San Francisco Bay Times - October 21, 2021 by San Francisco Bay Times

PHOTOGRAPH BY OLIVIERO TOSCANI. COURTESY OF THE ESTATE OF PATRICK KELLY. SCAN BY RANDY DODSON / FINE ARTS MUSEUMS OF SAN FRANCISCO. IMAGE COURTESY OF THE FINE ARTS MUSEUMS OF SAN FRANCISCO

October 21–November 3, 2021 http://sfbaytimes.com

PATRICK KELLY RUNWAY OF LOVE

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Editor’s Note: Members of our San Francisco Bay Times team have long admired Joanie Juster for her talent as a writer. Her moving words were featured prominently in our October 19, 2017, issue concerning the Napa, Lake, Sonoma, Mendocino and Solano County fires ( https://tinyurl. com/y86a6f29 ). For decades, we have also admired her work directly benefiting women, the LGBTQ community, and others. Joanie as an LGBTQ community ally particularly has been a tireless fundraiser for HIV/AIDS nonprofits and has devoted years of service in various ways including volunteering for Shanti, serving on the board of AIDS Emergency Fund, holding the Reader Coordinator title for over three decades at AIDS Memorial Quilt/National AIDS Memorial, and being a team coordinator for AIDS Walk San Francisco. In recognition of these and other efforts, she received the Heritage of Pride award for service from SF Pride in 2016. Through the Breast Cancer Emergency Fund and now Bay Area Cancer Connections, she has also worked to help those diagnosed with breast and ovarian cancer.

In the News Joanie Juster The LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District Wraps Up SOMA Second Saturdays Season, Hires First Executive Director Bob Goldfarb, President of The LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District, has accepted the new position of District Executive Director. As such, he has Bob resigned from his seat on the board of directors, which he Goldfarb has held since 2019. Other board moves include: Bob Brown has been elected President, Eric See will serve as both Vice President and Secretary, and Val Langmuir as Treasurer. The board will appoint another member to the vacant seat to serve the remainder of the term. On October 9, the District wrapped up a successful six-month run of “SOMA Second Saturdays!” events in conjunction with Folsom Street and the SOMA West Community Benefit District. As the city started to open up in May, the three organizations partnered to provide safe and fun events for the leather and kink communities to gather, and also to provide artists and craftspeople a venue to sell their work after the long shelter-in-place. The events also brought much-needed revenue to local businesses that had been so severely impacted by the pandemic. Stay tuned for plans for winter events. Long-Term Survivors Organize Panel-Making Workshops for AIDS Quilt In January 2020, the AIDS Memorial Quilt, which had been operating in Atlanta since leaving San Francisco in 1999, returned to the Bay Area as part of the National AIDS Memorial. Plans were underway for a major display in Golden Gate Park in April 2020 before COVID-19 changed everything. The display was cancelled. And instead of preparing a display, Gert McMullin, who has taken care of the Quilt since its inception in 1987, pivoted to helpGert ing yet another pandemic, by McMullin sewing thousands of masks for first responders and caregivers. Now, in preparation for World AIDS Day on December 1, Gregg Cassin, who organizes programs for long-term survivors of HIV and AIDS through Honoring Our Experience, has been leading groups to the Quilt’s workshop in San Leandro to meet Gert, tour the workshop, learn the Quilt’s history and lore, and learn how to make new panels for the Quilt. According to Cassin, “This is an opportunity for us to memorialize and honor our loved ones. The Quilt Panel Making Workshop is an opportunity to experience the healing power of community.” Sewing experience is not required. Rides to the workshop can be arranged. Information: Contact Gregg Cassin at gcassin@shanti.org

This issue of the Bay Times presents the first “In the News” column authored by Juster. In this ongoing column she will be sharing news about people and events affecting our community, as well as ways you can have a positive impact. Send tips to her at jjbaytimes@gmail.com National Coming Out Day 2021 Each year on National Coming Out Day, more and more people find the courage to come out to their family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers, often under difficult circumstances. There is great power in sharing your stories, whether in writing, on film, or in person. You never know who will be inspired to take meaningful action in their own life because you shared yours. This year, a documentary film about a powerful coming-out story used National Coming Out Day to make a plea to allies to “come out” as well. In an in-depth interview on Good Day LA, Barbara Brass and Col. Pat Thompson, the subjects of the film Surviving the Silence, talked about the importance of coming out— whether as LGBTQ or as an ally. Their challenge: O. #OutYourselfAsAnAlly U. Understand Your Impact T. Tell the Truth To watch the interview: www.foxla.com/video/988468 Surviving the Silence became available on streaming platforms (AppleTV, Amazon Prime, Google Play and more) on October 19. LYRIC Names New Executive Director Laura Lala-Chávez has been named the new Executive Director of LYRIC, the Bay Area’s leading organization offering expertise in youth workforce development, healthcare navigation, individual counseling, and group-based community Laura building to marginalized Lala-Chávez low-income LGBTQQ+ youth. Lala-Chávez will start on October 25, bringing over 25 years’ experience in youth development, counseling, and nonprofit management to LYRIC. LYRIC’s longtime former Executive Director Jodi L. Schwartz continues as President to oversee the ongoing capital campaign through December 2021 to renovate LYRIC’s landmark home in San Francisco’s Castro District, allowing for increased program opportunities for youth. Interim Executive Director Toni Newman, who will remain through November 2021 to support Lala-Chávez’s executive transition, was recently named as interim CEO for the Black AIDS Institute. Big News for Breast Cancer Awareness Month Twenty years ago, San Francisco’s legendary AIDS Emergency Fund—which had been providing financial assistance to people with AIDS & HIV since 1982— created a partner organization to help women and men struggling financially through breast

cancer treatment. After serving clients in San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara since 2001, Breast Cancer Emergency Fund (BCEF) has now merged with another longstanding Bay Area service organization: Bay Area Cancer Connections (BACC), which provides a full continuum of services—completely free—to patients with breast and ovarian cancer. So BCEF is now BOCEF: the Breast and Ovarian Cancer Emergency Fund, a program of BACC. While many of BACC’s services had to go virtual during the pandemic, they have continued to provide fittings for free wigs and prosthetic garments, and are about to launch a mobile van to make it easier for clients to access these services. Breast Cancer Emergency Fund has deep roots in the LGBTQ community, and hopes that the community groups and individuals who have supported them for the past 20 years will join them on this next step in their journey. More updates will be coming soon, including about BACC’s annual cancer conference in November. www.bayareacancer.org Pioneering Lesbian Activists Inducted into California Hall of Fame Phyllis Lyon and Dorothy “Del” Martin were trailblazing activists who spent their lives advancing civil rights and equality as leaders of the LGBTQ+ and women’s rights movements. Now they have been inducted into the California Hall of Fame, which was established at the California Museum in 2006 to honor legendary people who embody California’s innovative spirit and have made their mark on history. And what a mark Lyon and Martin made. San Franciscans since 1953, their forward-thinking activism included founding organizations (Daughters of Bilitis was the first nationwide lesbian organization, founded 1955), and publications, as well as changing established organizations from within (demanding lesbian recognition within the National Organization of Women). They were leaders in the fight to decriminalize and destigmatize homosexuality. Their influence was felt from San Francisco to the White House and beyond. And in 2008, their lifelong fight for equal treatment under the law was rewarded when the California Supreme Court declared same-sex marriages legal, and they were married in California’s first legal same-sex union. First Trans Person Sworn in on SFO Airport Commission

Congratulations to Jane Natoli, the first-ever openly trans person sworn in on San Francisco International Airport’s powerful 5-person airport commission, which establishes the policies by which the airport operJane Natoli ates. Natoli is an advocate for (continued on page 18) S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES

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GLBT Fortnight in Review Elle Se Prend Pour Qui, Elle? I’m not big on jumping down the throats of politicians when they stray a little from the party line or raise money from a corporate source. Life is complicated. Not all corporations are evil. Good lawmakers need to compromise and make deals. That said, what the hell was Kyrsten Sinema doing fundraising in Paris when she should have been negotiating her way to a yes vote on Build Back Better? We (our vibrant GLBTQ etc. community) were all so pleased when she edged her way into the Senate, a bisexual woman with a flair for fashion and an “I’ll do it my way!” shake of the head. “You go girl!” we told her in a mass spiritual pat on the back three years ago. Speaking for myself, I just sort of assumed that a snappy queer-ish Democratic woman was a person I could mostly take for granted. Sure, she might vote for some Arizona water table scheme, or maybe support a developer who wants to put some houses on a mesa. But overall, she’ll be on our side, right? Not. Don’t get me wrong. I think Joe Manchin is just as bad, and furthermore, I am annoyed at people who give him an excuse because he’s from conservative West Virginia and has been more forthcoming about his rationale. Both of these characters are posturing, self-proclaimed Mavericks looking for accolades from a huge centrist silent majority that no longer exists, if it ever did. No one’s applauding either of these

bozos, but at least Joe is, last I saw, in the D.C. area on his houseboat. As of mid-October, Sinema was in frigging Paris on a boondoggle that I’m guessing is going to raise one dollar for every ten euros she spends. Because, well, Paris. Plus, didn’t she recently host a “retreat” at an expensive spa while claiming she was having foot surgery? I think I have botched those details, but the point is, Sinema seems to be enjoying the trappings of power more than the responsible exercise thereof. I just heard a speaker discussing the Maverick family, and was reminded that the original Sam Maverick refused to brand his cattle, likely out of indifference since ranching was a side business for him. The wild cows, picked up and branded by others, were called Mavericks. It’s not a bad persona. But if you’re going to present yourself as someone who can’t be pigeonholed, it helps to have a heroic past—let’s say, shot out of the sky in combat and held for years as a prisoner of war under barbaric conditions. Leaving Las Vegas So, my wife Mel was reading a Facebook post by a sixty-something woman who has a habit of walking through a cemetery as a shortcut during her neighborhood strolls. One evening she ran into a bunch of teenaged girls who were hesitating at the cemetery gate. “We’re a little scared,” one girl admitted as the woman opened the old gate and led the group along the path. “Aren’t you?”

By Ann Rostow “Well, I used to be ... ” the woman said. “When I was alive.” According to the woman, the girls fled. Bwah hah hah hah hah!!! Oh, and apropos of nothing, I was quite struck by the saga of Corey Lewandowski’s fall from grace after his jaw-dropping assault on the wife of a big GOP donor a month ago. I’m sure you’ve heard this already, but our favorite boorish thug bragged about his dick size, groped and relentlessly pursued this woman, drunkenly telling others at the same Vegas party that he, Corey, personally controlled who Trump would or would not endorse. After the woman’s husband asked for his $100,000 to be returned, Lewandowski was fired from his job running the main Trump Superpac, and was declared persona non grata in MAGA Land to boot. But here’s why I bring this up. The woman’s name was Trashelle! Trashelle Odom, to be exact. What parents would do that to a child, and why wouldn’t Trashelle change her name the minute she turned sixteen, or whatever age you have to be to address the court on such matters? What’s her nickname? It’d better be “Shelley.” Paging One Million Moms! In the course of scouring around for bits of GLBT news, I read that a large group of female fans want the TV version of Supergirl to have a gay affair with another character on the CW show, Lena Luthor. It seems these two are very close and the fans believe they are in love but the writers won’t develop the romance. I have never watched this show, but I learned from my research just now that Supergirl’s sister on Earth, Alex, is involved with a woman named Maggie and they are a couple. My initial reaction to this information is that the Supergirl fans are asking for a lot. They already have a lesbian love affair between major characters, and now they want another one? This seems greedy to me. Plus, it will turn the show into a Super L Word. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. This whole topic reminded me of something. Hmmm, I mused, didn’t I just read about Superman being bisexual? This could turn out to be a major section of my column. A quick turn on the Google machine revealed that it’s Superman’s son who will be having a bisexual affair in a comic book coming your way soon. So, close enough. Further, Eternal hero Phastos is set to be the first openly gay Marvel hero and I’d tell you more if I had the time and inclination to pursue this topic beyond its natural limits. In a Washington Post op-ed on comic queerdom, John Paul Brammer informs us that GLBT heroes are gaining traction: “Take Loki, a recent Marvel show in which the Norse god of mischief is revealed as gender fluid via a brief glance at an ID card, and a line of dialogue about past relationships with both princesses and princes. This also takes place in a ‘multiverse’ with many different versions of Lokis of assumedly different genders. One is an alligator.” You have to admit, it’s not much of stretch to be gender fluid if you are a multidimensional being that sometimes takes the form of a reptilian predator. But still, it’s nice that fantasy writers are giving us a thought. Pryor Restraint

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Moving right along, when I read the name “William Pryor,” I am thrown back in time to the George W. Bush administration, when Democrats managed to block the Alabama jurist’s nomination to the federal appellate bench for several years. Pryor is one of these very conservative Roman Catholic lawyers, a demographic that now monopolizes the High Court. He also wrote a brief to the Supreme Court on the 2003 sodomy case from his position as Attorney General of Alabama, noting that: “This Court has never recognized a fundamental right to engage in sexual activity outside of monogamous heterosexual marriage, let alone to engage in homosexual sodomy,” and warning that a constitutional ban on sodomy laws would send us down a slippery slope towards legalizing “prostitution ... necrophilia, bestiality, incest, and pedophilia.” He was also anti-choice and just not someone our side wanted to see sitting on the second highest court in the land. Eventually, however, Bush gave him a recess appointment to the Eleventh Circuit when Congress was out of session, and he was confirmed by the Senate under a deal worked out in 2005. Pryor has been on Trump’s shortlist for the High Court, and I guess we can be thankful we’ve escaped that outcome, not that we have any reason to be relieved by the three Trump justices. At any rate, he has now hired a law clerk, a 26-yearold graduate of the Antonin Scalia Law School (at George Mason U), which gives you an idea of the type of candidate he favors. This woman, Crystal Clanton, has one of those problematic social media histories that older people avoided naturally and younger people are learning how to sidestep. “I hate black people. Like f--- them all ... . I hate blacks. End of story,” she texted a friend in an undated moment that she says she can’t remember. According to an op-ed by Ruth Marcus in The Washington Post, Clanton is also accused of posting a photo of a random Arab with the caption, “Just thinking about ways to do another 9/11.” I guess my problem with this is Clanton’s seeming inability to say, not that she doesn’t remember every texting this comment, but that she would never have done so. At the risk of minimizing the amount of overt racism floating through our society, I suggest that the percentage of people who would text such a thing is very small. There’s a larger group that would think such a thing but not express it. And then there are some who might hint at such a thing out loud. But then there are the ones who would basically scream it to the rafters like Clanton. Of that group, I’m also guessing that a sizable number of them would later issue a general apology to the world, admitting they were young and stupid and insecure, and racism made them feel powerful. Or something like that. That leaves a small and nasty cohort. Why do we care? Because Pryor has sent a dozen or more of his clerks to clerk for High Court justices. And Supreme Court clerks can become extremely influential. This woman is on a ladder that leads to dizzying heights and it’s kind of extraordinary that this “I hate black people” text hasn’t knocked her off. Shades of Gray It’s people like Crystal Clanton that keep me from jumping into the fray on the side of those who have had

enough of campus censorship, the whole idea of “triggering,” and the general all-or-nothing attitude on liberal college campuses and some other places. You may have avoided the latest hoopla at Yale Law School, for example, where, to put it bluntly, a conservative student was threatened for a party invitation that used the term “trap house” as a joke to describe the location. The dean of diversity told this guy, first of all, that the conservative Federalist Society was “triggering” for many students, second that “trap house” was a racist image, and third that these “missteps” might follow him through his career if he didn’t apologize. Don’t get me wrong. The Federalist Society brings us people like William Pryor. But I’m sure the ACLU is a “trigger” for the conservatives on campus. Trap house is racist if you assume only Black people inhabit the urban underworld. The party host rightly declined to apologize, leaving Yale flapping its wings, clucking about free speech and claiming that no threat was issued. I would love to agree with those on the right who say cancel culture has gone too far. But then I read about Crystal Clanton. Or I hear about the school administrator in Texas who was caught on tape telling teachers to make sure that if they taught about the Holocaust, for example, they included the “other side.” There are reasons to hold people to standards of righteous behavior. That doesn’t mean it’s my way or the highway. It means people have to be held accountable. Worst State Ever? Finally, speaking of Texas, it has just become the tenth state to ban transgender kids from participating in K–12 sports, but to my knowledge, it was one of only a handful of states to propose laws that banned transgender boys as well as girls. I am honestly not sure whether any of those other ones have also passed. The laws that I’m familiar with are those measures aimed specifically at transgender girls, but I just read the full text of the Texas version, and it’s pretty clear-cut. You can only play team sports under your birth gender. Ergo, the girls’ teams will now be forced to welcome transgender boys. This would be more of a problem if there were more transgender kids, fully transitioned, intent on playing sports at bigoted high schools. But like the other states that have enacted these types of laws, no one could actually point to a specific conflict in the Lone Star State. Even at the college level in a state as large as Texas, there aren’t more than a few dozen transgender athletes, none of whom are smashing records or bullying teammates or causing whatever damage these lawmakers purport to mitigate. A few years back, Texas required a transgender boy to wrestle with the girls, even before this law was enacted. Under these circumstances I would love to see another case of a big athletic transgender boy forced against his will to play ladies tennis, or take up field hockey. No, of course I don’t want the kid to suffer. I just want those lawmakers to explain themselves. arostow@aol.com

Another Successful Legislative Year what can be labeled “compostable.” Too many times we’ve seen packaging marked compostable when, in fact, they are not because of the chemicals they contain. The contaminated compost sometimes ends up mixed in with agricultural soil, making PFAS prevalent in our air, water, and elsewhere in the environment.

