we can do as individuals is to make smart choices, and by example, encourage others to do the same. Back before COVID-19, the word “new” was usually attached to something more controlled and predictable, like the press cars. And after digesting another day of bad news, it was nice to notice that two recent entries, the hybrid versions of the Honda CR-V compact crossover and Hyundai Sonata midsized sedan, both made it clear that hybrid powertrains have come a long way. Early Priuses defined for many how a hybrid drives: a little slow and a little clumsy, both in power delivery and handling. But now, rather than dimming a car’s personality, it turns out that applying hybrid powertrains to the CR-V and Sonata makes them seem more pleasant and vibrant. 8

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You do spend a bit to hop on the hybrid train, and while the CR-V and Sonata are from different segments, they are priced about the same, with a $28,000 starting price and going up over $35,000 for the fanciest trims. It’ll take a few years to pay off the price difference between these hybrids and their gas-only brethren, which you would weigh against the daily gratification of watching your vehicle use comparatively less fuel. It did provide a certain satisfaction to see the trip computers pulling numbers over 30 mpg, even when I drove the CR-V and Sonata with glee. Styling is a success with both. The CR-V combines common styling trends with bold proportioning to produce something that still looks fresh in its ferociously competitive market segment. The Sonata goes a different way, with curvatures and detailing that border on delicate. The domed front end is distinctive in its lowcut look, and it gives a neat view out over it with a power dome rising in the middle. It resolves in a rear end with long swoops and sharp edges. All combined, the Sonata Hybrid looks interesting and unique. I’d love to have been a fly on the way as this

Honda CR-V

Hyundai Sonata

one made it through the design studios, because there’s nothing quite like it out there, and that’s saying something for a midsized sedan. As mentioned, these hybrids performed well, with good punch off the line and tidy blasts of more when you wanted to pass. The Sonata, in particular, was fun to floor on the highway and have it quickly and smoothly pick up steam. The CR-V was notably quiet. So, while everything that’s new right now isn’t necessarily good, these hybrids spark the narrative for new things getting better. Philip Ruth is a Castro-based automotive photojournalist and consultant with an automotive staging service.

Wildfires and Climate Change We must start by greening our transportation sector. Forty percent of California’s greenhouse gasses, which form and trap heat in our Earth’s atmosphere, comes from the vehicles you and I drive every day. A shift to zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) would be the fastest way we can make the biggest dent in slowing climate change. To date, more than a dozen countries have announced phasing out internal combustion engines in vehicles by 2050. The urgency of the situation requires us to act with such boldness.

Assemblymember Phil Ting Waking up to a dark, hazy orange sky on September 9 was a simultaneously eerie and alarming experience. It felt like a scene from a futuristic doomsday. But there were no Hollywood effects on this day. What we saw outside our windows was frighteningly real. Multiple wildfires have been burning up and down the West Coast for weeks, taking lives, destroying properties, and choking us with unhealthy air. In California, we broke the record for the number of acres lost in one year, surpassing the three million mark just two weeks ago. And in a matter of weeks, six of this year’s blazes have landed on the state’s Top 20 list of the largest wildfires in modern history. There is no question that climate change is playing a role in these devastating fires. Hotter temperatures and less rainfall dry out our forests, making them extremely flammable and explosive. More than ever, I am committed to push for stronger policies to help address our most pressing environmental crisis: global warming.

I have long championed efforts to move California toward a ban on the sale of new, gas-powered cars. To help get us there, I fought to include $1.5 million in the state budget two years ago for the California Air Resources Board to study how we can best implement this strategy. The results should be out next year, and I hope to incorporate some of those findings into new legislative proposals. Such laws would complement existing efforts requiring more clean buses and commercial trucks on our roads. In addition, I will continue my efforts to improve the state Clean Vehicle Rebate Program, providing more targeted financial incentives to entice Californians to make the switch to a clean car. Since some federal rebates have ended, my goal is to increase the state’s cash-back amounts to attract new consumers. Larger rebates would then phase out over time, as supply and demand for clean cars increases. Today, roughly half of the nation’s clean car sales occur in California, but we are not on track to meet the state’s five million ZEV target by 2030. In order to support more clean cars on our roads, we must also ramp up the number of charging stations for electric vehicles (EVs). My bill, AB 841, would require the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to eliminate the current years-long backlog on pending EV charging station applications over the next five months, if signed by Governor Newsom. Faster approvals and installation of new chargers would increase the demand for EVs. Consumers have often said that one reason they’re on the fence about clean cars is the fear of getting stuck somewhere without a charging station. Added locations would convince more drivers to move past their range anxiety and make the transition. (continued on page 28)

Time for New Solutions to Oakland’s Speeding Problems sometimes resulted in people being killed by police during traffic stops, are also reasons that the more effective options of civilian and automated traffic enforcement are desirable. We need strategies that avoid racial disparities, and prevent traffic stops from escalating into police shootings, while making speeding enforcement more effective and more broadly implemented. The answer is alternative traffic enforcement.

Out of the Closet and into City Hall Oakland City Councilmember At-Large, Rebecca Kaplan It seems that every day there is a report of a fatal hit and run or reckless speeding that has resulted in serious injury on Oakland’s streets. It has become a precarious endeavor for anyone, but especially the elderly and children, to cross the street or even walk on the sidewalk. We need stronger action to make our streets safer for pedestrians, bicyclists, and others. The practice has been to rely exclusively on police officers for speeding enforcement, but this has not been working well. In a city the size of Oakland, it is not possible for the police to create a sufficient presence to catch speeding violations or to be a deterrent that would discourage dangerous driving activity, which has caused serious injury and fatalities. The discretionary, disparate treatment of African Americans, and the ways that traffic stops have

Alternative traffic enforcement is the use of cameras and/or civilian personnel, such as Department of Transportation staff, to enforce traffic laws. This approach to traffic enforcement frees up the police to focus on serious crime, reduces the likelihood of problematic police interactions, and improves reliability and fairness of enforcement. It also represents a potential savings for a city, since it costs more for sworn officers to address these violations. These systems can reduce racial disparities. “Driving While Black” is the familiar term to describe the racial profiling used by law enforcement when an African American driver is stopped for little to no reason. The fear of a traffic stop escalated with no apparent reason is well known in communities of color. With the use of cameras looking at license plates rather than individuals, automated systems, and local civilian staffing, communities of color could get a ticket for speeding, and it would no longer be a potentially life-threatening situation. The City of Berkeley has already taken steps in this direction. In July, Berkeley approved the use of transportation personnel to conduct traffic stops. The City of San Francisco has also previously expressed interest in alternative methods of speeding enforcement. Oakland is also now working on strategies to provide for options beyond using an armed officer for these situations. But allowing cities flexibility for these solutions requires a change in state law in California. The California Legislature needs to assist municipalities like Oakland, Berkeley, and beyond with more flexibility to innovate as we address this danger on Oakland’s streets. Alternative traffic enforcement is one

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S EPT EM BER 24, 2020

Celebrating Latinx Heritage Month

BAY TIMES S

Supporting Small Businesses in the Castro & Beyond

LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area

CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2020)

Photos by Juan R. Davila

Celebrating Latinx Heritage Month

The San Francisco Bay Times is honoring our local Latinx LGBTQ community this National Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs through October 15. Juan Davila of our team, sporting “wings” he artfully crafted with Jaime Botello of Sullivan Botello Events and SnB Party Rentals, displays his pride in this country, his native country of Mexico, and the gay community. Davila is one of the featured dancers at Carnaval in the city, as well as in the Bay Times Pride Parade contingent. With Leticia López and others from Carnaval, he recently helped out in the Mission by sharing educational materials, promoting health testing, and by offering employment information and free groceries. He is connected to the front cover of this issue as well, since Davila took the photo of the candlelight vigil in the Castro honoring Ruth Bader Ginsburg. In addition, we are proud to feature here two fantastic Latinx-owned businesses in the Castro: Tacorgasmico at 2337 Market Street (the vision of Guanajuato native Eduardo Sandoval) and Castro Barber Lounge at 2265 Market Street, where talented barber and stylist Angel Benitez holds court. Learn more about them by reading on! Please also do what you can to support these and other local small businesses. To help with that effort, we recently launched a new feature to spotlight such small businesses in the Castro and beyond. Given that the Bay Times itself is a small business, we deeply empathize with others who continue to feel the financial burdens and other adverse impacts of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. When small businesses thrive, our communities do too. And when we help to strengthen Black, Brown, Indigenous, and LGBTQ-owned businesses, we invest in making communities more diverse and welcoming to all. For more information about National Hispanic Heritage Month: https://www.hispanicheritagemonth.gov/about/

Tacorgasmico - Simple Mexican Pleasures Open 11am-10pm Daily 2337 Market Street 415-565-0655 tacorgasmico@gmail.com Contact: Edwardo Sandoval http://www.tacorgasmicosf.com Owner Eduardo Sandoval says that after struggling during the initial months after pandemicrelated restrictions went into effect, Tacorgasmico’s level of business has bounced back thanks to the support of customers. All members of his staff are back at work and new positions have been created to meet the demand for takeout and outdoor dining services. “We pivoted to focus on providing amazing takeout and we are now rated one of the best takeout spots for Mexican food,” Sandoval proudly adds. Delivery partners include Grubhub, Uber Eats, Caviar, and Postmates. The full menu can be found online. “Right now, it seems a lot of people have been craving comfort food,” he says. “Our most popular items have been the newly added breakfast burritos, our super nachos, and traditional enchiladas. We still make everything by hand, so if you are craving a home-cooked meal, we’ve made sure that ours is still the place to get it—even if it’s now delivered. To all of our amazing customers, thank you for keeping our dream alive!”

Eduardo Sandoval

Eduardo with Team Tacorgasmico

Castro Barber Lounge

Open: 9am-7pm Daily 2265 Market Street 415–678-5942 Angelito.lb29@gmail.com Contact: Angel Benitez http://www.angelhairsf.com https://www.facebook.com/Angelpapi2020 Co-owner Angel Benitez (aka El Angelito) reports that he and his business partner Alex Cabrera were working to open their new Castro-based business in March of this year, but COVID-19 had other ideas. After gathering their assets to fund the renovation of their location, the delay in opening due to the pandemic was an unexpected complication. Thanks to the easing of restrictions and the support of neighbors and friends, the owners have welcomed a team of barbers who are making the new location their home base to serve existing clients and new ones as well.

Angel Benitez (left) and Alex Cabrera (right) with colleagues wearing masks

Angel at his outdoor station on the rear patio

The Castro Barber Lounge team is now offering outdoor patio services in addition to indoor stations with social distancing; masks are required. Available services include haircuts, beards, fades, tapers, and pompadours. Color, perm, bleaching, and waxing services are on hold until restrictions are further lifted. San Francisco Bay Times readers are offered $5 off on haircuts during the month of October. Plans for a Grand Opening event will be announced at a future date when social gatherings can be held safely.

Angel at his primary station on the inside

Before

After

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In Memoriam Pioneering Transgender and Labor Activist Denise D’Anne Former Harvey Milk Club Co-President and early transgender advocate Denise D’Anne passed on September 2 at her Guerrero Street Home. She was 86.

Kim Corsaro Publisher 1981-2011

2261 Market Street, No. 309 San Francisco CA 94114 Phone: 415-601-2113

The Bay Times was the first newspaper in California, and among the first in the world, to be jointly and equally produced by lesbians and gay men. We honor our history and the paper’s ability to build and strengthen unity in our community. The Bay Times is proud to be the only newspaper for the LGBT community in San Francisco that is 100% owned and operated by LGBT individuals. Dr. Betty L. Sullivan Jennifer L. Viegas Co-Publishers & Co-Editors

Beth Greene Michael Delgado Abby Zimberg

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors adjourned their meeting on September 15 in her memory. Beloved Castro Community Member Thomas Matthew Virgo A native of Kalamazoo, Michigan, Thomas Matthew Virgo passed in his chosen home city of San Francisco on August 16 at 60 years of age. Throughout his life, charismatic Virgo worked in the hospitality industry and was a favorite at Cinch Saloon and karaoke bars, where his fondness for music and singing delighted others. His kindness, personal style, and sweet smile will long be remembered. Close friends Ed Nieto and Steve Bruce were by his side to the very end.