Assemblymember Phil Ting In a column earlier this summer, I highlighted the accomplishments of this year’s historic state budget that I negotiated and helped craft as Chair of the Assembly Budget Committee. I’m happy to report similar success on the legislative front with several of my bills signed into law, focusing on our health, environment, and criminal justice system. My most significant pieces of legislation this year target PFAS, harmful substances linked to health problems, such as cancer, thyroid issues, and vaccine interference. They are commonly referred to as “forever chemicals” because they take years to break down. AB 1200 bans the use of PFAS, which coat to-go food containers to prevent grease from leaking through. Companies will now have to use safer alternatives. Additionally, under this bill, California will become the first state to require cookware manufacturers to disclose what chemicals, including PFAS, are included in their products. Limiting our foods’ exposure to these toxins means we won’t be ingesting them as much. AB 1201 further cracks down on PFAS by raising the standards of

Keep Special Events Special By Taking Them Out of OPD Permitting Control ing organizers to choose to hire their own security guards, can save tens of thousands of dollars per event, compared to the cost of using the police. Several community members and organizers have shared their strong support to remove the Special Events Permitting out of OPD to be handled by civilians, due to the expensive fees, waste of police time, undermining of arts and culture events, and lack of transparency in how the fees are calculated.

Another notable achievement is AB 33, which builds on my record to fight climate change. It expands an existing state low-interest loan program, so public entities, like schools and hospitals, can install clean energy storage systems and electric vehicle charging. That way, they have the ability to operate during blackouts. As climate change exacerbates California’s wildfire season, we must be ready for possible power outages. I additionally made progress toward making our criminal legal system fairer and more just. AB 1452 authorizes San Francisco County to implement a pilot program to see whether increasing the pay of lowincome jurors from $15/day to $100/day would diversify juries. Workers often seek to be excused from jury duty because they cannot afford to miss a paycheck, but that can lead to a jury that doesn’t reflect the community. Studies show that when juries have more racial and income diversity, they tend to spend more time in deliberation and are less likely to presume guilt. Unfortunately, my jaywalking bill, AB 1238/The Freedom to Walk Act, was vetoed. We all deserve the freedom to cross the street. I will continue to work on ways not only to address the arbitrary enforcement of our jaywalking laws, but also the costly tickets that financially burden working families and adversely impact our communities of color. Lastly, I secured a special waiver for Seton Medical Center in Daly City, granting them up to one year to comply with seismic retrofit requirements. AB 1527, along with my previous efforts to keep this facility open during the pandemic, will allow our local healthcare systems to continue meeting the ongoing challenges brought on by the pandemic. I’m already putting together next year’s agenda. My goal is to continue moving California forward, investing in the right priorities, and making sure our economic recovery is inclusive of all Californians. Phil Ting represents the 19th Assembly District, which includes the Westside of San Francisco along with the communities of Broadmoor, Colma, and Daly City.

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Out of the Closet and into City Hall Oakland City Councilmember At-Large, Rebecca Kaplan On October 12, 2021, the City of Oakland’s Public Safety Committee received an informational report from the City Administrator regarding the status of implementing the July 2020 Council directive, introduced by me, to transfer Special Events Permitting out of the Oakland Police Department (OPD) to be handled by civilians. Although the proposal passed Council over a year ago, it has not yet been implemented by the administration. One of the interesting issues to come of the discussion of staff’s response to Council’s questions is that the law should allow that security personnel, not exclusively OPD, can staff special events. This difference, allow-

As reported by KQED: “Critics of the current policy are frustrated: In the years prior to the pandemic, Oakland used as much as 84% of its festivals and fairs fund to pay the police department for security instead of directly supporting artists and cultural institutions. This police-led permitting system is cost-prohibitive and inequitable, critics say. They argue it hurts opportunities for artists and small businesses, hampers Oakland’s arts and culture and related industry, and slows recovery from pandemic restrictions.” My position on this issue has been clear and consistent. The redirection of the Event Permitting out of OPD to civilians will allow OPD to focus on responding and investigating serious crime, missing persons, and removing illegal guns, and will remove important and expensive barriers to Oakland’s arts and cultural events and economy. The art and cultural scene of Oakland needs to have a chance at a true recovery from the pandemic, just like every other vibrant aspect of Oakland that was dealt a devastating blow by COVID. By removing Special Event Permitting from OPD control, we can create more consistent and lower fees for the cultural events and festivals that enrich Oakland so much. OPD can, instead of staffing parades, festivals, running races, and other low crime events, focus on serious crime and stopping illegal guns.

Councilmember At-Large and Council President Rebecca Kaplan was elected in 2008 to serve as Oakland’s citywide Councilmember; she was re-elected in 2016 and 2020. She also serves on the Alameda County Transportation Commission (ACTC). Follow Councilmember Kaplan on Twitter @Kaplan4Oakland ( https://twitter.com/Kaplan4Oakland ) and Facebook ( https://www.facebook.com/Kaplan4Oakland/ ).

Latinxs Are the Current Largest Ethnic Group in California and Yolo. In the city of Los Angeles, 48.5% identify as Latinx; in the county of Los Angeles, 45% are Latinx.

Nuestra Voz Eduardo Morales, Ph.D. The 2020 U.S. Census recently reported that Latinx individuals comprise the largest ethnic group in California, making up 39.4% of the state’s current population of 39.66 million. Since 2000, the largest ethnic group of children continues to be those identified as Latinx. Many of those who identify as Latinx are also multiracial and multilingual. It is estimated that by 2060, the Latinx population will comprise the majority of those who reside in California. Currently, Latinxs already form the majority in 13 California counties that include Colusa, Fresno, Glenn, Kern, Kings, Madera, Merced, Monterey, San Benito, San Bernardino, Santa Cruz, Tulare,

In the San Francisco Bay Area, increases of Latinxs were noted in 7 of the 9 counties with an average of a 5% increase. According to the UCLA William Institute Report, 5.3% of the California population identifies as LGBT. Among them, 48% are white non-Latinx and 35% are Latinx. https://tinyurl.com/be6mkftw In response to these changing demographics in CA, Governor Gavin Newsom on September 30, 2020, signed into law a bill (AB 979) that requires publicly held companies headquartered in the state to include board members from underrepresented communities. This action follows passage of a similar law in 2018 mandating that public companies headquartered in the state have at least one woman on their board of directors by the end of 2019 (SB 826), with further future increases required depending on board size.

SOURCE: WIKIPEDIIA.ORG

In summary, AB 979 requires that, by the end of 2021, Californiaheadquartered public companies have at least one director on their board who is from an underrepresented community, defined as “an individual who self-identifies as Black, African American, Hispanic, Latino, Asian, Pacific Islander, Native American, Native Hawaiian, or Alaska Native, or who self-identifies as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender.” In addition, this law mandates that the number of directors from underrepresented communities be increased by the end of calendar year 2022, depending on the size of the board. Ethnic Studies Requirement On October 8, 2021, John Fensterwald reported in EdSource: Highlighting Strategies for Student Success: “Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation Friday making California the first state to require all students to complete a semester-long course in ethnic studies to earn a high school diploma. The mandate will take effect starting with the graduating class of 2029–30, although high schools must start to offer courses starting in the 2025–26 school year. Hundreds of high schools already have such courses, and Los Angeles Unified and Fresno Unified voted last year to require students to take ethnic studies.” Newsom’s signature of Assembly Bill 101, authored by Assemblyman Jose Medina, D-Riverside, ends a decades-long quest by advocates for a curriculum that more closely reflects the history, culture, and struggles of California’s diverse population. And it comes one year after Newsom vetoed a nearly identical bill amid strenuous opposition to the first draft

of a model ethnic studies curriculum that critics, particularly Jewish organizations, dismissed as prejudiced and discriminatory. The legislation authorizing the creation of an ethnic studies curriculum stated that it should draw attention to the four ethnic and racial groups whose history and stories have been traditionally overlooked and have been the focus of college ethnic studies courses: Blacks, Latinos, Native Americans, and Asian Americans. The model curriculum does that while encouraging schools to include discussions on the ethnic heritage and the legacies of students in their communities. The model curriculum includes lesson plans on Sikh, Jewish, Arab, and Armenian Americans, which were added after those groups

objected to being left out in earlier drafts. Historic Latinx and LGBT Organizations The Bay Area has a unique history concerning Latinx persons, organizations, and activities. For example, Club Puertoriqueño de San Francisco, Inc., located at 3249-A Mission Street in San Francisco, was incorporated on February 25, 1912, and is the oldest Latinx organization in the United States. The League of United Latin American Citizens, also referred to as LULAC, was founded in 1929 in Corpus Christi, Texas, and is the largest national

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On the Front Lines: Fighting Evictions

2261 Market Street, No. 309 San Francisco CA 94114 Phone: 415-601-2113 525 Bellevue Avenue Oakland CA 94610 E-mail: editor@sfbaytimes.com www.sfbaytimes.com The Bay Times was the first newspaper in California, and among the first in the world, to be jointly and equally produced by lesbians and gay men. We honor our history and the paper’s ability to build and strengthen unity in our community. The Bay Times is proud to be the first and only LGBTQ newspaper in San Francisco to be named a Legacy Business, recognizing that it is a longstanding, community-serving business that is a valuable cultural asset to the city. Dr. Betty L. Sullivan Jennifer L. Viegas Co-Publishers & Co-Editors

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Juan R. Davila Volunteer Coordinator CONTRIBUTORS Writers Rink, Sister Dana Van Iquity, Ann Rostow, Patrick Carney, Leslie Sbrocco, Heather Freyer, Kate Kendell, Heidi Beeler, Gary M. Kramer, Julie Peri, Jennifer Kroot, Robert Holgate, Eduardo Morales , Dennis McMillan, Tim Seelig, John Chen, Rafael Mandelman, Jewelle Gomez, Phil Ting, Rebecca Kaplan, Leslie Katz, Philip Ruth, Bill Lipsky, Elisa Quinzi, Liam Mayclem, Karen Williams, Donna Sachet, Gary Virginia, Zoe Dunning, Derek Barnes, Marcy Adelman, Jan Wahl, Stuart Gaffney & John Lewis Brandon Miller, Jamie Leno Zimron, Michele Karlsberg, Randy Coleman, Debra Walker, Howard Steiermann, Andrea Shorter, Lou Fischer, Brett Andrews, David Landis Photographers Rink, Phyllis Costa, Jane Higgins Paul Margolis, Chloe Jackman, Bill Wilson, Jo-Lynn Otto, Sandy Morris, Abby Zimberg, Kristopher Acevedo, Darryl Pelletier, Morgan Shidler 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

Aging in Community Dr. Marcy Adelman Even though the eviction moratorium in San Francisco has been extended to November 30, with further legislation pending to extend it to December 31, evictions and the threat of evictions have continued. The moratorium does not apply to non-payment cases, Ellis Act cases, or cases involving violence or public safety. Legal Assistance to the Elderly (LAE) has quietly and effectively been providing free legal assistance for over 40 years to low-income seniors and adults living with disabilities in San Francisco. I asked Laura Slade Chiera, Executive Director, about LAE’s services during the pandemic. She told me for the San Francisco Bay Times: “We received requests for help protecting against physical abuse, assistance with unemployment, and evaluating early retirement, rent payments, and questions about accessing health care benefits. But the largest percentage of calls by far are about evictions or fear of eviction.” “Many of the calls are from those who are most vulnerable,” she added. “For example, a disabled and a monolingual Spanish speak-

“She came to us for help,” Chiera continued. “Faced with a defense based on retaliation for requesting repairs, the landlord rescinded the Owner Move-In eviction. LAE was able to secure the client rental assistance during this time, and with the eviction threat gone, the client was able to get a new roommate to help pay the ongoing rent. The landlord has been making the needed repairs at reasonable times of the day and our client’s life is back to normal.” LAE’s clients are as diverse as the city itself: Black, Indigenous, Latinx, API, LGBT, seniors, and people living with HIV. LAE is a nonprofit on the front lines, keeping people from falling into homelessness by helping people stay in their homes. Chiera said, “A large number of calls have been from people living in SRO’s or single room occupancy hotels. SRO units are small, rented, furnished rooms in multi-tenant buildings where tenants share a kitchen, toilet, and bathroom. Tenants are afraid of what could happen to them if they should be evicted in the middle of a pandemic.”

SF Pride Hosts Inaugural Ken Jones Awards Photos by Rink On Thursday, October 14, San Francisco Pride hosted its first annual Ken Jones Award in a gala reception held in the San Francisco Hilton’s penthouse. (For more information about Jones: https://tinyurl.com/j8rnh7st ) Known as the Cityscape Lounge, the venue features a dramatic 360-degree skyline level city view. Sean Dorsey, Artistic Director and Founder of Fresh Meat Productions and Sean Dorsey Dance, received the Audrey Joseph LGBTQ Entertainment Award. The award is presented to individuals whose activist achievements result from their artistic expression and contribution in the entertainment industry. Additional honorees included Honey Mahogany, who received the José Julio Sarria History Maker Award; Marke Bieschke, who received the Pride Creativity Award; and Kris Perry and Sandy Stier, who received the Gilbert Baker Pride Founder’s Award. The San Francisco Bay Times congratulates all of the award recipients on their well-deserved honors. Representing the board and staff of San Francisco Pride were Di’ara Reid; Janelle Vinson; Fred Lopez, Executive Director; Suzanne Ford, Treasurer; Maceo Persson; Carolyn Wysinger, President; and Nguyen Win Pham, Vice President. http://www.sfpride.org

She continued, “At the beginning of the pandemic, it was especially hard on people living in the SROs. People were encouraged to stay in their room. These rooms are 8 by 8. It was challenging to get food or any inhome care. You can understand what a stressful environment this was and how it would impact a person’s physical and mental health.” “It also was a challenging time for staff,” she added. “Despite the health risk to our older clients, we still were required to make personal appearances at court and hearings. The staff were worried about their clients and themselves. It was very stressful. But we got through it together.” Chiera has been LAE’s Executive Director since 2016. Under her leadership, LAE has increased its budget, tripled its staff, and, consequently, increased its impact on vulnerable seniors in San Francisco. Although the majority of cases are centered on housing preservation, LAE has several other practice areas that include helping seniors and disabled adults who experience debt collection problems; problem with scams; physical or financial abuse; and assistance with issues related to Medi-Cal, Medicare, and In-home Supportive Services. Also, LAE, in collaboration with the AIDS Legal Referral Panel, provides end of life planning for LGBTQ older adults and adults with disabilities in need of a basic will and health care directives. Over the last year, LAE opened approximately 1550 new cases. Because so many of their clients do not have access to technology ser-

vices such as Zoom, they expanded their mobile services, meeting clients at their homes and exchanging documents through the mail. They also worked closely with the Latino Task Force COVID-19 response hubs in the Excelsior and Bay View neighborhoods providing housing legal services. Chiera concluded, “It is too easy to get cynical about the problems facing the city. It is important to reflect that the people we serve built this city and now it is our turn to help them. You can have worked your whole life but still not be able to keep up with rising rents. The city needs to expand housing subsidies and provide more affordable and accessible in-home services and healthcare. San Francisco can do this.” Legal Assistance to the Elderly: https://laesf.org/ AIDS Legal Referral Panel: https://tinyurl.com/575xs89h Dr. Marcy Adelman, a psychologist and LGBTQ+ longevity advocate and policy adviser, oversees the Aging in Community column. She serves on the California Commission on Aging, the Board of the Alzheimer’s Association of Northern California, the California Master Plan on Aging Equity Advisory Committee, and the San Francisco Dignity Fund Oversight and Advisory Committee. She is the Co-Founder of Openhouse, the only San Francisco nonprofit exclusively focused on the health and well-being of LGBTQ+ older adults.

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

LGBTQ+ Intersectional Identities in STEMM

Dr. Tiara Moore, Marine & Environmental Ecologist (This series of profiles from the California Academy of Sciences New Science exhibit tells first-person stories of LGBTQ+ women and gender minorities of color working in STEMM—science, technology, engineering, math, and medicine—professions.) It didn’t matter that I was Dr. Moore, conducted research worldwide, served on scientific executive boards—no, it just mattered that I was Black, woman, other. And that broke my heart. I decided then to become a true advocate for myself and for other historically excluded folx. Growing up in the Southern Bible Belt, being gay wasn’t an option—it was a disease, a sin, a one-way ticket to hell. I was made to believe anything other than heterosexuality was wrong, and if I didn’t comply, hell would be my home. As I grew in my educational journey in the STEMM field, I became hyper visible as the only Black person in the room, and I knew my sexual identity had no choice but to be straight. I was struggling simply to exist as a Black woman in marine science, a double minority. Exploring my sexual identity was definitely out of the question! So, I continued fighting to make spaces for women of color and Black people in my field.

One day I realized that no matter how hard I fought, the table was never meant for me. The thought of being a triple minority in STEMM caused me anxiety, but seeing that nothing I did in these rooms was making it better for me, I decided I should at least be my full self! https://www.calacademy.org/exhibits/new-science-exhibit 10

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PHOTO BY COURTNEY BAXTER

Roland Schembari and Bill Hartman, Co-Founders Randy Alfred, Founding News Editor 1978 Kim Corsaro, Publisher 1981-2011

ing trans woman in her late fifties received an Owner Move-In eviction notice. She had been in her apartment for 11 years and had been paying her rent throughout the pandemic. She went all winter without any heat in her apartment, despite repeated requests for the landlord to fix it. On top of all this, she faced harassment from the building manager, who would make transphobic and racist comments to her and her friends, as well as harass them about their immigrant status. During this stressful period, a roommate left who helped pay the rent. And a surgery that kept her from working resulted in trouble meeting the rent. She was feeling hopeless and scared about her future.”

National AIDS Memorial Grove’s ‘The Berlin Patient’ Boulder

BAY TIMES S

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

Photos by Bill Wilson

Timothy Ray Brown was an American considered to be the first person cured of HIV/AIDS. He had been diagnosed with HIV while studying abroad in 1995, and later developed acute myeloid leukemia. In 2008, he was declared to be “The Berlin Patient” at the 2008 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections. He underwent two stem cell transplantations, and while he never again tested positive for HIV, his leukemia relapsed and Brown died at the age of 54 on September 29, 2020. For well over a decade preceding his death, Brown worked as a visible and vocal advocate for HIV and cancer research, establishing the Washington, D.C.-based Timothy Ray Brown Foundation dedicated to fighting HIV/AIDS. To memorialize his life and advocacy, a consortium of nonprofit community partners launched the Timothy Ray Brown “The Berlin Patient” Memorial Online Fundraising Campaign for a boulder in the National AIDS Memorial Grove in San Francisco, and a bench and plaque in Wellness Park adjacent to the Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs. (Brown and his life partner Tim Hoeffgen had moved to Palm Springs in 2015.) On Saturday, October 16, a dedication ceremony was held at the Grove, where volunteers and representatives of the collaborating organizations participated in the ceremony and planted flowers around the nowinstalled boulder. We invite you to visit the beautiful site to honor Brown’s legacy as well as to support the ongoing Campaign: https://tinyurl.com/b2cf8z32

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LGBTQ Leaders Among Dignitaries for USNS Harvey Milk (T-AO 206) Christening Ceremony on November 6 By Eddie Reynoso The Military Sealift Command fleet oiler USNS Harvey Milk (T-AO206)—the second of the John Lewisclass oilers being built by General Dynamics NASSCO in San Diego, California—will be christened at a ceremony on November 6. The ceremony comes 10 years after the repeal of the U.S. military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. The repeal inspired longtime Latino and LGBTQ activist, San Diego City Commissioner Nicole MurrayRamirez, and members of the International Court Council to research how U.S. naval vessels were named, and subsequently to launch a letter writing campaign to have a naval ship named after Harvey Milk. Ramirez, who had worked with Milk during the Anita Bryant and John Briggs homophobic campaign, along with the International Imperial Court System, had previously led the successful letter writing campaign for the Harvey Milk postage stamp. In addition to the stamp, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria and Commissioner Ramirez are responsible for the first street named in honor of Milk. Har-

vey Milk Street is located in Hillcrest, San Diego’s LGBTQ neighborhood. The national letter writing campaign gained steam thanks, in part, to The Imperial Court System’s 70 city chapters throughout the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. And in 2016, then Secretary of the Navy, Ray Maybus, announced that three naval vessels would be named after Robert Kennedy, John Lewis, and Harvey Milk. Milk had enlisted in the Navy in 1951, and by 1954 he was a Lieutenant and was stationed in San Diego. It is therefore fitting that the USNS Harvey Milk (T-A0 206) is being built and christened in San Diego.

Nicole Murray-Ramirez

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“LGBTQ Americans have helped build and have contributed to our great nation,” said Ramirez for the San Francisco Bay Times. “Naval ships, schools, streets, stamps, and other monuments should and must also be

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named after LGBTQ heroes and leaders,” he added. Among the dignitaries who have been invited to attend the christening are both the former Republican mayor of San Diego, Kevin Faulkner, and the current mayor, Todd Gloria. A Democrat, Mayor Gloria is the first person of color and the first openly gay individual to serve as San Diego’s mayor. Commissioner Ramirez has previously led tours of the USNS Harvey Milk with LGBTQ and allied dignitaries, beginning with the very first steel cutting ceremony for the vessel.

vey Milk Foundation, and the Victory Brunch, will be held after the launch at the estate of State Commissioner Robert Gleason.

Other dignitaries who will be in attendance include former mayor Annise Parker of Houston, New Mexico State Representative Mauree Nivek Rajah Salima Turner, San Diego Congresswoman Sarah Jacobs, San Diego City Council President Pro Temp Stephen Whitburn, Stuart Milk, former West Hollywood mayor Hielman, and other national LGBTQ leaders and activists as well as leaders of the Imperial Courts System.

Among San Franciscans who will be in attendance are Former County Supervisor Bevan Duffy, Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, Emperor and President of the Imperial Court Council John Carrillo, and San Francisco Bay Times columnist and Absolute Empress XXX of San Francisco Donna Sachet. Sachet will be in attendance for the entire weekend of activities.

LGBTQ veterans and active-duty service members are also at the top of Commissioner Ramirez’s invitation list and will include 91-year-old Navy veteran Frank Stefano, and Bob Lehman, the Founder of Veterans for Equality.

After the receptions, guests and the public will be invited to participate in the new letter writing campaign of which the goal is honoring Bayard Rustin, Marsha P. Johnson, Silvia Rivera, and José Julio Sarria through a U.S. postage stamp.

A private reception, sponsored by the Imperial Court Council, The Har-

For more information on these campaigns: write to Nicolemrsd1@gmail.com or

P.O. Box 33915, San Diego, CA, 92163-3915. Eddie Reynoso is the Chair of the San Diego LGBTQ Historic Task Force and the Executive Director of the Equality Business Alliance, San Diego’s LGBTQ & Allied Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center.

By Donna Sachet

“Though a man be wise, it is no shame for him to live and learn.’” – Sophocles

nyone who doubts the validity or relevance of the Imperial Court of San Francisco need only have attended the recent 49th annual Gay Pageant: Where Dreams Come True at The Midway to witness first-hand an organization with over fifty years of traditions, experience, and structure adapt and appeal to the rapidly changing face of our LGBTQ+ Community! Not only did this event add titles to be more inclusive, but it also welcomed a wide variety of contestants, evaluated by a stellar panel of judges in a refreshingly new venue. First off, the Imperial Council has chosen to update all its titles to include the many iterations of self-identity, so that this annual pageant now selects a Mr., Miss, Ms., and Mx. Gay San Francisco. Emcees Imperial Crown Prince Tracii Chambers More & Imperial Crown Princess Katya Smirnoff-Skyy kept the audience on their toes, including an exhaustive listing of the judges’ accomplishments; we learned from them and choose here to simply list their and trust our readers to research their resumes: Lance Holman, Tita Aida, BeBe Sweetbriar, Sister Roma, Honey Mahogany, and Just Shannon. Sage Sanchez Munro & Linda Summers completed their year as Mr. & Miss Gay SF that night with crowd-pleasing opening numbers, final walks, and fabulous costuming. Each of the five contestants went through the grueling competition on stage with categories of Creative Costume, Talent, Formal Wear, and Question. (An interview with the judges preceded the night’s competition.) Our head is still reeling with the sights and sounds of a truly entertaining variety of presentations, but personal favorites include the floral fantasy gowns and choreography of Mary Vice and Dottie Lux, tribal dancing by Jocquese Sir Joc Whitfield, mind-twisting androgynous flirtation by Hollywood Texas, and unforgettable stage presence and attitude from Ashlee Blow. The entertainment also included anniversary performances and video messages from former Mr./Miss Gays (Jada Miranda was divine!), Command Performances by Grand Duchess Bobby Friday, Sue Trowtower, and Amoura Teese, and a side-splitting pantomime by Their Most Imperial Majesties, Reigning Emperor Mr. David Glamamore & Reigning Empress Juanita MORE! As tradition dictates, all the former Gay titleholders present had a moment on stage and the house gave all due respect to the senior member of that group, Mr. Gay 1974 Ron Ross, truly a dedicated and beloved Imperial Family legend. The Midway provided ample room for cocktails, snack foods, and hobnobbing while offering exciting new possibilities in lighting and other special effects on stage. This pageant ended, as they all do, with the announcement of the winners, but in this case, with only five contestants for four titles, all were acknowledged and congratulated by roaring applause. Note those names above, because our Monarchs plan to keep them quite busy during their year doing the work of the Imperial Court ... raising money for worthy causes, hosting entertaining events, and developing the leadership of the future. Gary Rahlf, fondly hailed as The Queen among his many friends, held his annual birthday celebration at 440, spilling out onto Castro Street and attended by dozens of friends whose relationships spanned decades. Gary’s generosity is matched only by his genuine love of life and he shared both of those attributes all afternoon. We joined party lover and creative spirit Gary Virginia for a few remarks on the microphone, some shout-outs to visiting supporters, and quite a few cocktails. Then it was time for the beautiful multi-colored birthday cake and obligatory song. Happy 77 to a dear friend and essential part of our crazy little coterie!

Thursday, October 21 Divas & Drinks at The Academy DJ Rockaway, Bacardi specials, Bay Times partnership Halloween costumes encouraged The Academy, 2166 Market Street 7 pm–10 pm $10 www.academy-sf.com Saturday, October 23 Bearrison Street Fair Return of in-person outdoor event Bears of SF and Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence Focusing on body positivity for all! 12–6 pm Free! www.bearrison.org Thursday, October 28 LGBTQ+ Night with the Golden State Warriors Chase Center Special community performers Commemorative souvenirs 7 pm $50 & up www.warriors.com/sfbaytimes Sunday, October 31 HalloQueen Drag Brunch Hosted by Sister Roma, DJ Juanita MORE! Performers Carnie Asada, Roxy-Cotton Candy, Nicki Jizz, & more Fairmont Hotel, 950 Mason Street $125 www.opentable.com

Last Thursday had us wondering if this pandemic was at last heaving its final breaths! Competing events overlapped, forcing us to set a tight schedule between three happenings and ultimately attending only one. Our readers will surely read details of the SF Pride Awards at Cityscape and Juanita MORE!’s in-person interview at Manny’s elsewhere, but only a chosen few got a tantalizing glimpse at the re-emergence of Celebrity Cruises. We were thrilled to reunite with the vivacious LaTonya Smothers Lawson, Regional Marketing Manager for Celebrity Cruises, as she and her team presented a convincing argument that cruising is back, it is safe, and it is calling for us! Celebrity is already known for their luxurious accommodations, careful attention to detail, and industry-leading special touches, but the focus that night was on their newest ship, Celebrity Beyond, and the on-board cuisine crafted by Michelin-starred Chef Cornelius Gallagher. Chef Matthew Dolan of 25 Lusk, the venue for the evening, provided previews of many of the gastronomical treats to be enjoyed on board. Despite all the harrowing news stories of the last couple of years, we encourage you to look into the massive response the cruise industry has taken to health and safety concerns and to trust this reputable community-engaged company. We look forward to seeing you on the high Donna with Malia Cohen and Madison seas aboard a Celebrity Cruise soon.

Great Northern (previously known as Mighty). Our little gang, led and inspired by Suzan Revah and Rusty Best, dressed for the occasion with high expectations from Producers Jellybean Benitez and Julius Papp, and we were not disappointed. Classic Donna Summer, Diana Ross, Grace Jones, Le Chic, and more catapulted us back to the heydays of disco, as pulsing lights flashed, snow fell from the ceiling, and glitter sparkled everywhere. Has it really been nearly two years since we have lost ourselves on a dance floor with people we love? 2 am came much too soon ... .

As if to remind us that returning to the social We hate to change the tone of whirl is not all simply fun and games, we this column so drastically, but accepted the kind invitation of Bevan Dufty we were informed last week of and attended a rally and fundraiser at the the death of Michael Pagan, charming home of City Treasurer José creator and producer of SunCisneros for Malia Cohen who is day’s a Drag, the hit show that running for California State Conran for 12 years, many times troller next June. Although the reawith 2 shows per Sunday. Folson for the gathering was serious, lowing so quickly after the i.e., getting a trusted and wellnews of Harry Denton’s qualified person into this impordeath, it is hard to express our tant elected office, the party sense of loss. Michael inspired was a spirited reunion of likethe cast, challenged the crew, minded, politically savvy friends, including ChrisDonna, Michael Pagan and Drew Cutler promoted the show, and always made each of us feel special topher Vasquez, and appreciated. There will never be another like Mark Rhoades, John Weber, BART’s him. General Manager Bob Powers, PRC’s Brett Andrews, SF Pride’s Carolyn Donna Sachet is a celebrated performer, fundWysinger, Liz Polo, and even Greg raiser, activist, and philanthropist who has dediBronstein. cated over two decades to the LGBTQ Community The highlight of this most recent return to social activity was Saturday night’s Studio 54 styled dance at The PHOTO BY SHAWN NORTHCUTT

in San Francisco. Contact her at empsachet@ gmail.com

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Woke, Woker, Wokest massive societal changes for which we woke people have passion for but at different levels. When Trump took office, everything was lit on fire. We had floated along for 8 years feeling things were being handled. With the arrival of Trump, everything escalated—fueled by our fear and their lighter fluid. Taking a broad look at the last 5 years, here are only a few of the things that have turned our world upside down: #MeToo; Black Lives Matter; The Bathroom Bill; Pulse; Parkland; a PANDEMIC; and Texas, a class of disaster all its own.

According to Merriam-Webster, woke means, “aware of and actively attentive to important facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice).” That’s a very good thing. It would be a great thing if people could just be one or the other—woke or unwoke. But no. Why? Because humans.

TLC: Tears, Laughs and Conversation Dr. Tim Seelig We live in a world divided by the woke and unwoke.

wokescold - noun A person who criticizes or shames others for being insufficiently woke, or not supporting social justice causes. Sometimes referred to as a wokester. wokescold – verb To aggressively chastise or berate somebody for holding insufficiently left-Liberal political or social views. We live in a culture that loves competition and levels of success. First, you’ve got your plain old woke. Then you have your super woke. They tend to look down on the plain old woke. Then there are the uber woke. Their feet barely touch the ground SOURCE: SPLICETODAY.COM

It would be so simple if there were only those two groups. The problem is the groups within a group. Let’s set the unwoke to the side for the moment. Of course, we’d like to bop them on the head and say, “Here’s some coffee. Wake up!” But it’s not that easy. A lot of them are quite proud of being wokephobic. It’s everywhere. In fact, a recent New York Times headline was “Anti-Trump vs.

Now for wokescold. It can be a noun or a verb. Here’s what Wiktionary has to say:

Those are just the things that impacted the public at large. The things each of us has gone through on a personal level add up to what might seem to be “more than we can take.” And for many, it has been just that. The countless important issues are more than any one person can embrace at one time. We have to make choices as to where we put our energy, focus, and resources. This leaves an opening for people to wokescold those who are not as passionate about their causes. Incalculable good has also come from the difficult events and movements listed above. New initiatives toward DEI have been adopted across the country at every level, evidencing stronger recognition of white privilege and institutional racism. We’re looking seriously at police funding and social systems. More emphasis is being placed on pronouns and acceptance of the broad spectrum of our human race. The Texas early-stage abortion ruling has created its own firestorm of protests, but there is still an outside chance good can come from the crazy down there.

The Church Lady on SNL would say, “Isn’t that special?” Woke is good. It gives life. But wokescolding is not good. It drains life. At the very core, being woke is about humility. Wokescolding is about arrogance. Some years ago, I was conducting a national honors choir at Carnegie Hall. The concert presenter had informed me that I would have a chamber orchestra of 15 players. I entered that magnificent hall to hear the dress rehearsal for the other group performing that night. What to my wondering eye should appear but an orchestra of 25! Shocked, I immediately sought out the presenter. I asked, in an indignant voice, “I thought you said our orchestra was limited to 15 players?” She kept her eyes focused on the stage as she replied, “Keep your eyes on your own yoga mat.” My immediate reaction was, “I don’t own a yoga mat!” Moments later, it hit me that what she was saying wasn’t about yoga at all. I understood that my yoga mat was my 200 amazing singers and 15-piece chamber orchestra. I went backstage, pumped myself up, and conducted the heck out of my half. It wasn’t a contest, but we won! I’ve used that often with the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus. It is so tempting to worry about others’

mats. I’ve been using it recently as people have started wokescolding me and others. I want to say, “Don’t you have enough on your own yoga mat without trying to manage or criticize others’ stuff ?” We need to work at being woke without wokescolding. I repeat: it drains life. Reminder to self: Never scold others who are differently-woke! No scolding, just loving. None of this is to imply that we woke folks should never share our thoughts or concerns with others. It’s all in the messaging, the delivery, and the level of trust in the relationship you have with a person. Beginning with my own struggles with a certain issue is a first step. We need to be grateful for all people who are in the Woke Club. In a perfect world, it would be a club without judgment—just a level playing field of encouragement and acceptance. This may sound naïve in the “Why can’t we just get along?” camp. I still hope and think we can. I do know we must resist the very human temptation to look around the room to check out who has a bigger Bible, more orchestra players, or taller tiaras. I’m grateful for you and that you’re woke. That’s enough for me. Dr. Tim Seelig is the Artistic Director of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus.

Two of my own life experiences— one only a few years past, one almost 50 years—tell memorable stories for me. I’ll start with the oldest.