Design & Production

Kate Laws Business Manager Blake Dillon Calendar Editor

Kit Kennedy Poet-In-Residence J.H. Herren

Technology Director

Carla Ramos Web Coordinator Mario Ordonez Distribution

CONTRIBUTORS Writers Rink, Sister Dana Van Iquity, Ann Rostow, Patrick Carney, Kate Kendell, Alex Randolph, Heidi Beeler, Gary M. Kramer, Dennis McMillan, Tom Moon, Tim Seelig, Cinder Ernst, John Chen Rafael Mandelman, Jewelle Gomez, Phil Ting, Rebecca Kaplan, Kin Folkz, Leslie Katz, Philip Ruth, Peter Gallotta, Bill Lipsky, Liam Mayclem Karen Williams, Donna Sachet, Gary Virginia, Zoe Dunning, Derek Barnes, Marcy Adelman, Stuart Gaffney & John Lewis Brandon Miller, Jamie Leno Zimron Michele Karlsberg Lyndsey Schlax, Randy Coleman, Debra Walker, Howard Steiermann, Andrea Shorter, Lou Fischer, Karin Jaffie, Brett Andrews, Karen E. Bardsley, David Landis, Jan Wahl

PHOTO BY BILL JENNINGS

E-mail: editor@sfbaytimes.com www.sfbaytimes.com

Born in New York City, D’Anne transitioned in 1968 and moved to San Francisco, where she became a committed labor activist and proponent for social justice. Her numerous achievements include helping to establish in the 1970s both San Francisco’s Commission on the Status of Women and a credit union for women. As President of the San Francisco Community Recyclers, she hosted a radio program concerning environmental justice and helped to draft the 1997 Sustainability Plan for the City and County of San Francisco. PHOTO BY RINK

525 Bellevue Avenue Oakland CA 94610

Prolific Drag Artist Peggy L’Eggs (Matthew Simmons)

Drag artist Matthew Simmons, known to his many admirers as Peggy L’Eggs, died peacefully and unexpectedly at his Oakland home at age 60 on September 8. As fellow entertainer Leanne Borghesi wrote: “Such a kind, wonderful performer and human to all those whom he worked with and knew. A loving, funny, and artistic soul.” Simmons was part of many shows and productions over the years throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Fellow drag legends Peaches Christ and Heklina are among the hosts of An Online Memorial for Peggy L’Eggs/Matthew Simmons, which will take place this Saturday, September 26, from 5 pm–7 pm. For more information: https://bit.ly/32Q59m1 PHOTO BY RINK

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

Those who wish may make donations in his memory to amfAR ( https://www.amfar.org/ ) and the World Wildlife Fund ( https://www.worldwildlife.org ).

Justice RBG Memorial & Rally at San Francisco City Hall Co-hosted by the San Francisco Women’s Political Committee and Women’s March San Francisco, a memorial at San Francisco City Hall honoring the life of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg was held on Sunday, September 20. Among the speakers were Mayor London Breed; Supervisors Hillary Ronen, Sandra Lee Fewer, and Catherine Stefani; State Senator Scott Wiener; and other civic and community leaders.

Photographers Rink, Phyllis Costa, Jane Higgins Paul Margolis, Chloe Jackman, Bill Wilson, Jo-Lynn Otto, Sandy Morris, Abby Zimberg, Deborah Svoboda, Kristopher Acevedo, Morgan Shidler, JP Lor ADVERTISING Display Advertising Standard Rate Cards http://sfbaytimes.com/ or 415-503-1375 Custom ad sizes are available. Ads are reviewed by the publishers. National Advertising: Contact Bay Times / San Francisco. Represented by Rivendell Media: 908-232-2021 Circulation is verified by an independent agency Reprints by permission only. CALENDAR Submit events for consideration by e-mail to: calendar@sfbaytimes.com

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PHOTO BY RINK

PHOTO BY JUAN R. DAVILA

Choosing Between a Connected Family and a Life Without Secrets By Emanuel “Manny” Yekutiel I had a bag packed and ready in my closet, just in case.

Coming Out Stories

It wasn’t very large—just enough for a quick getaway in case I needed it. The essentials—my social security card, my passport, a change of clothes, a book, and what little cash I had. All just in case my family found out and I had to leave quickly. At that point in my life, somewhere around 15, I knew two things: I was definitely gay and that wasn’t going to change, and my family was definitely orthodox Jewish, and that wasn’t going to change either. My inclination that I was different than the other yeshiva boys started out as a scared little thought I could bat away in between Talmud and bible study. Then, as puberty really set in, a desire I’d have to focus on avoiding, and then, finally, an unavoidable truth: I liked boys, not girls like I was supposed to. In the community I grew up in, there was no place for a boy who liked boys, no path to walk down, no real role models to emulate, and no wiggle room to be understood. It was completely forbidden, an abomination, unutterable. I was lucky, though.

Photos courtesy of Manny Yekutiel

I was able to find a way out of the religious yeshiva and into a secular school where I encountered a more diverse crowd and I had a family that, while quite religious, was openminded. I decided to go to a small liberal arts college so I could develop my mind and my heart in the safety of the Berkshire mountains. Over the four years there, I slowly came out to one member of my family after another. First my older sister, then

my younger, then to my brilliant mother who asked me what took so long, knowing ever since I would wear her heels to take out the trash. They were great heels! But the tough one was always going to be my father. My abba is an incredible man. He came to this country with not much else besides a dream and a dedication to work. He fought, hard, for his place in this country. He is entrepreneurial and tough, and full of the kind of stories he’d only tell us once a year if we were lucky. He’s a quiet man and taught me the power of knowing when to hold my tongue. I didn’t have to guess how the gay thing would play with him. It was the end of my senior year in college. I’d left it until the very last moment I could. I was literally about to go intern for President Obama’s LGBT liaison in the White House. He was going to find out if I didn’t tell him. So, on Passover, a month before graduation, I asked my father if he’d go on a walk with me. We were in Vancouver, at my uncle’s place, both families together, and everyone knew what was about to happen. In many ways my life can be split into before this moment and after. It was really beautiful earlier in the day, but in the 30 minutes before our walk the skies got dark and cloudy, as if God was setting the scene. We walked to Kitsilano Beach; we both sat on a log, and I read the following letter. I was too afraid to speak extemporaneously because I didn’t want to lose it in front of my father. I didn’t want him to think I was unhappy about my sexual-

ity. By then I had found my pride. I had spent a summer raising money for samesex marriage on the street corners of San Francisco. I wanted him to see his son proud because maybe, just maybe, if he saw me proud then he’d be proud as well. This is what I said to him: Father, I want to ask you to give me ten minutes of your time. Just ten minutes to let me speak to you about something important. After I am done talking, you can have as much time as you would like, but I would like these ten minutes. Is that ok? As you know, I am about to embark on a really big journey. I will be traveling the world and getting involved in politics. I have had a pretty successful life until now, thank god. I have done well in school, received one of the finest educations in the United States, I never did drugs or committed a crime, I was elected student body president and received a number of honors and awards. I will be speaking at Graduation in just a few weeks. These are things that I am very proud of and that I could not have done without your love, help, hard work, and support. I love you so much for that. I have also stayed religious in both my secular high school and college even as the only person to wear a kippah. I still keep kosher and have still not missed one day of tephillin. I don’t intend for these things to change as I value my Jewish identity greatly. I am really excited for what the next few years will bring for me in my life. I am excited by the future. But before I move on into that future, I wanted to let you know

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S EPT EM BER 24, 2020

Horizons Foundation Virtual 40th Gala

BAY TIMES S

LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area

CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2020)

Horizons Foundation, at its 40th Anniversary Virtual Gala on Saturday, September 12, announced that it has awarded over $940,000 in COVID19 emergency grants to 71 Bay Area LGBTQ nonprofits, and over $50 million in worldwide grantmaking since 1980. These new grantmaking totals include a recent third round of COVID-19 emergency grants totaling $272,736 to 36 organizations. “Horizons marked our 40th Anniversary in the most meaningful way possible: by supporting our community, as we have since the beginning,” said Roger Doughty, Horizons’ President. “Our incredible community has truly shown up—in this moment of multiple, profound crises, but also this moment of celebration for the world’s first LGBTQ community foundation.” The Gala featured remarks from artists, writers, and performers Todrick Hall, Bowen Yang, Sandra Bernhard, Marga Gomez, Jewelle Gomez, and San Francisco Bay Times columnist and legendary entertainer Donna Sachet; community activists Miss Major Griffin-Gracy and Kris Perry and Sandy Stier; San Francisco Mayor London N. Breed and former state senator Mark Leno; and nonprofit leaders Imani Rupert-Gordon of National Center for Lesbian Rights, Kris Hayashi and Cecilia Chung of Transgender Law Center, and former San Francisco Bay Times columnist Brett Andrews of PRC. Listen to their remarks: https://bit.ly/3mFZUgC And please consider donating to Horizons: https://www.horizonsfoundation.org/ways-to-give/

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Donna’s Chronicles

By Donna Sachet

“When all Americans are treated as equal, no matter who they are or whom they love, we are all more free.” –Former President Barack Obama

s we look back on six months of this unexpected pandemic, what an amazing change it has brought to so many of our lives. We have watched and participated in numerous online, virtual events, reimagined to maintain their essential roles of fundraising, community building, and artistic expression. San Francisco has developed such an extensive network of organizations that provide the framework for the life we love here; it would be a shame to let an unprecedented pandemic upturn everything and rob us of the essence of this community. These events have occurred with mixed results, varied levels of proficiency, and a tremendous range of creativity; and we can now confidently say that a way forward has appeared. Horizons Foundation’s annual gala was a professionally produced online experience, true to its origin, its mission, and its unique position in the world of charitable organizations. In advance of the event, they surrounded the invitation with creative touches, like recipes for signature cocktails to enjoy during the show and a Page Hodel music playlist to get you in the mood beforehand and to dance to afterwards. The gala was full of reminders of Horizons Foundation’s intersection with so many of the social, service, and arts organizations within the LGBT Community, providing essential financial assistance, totaling over 50 million dollars in their 40 years, and most recently, nearly one million dollars in COVIDrelated grants. Prerecorded messages from a variety of SF individuals and celebrities like George Takei, Sandra Bernhard, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi provided familiar context and Michael Tate returned as emcee, keeping he program running smoothly and encouraging online donations. EqualityCalifornia combined events typically held across the state in Los Angeles, San Diego, Sacramento, Palm Springs, and San Francisco into the Golden State Awards, resulting in a jam-packed, fast-paced event beautifully emceed by Angelica Ross. Awards were presented and accepted online by groundbreaking television creator Norman Lear, political superstars Pete & Chasen Buttigieg, and Laverne Cox’s Netflix original documentary Disclosure. Celebrity appearances by Rita Moreno, Gloria Estefan, Keiynan Londsdale, Rufus Wainwright, and Chelsea Gray added star power, while familiar faces like Bevan Dufty, Leslie Katz, Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, State Senator Scott Wiener, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi represented the local political front. Adding to the entertainment value were performances by Melissa Etheridge, Betty Who, Alex Newell, Shea Diamond, and Robin S. A touching tribute video to the Honorable John Lewis provided appropriate gravity and balance to what was otherwise a celebration. Having attended both EQCA and Horizons Foundation’s galas in person many times, we applaud both organizations for maintaining an event vital for fundraising and visibility in a compelling and watchable format. Both events found us searching for a credit card to make an online contribution and reflecting afterwards on their long and significant roles in the health and vitality of the LGBTQ Community. Mission accomplished! Based on the success of these and other online events, we begin to wonder whether the glamorous galas attended by hundreds of people will become a thing of the past. We always run into people at such events who express their hesitation to attend, reluctant to dress up, not interested in social hobnobbing, or simply bored with the sameness of galas. If even organizations as large as AIDS Walk, EQCA, and Horizons Foundation can raise the money they need, convey the message they want to spread, and maintain the high profile necessary, with virtual events viewed via computer, why stage lavish and expensive events in huge ballrooms? We offer the following answer. Given the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is necessary to re-think established norms and to pivot towards online events, but the LGBTQ Community will always be drawn to opportunities to gather together in person. In general, we love to dress up, we enjoy elaborate productions, we relish contact with celebrities, and we yearn to see each other face-to-face, eye-to-eye to celebrate our successes and to unite in confronting ongoing challenges. Creative virtual events may continue to find a place in the post-pandemic future, but properly conceived and executed in-person events will always triumph. And personally, we can’t wait for them to return!

Calendar

a/la Sachet Saturday, September 26 Mr./Miss/Ms. Golden Gate Finale Imperial Court’s virtual title conclusion 4 pm www.imperialcouncilsf.org Wednesday, September 30 PRC AIDS Walk check distribution Online ceremony presenting proceeds 10 am Free! www.prcsf.org Saturday, October 10 Mr. & Miss Gay Pageant Imperial Court’s virtual event 7 pm www.imperialcouncilsf.org Friday, October 16 Reunion: Making History GLBT Historical Society’s virtual gala Hosted by Peaches Christ & Marga Gomez 6 pm–7:30 pm www.glbthistory.org Saturday, November 7 Mighty Real: PRC’s annual gala Online event with special guest Patti LaBelle 6 pm www.prcsf.org

YOUTUBE.COM

Donna Sachet is a celebrated performer, fundraiser, activist and philanthropist who has dedicated over two decades to the LGBTQ Community in San Francisco. Contact her at empsachet@gmail.com

Watch and listen as Donna stars in the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus performance of Jerry Herman’s “I Am What I Am” from the musical La Cage aux Folles at the SFGMC 2019 Summer Concert “Queens,” honoring the Imperial Court and Grand Ducal Council. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AN_WIa84ww

PHOTO BY SHAWN NORTHCUTT

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Photos by John Chen

Road Trip USA July 5–8: Palm Springs, California

Sports

Palm Canyon Oasis, Palm Springs

John Chen What’s an active, outdoorsy, sportsoriented extrovert like me to do during a pandemic? I can’t in good conscience socialize with friends. I can’t attend fun events because that’s not safe. And I can’t play sports with my friends and go to the gym. Since the beginning of social distancing, I’ve hiked and walked everything in my neighborhood countless times. I’ve completed two home fitness programs in addition to using creative means to stay healthy and active. I’ve video chatted with friends and even watched Korean pro-baseball and the National Corn Hole Tournament (yes, this is a sport during a pandemic). After three and a half months, I fell into a rut. I am the type of person who needs both mental and physical motivation from a variety of stimuli or else I get bored.