Anti-Woke,” with the article addressing Virginia’s governor’s race. For now, let’s just look at our own woke campground for a bit and do some self-reflection and assessment. To state the obvious, woke is good. Woke is important. Woke is critical to our survival. We’ve made tremendous strides here in Woke World. And although the trek is tough, we are having success, nonetheless. In the last election, according to HRC, LGBTQ+ candidates were up over 20%. We’re making inroads at every level and winning some big ones along the way, not the least of which are the first openly gay cabinet member Pete Buttigieg, whose nation just celebrated his and his husband’s twins; Eric Fanning, the first openly gay secretary of the army; and LGBT and POC governors, plus many more. And they’re all woke leaders! Unfortunately for some, it’s not enough just to be woke anymore. We now have stages of wokeness or wokehood. And we have a new group of wokescolds. Perhaps this is a new term for you. It was new to me until not long ago. While the term is new, the concept has been around for, oh, maybe ever. We are unfortunately in a time when wokescold has taken on new energy and significance—and a lot of new practitioners. Many of those have decided to make themselves the wokesperson for others. We’ve seen this before in what President Obama called the circular firing squad. I’ve experienced this recently, about 5 years ago, and, interestingly enough, in 1976. More on these a bit later. But first, perhaps a quick glossary lesson would help. 14

when they walk. And at the top of the pyramid, the super uber woke. I am reminded of the beauty pageants for children highlighted in the television series Tots and Tiaras. They are very popular where I came from. Everyone wins a title and a trophy. But, at the end of the day, there are three coveted big ones. Just winning the title Supreme will send you home in shock and awe and bitter. Winning Ultimate Supreme is just enough to get your parents to spring for the better spray tan and fake front teeth. Winning Ultimate Grand Supreme wins you a 6-foot trophy and allows the winner to look at those whose trophies are only slightly taller than they are. They’re the “bless your heart” contestants. Even Taco Bell has fallen into the supreme and ultimate supreme temptation. I use these ludicrous examples of pageants and tacos to remind us how incredibly insidious and destructive rungs of the ladder can be. Woke is not a ladder. Author Michael Harriot penned an insightful article in The Root where he describes 6 levels of awokedness. 1. Asleep 2. Groggy 3. Newly Woke 4. Eyes Wide Open 5. Woke AF 6. Insomniac He describes #5 as follows: This is also when you start adopting the woke-abulary. You no longer discuss things; you “unpack” them. You can’t argue with someone who has a Ph.D. in Wokeology. How did we get so divided that it has brought on wokescolding? Much of it was brought about by a series of

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What is happening in the public arena these days is exactly what has happened in religion ever since religion began. As most of you know, I was a very good Baptist boy. I grew up in the fold. I went to a Baptist college and married a good Baptist girl the same day I graduated. She and I became missionary journeymen giving two years to the Baptists—like the Mormons but without the bicycles and name tags. Throughout my entire journey, I had an incredible woman who helped raise and mentor me. She and mom performed all over the world (including Billy Graham crusades) for almost 20 years. She was my Baptist Mother Teresa. In 1975, everything changed. That year, our friend received the “second blessing.” She was filled with the Holy Spirit. You could tell ‘cause she did some of that speaking in tongues. She got Jesus-woke! Actually, Jesuswoker than the rest of us, at least. She decided that anyone who wasn’t as woke as she and didn’t get the same “fill ’er up” of the Spirit could no longer be part of her life. She let my mother know that they would no longer perform together and their 20 years of performing just didn’t count because neither of them had received the 2nd blessing. She wrote a letter to me and my wife (we were then the aforementioned Southern Baptist missionary journeymen in Austria). It was with a heavy heart that she needed to share with us that she had been noticing “leakage” in our Holy Spirit gas tank. Her ascension to a “higher” level of spirituality split our family in two. We didn’t see her for decades after this. It was a lose/lose. There have always been those who fell into the category of “Holier Than Thou.” That can now be translated as “Woker Than Thou.”

Halloween card

photo by Rink

San Francisco Bay Times Wishes You a Safe and Happy Halloween!

2021 Academy Legends Awards Winners Announced The Academy Legends Awards has just announced Dr. Tim Seelig as the 2021 Legends Archive inductee. He will be inducted into the Archive, which is housed at The Academy in the Castro, on November 12. The awards event will take place at the Swedish American Hall, near The Academy on Market Street, as the capstone to the annual celebration honoring members of the LGBTQ+ community. Dr. Tim Seelig, 2021 Legends Archive Inductee Only the third person to be inducted into the Legends Archive, Dr. Seelig is the longtime Artistic Director and Conductor of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus and the National LGBTQ Center for the Arts. While serving as the Conductor Emeritus of the Turtle Creek Chorale, Dr. Seelig made his solo recital debut at Carnegie Hall and has conducted there annually as well as at Lincoln Center for nearly three decades. His European operatic debut was at the Staatsoper in St. Gallen, Switzerland. His recordings have been on the Billboard Top Ten and iTunes Top Ten classical charts. His choruses have been the topic of three documentaries, including Gay Chorus Deep South (2019), which won the Audience Favorite award at its premiere at New York’s Tribeca Film Festival. He carried the Olympic torch as a community Hero in 1996, and now we have the opportunity to hold a torch for him. http://www.timseelig.com/ Past inductees to the archive, Sister Roma and Juanita MORE!, will be key participants in the celebration as they welcome Dr. Seelig to the Archive, with other special guests, and honor this year’s Community Awards recipients. The Community Awards, presented by local icons including Ali Mafi, Mercedes Munro, and Miss Rahni, are in three categories:

Diane Jones Solidarity Award This year’s Diane Jones Solidarity Award, named in honor of Jones’ early role in treating gay men with HIV/AIDS and awarded to those who are instrumental in bridging divides between one or more demographic groups within the LGBTQ+ community, will be presented to Leo Herrera for his work on The FATHERS Project, celebrating the men of our lost generation and imagining a world where their creativity, power, and passion had not been lost. https://www.iftheylived.org/ The Exemplar Award The Exemplar Award celebrates recipients not just because of what they have done, but also because of how they inspire others to do better, and to be better versions of themselves. No one embodies that ideal better than this years’ recipient, Tita Aida, whose ongoing commitment to raising HIV/AIDS awareness is matched only by her dedication to the Trans and Asian/Pacific Islander community. https://tinyurl.com/ukaawm4 (Profile of Tita Aida and interview with the Dragon Fruit Project) The Architect Award The Architect Award, awarded to people who are instrumental in creating something new that adds to the overall LGBTQ+ community, is being presented to Scott Peterson in recognition of his tireless work maintaining, transforming, and promoting the Powerhouse, a pillar of SOMA nightlife. https://www.powerhousebar.com/ The annual event was created by the signature Sponsor, The Academy, founded in 2017. This social club is one of the few, if not only, brick and mortar clubs of its kind catering to the LGBTQ+ community. Its mission, as described by Co-Owner Paul Miller, is “to be a place where various parts of the community can come together and celebrate the ways their goals and values overlap. It’s meant to be a place to revel in being yourself, without being closed off to meeting and enjoying those you might never get a chance to talk to otherwise.” Miller hopes that The Academy “offers a way to preserve some of the rich cultural memory of the community and expose younger gays and lesbians to the incredible achievements of our community, but to have a lot of fun doing it.” This year’s Legends Awards promises to do both!

THE ACADEMY LEGENDS AWARDS November 12, 6 pm–10 pm, The Swedish American Hall and The Academy, Tickets: $40–80 available at https://tinyurl.com/4ksuf3fx

SF Sketch Randy Coleman 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, 2021

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Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake mixture vigorously. Strain into a chilled coupe or martini glass. https://tinyurl.com/yyc4me8t Heather Freyer is a beverage expert who is the Vice President and General Manager for Open West States at Bacardí USA. Previously she was with Trinchero Wine Estates, Castle Rock Winery, Cost Plus World Market, and more.

Cocktails With Heather

Grubstake Redevelopment Approved ... Again The San Francisco Board of Supervisors gave unanimous approval to the 1525 Pine Street Project at its regular meeting on Tuesday, October 19. The vote followed testimony both for and against the appeal that, if passed, would have reversed an approval, passed previously by the City’s Planning Commission, negating proposals to stop the project based on the California Environmental Quality Act. The project’s previous approval by the Board of Supervisors was delayed by appeals filed by residents of the adjacent residential building, The Austin, located at 1545 Pine Street. The Board’s vote denying the appeal gives the nod to the project proposed by Grubstake owners Jimmy Consos and Nicholas Pigott. Supervisor Mandelman, via Twitter, said “@Grubstake is an invaluable longtime queer space in Polk Gulch, as the advocacy of @juanitamore, @donnasachet, @SisterRoma, @GaryVirginia and other LGBTQ leaders shows. I am glad to join Supervisor @AaronPeskin in support of new housing + preserving a beloved business.”

Heather Freyer Make your Halloween night take flight with a Bacardí Bat Brew, a Caribbean twist on an Espresso Martini. The nutty tropical flavor of Bacardí Coconut is a perfect combo with a cold brew kick.

http://sfgrubstake.com/

BACARDÍ BAT BREW

PHOTO BY RINK

1 1/2 ounces Bacardí Coconut Flavored Rum 1 ounce cold brew 3/4 ounce Monin Vanilla Syrup

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Scott’s Chowder House’s Michelin-Starred Chef Manrique Reveals Secrets to Seafood Deliciousness

The Gay Gourmet David Landis It’s like that old Peter Allen song. “Everything old is new again.” Sometimes, that’s a great thing. I remember the heydays of Scott’s seafood restaurants throughout the Bay Area back in the 80s. They offered the freshest seafood in Palo Alto, San Francisco, Walnut Creek, and maybe other locales I never visited. Recently, I got a notice that Scott’s Chowder House was opening near Chinatown in San Francisco and I thought, “I have to go! An oldie but a goodie is getting a re-vamp.” Well, sort of. The truth (and what I never realized) is that all the Scott’s restaurants were owned by different people. The good news is that the folks behind the Scott’s in Palo Alto (owner Steve Mayer, who has partnered in San Francisco with Executive Chef Sammy Reyes) decided to engage Michelin-star chef Laurent Manrique as an advisor and open a re-imagining of the old concept called Scott’s Chowder House. They opened first in San Jose and now we’re lucky enough to have one on Grant Avenue near Bush Street in San Francisco. The Gay Gourmet had the pleasure of speaking with Chef Manrique for the San Francisco Bay Times. We spoke about the vision and inspiration for these new chowder houses and how his culinary background influenced this new take on these ageless seafood eateries. I first asked Chef Manrique about his stellar and award-winning background, including stints at the acclaimed Taillevent in Paris; Peacock Alley in New York; and Campton Place, Aqua, and now Café de la Presse in San Francisco. “When I started this career,” he explained, “each place brought something new. At Taillevent, I was young and cooked for presidents and artists. It was a tremendous professional experience and my first work as a chef, where I managed 4–5 people: a true learning experience talking to people and learning from them. Being a chef in France is like the military—good for a career, but it can be restrictive. New York was a tremendous time, a hard time, where you work very hard and you don’t sleep very much. I thought I needed to see somewhere else.” “Campton Place contacted me and asked if I would like to come here to San Francisco,” he continued. “I flew in, walked around the city and I loved the place. It reminds me of where I grew up in the southwest of France. That was in 1999; San Francisco was very different at the time. I thought San Franciscans were in synergy with the food community. Campton Place is a jewel. That hotel, the location, the size of the restaurant is very precious. After that, Aqua was a big monster—Michael Mina left in 2001 and they had no chef for a year.

They told me, ‘If you want the job, it’s yours.’ It was the first time I cooked seafood. I had to reinvent myself; that was a great adventure. It was a breeding ground for some of the best talent in the industry, including: Peter Armellino (now chef/owner at Plumed Horse in Saratoga), Dustin Valette (now at Valette restaurant in Healdsburg), Ron Boyd and Kim Alter (now at Nightbird in San Francisco), Karim Guedouar (now General Manager of Daniel in NY), Mark Zotto (now at Bar Zotto, in the Mission), and Top Chef Michelle Minori. We had an incredible team.” He added, “When the Michelin guy came, I was hoping for one star. It was the first time Michelin arrived in the U.S. and Aqua received two stars, which was very emotional for everybody. Then I thought, now I want three stars, but that’s a lot of sacrifice. I had left New York because I didn’t want that. So then, I resigned from Aqua in 2018. Café de la Presse started in 2005. The original owner, Jean Gabriel, was a friend of Steve Mayer, who is now my business partner. He wanted to retire but was looking for a French guy to run the place. Steve said, ‘Let’s do that together.’ We thought it was a lovely spot,

but we wanted to make it very French. We decided to open the wall and make it a French brasserie with newspapers and croissants. The team is the same since 2005.” I queried Chef Manrique about how—and why— he wanted to work with Scott’s Chowder House. “Steve Mayer is the connection, he is my partner at Café de la Presse,” replied Chef Manrique. “He owned the original Scott’s in Palo Alto. None of the Scott’s Seafood restaurants were connected; they were completely separated. Last year, Steve had this idea of a chowder

house. I love the concept. One of my favorite restaurants is Sam’s Chowder House in Half Moon Bay. I thought, ‘If we’re going to do that, it’s pretty exciting.’ They opened the first Sam’s Chowder House in San Jose on First Street. Steve said, ‘Do you want to help us with quality seafood and recipes and maybe we open another one in the city?’ I said, ‘Yes. Let’s keep it simple: a good soup, a good sandwich— not fancy or formal. We can serve it in a paper cup, make it easygoing.’ The second chowder house opened in St. Mark’s Square, San Jose—and now in San Francisco. The design came from Steve; he took photos of seafood restaurants with fishing boats in Portugal. We tried to re-create that—

same color, same feel.” I asked: What’s the secret to a tasty chowder? “For the Manhattan chowder,” Chef Manrique shared, “I use fresh tomato sauce, a lot of vegetables, clams, clam juice, different spices, garlic, and oregano. When I was in New York, I ate a lot of chowder—it should be like a good minestrone. You need to use larger clams for the flavor and small clams for the quality of the meat. For the Boston chowder, the secret is you add sherry wine. You just add raw sherry at the end to get a nutty flavor. You use the natural stock from the potato. This is not a healthy diet—it has a lot of cream!” I also questioned Chef Manrique about where he gets his seafood and how it’s so fresh. “The secret,” he explained, “is you don’t buy too much. I buy from Monterey Fish. I’ve been a customer of theirs since Aqua. You have to get it every day; but buy it as you need it.” And the secret to the Dungeness crab roll, and crab cakes? “For the crab roll, don’t mix too much with the crab—a light

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

vinaigrette, or butter—we make our own mayonnaise, but just a touch. Brioche sometimes can be too rich. We rub bread with clarified butter infused with rosemary and brush the bread and toast it. For the crab cake sauce, we add honey mustard, Cajun spice, and a little bit of chipotle—the base is mayonnaise, fresh arugula. We use fresh crab meat, no bread in the mixture; we put the bread crumbs around the crab cake. If you want to be good, you have to have quality ingredients.” So, how’s the food at Scott’s Chowder House? Simply scrumptious. It’s rare to visit a seafood restaurant where everything is completely fresh (you don’t even need a squeeze of lemon!). It’s even rarer, especially in San Francisco, for it to be affordable. Scott’s Chowder House delivers on all accounts. When I visited for lunch, we chose to eat outdoors on the beautiful patio. But the inside has elements that make you think you’re in an East Coast fishery, with nets; accents of blue and white; and clean, modern touches abounding. You order at the counter and then the extremely helpful and knowledgeable waitstaff brings your food to your table. The menu isn’t extensive, but everything on the menu was an A-plus. The wine selection includes California, Spanish, and French whites (we chose a glass of the dry Spanish Albariño), reds, and rosés. Complementing that, the restaurant also has a nice variety of local beers, including Lagunitas IPA and Anchor Steam. To start, we decided to split Scott’s Manhattan-style clam chowder (deliciously sweet and brimming with fresh cut vegetables—think of a Minestrone with fresh clams—) and Scott’s Boston-style clam chowder (creamy, but not gooey—no corn starch here!), both served with a slice of toasted sourdough bread. The menu also boasts a Maine lobster bisque in a tomato-based broth, a smoked salmon chowder, a vegan chowder, and a seafood gumbo. Diners have a choice of a cup, a bowl, a bread bowl, or a quart size. For our mains, we split the Dungeness crab roll, served cold with a lemon mayonnaise, red pickled onions, green apple, celery, and fresh dill. I’ve frankly never had a better crab roll in San Francisco— this one had huge chunks of Dungeness crab meat, spilling out over the sides of the toasted sweet bun. I can’t recommend this sandwich enough! From there, we also split the tasty Dungeness crab cake sandwich, served on a brioche bun with arugula, fennel, and Cajun aioli. What I particularly liked best about this dish is that, instead of putting bread crumbs into the mixture, Chef Manrique coats the crab cake with a panko dusting on the outside and lets the crab shine through by itself. Both sandwiches are served with house-made paprika potato chips that are crunchy yet tangy; a lemon wedge; a dill pickle; and housemade, creamy coleslaw. The menu also includes a smoked salmon cobb salad; a quinoa, kale, and chicken power bowl; a kale Caesar salad; a shrimp Louie; and a beet and berries salad. For dessert, the offerings include a s’mores sundae with hot fudge and a fresh summer berries sundae with a side of blackberry Cabernet sorbet. (continued on page 18)

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Avenidas 2nd Annual LGBTQ Conference - “The Power of Acceptance” On Saturday, October 16, Avenidas’ Rainbow Collective LGBTQ Seniors Initiative held the virtual 2nd Annual LGBTQ Conference. The theme of the Conference was “The Power of Acceptance.” Thomas Kingery of Avenidas was moderator/emcee, and Jane Fleishman, PhD, a certified sexuality educator, served as the keynote speaker. Among other speakers was Caitlin Ryan, PhD, who spoke about the Family Acceptance Project that helps ethnically, racially, and religiously diverse families. Attorney Dan Dean spoke on financial challenges during COVID. Kristi Blewis told about the choice she and her wife made to be foster parents for LGBTQ diverse young people.

View the Avenidas 2nd Annual LGBTQ Conference online: https://tinyurl.com/fakv38th

MORALES (continued from page 9)

JUSTER (continued from page 3)

Latinx organization in the U.S. AGUILAS, founded in 1991, is the oldest Latinx LGBT organization in all of the Americas.

safe and affordable transit and the LGBTQ+ community. She currently serves on the Board of the San Francisco LGBT Center, and as a Mayoral appointee on the Citizens’ General Obligation Bond Oversight Committee.

SF Latinx Arts This year, the 13th San Francisco Latinx Film Festival is being held throughout fall by Cine+Mas SF. Carlos Santana—a 10-time Grammy winner, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member, and global music icon, who was born in Mexico and raised in San Francisco—just received the 2021 Hispanic Heritage Legend Award by the Hispanic Heritage Foundation. His career soared when his band Santana performed at the famed Woodstock Music and Arts Festival in 1969. Actor and producer Benjamin Bratt was born and raised in San Francisco. Jerry Garcia—famed guitarist, singer, and songwriter and lead guitarist and a vocalist with the band the Grateful Dead—was born and raised in San Francisco. Vermont ice cream maker Ben & Jerry’s introduced their first ice cream flavor dedicated to a musician and called it Cherry Garcia.

“It’s an honor to be appointed to the Airport Commission and I want to thank Mayor London Breed for nominating me,” says Natoli. “San Francisco is an LGBTQ+ capital and SFO is the first entry point for so many people visiting and moving here and I want to ensure that SFO is as welcoming and inclusive to all folks as it can be.” Volunteer Opportunities in the Age of COVID During the pandemic, as offices closed and events were cancelled, many of us missed volunteering for our favorite organizations and causes. As the Bay Area starts opening up again, we want to hear about volunteer opportunities, including ones that can be performed remotely or safely. Contact me at jjbaytimes@gmail.com Joanie Juster is a long-time community volunteer, activist, and ally.