I’ve been to Palm Springs more times than I can count and thought I’d share with you some beautiful hidden gems. Just south of Palm Springs lies a palm tree oasis, a canvas of lush green in the heart of Indian Canyon, and a tropical paradise in the middle of a desert. Just west of the city, up against the towering mountain is Tahquitz Canyon, home to a 40-foot waterfall and where the Cahuilla Native American tribe once lived. When climate allows, I recommend a Cahuilla ranger-led hike to learn about their rich 5,000-year history with stories, beliefs, and way of life full of perseverance, ingenuity, fables, and intrigue. July 8–10: Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas needs no introduction. The original Sin City is all about what happens there, stays there. The million-dollar question, with a pandemic and social distancing rules, is: is it safe to visit Vegas? We were somewhat apprehensive staying in the Sin City for a couple of days, but quickly learned that visitors can have a safe time if they adhere to safety protocols: wear a mask, social distance, and sanitize. Although shows, bars, and clubs were closed, we discovered Vegas still had enough to offer. Most restaurants, shops, casinos, and hotels were open and enforced safety rules. We spotted many security guards handing out masks and making sure people were wearing them. Even the pool areas had strict safety enforcements. We wore masks at all times, unless eating and swimming, used sanitizers stationed everywhere, and steered away from people in general. In essence, Las Vegas due to the pandemic had become a more wholesome, less sinful, but still worthwhile place to visit. July 10–12: Zion and Bryce National Parks, Utah Bidding adieu to Vegas, we drove three hours north on I-15 to our next destination, Zion National Park. One of the most scenic and visited national parks, Zion offers some of the most iconic and sought-after hikes in the world with The Narrows presenting the greatest excitement, adventure, and challenge. It is a 9-mile (from the bottom up) round-trip hike in, yes in, the Virgin River that lies at the bottom of a deep and narrow canyon. The hike is considered easy, moderate, and strenuous depending on how far up the river you choose to hike. The further up the river you go, the harder the hike and the higher the reward. No matter how far you choose to go, the hike, in my humble opinion, is well worth the effort and is one of my top bucket list to-dos.

What if I go on a road trip? Maybe I can steer away from urban centers and take this opportunity to see our country and check off some bucket list items. Maybe, in a small way, I can help contribute to our economy by supporting local businesses everywhere I go. But, is a road trip safe? Where can I and should I visit? What is open, allowed, and not allowed? What precautionary measures can I take to be even more safe? After much research, I decided on a four-week road trip through 30 states. Luckily, my housemate, who is also a close buddy, very much wanted to go on this journey with me. It’s always more fun to road trip with a buddy. But buyers beware: you may either come out of this road trip closer or as mortal enemies. Choose your travel partner(s) wisely! Finally, I built some flexibility into my itinerary for just in case and contingencies.

We started our road trip relaxing under the sun and puttering around the pool at a private Airbnb house in Palm Springs. Normally we would head to well-known great outdoors destinations such as Joshua Tree National Park and the Tramway. However, it was 105 degrees Fahrenheit by 11 am. Little did we know this would be considered cool compared to a few other stops on our trip!

The Narrows at Zion

Since successfully hiking The Narrows takes planning and preparation, I watched lots of YouTube videos and planned to go as far as I could physi-

Navajo Loop at Bryce Canyon

Although a 28-day trip is lengthy, we packed light, mostly t-shirts and shorts, sundries, masks, sanitizers and wipes, Dude Wipes (you never know), sun block, bug spray, ibuprofen (life saver), Tide Pods and lots of quarters, and a cooler with re-freezable ice packs. We also printed hard copies of our itinerary with addresses and numbers for ourselves and for our relatives (just in case). Oh, I withdrew some cash, made sure my AAA membership is up to date, and took my car to the dealership for a multi-point inspection as well as fluid and filter replacement. Now we are ready for the road trip of a lifetime! I have highlighted the interesting places and things we’ve seen, experienced, tasted, and learned, as well as tips for any potential road trippers!

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Only 60 miles northeast of Zion is a lesser known, but every bit as stunning, national park: Bryce Canyon. The beautiful drive through the eastern span of Zion to Bryce is worth the price of admission. Words can’t paint the majestic red rock mountains and cliffs hugging the curvaceous highway. And words can’t describe the deep orange granite archways draped over the contrasting pavement. Bryce Canyon Amphitheater is a dramatic panorama of bright orange rocks vertically stacked like a giant cauldron full of imperfectly shaped pillars. Although the view from the top is breathtaking, the trail, Navajo Loop leading to the bottom of the canyon, will surely satisfy your sense of awe and wonder. We hiked the Navajo Loop all the way to the canyon floor then back up in a series of steep switchbacks. The hike nearly killed me, but I proudly checked off another item on my bucket list. If you have a little more time, I recommend you continue east on Utah State Highway 12 from Bryce and be rewarded with views from a “million-dollar highway,” one of the most scenic drives through the Grand Staircase National Monument that rivals our very own California Highway 1. Trust me on this. July 12–14: Salt Lake City and Park City, Utah Utah’s capital, Salt Lake City, is the main cultural and political center of the region. Just west of the city lies the Great Salt Lake where the smell of sulfur is as prevalent as the salt beds. Although it is an interesting place to visit, we chose to go east to Park City, a well-known ski haven during the winter months. Summer months, however, are vastly different with hiking trails leading to numerous beautiful, hidden, alpine-like lakes that turn golden come autumn.

Homestead Crater, Utah

Approximately 10 miles south of Park City, we swam at a unique geothermal spring inside a 55-foot limestone dome called Homestead Crater. The warm mineral water rejuvenated our aching bodies from the rigors of Zion and Bryce and an added bonus: our skin also felt more smooth and supple. After our swim, we were ready for the next adventure.

July 14–15: Jackson Hole and Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Grand Teton National Park

cally. Due to the pandemic, Zion allowed very few personal vehicles to enter the Scenic Drive. In addition, shuttle tickets were extremely limited and sold out quickly in advance. We decided to rent e-bikes (reserved in advance) to tour the park, which turned out to be an excellent decision. We also got water hiking shoes, not water shoes, a dry bag to keep important things such as a wallet as well as food protected, water camera, and walking sticks. I can’t stress the importance of being well informed and prepared ahead of time to maximize our hiking experience. Looking back, hiking The Narrows was definitely the standout experience of our road trip.

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From Salt Lake City we headed north on I-15 towards Jackson Hole and Grand Teton National Park. From Idaho Falls we took U.S Highway 26 east to Idaho Highway 31, then to Idaho Highway 33, which becomes Wyoming Highway 22, and finally to U.S. Highway 191 to Jackson Hole. This back-country journey through rich green mountains, valleys, lakes, and rivers had spectacular summer views all around with acres and acres of yellow wildflower fields covering entire hillsides. This was quite a contrast to the dramatic red rock mountains and cliffs at Zion and Bryce.

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LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area

CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2020)

Like Park City, Jackson Hole is a valley wellknown for winter sports with amazing ski runs draped on its mountainsides. Right outside of the historic and charming town Jackson, visitors can see large herds of elk grazing on summer greens at the National Elk Refuge. Unfortunately, instead of herds, we saw hordes of tourists not social distancing and not wearing masks, so we decided to keep on driving on U.S. Highway 191 north to Grand Teton National Park.

Hydrothermal feature at Yellowstone

Grand Teton National Park is named after a series of mountain peaks with 11 glaciers called the Tetons. The majestic glacier-capped mountain ranges serve as the perfect backdrop to several beautiful, pristine, crystal clear interconnected lakes. Here, hiking trails are abundant and we had enough sunlight to hike almost seven miles around the lakes to the foot of the Teton mountains. Everything was going swimmingly until we realized we left the bug spray in the car. July 15–16: Yellowstone National Park, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming Immediately north of Grand Teton is Yellowstone National Park, a park that needs no introduction. It merits mentioning, though, that Yellowstone straddles two states, Idaho and Montana, but the main park is located in Wyoming. Before diving into our Yellowstone adventures, it should be said that each of the three states had its own COVID-19 rules and restrictions, so we had to make sure we knew which state we were in and which rules to adhere to. To reduce confusion and be safe, we wore our masks at all times, social distanced, and sanitized. This applied to everywhere we went. We spent the first day at Yellowstone viewing geohydrothermal features, such as geysers, including Old Faithful, mud and boiling pots, steam vents, and hot springs. Some of the thermal features looked dangerous. Others looked crystal blue or emerald green, and extremely inviting for a dip. But, looks can be deceiving. These thermal features can instantly strip living flesh off bones, so beware. Additionally, Yellowstone is also known for active wildlife and we saw several bison, elk, and deer roadside, but no bears and wolves. While visiting Yellowstone, we made sure to pack snacks, meals, and lots of drinks in the cooler for two reasons: destinations are generally far from villages where food and drinks are available for purchase; and we saw long, long lines at pretty much any open takeout eatery and store.

At 9 pm, we finally made it to our overnight destination, Omaha, Nebraska. Of course, while in Omaha we had to have Omaha steak, thanks to the farreaching marketing of said steak. with the grand opening of Yellowstone’s east entrance on June 23, 1919. In Cody, we stayed at the historic Buffalo Bill Cabin Village, where all rooms are original cabins dating back to 1919 when cowboys stayed during the rodeo celebration as well as people coming to and through this western frontier. July 17: U.S. Hwy 14, Wyoming and Mount Rushmore, South Dakota From Cody, we took U.S. Highway 14 east towards I-90 into South Dakota. Hwy 14 turned out to be another picturesque back country highway with dramatic landscapes and sceneries including deep canyons, mountain plateaus of Big Horn National Forest, colorful rock formations, and farmland valleys seen from 8,000 feet above sea level. We arrived at Mount Rushmore National Monument in South Dakota around 5:30 pm. Although a little late, we found easy parking and a smaller than normal crowd. Mount Rushmore is a what you see is what you get destination. There are no frills and thrills. We took pictures, hiked the somewhat easy 1-mile loop, visited the museum, joined in on a social distance ranger talk, and sampled the Thomas Jefferson vanilla ice cream (the first ever ice cream recipe) all under two hours. Our unfortunate observation at Mount Rushmore was that the majority of the visitors chose not to wear a mask and made little attempts to social distance, although the staff all wore masks. We steered away from the crowds, but it was a disturbing and disappointing sight during the pandemic. July 18: Badlands National Park, South Dakota and Omaha, Nebraska

This was the longest one-day continuous drive on our trip. It took us just over 12 hours to complete 700 miles. We passed through and saw the golden dome of Iowa’s capital, Des Moines. We crossed the Mississippi River at Quad Cities on the border of Iowa and Illinois. We made a pitstop 20 miles south of Chicago and ate White Castle mini burgers, a must when traveling to the Midwest. This was also where we got an EZ-Pass in order to freely travel on all toll roads, bridges, and tunnels in 16 participating states from the Midwest to the Atlantic Coast. Finally, we waved at the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, before arriving at our hotel in Toledo, Ohio. July 20: Cleveland, Ohio, and Niagara Falls, New York On the 16th day of our trip, we couldn’t resist stopping in the city LeBron James affectionately calls “The Land,” Cleveland. We found our way to the West Side Market because we really, really wanted to try jumbo gyros from Steve’s Gyros featured on Man Versus Food. We were not disappointed. The mere $11 jumbo gyro was ginormous, around 3 pounds, perhaps, and absolutely delicious! Let’s just say I ate almost the entire thing. We also discovered the historic West Side Market had an abundance of dessert shops full of lip-licking delectable sweets on display. The temptation was just too great and we faltered in our feeble attempt to abstain. Resistance was futile. After gaining presumably 5 pounds each, we took the downtown skyway with Lake Erie below and beyond on our left and the sky reaching commercial center to our right. Drew Carey was correct in touting Cleveland as a place worth the visit.

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Badlands National Park

After a long second day at Yellowstone, we drove approximately 76 miles east to a historic cowboy and rodeo town, Cody, Wyoming. The drive through eastern Yellowstone to Cody was haunting with dead, burnt remnants of a once vibrant forest.

After a good night’s rest, we got up early and headed to Badlands National Park. This vastly underrated national park features pastel color painted hills, pink rock formations, and herds of bighorn sheep grazing on grassy plains on wide open plateaus. But don’t judge this book by its cover. The palate landscape is not fit even for the most fit. Here, life is a constant struggle with next to no water source. In the last couple of centuries, thousands of people including Native Americans sought to conquer the deceptively arid land to no success. Eventually, every tribe and frontier settler abandoned hope and life on these beautiful grounds, hence the aptly named Badlands.

Cody, also known as the rodeo capital of the world, hosts an annual three-month-long summer celebration rodeo from the beginning of June to the end of August. A fun fact we learned is that the very first Cody Rodeo start date and year coincided

By noon, we headed out of Badlands, continued east on I-90, and turned south at Sioux Falls onto I-29, driving alongside Missouri River into Iowa. Just south of Sioux City, in a town called Sergeant Bluffs, we pulled into the upcoming rest area.

July 16–17: Cody, Wyoming

July 19: Travel Day—from Omaha, Nebraska, to Toledo, Ohio

Hugging the east bank of Lake Erie, we eventually passed through Buffalo, New York, and arrived in Niagara Falls. I remembered my first visit to Niagara Falls fondly 25 years ago. Back then, I only saw the falls from the top, and from only one viewpoint. This time, we walked the entire state park including the Three Sisters Islands, and took the elevator to the bottom of the falls for a completely different, but more invigorating and soaking wet, perspective.