Día de los Muertos, Carnival Día de los Muertos, recognized on November 2 and referred to as All Souls Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died. This day is celebrated in various forms throughout Latin American countries and in the U.S. among Latinx communities. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, San Francisco held its parade and celebration in the Mission District regularly for Día de los Muertos. Carnival is another festivity celebrated throughout Latin America, including San Francisco. Due to weather conditions, San Francisco celebrates Carnival annually with a parade and festival during the month of May. Celebrated before the start of the season of Lent, Carnival is a celebration of life, with one of the largest celebrations held in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Rio’s Carnival parade and celebration are held in their Sambódrome, where numerous samba schools containing more than 4,000 members per school parade over several days and where the festivities are televised throughout the world. Recommended Viewing You can view some of the amazing Sambódrome celebrations over the years on YouTube. You can also watch a very informative series created by public television called Latino Americans on YouTube. You will be surprised at how Latinx persons were excluded and ostracized throughout the U.S. For example, in the 1961 movie West Side Story, the film presents the tensions in New York City between Puerto Ricans who are members of the gang called the Sharks and a white gang who called themselves the Jets. In this film, there was only one Puerto Rican person who was cast: Rita Moreno, who calls Berkeley home and who received the 1962 Oscar for Best Supporting Actress portraying the part of Anita. The upcoming new remake of West Side Story is scheduled to be released in theaters on December 10. Directed by Steven Spielberg, the film includes Moreno as one of its stars. The remake supposedly attempts to correct some of the casting and exclusion issues of the original 1961 film. Check out the trailer here: https://tinyurl.com/ vz29mv2c Eduardo Morales, Ph.D., is a founder of AGUILAS, where he serves as Executive Director. He is also a retired Distinguished Professor at Alliant International University and is the 2021 President of the National Latinx Psychological Association.

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LANDIS (continued from page 17) For an economical and casual dining expedition that will make you think you’re eating straight off the pier, Scott’s Chowder House can’t be beat. Bits and Bites Boulevard, profiled earlier this year by The Gay Gourmet, has renovated and re-opened in late September. It’s still one of San Francisco’s best ... the artsy Bar Fluxus on Harlan Place had its opening in mid-September and looks like a fun place to try a crafty new cocktail ... the iconic Chez Panisse, which just turned 50, now has pushed off its re-opening until 2022 ... congratulations to Michelin star winners in the Bay Area: Birdsong, Avery, Marlena, Niku, O’ by Claude Tohic, Shota, Atelier Crenn, Bar Crenn, Quince, Acquerello, Campton Place, Californios, Coi, Lazy Bear, Saison, Al’s Place, Angler, Gary Danko, Ju-Ni, Kin Khao, Mister Jiu’s, Mourad, Omakase, The Progress, Sons & Daughters, Sorrel, SPQR, Spruce, State Bird Provisions, Wako and Benu in San Francisco, Commis in Oakland, Harbor House Inn in Elk (Mendocino), Adega in San Jose, Sushi Shin in Redwood City, Selby’s in Atherton, Barndiva and Single Thread in Healdsburg, the French Laundry in Yountville, Auberge du Soleil in Rutherford, Manresa in Los Gatos, Aubergine in Carmel, Chez TV in Mountain View, Kenzo and La Toque in Napa, The Kitchen in Sacramento, Madera in Menlo Park, Madcap in San Anselmo, Plumed Horse in Saratoga, Protégé in Palo Alto, Rasa in Burlingame, Sushi Yoshizumi and Wakuriya in San Mateo, and the Village Pub in Woodside ... by the way, if you haven’t tried it in a while, it’s worth another visit to the Presidio Social Club in San Francisco, where they’ve expanded their deck and offer a pup-friendly decadent brunch ... for steakhouses in the city, the Vault Steakhouse opened downstairs at 555 California; Miller & Lux (Tyler Florence’s latest) looks very splashy at the Chase Center; and Izzy’s Steakhouse sports a delightful parklet that feels like a trip to a Parisian café ... Julia, a new film from Sony Classics about the seminal Julia Childs, opens in New York and Los Angeles theatres November 5, but watch for local listings ... I’ve been hearing good things about Fair Market Delivery, where great chefs cook at home ... and Gaby Maeda from State Bird Provisions has just been named Food & Wine’s Best New Chef of 2021! Scott’s Chowder House: https://tinyurl.com/yv9hf7he David Landis, aka “The Gay Gourmet,” is a foodie, a freelance writer, and a retired PR maven. Follow him on Instagram @GayGourmetSF or email him at: davidlandissf@ gmail.com Or visit him online at: www.gaygourmetsf.com

Former Model and Tennis Pro Chris Trepte Brings Star Power and Skill to Multiple Bay Area LGBTQ Teams

Dykes on Bikes® Tales From Two Wheels

Enda Davis Sports John Chen From turning down a potential spot on the U.S. Junior Olympic Soccer Team, to competing on the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Futures Tournament Tour, to posing for one of the most prestigious modeling agencies (Ford Models), Chris Trepte is an LGBT elite athlete who has seen it, been there, and done that.

Chris Trepte

start. Meanwhile, I still couldn’t [identify] anyone like me and skirted all questions fellow players had regarding girls and women.”

Hailing from a successful tennis family in Southern California, Trepte started playing tennis at the young age of four, just one year older than Andrei Agassi who started at the ripe old age of three. The family matriarch Dorothy (Dottie) Head Knode, Trepte’s grandmother, was the most accomplished player, reaching a career high world ranking No. 5 twice in 1955 and 1957 respectively. During those two years, she also reached the French Open singles finals. With such a pedigree, how could Trepte not be on track to becoming a world class tennis player?

“Shortly after starting my budding pro tennis career, I injured my rotator cuff,” he added. “At the time I didn’t understand how to take care of it, how to rehabilitate, or how to seek help. My shoulder never healed properly and that pretty much ended my tennis career. It was disappointing, but also a relief because I don’t have to lie and hide anymore. I always felt that I couldn’t devote all of myself to tennis because it took a lot of time and energy to create and mask all the lies.”

“Actually, soccer, not tennis, was my first passion,” Trepte told me for the San Francisco Bay Times. “Yes, I played tennis. But that was because everyone in the family played. It was our identity. It was who we were as a family.” “I loved soccer and played all the time,” he added. “I was mainly a defender because I was fast and confident that no attacker could score on me one on one. When I was 15, I attended the U.S. Junior Olympic Soccer Team tryouts, but played as an attacking forward. Incredulously, I somehow scored two goals. Honestly, I didn’t even know how I scored those goals. I basically kicked the ball, and it went in, twice!” As accomplished as he was in soccer, Trepte eventually had to decide on a sport to focus on. And ultimately, he chose tennis. “Because I come from a tennis family, and playing tennis was the best way to bond with my father, I quit soccer,” he explained. “At the time, being able to spend quality time with my father was more important than anything else.” He continued; “A little more than halfway through my freshmen year in high school, I took the CHSPE (California High School Proficiency Exam) and received my diploma. I did so because I felt I needed a change and moved to Fresno where a well-known tennis coach, Francisco Gonzales, saw my potential and took me under his wings. Not too long after, Fresno State University offered me a practice spot on their nationally ranked tennis team because I was only 16.” Through the vast majority of his early teenage years, Trepte never really thought about his sexuality. He was too focused on his athletic endeavors to notice. “I never really had an inkling that I was gay growing up,” he explained. “I even had a girlfriend at the beginning of my freshmen year in high school. The problem was she always wanted to ‘touch’ and I did my best to ‘reciprocate’ but it was abundantly clear that I had no idea what I was doing,

Interestingly enough, while playing tennis several people told Trepte he should be a model because of his boyish good looks and athletic build. Intrigued, Trepte sought advice on how he can be a model, and soon after, Wilhelmina, a large modeling agency in Los Angeles, showed strong interest. Trepte through various trials, errors, and tribulations eventually landed a contract with an internationally renowned agency, the Ford Models. Chris Trepte as a Ford model

which was both awkward and hilarious. I just assumed I was straight until an out of the blue, coming out of nowhere encounter that [awoke] my true sexual desires and identity. I was 15 at the time. [That one experience] motivated me to explore my sexuality more. I got on AOL and waited minutes for a photo to download. That kind of patience and motivation created a whole new world of excitement and anticipation. At the same time, I was welcomed into a world full of anxiety, fear, and lies.” “At 17, I moved back to Orange County to further my budding tennis career where I got a chance to play against the No. 1 singles player for UCI (University of California, Irvine), whose claim to fame was beating Andy Roddick,” he said. “So, in essence, beating him was like I beat Andy Roddick, a future No. 1 player in the world and a Tennis Hall of Fame inductee.” He continued: “Over the next couple of years, I steadily improved and started winning multiple matches in Open level tournaments and eventually reaching some semifinals. I also kept an eye out for other gay players while lying about girls, relationships, and sex in the locker room. I eventually competed in ATP Tour Futures Tournaments, where all the top players in the world got their

I am Enda Davis, a true Southern girl from Arkansas and Louisiana. Riding with Dykes on Bikes® is more than cruising on a hot sunny day. For me, it symbolizes my true authentic self. When I came out as a gay woman, I knew that I wanted to be a part of the Dykes on Bikes® motorcycle contingent; more specifically, the San Francisco chapter. I knew that I wanted to ride in the famous SF LGBTQ+ Pride Parade, up front and holding the flag for the world to see. I just didn’t know the process. Joining the Dykes on Bikes® and being a proud patch holder means for me living my truth. I am a certified Substance Abuse Counselor working in Forensic Mental Health at Napa State Hospital. I am in recovery (12 years sober) and I educate others who struggle with addiction. https://www.dykesonbikes.org/

Fitness SF Trainer Tip of the Month Nassim at Fitness SF Fillmore “Variety is the key to fitness. Keep your muscles guessing so that you can avoid a plateau and enjoy something new each week. I prepare a new HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) workout routine for my clients every session.”

“Modeling was brutal,” he said. “Even though I was an elite athlete, I was still too fat. I was told I had to lose 30 pounds, be toned, but not overly muscular. I couldn’t have large pecs because it made me look too old. The list of body image changes and maintenance was never ending. After a couple of years, I walked away from modeling because of the pressure and I wanted to eat again!” Fast forward to today: Trepte lives in Marin County teaching various subjects, such as cross fit and yoga, while helping to care for his parents. There’s a strong sense of peace within that Trepte didn’t have during his competitive and modeling days. Nowadays you can find him playing tennis at the local clubs and USTA (United States Tennis Association) Leagues, hitting homeruns in SFGSL (San Francisco Gay Softball League), recording kills with the Balls of Furry LGBT volleyball group, and catching touchdown passes at SFGFFL (San Francisco Gay Flag Football League) games. Although he sometimes wishes things would have turned out differently with soccer and tennis, Trepte is happy just being an average weekend sports hack like you and me. John Chen, a UCLA alumnus and an avid sports fan, has competed as well as coached tennis, volleyball, softball, and football teams.

Tore Kelly, Director of Creative & Social Media for Fitness SF, provides monthly tips that he has learned from professional trainers. For more information: https://fitnesssf.com/

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

Witches Rule!

Off the Wahl Jan Wahl I’ve always been fascinated by witches. They seem to be the smart, vibrant, outspoken women of the village. Of course, if that’s Salem Village, it’s dangerous. But they were often women who knew about natural health practices and other advanced ideas for their time. From books like The Witchcraft of Salem Village by Shirley Jackson to Joan of Arc burned at the stake to a wonderful Arthur Miller play (and later fine film) The Crucible, my imagination was stirred by these women and the dangerous misunderstandings of those around them. I’ve never been one for graphic gore. I go with Alfred Hitchcock who said, “It’s not about the knife or the bullet; it’s about the anticipation of it.” He would develop that creepy feeling that something awful is going to happen and would hang on to it frame after frame. We see events in our imagination, and they are often worse than if we saw the real thing. With Hitchcock, characters are the scariest, from my favorite, Strangers on a Train, to his own favorite, Shadow of a Doubt. These both star gentlemen villains: Robert Walker and Joseph Cotton. Their smooth, dapper sophistication conceals psychopaths. But why not go all the way with the man child of Norman Bates in Psycho (original 1960 only, please). We don’t need blood and guts to be invested in the man with the murderous secret in the basement, beautifully played by Anthony Perkins. Janet Leigh told me and everyone else that showers scared her after that film, but it is the scene where Mother pushes Martin Balsam down the steps that haunts me to this day. The Birds remains another favorite, with ambitious birds all over our own Bodega Bay reminding us: “Hey ... my grandfather starred in that movie!” Seriously, The Birds is one great Halloween movie. We can go back to 1985 for the original Fright Night, where Roddy McDowall as a washedup TV host (very Vincent Price)

helps an obsessed kid with a vampire neighbor (hunky Chris Sarandon). Or that rarity, a terrific original and remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers—in 1956 and 1978, both Don Siegal and Phillip Kaufman take us down the terrifying road as emotionless aliens have replicated humans. And then there is the all-time great, The Night of the Hunter (1955). Robert Mitchum is the unforgettable mad preacher after children for their fathers’ hidden money. Shelley Winters and Lillian Gish try to stop the evil. It is hard to believe after this atmospheric terror that director Charles Laughton never helmed a feature again. Let’s return to witches and the world of Wicca. I am blessed to have a relative who is one, and a very good one. Her name is Lisa Miranda. She writes books about a witch cop in Santa Rosa and also the Witch Dancer series (books 1–3 so far), reads tarot, and explains life in mysterious and always meaningful ways. Knowing she had unusual powers started early. “At 13 I got a sense of it,” she told me for the San Francisco Bay Times. “That’s a powerful time, but I thought perhaps I was just hypersensitive. I converted to Wicca in 2005, a nature-based spiritual path. Wicca is an old Anglo-Saxon term for witch, meaning wise, where wit and wizard also come from. Witches are genderless, though they have been thought of as female.” She continued: “Magic is defined in Wicca as the bridge that connects the realm of spirit with the realm of matter. Witches became demonized in the 1500s or even before, with men who were offended or scared of women in general—or men who asked questions of the church. Women who provided healing by herbs or other methods motivated the church or power of the times to wipe out an entire way of thinking.”

QUEER POP QUIZ

I asked Lisa how the LBGTQ community fits into this world. I mentioned my favorite scene in Little Big Man, when the out gay male Native American did a dance, causing Dustin Hoffman as the narrator to explain that this kind of person was considered higher evolved by the tribe. She replied, “This makes total sense to me, though I can’t speak for all Wiccans. Their souls have chosen an honest, though challenging, path where they might face rejection or perhaps pure joy. Souls in this community are on a more advanced path than many of us.” She gets passionate about movies that got it wrong, and right, about witches. “The only movie that Hollywood has put out that comes close to getting the depiction

of witches correct is Practical Magic. The witches are portrayed as powerful women who are empowered by their connection to nature and their spells. There is no devil. ‘There’s no devil in the craft,’ says Sandra Bullock’s character. The one that really offended me is Hocus Pocus, for witches do not victimize babies or act like the devil is the master.” From spirit animals to insightful horoscope and Tarot, Lisa has greatly enriched my life. Jan Wahl is a Hollywood historian, film critic on various broadcast outlets, and has her own YouTube channel series, “Jan Wahl Showbiz.” She has two Emmys and many awards for her longtime work on behalf of film buffs and the LGBTQ community. Contact her at www.janwahl.com

Lisa Miranda: The Wine Country Witch She is the creator of “The Wine Country Witch Podcast,” has authored six books, and has a YouTube channel where she shares her knowledge of astrology and tarot ( https://tinyurl. com/5wbcfaje).

Lisa Miranda is The Wine Country Witch: a real deal Wiccan based in the heart of the Wine Country. Lisa writes, “I’ve been studying witchcraft, casting spells, compiling and interpreting astrological charts, reading palms and tarot cards, and working with crystals ever since I was a child. However, I didn’t start calling myself a practicing witch until 2005, when I discovered Wicca. It came along in answer to my prayer: ‘Please let me find a religion where women and men are acknowledged as equals.’”

Lisa Miranda

“I began following this path of nature-based spirituality privately, reluctant to expose myself to the ridicule of others by sharing what I was,” she continues. “That passed, and I came out of the broom closet.”

Lisa also happens to be the niece of film critic and San Francisco Bay Times columnist Jan Wahl!

Members of our Bay Times team have been enjoying her work, and hope you do too. As Lisa joyfully says when beginning introductions, “Merry meet!” For more information: https://winecountrywitch.com/

LET’S DO THE TIME WARP The character Dr. Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show memorably wore an ensemble that included this: A) jumbo white “pearl” necklace

B) glittery gloves

C) cropped corset

D) A, B, and C

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

Sex, Murder, and Money; Welcome to The Estate money? George seduces a pool boy (Kyle Rezzarday) to make Joe jealous and keep him around and interested.

Film Gary M. Kramer The delicious queer comedy thriller The Estate, out in theaters and available on demand October 22, is full of witty one-liners and dirty doublecrosses.