Our second day at Yellowstone was very water-oriented. First, we frolicked in the Madison River, and by frolicking I meant dipped our toes in the very, very cold water, skipped stones, and walked along the riverbank wishing the water was warmer. Then, we hiked the rim of the “Grand Canyon of Yellowstone” to view the largest waterfall in the park, Lower Falls of Yellowstone River. Finally, we rented a boat and cruised around Stevenson Island on the northern end of Yellowstone Lake. Unfortunately, no fishing boats were available for us to fish for lake trout, a delicious and super easy to catch invasive species that park rangers and staff encourage visitors to help remove. On my last visit, with the help of our fishing boat captain, I caught a near fivepound lake trout within 10 seconds. I kid you not! In fact, the six-year-old little girl on a boat next to us was pulling up a fish every 4–5 minutes. If you love to fish and have little patience like me, Yellowstone Lake is the place for you!

By happenstance, the rest stop commemorates the historic Lewis and Clark expedition up the Missouri River exploring unchartered western frontier. The rest stop, appropriately named “Corps of Discovery,” featured beautiful tile murals and historic accounts of the expedition with replicas of tools and modes of transport. This “on a whim” stop embodied the spirit of a road trip, discovering new and hidden points of interest unmarked on any map.

Niagara River before Falls on Three Sisters Islands

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Road Trip USA (continued)

Cades Cove at sunset, Great Smokey National Park

bloody battles took place for a major prize: the state of Texas.

Because the state of New York only allowed Californians to pass through, we cancelled our hotel and re-routed to a former oil boomtown, Bradford, Pennsylvania, just south of the state border.

Aside from the Alamo historic site, we strolled nearly 8 miles up and down the famed River Walk. The San Antonio River Walk is unique because the 15-mile long walkway alongside the San Antonio River banks is one floor below city streets with shops, restaurants, art galleries, historic museums, and five missions that have been named World Heritage Sites.

July 21: Boston and Harvard University, Massachusetts The drive from Bradford to Boston had us weaving back and forth between New York and Pennsylvania. The interstates on the East Coast are narrower than ours in California and the scenery during the heart of summer was that of lush green foliage of deciduous forests compared to our darker and more towering evergreens. We finally arrived in Boston around 6 pm, just in time for a New England clam bake, clam chowder, and lobster roll dinner at the waterfront district. Hey, when in Rome. After a meal fit for Aquaman, we strolled through downtown Boston taking in the charm and character of 17th and 18th century town halls under a canopy of 21st century skyscrapers, through the famed Boston Common and Chinatown, and ended at the Boston Tea Party floating museum. For those U.S. history and culture buffs, this is the city to visit. At nearly 11 pm, instead of going to our hotel, we headed to nearby Cambridge, home to the most prestigious university in the world, Harvard, because we wanted to feel that ivy league glory, tradition, and history. Standing proudly on Old Harvard Square, established in 1636, instantly increased our IQ, social and political position, as well as our snooty status. It’s like being chauffeured in a Rolls Royce convertible waving to the commoners. We really wanted someone to come up and ask, “You got into Harvard?” And us responding, “What? Like, it’s hard?” July 22: New Haven, Connecticut, New York City, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Although Connecticut and New York are pass through states for Californians, we were able to order takeout at the famed Sally’s Pizza in Little Italy, New Haven. Our very large, 16-slice really thin and crispy New York style pizza was arguably the best pizza we’ve ever had. I force-fed myself five slices while my traveling buddy who shall remain nameless ate the remaining 11, including the box because it was that good. As much as my buddy wanted to see, feel, and taste the Big Apple for the first time, we could only do the next best thing, take pictures from inside the car. We drove through Yonkers and Harlem, around Central Park on Park Avenue, and in front of Time Square before a severe thunder and lightning storm forced us to leave New York City in a hurry. For those in the know, the “major” storms we get here in California pale in comparison to the sheer force of an Eastern and Southern storm. Griping my steering wheel tightly, we very slowly made it out of the storm. This small portion of our road trip was both harrowing and exhilarating, taking some of our senses to all time heights. Our journey through six states on this day ended in Philadelphia, where we searched the city for the tastiest cheese steak sandwich. Alas, we found Dalessandro’s Steaks, and after inhaling a super beefy $10 footlong, we both agreed the cheese steak was well worth the search. By now, we’ve noticed prices for many, many things on our road trip were quite a bit less than what we’d pay for in California. July 23: Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, and Chesapeake Bay Valley Forge is one of several Revolutionary War battle-towns in Pennsylvania with a state or national park commemorating their bloody past and our forefathers who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. Although we didn’t get a chance to visit Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, walking the grounds of Valley Forge gave us chills and helped us appreciate our history and the lives lost for us to be Americans. Our next stop is the resort town, Rehoboth Beach. In all of my travels, I’ve been to many, many beautiful resort beach towns throughout the U.S., the Bahamas, Mexico, Thailand, Australia, and Vietnam. The list is actually pretty long. But this would be my first foray into an eastern seaboard resort beach town. My honest impression was Rehoboth is a quaint and picturesque vacation spot for people from local states. The waves were calmer than that of California and the water warmer. And an added bonus: I learned Rehoboth Beach is an LGBT friendly destination. From Rehoboth, we followed the Atlantic coastline down to Bethany Beach and then turned slightly inland to U.S. Highway 13 from Ocean City. This drive reminded me of the beach resort coastal strip in South Florida. We continued south on U.S. Highway 13 until the pavement became the iconic 20-mile Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. Basically, the highway weaves in and out of the bay transitioning from bridge to tunnel to bridge three times over. When we were above water, we felt like our car was floating on the bay with the

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July 28–29: El Paso, Texas horizon going on forever. When we were below water, there was an eerie silence and calm not unlike the dead of night. With so many stops on this day, we didn’t arrive at our hotel in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, until 2 am the next day. July 24: Great Smokey National Park, North Carolina, and Tennessee Due to the late or early arrival to our overnight destination, we got a late start and didn’t get to the Great Smokey Mountain National Park North Carolina entrance until 4 pm. Fortunately, there was plenty of daylight for us to see all the highlights of this popular park. True to the name, our drive to the summit went from sunny and bright to misty and foggy, resembling a smokey condition, in a matter of seconds. We even joked that we were at Golden Gate Park back home in San Francisco. From afar, we could see the smoke hanging over the mountain peaks and draped over to the edge of the canyons below. Again, this sight seemed awfully familiar, a little bit of déjà vu. On the other side of the summit is Tennessee and the part of the national park where wildlife viewing at Cades Cove is the main attraction. Fortuitously, getting to the Great Smokey Mountains in the late afternoon coincided with the time of day when wildlife are out in full force, grazing, foraging, and hunting. At Cades Cove, we spotted many white-tailed deer and a very large elk buck with impressive antlers. More exciting was catching multiple bears foraging along the road causing traffic jams. July 25–26: New Orleans, Louisiana After breakfast at the Waffle House, another must if you are east of the Mississippi River, in Cleveland, Tennessee, we hopped onto I-59 heading towards the heart of the Deep South. We first passed through Georgia, then Alabama, followed by Mississippi, and finally to Louisiana. We did stop along the way to get gas, drinks, and snacks.

This was my third trip to El Paso. I never thought that I would ever visit this city multiple times, and yet there we were. My first time to El Paso was on a cross-country road trip from California to Florida, one way. On that trip, I merely stopped, ate, rested, and moved on. My second trip was to the Sun Bowl, located at the University of Texas, El Paso (UTEP), because UCLA football, my alma mater, had been selected to play against Virginia Tech University. El Paso borders Mexico and Ciudad Juarez, the largest city in the Mexican state Chihuahua. I learned some interesting facts about El Paso and Ciudad Juarez on my visits. First, El Paso is the only city in Texas on Mountain Time and not Central Time. Its neighbor Ciudad Juarez eventually converted to Mountain Time as well. The Franklin Mountain State Park with the tallest peak at nearly 8,000 feet above sea level is located in the center of El Paso, dividing the city into several regions. Erected on the border of Mexico and the U.S., in Ciudad Juarez, stands a 200-feet-tall X marker monument to remember the blood spilled from the violent Juarez drug wars. Whether during daylight or the darkness of the night, the bright red X marker can be seen from almost anywhere along a 5-mile stretch on I-10 near downtown El Paso. July 29–30: Phoenix, Arizona The drive on I-10 through the desert Southwest from El Paso to Phoenix was somewhat uneventful. There were a few excellent destinations we could’ve visited, such as Saguaro National Park and the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum near Tucson, Arizona, but we decided against it mainly due to travel fatigue. We wanted Phoenix to be a recharging and rejuvenating stop before coming down the home stretch. In Phoenix, I did meet up with a long-time football buddy for a safe and social distance dinner to catch up on old times and drive around the campus of Arizona State University. The next morning, we went for a hike to Hole in a Rock at Papago Park. It was a relatively easy 1-mile roundtrip hike up

Normally New Orleans, the Big Easy, is packed with jovial and mostly drunk tourists partying just to party. Also known as the “festival capital,” the city celebrates an average of two festivals per week ranging from the biggest Mardi Gras to all types of music, food, art, and cultural celebrations, such as the Voodoo festival. Not only is New Orleans home to amazing creole and Cajun cuisine, jazz music, Bourbon Street in the French Quarter, and the Sugar Bowl, but it is also where the legend of vampires in the United States began. Our visit to New Orleans during the pandemic saw a desperate and struggling city, trying to cope and survive life with few visitors and numerous restrictions. On a hot summer Saturday night, we counted only several hundred people on Bourbon Street when there should easily be thousands. At a once popular restaurant, we sat in a large outdoor patio alone. The despondent owner couldn’t hide his frustration and disappointment as he pleaded with us to tell our friends to come visit New Orleans. July 26–27: Austin, Texas On our way to Austin from New Orleans, we drove through the fourth largest city in the U.S., Houston, Texas, where we did stop at a Whataburger because so many visitors to California rated Whataburger hamburgers higher than our California’s very own In-N-Out. Our verdict? Let’s just say the out of state burger, although not bad, didn’t measure up to our home-grown burger. So, I can’t in good conscious go to Austin without getting in line at 8 am and waiting 3–4 hours for a Franklin BBQ brisket. Yes, it’s the best brisket in the world. Hands down. Luckily, during the pandemic, I ordered the minimum 3 pounds of meat four days in advance online, selected a pick up time, and voila, I savored the world’s greatest brisket without the wait! Although our visit to Austin was short, we did drive by the capital, cruise around downtown, see the University of Texas from a block away, get a haircut, and eat doughnut burgers. Oh, and we got gas at $1.69 a gallon! July 27–28: San Antonio, Texas A short one-hour drive down I-35 from Austin is San Antonio, where we “remember the Alamo.” What most people don’t know is that a significant part of American southwest history is rooted in or near San Antonio, where several violent and

Sedona, Arizona

the rock with panoramic views of the Phoenix metropolitan area including downtown and the nearby Dessert Botanical Garden, which I highly recommend for those visiting Phoenix. July 30: Sedona, Arizona Sedona, located in the heart of Red Rock State Park, is one of the most picturesque towns in the United States, if not around the world. Situated on a pine forest valley floor surrounded by massive, mountain-height red rock cliffs and buttes, Sedona feels like found paradise. There was so much to see and so much to hike and so little time. We partially hiked three popular trails with stunning scenery: Fay Canyon, Airport Mesa, and Devil’s Bridge. Although this was my third time to Sedona, I am still enamored with it and I still found several new and breathtaking things to do and see. July 31: Slide Rock State Park, Oak Creek Canyon, and Horseshoe Bend, Arizona Slide Rock State Park

We got up extra early and headed to Slide Rock State Park from Sedona because, due to the pandemic, the park is severely limiting the number of visitors. Arriving a little before 8 am, we were one of the final four vehicles to be let in before

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LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2020)

Grand Canyon North Rim at sunset

Horseshoe Bend Little Colorado River at Marble Canyon

Ancient Navajo rock dwelling with Vermillion Cliffs in background

dead tired, overheated, and running low on water. We were alone and started to get desperate. Luckily, the Seymour family got worried because they didn’t see us leaving and came back to check on us. The entire family helped dig, push, and pull for nearly an hour until we were finally out of the sand trap. Suffice it to say that we were extremely grateful and relieved. Amidst this pandemic and our country in disarray, we discovered that people do care and are very willing to help one another!

the gates closed. Slide Rock State Park is a natural narrow canyon waterslide carved out by the fast-moving Oak Creek over hundreds of thousands of years. People of all ages and backgrounds come to Slide Rock for the natural beauty, to go down the waterslide, swim, and rock jump into the cool, if not cold, snow melt water. And we did all of that. After a couple hours of frolicking at Slide Rock, we headed north and followed the road through the enchanted Oak Creek Canyon. After a beautiful 8-mile drive, the road zig zagged up a steep yellow granite mountainside to the top where the view of the entire Oak Creek Canyon all the way to Sedona can fit into one regular photo frame.

August 1–3: Las Vegas, Nevada shining brightly on their massive torsos, the buffaloes ignored us and continued their business. After a few anxious moments, we found a small opening and squeezed our car through. Getting back to the U.S. Highway 89A junction, we turned left and headed towards our overnight destination, La Verkin, Utah, where when we were asked about the beauty of Hwy 89A several times, our answer was simple: it was absolutely gorgeous east of Arizona Highway 67. As for the western part? We didn’t see a thing in the dark. August 1: Virgin River, Red Cliffs National Conservation Area, Utah

Continuing north through Flagstaff on U.S. Highway 89, we stopped at one of the most photographed sites in the U.S., Horseshoe Bend. As advertised, the Colorado River bends beneath a steep and almost vertical granite butte, much like a horseshoe. The contrast between the emerald green river against the salmon-pink rock walls was stunning. July 31: Marble Canyon, Vermillion Cliffs National Monument, and Grand Canyon North Rim, Arizona From Horseshoe Bend we drove through a slew of stunning landscapes, something we didn’t plan or expect, on our way to the Grand Canyon. Traveling west on U.S. Highway 89A, we first came to Marble Canyon on the western border of the Navajo Nation. We made a pitstop at the historic Navajo Bridge crossing the Little Colorado River. Further down on the highway, through a 28-mile stretch of House Rock Valley, we encountered a few abandoned centuries-old Navajo cliff and rock dwellings. We were amazed at how the Navajos carved out life from such barren and arid, but beautiful, lands. For much of our drive on U.S. Highway 89A, the road moved in parallel with Vermillion Cliffs National Monument. This geological wonderland is all wild with no marked trails, no visitor centers, and no official campgrounds. The 3,000-feet-high cliffs span an area of near 300,000 acres with waves of striated red, orange, and goldish-yellow sandstone.

Virgin River at Red Cliffs

Before getting on I-15 heading to Las Vegas once again, we decided to take an unplanned side trip to a popular trailhead, Babylon Arches, approximately 10 miles from La Verkin. The road leading to the trailhead went from paved to gravel to dirt to sand. There were no vehicular restrictions or warnings anywhere, so we proceeded. The signs directing visitors to Babylon Arches virtually disappeared after a couple of miles into Red Cliffs National Conservation Area and Google maps led us to the middle of nowhere until the sandy road ended at the Virgin River. To our surprise, this part of the river was stunning. On the other side of the warm, pristine pastel green water stood several 70-foot, vertical, deep orange, granite-like rocks. We thought to ourselves, this was what a road trip is all about, discovering the beauty of road less traveled.

From U.S. Highway 89A we eventually turned left onto Arizona Highway 67, the one highway in and out of the Grand Canyon North Rim. An important note: this Arizona highway and the North Rim are only open from May through October every year. Finally arriving at the much less fanfare Grand Canyon North Rim around 5 pm, we immediately jumped on the main canyon view hiking trial, Bright Angel Point Trail. Be forewarned: this trail, although steeped with magnificent and majestic sweeping views everywhere, is not for the faint of heart. There are no handrails and no protective barriers. It’s you, the trail, and a 5,000-foot drop to the canyon floor on both sides!

After wading and playing in the shallow river for an hour, the hot morning sun quickly elevated to an oppressive midday heat in excess of 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Turning our car around, we found ourselves disoriented, unable to recognize which sandy road we came from. Unfortunately, I chose the one on the left and drove right into a sand pit.

After watching a serene and colorful sunset, we headed out of North Rim in total darkness. I parked on the side of the road, turned off the engine and lights, opened the moon roof, and we sat back and counted the stars and pointed out constellations. We then retraced the highway back out of Grand Canyon. Not more than a few miles later we came to a sudden screeching halt as a herd of large buffaloes blocked the entire width of the highway. Unfazed by our high beam headlights

During this time, a family of seven, Julianne Seymour and her six kids, came rumbling down in their 4x4 SUV. We struck up a conversation, and a friendship was forged. Shortly after the family left, we got a call from the towing company informing us the truck will take at least 3 more hours to get to us. Upset, we decided to make a last-ditch, all-out physical effort to get us out of the trap, but the car would not budge. Now we were

With no one around to help us, we tried every trick in the book to get us out of the sand trap to no avail. Using a minimal cell reception, we were able to contact AAA for assistance. And for about an hour, all in our world was well because a tow truck was on its way.

After our harrowing experience in Southern Utah, we decided we needed a break from traveling and spent the next two nights in Las Vegas, where we ate, sat by the pool, ate, slept, and repeated. August 3–5: Los Angeles, California It’s nice to be back in our Golden State where the sun’s warmth hugs us. In Los Angeles, we went to the beach and played a social distance sport, tennis. It is the Southern California lifestyle even during a pandemic. Of course, there’s much more to do in Los Angeles than just going to the beach. We took advantage of the recent opening of the venerable Huntington Library and Gardens, the only place I am aware of that has the original Gutenberg Bible, printed in 1397, on display. Huntington is also unique because the grounds house 16 major internaChinese Ming Garden at Huntington Library and tional and ecosystem gardens, Gardens including a $10 million Chinese Ming garden, a 1,200 variety of roses garden, and a Japanese garden with a 320-year-old house. Although we stretched our trip an additional five days, it was time to head home where our home, beds, and loved ones awaited. After 32 days and 10,300 miles on the road, we finally made it back to our beloved San Francisco Bay Area. Overall, we traveled to 30 states including 10 capital cities, visited nine National Parks and Monuments, walked and hiked a little over 120 miles, endured at least 12 days of oppressive heat with temperatures of 108 to 118 degrees Fahrenheit, and checked off 11 bucket list items. In addition, we drove through an extreme thunder and lightning storm, survived a sand pit, skirted a hurricane, and nearly plowed into a herd of buffalo. Most importantly, we learned a lot about our country and our people during a pandemic. The vast majority of the people adhered to safe practices and social distance protocols whenever possible. Businesses such as shops, restaurants, and hotels took great care to clean and sanitize. On our trip, we never felt unsafe or threatened. In my opinion, if we do everything in our power to be safe by wearing a mask, washing hands and sanitizing many times over, avoiding crowds, and social distancing, a road trip is a great way to invigorate and rejuvenate our passion and thirst for life. John Chen, a UCLA alumnus and an avid sports fan, has competed as well as coached tennis, volleyball, softball and football teams.

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Reverend Jerry Jr.: He Didn’t Fall Well Photos Courtesy of Tim Seelig

things? There are many answers to those questions. I’ll try to answer them at the end of the article.

TLC: Tears, Laughs and Conversation Dr. Tim Seelig Perhaps you thought there could be no more surprises in 2020. But alas, the shenanigans at Liberty University grabbed our attention. Sex scandals are rarely news, unless the person in the center of the hubbub has meticulously created an image as a national purity leader and, with the help of his family, placed it high on a pedestal carefully erected. Of all the admirable skills I am certain Jerry Falwell, Jr., possesses, one of them is not taking a fall gracefully. Recently the news burst onto the airwaves about Jerry Falwell, Jr.’s alleged sexual misconduct. It caused me to reflect on my own similar experience. You couldn’t write a movie script about either of us that could be more delicious than the truth. Two powerful men in high places. Respected by thousands of followers. Role models. Family men. Good Christian men. To that, add in illicit sex, hypocrisy, hotels, motels, and lies and you’ve got something good. As we like to call it in the church, that is some serious “backsliding.” We both stepped in it and slid. Just that would be a blockbuster, but there are more twists for each of the movies. The entire movie set is a church, a church school, and churchy people. Let’s call them Movie 1 and Movie 2. For #1, has a yacht, “black water,” and cut-off jeans, Daisy Dukes, for a “red-neck” party. For #2, has “dirty” bookstores, stylish clothes, and reparative therapy. The romantic lead in #1 was caught. The lead in #2 confessed. Both were outed. #1 fell because of things he did. #2 fell because of who he was. #1’s fall was softened by a reported $10m payout. #2 lost everything and landed hard. #1 is “taking a little time.” #2 was ruined. In the end, the result was the same: shame, loss of dignity, position, and respect. In the final scene, #1 returns triumphantly to the throne to do more of the same. #2 will come back completely transformed. Open, honest, out, and changing the world. And wrote a book about it! What can we learn from these two movies? They are similar and yet so completely different. Why should we bother ourselves with such

Jerry fell from grace because of his activities that were far outside the strict moral mores he himself had preached. Fire and brimstone preachers are bullies. When they fall, they become the bullied. Then, they are victims. Jerry’s actions were a choice. He lied to everyone. Textbook hypocrisy is preaching fidelity, morals, and monogamy while privately being involved in alleged 3-way sex with your wife, whether participating or just watching the pool boy or the fitness instructor. The details really do not matter. Tim fell from grace because he was gay. Tim was born gay. His banishment came because he chose not to lie any longer. In fact, when Tim confided in a Christian counselor, his advice was: “Keep scratching those itches, but don’t let it ruin your ministry.” I can only assume a Christian counselor told Jerry the same thing. Tim chose not to take his advice. Jerry chose to pull out the checkbook. Perhaps it wouldn’t have been so disgraceful had Jerry not put himself into the lofty position he wanted so badly. He helped elect a U.S. president, for goodness sake. Donald Trump gives him more airtime and personal thanks that any other evangelical. This no doubt irks Dr. Robert Jeffries, Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas. Perhaps now he can be Trump’s BEFF, Best Evangelist Friend Forever. Things have changed dramatically since 45 took over. A poll reports that, in 2016, one in seven evangelicals felt strongly that people in leadership positions should lead moral lives. In 2020, that number is one in three. Liberty University has been good to the Falwell family. According to Forbes, Falwell Jr. “ ... used the university and his position as president to make a fortune for himself. He collects $1m a year from the university and has amassed a net wealth of over $100m. You might even say he’s the Donald Trump of higher education.” Jerry and I share several things in common: flawless Baptist pedigrees, Fathers in the highest echelons of Baptist life (I’m not a junior, thank goodness), and death-defying falls from the pinnacles of organized religion. I walked in Jerry’s shoes of lies and deceit. I know the harsh tongue of judgment from the self-righteous. Institutional religion sets us up for failure, so we will constantly need them to save us from our backsliding

Jerry Falwell, Jr.

and feed them financially in trade for absolution from guilt. Let me be clear. Regardless of the circumstances, when secret lives explode, everyone gets dirty. People are hurt at different levels from shock to rage, disappointment to distrust. In the end, we are humans. We do dumb stuff. We don’t always make good choices. Jerry had a lot of warning signs as to how to avoid this. He had a playbook written throughout the annals of history by other fine men of god such as he. There are even examples in the Bible of men who gave in to temptation. He only needed to look around at his own colleagues for warning signals. While there are countless who have fallen, this trinity won medals. Ted Haggard resigned his empire after a gay sex scandal in 2006. He was back preaching in 2009. In 2011, he claimed his sexual attraction to other men had miraculously disappeared. That doesn’t quite explain the crystal meth he bought, but he is back ministering with his wife. Jim Bakker. After his sex scandal in 1987, he was replaced by Jerry Falwell, who called his predecessor “the greatest scab and cancer on the face of Christianity in 2,000 years of church history.” After jailtime, he was back with another wife and another ministry combining Christianity and selling buckets of freeze-dried food for the end of days. Jimmy Swaggart was implicated in a sex scandal in 1988 and again in 1991. Before that, he teamed up with Reverend Jerry Falwell, Reverend James Robison, and Reverend Pat Robertson to use the Christian Right to shape the Republican Party. Jimmy’s back on television. Back to Jerry. Jerry and I had the same two choices: Try to pray it away and/or cover it up. Be honest and live the rest of your life in authenticity, humility, and new purpose. What can we learn from these stories and why should we bother to read them? Because, at the very bottom of them are humans, hurting, reaching, and trying their best to be their best. But our religious institutions have failed to prepare us for life outside the walls. Telling us not to do something constantly will ensure we do it. Don’t tell us what not to do. Tell us who we need to be! We’ll work out the details of living a loving, open, productive life. If you believe in

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LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2020)

Heres a Working Female Film Critic! Field of Dreams

Off the Wahl Jan Wahl Recently there was a national study that found male film critics outnumber female film critics by more than 75 per cent. This came as no surprise to me since I have been making a living in this profession for well over 25 years and still feel the loneliness of my gender. I often wonder if it is the “men don’t like smart women” syndrome? “Just be quiet and be pretty.” “You look so much better when you smile.” Back in the seventies, I was among the first women Associate Directors at a TV network, and was told that no women ever got this prestigious job because men did not like to accept orders from a female. Perhaps it is the same with our opinions. It is difficult today for me to find a young woman to mentor in the field of film criticism, though every time I find a woman of any age doing this work, I read or listen with special interest. One of the first books I devoured about movies was written by my favorite film critic Molly Haskell. Her seminal work From Reverence to Rape: The Treatment of Women in the Movies still sits proudly on my bookshelf. Rob Carver’s insightful documentary (2018) What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael has us celebrating this controversial, but groundbreaking, critic. Of course, there have been many others whose shoulders I stand on, as far back as the 1920s. When the dismissive term “chick flick” became a part of our vernacular, I was outraged. Does that mean we can only appreciate romantic comedies, or that war or adventure films are off limits to us? Can men not find their emotional centers with dramas or “weepies”? I could not find anyone to go along with me on this, and to this day will not use this offensive category in my writing or broadcasting.

Harold and Maude

Auntie Mame or Norma Desmond. Will young men now only see a certain genre of film because it is a “chick flick” to see anything else? This idea is satirized in Nora Ephron’s Sleepless in Seattle, but the truth is not as funny. Good movies are good movies, and gender has nothing to do with it. From Field of Dreams to Saving Private Ryan, from I Remember Mama to Gigi, we all celebrate and appreciate great cinema. All of us who review movies have our special passions. If a film has an LBGTQ theme (Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Pride, The Celluloid Closet) I will do my best to bring it to everyone’s attention. When a movie is made, all too rarely, about an amazing female (Harriet, Frida Kahlo, Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C. J. Walker, Harold and Maude, Madame Curie) I am front and center to critique it. There are powerful women in Hollywood today who have their own production companies. It is rewarding when someone like Reese Witherspoon reminds us that she is doing what she said in her Oscar acceptance, quoting June Carter: “I’m just trying to matter.” I would tell my sisters in any field of endeavor: have opinions. Back up that critical thinking with reasoning and supporting arguments. Find a niche that makes you different and worth listening to; make it fun. I’m not a female film critic, I am a movie critic. A showbiz critic. I hope someday there will be more of us. Emmy Award-winner Jan Wahl is a renowned entertainment reporter, producer, and teacher. A member of the prestigious Directors Guild of America, she is regularly featured on KPIX television (every Monday morning starting at 6:15 am) and on KCBS AM & FM and other media outlets. To read and listen to her reviews for KCBS, go to: https://kcbsradio.radio.com/authors/jan-wahl For more info about her remarkable life and career: http://www.janwahl.com/ Check out her entertaining and informative videos at http://sfbaytimes.com/ Brokeback Mountain

Spotlight Film for SF Pride 50: Brokeback Mountain (2005) By Jan Wahl Brokeback Mountain was a film I championed and continue to watch at least once a year. It is unforgettable and brilliant. The year is 1963. Rodeo cowboy Jack ( Jake Gyllenhaal) and ranch hand Ennis (Heath Ledger) are hired as sheepherders in Wyoming. There is an attraction and tenderness between them, forbidden yet powerful as only great love can be. Though both marry women, their longing for each other never ends.