Kapner plays up the sexual frisson between George and Joe in this kissor-kill narrative well, imbuing the film with considerable homoeroticism. (Baker and Findley frequently appear shirtless, and Kapner fetishizes their impressive physiques.) The filmmaker, however, is less sure-footed in generating thrills of the nerve-

who, after years of bullying and repressed anger, can feel like he belongs. Joe too confesses to wanting to have a sense of family, having never known his father. Lux is just greedy, but knowing that she can buy dresses rather rent them online is motivation enough for her to kill. Even the production design feeds into this amoral mindset. The film’s crisp visuals are full of bright colors and big empty spaces that convey the

The plot has the gay George (writer Chris Baker) conspiring with his stepmother Lux (Eliza Coupe) to kill his father/her husband Marcello (Eric Roberts), a billionaire, to accelerate their inheritance. (In a nifty bit of casting, Baker looks like he could be Roberts’ son). The pair land on this devious goal after they go slumming in a dive bar and meet the hunky Joe (Greg Finley). Bringing Joe home for the night, they learn, conveniently, that he is a hit man who is eager to assist George and Lux with their scheme. Moreover, Joe proves himself to be quite good in bed—with each of them— which prompts them to let him stay. The Estate, directed by James Kapner, is a broad, dark comedy that skewers privilege and will amuse viewers who appreciate its campiness. Lux is a vain, obnoxious, entitled woman, but Coupe delivers her every line in such an exaggerated fashion that she is hi-

(left to right) Eliza Coupe, Greg Finley, and Chris Baker

wracking kind. A sequence involving Ellison (Rif Hutton), an investigator, possibly discovering Marcello’s daughter’s corpse, is more strained than suspenseful. If the film is amoral in its plotting, Baker’s crafty script plays that up gleefully. Upon hearing the will read, Lux and George complain that Mar-

The hoary murder plot kicks in when Lux lures the absent Marcello to come home and come to her in the bedroom. George and Joe prepare to off him, but things do not go as planned. As such, while Marcello does indeed die, there is an unexpected victim in the crime. This causes a complication, but what is worse, the anticipated inheritance diverts all of Marcello’s estate (save the house George and Lux live in) to the billionaire’s heretofore unbeknownst daughter. Of course, this prompts George, Lux, and Joe to find the scion and kill her before the lawyers inform Marcello’s daughter of his will. The Estate has fun with this spiraling crime spree, and Joe seems to enjoy working with George when it comes to making a killing. ( Joe expresses his pleasure by performing a sex act on George to indicate this, cementing their relationship.) But the question arises in George’s mind—will Joe kill him once he inherits his father’s 22

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As The Estate builds to its dramatic conclusion, tables get turned and more bodies pile up. The plot has a few twists that surprise the characters perhaps more than viewers. But who comes out on top is less important than how—or what—they have to do to get there. The cast is game with Baker and Coupe hitting all the right notes. As Joe, Greg Finley is appropriately sexy and mysterious, which makes him a terrific foil for his devious lovers. That all the characters are both hateful and yet easy to root for is why The Estate works so well.

Chris Baker

lariously catty, not shrill. (Coupe’s Lux is also a master of false sincerity.) Likewise, George’s louche character may be quite superficial and effeminate, but he butches it up to get what he wants. In fact, he and Joe both get turned on when they fight aggressively-playfully.

shallowness of the money-hungry, skin-deep characters.

cello treated them better when he was alive. And when Mary (out actress Heather Matarazzo) who works at the law office, feeds information to

That said, the film is not going to please everyone. Mocking the 1% is an all too obvious target, and the film tries too hard to find something to satirize. But for those who lean into its campi-

Greg Finley (left) and Chris Baker (right)

Lux and George—for a $2 million fee—she has a terrific speech justifying her unethical behavior.

ness, The Estate is wicked fun.

There is absolutely no shame for these characters, and that is precisely why The Estate is so much fun. George craves the money so he can be invited to the Black and White Gala and (re)enter society as someone

Gary M. Kramer is the author of “Independent Queer Cinema: Reviews and Interviews,” and the coeditor of “Directory of World Cinema: Argentina.” Follow him on Twitter @garymkramer

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

Jewelle Gomez

All Hallows Eve

I do understand the anti-Halloween perspective. First, the celebration provides children with a ridiculous amount of sugar, pushing them up to a howling banshee level of toxicity. And second, recognizing ghosts, goblins, witches, etc., may seem in contradiction to standard tenets of Christianity. However, so many Christian holidays were invented simply to subsume the pagan rituals that dominated the landscape before Christians appeared—if one digs deep, it’s hard to separate one from the other. Whatever the history, Halloween is one of my favorites for several reasons. As I kid, I dearly loved the assortment of candies and fruit one could collect, and even the coins from my father’s bar patrons. This was before prepackaged candy bars (safer, but dull) when neighbors were proud to create homemade treats like peanut brittle and other personalized “puffs” and “balls” and “tarts.” As I got older (limiting myself to peanut butter cups—they’re almost food), I loved the idea of a day when the veil between the worlds was thinner; that those who’d passed over to the other side might still touch us in some way. All Hallows Eve prepares us for the Day of the Dead and is a time when I think about my relatives who raised me and about queer forebears who’ve passed on, dispersing their energy back to cosmos. The animated films Coco and The Book of Life both capture the urgency and tenderness of ancestor worship and let us revel in the rarity of seeing Mexican folk culture on screen. This is not to say I eschew the traditional horror films that take over our screens as the darkness of fall sets in. I’m just a little deliberate about what I want to spend my brain cells on. I have to side with national journalist Gwen Ifill and local newscaster Frank Somerville and their concerns about “missing white woman syndrome.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF JEWELLE GOMEZ

Halloween is one of those celebrations that folks either embrace with bacchanalian devotion or try to ward off with crucifixes. Needless to say, I’m in the first camp; and I was there even before I started writing vampire fiction.

So, notwithstanding, my worship of the original scream queen, Jamie Lee Curtis, and horror films must be about something other than “young, blonde girl as victim.” Like Let the Right One In (the original Swedish version with a Transgender subtext), or Jordan Peele’s Get Out, which serves as a larger metaphor for racism in the U.S. as well evoking a perpetual terror of “the sunken place.”

With their ancestors in mind, Jewelle Gomez and Diane Sabin chose to schedule their wedding on the Day of the Dead, November 1, 2008.

The historical political usefulness of Halloween should never be forgotten either. In the recent past it was illegal for anyone to wear fewer than three items of clothing that were deemed appropriate to their gender—a parochial way to trap drag queens and butches who might dare to express their sartorial identity. But Halloween always offered us that one evening when we could dress in anything we wished. From boxers to bikinis on that night, Queer people got to dress exactly how we wanted to and be largely exempt from police harassment. This belief that the veil between the worlds might be thinner during this period led Diane and I to hold our wedding on November 1, the Day of the Dead. It seemed that we might more easily feel our ancestors nearby. So, this Halloween you may want to party dressed as Divine or Mabel Hampton; it’s great to know that their energy might be travelling down through the stardust to remind us who has gone before. And given all we’ve survived, be assured we’re strong enough to face the future. Jewelle Gomez is a lesbian/feminist activist, novelist, poet, and playwright. She’s written for “The Advocate,” “Ms. Magazine,” “Black Scholar,” “The San Francisco Chronicle,” “The New York Times,” and “The Village Voice.” Follow her on Instagram and Twitter @ VampyreVamp

Mabel Hampton

Divine in a scene from Pink Flamingos. (1972)

PHOTO SOURCE: IMBD.COM

Jewelle Gomez

PHOTO COURTESY OF JEWELLE GOMEZ

Leave Signs

This observation doesn’t dismiss the tragedy of any woman lost to her family because of how little women are valued in this culture. The idea does, however, highlight the reality that media racially prioritizes who’s important in the culture, so we hear more about missing white women than we do, for example, about the several thousand Native American women who have disappeared or been murdered. ( https://tinyurl.com/56kvkvua )

PHOTO SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA.COM

¡VIVA! Latinx Heritage Month!

Photos courtesy of Juan R. Davila

San Francisco Bay Times team members Juan Davila, Leticia López, Maribel Rodriguez, Nomey Perdomo, and Rodolfo Medel are bringing forward the flare of Latinx culture this October, while celebrating Latinx Heritage Month, the Castro Street Fair’s return, and the upcoming observances of Halloween on October 31 and the Day of the Dead on November 1 and 2!

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

Top of your stack Bewilderment (fiction) by Richard Powers

The astrobiologist Theo Byrne searches for life throughout the cosmos while single-handedly raising his unusual nineyear-old, Robin, following the death of his wife. Robin is a warm, kind boy who spends hours painting elaborate pictures of endangered animals. He’s also about to be expelled from third grade for smashing his friend in the face. As his son grows more troubled, Theo hopes to keep him off psychoactive drugs. He learns of an experimental neurofeedback treatment to bolster Robin’s emotional control, one that involves training the boy on the recorded patterns of his mother’s brain. With its soaring descriptions of the natural world, its tantalizing vision of life beyond, and its account of a father and son’s ferocious love, Bewilderment marks Richard Powers’ most intimate and moving novel. Ordinary Girls (memoir) by Jaquira Diaz This is both a subtle and powerful portrait of one young girl’s family and social struggles while navigating her sexual identity. While growing up in housing projects in Puerto Rico and Miami Beach, Díaz found herself caught between extremes. As her family split apart and her mother battled schizophrenia, she was supported by the love of her friends. As she longed for a family and home, her life was upended by violence. As she celebrated her Puerto Rican culture, she couldn’t find support for her burgeoning sexual identity. From her own struggles with depression and sexual assault to Puerto Rico’s history of colonialism, every page of Ordinary Girls vibrates with music and lyricism. Díaz writes with raw and refreshing honesty, triumphantly mapping a way out of despair toward love and hope to become her version of the girl she always wanted to be.

RECOMMENDATIONS FROM BOOK PASSAGE The Engagement: America’s Quarter-Century Struggle Over Same-Sex Marriage (nonfiction) by Sasha Issenberg On June 26, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that state bans on gay marriage were unconstitutional, making same-sex unions legal across the United States. But the road to that momentous decision was much longer than many know. In this definitive account, Sasha Issenberg vividly guides us through same-sex marriage’s unexpected path from the unimaginable to the inevitable. It is a story that begins in Hawaii in 1990, when a rivalry among local activists triggered a sequence of events that forced the state to justify excluding gay couples from marriage. In the White House, one president signed the Defense of Marriage Act, which elevated the matter to a national issue, and his successor tried to write it into the Constitution. Upcoming Events Saturday, October 21 @ 1 pm (online) - Dante Stewart with Robert Jones In his new book, Shoutin’ in the Fire, Danté Stewart gives breathtaking language to his reckoning with the legacy of white supremacy— both the kind that hangs over our country and the kind that is internalized on a molecular level. Stewart uses his personal experiences as a vehicle to reclaim and reimagine spiritual virtues like rage, resilience, and remembrance, and explores how these virtues might function as a work of love against an unjust, unloving world. Tuesday, October 27 @ 7 pm (in-person/ticketed at Dominican University) - Douglas Tallamy The Nature of Oaks: The Rich Ecolog y of Our Most Essential Native Trees reveals what is going on in oak trees month by month, highlighting the seasonal cycles of life, death, and renewal. From woodpeckers who collect and store hundreds of acorns for sustenance to the beauty of jewel caterpillars, Tallamy illuminates and celebrates the wonders that occur right in our own backyards. He also shares practical advice about how to plant and care for an oak, along with infor-

mation about the best oak species for your area. The Nature of Oaks will inspire you to treasure these trees and to act to nurture and protect them. Saturday, October 30 @ 4 pm (online) - Achy Obejas and Carolina de Robertis Boomerang/Bumeran by Achy Obejas is a unique and inspiriting bilingual collection of lyrical poetry written in a bold, mostly gender-free English and Spanish that address immigration, displacement, love, and activism. As engrossing as it is innovative, vivid, moving, and full of wit and humor, The President and the Frog by Carolina de Robertis explores the resilience of the human spirit and what is possible when danger looms. Ferrying us between a grim jail cell and the president’s lush gardens, the tale reaches beyond all borders and invites us to reimagine what it means to lead, to dare, and to dream. https://www.bookpassage.com/

COVID-19, Creativity, and Co-Authors

Words

ENJOY THE VIEW! CASTRO STREET CAM Live-streaming 24/7

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Carolyn Angiolillo and Ronald Joseph Kule

Michele Karlsberg

process? Who can help me?” Perhaps a co-author.

Michele Karlsberg: The COVID19 pandemic resulted in an abrupt change in routines and livelihoods all around the world. Engaging in creative acts can be an adaptive response to a changing environment. Author Carolyn Angiolillo had a lifelong dream to bring her stories to a wider audience. Now with all the time in the world, she made that dream come true. I discussed her experience writing A Brooklyn Saga: Stories from the Stoop with co-author Ronald Joseph Kule and how the pandemic gave a boost to her creativity.

I utilized LinkedIn and outlined my need for help in writing my semi-autobiographical novel about growing up in the Italian section of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. After reviewing all submissions, I chose Ronald Joseph Kule, author of the best-selling book about one of America’s favorites: Chef Tell! As Ron and I spoke in depth about the project and about how I wanted to present the story, it became apparent that we were indeed a good writing team.

Michele Karlsberg: Tell me about your experience working with a co-author and what that writing process was like. Carolyn Angiolillo: I knew I was a good writer at my workplace— grants, program proposals, etc., but this writing project would be totally different. I indeed wanted to do this. I then thought to myself, I would love to bring in a writing partner. So, I started to inquire, “How do I go about writing a book? What is the

centered than I had ever been. I was also more appreciative of the people whom I have met along the way. My journey growing up in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and sharing the stories from the stoop has fulfilled a lifelong dream. Michele Karlsberg: How did the pandemic boost your creativity?

As we worked together, my creativity blossomed every day. I became transfixed within the story, experiencing an almost transcendental state of mind. All of my memories flooded to the surface. I was immersed in my story and smiled with every line I wrote. Ron’s input, feedback about the storyline and plot twists was coming together quite nicely. The more we worked on the editing process, I found the book strengthening page by page.

Carolyn Angiolillo: COVID-19 had me on my couch forgoing all of the activities that I had participated in, such as yoga mornings, tai chi lessons, and working out at the gym. I thought to myself, “What am I going to do with my time while in lockdown?” It all made me start to think about the book I always wanted to write. I now had an opportunity to focus more. This respite invited me to become more creative.

It took my creative mind to a different level. During the process of publishing our novel, I became more

I went back in time and envisioned myself sitting all alone on the (continued on page 32)

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

Things I Love About My Neighborhood: Noe Valley Photos courtesy of Liam Mayclem

Liam’s LGBTQI List Liam P. Mayclem Noe Valley on the sunny side of San Francisco is the neighborhood I have called home for 26 years, pretty much soon after landing here in the city by the Bay. It’s brimming with small town charm and it feels like a little village inside this big city of San Francisco. You can explore cuisines from around the world in Noe from Italian, Indian, Japanese, Mediterranean, Portuguese, Thai & more, and are totally spoiled with all things from casual burgers (Hi-Way) & subs (Subs Inc.) to specialty stores focused on cheese, chocolates, and olive oil. These are some of my favorite places to dine, imbibe & shop in Noe Valley; most are new businesses that have opened recently and during this COVID-challenged year. A few are LGBTQ owned, but all are LGBTQ friendly. Enjoy the list and do your best to support the local mom and pops in your neighborhood. Noe Valley Farmers’ Market Saturdays 8 am–1pm

Noe Valley Square on 24th between Noe & Sanchez is where the community gathers. On Saturdays it’s home to the NVFM: Noe Valley Farmers Market. Local farmers & vendors come together for the Saturday market. There is usually a live music performance and a play area for the wee ones. https://tinyurl.com/2hbzmv6d Chocolate Covered Daily 11 am–6 pm Jack is the chocolatier here, home to some of the best chocolate on the planet. Jack will ask you one question: “What’s your favorite chocolate?” And then get your chocolate satisfaction from there. Jack also makes cool photo tins that are wonderful gifts for friends or family. This is the spot for your chocolate fix. http://www.chocolatecoveredsf.com Village Rotisserie Daily 11 am–9 pm (closed Mondays) New to the hood is a fast, casual dining spot where chicken (fried & rotisserie) stars. Pick your chicken & sides: duck fat potatoes, oven roasted Brussels sprouts, and roasted cauliflower, just to name a few. There are salsas, too. For beverages there is a nice selection of local brews & wine. The revamped outdoor patio is an inviting location

to dine among the lemon trees and large umbrellas that provide perfect shading. https://www.villagerotisserie.com Mr. Digby’s Bar & Restaurant Tuesday–Sunday 5 pm to close Saturday & Sunday 10:30 am–2:30 pm brunch I know this spot well as I was a partner in its former incarnation, Noe’s Cantina. Mr. Digby’s is inviting and warm and feels more gastro pub than bar. The menu is comfort food all the way with options for non-meat eaters too. The chicken pot pie was yummy; the beef tartare hit the spot. The “chick” hen & biscuits—a veggie mushroom dish with English peas—was a delightful, tasty surprise. There is a daily desert special, so stay for that sweet ending. Mr. Digby’s has a full bar with killer cocktails to boot. There is seatBillingsgate ing outdoors and indoors, and the popular weekend brunch is a must. Welcome to the hood, Mr. Digby (named after the owners’ Old English sheepdog). Tails are joyfully wagging and loving what you have delivered so far. https://www.mrdigbys.com

Liam at the Noe Valley Farmers’ Market Capay Farms booth

Liam with Chef Telmo

Billingsgate Tuesday–Friday, Sunday 10 am–7 pm (continued on page 32)

Billingsgate

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Sister Dana Sez: Words of Wisdumb from a Fun Nun by the STONEWALL NATIONAL MONUMENT. Under the Trump administration, activists weren’t able to raise a flag pole or Pride flag despite repeated requests with the NATIONAL PARK SERVICE that were ultimately not accepted.