The other night I was watching a Bette Davis classic, Now, Voyager. George Cukor directed the story of a woman who transitions from fearful to confident, falling deeply in love along the way. Her change from powerless to powerful is appreciated by both men and women. My husband, a war movie fan, sat down and joined me as the waves of great filmmaking swept over us. Davis’ character crossed all gender lines, as does

They continue a sporadic, yet intense, love affair for many years, with an ending that is unforgettable and worthy of watching over and over. The acting by the two leads and direction by Ang Lee are among the best cinematic achievements. Anguish, sensitivity, desire ... it is all there and absolutely breathtaking.

KIT’N KITTY’S

QUEER POP QUIZ 22

SA N FRANCISCO BAY T I ME S

I Remember Mama

TURN THAT BEAT AROUND This singer worked with Macklemore and Ryan Lewis on their LGBTQ rights single “Same Love.” A) Mary Lambert B) Demi Lovato C) Janelle Monae D) Miley Cyrus

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Karin Jaffie, aka Kit/Kitty Tapata, won the title of Mr. Gay San Francisco in 2011 and has earned many other honors since. Connect with Jaffie via Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/pg/ktapata

Films to Watch During Frameline’s Final Weekend

Film Gary M. Kramer Frameline 44 ends Sunday, but there are several films worth checking out this weekend. Here is a rundown (in chronological order) of what to watch. In director Filippo Meneghetti’s poignant drama Two of Us (September 25, 7 pm), aging neighbors Nina (Barbara Sukowa) and Madeleine (Martine Chevallier) are secretly a couple. When circumstances separate the lovers, Nina contrives ways of (re)connecting with Madeline. Meneghetti, making his feature debut, shoots many scenes in closeup, and this intimacy showcases Sukowa’s deeply moving performance as a determined woman in love. Chevallier is heartbreaking, expressing her emotions, sometimes just with her eyes. Easily the most sexually explicit film at the festival, Dry Wind (September 25, 9 pm), has fertilizer factory employees Sandro (Leandro Faria Lelo) and Ricardo (Allan Jacinto Santana) meeting for raunchy trysts in forests and fairgrounds. But when Sandro spots the sexy, leather-clad Maicon (Rafael Teóphilo), he falls for him instead. The problem is that Maicon couples up with Ricardo. Dry Wind slowly lets this love triangle unfold, showing how jealousy eats away at Sandro. In addition, Sandro has these fetishistic fever dreams—one in a nightclub is particularly erotic, and a scene with a tattooed, muscled cop brims with possibility—that reveal his repressed emotions. Writer/director Daniel Nolasco films Dry Wind in a hypnotic style, with long, lingering, homoerotic shots of the men, but despite all the eye candy, this film can at times feel inscrutable.

The Teacher

Arguably the best film in the festival this year is The Teacher (September 26 1:30 pm), which is part of the Spotlight on Taiwan. Kevin (Oscar Chiu) is a politically-minded high school civics teacher who campaigns for gay marriage on weekends. At a bathhouse, he meets Gao (Sam Chang) and they have a night of passion. Kevin falls hard for Gao, but he has anxiety about the relationship, especially when he briefly loses touch with his lover. Soon after they reconnect, Kevin moves in with Gao but there is a stony silence between the men after Gao discloses that he is positive. Moreover, Gao’s wife Wei (Winnie Shih-Ying Chang)— his lover is still married—is still hoping to have a baby with Gao, causing another rift in their relationship. As Kevin tries to manage this situation, he is targeted by rumors at work. The Teacher is a penetrating character study buoyed by Chiu’s outstanding performance. The actor makes Kevin endearing throughout, but as he becomes more fraught with the pressures of his professional and personal situations, Chiu conveys Kevin’s increasing unease through his coiled body language and taut facial expressions. Scenes with his supportive mother (Tzu-hua Ho) and his gay friend Jo (Simon Shueh) are particularly excellent; he wants to talk with them about his situation, but he does not want to burden them. The Teacher addresses many significant issues facing the LGBTQ community in Taiwan in a compact and provocative and never melodramatic way. This film should not be missed.

The Goddess of Fortune

about the families created from love not sex, and his newest drama, The Goddess of Fortune (September 26, 8 pm), is no exception. Arturo (Stefano Accorsi) and Alessandro (Edoardo Leo) have been a couple since Annamaria ( Jasmine Trinca) introduced them 15 years ago. She asks them to watch her two preteens, Martina (Sara Ciocca) and Sandro (Edoardo Brandi), while she checks into the hospital for a few days. However, as the guys navigate temporary parenthood, a situation in their relationship comes to a head. Meanwhile, Annamaria faces an issue of her own. While predictable drama ensues, Ozpetek emphasizes the bonds of love. The feelings the kids have for their “uncles” and vice versa are palpable, and help this clunky film over its contrived moments.

Two of Us

Homegrown (September 27, 11 am) is a six-pack of locally made shorts. The program opens with the charming documentary, When I Write It. Nico Opper and Shannon St. Aubin’s hangout film has Leila, a queer teen, and her straight friend Ajai taking a mini trip through Oakland. As they ride their bikes and make wry observations—such as one about Earl Grey ice cream— they acknowledge the dramatic changes and cultural shifts in their city. They feel both nostalgia and mournful towards their hometown. Their attitudes reflect their own shift as they enter adulthood. When I Write It also features some performance scenes, and the music, like the film, creates an infectious experience. Another strong documentary is That Was Ray, about Reverend Ray Broshears, who founded the Lavender Panthers, an armed activist/vigilante group—the Reverend carried a shotgun!—to protect LGBT folks who were targets of gang and police brutality. This loving tribute restores Ray’s almost-forgotten legacy with photographs, newspaper accounts, archival footage, and animation as well as through interviews with folks who knew him. Carving Space is an upbeat documentary about Unity Skateboarding, an Oakland organization that fills a void for queer, female, and nonbinary skaters throughout the country. Director Annie Dean-Ganek celebrates how Unity has built a strong community and expanded a subculture. Aye, Boy, the solo fiction film in the program, is also the weakest. High schooler Mads (Yhana

Dry Wind

Unapologetic

Out gay filmmaker Ferzan Ozpetek (His Secret Life) often makes films

Alice Júnior

Sibelle) has an abusive father and a crush on her female best friend. The place she feels most comfortable is on the basketball court with the guys. Writer/director My-Hanh Lac’s film is well meaning, but the valuable story of oppression and self-expression is undone by its amateurishness. Eleven Weeks is a bittersweet documentary portrait of the last three months of Carla Jean Johnson’s life. Diagnosed with terminal cancer, she opts against treatment. Her wife Anna Kuperberg (who co-directed this short with Julie Caskey) films various moments, from memories of trips they took, to visits from friends. This is a moving portrait, with artful shots of Carla Jean in bed, or the bathtub, that shows the dignity of dying on one’s own terms. Closing out the program is another poignant documentary, I’ll Cry Tomorrow. Using found-footage from 1986, director Brett Thomas’ eloquent short recounts his experiences as an out 21-year-old gay man in San Francisco during the height of the AIDS crisis. His narration, which unfolds over superimposed images of people and cityscapes, talks about the fear, demonization, and resilience of the LGBTQ community during this uncertain time. It is both heartfelt and galvanizing. One of the more topical films screening at Frameline is the cogent documentary Unapologetic (September 27, 2 pm), which profiles Janaé Bonsu and Bella Bahhs, two queer Black women in Chicago who are part of the Black Youth Project 100 activist group. The film opens with a powerful action of the BYP100 disrupting white brunches to protest police violence. The women seek justice in the case of Rekia Boyd, a young Black woman who was shot and killed by an off-duty cop. Filmmaker Ashley

O’Shay also shows Janaé working on her dissertation and visiting her queer mother, Stacey. Meanwhile, Bella, a rapper, contends with the trauma of family members in prison and seeks a grant to organize full time. Unapologetic provides uplift as Bella leads protests or Janaé speaks out in meetings. Their efforts to serve and represent their community— which has long felt unheard, and oppressed—is inspiring. Lastly, Alice Júnior (September 27, 4 pm) is a wonderful, energetic comedy from Brazil about the title character (Anne Celestino), a never-been-kissed trans teenager whose father Jean Genet (Emmanuel Rosset) moves to a small town for a few months. Alice despairs when she must attend a Catholic high school and is asked to dress as a boy. Her humiliations multiply at school, but she does make some friends, including Taisa (Surya Amitrano) and Viviane (Thais Schier). She also develops a crush on Bruno (Matheus Moura). Alice Júnior peppers its engaging heroine’s experiences with lively animation and videos, but it is her father’s unconditional love and protection—he is proud of his daughter and fights for her rights—that make the film so gratifying. Watching Alice transform the school, lobbying for bathroom rights, fighting off bullies, and raising feminist consciousness at a pool party, is amusing, heartwarming, and empowering. © 2020 Gary M. Kramer Gary M. Kramer is the author of “Independent Queer Cinema: Reviews and Interviews,” and the co-editor of “Directory of World Cinema: Argentina.” Follow him on Twitter @garymkramer

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Randy Coleman hails from New York, but has lived in San Francisco since 1975. Coleman shares that before moving to the Bay Area, he studied Art History and Architecture at Boston University while working as a resident artist for architectural rendering at a Massachusetts historical society. “All of my life I’ve been an artist,” Coleman says. “To know me is to know that I have a passion for art and architecture. I love this project for the San Francisco Bay Times, and hope that you enjoy my sketches.” © Randy Coleman, 2020

SF Sketch Randy Coleman

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Venturing Out, Socially Distanced

LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area

CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2020)

and a wine tasting room to boot. When you’re really tired of sitting all alone in your room (and the fog), head up to beautiful Yountville in the Napa Valley. It’s an easy 1.5 hour drive each way and you’ll feel like you’re a world away. I have to admit, dear readers, that this was absolutely my very first outing (besides the dog park and the beach) since March 13. To say I was nervous is an understatement. Once we arrived, and I saw the protocols and the set-up, my mind was put at ease.

The Gay Gourmet David Landis It’s now been more than 6 months since the pandemic and shelterin-place began. And yes, The Gay Gourmet, known for his nightly culinary adventures pre-COVID, is climbing the walls. But like many of you devoted readers, I’m careful. I wear my mask. I wash my hands. I stay six feet away. I don’t want to engage in activities that put me or my husband at risk of COVID. So, for the most part, we’ve been staying home and not eating out. That said, as my mother used to say, “use your head.” According to CDC guidelines, “The more an individual interacts with others, and the longer that interaction, the higher the risk of COVID-19 spread.” The risk of COVID-19 spread increases in a restaurant or bar setting as follows: • Lowest Risk: Food service limited to drive-through, delivery, takeout, and curb-side pick-up • More Risk: On-site dining limited to outdoor seating. Seating capacity reduced to allow tables to be spaced at least 6 feet apart. • Highest Risk: On-site dining with both indoor and outdoor seating. Seating capacity not reduced and tables not spaced at least 6 feet apart. As of this writing, indoor dining is still not allowed in San Francisco, which I think is a good thing. But there’s talk of allowing limited restaurant capacity (25%) and for restaurants to open September 29. So, stay tuned on that front. Takeout has minimal risk, according to the CDC. But what about outdoor dining with spacing at least 6 feet apart? It’s all in the details. So, the Gay Gourmet ventured out to a few outdoor places—some where social distancing and mask wearing was not enforced. But I’d rather focus on the restaurants that I think are doing the best job with hygiene, sanitization, and protocols. There’s something for everyone here: one in downtown San Francisco, one a short day trip up to Yountville, and one a weekend jaunt to Big Sur. –––––––––––––––––––––––––– The Vault Garden, San Francisco https://www.thevault555.com/ Let’s start with a new-ish restaurant, The Vault Garden, right in San Francisco’s Financial District on the plaza of the landmark Bank of America building. First, why hasn’t anyone thought of outdoor dining in this magnificent plaza before? (Oh, right, because of the fog and the wind!) I have to say, from start to finish, The Vault Garden does everything right, which makes even the most careful diner feel at ease.