By Sister Dana Van Iquity Sister Dana sez, "I want to wish everyone a Very Happy Halloween—and especially a Really Festive Hallow-QUEEN!” AT THE WAKE OF A DEAD DRAG QUEEN will be held LIVE courtesy of THEATRE RHINOCEROS at Spark Arts, 4229 18th Street in the Castro, October 28–November 14. This will be its West Coast Premiere by Terry Guest and directed by Tanika Baptiste. Courtney Berringers would like to welcome you to her wake! But—make no mistake— this ain’t your grandma’s funeral. This is a play about Blackness, Southern queerness, and the fine art of drag. From African Gods and Goddesses to Trina and Whitney Houston, At the Wake thoughtfully uses storytelling, drama, and drag to explore identity, illness, and the worlds we construct for ourselves. Come party at the wake. BYOH. Bring Your Own Heels! http://therhino.org/ Congratulations to the SF EAGLE in SoMa—having been given landmark status by the HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION and the SF BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, thereby becoming the third LGBTQ bar site in San Francisco to get this historic landmark distinction. The second existing such bar is TWIN PEAKS in the Castro. This will be the seventh LGBTQ landmark site in SF. Sister Dana sez, "I am quite pleased to announce our World Domination Plan is in full swing! Bwa-ha-haaa!” Any supporter of the PRC community will want to check out their hot-off-the-presses 2020–21 IMPACT REPORT. First, read their statement: “What a year it’s been. We have faced a global pandemic, re-openings, and further shutdowns, racial unrest, protests, and a national conversation about the systemic issues our clients have struggled with for decades. Through all this uncertainty, one element remained constant: PRC’s commitment to helping its clients no matter what.” Now go to PRC’s amazing report: https://bit.ly/2YzuEIT A vaccinated Miami rabbi and member of the Proud Boys has been offering mass conversions to instant Judaism with so far over 200 religious exemptions for vaccines as well as recommendations for unsafe nonmedical Covid remedies. Sister Dana sez, "There is a special place in HELL reserved for his kind of dangerous hypocrite!" Injectable HIV treatment is here. With CABENUVA, people living with HIV have another HIV treatment regimen that involves receiving an injection just once per month (no pills needed!). How’s it going? We heard from one person who said it’s “life-changing.” https://bit.ly/3AqshFl The Biden administration is allowing a plan to move forward for raising a PRIDE FLAG and installing a permanent flag pole in Christopher Park, right across from Stonewall Inn and on federal property encompassed 26

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Sister Dana sez, "Biden is President, and Schumer is Majority Leader. They need to put the pressure on Manchin and Sinema, bust the filibuster, and move forward. No more nice guys. Primary them! Threaten their donors! Do SOMETHING, Democrats!” Pat Robertson steps down as host of The 700 Club after 60 years spewing hate and lies on TV. The far-right televangelist who made some of the most ludicrous and hateful claims about LGBTQ people is finally going off the air. Sister Dana sez, "Ding Dong! The Witch is dead! And best witches to him!" Section 3 of Amendment 14 to the U.S. Constitution states as follows: “No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any state, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any state legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any state, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may, by a vote of twothirds of each House, remove such disability.” Sister Dana sez, "By simple majority, Congress can easily invoke Amendment 14 to Trump! Do it!" ARTSAVESLIVES SIDEWALK SALON is now operating every Sunday, noon–5 pm as part of Sunday Slow Streets at Noe and Market. Thomasina DeMaio exhibits her art and curates local artists such as Carl Linkhart, Billy Douglas, Junara Greco, Alan Beckstead, Matt Pipes, Walker Dukes, and Billy Bowers. DeMaio credits Jeff Hastings, owner of the nearby LOOKOUT bar and restaurant for providing the booths, getting the proper permits, and organizing that space where artists have been able to show their work during the pandemic—when nowhere else was available. Go and enjoy! Also, DeMaio offers life drawing free every Saturday at Eureka Valley Rec Center in the Castro in the auditorium, 2–5 pm. Arrive early for socializing. Despite the violence and discrimination we see, our trans communities have shown time and again that they have the brilliance, commitment, and care needed not only to support one another but also to usher in a better world for all people. We joined them for SPARK, TRANSGENDER LAW CENTER (TLC)’s largest annual gathering, to celebrate the ways we are rising up together, and for each other. Funds raised at SPARK helped TLC continue to change law, policy, and attitudes so that all people can live safely, authentically, and free from discrimination regardless of their gender identity or expression. “SPARK 2021” was virtual, free, and open to all on October 14. THE TRANS AGENDA centers the lives and voices of trans people of color, who have too often had to advance their collective liberation from the margins. Trans justice is migrant justice, disability justice, racial justice, environmental justice, reproductive justice, economic justice,

For this Halloween-themed Sister throwback, Sister Dana Van Iquity was photographed in 2017 stepping out SD’s front door onto Castro Street ready for trick-or-treating.

and gender justice. An agenda for trans liberation is a blueprint for liberation for all. Co-host Joshua Allen is a writer, artist, model, and activist from Brooklyn, New York. In 2016 they founded the BLACK EXCELLENCE COLLECTIVE, an organizing hub for and by Black LGBTQI+ young people. Outside of their organizing work with the collective, Josh has produced a number of visual arts projects such as “Sex Dreams” and “Lifeblood,” and recently joined the “2020 For Freedoms Awakening Billboard Campaign” as a participating artist. Co-host Basit Shittu is a nonbinary Black Nigerian-American performance artist, singer/songwriter, musician, screenwriter, and actor. Their creative practices are rooted in cultivating radical empathy, embracing vulnerability and unique expression, and finding power and strength in existence. Their art is cultivated from their passion for telling stories, and shedding light on perspectives that are often neglected. Terri Fells-Edmonds gave an extremely moving recital of the names of 42 transgender people lost to senseless violence—including her own daughter in June. Executive Director Kris Hayashi gave an inspirational message speaking about “times like these with anti-abortion, anti-trans, anti-Black—but together in community ... we will take on cases that others would not take.” Special appearances were by Laverne Cox who was interviewed by Katie Couric, when Laverne noted, “We are in the best of times and the worst of times.” She pointed out that 35 states have passed legislation against trans youth. Also giving props to TLC was activist, author, and Queer Eye star Jonathan Van Ness and activist, public speaker, and poet Alok. The playlist for the lively dance party was by Chico Chi, a queer, non-binary transmasculine DJ, creative, and fashinistx based in Minnesota. I highly recommend this immensely informative PBS-TV doc, CURED. Homosexuality was considered a mental illness to be “cured,” but brave, bold LGBTQ activists fought back. Also headlined lovingly: “20 Million Gays Cured!” https://to.pbs.org/2Z0xnv0 THE GLBT HISTORICAL SOCIETY will present a virtual REUNION on October 21 at 6 pm with co-hosts Juanita MORE! & Sister Roma. Special speakers will be California Attorney General Rob Bonta, SF Mayor London Breed, California State Assemblymember David Chiu, California Board of Equalization Member Malia Cohen, California State Assemblymember (continued on page 32)

BAY TIMES S

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

Castro Art Mart and SOMA Second Saturdays: Support for Local Artists

Photos by Rink

Local artists and makers have come to the rescue during the ongoing pandemic, offering beauty, creativity, useful goods, and more throughout this still-challenging time. Outdoor events, such as the Castro Art Mart on Sundays and SOMA Second Saturdays, have allowed for their works to be more accessible. San Francisco Bay Times photographer Rink has been recording images depicting both the artists themselves and their work at these and other locations in San Francisco. Here are just a few of the many artists and makers we have come to know about and support.

Max Khusid - (owner of Art House SF Gallery, 2324 Market) http://www.arthousesf.com

Artist Austin Boe http://www.austinboe.com

Alexander Prestia https://www.a1205x.com/

Michael Lownie Fine Art http://www.mlownie.com

JB Higgins http://www.jbhiggins.com

Oscar Gallegos http://www.oscargallegos.com

Gage Lennox http://justfor.fans/gage_lennox

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FAMSF Curator Reveals Life and Legacy of Groundbre Celebrated fashion designer Patrick Kelly (1954–1990) was just 35 years old when he succumbed to AIDS, and yet his work often appears to be as vibrant and boundarypushing today as it was during his lifetime now more than two decades ago. His enduring message of love—one that boldly asserted Black empowerment and fearlessly pushed the boundaries of fashion—is evident in the exhibit Patrick Kelly: Runway of Love, which will be on view from October 23, 2021–April 24, 2022, at the de Young.

Members of our San Francisco Bay Times team have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of Runway of Love, which was announced during the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown. Now, with the museum open and mandates lifting, the exhibit will bring Kelly’s captivating work to West Coast audiences. It will spotlight nearly 80 of his memorable designs.

“I want my clothes to make you smile,” said Kelly, who was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi, and developed an upbeat, creative vision despite the many challenges he faced as a Black gay youth raised primarily by his mother and grandmother after his father’s passing in 1969. Kelly briefly attended Mississippi’s Jackson State University before moving to Atlanta and then to New York. With an anonymously-gifted plane ticket in hand, he arrived in Paris at age 25.

“The de Young museum has always been committed to showcasing the world’s finest fashion designers, and we could not be more delighted to presLaura L. Camerlengo: The exhibient Patrick Kelly: Runway of Love to our audition’s organizing curator, Dilys Blum, sheds light ences,” said Thomas P. Campbell, Director and Laura L. on Patrick Kelly’s time in Atlanta in her catalogue Camerlengo CEO of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. essay. Kelly opened a small shop, called Moth Ball “Kelly was a trailblazing artist who created Matinee, shortly after moving to Atlanta in 1974. an extraordinary array of designs during his lifetime. There, he sold antique and secondhand clothing, as well Everyone should know the name Patrick Kelly and we as remodeled clothing and his own designs. hope this exhibition does just that.” San Francisco Bay Times: Did he ever later disThough Black fashion designers have continuously pushed cuss or write about problems he likely expethe industry’s barriers, Kelly was a true groundbreaker. rienced growing up as a gay, Black youth and His bold and bright creations stood out on the streets, in young man in Mississippi? If so, are there any nightclubs, and especially on the runway. This extraordispecific stories you could share? nary vision resulted in Kelly becoming the first American Laura L. Camerlengo: Yes, Patrick Kelly experiand first Black designer to be voted into the Chambre enced racism, and recounted his experiences with racSyndicale du Prêt-à- Porter des Couturiers et des ism, throughout his life. His former business and life Créateurs de Mode, a prestigious French association for partner, Bjorn Amelan, has continued to share these stoready-to-wear designers. Perhaps more remarkably, Kelly ries in the wake of Kelly’s passing. For example, Patrick was lauded with such accolades while being, and remainKelly’s childhood textbooks were hand-me-downs from ing, one of the few designers who directly addressed issues white schools, filled with racist notes for their future readof race in his work. ers. Kelly had to thumb through images of blackface to The exhibit situates Kelly and his designs in the broader study—a painful memory that stayed with him throughcontext of art and fashion history by looking deeply at his out his life. inspirations. Through seven different sections, it explores San Francisco Bay Times: Was it ever determined his influences, including his Black heritage, memories of who gave him (anonymously) his first one-way his childhood in the South, experiences in the club and ticket to Paris in 1979? gay cultural scenes in New York and Paris, and his muses from art, fashion, and Black history. Laura L. Camerlengo: Yes, it was the supermodel and superstar Pat Cleveland who bought him his one-way We recently learned more about Kelly and Runway of Love ticket to Paris in 1979. She connected with Patrick Kelly thanks to Laura L. Camerlengo, Associate Curator of in New York, and saw that he was struggling to make it Costume and Textile Arts at the Fine Arts Museums of there as a designer. In an interview, which we shared in San Francisco and Presenting Curator of the exhibition. the exhibition catalogue, she recalled, “People helped me, San Francisco Bay Times: It’s remarkable how I thought—that’s why I gave him the ticket—so why not Patrick Kelly was self-taught and had such an help each other make our dreams come true? We just need early vision of what he wanted to do. Who were one person to believe in us, and Patrick kept that dream his primary mentors during his childhood and alive for many more years to come.” formative years, and how did they inf luence San Francisco Bay Times: Bjorn Amelan is a him? remarkable individual in his own right. How did Laura L. Camerlengo: Patrick Kelly was born and he and Kelly first meet? raised in Vicksburg, Mississippi, by strong women. His Laura L. Camerlengo: Bjorn Amelan and Patrick mother taught him to draw, and an aunt taught him to Kelly met in 1982. At the time, Amelan was a photogsew. In several interviews, he acknowledged his grandmother as the “backbone” of his aesthetic. The styles worn raphers’ agent for luminaries such as Horst P. Horst and William Klein. They met at the designer Willi Smith’s by members of his church community were also a source showroom in New York City. Kelly and Amelan reconnected in Paris in 1983, and became business and life partners thereafter.

In the City of Lights, he spent several years freelancing as a designer before, in 1985, creating the company and fashion line Patrick Kelly Paris with his business and life partner Bjorn Guil Amelan. Together they took on the world with clothing that became not only internationally known but also representative of his personal expression that fearlessly addressed Blackness, systemic racism, and the queer experience.

Patrick Kelly at the Patrick Kelly Spring 1989 show in Paris, France. (Photo by PL Gould/IMAGES/Getty Images)

of inspiration; he would often say, “The Black Baptist church on Sunday, the ladies are just as fierce as the ladies at Yves Saint Laurent haute-couture shows.” San Francisco Bay Times: Vintage clothing stores were especially popular in the 70s. Kelly showed great initiative in opening his own such store in Atlanta. Do you know how long he owned the store and what sort of vintage fashion most appealed to him at the time?

San Francisco Bay Times: How did Kelly first connect with Gloria Steinem? She seemed to play an important role in establishing his international career. Laura L. Camerlengo: As Dilys Blum details in our catalogue, Patrick Kelly was introduced to Gloria Steinem by New York television producer Carla Morgenstern. Kelly had connected with Morgenstern through Ellie Wolfe, whom he had met while living in Atlanta from 1974 to 1978. It was Gloria Steinem who introduced Kelly to Linda Wachner, president and CEO of Warnaco— the company that would later fund his brand. Steinem also interviewed Patrick Kelly on the Today show.

Photograph by Oliviero Toscani. Courtesy of the Estate of Patrick Kelly. Scan by Randy Dodson / Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco 28

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More poignantly, Gloria Steinem gave a beautiful eulogy in honor of Patrick Kelly during his memorial service at the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, in 1990. She said, “He was an outsider who brought the outside with him, and then eliminated the outside/inside division for everyone. He unified us with buttons and bows, tassels and fringe, instead of dividing us with gold and jewels. In his presence, the ‘not powerful enough’ felt hope, and the ‘too powerful’ felt humanity.”

eaking Fashion Designer Patrick Kelly

BAY TIMES S

LGBTQ News & Calendar for the Bay Area

CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES (1978–2021)

Images courtesy of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

Fashion model and entertainer Grace Jones wearing a brightly colored ready-to-wear costume decorated with a cape, sashes, and a tall hat by American fashion designer Patrick Kelly. She is modeling the outfit during his SpringSummer 1989 fashion show in Paris. (Photo by Pierre Vauthey/ Sygma/Sygma via Getty Images)

Catalog cover for Patrick Kelly: Runway of Love, produced by the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.

San Francisco Bay Times: What are some of your own favorite pieces in Patrick Kelly: Runway of Love? Please share why these pieces resonate with you, or otherwise strike you as being noteworthy. Laura L. Camerlengo: It is hard to pick a favorite design—a bit like asking me to pick a favorite child! But my dear, late friend and colleague, Monica Brown—who was the impetus for this exhibition—was a great fan of Patrick Kelly’s wool suits, which feel, at once, both professional and whimsical. In honor of her, I will name those as my “favorites.”

A model walks the runway at the Patrick Kelly Ready to Wear Spring/ Summer 1989 fashion show during the Paris Fashion Week in October, 1988, in Paris, France. (Photo by Victor VIRGILE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)

San Francisco Bay Times: How many pieces/ensembles are new to the exhibit, coming from FAMSF? Have these items ever been on exhibit before? And please describe some of this attire. Laura L. Camerlengo: The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco was honored to receive several Patrick Kelly designs from two of Kelly’s former colleagues: Elizabeth “Ms. Liz” Goodrum, Kelly’s long-time assistant; and Audrey Smaltz, a famed runway show producer who also coordinated Kelly’s spirited runway presentations. The garments that will be on view in our exhibition include a “Jailhouse Rock”-themed gray and black striped knit dress, donated by Goodrum, and a bubblegum pink quilted coat printed with small images of American-born Black entertainer and activist Josephine Baker, donated by Smaltz. Several pieces of jewelry, donated by Goodrum, will also accentuate many of the ensembles loaned to us by the Philadelphia Museum of Art. San Francisco Bay Times; What do you think Kelly’s lasting legacy is to the world of fashion and the arts? Like Keith Haring, he seemed to be a man so much of his time, and yet unique and timeless as well. Laura L. Camerlengo: Patrick Kelly’s style signatures—such as his use of tubular knits to form body-conscious styles—have become part of the lexicon of fashion. Since his passing, the designer himself has served as a symbol of hope and a rallying cry for other Black fashion professionals, as seen most recently with The Kelly Initiative. ( https://thekellyinitiative.net/ ) San Francisco Bay Times: It is moving that the controversial golliwog image that he used in his work—taking control of this derogatory symbol—is on his gravestone along with an image of a heart. Was that his decision? Or perhaps Amelan’s? Laura L. Camerlengo: Yes, Bjorn Amelan drew inspiration from the signatures of Patrick Kelly Paris for the tombstone imagery, including the

Woman’s Ensemble: Coat and Dress, fall/winter 1986; Woman’s Dress, fall/winter 1986; Woman’s Dress, fall/winter 1988; by Patrick Kelly Philadelphia Museum of Art: Gift of Bjorn Guil Amelan and Bill T. Jones in honor of Monica Brown, 2015, 2015-201-29a,b, 2015-201-124, 2014-207-11. Image courtesy of the Philadelphia Museum of Art

house’s golliwog logo and the heart button. But it is the epitaph that perhaps best embodies the designer and his legacy: “Nothing Is Impossible.” San Francisco Bay Times: Please mention anything else that you would like for our readers to know. Laura L. Camerlengo: Our museums’ presentation of Patrick Kelly: Runway of Love marks the first time that Patrick Kelly’s work will be presented by a West Coast museum. We have been joined in this endeavor by many of Patrick Kelly’s friends, colleagues, and collaborators; emerging scholars, such as our advising scholar, Dr. Sequoia Barnes, and established academics; and diverse members of the Bay Area community. We are thrilled to share Patrick Kelly’s important contributions to fashion and his enduring legacy with our audiences.