Executive Chef Robin Song

street (can you imagine? Downtown?), or else parking is discounted to a mere $5 in the BofA building parking garage (evenings or weekend brunch). Run by Hi Neighbor Hospitality (owners of Trestle and Corridor) and with chef Robin Song at the helm, the restaurant and experience there are first rate. I was especially impressed that right on their website The Vault says, “If you’re not eating or drinking, wear a mask. When the waitstaff comes to your table, put on your mask. Respect others’ 6-foot bubble. We have stopped pouring water and wine tableside, we leave the heavy lifting to you. We will only change silverware, share plates and napkins upon request. And we know it can get a bit chilly, there are single-use blankets and pocket warmers available. If you don’t want to touch a menu, scan the QR code.” I especially also liked that if you need to use the restroom, it is required that you wear a mask. And that tables are more than 6 feet apart. Plenty of space to social distance, even if you talk to your neighbors (which we did!). After reading these protocols, I felt more assured that this restaurant takes our health seriously. Ok, so what about the food? And service? The Vault Garden should be at the top of your restaurant list these days. My husband and I shared everything: a bottle of Triennes’ rosé wine from Provence (well, two bottles, it was a beautiful, sunny day); to start, we ordered their sturgeon caviar dish with latkes that would make my Jewish friends proud. But we asked for a substitution (all caviar, no trout roe), which was accommodated without blinking; then, we moved to a simple, but divine, Caesar salad with crispy croutons and a tangy dressing; and fresh salmon with a panzanella salad. Being picky about my fish, I was impressed that it was cooked medium rare and tasted as if was just caught that day. The panzanella salad adds a little more oomph to the dish. The tomatoes were ripe and tasty, which I hate to say is more unusual than common these days. For dessert, even though we’ve gained the proverbial COVID 19 pounds (well, not quite!), we caved and ordered the blueberry beignets that melt in your mouth (how can one resist those?). The service was expert and professional, but do keep in mind that the kitchen is about a block away. So be kind to your waiter and give them your order all at once. On top of it all, I should add that The Vault Garden is super dog-friendly. Gaston and Alphonse loved being treated like the luxury lap dogs they are. –––––––––––––––––––––––––– RH Yountville https://bit.ly/3kJyXa4 A great new addition to the gourmet dining scene in Yountville is a new RH (Restoration Hardware) complex—outdoor dining, a furniture showroom,

The restaurant is all outdoor (for now) and has two areas for seating: one in front (where we didn’t dine, which looks to be a bit more lounge-y) and the back where each table is separated more than 6 feet apart by what looks to be hundred-yearold olive trees. The design is simply gorgeous and looks like something out of—well—a Restoration Hardware catalogue; either that, or Architectural Digest. When we sat down (again, with the dogs—can you tell, we rarely go anywhere without them these days?), I noticed hand sanitizer on the table itself, a welcome touch. Masks are required to go to and from your table and when waitstaff come by. Restrooms are in another part of the complex, but masks are also required there. RH does temperature checks of all staff every day, adheres to CDC guidelines, and asks that guests socially distance as well. So, I relaxed. Being the picky Gay Gourmet that I am, I had questions about the wine list and “business leader” Tyson Carpenter couldn’t have been more accommodating. He found Sean and me a dry California white wine, Arnot Roberts Chardonnay from the Santa Cruz mountains, with little to no oak made in the European style. After the first sip, our cares and troubles were far away. It felt like we were instantly transported to Italy. I should start by saying that the portions at RH are generous and eminently share-able. For our first course, we ordered one of the more interesting salads I’ve had in a long time: an arugula salad with prawns, avocado, raisins, fennel, sunflower seeds, Parmesan cheese, and the lightest but most delicious lemon vinaigrette. Simply scrumptious. For our next course, we moved onto another fresh salmon, cooked with honey, brown butter, and lemon: very light, tasty and perfect for a summer afternoon. As a side dish, we had the most delectable and creamy potato puree— no lumps here! And for dessert, we ordered the homemade chocolate chip cookies to go. Again, the staff couldn’t have been more attentive without crowding us, which gave us time to enjoy our Napa Valley excursion. –––––––––––––––––––––––––– Nepenthe Restaurant, Big Sur https://www.nepenthe.com/ Big Sur is a bit far from San Francisco for a day trip, but it’s well worth it—especially if you spend a night or two in nearby Carmel. The view is the star at this Big Sur mainstay. And that’s the main reason I stayed away all these years. I just assumed Nepenthe’s focus was the gorgeous 500foot mountain vistas cascading down to the sea. Guess what? The food’s as good as the view. Wildfires have impacted Big Sur, so be sure to check the weather report before you head to this rugged stretch of California’s central coast. Nepenthe even has its own weather cam, which is convenient to ascertain whether or not the view is hidden by fog (or smoke). That said, I don’t know why I stayed away so long. There simply is no place as beautiful as this in the world—not Cinque Terra, not Hawaii, not Rio. It’s completely magical. Buyer beware: Nepenthe doesn’t take reservations, so I recommend arriving early (we arrived before they opened at 11:30 am for lunch). And, unfortunately, they don’t permit dogs, even outdoors. But their protocols immediately made me feel comfortable. As you wait in line, the six-foot bubbles are clearly marked on the pavement leading up to the hostess stand. You give them your name, they hand you one of those “buzzers” that has been wiped down just for you. You then can sit

tain and the ocean.

“bleacher style” admiring the view while you wait for a table— and again, 6-foot separations are clearly marked, with masks required everywhere. We waited barely 5 minutes and then were escorted to one of the outdoor “countertops” perched above the moun-

Outdoor seating is well distanced, which is comforting—even at the countertop. Designed by a student of Frank Lloyd Wright, the building is a throwback to mid-60s architecture, which I love. Surrounding the building is a huge and spacious outdoor terrace (the only place where they’re currently serving) with those stunning mountain and ocean vistas. Nepenthe aptly means “no sorrow.” Sean and I were celebrating our 31st anniversary, so we were clearly feeling no sorrow. Our waitress added to the festive mood and couldn’t have been more engaging and fun. Surprisingly, the wine list is quite impressive, with many choices— certainly skewed to California, but offering a sizeable European selection as well. So, we splurged and bought a fancy bottle of Bandol rosé (again, from Provence), crisp and light for a delectable lunch. We each had to order the famous Ambrosia burger with cheese, cooked to a perfect medium rare. It’s their proprietary burger. The sauce consists of mayonnaise, chili salsa, and tomato sauce, served on a French roll (mine with tarragoninfused kidney bean salad, Sean’s with homemade coleslaw). We gave in and also ordered a side of French fries (extra crispy, of course). A determined woodpecker kept trying to steal the fries, but he did not succeed! By the end of lunch, we were too full to try dessert, but the four-layer fudge cake gets excellent diner reviews. All in all, Nepenthe is a must. So, there you have it. The truth is, even during this pandemic, you don’t have to stay cooped up behind your four walls. There are restaurants that care about your health AND provide a superior outdoor dining experience as well. Just choose those destinations wisely and make sure you ask the right questions before you go. David Landis, aka “The Gay Gourmet,” is a foodie, a freelance writer, and a PR executive. Follow him on Instagram @GayGourmetSF, on Twitter @david_landis, email him at: david@ landispr.com or visit him online at: www.gaygourmetsf.com

When you arrive, these days you can usually find parking on the S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES

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Sister Dana Sez: Words of Wisdumb from a Fun Nun

By Sister Dana Van Iquity Sister Dana sez, “Let’s give a big hand to Trump for his super-spreader rallies. And by ‘give a big hand’ I mean a big slap to his ugly orange face!” A recent PRINCETON UNIVERSITY study regarding the last several months of protests in the U.S. found “in more than 93% of all demonstrations connected to the BLM movement, demonstrators have not engaged in violence or destructive activity.” Whereas the study also found: “Authorities have used force ... in over 54% of the demonstrations in which they engaged.” Sister Dana sez, “Someone please tell Liar-in-Chief Trump the actual statistics prove that—despite his fear mongering and attempting to stir up violence—most protests are peaceful!” DRAG OUT THE VOTE and ROCK THE VOTE teamed up to bring a onetime-only virtual drag extravaganza on September 9 via Facebook registering voters and fundraising for DOTV’s DRAG AMBASSADOR PROGRAM. Hosted by DOTV Co-chair Brita Filter, the voter-realness drag extravaganza featured RuPaul’s Drag Race favorites Jaremi Carey (Phi Phi O’Hara), Cynthia Lee Fontaine, The Vixen, SF’s Rock M. Sakura, plus national Co-chair Marti G. Cummings, and Drag Ambassadors Cissy Walken (New York City) and Blackberri (Houston). Everyone emphasized that one in five LGBTQIA+ people are not registered to vote. 100 million people did not vote in 2016. We must fix this, and these fabulous 200+ Drag Ambassadors are organizing to get out the vote in their communities. Also, several dozen ambassadors painted face and dolled up to each give a stunning 30-second PSA for voting. Let’s not disappoint them! https://www.dragoutthevote2020.org/ Sister Dana sez, “USPS Board of Governors: Stop delaying the mail and suppressing our votes! Remove the Postmaster General and restore services immediately!” This year marks 40 years in service by HORIZONS FOUNDATION: a momentous milestone for the world’s first community foundation of, by, and for LGBTQ people. Since 1980, they have awarded over $49.2 million to over 2,100 organizations, including $641,500 in emergency grants to Bay Area LGBTQ organizations in response to the pandemic. This VIRTUAL GALA 40 was held on September 12. They raised over $390,000. Gala Co-chairs were Jim Shay and Olga Talamante with genial host Michael Tate. Horizons Executive Director Roger Doughty addressed the major worries of these terrible times, with a promise that Horizons will do everything they can to help in such topics as BLM, AIDS, COVID-19, and so many other concerns. “I missed being in a big room with all of you, and giving and getting a thousand hugs,” said Doughty. “But I could still absolutely feel the unbreak26

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able sense of community that binds us—and that powers us toward our shared vision for the future.” For entertainment, Drag King KB “Tuffy” Boyce strummed the blues; Breanna Sinclaire hit the high notes heavenly with “Summertime Blues” from Porg y and Bess; and the duo from Netflix’s Orange Is the New Black, Vicci Martinez and Emily Tarver, superbly serenaded us. DJ Page Hodel spun tunes for the after-party. I joined so many of my friends in the chat room and onscreen raising a toast to 40 more years with a glass of RED wine for the RUBY anniversary. Cheers, queers! https://www.horizonsfoundation.org/ EQUALITY CALIFORNIA (EQCA) held its first-ever statewide virtual celebration, THE GOLDEN STATE EQUALITY AWARDS, on September 13. They raised over $85,000. Actress, CEO, and transgender activist Angelica Ross was the hostess. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi led a touching tribute to the life and legacy of the late Congressman John Lewis. Openly LGBTQ artist Rufus Wainwright performed Leonard Cohen’s emotional classic “Hallelujah.” Gloria Estefan and Rita Moreno honored the iconic television writer and producer Norman Lear. Transgender actress and executive producer Laverne Cox, director Sam Feder, and producer Amy Scholder accepted the Equality Visibility Award on behalf of the Netflix Original Documentary Disclosure. Pete & Chasten Buttigieg received the Equality Trailblazer Award. Congratulations to pro-equality champion and California State Treasurer Fiona Ma and California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus Chair Emeritus Assemblymember Evan Low! With over 900,000 members, Equality California is one of the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights organizations. And EQCA is California’s only LGBTQ+ civil rights organization working at the local, state, and national levels. https://www.eqca.org/about/ GLBT HISTORICAL SOCIETY presented MIGHTY REAL: A CELEBRATION OF SYLVESTER, an online forum on September 16, which would have been his 73rd birthday (1947–1988). We were privileged to see and hear this iconic San Francisco disco diva Sylvester in concerts—especially performing Big Band favorites. The society’s registrar Ramón Silvestre showed slides of the Sylvester-related gorgeous fashions in the Art and Artifacts Collection. Disco will never die! Thank you, Sylvester! https://www.glbthistory.org/exhibitions Rest in peace and power, my friend Matthew Simmons, also known as iconic comical drag queen Peggy L’Eggs, who died peacefully on September 8 at age 60. I will truly miss your adorable antics, Peggy darling! There is an online memorial on Saturday, September 26, 5–7 pm hosted by Peaches Christ & Heklina. It will include remembrances and performances from friends and family. Following the memorial, attendees are invited to an online reception with Kylie Minono for more sharing of memories and conversation. https://www.twitch.tv/sfoasis Sister Dana sez, “I hate that the ultra-right radical conspiracy theorist group, QAnon, has kidnapped my favorite letter ‘Q’ for Queer!”

Have you seen Sister Dana (aka Dennis McMillan) lately? Probably not since there’s a pandemic happening even if Trump doesn’t acknowledge it. With October looming during this strange year of 2020, we are happy to present this photo of Sister Dana stepping out the front door onto Castro for Trick or Treating in 2017.

State Senator Scott Wiener has welcomed the BOARD OF SUPERVISORS RESOLUTION from Supervisor Catherine Stefani condemning QAnon attacks. “The attacks on Senator Wiener are part of a growing and extremely dangerous white supremacist movement, which increasingly targets immigrants, religious minorities, and the LGBTI community,” said Supervisor Stefani. “We know that this kind of online harassment can serve as a red flag to real-world violence, as was the case in Charleston, Charlottesville, Pittsburgh, and El Paso. What is happening to Senator Wiener could happen to anyone, and that’s why it’s so important that we stand together to denounce this vicious behavior and the platforms that permit it.” As you may already know, Denise D’Anne, a former Co-President of the HARVEY MILK LGBTQ DEMOCRATIC CLUB, passed away on September 2nd. She was an early transgender activist and lifelong environmentalist and brought these value sets when she led the Club in 2010 with David Waggoner. She was greatly honored at the September 15 General Membership virtual meeting. HRC SAN FRANCISCO invites us to a livestream, UNITE FOR EQUALITY LIVE, on September 24, 5 pm PST. Human Rights Campaign aims to bring together supporters of equality from across the country to engage with their work to mobilize and build momentum toward the upcoming election. https://uniteforequalitylive.org/ The ASIAN ART MUSEUM will reopen for a members› preview October 1–2, then to the public for free from October 3–12. https://bit.ly/3kFZpkI SFMOMA opens to members for a special preview period October 1–3, and will similarly host free admission days from October 4–18. https://bit.ly/32RqfjO San Francisco comedy producer (famous for “Kung Pao Kosher Comedy”) Lisa Geduldig’s monthly series LOCKDOWN COMEDY takes place every 3rd Thursday. Next one is on October 15. The September 17 Zoom allowed us to laugh out loud to comics Wendy Liebman, Matt Kirshen, Sampson McCormick, Lisa Geduldig, and her funny mom Arline Geduldig. https://bit.ly/3mMbJ4L Days before her death, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg told her granddaughter, “My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until (continued on page 28)

Oakland Pride Week: September 6–13, 2020

BAY TIMES S

LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area

CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2020)

Held annually since its relaunch in 2008, Oakland Pride was conducted for 2020 in compliance with health guidelines addressing the current COVID-19 pandemic. The free virtual celebration took place during the week of September 6 to 13 and was a great success. As the organization reported, “In a few short years #OaklandPride has become one of the largest pride celebrations in the world. That speaks to how much love, pride, and power there is in the East Bay’s LGBTQ+ community.” The organization in August made news by unveiling a history-making logo redesigned to incorporate colors representing Trans, Black, Brown, and Indigenous people along with the traditional colors of the original rainbow flag created by Gilbert Baker in 1978. A line of Pride products featuring the new logo was introduced and is now available. Among the items offered are a baseball cap, t-shirt, tote bag, buttons, and drawstring bag. Visit: https://oakland-pride-official-merch-shop.myshopify.com/ The virtual Pride celebration officially began with a Drag Festival held on Sunday, September 9. Subsequent segments over the week featured a recap from the 2019 Oakland Pride Parade, poetry readings, singers, live music, DJ sets, and a special burlesque show. Check out these and more at: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/737386024?filter=archives&sort=time

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TING (continued from page 9)

COMING OUT (continued from page 13)

While the state has made progress in reducing carbon pollutants by adopting cleaner energy sources like solar and limiting commercial emissions through our Cap and Trade program, we need to do more. Clearly, California’s massive wildfires suggest we have to act sooner rather than later and with greater urgency than ever before. The longer we wait, the prospects of more orange, smoke-filled skies will grow.

something that has been on my mind for a while.

Phil Ting represents the 19th Assembly District, which includes the Westside of San Francisco along with the communities of Broadmoor, Colma, and Daly City.

KAPLAN (continued from page 9) place where that assistance could begin. The legislature needs to amend state laws, to allow cities the discretion to use methods for speeding enforcement that are fairer and more effective. Councilmember At-Large Rebecca Kaplan was elected in 2008 to serve as Oakland’s citywide Councilmember; she was re-elected in 2016. 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/ ).

You see, Abba, I am not attracted to women. I am gay. I have known this for a very long time, it is not a decision that I have made but it is who I am and I am proud of who I am. I know that this might be difficult for you to hear but I wanted to tell you this because I respect and honor you and I needed to stop lying to you as your son. I have talked a lot to Hashem about the fact that I am gay and I know that Hashem loves me. I want to be in your life and continue to develop our relationship as adults, but I cannot do this while lying to you. I have accepted my sexuality completely and I am happy. I am gay and I am your son and I love you. Pesach is about freedom and redemption. It is about knowing who we are. I also want you to know that mother knows and, though I haven’t told dod shlomo yet, he probably knows as well if you would like to talk to him about this. This may not have been in your plan, but life doesn’t work that way. I didn’t know that I would be flying to the White House in a month to work, but that is the way it is. I am still your son and will always be your son. I will always be here for you. I love you. It’s been 9.5 years since I read that letter to my father and, I’m sad to say, that was also

the last time we spoke to each other. I was disowned by him on the spot and, to this day, he won’t look at me. It’s been a journey to process the loss of the relationship with my amazing father. Almost 10 years later I still feel a deep love for him, pride in being his son, an admiration for all that he has sacrificed for me, and deep respect for who he is as a person. My father is a pillar and I miss him. This paper asked me to tell my story and I believe it’s important for San Franciscans to hear and to know that it’s not always peachy for everyone these days. Being disowned has formed me. It’s made me strong, independent, loving, open hearted. And it’s been hard. I had to choose between a connected family and a life without secrets. I chose the latter and I don’t regret it for one moment, but my heart has been heavy ever since. Since that fateful cloudy day on Kitsilano Beach I’ve had the most incredible journey. I’ve stood in the Oval Office and briefed the President of the United States Barack Obama, traveled the world studying LGBT rights movements in 6 countries, worked on two presidential campaigns (Obama & Clinton) and a mayoral campaign (Mark Leno), helped our country get close to passing comprehensive immigration reform, started my very own small business where I hosted 17 presidential candidates in our first year, represent San Francisco’s rich small business community in a time of need as a small business commissioner, and am working tirelessly to engage the community in the precious days before a national election so we can win.

I wish my father could have been at my side through all of that. I would have loved his advice as I tried to figure out how to start a small business, his encouraging words as I dealt with the ups and downs of my 20s, but my sacrifices pale in comparison to the ones who came before me, the ones who risked life and limb to live honestly and to find love. Sadly, we still live in a world where choosing to live openly can be a death sentence. The work isn’t over and I’m lucky to be a part of it. Ultimately, we are formed by our challenges. The 15-year-old version of me with the bag packed in the closet could never have dreamed of the man I am now. That’s the strength of our community. We help each other grow. We hold each other through good times and bad. We are bonded by the paths we’ve taken to get here. Now let’s keep walking. Together. Emanuel “Manny” Yekutiel is the founder of Manny’s, San Francisco’s civic social gathering space ( https://www.welcometomannys.com/ ). He is also the founder of ESY Strategies , which assists individuals and families with their political and charitable giving. Previously he served as Deputy Director for Hillary for America and as Chief of Staff for FWD.us, a political advocacy group founded by Mark Zuckerberg, Reid Hoffman, Bill Gates, and a coalition of technology and business leaders.

SISTER DANA (continued from page 26) a new President is installed.” We must do everything we can to honor her wish, fight against a Trump nominee, and continue her legacy of fighting for LGBTQ, BLM, and women’s rights. A CANDLELIGHT VIGIL was held in the Castro the night of her passing, September 18, with almost 300 masked marchers behind a huge banner stating: “WE WON’T LET YOU DOWN, RBG!” Senator Scott Wiener said, “We are in mourning right now, and then we have to just get right back up and ready to fight.” Rest in power, Notorious RBG! Legendary drag performer and DJ Juanita MORE! starred in a delightful one-night-only virtual fundraising charity event on September 19. The show featured her epic lip-sync performances to the greatest classics such as the timely “I’m Still Here” from Follies; a thumping late-night DJ set (dancin’ along in my boxers); and an awesome finale of Yma Sumac soprano realness. All this was in support of Mama G’s Thanksgiving Street Dinner, SF LGBT CENTER, and ACLU. Muy muy bueno! The 37th Annual FOLSOM STREET FAIR goes virtual via livestream on Sunday, September 27, 10:45 am PST—hosted by comedian Margaret Cho, and broadcast directly from Folsom’s website. Folsom Street Events is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Their mission is to create world-class leather and fetish events that unite the alternative sexuality communities with safe, consent-based venues for selfexpression, art, and entertainment. FSE events raise funds to sustain SF Bay Area-based charities. They value sexual freedom, diversity, and volunteerism. All of their events are adult-oriented and sex-positive. Come let your freak flag fly freely (virtually)! https://www.folsomstreetevents.org/ Sister Dana sez, “Trump has called himself ‘a cheerleader for this country.’ Let me just picture this: ‘Give me an F, give me a U, What’s that spell?!’”

KIT’N KITTY’S

QUEER POP QUIZ ANSWER (Question on pg 22) A) Mary Lambert

Lambert’s contributions to “Same Love” draw upon her experiences as “a lesbian growing up in a tumultuous, Christian upbringing.” She took the content she created for “Same Love” and used it to develop the song “She Keeps Me Warm.”

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SEELIG (continued from page 21) god, I’m pretty sure that’s what she intends. I made it to the other side of scandal. Don’t get me wrong. I did not fall gracefully either. I woke up alone. My reason to even get up the next day rested in the things I had inside me. There was no “Amazing Grace” or “Rock of Ages.” It was not in a book or the lyrics of a hymn. I hurt for Jerry. I really do. I empathize with a man who spends his life trying to live up to his Father’s expectations and dreams for him. You will deny you have a problem. I did. You may minimize the issues. I did not. You will hurt and so will all around you. You are the only one who can even begin to fix this. It will not be fixed by a tear-filled apology at the altar. If you can, tear all the brush and bramble away. You may be surprised to find that the real soul of a man you find is better than you imagined. And definitely better than before you fell. I wouldn’t trade my fall for the world. I do wish it had not caused all of us so much pain. But what I have done for my children and now grandchildren is to demonstrate what truth will do for you as a human being. We made it through the pain. We can live unencumbered lives of truth. And guess what? When we do, there is no fear of falling ever again. Dr. Tim Seelig is the Artistic Director of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus.

Take Me Home with You!

STAY SAFE WEAR A MASK

Celia

“My name is Celia! I’m 3 years old and I just might be one of the friendliest gals you’ll ever meet. I consider myself a 40-pound lap dog! My ideal afternoon would include a leisurely stroll, belly rub, and solid cuddle session. I do have some medical challenges, but they don’t slow me down one bit. I thoroughly enjoy life and can’t wait to find someone special to share it with! If you’re looking for a new best friend, I’d love to meet you.” Celia is presented to San Francisco Bay Times readers by Dr. Jennifer Scarlett, the SF SPCA’s Co-President. Our thanks also go to Krista Maloney for helping to get the word out about lovable pets like Celia. To apply to meet Celia, Dr. Jennifer Scarlett and Pup visit www.sfspca.org/adopt For more information: https://www.sfspca.org/adoptions

Celebrating Latinx Heritage Month

SEE PAGE 10

CENTER (Color photo) Juan Davila, LGBT Entertainer and Volunteer

TOP & CLOCKWISE

José Sarria - Founder, Imperial Council of San Francisco Frida Kahlo, Artist

Alexis Meranda, Entertainer & Business Executive

Christopher Verdugo, Executive Director, SF Gay Men’s Chorus Marga Gomez, Comedienne

Fred Lopez, Executive Director, SF Pride

David Campos, Politician & Activist

Delores Heurta, Activist

José Cisneros, City of San Francisco Treasurer

Juanita MORE!, Entertainer & Entrepreneur

Donna Persona, Entertainer & Activist Ricardo Lara, California Insurance Commissioner

Eduardo Morales, AGUILAS Executive Director & Professor

Olga Talmante, Executive Director, Chicana Latina Foundation Photos by Rink

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Round About - All Over Town - Fall Season Photos by Rink

Halloween gift items are on display in the front window at the One Half store on Polk Street.

Hats decorated for Halloween are on display in the front window at One Half on Polk Street.

A directional arrow, found on the sidewalk at San Francisco General Hospital, directs those arriving to the COVID-19 testing area located in the Hospital’s parking lot.

Among the heart sculptures for the Hearts in SF project, a benefit for San Francisco General Hospital, are the two examples above. Other creatively designed hearts can be found at locations throughout San Francisco. To date, the project has raised more than $27 million.

As Heard on the Street . . . What do you like most and least about San Francisco? compiled by Rink

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Diana Wheeler

Eric Berchtold

Raoul Thomas

“It is a city that welcomes people who are looking for a place to ‘fit in.’ It is starting to lose that quality, because of folks not caring about our community and the flavor of the city.”

“The thing that I love most has always been the fog and the cold, and I am saddened to see what greed has done to an otherwise beautiful city.”

“The real sense of adventure you feel going from neighborhood to neighborhood. During the pandemic, lots of group activities have been eliminated, leaving us isolated.”

Round About - All Over Town - Fall Season Photos by Rink

CASTRO STREETCAM presented by

http://sfbaytimes.com/ Server Joe and his customer Weena paused for a photo in the joint Orphan Andy’s/Twin Peaks outdoor dining area on Castro Street.

A new mural, featuring an image by artist Jazz Fuller of the Harvey Milk postage stamp, now welcomes customers at the entrance of P.O. Plus on Castro Street.

Volunteers working on the Democratic Party “get out the vote” campaign are using the “Victory Booths” installed in the parklet area just outside Manny’s, the restaurant and activist center on 16th Street. In the lower right of the photo, an altar remembering Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is in place on the sidewalk near the booth named in honor of RBG.

Manny Yekutiel (left), owner of Manny’s, works with volunteers in the Michelle Obama Victory Booth.

Guests enjoyed the outdoor dining on the sidewalk in front of the Midnight Sun bar on 18th Street.

Posters honoring Dr. Li Wenliang are installed in Castro locations. Dr. Wenliang was a whistleblower in China who released information on COVID-19. He subsequently died from the disease.

Art found on a wall in the Castro neighborhood

A waiter and customer in the outdoor dining area for Harvey’s bar and restaurant at the intersection of Castro and 18th Streets

Diners packed the outdoor dining area on Castro Street that is shared by 440 Castro bar and The Cove on Castro restaurant. S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES

S EPT EM BER 24, 2020