A model at the Patrick Kelly Spring 1989 show in Paris, France. (Photo by PL Gould/IMAGES/Getty Images)

https://tinyurl.com/4f7yy7us S AN F R ANC IS C O BAY T IM ES

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Take Me Home with You!

“My name is Carlo! I was recently found wandering the streets of San Dr. Jennifer Scarlett and Pup Francisco, and I’m looking for someone who will invite me into their home so I can be safe and warm. I’m a big ol’ hunk of love who promises to fill your house with loud purrs and fun feline antics. Do you need a new best friend and someone to curl up with at night? If so, let’s meet.” Carlo 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 Carlo. To apply to meet Carlo, visit https://www.sfspca.org/adoptions/

Dykes

With Drills

Tip of the Week By Julie Peri

Speed Square If you have been in a woodshop or inherited some tools belonging to a builder or carpenter, you may have come across a triangular-shaped tool called a speed square. The speed square, also referred to as a rafter square, is an inexpensive but essential tool for any woodworking and home improvement task. The main function of the speed square is to lay out lines on a surface, quickly and accurately, but it has many functions. Speed squares can be used as a ruler, to find roof pitch, mark angles, guide saw cuts, and can even be used as a level, but for this tool tip, we are

SA N FRANCISCO BAY T I ME S

going to focus on how to use this tool for straight lines and angles. A speed square has one T-shaped edge, a 90-degree marking edge, and a 45-degree marking edge. The 45-degree marking edge has other angles indicated along it. To use a speed square to mark a perfect 90-degree corner on a piece of wood, you line the T-shaped edge snug against one edge of the board and trace the 90-degree marking edge onto the board. Similarly, if you need to mark and cut a 45-degree corner on a board, you will line the T-shaped edge snug against one edge of the board and trace the 45-degree marking edge onto the board.

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If you are using a circular saw to cut the edge, you can use the speed square as a straight edge to guide the circular saw. If you need to mark and cut an angle other than 90 degrees or 45 degrees, start by marking your 90-degree line on the board first. Then pivot the speed square until the desired angle is lined up with the top of the board and trace the 90-degree edge again. You now have your angle marked and are ready to cut. Join us in the Bay Area for some fun entry level workshops this fall! Build a Planter Box Workshop, October 30, Walnut Creek Introduction to Tools Workshop, November 20, San Francisco Introduction to Tools Workshop, December 11, San Francisco For more information about these and other events, go to: https://www.dykeswithdrills.com/workshops Julie Peri is the Founder and Director of Dykes With Drills. https://www.dykeswithdrills.com/

Speaking to Your Soul ARIES (March 21–April 19) If you’ve bottled up your true feelings about something for a while, your pot might blow its lid now. Prevent the need for damage control by courageously communicating your truth as calmly as you can. Your needs are valid and they’re best received when you display poise.

Astrology Elisa Quinzi October’s orchestra of otherworldly orbs urges us to examine the underlying motives driving our emotions, particularly in the context of our relations with others, and with getting what we want. As we let go of the unsustainable habit of using force to navigate life, true power emerges. No longer allowing ourselves to be victimized by our need for control, we discover an inner spring we can trust to guide us toward solutions that work for the good of the whole, and align us with the harmony we ultimately desire. Elisa Quinzi is a certified professional astrologer who brings a strong spiritual perspective, as well as over 20 years of experience, to her work with clients. Contact her at futureselfnow@gmail.com or at 818-530-3366 with your exact birth time to schedule or to ask questions.

TAURUS (April 20–May 20) If you’re experiencing generalized fear lately, step up your spiritual self-care. Go within to ground yourself in your power so you can better tackle your responsibilities. You might need to express some feelings around caring for a loved one, or your own health needs. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) As you are naturally adept at handling what’s in front of you, it can be more challenging to zoom out and consider the long-range vision. And yet some part of you senses its impending presence, and this can cause you anxiety. The polarity that wants to be integrated within you is between being fully alive and present in this moment, and strategizing for a future that is coming. You are brilliant at multi-tasking, and that skill serves you best when you have a plan. CANCER ( June 21–July 22) You are famous for being family-oriented, for better or worse. What’s less common knowledge about you is your ambition. A keen intuition makes you an astute and competitive business person. At times your professional needs conflict with domestic ones. You might need to erect boundaries in one or both of these areas now. Get clear on what your own heart needs and trust its lead. LEO ( July 23–August 22) At this point on the path, the planets prompt you to practice the art of healthy conflict. Your values and beliefs have evolved, as should what and how you communicate. This isn’t an invitation to yell at other drivers from your car window; in fact, take special care on the road right now. But it is a challenge to be more honest and forthright about your thoughts and feelings with the people around you. Even forests need occasional fires. VIRGO (August 23–September 22) If fear has held you back from applying yourself to what you really want, all that can change now. The planets are encouraging you to answer the call and put yourself out there. The only requirement is that you let go of control

and trust there’s something bigger than you having a hand in the results. LIBRA (September 23–October 22) In a typical storyline, the main character goes through a transformation. They can only do so against the grain of some type of conflict. You’ve entered a new cycle now, Libra, and the rebirth is not meant to be a gentle one. If you’re snoozing through it, you’re missing an opportunity to grab hold of what you truly want. SCORPIO (October 23–November 21) As you prepare to close another cycle in your life, have the courage to let go of that which is ending. Contemplate the seeds of wisdom gained from your experience, and carry them forward into the next cycle. Purify on all levels so that you can channel the power that is ready to pour forth through you at a higher octave. SAGITTARIUS (November 22–December 21) Your current challenge is to strike a balance between your own sanity and the needs of the collective. Your idealism can take you far into the fight for justice, but if you lose your connection to pleasure and joy, your mental health will suffer. Moderation is key on both fronts. CAPRICORN (December 22–January 19) Solitude calls. Step back from the buzz of the demands of the world so you can hear what’s going on underneath it all. Your feelings have a message for you that can revitalize, or change the course you’re presently on. You might be required to face off with a partner or superior. If you stay in integrity, you can trust the outcome. AQUARIUS ( January 20–February 18) A paradox of Aquarius is your tendency to go outside the box and think up innovative ideas, and then not budge from wanting to implement them your way. But the current sky-map calls for a collaboration that can break up crystalized patterns in your life. Loosen your grip and prepare to be wowed. PISCES (February 19–March 20) Action and effort can be elusive to the mystical dreamer Pisces, but upon applying yourself fully to life, the rewards are exponential. When you harness your power and put into practice what you believe about the nature of reality, not only do your confidence and happiness increase, but also you become a formidable contributor in partnership, and you catch glimpses of the flow state.

As Heard on the Street . . . What is a favorite Halloween memory?

compiled by Rink

Oscar Gallegos

Jessalyn Ragus

Ruby Rose Julian

Austin Boe

Downtown Armorger

“The Comfort & Joy Glow in the Streets Block Party”

“Riding around in the rain, looking for fun, and ending up at the Stud Bar”

“Wearing a 49ers jersey while a best friend wore a Raiders jersey. The fans loved it.”

“Going to the Trax Bar to play pool in my Florence Foster Jenkins costume”

“My first Halloween at the Eagle. I went as a zombie daddy.”

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KARLSBERG (continued from page 24)

MAYCLEM (continued from page 25)

stoop, thinking about my life and where it will lead. As I jogged my memory, it all came back: the neighborhood atmosphere, mob mentality, Catholic Church vagaries, and, of course, old-world Italian culture. I always knew those neighborhood stories would have such an impact that I would want to share in the future.

Saturday 9 am–7 pm If you love seafood, there is a cool little joint in Noe you’ll want to explore: Billingsgate on 24th Street & Sanchez. This fab fish market & dining spot has it all: the daily catch as well as crab, lobster, oysters, and more. It’s packed to the gills with all your culinary tools, jams, and sides—plus brews & vino for a picnic or seafood party. Stay for lunch and enjoy the crudo, the raw bar, or the yummy seafood salads. The happy hour from 3 pm–5 pm offers 50% off oysters & cava; now that’s a deal and a catch! It’s well worth the trek across town to dine or shop, or both. Joyfully, I live right down the street. https://www.billingsgatesf.com

I took time to create a timeline of stories the book would feature. I knew I wanted to include aspects of my life that always gave me joy like stoop ball, Ringolevio, and Johnny-on-a-Pony. The book started out by writing about those stoop ball games that my friends and I played almost every day after school. I then realized, after writing this chapter, the reader needed to know more about time and place. I then created an introduction to these stories that included the history of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. As I continued to structure my narrative timeline, it sparked my memory even further. COVID-19 did definitely serve up isolation, and I am happy that I utilized that time in a creative way. “A Brooklyn Saga: Stories from the Stoop” traces the steps of Angie Carpello as she sits on her stoop and navigates her life amongst the Italian mafia, the dichotomies of the Roman Catholic Church, and old-world Italian culture. For more information: https://tinyurl.com/3xf9x3pz Michele Karlsberg Marketing and Management specializes in publicity for the LGBTQ+ community. This year, Karlsberg celebrates 32 years of successful marketing campaigns. For more information: https://www.michelekarlsberg.com

SISTER DANA (continued from page 26) Evan Low, SF District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, California State Assemblymember Phil Ting, and California State Senator Scott Wiener. They will present History Makers Awards to Jewelle Gomez (a fellow San Francisco Bay Times columnist!), Daniel Nicoletta, and Frances 'Franco' Stevens, and the Clio Award to Tina Valentin Aguirre. https://bit.ly/3DKFcnq Miss bear hugs? So do we. Join us SISTERS OF PERPETUAL INDULGENCE & THE BEARS OF SAN FRANCISCO for the inaugural BEARRISON STREET FAIR. Come as you are or in nothing at all. Everyone is welcome to celebrate who you are or who you want to be as we promote body positivity and community. It’s a fair for every bear and their friends. Live entertainment. October 23, 12–6 pm, 11th and Harrison Streets. I can bearly wait! https://www.bearrison.org/ You’re invited to Senator Scott Wiener’s annual PUMPKIN CARVING CONTEST with celebrity drag queen judges Juanita MORE!, Mercedez Munro, and D›Arcy Drollinger! Pre-scooped pumpkins will be provided. Noe Valley Courts, 4320 24th & Douglass, October 30, 12–3 pm. No Youngkin pumpkins allowed! Others RSVP: https://tinyurl.com/4fj8xa96 Sister Dana sez, "Go PURPLE on SPIRIT DAY, October 21, and take a stand against bullying! You better—or else! Just kidding. But please do.”

Read much more online www.sfbaytimes.com

Noe Valley Bakery Daily 7am–7 pm For more than 20 years, Noe Valley Bakery has served the local Noe community and beyond. Located a block from my house, the bakery’s smell of its daily early bread bake wafts down the street and provides a morning alarm: “Get thee to the bakery!” The bread loaves in all forms shine: apricot ginger, cherry chocolate ... but the double raisin loaf is my favorite, and the challah loaf also hits the spot. Cakes additionally star here, with cupcakes for every season from Easter to Pride to the winter holidays, and spooky Halloween cakes are offered up now. The item I am most passionate about is the meaty, cheesy baked tile, but there are veggie options, too. And if you need a cake for a special occasion, look no further than Noe Valley Bakery. https://noevalleybakery.com/pages/noe-valley

Olive This Olive That 11am–6 pm (closed Mondays)

QUEER POP QUIZ ANSWER (Question on pg 21)

D) A, B, and C Dr. Frank N Furter, played by actor Tim Curry in the cult 1975 film, also wore dark fishnet stockings, tight black underwear, a garter belt, and heels.

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For all things olive oil this is the shop where you will find it all. Owner Janell is a foundation of knowledge and she believes that delicious olive oils should not be a luxury or a specialty item but rather a ubiquitous fresh ingredient in all kitchens. It is a wonderful place to get a special gift of olive oil and balsamic vinegar as well as other specialty items. Sign up for Janell’s informative & entertaining virtual classes. See the website for more info. https://www.olivethisolivethat.com/contact-us/

Other honorable mentions in Noe Valley: Hamano Sushi https://hamano-sushi.com Hi-Way Burger & Fry https://www.hi-wayburger.com Lupa Trattoria https://www.lupatrattoria.com Uma Casa https://www.umacasarestaurant.com La Ciccia http://www.laciccia.com Saru Sushi Bar https://akaisarusf.square.site Subs Inc. http://sfsubsinc.com/ Valley Tavern http://www.valleytavern.us 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/

SF Pride 3rd Annual Pro-Am Golf Tournament

Photos provided by San Francisco Pride

Held in conjunction with the Professional Golfers Association (NCPGA) and First Tee of San Francisco, “the golf world’s biggest and best LGBTQ+ event” was held on Saturday, October 9, at TPC Harding Park and was hosted by San Francisco Pride. Among the professional golfers competing were Greg Fitzgerald and Tadd Fujikawa. Preceding the tournament, a welcome reception was held at Beaux nightclub on Friday evening, where Fujikawa was honored by San Francisco Pride for LGBTQ+ leadership in the field of golf. Along with staff and board members of San Francisco Pride, Sister Roma, members of Cheer SF, and Harding Park’s Tom Smith attended and provided support and inspiration. Over the years the event has been a successful fundraiser. In 2020 alone, the tournament saw 150 players raise approximately $35,000 for San Francisco Pride. https://sfpride.org/golf

SFLGFB Performs in 2021 Italian Heritage Parade

Photos by Rink

Proclaimed by Mayor Breed to be the “official Band of San Francisco,” the San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band marched in the 2021 Italian Heritage Parade and was welcomed with applause by spectators along the parade route. The first parade in San Francisco celebrating the city’s Italian-American population and history was held in 1869. It has since evolved into an annual event. Held virtually for the first time in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the parade retuned in 2021 to the delight of spectators as well as contingent participants. The parade features Italian-American dignitaries, music, performances, floats, and representatives of organizations and businesses. Previously known as the Columbus Day Parade, the name was changed in 1994 to its current phrasing. Also included in the parade this year were Mayor London Breed; Joseph Amster, dressed as Emperor Norton; contingents of U.S. Navy sailors; a marching band; and much more. A show of Ferrari cars drew spectators to Washington Square Park in North Beach. https://sfitalianheritage.org/

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Round About - Halloween Is Coming!

Photos by Rink

Figures dressed for Halloween peer out of the display windows at Cliff’s Variety on Castro Street.

Decorations at the Cinch Saloon on Polk Street

A spider-webbed witch hat is featured in the display windows at One Half on Polk Street.

The popular NINJAGO games in the windows at Cliff’s Vareity

A special sign declares the Terrasol gift shop to be a “Halloween Bootique.”

Multiple-sized stuffed toy pandas for sale in Chinatown

A dance party in the middle of Grant Avenue

A line of masked customers awaited service at the Eastern Bakery, operating since 1920, at its Grant Avenue location in Chinatown.

Artist Alexander Prestia at his booth during the final SOMA Second Saturdays sponsored by the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District.

Vendor Gage Lennox offered t-shirts at his booth during the final SOMA Second Saturdays. 34

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Halloween-themed donuts with candy corn at the popular Bob’s Donuts shop on Polk Street

The Jade Chocolates Teahouse & Cafe on Grant Avenue in Chinatown

Artist Austin Boe displayed a photograph imprinted on a mirror at his booth during the SOMA Second Saturdays.

Sister Celine Dionysus volunteered at the DNA Lounge during the final SOMA Second Saturdays

Safety monitors Vo Cheng and Kynbey at the final SOMA Second Saturdays

Round About - Halloween Is Coming!

Photos by Rink

CASTRO STREETCAM presented by

Halloween figures in the windows at Terrasol gift shop

http://sfbaytimes.com/ Author Cassandra Peterson’s new book, Yours Cruelly, Elvira, Memoirs of the Mistress of the Dark, is featured in a display at Fabulosa Books (formerly Dog Eared Books) on Castro Street.

A spooky canine wizard is on display in the front window at One Half on Polk Street.

More Halloween characters in the window at One Half

Is it time to add a little spooky to your foliage? These super cute pots from Accent Decor are looking at you. Fleet Week brings young sailors to San Francisco, such as these who visited Brownies Ace Hardware store on Polk Street.

Lamp posts on multiple blocks of Polk Street were decorated with patriotic buntings in celebration of the return of Fleet Week in San Francisco.

Yes, these skeleton ducks are dying to follow you home.

Nothing says Halloween like these fantastic collector pieces from Department 56. Kirk Dalrymple, owner of Yankee Clipper Travel, welcomed guests to his office located at 4115 19th Street. His business has served the LGBTQ community in particular for more than 30 years and recently was named a San Francisco Legacy Business.

Hometown Creamery’s ice cream van, from its position parked on Polk Street, filled customers’ orders for unique pumpkin cheesecake and carrot cake flavors.

ince our founding in 1936, Cliff’s Variety has been constantly growing and evolving in response to the needs of our customers. Our buyers strive to keep our selection fresh, on-trend and competitive.

We carry the best of everything from hardware & tools to cookware, garden supplies, toys, crafts, and gifts. We also offer re-keying and lock repair, knife sharpening, glass, acrylic & wood cutting. Light fabrication, pipe threading, and cable crimping are among the many other services we offer at Cliff’s Variety. If your project has gone a little beyond your abilities, we’re here to help. https://cliffsvariety.com/

A sleepy “watch dog” became part of the display during a sidewalk sale at the Russian Hill Upholstry & Decor store.

Rink Remembers

A busy afternoon at the sidewalk service area at Café de la Presse located near Chinatown and Union Square

Photos by Rink A memorial for artist and landscape specialist Kerry Edward Achor was found on the iron grillwork at Hibernia Beach, the sidewalk area at the intersection of 18th and Castro Streets. Achor lived and worked in San Francisco for 42 years after relocating to the Bay Area. A celebration of life ceremony was held on October 4 at Hippie Hill in Golden Gate Park. Donations to the SF AIDS Foundation in his memory are encouraged. https://www.sfaf.org/

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